Shifti - User contributions [en]

User:MatthiasRat

2011-03-19T09:44:42Z

MatthiasRat: Added a link to my latest Paradise story

{{my stories}}
== Welcome to the Matthias Rat/Trike's User Page! ==

Hello all! I'm Charles Matthias, more commonly known online as MatthiasRat or MattTrike. I was introduced to many good friends through the Transformation Story Archive, so now I am delighted to post a few of my own works on its newest incarnation.

=== Stories by Charles Matthias ===

* [[User:MatthiasRat/BadPapers | Bad Papers]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/GillieGift | Gillie's Gift]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/LadyNoHelp | The Lady Who Didn't Want Help]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/ALong-ForgottenMadness | A Long-Forgotten Madness]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/The Perfect Girl | The Perfect Girl]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Pruning | Pruning ]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/AnUnexpectedStop | An Unexpected Stop]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/WUN | WUN]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/YouCanOnlySee | You Can Only See]]

=== My Paradise Stories ===

* [[User:MatthiasRat/MadeAlone | Made Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/BathingAlone | Bathing Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Not Quite Alone | Not Quite Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Suspected Alone | Suspected Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Revealing Alone | Revealing Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Convention Building | Convention Building]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Model Building | Model Building]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Change Building | Change Building]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Confession Building | Confession Building]]

And everyone remember: <math>1 + \mathrm{e}^{\mathrm{i}\pi} = 0</math>. It's that important.

[[Image:BrutonMattRat.gif]] [[Image:MattTrikeHappy.JPG]]
{{author page}}{{DEFAULTSORT:MatthiasRat}}

User talk:MatthiasRat

2011-03-19T09:43:39Z

MatthiasRat: /* Permission to use a line? */

Hey there. Welcome to Shifti. --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 16:11, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

:Charles, please review the [[Help:Posting_stories|Posting Stories]] page. Wiki-style posting is quirky. --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 16:25, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

Don't forget the 'User:' bit when putting in pages that are sub-pages of your user page, Matthias. I've fixed it up for you already, that's just for future reference. — [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 16:14, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

Okay, how do I fix a page that I created but then the location was changed. Can I just change the location of a page? And what am I supposed to do when a page I'm trying to create has been edit locked? [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 16:26, 17 August 2007 (EDT)
:Charles, don't worry about the errors. We'll fix it. :) --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 16:28, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

:: Good! Thank you! I like to think I'm technically competent at this sort of thing! Now if you could get LaTeX working, that'd be really cool. ;-) [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 16:32, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

::: Hrm... I'll look into it. It is my server, after all. :P — [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 16:33, 17 August 2007 (EDT)
::: Okay, seems like MediaWiki doesn't come with everything needed to support TeX. Installing. — [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 16:44, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

::::: Awww! If you can makeit work, great! If not, I'll survive! We Rat/Trike's are a hardy breed! [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 16:45, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

:::::: Done. Just had to really study the available documentation to get the settings correct. — [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 17:35, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

Hey, just wanted to say thank you both for the welcome and for the help! Eventually I won't feel like a complete klutz! Thank you, Jon, and thank you, Shadow! :-) [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 16:46, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

: It's all part of the attempt to make Shifti a great place to post stories and read them! — [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 17:35, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

:: Quick question then. Why is it when I click the 'Stories By Author' link, my name doesn't show up? Oh, you guys are doing a great job by the way. :-) [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 17:42, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

::: I'll fix that. When you add a story you should add <nowiki>[[Category:MatthiasRat]]</nowiki> to it. It'll show up at the bottom of the page. Click on that and add <nowiki>[[Category:Stories by author]]</nowiki> to the resulting page. But I'll fix things for you :) — [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 17:50, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

::: There, all fixed. And I've done some janitorial organization—adding categories, default-sort tags and the series box to "A Long Forgotten Madness". — [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 18:14, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

Did a bit of janitorial work myself, hope you don't mind. Welcome aboard! :) [[User:Bryan|Bryan]] 21:35, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

: Thank you, Bryan! It's great to finally have had some time to post stories here! My non MK stuff needs a good home too! :-) And big thanks for listing An Unexpected Stop as a favourite! I still love that story (and the irony is that I live in Pittsburgh now and think its a lovely city!) [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 00:10, 18 August 2007 (EDT)

==Template:My stories==

Hi, just thought I should drop a note here since I imagine most authors won't be regularly checking [[Help:Templates]] for updates. I've finally added a template that I should have created long ago, a tag to put on userpages to facilitate linking to your personal story category; [[Template:My stories]]. If you want (it's entirely optional), just stick this code at the top of your userpage to create a standardized little box with a direct link in it: <nowiki>{{my stories}}</nowiki>. [[User:Bryan|Bryan]] 22:32, 18 January 2008 (EST)

==Metamor Keep==
About the Marzac storyline:
will the "Tales of Sand and Ice" be put on the official page? Also, is this underworld different from the hell described in other works (ie freezing over)?

:Tales of Sand and Ice is but the first book in the 'Last Tale of Yajakali'. None of it will be posted on the archive until it has been completed. Further, Cubist is interested in publishing each book in printed form eventually.
:As for the Underworld, it is not the same place as the Hell described in other works. Whether an exact definition of what it is will ever end up in Metamor or not is uncertain. It depends on how philosophical/theological I feel like getting. But I certainly won't say until after I've written the story!
:Thanks for your interest! --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 12:10, 7 May 2008 (EDT)

Thank you for the response. Do the daedra/gods have any influence over this Underworld? The gods seem to be opposing it...
:The daedra/gods keep their distance from Marzac, which is the opening to the Underworld. The gods want the passage there closed, and will aid those mortals going to stop it, but will not venture there themselves for fear of what the evil may try to do through their power. The daedra will stay out of the way because the Underworld means bad things for them too! --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 17:05, 9 May 2008 (EDT)
::Thanks.

== Shifti Book ==
Please see [[Best of Shifti]] and leave a note on the [[Talk:Best of Shifti|talk page]] to let us know whether or not we have your permission. -- [[User:ShadowWolf|ShadowWolf]] 20:07, 3 October 2008 (EDT)

== Paradise stories ==

I've just discovered and have been reading through the stories in the Paradise setting, in chronological order, and am disappointed to find you haven't written any more since the end of the "Building" set. I really grew to liking the characters and really would like to know how they weather the next few years. Any possibility of writing more soon? :) —[[User:Robotech Master|Robotech Master]] 20:20, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

: Thanks for letting me know you've been reading and enjoying the stories! I'm currently working on the next story in the series, and I know you won't be disappointed by the wait. It'll take me a while to get caught up to Jon Sleeper and Jetfire, but I have quite a few stories planned yet. :-) --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 20:57, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

This is pretty silly, but I got a chuckle out of it and maybe you might too. This Slashdot story, [http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/06/12/1543250/Will-ATampT-Charge-Extra-For-MMS-amp-Tethering "Will AT&T Charge Extra for MMS & Tethering"], featured the tagline "from the is-a-bear-catholic dept." Heh heh heh. —[[User:Robotech Master|Robotech Master]] 06:10, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

== Permission to use a line? ==

I have been reading your Paradise stories, and the line where one of your characters mentions that a Changed sheep might be able to make sweaters has given me an idea for a different story. It will play more of a background role in my story, but I wanted to make sure that you would be all right with it. Will you grant me permission to write if I mention that you inspired it, and any other acknowledgements you would like, within reason? - [[User:RunsWithFurs|Runs]][[User talk:RunsWithFurs|With]][[:Category:RunsWithFurs|Furs]] 10:04, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

: Absolutely. That sounds like a wonderful idea and I'd love to see what you do with it. Go for it. :-) --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 09:43, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

User talk:MatthiasRat

2009-06-07T20:57:34Z

MatthiasRat: /* Paradise stories */

Paradise (Setting)

2009-05-17T10:11:23Z

MatthiasRat: /* {{separator|f|Stories in Chronological Order}} */

{{Universe|Paradise}}

{{byline|author=Jon Buck
|user=JonBuck}}

A direct link '''[[User:JonBuck/A Kind of Paradise|To the original story.]]'''

=={{separator|f|Basics}}==
*The setting is basically indistinguishable from the Real World up until 1987, the year when people first begin to spontaneously transform into furries.
*Exactly one person transformed in Year One ''(i.e.,'' 1987), and the number of furries doubles in late August each year. The initial story in this setting, [[User:JonBuck/A Kind of Paradise|A Kind of Paradise]], is set in Year 21 ''(i.e.,'' 2007), when there are just over one million furries. The next year (2008) will add a million, for a total of two megafurries, and so forth.
*The first furry in 1987 was a vixen, with a tod the next year. Some stereotypes do have a basis in "reality". :)
**The entire world will be furry in 2020.
*Every year it's possible that an already-changed person could change ''again''. With increasing rarity, all less than one percent:
**A species change. ("What the..? I'm a ''wolf'' now? What am I supposed to do with all these hoof picks?")
**A gender change. ("Well, I guess the fawns have two moms.")
**A combination of both. ("Don't ''even'' call me a bitch! Just show me how to put on this stupid bra!")
**The next year there is about a 25% chance that the person will revert to their original gender/first species. If that doesn't happen, it's fixed. If they change back... there's another 25% chance that you'll bounce back ''again'' the next year. So there's some potential for characters who spend years alternating between species/gender.
*Also distinctive from Winds of Change: ''No superpowers''. Just whatever natural abilities (things like augmented senses, physical strength, ''etc)'' come from being half animal.
*'''The Role Reversal Paradox.'''
**''IF'' the couple has children, pre- or post-Change, no matter what age...
**''IF'' one of the couple has been transgendered...
**''THEN'' it is essentially a sure thing that the partner will TG as well.
**The reason for this is simple. ROB hates paradoxes. If they have children, there ''must'' be a father and a mother. And it ''must'' be the same two people. It doesn't matter if that person divorced and remarried someone else. Or if they're unmarried. One father, one mother. Otherwise, the kids will logically not have come into existence.
**Conversely, if they are married/going out/living together/etc., the same TG 1% dice roll applies to them as everyone else.

'''Important.''' Please ''do not'' write stories that are father ahead in the timeline than those I have written.''

'''Note on Politics'''. As a request, I ask authors not to use major political figures from Real Life. I don't want any political bashing going on here. Characters like Congressman Sandrick are perfectly fine, so feel free to create fictional members of Congress or Members of Parliament. Remember this world is different from ours from 1987 onwards. There are still details I haven't filled in between then and now, and the Butterfly Effect means that there will be some small, some major differences.

{{add|'''Winners of the 2008 Election'''}}
*President: Karen Hutchinson. (Reverse Pres. Obama and his wife, basically)
*VP: Steven Angstrom

===Physiology===

*Furries can still interbreed with one another as if they were all still human. Children get a 50/50 chance of which of the parents' species they follow.
*Conversely, humans '''cannot''' interbreed with furries, probably due to the RDF.
*There are some physical variations, but not the wide "Degrees" that Winds of Change has. The most obvious differences are hair, feet, and hands. Otherwise, most everyone is about as morphic as seen in common furry art.
**Females most often have hair the same color and similar texture as their fur. Though you do still get the occasional blond.
**Males retain their hair less frequently.
*'''Size Limitations.''' On the suggestion from the Talk page. I'm not going to limit species. However, I will have a minimum/maximum size range:
**7 feet (or 2.1m), max. About 400 lb (180 kg), max.
**4 feet (1.2m). I'll leave the small side open.
*Species are native to a particular continent. So most people in North America will end up whitetail deer, elk, bears, foxes, wolves, etc. Recent immigrants will more likely end up native species to wherever they came from.
**However, this means that someone from Seattle could ''still'' end up a leopard, or a llama, or what-have-you from other continents. I just want to make that clear.
**No mythicals like dragons, griffins, satyrs, vampires, mages, what-have-you. Just furries.
**No birds unless the laws of physics get bent a bit so they can actually fly... Which still may happen.
*'''No Extinct Species.''' No dinosaurs. Sadly, I can't include them. There are so many species that are just too big.
*Mammals only until I figure a reasonable way others can be included.
*'''Note on Transsexuals'''. This setting is intended as a mix of wish fulfillment and darker, more realistic consequences. That said, all TS folks get their bodies "corrected". Keep in mind that this won't necessarily make life easier for said character. Conflict generates Plot. And since most of the folks who get their gender switched ''won't'' be TS, there's still plenty of that around.
*Results of major surgeries are translated. Artificial hips, knees and pacemakers still work as needed. Transplant patients will not reject their organs. However, lost limbs will not regenerate and major chronic diseases will not be cured, but may go into a lengthy remission.
*One of the major benefits is a major improvement in health and fitness. ROB can't stop the change, but at least he can give the victims a sort of consolation prize. You may not end up in perfect shape, but it'll be close. A flood of positive endorphins to make the victim feel good about their new bodies doesn't hurt, either (optional). Now, what happens to that state of fitness ''after'' is entirely up to your characters.

===Psychology===
*At this point I'm inclined to have some mitigating effects on the "victims". It's still going to be very, very hard to deal with. This is a major life disruption. And there are no doubt a lot of secluded furs. But suicides aren't as common as you'd think.
*The transgendered furs do have an even rougher time. The double-whammy of species and gender would likely make serious post-change Issues a reality.
**Transgendered furs typically refer to themselves by their initials: BD, DL, etc..
**Some might end up going a little crazy and think they had ''always been'' their new gender, especially after the effects of Tall Tales Con.
*The more adjusted furs have figured out how to find these troubled souls and bring them back into the real world.

={{separator|f|The Reality Distortion Field}}=
*Humans can't see furries for what they are. They still see whatever the person looked like before, even if that person was the opposite gender.
*Some things aren't filtered correctly. Consequently...
**If a TGed man gets pregnant, the filter will change that person's ghost image to female. But she will still appear human to other humans.
**Things like hoof/paw prints, shed fur, shed antlers, clawmarks, animal odors, etc., are not filtered. So if a cougar morph gets in a fight with a normal human and lashes out with his claws, he could cause a hell of a lot of damage.
**Some humans think that there is something up (referred to as "Known" or "Friends"). And some have figured out that the friends who claim to be furry actually ''are'' what they claim to be.
*The RDF sometimes breaks down a little during large gatherings of furries (like at conventions). "Hey, that's the best costume I've ever seen! Is that a prosthetic muzzle?" Memories afterwards will probably remember some really good costumes, and photos will be perceived as such.
**In more extreme cases it will break down entirely. But it would take repeated exposures, or perhaps having a number of furry friends while remaining humans oneself. Like in [[User:Nikon/Changing_Perspectives|Changing Perspectives]].
**Transgendered furs may be perceived by humans as their new gender out of the corner of their eye. And there are likely other circumstances where the human RDF image will realign also. Specific circumstances (such as pregnancy) will be the decisive factor.
**As of 2007, TGed TallTales Con attendees have had a major RDF alteration. Everyone except family, friends, or people who have seen them often enough to really know, will perceive them as their new physical sex. Which is essentially the vast majority of people. This effect will spread to all the other TGed until 2008, when it becomes the norm.
*Do animals perceive the RDF? Probably not. But the odor of a fur is neither quite human or animal. There are still some common human pheromones, for example. Which is what makes romance between wolf and deer possible. This is a ''good'' thing, since it means that a doe-woman in heat won't be chased down by a normal buck.
*It may start to break down as there grow to be millions of furries in the world (see below).
*Another storytelling idea: The RDF is an ''antiviral measure'' (see The Cause below). When the RDF breaks down, people ''may'' change out-of-phase, since they no longer have that protection. This will make it harder to track down people who change and get them the help they need. This is ''not'' a hard-and-fast rule, but the storytelling device is available. But I '''don't''' want it to become commonplace.

=={{separator|f|The Numbers}}==

Total sequence as follows (all figures approximate):
Year AD Total Furries Total Populace Furries, as %age of total populace
1 1987 1 5,184,212,887 0.000 000 02%
2 1988 2 5,247,179,035 0.000 000 04%
3 1989 4 5,310,909,955 0.000 000 05%
4 1990 8 5,375,414,934 0.000 000 15%
5 1991 16 5,440,703,374 0.000 000 3%
6 1992 32 5,506,784,792 0.000 000 6%
7 1993 64 5,573,668,818 0.000 001 1%
8 1994 128 5,641,365,200 0.000 002%
9 1995 256 5,709,883,806 0.000 004%
10 1996 512 5,779,234,621 0.000 009%
11 1997 1,028 5,849,427,754 0.000 018%
12 1998 2,056 5,920,473,436 0.000 03%
13 1999 4,112 5,992,382,020 0.000 07%
14 2000 8,224 6,065,163,988 0.000 14%
15 2001 16,448 6,138,829,947 0.000 3%
16 2002 32,896 6,213,390,635 0.000 5%
17 2003 65,792 6,288,856,918 0.001 0%
18 2004 131,584 6,365,239,795 0.002%
19 2005 263,168 6,442,550,400 0.004%
20 2006 526,336 6,520,800,000 0.008%
21 2007 1,052,672 6,600,000,000 0.016%
22 2008 2,105,344 6,680,161,943 0.032%
23 2009 4,210,688 6,761,297,514 0.062%
24 2010 8,421,376 6,843,418,536 0.123%
25 2011 16,842,752 6,926,536,980 0.24%
26 2012 33,685,504 7,010,664,959 0.48%
27 2013 67,371,008 7,095,814,736 0.95%
28 2014 134,742,016 7,181,998,721 1.88%
29 2015 269,484,032 7,269,229,474 3.71%
30 2016 538,968,064 7,357,519,711 7.33%
31 2017 1,077,936,128 7,446,882,298 14.47%
32 2018 2,155,872,256 7,537,330,262 28.60%
33 2019 4,311,744,512 7,628,876,783 56.52%
34 2020 8,623,489,024 7,721,535,206 >100%

At this point stories should take place in '''2001 at the earliest''', up to the current story-time year. The community gets really, really small before then. If you have a story that takes place in this era, submit it to me first. Thank you.

Things should start to get really interesting around 2010. There's enough furs in the world then that niche markets would start to open up. More clothing and products specifically designed for furries start popping up. Also, it will become harder and harder to induct new furs into the group in a healthy manner. Society may start to break down in places.

It will take a concerted effort by those previously changed to keep everything under control...

'''Distribution.''' It's not random, or even. It's an expanding fractal centered on the Chicago area. As far as visualization, I'll leave that vague. But the majority of the first furs were in North America.

From the way these stories are playing out, I'd say that events are unfolding like this:

*'''1987-2002''': "Alone" period. Isolation between furries, with only a few very small groups, most of them thinking they're all alone. Best exemplified by [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat's]] stories. Nobody knows what's going on.
*'''2002-2008''': Forming Communities. There's now enough furs to start encountering each other regularly. Conventions start up. Anthro imagery (in movies, TV shows, and other media) start to show up more frequently. Information getting put together indicates an ominous trend. The whole world will eventually go furry.
*'''2008-?''': Events unfolding in [[User:JonBuck/Open Secrets|Open Secrets]] will nail down this theme. {{add|From here for the next few years, a third to nearly a half of the new Changed will be Known/Friends or family members. People who can see through the Veil easily.}}

===Important Events===
This section will be for events of note that will be important to the overall storytelling. Authors feel free to note important events in your works that could impact the setting as a whole here.

'''2007'''
*First instances of total, permanent [[User:Nikon/Changing Perspectives|RDF breakdown]]. Incidents isolated.
*First appearance of anthro dolphins. The RDF with these people is a very strained affair. The longer they stay around humans, the more likely it'll fail. Perhaps it realigns the image as a normal dolphin in the water, and a human on land.
*'''Added 2/24.''' Transgendered furs at [[User:JonBuck/Tall Tales|Tall Tales Con]] now appear as their new physical gender to anyone but close friends and family. The RDF is even actively changing identification. Active records like passports and driver's licenses, medical records are all altered to reflect this. Even a pre-Change photo ID will show the new human face, which will be a shock to the TGed fur. This effect is slowly spreading to other TGed furs, see [[User:Jetfire/Doing Hard Time|Doing Hard Time]].
*A number of pressing environmental problems relax slightly. While these solutions will solve some problems, they will cause others, especially in the short term.
**The recovery of the major world fisheries detected in the mid-90s continues apace.
**Major discoveries in energy include massive oilfields in various stable First World nations: US, Canada, UK, Norway, etc..
**Scientists observe CO2 levels stabilizing for currently unknown reasons.
**Third World experiences boosts in food production from improved farming practices and soil conditions.
**New renewable energy discoveries, new batteries, a bacterial process for making gasoline and diesel from municipal wastewater.
*With all these new furs, there are now enough singles to start pairing up. The lingering worries about fertility and children will be answered next year...

'''2008'''
*Fallout from Tall Tales Con continues. All newbie and furry gatherings the next year will be much, much smaller, informal.
*Although there were a few before this year, this is the first year a large number of furry babies will be born.

'''2009'''
*This Change Day will be different from the others. Instead of all happening in the same moment, the new furs will happen in fits and starts throughout the day. Some might change in the early morning, others late that night. The trend will continue over the next few years.
**Another wrinkle. If there's a TG, they don't have to happen at the same time. So some poor fellow who becomes a clouded leopard in the morning (or a woman) will get hit again sometime later.

=={{separator|f|The Cause}}==

So, why is this happening? What's causing it? A nanotech virus? Microscopic magic pixies? The return of magic? The wrath of God? What?

The answer is contained in '''[[User:JonBuck/Tall Tales|Tall Tales]]'''.

However, the idea is this. Ever since I read [http://www.accelerando.org/ ''Accelerando''] By Charles Stross, I've been enamored with the idea of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity technological Singularity]. So I've been looking for a way to use it in my fiction at one point. This setting provides the answer to that desire. ''Accelerando'' is available for free on the web.

Our universe--or perhaps just our planet, I haven't decided yet--and all the people in it, are basically a simulation. This doesn't make the characters in these stories any less real than you our I. Mathematics forms the basis of the universe, after all. The people are as sentient as you or I. This makes the setting rather Matrix-like, without the human bodies being used as "batteries". We're all more like Agent Smith.

I refer to this as a "furry virus". It comes from outside the post-Singularity brain, and is slightly more advanced than "ours". What's happening is this bit of malicious code (sentient, no less, but on a level far beyond our ability to comprehend it) is messing up the simulated world we reside in. Why? I dunno. One of those inscrutable things. The RDF is an antiviral measure to contain the damage and allow the society within to adapt. This is also why so far, furry species are limited to mammals. As the numbers of furs increase, that ''will'' change. I have yet to decide just when.

Why not just scrap the whole thing and restore from backup? There are no backups because the simulated people are nevertheless living beings. And they can't just be wiped out.

I hope that explanation isn't too confusing. Please let me know on the '''[[Talk:Paradise (Setting)|Talk Page]]''' if you have questions.

=={{separator|f|Notes on Avatars}}==
So far, the convention for avatars in this setting is for writers to use the first initials of first and last names. However, I wanted to note that my intent here is to give the writer more freedom than to base these characters on yourself. I've changed a lot of details about Jerome, for instance. If you want to put your avatar--if you decide to use one--into this setting, go crazy. Give them a challenge (worse job, emotional trouble). Or make them better off and have the change cause a lot of trouble with work/family/whatever. What I'm trying to say here is, don't feel you have to be directly limited by your present or past self. ''Have fun.''

=={{separator|f|Important Cast}}==

'''[[Paradise Cast List]]'''

Since this is a wiki, that means everyone can edit it. Authors who want to put names and short bios of the characters in their stories, just in case someone else wants to use them for a cameo. With the characters, please list the stories that they appear in. Please put your cast members on the linked cast page. Thank you.

=={{separator|f|Stories in Chronological Order}}==

Authors may add links to their stories as they happen in chronological order in story time. For a complete listing of all Paradise stories, since this list may be updated sporadically, see [[:Category:Paradise|the Paradise Category]].

'''2000'''
*[[User:Erastus/On the Outside Looking|On the Outside, Looking...]] ''(Through 2010)''

'''2002'''
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Made Alone|Made Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Bathing Alone|Bathing Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Not Quite Alone|Not Quite Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Suspected Alone|Suspected Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Revealing Alone|Revealing Alone]]

'''2003'''
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Convention Building|Convention Building]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Model Building | Model Building]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Change Building | Change Building]]

'''2005'''
*[[User:Jetfire/Holes in the Veil| Holes in the Veil]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Lifting The Veil| Lifting The Veil]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Poking the Veil| Poking the Veil]]
*[[User:Eirik/Stages|Stages]] ''(Through October 2006)''

'''2006'''
*[[User:Jetfire/Film at 2011| Film at 2011]]
*[[User:Jetfire/GM'O'Fur| GM'O'Fur]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Twisting the Veil| Twisting the Veil]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Silver Fox Tracks|Silver Fox Tracks]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Generations| Generations]]
*[[User:Jetfire/A Rolling Stone Gathers No Veil|A Rolling Stone Gathers No Veil]]
*[[User:Eirik/Bare Hands|Bare Hands]]

'''2007'''
*[[User:Eirik/Treatment|Treatment]]
*[[User:JonBuck/A Kind of Paradise|A Kind of Paradise]]
*[[User:JonBuck/Tall Tales|Tall Tales]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Doing Hard Time|Doing Hard Time]] (Extends into 2008)

'''2008'''
*[[User:JonBuck/Open Secrets|Open Secrets]] (In Progress)
*[[User:Eirik/Centers of Power|Centers of Power]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Live_At_Five|Live At Five]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Gulf_Ice|Gulf Ice]] (Prelude in 2001)
[[Category:Paradise]]

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-05-08T21:56:39Z

MatthiasRat: Sticka fork in it! It's done! Another Paradise story completed. :-)

{{Universe|Paradise}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in August 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Change Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

To Rob's complete surprise, the real problem with inviting Jan and Dennis to Blacksburg the last weekend before the August Change to join them on their trek down the Cascades Trail was not that Jan would get to see CM the she-bear naked. Rather it was that the boar would have to disrobe himself and as it turned out, he was genuinely nervous about doing this around others.

To even convince Rob that this was something they could do CM had promised to wear a male swimsuit. But the skunk had never expected that Jan would insist on wearing even more before agreeing to go into the water with the rest of them. Dennis the hedgehog had no such inhibitions and skinny dipped like the skunk, his spines rustling like an undulating sea slug as he moved through the waterfall fed pool.

Jan slipped deep into the water so only his porcine head was visible. "This is very nice," he admitted, his nostrils flaring momentarily as he settled down. CM swam on the other side with Rob and Dennis between them. Their cleaning gear remained on the bank. "Are all your Summer days like this?"

"Yeah, this area is great in Summer," Rob replied. "No humidity, rarely over eighty degrees, it's great."

"Especially with all this fur!" CM trumpeted before diving beneath the water. A dark brown mass swam back and forth and then lifted up with a fish trapped between her jaws. Even though he'd seen his friend do this a few times now, it still unnerved him. Dennis gaped, little eyes widening in disbelief. Jan stared for a moment and then guffawed.

"I think you've been a bear too long, ya!"

CM climbed on bank and deposited the fish in a plastic bag filled with water. Her thick fur clung to her body and as she lumbered on all fours, apart from the swimming trunks, she looked very much like a normal bear. "Leslie loves it when I bring back fresh fish. And since you both are staying for dinner, I'm going to catch some extra."

Jan shook his head and waved his arms in the water. After getting into the small pool beneath the forty-foot waterfall, he'd not moved from the rock shelf he'd settled on. Rob swam a little closer and found another shelf nearby. "So, Jan, I've never asked you what you do for a living."

The boar kept his eyes on the rippling surface of the crystal clear water. He twitched when a small fish brushed one of his bristly legs. "I work at a small engineering company. We do contract work around the area, so I get to play with all sorts of toys. It's how I met Dennis."

"I thought you worked as an insurance auditor," Rob said, turning to the hedgehog.

"I do. We contracted Jan's company to verify a client's claims. We'd used them before, but I never really knew Jan until he changed. I've met a few other Changed because of my job too. Just last week we added three more Changed to the NoVa community."

Rob idly watched CM catch another fish in her jaws. He really hoped no hikers came up the trail. The skunk dunked his head under the water and then shook out his fur. "You met three at once?"

"Through this Jack Russell lady. She filed a claim on some furniture she'd destroyed. Claimed her dog did it, but those claw marks were obviously not her dog's. I made her drop the claim to prevent an official investigation. She already knew two other Changed in the area, and we all got together and pooled our money to buy her new furniture."

"That's interesting," Rob admitted, glancing between Jan and Dennis. "I wonder how many Changed know each other but haven't met people in the network. CM, what do you think?"

The she-bear dropped her fourth fish from her jaws into the plastic bag and licked her jowls. "Finding isolated pockets of Changed? It's happened a few times. I think it's going to happen a lot more over the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised if we found some other websites for Changed communities that don't know anything about us." CM shook like a dog and sprayed water all over the river-smoothed rocks.

Rob pondered that thought as he relaxed in the water. The day was pleasantly cool in the shade of the valley, while all the trees swung with a light breeze, green leaves rustling and pines thrumming. The falls provided a constant crashing splatter that drowned out everything else. The vaulted walls of slate rising upward, domed by a variety of deciduous trees, sheltered them in an arboreal sanctuary.

"The network scrubs the web already," Rob pointed out. "If there were any such sites, they would have been found. Or they're going to be found eventually. Whatever."

"We're going to see a lot more Changed after next Sunday, ya?" Jan asked.

"Well, probably not right away," CM admitted as she slipped back beneath the waters. Rob wondered why she bothered to shake off if she was just going to get back in, but knew there was no point in asking. The Change brought some strange instincts that were often hard to resist. "Odds are we won't know anybody who Changes, but we need to keep watch anyway. Which reminds me, what are the NoVa Changed doing to prepare?"

"We've made lists," Jan replied. "At least ten people each that we'll check up on next Friday and Saturday for the sickness."

"And we've got everyone's phone numbers," Dennis added with a shrug of his shoulders. His spines rippled along his back and upper arms. "I'm not sure what else we can do except keep our eyes open."

"There's really not much else you can do," Rob pointed out. "I just hope there's more people here locally who've Changed."

"Kyle's coming down to Tech the week after," CM pointed out as she sank into the water. "And Barb knows a lot of people we don't."

"I'm hoping for somebody middle-aged," the skunk said with a churr in his throat. "We'll have three college students and a retiree. We need more variety to make all the connections we need in town."

The she-bear frowned and waved her arms back and forth to keep steady in the natural pool. "Well, as college students, we probably won't be living here forever."

"True," Rob admitted. "Which just makes our need for more people who do live here more important."

Jan grunted through his nose and played his hoof-like hand across the water's surface. "I'll be happy so long as I stay a boar."

"I'll be happy as long as I go male again," CM said with a heavy sigh.

"Ya, I hope so too," Jan replied, a twinkle filling his beady eyes. "You look too good to be a woman."

CM glowered and splashed him with a wave of her paw. Rob and Dennis laughed. The hedgehog shook his head and sighed, "Well, I'm stuck this way. Coming up on two years for me now. What about you, Rob?"

"I wouldn't mind changing again as long as I stay male. I'd love to become feline. But skunk isn't so bad. I'm not drinking as much as I used to which helps. I really hope Audrey changes though. And it'd be nice if some others from SOAP did too."

"It'll happen eventually," CM said. "Well, if we're right it will. Anyway, we've been checking in with the other Changed in the area, and things sound pretty good. I think everybody's ready for next week, or as ready as we'll ever get. Everybody's trying stuff similar to what you NoVa Changed are doing, so we'll compare notes and see how we did in two weeks."

"Sounds fair," Jan nodded. "Are we going to try meeting again like we did at Technicon?"

Rob groaned, "Oh I hope not! At least not at Technicon. I don't even want to think about Technicon for another three months."

CM chuckled and snuffed. "We probably won't be able to get everybody together like we did that time, but we may try to organize a couple get togethers. We'll see. First, we have to get through another Change Day."

"Do you really think it's going to be that bad?" Jan asked.

"Who knows!" Rob shrugged. "All I know is that I'm going to spend all day tomorrow working on the server, changing out cables, and figuring out why I'm getting an intermittent signal on my remote laptop." The skunk then elaborated on exactly what the problems were and what he thought he needed to do to solve them.

When he finished, the hedgehog, eyes raised, said, "And on that note, I think I'm going to start scrubbing." Jan guffawed and followed his friend to the slate ledge where they'd left their gear. Amazingly, CM's shaking hadn't completely drenched their things.

{{Separator|k}}

The sky cleared by the time late afternoon arrived. The four friends laughed and teased each other as they made their way back down the Cascades trail. After scrubbing the shampoo through their fur, or in Dennis's case, bristly spines, they'd washed clean, played around a bit longer in the pool, and then lay in the open air drying off. Jan never lost his self-consciousness and kept his swimming trunks on despite how sopping wet this made him all the way back down the trail. When they reached the parking lot, he rubbed his middle down one last time with his towels while CM, Rob, and Dennis stowed their gear in Rob's Matrix.

As Jan finished drying himself off, his brow furrowed, eyes staring fixedly at the pair of bikes parked next to Rob's Matrix. He wrapped his towel behind his neck and snorted. "Hey CM! I got an idea."

The bear lifted her head from the trunk of the car and said, "Uh oh. What's the idea?"

Jan laughed and gestured to his bike. "Would you like to ride my bike down to the main road? Is not a long ride and there won't be many cars."

CM shifted her weight and regarded both the boar and the bike. He had shown her so much in the last five months that she had begun to feel very comfortable on a motorcycle. However, he'd never let her do more than drive around parking lots. If she became a rat again like she suspected, with such a long tail it would be nearly impossible for her to ride until her next Change. This was probably her last opportunity.

"Just to the end of the road. Not onto 460?"

The boar grabbed either end of towel draping over his neck and pulled gently. "Ya. It'll give you a taste of what bikes are really like."

Rob slapped the bear on the back and said, "Get on the bike and get it over with. You know you want to."

CM laughed, her fur and jowls shaking with the pleasure. "Okay, fine. You sure you trust me?"

Jan patted the seat and grunted. "Ya. Speed limit's only thirty-five. Take it easy on the turns and you'll be fine."

While CM took those few steps toward Jan and the motorcycle, Dennis climbed on his bike and chuckled under his breath. "I'll set a good pace for you, CM. Just stay a car length behind me and you'll do fine."

"Thanks, Dennis." CM swung one leg over the bike and felt her bulk settle comfortably into the seat.

Jan handed her the keys, patted her shoulder once, and followed Rob to his Matrix. "We'll follow you and watch you," the boar declared with his usual aplomb. "I'll let you know how you did!"

CM ignored the boar's attempt at a joke, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the bike. It rumbled to life and roared pleasantly when she gave it gas. Dennis nodded his pudgy head in approval, started his bike, and slowly eased out of the parking space and into the empty lot. CM gently followed him, feeling an anxious tightening in her heart as the bike responded to her commands. With a twist of her wrist, she shifted gears and turned to follow the hedgehog.

The parking lot was shrouded by deciduous forest on every side. Only the road leading to 460 offered a way out. Dennis eased down the road as it plunged beneath leafy boughs that obscured the solitary power line, and CM followed him, her paws gripping the handlebars tightly. The road ducked and wove as it followed the meandering stream to the valley's entrance. Rocks clustered on their right, huge stacks that supported trees and the vast hillsides that stretched from the mountains. Moss clung to their surface, and even as they cruised past, CM could smell the rich aroma of the wide variety of deer, grouse, and other game that made these mountains their home.

After only a few minutes the forest thinned enough that they started to see houses and yards on either side. Most were run down or in poor repair, with plastic siding or wooden beams long in need of replacing. They weren't truly poor, those who lived here, they just didn't have enough to rebuild what was slowly falling apart. The four of them were fortunate so far in their lives, but they could all just as easily end up living somewhere remote. For a Changed, it might not be such a bad thing either.

But none of this was on CM's mind. For the first time, the she-bear was riding a motorcycle down a road without assistance. And as she made turn after turn and kept her speed under control, she felt her confidence increasing. The wind sliced through her fur and pounded at her chest, but it was a good feeling, strong and powerful that made her call on her strength to beat it back. She sat firmly in the chair, her thick legs supporting her upper body as it bore the brunt of the air's cloying hands.

Her nostrils flared with the rich scents pouring her way. CM's ears folded back as she listened to the growling of the engine between her legs. She smiled and chuckled to herself at the odd sensation of the wind cleaning her fangs. Her stub of a tail twitched with delight in her shorts.

And then they passed out of the hills and onto the small plain that was the town of Pembroke. The road straightened as it neared the much larger and far busier 460. Dennis slowed and CM eased back with him. Behind them, Rob pulled the Matrix off to one side while Dennis and CM parked on the shoulder. CM let out a long sigh of pleasure as she turned the key and rubbed her paw pad over the bike's chrome handlebars and across the fuel tank.

"That good, huh?" Dennis asked with a knowing smile crossing his snout. His spines shivered down his back like a wave passing through sand.

CM nodded and could not disguise the awe in her voice. "Oh yeah. That was amazing."

Jan laughed as he climbed out of the Matrix and clopped his hooves to her side. "You looked like a natural, CM! Did you like it?"

"I loved it! I'm so getting one of these when I can afford it!" CM roared in delight, rubbing her paws along the bike's front some more. "This was a really sweet ride. Thank you, Jan."

The boar nodded, "You look right for a bike. Maybe one day we go riding together, ya?"

"I'd like that. These mountains beg to be ridden!"

Jan crossed his arms, glancing once at the low, green mountains that surrounded them. "Ya, they do. But there's just one thing."

CM looked back at him. "What's that?"

The boar's expression was of pleased amusement. "Could I have my bike back now?" Rob beat his paws against his steering wheel to keep from laughing.

{{Separator|k}}

When not working, CM and Rob spent the next few days calling the few Changed they knew in Virginia and the surrounding states. They discussed strategies for looking for new Changed, and the warning signs that would precede the Change. Much of this was merely refresher for the others who'd been preparing on their own, but for most of them, this would be the first time they'd be actively looking for new Changed.

Much of their time on the phone was spent catching up with those who they'd gathered with at Technicon earlier in the year. Claire, the otter from Bristol, had her paws full getting her children ready for the next year of grade school. Edgar, the opossum from Richmond, boasted of his recent promotion and how smart his three year old boy was. Carl, the Golden from South Boston, spent most of the time asking them what they were doing in their lives, but did admit that his nephew was home from his tour of duty overseas and was most amused that his old fogey of an uncle had attended Technicon. Kyle the chipmunk wouldn't stop raving about how excited he was to be coming to Virginia Tech in another week. And of course Jan and Dennis were already talking about dragging CM on a biking trip into the Jefferson National Forest in September.

The only other Changed that had been there, Barb the panther, was local and had her own network of friends that she promised to keep an eye on. And so with little else to do but wait, Rob and CM kept up the facade of a normal life around their friends and coworkers as the days of the week trickled past. Until the sickness came on the fifteenth, they wouldn't know who might join their August company on Sunday morn.

Leslie could tell that CM was a little anxious, and it pained the she-bear not to be able to tell her wife what was amiss. But there always lingered that hope in her ursine chest that in a few days Leslie would join her amongst the ranks of the Changed and there would never need be any secrets between them again.

By Thursday night, CM's anxiety had reached such a height that he could only be thankful that Leslie worked that evening. The she-bear climbed into her Saturn and took the long drive down Harding Avenue heading out of Blacksburg. It was a particular favourite of theirs, winding down into a valley lined by ridges with ranches and old country homes on either side of the twisting road. At that hour of the night, he saw deer at the edge of the woods, and sometimes a raccoon or skunk.

The road changed names and turned down several other roads, including route 42 which climbed up a steep mountain face before returning to 460. By the time that CM returned home it had been a two hour drive, but it had done its job. The bear was finally able to calm down and collapse in bed. The metal groaned under her weight, but she was long since used to it. Her mind, once racing with wonder what the next day would bring, had calmed down enough that simple prayer kept it focussed.

Dreams of Leslie sprouting fur in a few days kept her in a pleasant slumber. CM could never quite tell what Leslie was becoming, but the sight of her changing was enough. With such sweet dreams, CM never cared what happened to herself.

But when her eyes crept open Friday morning and felt a crushing headache pounding on either side of her massive ursine head, and a sickening tightness stirring her corpulent gut, CM couldn't think of anything but herself. The agony raced from one side of her head to the other, like giants playing ping pong in her mind. She dug her claws into her belly fur and groaned loudly, twisting beneath the blankets.

Beside her, Leslie stirred and lifted one arm to rub at her forehead. CM opened one eye and felt a glimmer of hope. But then she scooted up and blinked her eyes clear of her usual pre-coffee bleariness. "Are you okay?" she asked in clear tones.

CM grunted and sighed. "Feelin' sick."

Leslie leaned over and rubbed the top of the bear's head, feeling for a fever. The usual pleasure CM would have felt at Leslie rubbing her head fur was not there. "You always seem to get sick right before the fall semester."

CM grunted and closed her eyes. "Yeah. I guess you're feeling okay?"

"Need coffee, but yeah." Leslie lifted her hand away. "You definitely feel hot. Is there anything I can get you?"

Medicine never helped this sickness. It just had to run its course. By tomorrow evening he'd feel fine again. But she'd have to wait at least another year for Leslie to Change. The she bear sighed. "The phone, so I can call off from work."

Leslie nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and climbed out of bed to retrieve the phone. CM sighed and kept her eyes closed. The pain was familiar but still debilitating. If not for the Change that followed, she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

There wasn't anything else CM could do but lay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. She hoped that Rob and the others would have better luck.

{{Separator|k}}

After calling off from work and being kissed and tended by Leslie, CM spent most of Friday laying in bed. She attempted to read, but her eyes didn't want to focus on the pages. She tried at one point to climb out of bed to go watch a movie on the couch, but it took an hour to convince her body to make that journey; then after watching the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring she decided she'd rather try to sleep anyway. Apart from one time in the evening when she plopped herself on the porcelain pedestal to make her bodily offering, she never bothered trying to get out of bed again.

Leslie was kind enough to leave the phone at her bedside once she went to work, and so CM was able to answer the phone when Rob called to check on her. The skunk asked her how she was doing, but once he knew that CM was suffering the Change sickness, he excused himself and hung up. CM felt like growling at the world, but that would probably only make her stomach tie itself into even more knots. Instead, she lay in bed and let her bodily misery run its course.

Like all things, time worked its own wonders, and the she bear found the patience she'd honed in her many years alone and the seven times she'd suffered this before (not to mention all the periods she'd undergone during her five female years) helped her endure the long Friday. She got little sleep that night, and the illness persisted Saturday morning. Another quick call to work and she resumed her sojourn in bed. Leslie understood her need to suffer alone and after doing what little she could for her husband, Leslie closed the bedroom door and quietly went about her daily chores before work.

By the time Leslie left for her afternoon-evening shift, the pain began to ebb. CM opened her eyes and took a long deep breath of air that stank of bear fur. She panted, drool wetting her cheeks. With her right paw she thrust the covers off her frame, and enjoyed the relatively cool air inside their apartment. A few minutes later, she managed to lumber to her feet and began navigating her heavy bulk over to her dresser. She pulled a loose t-shirt on and a pair of shorts. If she was lucky, she wouldn't need the bras and panties after tomorrow morning, so decided not to bother with them.

Their dog Crystal lay sleeping on her beanbag, but did open her eyes at CM's approach. The she-bear pet the elderly Cairn on the head and then entered the kitchen to find something to eat. It would be her last meal as a bear, possibly forever, and after a day and a half of laying in bed, she was starved!

A hour later, CM had cleaned out the fridge and sat contented, one paw idly stroking her distended and gurgling belly through the fur. If not for being female, she'd love being a bear. And, CM had to admit with a sigh, being female wasn't so bad either.

But tomorrow morning she wouldn't be a bear anymore, and there was plenty to do still to prepare. Being the middle of the Summer, as it was only six o'clock they had a few hours until night cloaked their little mountain town. But CM wouldn't be able to stay up much more after that, not when she had a Change coming the next day.

With a grunt, she hefted herself out of the chair, found the phone, and gave Rob a call. The skunk answered on the third ring. "Hey, CM! Feeling better?"

"Much," CM replied. "No more headache and my belly's fed, so I'm good. How about you? And the rest of SOAP?"

She could almost see him shake his head. "Looks like I'm going to stay a skunk, and none of the other SOAP members reported coming down with the flu recently. Barb and I also checked with a bunch of folks from VTSFFC, but nobody there either."

It only took CM a moment to remember that VTSFFC was the local science fiction and fantasy fan club; technically Technicon was started by VTSFFC, but the last few years it had been mostly run by the furs from SOAP. "So nobody new that we know," CM said with a rumbling sigh. "It was probably too much to expect. What about the others across the state?"

"I called them yesterday to let them know you were out of it, but nothing on that front either. At least not yet. Not even Jan and Dennis had anything to report. Tomorrow's the big day. If anything's going to happen it'll be then."

"And then some," CM added with a faint laugh. "Well, next time you see me I won't be a bear. Most likely. We should keep our eyes and ears open tomorrow. If folks don't show up to work or church and all that, it could be because they've Changed."

Rob laughed. "I was hiding in my room last year! I don't know how long I would have stayed in there if you hadn't shoved your claws under my door! It'll probably take a few days before we can be sure."

"True." CM leaned her head back, shifting the handset from ear to muzzle as she spoke and listened. "Either way, when Kyle gets here, there'll be four of us in Blacksburg."

"He's already here," Rob replied. The skunk snorted and CM could imagine him rolling his eyes. "He's such a chipmunk. He couldn't wait and is crashing over at the furry apartment until the dorms open up. Patrick's going to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't leave fur all over the place."

The bear laughed and felt a smile crease her jowls. "I should have known he'd come early."

"Hey, CM, does Leslie work tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Since Kyle's here, I'm going to have a Changed party at my place tomorrow night. Only going to be four of us it looks like, but Audrey will be there too; Patrick's going to keep the others occupied. If you aren't going to tell Leslie, at least come join us to celebrate a year."

CM nodded. "I will. If I become male again, I'll have to tell Leslie. Until then, we'll see. Thanks for the invite though. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Show up whenever, but not until after five." The skunk paused for a moment then added, "You don't work tomorrow do you?"

"No, I asked for that day off weeks ago."

"They probably think you took the last two days off to extend your holiday."

CM grunted, tongue clicking against the back of her fangs. "They better not."

Rob laughed and said, "Well, I'm going to go over the server one more time to make sure it's ready. If we're right, we should get a whole lot more Changed joining the Network in the next few weeks."

"Indeed! Take care, Rob. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I may try to come to Mass too," Rob replied. "See you then!"

CM hung up the phone and smiled. They may not have any new Changed from amongst their friends, but at least there'd be more of them local no matter what happened. It was a stark change from previous years when CM had spent her days and nights wondering if she was the only one in all the world.

CM lumbered into the computer room and opened her private closet. She pulled out the numbered boxes and opened all those marked "3". It was time to put all of her bear things away.

With care and precision, CM took her clothes out of her dresser and closet and one by one folded them tight and stuffed them into the boxes. She had to shove a few times, and snagged her claws in a few loose fibres a few times too, but managed to get everything inside. Next came all her bras and panties, as well as other female accessories she wouldn't be needing for the next year if she were lucky. Even if she did need them, she'd likely need much smaller versions.

CM stalked every corner of their apartment for anything else that had to go into the boxes. Such a thorough inspection offered several opportunities to clean which she took without thinking. By the time she stuffed all but a single pair of shoes in the boxes, she'd knew Leslie would be very pleased with seeing how nice the apartment looked. Twilight descended outside, and all that CM had left to store in the boxes was her current attire, the last pair of shoes, and her wedding ring.

Time enough for one last jaunt around the complex with Crystal, and then she should get to bed. CM slipped the shoes over her feet, watched them disappear, and called her dog after her. Crystal climbed off the beanbag chair and followed the bear out the door. Crystal was an old dog, but she managed the stairs fine. The evening was pleasantly cool and the slight breeze felt good through her thick fur. Crystal sniffed around and them ambled after the bear as they walked around the Chasewood Downs complex.

She didn't see any of the other neighbourhood dogs, and so after fifteen minutes they wended their way back to the apartment. CM closed the door behind them, gently pet Crystal on her hairy head, and then stretched, letting out a rumbling sigh. "Well, I guess it's time to go to bed, eh, Crystal?"

Her Cairn Terrier licked her nose and laid back down on the bean bag. CM laughed and padded into the computer room. She stuffed her last pair of shoes into the boxes, and then removed the last of her clothing, folded it, and shoved it in. She closed up the boxes and put them back into the closet, making sure that the boxes marked with a "4" were now on top so she could get to them easily if she changed as she expected.

Completely naked apart from her fur, CM turned off the computer room lights and entered her bedroom. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and shifted about, noting the bulky, ursine form. Her belly curved outward as if she'd hidden a basket beneath her fur. Her breasts sagged, though covered by her brown fur, they appeared only as very noticeable lumps on her chest. Her face, broad and dark, ended in a wide black nose, while her eyes, small and black, stared out with a warmth that she had grown to love in the last year.

CM smiled and her fangs glistened beneath her jowls. Yes, she'd miss being a bear.

CM climbed into bed and pulled out her journal. She tapped the pencil against her fangs for a moment and then began to write.

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
Aug 16, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Another year comes to a close, another chapter in my unusual life comes to its end. Tomorrow I will Change again, and the only thing I can hope is that I will be male again. I've been female for three years now, and I hate to admit it but it's starting to rub off on me. But there's a very good reason for that.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">This is the first time I've been seen and treated as a female.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But this is also the first year I've realized that I wasn't alone. There are so many more who are Changed like me into animal-men. First my friend Rob was turned into a skunk. Then there was this lawyer from Cleveland, Walter Lundh who is now a long horn bull. And through him I met Carter Ryan a black wolf from Buffalo, who I've been working with this last year on calculating the number of Changed. And then there's the ones we met at Technicon, Jan and Dennis, Claire, Barb, Carl, Kyle, and Edgar.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm so happy to know I'm not alone, it made being treated like a female from time to time well worth it. It's kind of funny, because I don't even mind the way Jan leered at me the first time we met anymore. I guess he's more than made up for it with his visits, and the time he's spent teaching me to ride a bike. I know I want one of those one day. Ah, but first I need some real money.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The money we made from the work with the number crunching helped pay off some of my education debts, but there's plenty more of that to go. It's better to pay off debt anyway. Wish the government would figure that one out.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ironically, the money I used to pay off my debt was tax dollars, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">It was rather interesting to meet Congressman Sandrick. Good to know there's at least one person in congress who understands our needs. But I really enjoyed meeting Number Two. Reynaldo De Smet was a very interesting fox, and he seemed to understand my situation better than most. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk with somebody who's been Changed longer than I have.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The important thins above all else, I'm not alone. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll never be alone again.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Bear. Female. It's been interesting. I love being a bear. I even love having a big belly and dealing with hibernation hunger. And I love making Rob, Jan and the others squirm when I catch a fish in my jaws. And it's kind of fun seeing the way they act all embarrassed around me when we're bathing.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ah... but the year of bear is over. And
hopefully the years of female are over. I only wish that Leslie was Changing too.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, I don't know what You still have in store for me in the years to come, but I will trust in You that everything will be okay. No matter what happens. Please guide me. In nomine Patris, et Filli, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
</div>

CM closed her journal, turned out the light, and lay her massive head down to sleep on her last night as a bear. For the first time in a log time, she was truly happy before a Change.

{{Separator|k}}

Five o'clock. CM's eyes popped open at that early hour of the morning with the sudden need to use the bathroom. It was always like this. The she-bear could still smell the pizza on Leslie who lay snoring faintly next to her with mouth agape. Crystal was curled up between them.

CM slid one paw under the sheet and gingerly drew it over her chest and belly. She lifted one knee and eased her paw to the ground, being careful not to catch her long claws on the blankets. She put one hand on the bedframe and heaved herself up. The metal groaned slightly as it disgorged her three-hundred plus pound body, but Leslie continued her peaceful slumber. CM smiled, eyes warming beneath heavy brows, and pulled the covers back over her side of the bed.

With many years of practice walking with claws, CM had no trouble quietly making her way from the bedroom to the bathroom. She shut both doors behind her, sat on the toilet, and relieved herself one last time as a bear. A sullen energy filled her, building to what would come in only minutes. CM tensed her claws, digging through the fur over her knees. What was going to happen this year? What would her friends say when they saw what she became?

CM lowered the lid, flushed, and then shook out her fur, glancing at herself in the mirror. The charge inside of her flesh was making her fingers tremble. She smiled at her reflection and softly whispered, "Goodbye bear."

And then the power broke forth like water rushing through a dam. But instead of that internal expansion she'd felt the last time, this was like being wrapped tight in a glove and squeezed from every direction. Her fur lightened in hue, though still remained a warm brown. It shrank into her body even as her bulk sucked inward like plastic recoiling and corroding from a fire. Her snout narrowed, whiskers flanking on either side. Fangs diminished, while from her gums incisors began to protrude. Rounded ears did not shrink with the rest of her, but lost their fur and scalloped inward.

CM's paws gripped the side of the sink, and they too lost their fur. The skin beneath became a pinkish beige which could almost pass for a typical Caucasian skin tone. Her claws, once long and thick, were now narrow and pointed. The only fur left on her paws was a taper on the back extending just past her wrists.

Her heels lifted off the floor as the thick pads of her feet faded into a slender digitgrade stance. Her toes lengthened and splayed, ursine claws dwindling into tiny spears. She shifted her weight around, knees folding to adjust to her new stance.

Though her weight decreased everywhere else, behind her she felt her tail swell and stretch, descending down beyond her ankles and curling across the cool tile of the bathroom floor. It thickened as she shrank, until it was wider than her arms at its root. The familiar muscles twisted from side to side, and her long whip-like tail slid effortlessly across the floor and through the air.

Aware of all that happened to her body, CM still watched only her face. The face of the bear melted away, even as she shrank inch by inch from the top of the mirror down to its bottom. Though her eyes didn't move, it appeared that they slid further apart as her head moulded to its new shape. But they did bulge more as they darkened to a rich black. Her nose brightened to the same beige hue as her paws, while from beneath her cleft lips protruded a pair of thick, white incisors. Coupled with the long, thick tail, the short stature, the almost furless paws, and the still rotund belly, CM had once more become a rat.

But unlike the bear, this time there was an odd weight bearing down on her front beneath her belly. CM, glanced down and blinked a few times, her heart beating faster and faster as she took the sight in. She wasn't a she anymore. Betwixt her... no, his legs was something he'd pined for these last three years. CM no longer, he was Christopher Mattiaz once again. A man! A rat, but a man at long last!

Chris covered his longer snout with his paws, even as he felt the power of the change dissipate from his body. He trembled, trying to hold back the laugh that pounded at the back of his throat. His tongue pressed firmly against his incisors, and he felt the need to gnaw wake from a long slumber. He shifted his legs about, tail lashing in ecstasy, and nearly pinched his returned genitals. After three years of being a woman, he now had to remember he had something between his legs in front too.

Unable to contain his excitement, Chris grabbed his bathrobe and dashed out the bathroom, short claws digging into the carpet. He yanked the robe over his arms, even as the end dragged a full foot behind him. The robe, too short while he'd been a bear, was much too long now that he was a rat. But he didn't care. He fumbled at the lock to his front door, managed it, charged up the stairs and outside into the parking lot, and let out a shout for joy into the night sky.

"Thank you! Hallelujah! Oh thank you! Thank you!" Chris laughed and danced on his paws, not caring about all the little stones irritating his sensitive flesh, nor that anyone in the complex would wake and hear him. "Oh Lord, thank you! I'm a man again! I love you! Thank you! Hallelujah!" He laughed in delight so hard he started to cry. His tail lashed so hard that he managed to yank his robe off, leaving him completely nude.

Christopher Mattiaz was so happy he managed not to notice his nudity for another three minutes. He capered about, grasping his tail in his paws and feeling across its smooth surface marred only by the occasional scraggly strand of brown hair. He ran his paws through his fur, which was a uniform brown across his back with a lighter underbelly. And he enjoyed every bit of it.

The newly made rat finally pulled his robe back over his form and managed to huddle down on his modified knees. His long tail continued to whip back and forth behind him, so close to the asphalt that he could feel it tickle his scraggly hairs. He took a long deep breath, savouring the feel of every part of his new and very masculine body. In a much quieter voice he said, "Thank you, Father. Please let me stay this way. If it is your will. But for today, thank you!"

Chris made the sign of the cross, lowering his snout as his claw traced out that venerable symbol of his faith. In the light of the streetlamps, Chris consummated his prayer with a kiss from his incisors on the backs of his paws. He rose, once again a man, and walked back to his apartment. It was time to set out his year four gear and post his good fortune on the forums.

He still gave one more scream of joy before rushing back inside.

{{Separator|k}}

Leslie slept for another three hours in which Chris readied all of his rat things and posted on the Changed network. It was too early for there to be any postings about new Changed, but there were a couple people who knew folks who'd been sick the last couple of days, so the rat hoped to see some good news from them soon.

Chris spent a good bit of time refamiliarizing himself with his rodent form. He'd been a rat once before, and had been male that time too, so it didn't take long for him to remember how his body worked. The profusion of whiskers were very sensitive and helped him determine which way the wind was blowing and also helped him find his way in the dark The long tail helped him keep his balance; as a bear he could walk and stand like a human, but the rodent body shape was more beastly and he always leaned slightly forward with bent knees and ankles. His fingers and toes were long and thin, and so he had to trade up for his original wedding band, the smallest of the four. His incisors yearned to gnaw and he realized he'd have to find some way to do so discretely. When he'd been a rat before, most of the year he'd still been a bachelor, and so it was easy to keep a supply of sticks to sate his teeth. Now he'd have to figure out a way to keep Leslie from noticing chewed up wood chips.

But with a new body there came other adjustments too. Chris had to find a comfortable way to sit down without pinching his tail and using the toilet without making a mess every time. Because his tail was not as flexible as he wished, he had to sit as far forward on the couch as he could, or lean back and slide his tail forward between his legs. And on the toilet he had to sit backward and bend as far forward as he could just to aim properly. It was one of the few things he knew he'd miss about being female — a male Changed always had to perform some sort of gymnastics to cleanly make use of a human toilet.

But those were challenges he was delighted to undertake. He was equally pleased to resume buttoning his pants in front and back. He'd have to be very careful about leaving laundry out because the hole he'd made to accommodate his rat tail was very large compared to the size of his pants. He'd even sewn tail sleeves onto his winter gear to help keep the sensitive appendage warm.

But now that he was male again, the thought struck him, perhaps it was time to let Leslie in on the secret the way Rob had let Audrey in on it. There wouldn't be the gender awkwardness, nor the spectre of a lesbian relationship, a thought that thoroughly discomforted and disgusted Chris. Not that he would say others couldn't do that sort of thing if it was their choice, he just had no desire to do it himself, no matter how comfortable he'd become in a female body.

But when Leslie finally woke, the inchoate desire to tell her what he truly was withered inside of him like a new shoot under a bright, arid sun. One look from her groggy face as she walked into the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee made him withdraw back into his nest of secrets. After a brief ‘good morning', the rat busied himself with stuffing his modified clothing into his side of the dresser. Maybe he'd have the courage after Mass to tell.

When he finished, Chris started to head out to join his wife on the couch when it dawned on him that this would be just about the first time he would be male with her since their wedding. He tapped his knuckles against either side of his snout to calm himself. It felt so odd to brush them through his whiskers, stiff but yielding and sensitive. His body trembled for several seconds, and then his breathing caught up to him. "I'm a man again," he whispered, new tongue forming the pleasing words without difficulty. "I'm a man again. I can be a proper husband."

He opened his eyes, emboldened, and left the bedroom, found his wife on the couch scouring the TV Guide crossword, and slid in next to her, one paw carefully gliding his tail around his other hip. He slid his left arm around her back, and then set his right paw on her thigh and stroked softly with his thumb and claw. He turned to look up at her, noting her face in all its lovely detail.

He knew that not everyone would say that Leslie was beautiful. She didn't fit the stereotype that the world considered glamorous of gorgeous. She had a small face that fit nicely beneath her tangle of tightly curled dark brown hair. Her lips only smiled when she was truly happy, which made her appear more focussed than she really was. And her glasses gave her a faintly standoffish look. But for all that, Christopher Mattiaz knew in his heart she was beautiful and he loved her.

Together they finished the crossword puzzle, then snuggled on the couch. Most of the time, Chris laid his head against her chest, curling up just like the rodent he now was. They didn't say anything, and they didn't need to. When the time came to head to Mass, they hugged once and then walked to their bedroom together to change. Chris made sure that Leslie didn't see him buttoning up his tail hole, but otherwise hid nothing from her. It felt good to be able to do that.

To his delight, Rob and Audrey were there at Mass. Rob was still a skunk and Audrey was still human. Rob grinned brightly, showing off his fangs when he saw the rat and Leslie enter. Chris nodded, noted the quick glance Rob made toward Leslie, and then shook his head. Rob furrowed his brow, long tail lashing over the back of the pew, and nearly brushing in the face of another parishioner who knelt at prayer, but didn't say anything to give him away. In a quiet voice he said, "Chris, Leslie, good to see you."

"And you, Rob," Chris said. "Glad you could make it."

Leslie and Audrey said their hellos too and the four of them settled down for Mass. Chris wished he could have paid attention, but he was still too excited by all the possibilities being male again brought. Nearly all of them involved Leslie, whose leg his paw stayed toward throughout the entire service. But after three years of being female, he knew he should try not to be so desperate. That was going to be the hard part.

And Leslie seemed to notice too. After Mass, Rob invited them out to lunch, but Leslie had to go into work soon so they had to decline. When they got home, Chris insisted on making her something before she left for work. At which Leslie said, "You've been awfully attentive today. Is something wrong?"

Chris tensed, long tail curling tightly about his foot paws. He licked his jowls quickly, and pressed his paws together. "No! No. Nothing's wrong. Well, just, I guess I've been feeling..." He took a deep breath, and lowered his ears and whiskers. "I've been neglecting you lately, Leslie. I want to try to make up for it. I know you wish I was around more and would be with you more. I'm going to give that a try too. I love you, Leslie. I want to be with you forever. I want to be your husband and not just in name. I want-"

Before he could go any further, Leslie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the nose. "Oh, I love you, Chris. I'm sorry I've been so distant too."

Chris hugged his wife tightly and repressed the excited squeak that danced on his tongue. The tip of his tail squeezing his ankle in joy.

{{Separator|k}}

Chris carefully tapped the numbers with his narrows claws and nestled the handset against the base of his ear so it could reach his muzzle. It rang twice before a beastly voice picked up. "Hey CM!"

The rat had to suppress a gloat. "It's Chris again, Carter! I'm back to being male."

The wolf barked in delight. "Hey, that's great!! Congratulations! Your voice sounds higher pitched. What did you become?"

"I'm a rat again."

"I bet that's weird after being a bear."

"A little, but I'm already getting used to being two feet shorter and a heck of a lot lighter!"

"And having a tail again," Carter added. He could picture the wolf's jaw cracked open in a lupine grin, that sort of half laugh that one can see in a dog as they pant.

"There is that too," Chris admitted. He reached down one paw and stroked the backs of his fingers across the top of his tail. The soft flesh tingled at the touch. "But my rat mind is wired to like having a tail, so it's not as hard as you might think."

"Yeah," Carter replied thoughtfully, "I feel the same way about my tail. So hey, any other news on the Changed front? I only got home a little while ago. Family insisted I go camping with them this weekend."

"Camping as a wolf? I bet that was fun!"

Carter barked another laugh. "Oh it was! I took a walk last night and once I was far enough away from the tent I gave a good howl! And other wolves answered! We howled for a good ten minutes, and then I headed back. My family was worried sick about me and my Dad had his rifle ready in case any of those wolves came around."

Chris's whiskers stood taut. "You're lucky you didn't get shot!"

"Nah, I was wearing bright reflective clothing. Anyway, any Changed news I should know about? Was going to check the network after dinner, but hey, you're here, CM... I mean Chris."

"Not much really to report. Rob is still a skunk. I've called several Changed I know in Virginia or nearby and none of them have yet reported any new Changed. And none of them had a second Change either. There are four of us Changed down here in Blacksburg now; Kyle came down early. We're getting together for a party at Rob's place in a little bit."

"Sounds like fun. Kyle's the chipmunk who drinks Red Bull right?"

"Yeah, that's him. Incoming Freshman here at Tech. I could restrain him before, but now we'll be the same size. Pray for me!"

Carter laughed again, yipping in pleasure at the image of a rat and chipmunk wrestling. "Will do. Wish I could say I had some good news on the Changed front, but, like I said, I was camping this weekend. Will keep my eyes open and my nose ready these next few weeks. It is early yet."

"True," Chris admitted. His whiskers drooped a bit and he slid one paw beneath his T-shirt to scratch at his light belly fur. "Most folks who did Change today are probably in hiding right now. Give em a week to get over the fur, claws, and hooves and they'll be out and about."

"Exactly! Then we get to start updating our models again and earning that government money."

Chris sighed, a soft squeak emerging from his throat. "Don't remind me! I'm hoping to actually finish my PhD this year."

Carter laughed. "We shouldn't have to do as much this year, but yeah, I hope you get time to do your own research. How's that going, by the way?"

"Decently enough. I'm going to probably try to do less Changed stuff for a few months to get caught back up, but I hope we can get together again sometime when Walter isn't making us."

"Me too. Hey, I'm going to go snag my dinner. I've got this T-bone steak I can't wait to gnaw on. Have fun at your party!"

"Take care, Carter!" Chris chuckled at the image of Carter laying on his belly, legs sprawled behind him, worrying a steak bone in his jaws. Then again, he'd spent part of the afternoon gathering some twigs and sneaking them into his closet so he could gnaw on them when his teeth hurt. The Change definitely made them adapt in strange and surprising ways.

Chris set the phone down for a moment and glanced at his list of numbers. He only had two more Changed to call, but these two shared the same number. He felt a little silly for leaving them to the end. A part of him couldn't help but worry how they'd react to hearing that Chris was a guy again. Silly, silly, silly! Chris picked up the phone, tapped the number with the ends of his claws, and put the handset back against his cheek.

"Congratulations!" roared into the earpiece. "Saw your post, Chris! Congratulations on being a guy!" The boisterous voice of Jan Krazinski was utterly unmistakable, and not just because of the Polish accent he picked up from his parents.

Chris felt another ten pounds lighter and laughed in turn. "Thanks, Jan! It is wonderful. I can be me again."

"And a rat, too," Jan added. "Going to have to do something with that tail of yours so you can ride. It'll burst your hip pack, ya!"

"Undoubtedly," Chris said with a sigh. He ran his knuckles across his tail root again and felt the tip twitch back and forth. "I guess it'll be a while before I ride again."

"Nah! Dennis and me will rig something for ya!" Jan laughed heartily. "So have you told the Misses yet?"

Chris sighed and paced back and forth. "No, not yet. I going to try to ease her into it I think. I'm just not ready to tell her what's been happening these last few years."

"I understand," he replied, his earlier enthusiasm waning into more measured tones. "Ya gotta tell her sometime though. Best do it while you're a guy."

"I hope I stay a guy! But anyway, I take it you're still a boar?"

"Yah, and Dennis is still a hedgehog. Course he was gonna stay that was, his third year now and all. I'm starting my second. And boy I'm glad I'm still a boar."

"It does fit you," Chris said without a trace of irony. "I'm glad that you get to be what you want, Jan. Have you told your family yet?"

"Nah," Jan replied with a porcine grunt. "But I'm going to once I know how Ma's chemo went. If not so good, I tell her so she knows. If good I wait for her to recover then I tell her so I don't make things worse."

"I'm praying for her," Chris replied, which was about all he could think to do.

"Thanks! Me too." For a moment, Jan's voice was faintly troubled, something so rare that Chris had to pull the phone away from his muzzle so his friend wouldn't hear him grind his teeth in empathy. When Jan did speak again, his cheerfulness returned in full. "Say, you posted this morning, but that was a while back. Have you seen any new Changed yet?"

"No, I haven't," Chris replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "Neither have any of the other Changed crew, but it is early. We probably won't see any for a week at least."

Jan laughed with a faint squeal. "Dennis and I met one!"

Chris blinked and his whiskers stiffened. "Really?"

"Yup! A trucker from Atlanta was passing through and just happened to stop at our diner! He turned into a badger while crossing into Virginia this morning and boy was he glad to see us. Thought he was going crazy but we set him straight. Name's Denver of all things, and he promised to always use our diner when passing through. Don't know when he'll join the Network, but we gave him the address. Denver isn't much one for computers. But he sure loved our bikes and his Rig sure was sweet. Except for all those new claw holes he put into the leather this morning, it was a thing of beauty!"

Chris started laughing as his friend described the newly-minted badger. He could always trust Jan to turn the conversation over to bikes eventually. "That's great, Jan. So did you guys introduce him to the other NoVa Changed?"

"Denver had a schedule so he couldn't stay long, but we got his number. Dennis is chatting with him now on all the stuff we missed."

"Well," Chris surmised, leaning his head back and stretching. His tail lifted with the stretch, as his toe claws dug into the carpet. "It sounds like we've found our first new Changed of the 2003 Change. Good working, Jan! Tell Dennis I said so too."

"Will do. Ya, told you that diner was a good place to eat!"

Chris laughed again. "It was! It was! I hope to go back. Won't eat quite as much this time though."

"Lost all the weight?"

"Most of it, yeah. But I've still got a pot belly here to work off. I think I got too much into being the big bear last year. I wasn't nearly this fat when I was a rat last time."

"Take a picture and send our way so I know what to expect when we see you next." Jan grunted again and it sounded like he was walking around his apartment. Chris could hear him flipping through some papers. "Hey, when would be a good weekend to visit? Either you come up here or we go down to you. Your choice."

"Jan, I do want to spend more time working on my PhD this year. I can't get together with you every free weekend. And I certainly can't come up to the DC area right now."

"No problem. So what weekend would be good?"

Chris sighed, surrendered, and looked over his calendar. "Hmmm, probably the thirteenth and fourteenth of September would be the best."

"I've got ya penciled in!" Jan declared triumphantly. "So, we staying at your place again?"

"So long as Dennis doesn't mind getting dragged to Mass on Sunday morning." No point fighting it anymore. Jan had invited himself down yet again. Not that he should really be complaining. How often did his other friends try to visit him? Not that often.

"Great! We'll see you then. Going to have to design something for your tail so you can ride. Weather should be great for riding! I'm really looking forward to biking through Jefferson."

"Yeah, it'll be nice up through November down here." Chris glanced at his clock and almost bit his tongue. "Jan, I really have to get going. Barb, Kyle, Rob and I are getting together tonight to have a little Changed party. And if I don't skedaddle I'm gonna be late!"

"Hey, have a great time! Congratulations again, Chris! Be good to see what you look like as a guy, ya. I bet not as good!" The boar laughed one more time, and then hung up. Chris hung up the phone before shaking his head and holding back the mirthful squeaks pounding from his lungs. "Jan, you are utterly incorrigible." He glanced down at Crystal who crouched beside him sniffing at his paws. She'd been doing that off and on all day. Could she tell he'd Changed?

There was no time to worry about it now. He was running really late. "Okay, Crystal. One time around the block and then I have to go!" He scooped her up in his arms and rushed outside, not even bothering to put on his shoes.

{{Separator|k}}

After the quick walk, Chris slipped his shoes over his awkward paws, grabbed his car keys and wallet, and locked the apartment door behind him. Getting into his Saturn proved very easy, but with his reduced stature, the seat was now pressed nearly all the way forward. He left it back just enough that his tail could curl behind him comfortably. Still, he leaned his head forward to see over the steering wheel. The seat belt tugged back at his chest. It would be a while before he was used to this again. Maybe a bike wouldn't be such a bad investment even while a rat.

Like going to Mass that morning, Chris carefully checked every angle before pulling out and as he drove. The tight curves of University City Blvd made the fur on his back stand up in alarm, but they passed quickly enough, and soon he made the turn onto Prices Fork, and then into the Foxridge apartment complex. Rob and Audrey lived in the Strubbles Creek section, which were the nicest of all the apartments. Chris fondly remembered helping them move in a few months back, and all the times they'd spent the evening together, sometimes doing Changed things, other times just watching movies and drinking some. Rob's tolerance sucked, but while he'd been a bear, Chris could down more than he knew he should without feeling anything except warm. He wondered how much he could handle now, and decided it was best not to find out just yet.

He pulled into the lot and smiled when he saw the car with West Virginia plates. Kyle was already here. Chris climbed out of his car, straightened his tail out, and walked up the steps to Rob's door. He knocked with the back of his knuckles, and brushed his whiskers back into some semblance of order.

"Come on in!" Rob shouted from the other side.

Chris stepped through and grinned. The black panther, Barb Fisher, was reclining on the couch with her pack nestled between her legs. Audrey, the only human in the room, sat next to her with her sketchbook in her lap. Kyle Paglioni, the chipmunk, was dressed in a maroon and orange Virginia Tech T-shirt that blended nicely with his brown fur and dark eyes. He bounded to his feet at Chris's entrance and burst into a grin and shout, "Chris! Great to see you again! And a rat! That's so awesome!"

Kyle rushed to his side and yanked him into the apartment. Chris barely had time to whip his tail through the door before the overeager chipmunk shut it. "We were wondering where you were. This place is great. I've already driven around town and all over the countryside. There's these great mountains you can climb and some gorgeous trees too! And I hear they have some caverns as well. I can't wait!"

Chris laughed, and found Rob in the kitchen with an apron on. The sweet aroma of grilling steaks made his mouth water. He tore his eyes from the skunk to wave to Barb and Audrey before Kyle yanked him in even further. Turning to the chipmunk he squeaked in laughter and said, "Yes, we have all of that and more down here. We'll be happy to take you some of those places when we can. But if I'm not mistaken, you'll have school work to do very soon."

"It's why we have to go soon!" Kyle's black eyes gleamed with repressed excitement. His colourful cheeks spread in a smile and he gave Chris a pat on the arm. "Well, hey, how about you! Male again I see. Good, good! And my size too. Even better! Nobody expects the smallest guys to kick their tail!"

Chris looked him up and down and crossed his arms. "And just how many Red Bulls have you been drinking today?"

"None! It sucks! Rob won't let me!"

"Because I want to have an apartment to sleep in when you leave tonight, Kyle!"

"I'm not that bad," Kyle protested.

"But you did take out that stand at Technicon," Barb pointed out with a laugh in her muzzle.

"That was an accident. I was just trying to get around these big guys. It's not like those claw marks I left in the wall were that big."

Rob waved a meat fork at the chipmunk. "You're lucky the hotel didn't notice that too, or I'd have taken the damages out of your furry little rump!"

Kyle pouted for a moment and then laughed. "I know. I know! Sorry about all that. Anyway, it's great to be here."

"Indeed it is," Barb said with a smile that showed off her fangs.

"I wish I could just see what you all look like," Audrey admitted as she erased something in her sketchbook. "I'm trying to draw Barb here, but it's all guesswork really."

"You're doing fine," Barb assured her.

"So," Chris said, as he found a place to sit down. There were two chairs, and ostensibly Kyle could choose to sit in the other one if he could stay seated for more than two seconds. Chris looped his tail around one side and let it dangle off the edge of the chair next to his feet. His toes just brushed the floor. "What's the plan for tonight?"

"The plan is I finish cooking dinner, we eat, and then we do whatever, chat, watch movies, get drunk. Whatever. Just a little party for us Changed."

"And to celebrate you being male again, Chris," Barb said with true delight in her purring voice. "Yay!"

Chris felt his scalloped ears blush and lower against his head. "It is really nice. Leslie and I... we... ah, I am so glad I'm a guy again." He glanced at the others and then pointed to both Barb and Rob. "And also to celebrate one year of the both of you being Changed. Looks like you've both settled into your new forms."

"I like it," Barb said in her usual relaxed manner. "I feel more alive than I used to. And this nose told me so much more about the flowers in my garden. Have I shown you all the collage I put together?"

"Not yet," Chris replied.

"It's a collage of both sight and scent. Now let me see if I brought it with me." She leaned forward to dig through her bag.

Kyle's ears perked up and he jumped away from the set of console games he'd been inspecting. "Sight and scent? That's so cool!"

Barb rifled through her things for several seconds and then shook her head. Her long tail flitted back and forth lazily behind her. "Looks like I left it at the house. Oh well, better luck next time."

"Ah well," Kyle agreed. He returned to his inspection of the video games. Barb returned to watching Audrey draw her true portrait. Rob stayed in the kitchen and kept on cooking many delicious things. Chris's ears turned as he heard the meat sizzle on the grill. He sighed contentedly. His first full year not alone. And now he was a guy again. He couldn't recall the last time he'd felt so happy.

It truly was a good time to be Changed.

{{Separator|k}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Change Building}}

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-05-06T16:47:03Z

MatthiasRat: Another scene done. Okay, this time for real. Just one more to go.

{{Universe|Paradise}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in August 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Change Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

To Rob's complete surprise, the real problem with inviting Jan and Dennis to Blacksburg the last weekend before the August Change to join them on their trek down the Cascades Trail was not that Jan would get to see CM the she-bear naked. Rather it was that the boar would have to disrobe himself and as it turned out, he was genuinely nervous about doing this around others.

To even convince Rob that this was something they could do CM had promised to wear a male swimsuit. But the skunk had never expected that Jan would insist on wearing even more before agreeing to go into the water with the rest of them. Dennis the hedgehog had no such inhibitions and skinny dipped like the skunk, his spines rustling like a swimming sea slug as he moved through the waterfall fed pool.

Jan slipped into the water so only his porcine head was visible. "This is very nice," he admitted, his nostrils flaring momentarily as he settled down. CM swam on the other side with Rob and Dennis between them. Their cleaning gear remained on the bank. "Are all your Summer days like this?"

"Yeah, this area is great in Summer," Rob replied. "No humidity, rarely over eighty degrees, it's great."

"Especially with all this fur!" CM trumpeted before diving beneath the water. A dark brown mass swam back and forth and then lifted up with a fish trapped between her jaws. Even though he'd seen his friend do this a few times now, it still unnerved him. Dennis gaped, little eyes widening in disbelief. Jan stared for a moment and then guffawed.

"I think you've been a bear too long, yah!"

CM climbed on bank and deposited the fish in a plastic bag filled with water. Her thick fur clung to her body and as she lumbered on all fours, apart from the swimming trunks, she looked very much like a normal bear. "Leslie loves it when I bring back fresh fish. And since you both are staying for dinner, I'm going to catch some extra."

Jan shook his head and waved his arms in the water. After getting into the small pool beneath the forty-foot waterfall, he'd not moved from the rock shelf he'd settled on. Rob swam a little closer and found another shelf nearby. "So, Jan, I've never asked you what you do for a living."

The boar kept his eyes on the rippling surface of the crystal clear water. He twitched when a small fish brushed one of his bristly legs. "I work at a small engineering company. We do contract work around the area, so I get to play with all sorts of toys. Is how I met Dennis."

"I thought you worked as an insurance auditor," Rob said, turning to the hedgehog.

"I do. We contracted Jan's company to verify a client's claims. We'd used them before, but I never really knew Jan until he changed. I've met a few other Changed because of my job too. Just last week we added three more Changed to the NoVa community."

Rob idly watched CM catch another fish in her jaws. He really hoped no hikers came up the trail. The skunk dunked his head under the water and then shook it out of his fur. "You met three at once?"

"Through this Jack Russell lady. She filed a claim on some furniture she'd destroyed. Claimed her dog did it, but those claw marks were obviously not her dogs. I made her drop the claim to prevent an official investigation. She already knew two other Changed in the area, and we all got together and pooled our money to buy her new furniture."

"That's interesting," Rob admitted, glancing between Jan and Dennis. "I wonder how many Changed know each other but haven't met people in the network. CM, what do you think?"

The she-bear dropped her fourth fish from her jaws into the plastic bag and licked her jowls. "Finding isolated pockets of Changed? It's happened a few times. I think it's going to happen a lot more over the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised if we found some other websites for Changed communities that don't know anything about us." CM shook like a dog and sprayed water all over the river-smoothed rocks.

Rob pondered that thought as he relaxed in the water. The day was pleasantly cool in the shade of the valley, while all the trees swung with a light breeze, green leaves rustling and pines thrumming. The falls provided a constant crashing splatter that drowned out everything else. The vaulted walls of slate rising upward, domed by a variety of deciduous trees, sheltered them in an arboreal sanctuary.

"The network scrubs the web already," Rob pointed out. "If there were any such sites, they would have been found. Or they're going to be found eventually. Whatever."

"We're going to see a lot more Changed after next Sunday, ya?" Jan asked.

"Well, probably not right away," CM admitted as she slipped back beneath the waters. Rob wondered why she bothered to shake off if she was just going to get back in, but knew there was no point in asking. The Change brought some strange instincts that were often hard to resist. "Odds are we won't know anybody who Changes, but we need to keep watch anyway. Which reminds me, what are the NoVa Changed doing to prepare?"

"We've made lists," Jan replied. "At least ten people each that we'll check up on next Friday and Saturday for the sickness."

"And we've got everyone's phone numbers," Dennis added with a shrug of his shoulders. His spines rippled along his back and upper arms. "I'm not sure what else we can do except keep our eyes open."

"There's really not much else you can do," Rob pointed out. "I just hope there's more people here locally who've Changed."

"Kyle's coming down to Tech the week after," CM pointed out as she sank into the water. "And Barb knows a lot of people we don't."

"I'm hoping for somebody middle-aged," the skunk said with a churr in his throat. "We'll have three college students and a retiree. We need more variety to make all the connections we need in town."

The she-bear frowned and waved her arms back and forth to keep steady in the natural pool. "Well, as college students, we probably won't be living here forever."

"True," Rob admitted. "Which just makes our need for more people who do live here more important."

Jan grunted through his nose and played his hoof-like hand across the water's surface. "I'll be happy so long as I stay a boar."

"I'll be happy as long as I go male again," CM said with a heavy sigh.

"Ya, I hope so too," Jan replied, a twinkle filling his beady eyes. "You look too good to be a woman."

CM glowered and splashed him with a wave of her paw. Rob and Dennis laughed. The hedgehog shook his head and sighed, "Well, I'm stuck this way. Coming up on two years for me now. What about you, Rob?"

"I wouldn't mind changing again as long as I stay male. I'd love to become feline. But skunk isn't so bad. I'm not drinking as much as I used to which helps. I really hope Audrey changes though. And it'd be nice if some others from SOAP did too."

"It'll happen eventually," CM said. "Well, if we're right it will. Anyway, we've been checking in with the other Changed in the area, and things sound pretty good. I think everybody's ready for next week, or as ready as we'll ever get. Everybody's trying stuff similar to what you NoVa Changed are doing, so we'll compare notes and see how we did in two weeks."

"Sounds fair," Jan nodded. "Are we going to try meeting again like we did at Technicon?"

Rob groaned, "Oh I hope not! At least not at Technicon. I don't even want to think about Technicon for another three months."

CM chuckled and snuffed. "We probably won't be able to get everybody together like we did that time, but we may try to organize a couple get togethers. We'll see. First, we have to get through another Change Day."

"Do you really think it's going to be that bad?" Jan asked.

"Who knows!" Rob shrugged. "All I know is that I'm going to spend all day tomorrow working on the server, changing out cables, and figuring out why I'm getting an intermittent signal on my remote laptop." The skunk then elaborated on exactly what the problems were and what he thought he needed to do to solve them.

When he finished, the hedgehog, eyes raised, said, "And on that note, I think I'm going to start scrubbing." Jan guffawed and followed his friend to the slate ledge where they'd left their gear. Amazingly, CM's shaking hadn't completely drenched their things.

{{Separator|k}}

The sky cleared by the time late afternoon arrived. The four friends laughed and teased each other as they made their way back down the Cascades trail. After scrubbing the shampoo through their fur, or in Dennis's case, bristly spines, they'd washed clean, played around a bit longer in the pool, and then lay in the open air drying off. Jan never lost his self-consciousness and kept his swimming trunks on despite how sopping wet this made him all the way back down the trail. When they reached the parking lot, he rubbed his middle down one last time with his towels while CM, Rob, and Dennis stowed their gear in Rob's Matrix.

As Jan finished drying himself off, his brow furrowed, eyes staring fixedly at the pair of bikes parked next to Rob's Matrix. He wrapped his towel behind his neck and snorted. "Hey CM! I got an idea."

The bear lifted her head from the trunk of the car and said, "Uh oh. What's the idea?"

Jan laughed and gestured to his bike. "Would you like to ride my bike down to the main road? Is not a long ride and there won't be many cars."

CM shifted her weight and regarded both the boar and the bike. He had shown her so much in the last five months that she had begun to feel very comfortable on a motorcycle. However, he'd never let her do more than drive around parking lots. If she became a rat again like she suspected, with such a long tail it would be nearly impossible for her to ride until her next Change. This was probably her last opportunity.

"Just to the end of the road. Not onto 460?"

The boar grabbed either end of towel draping over his neck and pulled gently. "Ya. It'll give you a taste of what bikes are really like."

Rob slapped the bear on the back and said, "Get on the bike and get it over with. You know you want to."

CM laughed, her fur and jowls shaking with the pleasure. "Okay, fine. You sure you trust me?"

Jan patted the seat and grunted. "Yah. Speed limit's only thirty-five. Take it easy on the turns and you'll be fine."

While CM took those few steps toward Jan and the motorcycle, Dennis climbed on his bike and chuckled under his breath. "I'll set a good pace for you, CM. Just stay a car length behind me and you'll do fine."

"Thanks, Dennis." CM swung one leg over the bike and felt her bulk settle comfortably into the seat.

Jan handed her the keys, patted her shoulder once, and followed Rob to his Matrix. "We follow you and watch you," the boar declared with his usual aplomb. "I'll let you know how you did!"

CM ignored the boar's attempt at a joke, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the bike. It rumbled to life and roared pleasantly when she gave it gas. Dennis nodded his pudgy head in approval, started his bike, and slowly eased out of the parking space and into the empty lot. CM gently followed him, feeling an anxious tightening in her heart as the bike responded to her commands. With a twist of her wrist, she shifted gears and turned to follow the hedgehog.

The parking lot was shrouded by deciduous forest on every side. Only the road leading to 460 offered a way out. Dennis eased down the road as it plunged beneath leafy boughs that obscured the solitary power line, and CM followed him, her paws gripping the handlebars tightly. The road ducked and wove as it followed the meandering stream to the valley's entrance. Rocks clustered on their right, huge stacks that supported trees and the vast hillsides that stretched from the mountains. Moss clung to their surface, and even as they cruised past, CM could smell the rich aroma of the wide variety of deer, grouse, and other game that made these mountains their home.

After only a few minutes the forest thinned enough that they started to see houses and yards on either side. Most were run down or in poor repair, with plastic siding or wooden beams long in need of replacing. They weren't truly poor, those who lived here, they just didn't have enough to rebuild what was slowly falling apart. The four of them were fortunate so far in their lives, but they could all just as easily end up living somewhere remote. For a Changed, it might not be such a bad thing either.

But none of this was on CM's mind. For the first time, the she-bear was riding a motorcycle down a road without assistance. And as she made turn after turn and kept her speed under control, she felt her confidence increasing. The wind sliced through hr fur and pounded at her chest, but it was a good feeling, strong and powerful that made her call on her strength to beat it back. She sat firmly in the chair, her thick legs supporting her upper body as it bore the brunt of the air's cloying hands.

Her nostrils flared with the rich scents pouring her way. CM's ears folded back as she listened to the growling of the engine between her legs. She smiled and chuckled to herself at the odd sensation of the wind cleaning her fangs. Her stub of a tail twitched with delight in her shorts.

And then they passed out of the hills and onto the small plain that was the town of Pembroke. The road straightened as it neared the much larger and far busier 460. Dennis slowed and CM eased back with him. Behind them, Rob pulled the Matrix off to one side while Dennis and CM parked on the shoulder. CM let out a long sigh of pleasure as she turned the key and rubbed her paw pad over the bike's chrome handlebars and across the fuel tank.

"That good, huh?" Dennis asked with a knowing smile crossing his snout. His spines shivered down his back like a wave passing through sand.

CM nodded and could not disguise the awe in her voice. "Oh yeah. That was amazing."

Jan laughed as he climbed out of the Matrix and clopped his hooves to her side. "You looked like a natural, CM! Did you like it?"

"I loved it! I'm so getting one of these when I can afford it!" CM roared in delight, rubbing her paws along the bike's front some more. "This was a really sweet ride. Thank you, Jan."

The boar nodded, "You look right for a bike. Maybe one day we go riding together, yah?"

"I'd like that. These mountains beg to be ridden!"

Jan crossed his arms, glancing once at the low, green mountains that surrounded them. "Yah, they do. But there's just one thing."

CM looked back at him. "What's that?"

The boar's expression was of pleased amusement. "Could I have my bike back now?" Rob beat his paws against his steering wheel to keep from laughing.

{{Separator|k}}

When not working, CM and Rob spent the next few days calling the few Changed they knew in Virginia and the surrounding states. They discussed strategies for looking for new Changed, and the warning signs that would precede the Change. Much of this was merely refresher for the others who'd been preparing on their own, but for most of them, this would be the first time they'd be actively looking for new Changed.

Much of their time on the phone was spent catching up with those who they'd gathered with at Technicon earlier in the year. Claire, the otter from Bristol, had her paws full getting her children ready for the next year of grade school. Edgar, the opossum from Richmond, boasted of his recent promotion and how smart his three year old boy was. Carl, the Golden from South Boston, spent most of the time asking them what they were doing in their lives, but did admit that his nephew was home from his tour of duty overseas and was most amused that his old fogey of an uncle had attended Technicon. Kyle the chipmunk wouldn't stop raving about how excited he was to be coming to Virginia Tech in another week. And of course Jan and Dennis were already talking about dragging CM on a biking trip into the Jefferson National Forest in September.

The only other Changed that had been there, Barb the panther, was local and had her own network of friends that she promised to keep an eye on. And so with little else to do but wait, Rob and CM kept up the facade of a normal life around their friends and coworkers as the days of the week trickled past. Until the sickness came on the fifteenth, they wouldn't know who might join their August company on Sunday morn.

Leslie could tell that CM was a little anxious, and it pained the she-bear not to be able to tell her wife what was amiss. But there always lingered that hope in her ursine chest that in a few days Leslie would join her amongst the ranks of the Changed and there would never need be any secrets between them again.

By Thursday night, CM's anxiety had reached such a height that he could only be thankful that Leslie worked that evening. The she-bear climbed into her Saturn and took the long drive down Harding Avenue heading out of Blacksburg. It was a particular favourite of theirs, winding down into a valley lined by ridges with ranches and old country homes on either side of the twisting road. At that hour of the night, he saw deer at the edge of the woods, and sometimes a raccoon or skunk.

The road changed names and turned down several other roads, including route 42 which climbed up a steep mountain face before returning to 460. By the time that CM returned home it had been a two hour drive, but it had done its job. The bear was finally able to calm down and collapse in bed. The metal groaned under her weight, but she was long since used to it. Her mind, once racing with wonder what the next day would bring, had calmed down enough that simple prayer kept it focussed.

Dreams of Leslie sprouting fur in a few days kept her in a pleasant slumber. CM could never quite tell what Leslie was becoming, but the sight of her changing was enough. With such sweet dreams, CM never cared what happened to herself.

But when her eyes crept open Friday morning and felt a crushing headache pounding on either side of her massive ursine head, and a sickening tightness stirring her corpulent gut, CM couldn't think of anything but herself. The agony raced from one side of her head to the other, like giants playing ping pong in her mind. She dug her claws into her belly fur and groaned loudly, twisting beneath the blankets.

Beside her, Leslie stirred and lifted one arm to rub at her forehead. CM opened one eye and felt a glimmer of hope. But then she scooted up and blinked her eyes clear of her usual pre-coffee bleariness. "Are you okay?" she asked in clear tones.

CM grunted and sighed. "Feelin' sick."

Leslie leaned over and rubbed the top of the bear's head, feeling for a fever. The usual pleasure CM would have felt at Leslie rubbing her head fur was not there. "You always seem to get sick right before the fall semester."

CM grunted and closed her eyes. "Yeah. I guess you're feeling okay?"

"Need coffee, but yeah." Leslie lifted her hand away. "You definitely feel hot. Is there anything I can get you?"

Medicine never helped this sickness. It just had to run its course. By tomorrow evening he'd feel fine again. But she'd have to wait at least another year for Leslie to Change. The she bear sighed. "The phone, so I can call off from work."

Leslie nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and climbed out of bed to retrieve the phone. CM sighed and kept her eyes closed. The pain was familiar but still debilitating. If not for the Change that followed, she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

There wasn't anything else CM could do but lay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. She hoped that Rob and the others would have better luck.

{{Separator|k}}

After calling off from work and being kissed and tended by Leslie, CM spent most of Friday laying in bed. She attempted to read, but her eyes didn't want to focus on the pages. She tried at one point to climb out of bed to go watch a movie on the couch, but it took an hour to convince her body to make that journey; then after watching the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring she decided she'd rather try to sleep anyway. Apart from one time in the evening when she plopped herself on the porcelain pedestal to make her bodily offering, she never bothered trying to get out of bed again.

Leslie was kind enough to leave the phone at her bedside once she went to work, and so CM was able to answer the phone when Rob called to check on her. The skunk asked her how she was doing, but once he knew that CM was suffering the Change sickness, he excused himself and hung up. CM felt like growling at the world, but that would probably only make her stomach tie itself into even more knots. Instead, she lay in bed and let her bodily misery run its course.

Like all things, time worked its own wonders, and the she bear found the patience she'd honed in her many years alone and the seven times she'd suffered this before (not to mention all the periods she'd undergone during her five female years) helped her endure the long Friday. She got little sleep that night, and the illness persisted Saturday morning. Another quick call to work and she resumed her sojourn in bed. Leslie understood her need to suffer alone and after doing what little she could for her husband, Leslie closed the bedroom door and quietly went about her daily chores before work.

By the time Leslie left for her afternoon-evening shift, the pain began to ebb. CM opened her eyes and took a long deep breath of air that stank of bear fur. She panted, drool wetting her cheeks. With her right paw she thrust the covers off her frame, and enjoyed the relatively cool air inside their apartment. A few minutes later, she managed to lumber to her feet and began navigating her heavy bulk over to her dresser. She pulled a loose t-shirt on and a pair of shorts. If she was lucky, she wouldn't need the bras and panties after tomorrow morning, so decided not to bother with them.

Their dog Crystal lay sleeping on her beanbag, but did open her eyes at CM's approach. The she-bear pet the elderly Cairn on the head and then entered the kitchen to find something to eat. It would be her last meal as a bear, possibly forever, and after a day and a half of laying in bed, she was starved!

A hour later, CM had cleaned out the fridge and sat contented, one paw idly storking her distended and gurgling belly through the fur. If not for being female, she'd love being a bear. And, CM had to admit with a sigh, being female wasn't so bad either.

But tomorrow morning she wouldn't be a bear anymore, and there was plenty to do still to prepare. Being the middle of the Summer, as it was only six o'clock they had a few hours until night cloaked their little mountain town. But CM wouldn't be able to stay up much more after that, not when she had a Change coming the next day.

With a grunt, she hefted herself out of the chair, found the phone, and gave Rob a call. The skunk answered on the third ring. "Hey, CM! Feeling better?"

"Much," CM replied. "No more headache and my belly's fed, so I'm good. How about you? And the rest of SOAP?"

She could almost see him shake his head. "Looks like I'm going to stay a skunk, and none of the other SOAP members reported coming down with the flu recently. Barb and I also checked with a bunch of folks from VTSFFC, but nobody there either."

It only took CM a moment to remember that VTSFFC was the local science fiction and fantasy fan club; technically Technicon was started by VTSFFC, but the last few years it had been mostly run by the furs from SOAP. "So nobody new that we know," CM said with a rumbling sigh. "It was probably too much to expect. What about the others across the state?"

"I called them yesterday to let them know you were out of it, but nothing on that front either. At least not yet. Not even Jan and Dennis had anything to report. Tomorrow's the big day. If anything's going to happen it'll be then."

"And then some," CM added with a faint laugh. "Well, next time you see me I won't be a bear. Most likely. We should keep our eyes and ears open tomorrow. If folks don't show up to work or church and all that, it could be because they've Changed."

Rob laughed. "I was hiding in my room last year! I don't know how long I would have stayed in there if you hadn't shoved your claws under my door! It'll probably take a few days before we can be sure."

"True." CM leaned her head back, shifting the handset from ear to muzzle as she spoke and listened. "Either way, when Kyle gets here, there'll be four of us in Blacksburg."

"He's already here," Rob replied. The skunk snorted and CM could imagine him rolling his eyes. "He's suck a chipmunk. He couldn't wait and is crashing over at the furry apartment until the dorms open up. Patrick's going to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't leave fur all over the place."

The bear laughed and felt a smile crease her jowls. "I should have known he'd come early."

"Hey, CM, does Leslie work tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Since Kyle's here, I'm going to have a Changed party at my place tomorrow night. Only going to be four of us it looks like, but Patrick and Audrey will be there too. If you aren't going to tell Leslie, at least come join us to celebrate a year."

CM nodded. "I will. If I become male again, I'll have to tell Leslie. Until then, we'll see. Thanks for the invite though. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Show up whenever, but not until after five." The skunk paused for a moment then added, "You don't work tomorrow do you?"

"No, I asked for that day off weeks ago."

"They probably think you took the last two days off to extend your holiday."

CM grunted, tongue clicking against the back of her fangs. "They better not."

Rob laughed and said, "Well, I'm going to go over the server one more time to make sure it's ready. If we're right, we should get a whole lot more Changed joining the Network in the next few weeks."

"Indeed! Take care, Rob. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I may try to come to Mass too," Rob replied. "See you then!"

CM hung up the phone and smiled. Well they may not have any new Changed from amongst their friends, but at least there'd be more of them local no matter what happened. It was a stark change from previous years when CM had spent her days and nights wondering if she was the only in all the world.

CM lumbered into the computer room and opened her private closet. She pulled out the numbered boxes and opened all those marked "3". It was time to put all of her bear things away.

With care and precision, CM took her clothes out of her dresser and closet and one by one folded them tight and stuffed them into the boxes. She had to shove a few times, and snagged her claws in a few loose fibres a few times too, but managed to get everything inside. Next came all her bras and panties, as well as other female accessories she wouldn't be needing for the next year if she were lucky. Even if she did need them, she'd likely need much smaller versions.

CM stalked every corner of their apartment for anything else that had to go into the boxes. Such a thorough inspection offered several opportunities to clean which she took without thinking. By the time she stuffed all but a single pair of shoes in the boxes, she'd knew Leslie would be very pleased with seeing how nice the apartment looked. Twilight descended outside, and all that CM had left to store in the boxes was her current attire, the last pair of shoes, and her wedding ring.

Time enough for one last jaunt around the complex with Crystal, and then she should get to bed. CM slipped the shoes over her feet, watched them disappear, and called her dog after her. Crystal climbed off the beanbag chair and followed the bear out the door. Crystal was an old dog, but she managed the stairs fine. The evening was pleasantly cool and the slight breeze felt good through her thick fur. Crystal sniffed around and them ambled after the bear as they walked around the Chasewood Downs complex.

She didn't see any of the other neighbourhood dogs, and so after fifteen minutes they wended their way back to the apartment. CM closed the door behind them, gently pet Crystal on her hairy head, and then stretched, letting out a rumbling sigh. "Well, I guess it's time to go to bed, eh, Crystal?"

Her Cairn Terrier licked her nose and laid back down on the bean bag. CM laughed and padded back into the computer room. She stuffed her last pair of shoes into the boxes, and then removed the last of her clothing, folded it, and shoved it in. She closed up the boxes and put them back into the closet, making sure that the boxes marked with a "4" were now on top so she could get to them easily if she changed as she expected.

Completely naked apart from her fur, CM turned off the computer room lights and entered her bedroom. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and shifted about, noting the bulky, ursine form. Her belly curved outward as if she'd hidden a basket beneath her fur. Her breasts sagged, though covered by her brown fur, they appeared only as very noticeable lumps on her chest. Her face, broad and dark, ended in a wide black nose, while her eyes, small and black, stared out with a warmth that she had grown to love in the last year.

CM smiled and her fangs glistened beneath her jowls. Yes, she'd miss being a bear.

CM climbed into bed and pulled out her journal. She tapped the pencil against her fangs for a moment and then began to write.

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
Aug 16, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Another year comes to a close, another chapter in my unusual life comes to its end. Tomorrow I will Change again, and the only thing I can hope is that I will be male again. I've been female for three years now, and I hate to admit it but it's starting to rub off on me. But there's a very good reason for that.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">This is the first time I've been seen and treated as a female.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But this is also the first year I've realized that I wasn't alone. There are so many more who are Changed like me into animal-men. First my friend Rob was turned into a skunk. Then there was this lawyer from Cleveland, Walter Lundh who is now a long horn bull. And through him I met Carter Ryan a black wolf from Buffalo, who I've been working with this last year on calculating the number of Changed. And then there's the ones we met at Technicon, Jan and Dennis, Claire, Barb, Carl, Kyle, and Edgar.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm so happy to know I'm not alone, it made being treated like a female from time to time well worth it. It's kind of funny, because I don't even mind the way Jan leered at me the first time we met anymore. I guess he's more than made up for it with his visits, and the time he's spent teaching me to ride a bike. I know I want one of those one day. Ah, but first I need some real money.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The money we made from the work with the number crunching helped pay off some of my education debts, but there's plenty more of that to go. It's better to pay off debt anyway. Wish the government would figure that one out.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ironically, the money I used to pay off my debt was tax dollars, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">It was rather interesting to meet Congressman Sandrick. Good to know there's at least one person in congress who understands our needs. But I really enjoyed meeting Number Two. Reynaldo De Smet was a very interesting fox, and he seemed to understand my situation better than most. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk with somebody who's been Changed longer than I have.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The important thins above all else, I'm not alone. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll never be alone again.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Bear. Female. It's been interesting. I love being a bear. I even love having a big belly and dealing with hibernation hunger. And I love making Rob, Jan and the others squirm when I catch a fish in my jaws. And it's kind of fun seeing the way they act all embarrassed around me when we're bathing.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ah... but the year of bear is over. And
hopefully the years of female are over. I only wish that Leslie was Changing too.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, I don't know what You still have in store for me in the years to come, but I will trust in You that everything will be okay. No matter what happens. Please guide me. In nomine Patris, et Filli, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
</div>

CM closed her journal, turned out the light, and lay her massive head down to sleep on her last night as a bear. For the first time in a log time, she was truly happy before a Change.

{{Separator|k}}

Five o'clock. CM's eyes popped pen at that early hour of the morning with the sudden need to use the bathroom. It was always like this. The she-bear could still smell the pizza on Leslie who lay snoring faintly next to her with mouth agape. Crystal was curled up between them.

CM slid one paw under the sheet and gingerly drew it over her chest and belly. She lifted one knee and eased her paw to the ground, being careful not to catch her long claws on the blankets. She put one hand on the bedframe and heaved herself up. The metal groaned faintly as it disgorged her three-hundred plus pound body, but Leslie continued her peaceful slumber. CM smiled, eyes warming beneath heavy brows, and pulled the covers back over her side of the bed.

With many years of practice walking with claws, CM had no trouble quietly making her way from the bedroom to the bathroom. She shut both doors behind her, sat on the toilet, and relieved herself one last time as a bear. A sullen energy filled her, building to what would come in only minutes. CM tensed her claws, digging through the fur over her knees. What was going to happen this year? What would her friends say when they saw what she became?

CM lowered the lid, flushed, and then shook out her fur, glancing at herself in the mirror. The charge inside of her flesh was making her fingers tremble. She smiled at her reflection and softly whispered, "Goodbye bear."

And then the power broke forth like water rushing through a dam. But instead of that internal expansion she'd felt the last time, this was like being wrapped tight in a glove and squeezed from every direction. Her fur lightened in hue, though still remained a warm brown. It shrank into her body even as her bulk sucked inward like plastic recoiling and corroding from a fire. Her snout narrowed, whiskers flanking on either side. Fangs diminished, while from her gums incisors began to protrude. Rounded ears did not shrink with the rest of her, but lost their fur and scalloped inward.

CM's paws gripped the side of the sink, and they too lost their fur. The skin beneath became a pinkish beige which could almost pass for a typical Caucasian skin tone. Her claws, once long and thick, were now narrow and pointed. The only fur left on her paws was a taper on the back extending just past her wrists.

Her heels lifted off the floor as the thick pads of her feet faded into a slender digitgrade stance. Her toes lengthened and splayed, ursine claws dwindling into tiny spears. She shifted her weight around, knees folding to adjust to her new stance.

Though her weight decreased everywhere else, behind her she felt her tail swell and stretch, descending down beyond her ankles and curling across the cool tile of the bathroom floor. It thickened as she shrank, until it was wider than her arms at its root. The familiar muscles twisted from side to side, and her long whip-like tail slid effortlessly across the floor and through the air.

Aware of all that happened to her body, CM still watched only her face. The face of the bear melted away, even as she shrank inch by inch from the top of the mirror down to its bottom. Though her eyes didn't move, it appeared that they slid further apart as her head moulded to its new shape. But they did bulge more as they darkened to a rich black. Her nose brightened to the same beige hue as her paws, while from beneath her cleft lips protruded a pair of thick, white incisors. Coupled with the long, thick tail, the short stature, the almost furless paws, and the still rotund belly, CM had once more become a rat.

But unlike the bear, this time there was an odd weight bearing down on her front. CM, glanced down and blinked a few times, her heart beating faster and faster she took the sight in. She wasn't a she anymore. Betwixt her... no, his legs was something he'd pined for these last three years. CM no longer, he was Christopher Mattiaz once again. A man! A rat, but a man at long last!

Chris covered his longer snout with his paws, even as he felt the power of the change dissipate from his body. He trembled, trying to hold back the laugh that pounded at the back of his throat. His tongue pressed firmly against his incisors, and he felt the need to gnaw wake from a long slumber. He shifted his legs about, tail lashing in ecstasy, and nearly pinched his returned genitals. After three years of being a woman, he now had to remember he had something between his legs in front too.

Unable to contain his excitement, Chris grabbed his bathrobe and dashed out the bathroom, short claws digging into the carpet. He yanked the robe over his arms, even as the end dragged a full foot behind him. The robe, too short while he'd been a bear, was much too long now that he was a rat. But he didn't care. He fumbled at the lock to his front door, managed it, charged up the stairs and outside into the parking lot, and let out a shout for joy into the night sky.

"Thank you! Hallelujah! Oh thank you! Thank you!" Chris laughed and danced on his paws, not caring about all the little stones irritating his sensitive flesh, nor that anyone in the complex would wake and hear him. "Oh Lord, thank you! I'm a man again! I love you! Thank you! Hallelujah!" He laughed in delight so hard he started to cry. His tail lashed so hard that he managed to yank his robe off, leaving him completely nude.

Christopher Mattiaz was so happy he managed not to notice his nudity for another three minutes. He capered about, grasping his tail in his paws and feeling across its smooth surface marred only by the occasional scraggly strand of brown hair. He ran his paws through his fur, which was a uniform brown across his back with a lighter underbelly. And he enjoyed every bit of it.

The newly made rat finally pulled his robe back over his form and managed to huddle down on his modified knees. His long tail continued to whip back and forth behind him, so close to the asphalt that he could feel it tickle his scraggly hairs. He took a long deep breath, savouring the feel of every part of his new and very masculine body. In a much quieter voice he said, "Thank you, Father. Please let me stay this way. If it is your will. But for today, thank you!"

Chris made the sign of the cross, lowering his snout as his claw traced out that venerable symbol of his faith. In the light of the streetlamps, Chris consummated his prayer with a kiss from his incisors on the backs of his paws. He rose, once again a man, and walked back to his apartment. It was time to set out his year four gear and post his good fortune on the forums.

He still gave one more scream of joy before rushing back inside.

{{Separator|k}}

Leslie slept for another three hours in which Chris readied all of his rat things and posted on the Changed network. It was too early for there to be any postings about new Changed, but there were a couple people who knew folks who'd been sick the last couple of days, so the rat hoped to see some good news from them soon.

Chris spent a good bit of time refamiliarizing himself with his rodent form. He'd been a rat once before, and had been male that time too, so it didn't take long for him to remember how his body worked. The profusion of whiskers were very sensitive and helped him determine which way the wind was blowing and also helped him find his way in the dark The long tail helped him keep his balance; as a bear he could walk and stand like a human, but the rodent body shape was more beastly and he always leaned slightly forward with bent knees and ankles. His fingers and toes were long and thin, and so he had to trade up for his original wedding band, the smallest of the four. His incisors yearned to gnaw and he realized he'd have to find someway to do so discretely. When he'd been a rat before, most of the year he'd still been a bachelor, and so it was easy to keep a supply of sticks to sate his teeth. Now he'd have to figure out a way to keep Leslie from noticing chewed up wood chips.

But with a new body there came other adjustments too. Chris had to find a comfortable way to sit down without pinching his tail and using the toilet without making a mess every time. Because his tail was not as flexible as he wished, he had to sit as far forward on the couch as he could, or to lean back and slide his tail forward between his legs. And on the toilet he had to sit backward and bend as far forward as he could just to aim properly. It was one of the few things he knew he'd miss about being female — a male Changed always had to perform some sort of gymnastics to cleanly make use of a toilet.

But those were challenges he was delighted to undertake. He was equally pleased to resume buttoning his pants in front and back. He'd have to be very careful about leaving laundry out because the hole he'd made to accommodate his rat tail was very large compared to the size of his pants. He'd even sewn tail sleeves onto his winter gear to help keep the sensitive appendage warm.

But now that he was male again, the thought struck him, perhaps it was time to let Leslie in on the secret the way Rob had let Audrey in on it. There wouldn't be the gender awkwardness, nor the spectre of a lesbian relationship, a thought that thoroughly discomforted and disgusted Chris. Not that he would say others couldn't do that sort of thing if it was their choice, he just had no desire to do it himself, no matter how comfortable he'd become in a female body.

But when Leslie finally woke, the inchoate desire to tell her what he truly was withered inside of him like a new shoot under a bright, arid sun. One look from her groggy face as she walked into the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee made him withdraw back into his nest of secrets. After a brief ‘good morning', the rat busied himself with stuffing his modified clothing into his side of the dresser. Maybe he'd have the courage after Mass to tell.

When he finished, Chris started to head out to join his wife on the couch when it dawned on him that this would be just about the first time he would be male with her since their wedding. He tapped his knuckles against either side of his snout to calm himself. It felt so odd to brush them through his whiskers, stiff but yielding and sensitive. His body trembled for several seconds, and then his breathing caught up to him. "I'm a man again," he whispered, new tongue forming the pleasing words without difficulty. "I'm a man again. I can be a proper husband."

He opened his eyes, emboldened, and left the bedroom, found his wife on the couch scouring the TV Guide crossword, and slid in next to her, one paw carefully gliding his tail around his other hip. He slid his left arm around her back, and then set his right paw on her thigh and stroked softly with his thumb and claw. He turned to look up at her, noting her face in all its lovely detail.

He knew that not everyone would say that Leslie was beautiful. She didn't fit the stereotype that the world considered glamorous of gorgeous. She had a small face that fit nicely beneath her tangle of tightly curled dark brown hair. Her lips only smiled when she was truly happy, which made her appear more focussed than she really was. And her glasses gave her a faintly standoffish look. But for all that, Christopher Mattiaz knew in his heart she was beautiful and he loved her.

Together they finished the crossword puzzle, then snuggled together on the couch. Most of the time, Chris laid his head against her chest, curling up just like the rodent he now was. They didn't say anything, and they didn't need to. When the time came to head to Mass, they hugged once and then walked to their bedroom together to change. Chris made sure that Leslie didn't see him buttoning up his tail hole, but otherwise hid nothing from her. It felt good to be able to do that.

To his delight, Rob and Audrey were there at Mass. Rob was still a skunk and Audrey was still human. Rob grinned brightly, showing off his fangs when he saw the rat and Leslie enter. Chris nodded, noted the quick glance Rob made toward Leslie, and then shook his head. Rob furrowed his brow, long tail lashing over the back of the pew, and nearly brushing in the face of another parishioner who knelt at prayer, but didn't say anything to give him away. In a quiet voice he said, "Chris, Leslie, good to see you."

"And you, Rob," Chris said. "Glad you could make it."

Leslie and Audrey said their hellos too and the four of them settled down for Mass. Chris wished he could have paid attention, but he was still too excited by all the possibilities being male again brought. Nearly all of them involved Leslie, one whose leg his paw stayed through almost the entire service. But after three years of being female, he knew he should try to not be so desperate. That was going to be the hard part.

And Leslie seemed to notice too. After Mass, Rob invited them out to lunch, but Leslie had to go into work soon so they had to decline. When they got home, Chris insisted on making her something before she left for work. At which Leslie said, "You've been awfully attentive today. Is something wrong?"

Chris tensed, long tail curling tightly about his foot paws. He licked his jowls quickly, and pressed his paws together. "No! No. Nothing's wrong. Well, just, I guess I've been feeling..." He took a deep breath, and lowered his ears and whiskers. "I've been neglecting you lately, Leslie. I want to try to make up for it. I know you wish I was around more and would be with you more. I'm going to give that a try too. I love you, Leslie. I want to be with you forever. I want to be your husband and not just in name. I want-"

Before he could go any further, Leslie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the nose. "Oh, I love you, Chris. I'm sorry I've been so distant too."

Chris hugged his wife tightly and repressed the excited squeak that danced on his tongue. The tip of his tail squeezing his ankle in joy.

{{Separator|k}}

Chris carefully tapped the numbers with his narrows claws and nestled the handset against the base of his ear so it could reach his muzzle. It rang twice before a beastly voice picked up. "Hey CM!"

The rat had to supress a gloat. "It's Chris again, Carter! I'm back to being male."

The wolf barked in delight. "Hey, that's great!! Congratulations! Your voice sounds higher pitched. What did you become?"

"I'm a rat again."

"I bet that's weird after being a bear."

"A little, but I'm already getting used to being two feet shorter and a heck of a lot lighter!"

"And having a tail again," Carter added. He could picture the wolf's jaw cracked open in a lupine grin, that sort of half laugh that one can see in a dog as they pant.

"There is that too," Chris admitted. He reached down one paw and stroked the backs of his fingers across the top of his tail. The soft flesh tingled at the touch. "But my rat mind is wired to like having a tail, so it's not as hard as you might think."

"Yeah," Carter replied thoughtfully, "I feel the same way about my tail. So hey, any other news on the Changed front? I only got home a little while ago. Family insisted I go camping with them this weekend."

"Camping as a wolf? I bet that was fun!"

Carter barked another laugh. "Oh it was! I took a walk last night and once I was far enough away from the tent I gave a good howl! And other wolves answered! We howled for a good ten minutes, and then I headed back. My family was worried sick about me and my Dad had his rifle ready in case any of those wolves came around."

Chris's whiskers stood taut. "You're lucky you didn't get shot!"

"Nah, I was wearing bright reflective clothing. Anyway, any Changed news I should know about? Was going to check the network after dinner, but hey, you're here, CM... I mean Chris."

"Not much really to report. Rob is still a skunk. I've called several Changed I know in Virginia or nearby and none of them have yet reported any new Changed. And none of them had a second Change either. There are four of us Changed down here in Blacksburg now; Kyle came down early. We're getting together for a party at Rob's place in a little bit."

"Sounds like fun. Kyle's the chipmunk who drinks Red Bull right?"

"Yeah, that's him. Incoming Freshman here at Tech. I could restrain him before, but now we'll be the same size. Pray for me!"

Carter laughed again, yipping in pleasure at the image of a rat and chipmunk wrestling. "Will do. Wish I could say I had some good news on the Changed front, but, like I said, I was camping this weekend. Will keep my eyes open and my nose ready these next few weeks. It is early yet."

"True," Chris admitted. His whiskers drooped a bit and he slid one paw beneath his T-shirt to scratch at his light belly fur. "Most folks who did Change today are probably in hiding right now. Give em a week to get over the fur, claws, and hooves and they'll be out and about."

"Exactly! Then we get to start updating our models again and earning that government money."

Chris sighed, a soft squeak emerging from his throat. "Don't remind me! I'm hoping to actually finish my PhD this year."

Carter laughed. "We shouldn't have to do as much this year, but yeah, I hope you get time to do your own research. How's that going, by the way?"

"Decently enough. I'm going to probably try to do less Changed stuff for a few months to get caught back up, but I hope we can get together again sometime when Walter isn't making us."

"Me too. Hey, I'm going to go snag my dinner. I've got this T-bone steak I can't wait to gnaw on. Have fun at your party!"

"Take care, Carter!" Chris chuckled at the image of Carter laying on his belly, legs sprawled behind him, worrying a steak bone in his jaws. Then again, he'd spent part of the afternoon gathering some twigs and sneaking them into his closet so he could gnaw on them when his teeth hurt. The Change definitely made them adapt in strange and surprising ways.

Chris set the phone down for a moment and glanced at his list of numbers. He only had two more Changed to call, but these two shared the same number. He felt a little silly for leaving them to the end. A part of him couldn't help but worry how they'd react to hearing that Chris was a guy again. Silly, silly, silly! Chris picked up the phone, tapped the number with the ends of his claws, and put the handset back against his cheek.

"Congratulations!" roared into the earpiece. "Saw your post, Chris! Congratulations on being a guy!" The boisterous voice of Jan Krazinski was utterly unmistakeable, and not just because of the Polish accent he picked up from his parents.

Chris felt another ten pounds lighter and laughed in turn. "Thanks, Jan! It is wonderful. I can be me again."

"And a rat, too," Jan added. "Going to have to do something with that tail of yours so you can ride. It'll burst your hippack, yah!"

"Undoubtetly," Chris said with a sigh. He ran his knuckles across his tail root again and felt the tip twitch back and forth. "I guess it'll be a while before I ride again."

"Nah! Dennis and me will rig something for ya!" Jan laughed heartily. "So have you told the Misses yet?"

Chris sighed and paced back and forth. "No, not yet. I going to try to ease her into it I think. I'm just not ready to tell her what's been happening these last few years."

"I understand," he replied, his earlier enthusiasm waning into more measured tones. "Ya gotta tell her sometime though. Best do it while you're a guy."

"I hope I stay a guy! But anyway, I take it you're still a boar?"

"Yah, and Dennis is still a hedgehog. COurse he was gonna stay that was, his third year now and all. I'm starting my second. And boy I'm glad I'm still a boar."

"It does fit you," Chris said without a trace of irony. "I'm glad that you get to be what you want, Jan. Have you told your family yet?"

"Nah," Jan replied with a porcine grunt. "But I'm going to once I know how Ma's chemo went. If not so good, I tell her so she knows. If good I wait for her to recover then I tell her so I don't make things worse."

"I'm praying for her," Chris replied, which was about all he could think to do.

"Thanks! Me too." For a moment, Jan's voice was faintly troubled, something so rare that Chris had to pull the phone away from his muzzle so his friend wouldn't hear him grind his teeth in empathy. When Jan did speak again, his cheerfullness returned in full. "Say, you posted this morning, but have you seen any new Changed yet?"

"No, I haven't," Chris replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "Neither have any of the other Changed crew, but it is early. We probably won't see any for a week at least."

Jan laughed with a faint squeal. "Dennis and I met one!"

Chris blinked and his whiskers stiffened. "Really?"

"Yup! A trucker from Atlanta was passing through and just happened to stop at our diner! He went all badger while crossing into Virginia this morning and boy was he glad to see us. Though he was going crazy but we set him straight. Name's Denver of all things, and he promised to always use our diner when passing through. Don't know when he'll join the network, but we gave him the address. Denver isn't much one for computers. But he sure loved our bikes and his Rig sure was sweet. Except for all those new claw holes he put into the leather this morning, it was a thing of beauty!"

Chris started laughing as his friend described the newly minted badger. He could always trust Jan to turn the conversation over to bikes eventually. "That's great, Jan. So did you guys introduce him to the other NoVa Changed?"

"Denver had a schedule so he couldn't stay long, but we got his number. Dennis is chatting with him now on all the stuff we missed."

"Well," Chris surmised, leaning his head back and stretching. His tail lifted with the stretch, as his toe claws dig into the carpet. "It sounds like we've found our first new Changed of the 2003 Change. Good working, Jan! Tell Dennis I said so too."

"Will do. Yah, told you that diner was a good place to eat!"

Chris laughed again. "It was! It was! I hope to go back. Won't eat quite as much this time though."

"Lost all the weight?"

"Most of it, yeah. But I've still got a pot belly here to work off. I think I got too much into being the big bear last year. I wasn't nearly this fat when I was a rat last time."

"Take picture and send our way, so I know what to expect when we see you next." Jan grunted again and it sounded like he was walking around his apartment. Chris could hear him flipping through some papers. "Hey, when would be good weekend for a visit? Either you come up here or we go down to you."

"Jan, I do want to spend more time working on my PhD this year. I can't get together with you every free weekend."

"No problem. So what weekend would be good?"

Chris sighed, surrendered, and looked over his calendar. "Hmmm, probably the thirteenth and fourteenth of September would be the best."

"I've got ya penciled in!" Jan declared triumphantly. "So, we staying at your place again?"

"So long as Dennis doesn't mind getting dragged to Mass on Sunday morning." No point fighting it anymore. Jan had invited himself down yet again. Not that he should really be complaining. How often did his other friends try to visit him? Not that often.

"Great! We'll see you then. Going to have to design something for your tail so you can ride. Weather should be great for riding!"

"Yeah, it'll be nice up through November down here." Chris glanced at his clock and almost bit his tongue. "Jan, I really have to get going. Barb, Kyle, Rob and I are getting together tonight to have a little Changed party. And if I don't skedaddle I'm gonna be late!"

"Hey, have a great time! Congratulations agian, Chris! Be good to see what you look like as a guy, ya. I bet not as good!" The boar laughed one more time, and then hung up. Chris hung up the phone before shaking his head and holding back the mirthful squeaks pounding from his lungs. "Jan, you are utterly incorrigible." He glanced down at Crystal who crouched beside him sniffing at his paws. She'd been doing that off and on all day. Could she tell he'd Changed?

There was no time to worry about it now. He really was running late. "Okay, Crystal. One time around the block and then I have to go!" He scooped her up in his arms and rushed outside, not even bothering to put on his shoes.

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Change Building}}

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-05-05T23:23:27Z

MatthiasRat: Finished the scene. One more to go I believe and I can wind this one down.

{{Universe|Paradise}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in August 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Change Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

To Rob's complete surprise, the real problem with inviting Jan and Dennis to Blacksburg the last weekend before the August Change to join them on their trek down the Cascades Trail was not that Jan would get to see CM the she-bear naked. Rather it was that the boar would have to disrobe himself and as it turned out, he was genuinely nervous about doing this around others.

To even convince Rob that this was something they could do CM had promised to wear a male swimsuit. But the skunk had never expected that Jan would insist on wearing even more before agreeing to go into the water with the rest of them. Dennis the hedgehog had no such inhibitions and skinny dipped like the skunk, his spines rustling like a swimming sea slug as he moved through the waterfall fed pool.

Jan slipped into the water so only his porcine head was visible. "This is very nice," he admitted, his nostrils flaring momentarily as he settled down. CM swam on the other side with Rob and Dennis between them. Their cleaning gear remained on the bank. "Are all your Summer days like this?"

"Yeah, this area is great in Summer," Rob replied. "No humidity, rarely over eighty degrees, it's great."

"Especially with all this fur!" CM trumpeted before diving beneath the water. A dark brown mass swam back and forth and then lifted up with a fish trapped between her jaws. Even though he'd seen his friend do this a few times now, it still unnerved him. Dennis gaped, little eyes widening in disbelief. Jan stared for a moment and then guffawed.

"I think you've been a bear too long, yah!"

CM climbed on bank and deposited the fish in a plastic bag filled with water. Her thick fur clung to her body and as she lumbered on all fours, apart from the swimming trunks, she looked very much like a normal bear. "Leslie loves it when I bring back fresh fish. And since you both are staying for dinner, I'm going to catch some extra."

Jan shook his head and waved his arms in the water. After getting into the small pool beneath the forty-foot waterfall, he'd not moved from the rock shelf he'd settled on. Rob swam a little closer and found another shelf nearby. "So, Jan, I've never asked you what you do for a living."

The boar kept his eyes on the rippling surface of the crystal clear water. He twitched when a small fish brushed one of his bristly legs. "I work at a small engineering company. We do contract work around the area, so I get to play with all sorts of toys. Is how I met Dennis."

"I thought you worked as an insurance auditor," Rob said, turning to the hedgehog.

"I do. We contracted Jan's company to verify a client's claims. We'd used them before, but I never really knew Jan until he changed. I've met a few other Changed because of my job too. Just last week we added three more Changed to the NoVa community."

Rob idly watched CM catch another fish in her jaws. He really hoped no hikers came up the trail. The skunk dunked his head under the water and then shook it out of his fur. "You met three at once?"

"Through this Jack Russell lady. She filed a claim on some furniture she'd destroyed. Claimed her dog did it, but those claw marks were obviously not her dogs. I made her drop the claim to prevent an official investigation. She already knew two other Changed in the area, and we all got together and pooled our money to buy her new furniture."

"That's interesting," Rob admitted, glancing between Jan and Dennis. "I wonder how many Changed know each other but haven't met people in the network. CM, what do you think?"

The she-bear dropped her fourth fish from her jaws into the plastic bag and licked her jowls. "Finding isolated pockets of Changed? It's happened a few times. I think it's going to happen a lot more over the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised if we found some other websites for Changed communities that don't know anything about us." CM shook like a dog and sprayed water all over the river-smoothed rocks.

Rob pondered that thought as he relaxed in the water. The day was pleasantly cool in the shade of the valley, while all the trees swung with a light breeze, green leaves rustling and pines thrumming. The falls provided a constant crashing splatter that drowned out everything else. The vaulted walls of slate rising upward, domed by a variety of deciduous trees, sheltered them in an arboreal sanctuary.

"The network scrubs the web already," Rob pointed out. "If there were any such sites, they would have been found. Or they're going to be found eventually. Whatever."

"We're going to see a lot more Changed after next Sunday, ya?" Jan asked.

"Well, probably not right away," CM admitted as she slipped back beneath the waters. Rob wondered why she bothered to shake off if she was just going to get back in, but knew there was no point in asking. The Change brought some strange instincts that were often hard to resist. "Odds are we won't know anybody who Changes, but we need to keep watch anyway. Which reminds me, what are the NoVa Changed doing to prepare?"

"We've made lists," Jan replied. "At least ten people each that we'll check up on next Friday and Saturday for the sickness."

"And we've got everyone's phone numbers," Dennis added with a shrug of his shoulders. His spines rippled along his back and upper arms. "I'm not sure what else we can do except keep our eyes open."

"There's really not much else you can do," Rob pointed out. "I just hope there's more people here locally who've Changed."

"Kyle's coming down to Tech the week after," CM pointed out as she sank into the water. "And Barb knows a lot of people we don't."

"I'm hoping for somebody middle-aged," the skunk said with a churr in his throat. "We'll have three college students and a retiree. We need more variety to make all the connections we need in town."

The she-bear frowned and waved her arms back and forth to keep steady in the natural pool. "Well, as college students, we probably won't be living here forever."

"True," Rob admitted. "Which just makes our need for more people who do live here more important."

Jan grunted through his nose and played his hoof-like hand across the water's surface. "I'll be happy so long as I stay a boar."

"I'll be happy as long as I go male again," CM said with a heavy sigh.

"Ya, I hope so too," Jan replied, a twinkle filling his beady eyes. "You look too good to be a woman."

CM glowered and splashed him with a wave of her paw. Rob and Dennis laughed. The hedgehog shook his head and sighed, "Well, I'm stuck this way. Coming up on two years for me now. What about you, Rob?"

"I wouldn't mind changing again as long as I stay male. I'd love to become feline. But skunk isn't so bad. I'm not drinking as much as I used to which helps. I really hope Audrey changes though. And it'd be nice if some others from SOAP did too."

"It'll happen eventually," CM said. "Well, if we're right it will. Anyway, we've been checking in with the other Changed in the area, and things sound pretty good. I think everybody's ready for next week, or as ready as we'll ever get. Everybody's trying stuff similar to what you NoVa Changed are doing, so we'll compare notes and see how we did in two weeks."

"Sounds fair," Jan nodded. "Are we going to try meeting again like we did at Technicon?"

Rob groaned, "Oh I hope not! At least not at Technicon. I don't even want to think about Technicon for another three months."

CM chuckled and snuffed. "We probably won't be able to get everybody together like we did that time, but we may try to organize a couple get togethers. We'll see. First, we have to get through another Change Day."

"Do you really think it's going to be that bad?" Jan asked.

"Who knows!" Rob shrugged. "All I know is that I'm going to spend all day tomorrow working on the server, changing out cables, and figuring out why I'm getting an intermittent signal on my remote laptop." The skunk then elaborated on exactly what the problems were and what he thought he needed to do to solve them.

When he finished, the hedgehog, eyes raised, said, "And on that note, I think I'm going to start scrubbing." Jan guffawed and followed his friend to the slate ledge where they'd left their gear. Amazingly, CM's shaking hadn't completely drenched their things.

{{Separator|k}}

The sky cleared by the time late afternoon arrived. The four friends laughed and teased each other as they made their way back down the Cascades trail. After scrubbing the shampoo through their fur, or in Dennis's case, bristly spines, they'd washed clean, played around a bit longer in the pool, and then lay in the open air drying off. Jan never lost his self-consciousness and kept his swimming trunks on despite how sopping wet this made him all the way back down the trail. When they reached the parking lot, he rubbed his middle down one last time with his towels while CM, Rob, and Dennis stowed their gear in Rob's Matrix.

As Jan finished drying himself off, his brow furrowed, eyes staring fixedly at the pair of bikes parked next to Rob's Matrix. He wrapped his towel behind his neck and snorted. "Hey CM! I got an idea."

The bear lifted her head from the trunk of the car and said, "Uh oh. What's the idea?"

Jan laughed and gestured to his bike. "Would you like to ride my bike down to the main road? Is not a long ride and there won't be many cars."

CM shifted her weight and regarded both the boar and the bike. He had shown her so much in the last five months that she had begun to feel very comfortable on a motorcycle. However, he'd never let her do more than drive around parking lots. If she became a rat again like she suspected, with such a long tail it would be nearly impossible for her to ride until her next Change. This was probably her last opportunity.

"Just to the end of the road. Not onto 460?"

The boar grabbed either end of towel draping over his neck and pulled gently. "Ya. It'll give you a taste of what bikes are really like."

Rob slapped the bear on the back and said, "Get on the bike and get it over with. You know you want to."

CM laughed, her fur and jowls shaking with the pleasure. "Okay, fine. You sure you trust me?"

Jan patted the seat and grunted. "Yah. Speed limit's only thirty-five. Take it easy on the turns and you'll be fine."

While CM took those few steps toward Jan and the motorcycle, Dennis climbed on his bike and chuckled under his breath. "I'll set a good pace for you, CM. Just stay a car length behind me and you'll do fine."

"Thanks, Dennis." CM swung one leg over the bike and felt her bulk settle comfortably into the seat.

Jan handed her the keys, patted her shoulder once, and followed Rob to his Matrix. "We follow you and watch you," the boar declared with his usual aplomb. "I'll let you know how you did!"

CM ignored the boar's attempt at a joke, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the bike. It rumbled to life and roared pleasantly when she gave it gas. Dennis nodded his pudgy head in approval, started his bike, and slowly eased out of the parking space and into the empty lot. CM gently followed him, feeling an anxious tightening in her heart as the bike responded to her commands. With a twist of her wrist, she shifted gears and turned to follow the hedgehog.

The parking lot was shrouded by deciduous forest on every side. Only the road leading to 460 offered a way out. Dennis eased down the road as it plunged beneath leafy boughs that obscured the solitary power line, and CM followed him, her paws gripping the handlebars tightly. The road ducked and wove as it followed the meandering stream to the valley's entrance. Rocks clustered on their right, huge stacks that supported trees and the vast hillsides that stretched from the mountains. Moss clung to their surface, and even as they cruised past, CM could smell the rich aroma of the wide variety of deer, grouse, and other game that made these mountains their home.

After only a few minutes the forest thinned enough that they started to see houses and yards on either side. Most were run down or in poor repair, with plastic siding or wooden beams long in need of replacing. They weren't truly poor, those who lived here, they just didn't have enough to rebuild what was slowly falling apart. The four of them were fortunate so far in their lives, but they could all just as easily end up living somewhere remote. For a Changed, it might not be such a bad thing either.

But none of this was on CM's mind. For the first time, the she-bear was riding a motorcycle down a road without assistance. And as she made turn after turn and kept her speed under control, she felt her confidence increasing. The wind sliced through hr fur and pounded at her chest, but it was a good feeling, strong and powerful that made her call on her strength to beat it back. She sat firmly in the chair, her thick legs supporting her upper body as it bore the brunt of the air's cloying hands.

Her nostrils flared with the rich scents pouring her way. CM's ears folded back as she listened to the growling of the engine between her legs. She smiled and chuckled to herself at the odd sensation of the wind cleaning her fangs. Her stub of a tail twitched with delight in her shorts.

And then they passed out of the hills and onto the small plain that was the town of Pembroke. The road straightened as it neared the much larger and far busier 460. Dennis slowed and CM eased back with him. Behind them, Rob pulled the Matrix off to one side while Dennis and CM parked on the shoulder. CM let out a long sigh of pleasure as she turned the key and rubbed her paw pad over the bike's chrome handlebars and across the fuel tank.

"That good, huh?" Dennis asked with a knowing smile crossing his snout. His spines shivered down his back like a wave passing through sand.

CM nodded and could not disguise the awe in her voice. "Oh yeah. That was amazing."

Jan laughed as he climbed out of the Matrix and clopped his hooves to her side. "You looked like a natural, CM! Did you like it?"

"I loved it! I'm so getting one of these when I can afford it!" CM roared in delight, rubbing her paws along the bike's front some more. "This was a really sweet ride. Thank you, Jan."

The boar nodded, "You look right for a bike. Maybe one day we go riding together, yah?"

"I'd like that. These mountains beg to be ridden!"

Jan crossed his arms, glancing once at the low, green mountains that surrounded them. "Yah, they do. But there's just one thing."

CM looked back at him. "What's that?"

The boar's expression was of pleased amusement. "Could I have my bike back now?" Rob beat his paws against his steering wheel to keep from laughing.

{{Separator|k}}

When not working, CM and Rob spent the next few days calling the few Changed they knew in Virginia and the surrounding states. They discussed strategies for looking for new Changed, and the warning signs that would precede the Change. Much of this was merely refresher for the others who'd been preparing on their own, but for most of them, this would be the first time they'd be actively looking for new Changed.

Much of their time on the phone was spent catching up with those who they'd gathered with at Technicon earlier in the year. Claire, the otter from Bristol, had her paws full getting her children ready for the next year of grade school. Edgar, the opossum from Richmond, boasted of his recent promotion and how smart his three year old boy was. Carl, the Golden from South Boston, spent most of the time asking them what they were doing in their lives, but did admit that his nephew was home from his tour of duty overseas and was most amused that his old fogey of an uncle had attended Technicon. Kyle the chipmunk wouldn't stop raving about how excited he was to be coming to Virginia Tech in another week. And of course Jan and Dennis were already talking about dragging CM on a biking trip into the Jefferson National Forest in September.

The only other Changed that had been there, Barb the panther, was local and had her own network of friends that she promised to keep an eye on. And so with little else to do but wait, Rob and CM kept up the facade of a normal life around their friends and coworkers as the days of the week trickled past. Until the sickness came on the fifteenth, they wouldn't know who might join their August company on Sunday morn.

Leslie could tell that CM was a little anxious, and it pained the she-bear not to be able to tell her wife what was amiss. But there always lingered that hope in her ursine chest that in a few days Leslie would join her amongst the ranks of the Changed and there would never need be any secrets between them again.

By Thursday night, CM's anxiety had reached such a height that he could only be thankful that Leslie worked that evening. The she-bear climbed into her Saturn and took the long drive down Harding Avenue heading out of Blacksburg. It was a particular favourite of theirs, winding down into a valley lined by ridges with ranches and old country homes on either side of the twisting road. At that hour of the night, he saw deer at the edge of the woods, and sometimes a raccoon or skunk.

The road changed names and turned down several other roads, including route 42 which climbed up a steep mountain face before returning to 460. By the time that CM returned home it had been a two hour drive, but it had done its job. The bear was finally able to calm down and collapse in bed. The metal groaned under her weight, but she was long since used to it. Her mind, once racing with wonder what the next day would bring, had calmed down enough that simple prayer kept it focussed.

Dreams of Leslie sprouting fur in a few days kept her in a pleasant slumber. CM could never quite tell what Leslie was becoming, but the sight of her changing was enough. With such sweet dreams, CM never cared what happened to herself.

But when her eyes crept open Friday morning and felt a crushing headache pounding on either side of her massive ursine head, and a sickening tightness stirring her corpulent gut, CM couldn't think of anything but herself. The agony raced from one side of her head to the other, like giants playing ping pong in her mind. She dug her claws into her belly fur and groaned loudly, twisting beneath the blankets.

Beside her, Leslie stirred and lifted one arm to rub at her forehead. CM opened one eye and felt a glimmer of hope. But then she scooted up and blinked her eyes clear of her usual pre-coffee bleariness. "Are you okay?" she asked in clear tones.

CM grunted and sighed. "Feelin' sick."

Leslie leaned over and rubbed the top of the bear's head, feeling for a fever. The usual pleasure CM would have felt at Leslie rubbing her head fur was not there. "You always seem to get sick right before the fall semester."

CM grunted and closed her eyes. "Yeah. I guess you're feeling okay?"

"Need coffee, but yeah." Leslie lifted her hand away. "You definitely feel hot. Is there anything I can get you?"

Medicine never helped this sickness. It just had to run its course. By tomorrow evening he'd feel fine again. But she'd have to wait at least another year for Leslie to Change. The she bear sighed. "The phone, so I can call off from work."

Leslie nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and climbed out of bed to retrieve the phone. CM sighed and kept her eyes closed. The pain was familiar but still debilitating. If not for the Change that followed, she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

There wasn't anything else CM could do but lay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. She hoped that Rob and the others would have better luck.

{{Separator|k}}

After calling off from work and being kissed and tended by Leslie, CM spent most of Friday laying in bed. She attempted to read, but her eyes didn't want to focus on the pages. She tried at one point to climb out of bed to go watch a movie on the couch, but it took an hour to convince her body to make that journey; then after watching the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring she decided she'd rather try to sleep anyway. Apart from one time in the evening when she plopped herself on the porcelain pedestal to make her bodily offering, she never bothered trying to get out of bed again.

Leslie was kind enough to leave the phone at her bedside once she went to work, and so CM was able to answer the phone when Rob called to check on her. The skunk asked her how she was doing, but once he knew that CM was suffering the Change sickness, he excused himself and hung up. CM felt like growling at the world, but that would probably only make her stomach tie itself into even more knots. Instead, she lay in bed and let her bodily misery run its course.

Like all things, time worked its own wonders, and the she bear found the patience she'd honed in her many years alone and the seven times she'd suffered this before (not to mention all the periods she'd undergone during her five female years) helped her endure the long Friday. She got little sleep that night, and the illness persisted Saturday morning. Another quick call to work and she resumed her sojourn in bed. Leslie understood her need to suffer alone and after doing what little she could for her husband, Leslie closed the bedroom door and quietly went about her daily chores before work.

By the time Leslie left for her afternoon-evening shift, the pain began to ebb. CM opened her eyes and took a long deep breath of air that stank of bear fur. She panted, drool wetting her cheeks. With her right paw she thrust the covers off her frame, and enjoyed the relatively cool air inside their apartment. A few minutes later, she managed to lumber to her feet and began navigating her heavy bulk over to her dresser. She pulled a loose t-shirt on and a pair of shorts. If she was lucky, she wouldn't need the bras and panties after tomorrow morning, so decided not to bother with them.

Their dog Crystal lay sleeping on her beanbag, but did open her eyes at CM's approach. The she-bear pet the elderly Cairn on the head and then entered the kitchen to find something to eat. It would be her last meal as a bear, possibly forever, and after a day and a half of laying in bed, she was starved!

A hour later, CM had cleaned out the fridge and sat contented, one paw idly storking her distended and gurgling belly through the fur. If not for being female, she'd love being a bear. And, CM had to admit with a sigh, being female wasn't so bad either.

But tomorrow morning she wouldn't be a bear anymore, and there was plenty to do still to prepare. Being the middle of the Summer, as it was only six o'clock they had a few hours until night cloaked their little mountain town. But CM wouldn't be able to stay up much more after that, not when she had a Change coming the next day.

With a grunt, she hefted herself out of the chair, found the phone, and gave Rob a call. The skunk answered on the third ring. "Hey, CM! Feeling better?"

"Much," CM replied. "No more headache and my belly's fed, so I'm good. How about you? And the rest of SOAP?"

She could almost see him shake his head. "Looks like I'm going to stay a skunk, and none of the other SOAP members reported coming down with the flu recently. Barb and I also checked with a bunch of folks from VTSFFC, but nobody there either."

It only took CM a moment to remember that VTSFFC was the local science fiction and fantasy fan club; technically Technicon was started by VTSFFC, but the last few years it had been mostly run by the furs from SOAP. "So nobody new that we know," CM said with a rumbling sigh. "It was probably too much to expect. What about the others across the state?"

"I called them yesterday to let them know you were out of it, but nothing on that front either. At least not yet. Not even Jan and Dennis had anything to report. Tomorrow's the big day. If anything's going to happen it'll be then."

"And then some," CM added with a faint laugh. "Well, next time you see me I won't be a bear. Most likely. We should keep our eyes and ears open tomorrow. If folks don't show up to work or church and all that, it could be because they've Changed."

Rob laughed. "I was hiding in my room last year! I don't know how long I would have stayed in there if you hadn't shoved your claws under my door! It'll probably take a few days before we can be sure."

"True." CM leaned her head back, shifting the handset from ear to muzzle as she spoke and listened. "Either way, when Kyle gets here, there'll be four of us in Blacksburg."

"He's already here," Rob replied. The skunk snorted and CM could imagine him rolling his eyes. "He's suck a chipmunk. He couldn't wait and is crashing over at the furry apartment until the dorms open up. Patrick's going to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't leave fur all over the place."

The bear laughed and felt a smile crease her jowls. "I should have known he'd come early."

"Hey, CM, does Leslie work tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Since Kyle's here, I'm going to have a Changed party at my place tomorrow night. Only going to be four of us it looks like, but Patrick and Audrey will be there too. If you aren't going to tell Leslie, at least come join us to celebrate a year."

CM nodded. "I will. If I become male again, I'll have to tell Leslie. Until then, we'll see. Thanks for the invite though. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Show up whenever, but not until after five." The skunk paused for a moment then added, "You don't work tomorrow do you?"

"No, I asked for that day off weeks ago."

"They probably think you took the last two days off to extend your holiday."

CM grunted, tongue clicking against the back of her fangs. "They better not."

Rob laughed and said, "Well, I'm going to go over the server one more time to make sure it's ready. If we're right, we should get a whole lot more Changed joining the Network in the next few weeks."

"Indeed! Take care, Rob. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I may try to come to Mass too," Rob replied. "See you then!"

CM hung up the phone and smiled. Well they may not have any new Changed from amongst their friends, but at least there'd be more of them local no matter what happened. It was a stark change from previous years when CM had spent her days and nights wondering if she was the only in all the world.

CM lumbered into the computer room and opened her private closet. She pulled out the numbered boxes and opened all those marked "3". It was time to put all of her bear things away.

With care and precision, CM took her clothes out of her dresser and closet and one by one folded them tight and stuffed them into the boxes. She had to shove a few times, and snagged her claws in a few loose fibres a few times too, but managed to get everything inside. Next came all her bras and panties, as well as other female accessories she wouldn't be needing for the next year if she were lucky. Even if she did need them, she'd likely need much smaller versions.

CM stalked every corner of their apartment for anything else that had to go into the boxes. Such a thorough inspection offered several opportunities to clean which she took without thinking. By the time she stuffed all but a single pair of shoes in the boxes, she'd knew Leslie would be very pleased with seeing how nice the apartment looked. Twilight descended outside, and all that CM had left to store in the boxes was her current attire, the last pair of shoes, and her wedding ring.

Time enough for one last jaunt around the complex with Crystal, and then she should get to bed. CM slipped the shoes over her feet, watched them disappear, and called her dog after her. Crystal climbed off the beanbag chair and followed the bear out the door. Crystal was an old dog, but she managed the stairs fine. The evening was pleasantly cool and the slight breeze felt good through her thick fur. Crystal sniffed around and them ambled after the bear as they walked around the Chasewood Downs complex.

She didn't see any of the other neighbourhood dogs, and so after fifteen minutes they wended their way back to the apartment. CM closed the door behind them, gently pet Crystal on her hairy head, and then stretched, letting out a rumbling sigh. "Well, I guess it's time to go to bed, eh, Crystal?"

Her Cairn Terrier licked her nose and laid back down on the bean bag. CM laughed and padded back into the computer room. She stuffed her last pair of shoes into the boxes, and then removed the last of her clothing, folded it, and shoved it in. She closed up the boxes and put them back into the closet, making sure that the boxes marked with a "4" were now on top so she could get to them easily if she changed as she expected.

Completely naked apart from her fur, CM turned off the computer room lights and entered her bedroom. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and shifted about, noting the bulky, ursine form. Her belly curved outward as if she'd hidden a basket beneath her fur. Her breasts sagged, though covered by her brown fur, they appeared only as very noticeable lumps on her chest. Her face, broad and dark, ended in a wide black nose, while her eyes, small and black, stared out with a warmth that she had grown to love in the last year.

CM smiled and her fangs glistened beneath her jowls. Yes, she'd miss being a bear.

CM climbed into bed and pulled out her journal. She tapped the pencil against her fangs for a moment and then began to write.

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
Aug 16, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Another year comes to a close, another chapter in my unusual life comes to its end. Tomorrow I will Change again, and the only thing I can hope is that I will be male again. I've been female for three years now, and I hate to admit it but it's starting to rub off on me. But there's a very good reason for that.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">This is the first time I've been seen and treated as a female.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But this is also the first year I've realized that I wasn't alone. There are so many more who are Changed like me into animal-men. First my friend Rob was turned into a skunk. Then there was this lawyer from Cleveland, Walter Lundh who is now a long horn bull. And through him I met Carter Ryan a black wolf from Buffalo, who I've been working with this last year on calculating the number of Changed. And then there's the ones we met at Technicon, Jan and Dennis, Claire, Barb, Carl, Kyle, and Edgar.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm so happy to know I'm not alone, it made being treated like a female from time to time well worth it. It's kind of funny, because I don't even mind the way Jan leered at me the first time we met anymore. I guess he's more than made up for it with his visits, and the time he's spent teaching me to ride a bike. I know I want one of those one day. Ah, but first I need some real money.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The money we made from the work with the number crunching helped pay off some of my education debts, but there's plenty more of that to go. It's better to pay off debt anyway. Wish the government would figure that one out.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ironically, the money I used to pay off my debt was tax dollars, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">It was rather interesting to meet Congressman Sandrick. Good to know there's at least one person in congress who understands our needs. But I really enjoyed meeting Number Two. Reynaldo De Smet was a very interesting fox, and he seemed to understand my situation better than most. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk with somebody who's been Changed longer than I have.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The important thins above all else, I'm not alone. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll never be alone again.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Bear. Female. It's been interesting. I love being a bear. I even love having a big belly and dealing with hibernation hunger. And I love making Rob, Jan and the others squirm when I catch a fish in my jaws. And it's kind of fun seeing the way they act all embarrassed around me when we're bathing.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ah... but the year of bear is over. And
hopefully the years of female are over. I only wish that Leslie was Changing too.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, I don't know what You still have in store for me in the years to come, but I will trust in You that everything will be okay. No matter what happens. Please guide me. In nomine Patris, et Filli, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
</div>

CM closed her journal, turned out the light, and lay her massive head down to sleep on her last night as a bear. For the first time in a log time, she was truly happy before a Change.

{{Separator|k}}

Five o'clock. CM's eyes popped pen at that early hour of the morning with the sudden need to use the bathroom. It was always like this. The she-bear could still smell the pizza on Leslie who lay snoring faintly next to her with mouth agape. Crystal was curled up between them.

CM slid one paw under the sheet and gingerly drew it over her chest and belly. She lifted one knee and eased her paw to the ground, being careful not to catch her long claws on the blankets. She put one hand on the bedframe and heaved herself up. The metal groaned faintly as it disgorged her three-hundred plus pound body, but Leslie continued her peaceful slumber. CM smiled, eyes warming beneath heavy brows, and pulled the covers back over her side of the bed.

With many years of practice walking with claws, CM had no trouble quietly making her way from the bedroom to the bathroom. She shut both doors behind her, sat on the toilet, and relieved herself one last time as a bear. A sullen energy filled her, building to what would come in only minutes. CM tensed her claws, digging through the fur over her knees. What was going to happen this year? What would her friends say when they saw what she became?

CM lowered the lid, flushed, and then shook out her fur, glancing at herself in the mirror. The charge inside of her flesh was making her fingers tremble. She smiled at her reflection and softly whispered, "Goodbye bear."

And then the power broke forth like water rushing through a dam. But instead of that internal expansion she'd felt the last time, this was like being wrapped tight in a glove and squeezed from every direction. Her fur lightened in hue, though still remained a warm brown. It shrank into her body even as her bulk sucked inward like plastic recoiling and corroding from a fire. Her snout narrowed, whiskers flanking on either side. Fangs diminished, while from her gums incisors began to protrude. Rounded ears did not shrink with the rest of her, but lost their fur and scalloped inward.

CM's paws gripped the side of the sink, and they too lost their fur. The skin beneath became a pinkish beige which could almost pass for a typical Caucasian skin tone. Her claws, once long and thick, were now narrow and pointed. The only fur left on her paws was a taper on the back extending just past her wrists.

Her heels lifted off the floor as the thick pads of her feet faded into a slender digitgrade stance. Her toes lengthened and splayed, ursine claws dwindling into tiny spears. She shifted her weight around, knees folding to adjust to her new stance.

Though her weight decreased everywhere else, behind her she felt her tail swell and stretch, descending down beyond her ankles and curling across the cool tile of the bathroom floor. It thickened as she shrank, until it was wider than her arms at its root. The familiar muscles twisted from side to side, and her long whip-like tail slid effortlessly across the floor and through the air.

Aware of all that happened to her body, CM still watched only her face. The face of the bear melted away, even as she shrank inch by inch from the top of the mirror down to its bottom. Though her eyes didn't move, it appeared that they slid further apart as her head moulded to its new shape. But they did bulge more as they darkened to a rich black. Her nose brightened to the same beige hue as her paws, while from beneath her cleft lips protruded a pair of thick, white incisors. Coupled with the long, thick tail, the short stature, the almost furless paws, and the still rotund belly, CM had once more become a rat.

But unlike the bear, this time there was an odd weight bearing down on her front. CM, glanced down and blinked a few times, her heart beating faster and faster she took the sight in. She wasn't a she anymore. Betwixt her... no, his legs was something he'd pined for these last three years. CM no longer, he was Christopher Mattiaz once again. A man! A rat, but a man at long last!

Chris covered his longer snout with his paws, even as he felt the power of the change dissipate from his body. He trembled, trying to hold back the laugh that pounded at the back of his throat. His tongue pressed firmly against his incisors, and he felt the need to gnaw wake from a long slumber. He shifted his legs about, tail lashing in ecstasy, and nearly pinched his returned genitals. After three years of being a woman, he now had to remember he had something between his legs in front too.

Unable to contain his excitement, Chris grabbed his bathrobe and dashed out the bathroom, short claws digging into the carpet. He yanked the robe over his arms, even as the end dragged a full foot behind him. The robe, too short while he'd been a bear, was much too long now that he was a rat. But he didn't care. He fumbled at the lock to his front door, managed it, charged up the stairs and outside into the parking lot, and let out a shout for joy into the night sky.

"Thank you! Hallelujah! Oh thank you! Thank you!" Chris laughed and danced on his paws, not caring about all the little stones irritating his sensitive flesh, nor that anyone in the complex would wake and hear him. "Oh Lord, thank you! I'm a man again! I love you! Thank you! Hallelujah!" He laughed in delight so hard he started to cry. His tail lashed so hard that he managed to yank his robe off, leaving him completely nude.

Christopher Mattiaz was so happy he managed not to notice his nudity for another three minutes. He capered about, grasping his tail in his paws and feeling across its smooth surface marred only by the occasional scraggly strand of brown hair. He ran his paws through his fur, which was a uniform brown across his back with a lighter underbelly. And he enjoyed every bit of it.

The newly made rat finally pulled his robe back over his form and managed to huddle down on his modified knees. His long tail continued to whip back and forth behind him, so close to the asphalt that he could feel it tickle his scraggly hairs. He took a long deep breath, savouring the feel of every part of his new and very masculine body. In a much quieter voice he said, "Thank you, Father. Please let me stay this way. If it is your will. But for today, thank you!"

Chris made the sign of the cross, lowering his snout as his claw traced out that venerable symbol of his faith. In the light of the streetlamps, Chris consummated his prayer with a kiss from his incisors on the backs of his paws. He rose, once again a man, and walked back to his apartment. It was time to set out his year four gear and post his good fortune on the forums.

He still gave one more scream of joy before rushing back inside.

{{Separator|k}}

Leslie slept for another three hours in which Chris readied all of his rat things and posted on the Changed network. It was too early for there to be any postings about new Changed, but there were a couple people who knew folks who'd been sick the last couple of days, so the rat hoped to see some good news from them soon.

Chris spent a good bit of time refamiliarizing himself with his rodent form. He'd been a rat once before, and had been male that time too, so it didn't take long for him to remember how his body worked. The profusion of whiskers were very sensitive and helped him determine which way the wind was blowing and also helped him find his way in the dark The long tail helped him keep his balance; as a bear he could walk and stand like a human, but the rodent body shape was more beastly and he always leaned slightly forward with bent knees and ankles. His fingers and toes were long and thin, and so he had to trade up for his original wedding band, the smallest of the four. His incisors yearned to gnaw and he realized he'd have to find someway to do so discretely. When he'd been a rat before, most of the year he'd still been a bachelor, and so it was easy to keep a supply of sticks to sate his teeth. Now he'd have to figure out a way to keep Leslie from noticing chewed up wood chips.

But with a new body there came other adjustments too. Chris had to find a comfortable way to sit down without pinching his tail and using the toilet without making a mess every time. Because his tail was not as flexible as he wished, he had to sit as far forward on the couch as he could, or to lean back and slide his tail forward between his legs. And on the toilet he had to sit backward and bend as far forward as he could just to aim properly. It was one of the few things he knew he'd miss about being female — a male Changed always had to perform some sort of gymnastics to cleanly make use of a toilet.

But those were challenges he was delighted to undertake. He was equally pleased to resume buttoning his pants in front and back. He'd have to be very careful about leaving laundry out because the hole he'd made to accommodate his rat tail was very large compared to the size of his pants. He'd even sewn tail sleeves onto his winter gear to help keep the sensitive appendage warm.

But now that he was male again, the thought struck him, perhaps it was time to let Leslie in on the secret the way Rob had let Audrey in on it. There wouldn't be the gender awkwardness, nor the spectre of a lesbian relationship, a thought that thoroughly discomforted and disgusted Chris. Not that he would say others couldn't do that sort of thing if it was their choice, he just had no desire to do it himself, no matter how comfortable he'd become in a female body.

But when Leslie finally woke, the inchoate desire to tell her what he truly was withered inside of him like a new shoot under a bright, arid sun. One look from her groggy face as she walked into the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee made him withdraw back into his nest of secrets. After a brief ‘good morning', the rat busied himself with stuffing his modified clothing into his side of the dresser. Maybe he'd have the courage after Mass to tell.

When he finished, Chris started to head out to join his wife on the couch when it dawned on him that this would be just about the first time he would be male with her since their wedding. He tapped his knuckles against either side of his snout to calm himself. It felt so odd to brush them through his whiskers, stiff but yielding and sensitive. His body trembled for several seconds, and then his breathing caught up to him. "I'm a man again," he whispered, new tongue forming the pleasing words without difficulty. "I'm a man again. I can be a proper husband."

He opened his eyes, emboldened, and left the bedroom, found his wife on the couch scouring the TV Guide crossword, and slid in next to her, one paw carefully gliding his tail around his other hip. He slid his left arm around her back, and then set his right paw on her thigh and stroked softly with his thumb and claw. He turned to look up at her, noting her face in all its lovely detail.

He knew that not everyone would say that Leslie was beautiful. She didn't fit the stereotype that the world considered glamorous of gorgeous. She had a small face that fit nicely beneath her tangle of tightly curled dark brown hair. Her lips only smiled when she was truly happy, which made her appear more focussed than she really was. And her glasses gave her a faintly standoffish look. But for all that, Christopher Mattiaz knew in his heart she was beautiful and he loved her.

Together they finished the crossword puzzle, then snuggled together on the couch. Most of the time, Chris laid his head against her chest, curling up just like the rodent he now was. They didn't say anything, and they didn't need to. When the time came to head to Mass, they hugged once and then walked to their bedroom together to change. Chris made sure that Leslie didn't see him buttoning up his tail hole, but otherwise hid nothing from her. It felt good to be able to do that.

To his delight, Rob and Audrey were there at Mass. Rob was still a skunk and Audrey was still human. Rob grinned brightly, showing off his fangs when he saw the rat and Leslie enter. Chris nodded, noted the quick glance Rob made toward Leslie, and then shook his head. Rob furrowed his brow, long tail lashing over the back of the pew, and nearly brushing in the face of another parishioner who knelt at prayer, but didn't say anything to give him away. In a quiet voice he said, "Chris, Leslie, good to see you."

"And you, Rob," Chris said. "Glad you could make it."

Leslie and Audrey said their hellos too and the four of them settled down for Mass. Chris wished he could have paid attention, but he was still too excited by all the possibilities being male again brought. Nearly all of them involved Leslie, one whose leg his paw stayed through almost the entire service. But after three years of being female, he knew he should try to not be so desperate. That was going to be the hard part.

And Leslie seemed to notice too. After Mass, Rob invited them out to lunch, but Leslie had to go into work soon so they had to decline. When they got home, Chris insisted on making her something before she left for work. At which Leslie said, "You've been awfully attentive today. Is something wrong?"

Chris tensed, long tail curling tightly about his foot paws. He licked his jowls quickly, and pressed his paws together. "No! No. Nothing's wrong. Well, just, I guess I've been feeling..." He took a deep breath, and lowered his ears and whiskers. "I've been neglecting you lately, Leslie. I want to try to make up for it. I know you wish I was around more and would be with you more. I'm going to give that a try too. I love you, Leslie. I want to be with you forever. I want to be your husband and not just in name. I want-"

Before he could go any further, Leslie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the nose. "Oh, I love you, Chris. I'm sorry I've been so distant too."

Chris hugged his wife tightly and repressed the excited squeak that danced on his tongue. The tip of his tail squeezing his ankle in joy.

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Change Building}}

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-05-05T09:28:01Z

MatthiasRat: Tiny bit more

{{Universe|Paradise}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in August 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Change Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

To Rob's complete surprise, the real problem with inviting Jan and Dennis to Blacksburg the last weekend before the August Change to join them on their trek down the Cascades Trail was not that Jan would get to see CM the she-bear naked. Rather it was that the boar would have to disrobe himself and as it turned out, he was genuinely nervous about doing this around others.

To even convince Rob that this was something they could do CM had promised to wear a male swimsuit. But the skunk had never expected that Jan would insist on wearing even more before agreeing to go into the water with the rest of them. Dennis the hedgehog had no such inhibitions and skinny dipped like the skunk, his spines rustling like a swimming sea slug as he moved through the waterfall fed pool.

Jan slipped into the water so only his porcine head was visible. "This is very nice," he admitted, his nostrils flaring momentarily as he settled down. CM swam on the other side with Rob and Dennis between them. Their cleaning gear remained on the bank. "Are all your Summer days like this?"

"Yeah, this area is great in Summer," Rob replied. "No humidity, rarely over eighty degrees, it's great."

"Especially with all this fur!" CM trumpeted before diving beneath the water. A dark brown mass swam back and forth and then lifted up with a fish trapped between her jaws. Even though he'd seen his friend do this a few times now, it still unnerved him. Dennis gaped, little eyes widening in disbelief. Jan stared for a moment and then guffawed.

"I think you've been a bear too long, yah!"

CM climbed on bank and deposited the fish in a plastic bag filled with water. Her thick fur clung to her body and as she lumbered on all fours, apart from the swimming trunks, she looked very much like a normal bear. "Leslie loves it when I bring back fresh fish. And since you both are staying for dinner, I'm going to catch some extra."

Jan shook his head and waved his arms in the water. After getting into the small pool beneath the forty-foot waterfall, he'd not moved from the rock shelf he'd settled on. Rob swam a little closer and found another shelf nearby. "So, Jan, I've never asked you what you do for a living."

The boar kept his eyes on the rippling surface of the crystal clear water. He twitched when a small fish brushed one of his bristly legs. "I work at a small engineering company. We do contract work around the area, so I get to play with all sorts of toys. Is how I met Dennis."

"I thought you worked as an insurance auditor," Rob said, turning to the hedgehog.

"I do. We contracted Jan's company to verify a client's claims. We'd used them before, but I never really knew Jan until he changed. I've met a few other Changed because of my job too. Just last week we added three more Changed to the NoVa community."

Rob idly watched CM catch another fish in her jaws. He really hoped no hikers came up the trail. The skunk dunked his head under the water and then shook it out of his fur. "You met three at once?"

"Through this Jack Russell lady. She filed a claim on some furniture she'd destroyed. Claimed her dog did it, but those claw marks were obviously not her dogs. I made her drop the claim to prevent an official investigation. She already knew two other Changed in the area, and we all got together and pooled our money to buy her new furniture."

"That's interesting," Rob admitted, glancing between Jan and Dennis. "I wonder how many Changed know each other but haven't met people in the network. CM, what do you think?"

The she-bear dropped her fourth fish from her jaws into the plastic bag and licked her jowls. "Finding isolated pockets of Changed? It's happened a few times. I think it's going to happen a lot more over the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised if we found some other websites for Changed communities that don't know anything about us." CM shook like a dog and sprayed water all over the river-smoothed rocks.

Rob pondered that thought as he relaxed in the water. The day was pleasantly cool in the shade of the valley, while all the trees swung with a light breeze, green leaves rustling and pines thrumming. The falls provided a constant crashing splatter that drowned out everything else. The vaulted walls of slate rising upward, domed by a variety of deciduous trees, sheltered them in an arboreal sanctuary.

"The network scrubs the web already," Rob pointed out. "If there were any such sites, they would have been found. Or they're going to be found eventually. Whatever."

"We're going to see a lot more Changed after next Sunday, ya?" Jan asked.

"Well, probably not right away," CM admitted as she slipped back beneath the waters. Rob wondered why she bothered to shake off if she was just going to get back in, but knew there was no point in asking. The Change brought some strange instincts that were often hard to resist. "Odds are we won't know anybody who Changes, but we need to keep watch anyway. Which reminds me, what are the NoVa Changed doing to prepare?"

"We've made lists," Jan replied. "At least ten people each that we'll check up on next Friday and Saturday for the sickness."

"And we've got everyone's phone numbers," Dennis added with a shrug of his shoulders. His spines rippled along his back and upper arms. "I'm not sure what else we can do except keep our eyes open."

"There's really not much else you can do," Rob pointed out. "I just hope there's more people here locally who've Changed."

"Kyle's coming down to Tech the week after," CM pointed out as she sank into the water. "And Barb knows a lot of people we don't."

"I'm hoping for somebody middle-aged," the skunk said with a churr in his throat. "We'll have three college students and a retiree. We need more variety to make all the connections we need in town."

The she-bear frowned and waved her arms back and forth to keep steady in the natural pool. "Well, as college students, we probably won't be living here forever."

"True," Rob admitted. "Which just makes our need for more people who do live here more important."

Jan grunted through his nose and played his hoof-like hand across the water's surface. "I'll be happy so long as I stay a boar."

"I'll be happy as long as I go male again," CM said with a heavy sigh.

"Ya, I hope so too," Jan replied, a twinkle filling his beady eyes. "You look too good to be a woman."

CM glowered and splashed him with a wave of her paw. Rob and Dennis laughed. The hedgehog shook his head and sighed, "Well, I'm stuck this way. Coming up on two years for me now. What about you, Rob?"

"I wouldn't mind changing again as long as I stay male. I'd love to become feline. But skunk isn't so bad. I'm not drinking as much as I used to which helps. I really hope Audrey changes though. And it'd be nice if some others from SOAP did too."

"It'll happen eventually," CM said. "Well, if we're right it will. Anyway, we've been checking in with the other Changed in the area, and things sound pretty good. I think everybody's ready for next week, or as ready as we'll ever get. Everybody's trying stuff similar to what you NoVa Changed are doing, so we'll compare notes and see how we did in two weeks."

"Sounds fair," Jan nodded. "Are we going to try meeting again like we did at Technicon?"

Rob groaned, "Oh I hope not! At least not at Technicon. I don't even want to think about Technicon for another three months."

CM chuckled and snuffed. "We probably won't be able to get everybody together like we did that time, but we may try to organize a couple get togethers. We'll see. First, we have to get through another Change Day."

"Do you really think it's going to be that bad?" Jan asked.

"Who knows!" Rob shrugged. "All I know is that I'm going to spend all day tomorrow working on the server, changing out cables, and figuring out why I'm getting an intermittent signal on my remote laptop." The skunk then elaborated on exactly what the problems were and what he thought he needed to do to solve them.

When he finished, the hedgehog, eyes raised, said, "And on that note, I think I'm going to start scrubbing." Jan guffawed and followed his friend to the slate ledge where they'd left their gear. Amazingly, CM's shaking hadn't completely drenched their things.

{{Separator|k}}

The sky cleared by the time late afternoon arrived. The four friends laughed and teased each other as they made their way back down the Cascades trail. After scrubbing the shampoo through their fur, or in Dennis's case, bristly spines, they'd washed clean, played around a bit longer in the pool, and then lay in the open air drying off. Jan never lost his self-consciousness and kept his swimming trunks on despite how sopping wet this made him all the way back down the trail. When they reached the parking lot, he rubbed his middle down one last time with his towels while CM, Rob, and Dennis stowed their gear in Rob's Matrix.

As Jan finished drying himself off, his brow furrowed, eyes staring fixedly at the pair of bikes parked next to Rob's Matrix. He wrapped his towel behind his neck and snorted. "Hey CM! I got an idea."

The bear lifted her head from the trunk of the car and said, "Uh oh. What's the idea?"

Jan laughed and gestured to his bike. "Would you like to ride my bike down to the main road? Is not a long ride and there won't be many cars."

CM shifted her weight and regarded both the boar and the bike. He had shown her so much in the last five months that she had begun to feel very comfortable on a motorcycle. However, he'd never let her do more than drive around parking lots. If she became a rat again like she suspected, with such a long tail it would be nearly impossible for her to ride until her next Change. This was probably her last opportunity.

"Just to the end of the road. Not onto 460?"

The boar grabbed either end of towel draping over his neck and pulled gently. "Ya. It'll give you a taste of what bikes are really like."

Rob slapped the bear on the back and said, "Get on the bike and get it over with. You know you want to."

CM laughed, her fur and jowls shaking with the pleasure. "Okay, fine. You sure you trust me?"

Jan patted the seat and grunted. "Yah. Speed limit's only thirty-five. Take it easy on the turns and you'll be fine."

While CM took those few steps toward Jan and the motorcycle, Dennis climbed on his bike and chuckled under his breath. "I'll set a good pace for you, CM. Just stay a car length behind me and you'll do fine."

"Thanks, Dennis." CM swung one leg over the bike and felt her bulk settle comfortably into the seat.

Jan handed her the keys, patted her shoulder once, and followed Rob to his Matrix. "We follow you and watch you," the boar declared with his usual aplomb. "I'll let you know how you did!"

CM ignored the boar's attempt at a joke, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the bike. It rumbled to life and roared pleasantly when she gave it gas. Dennis nodded his pudgy head in approval, started his bike, and slowly eased out of the parking space and into the empty lot. CM gently followed him, feeling an anxious tightening in her heart as the bike responded to her commands. With a twist of her wrist, she shifted gears and turned to follow the hedgehog.

The parking lot was shrouded by deciduous forest on every side. Only the road leading to 460 offered a way out. Dennis eased down the road as it plunged beneath leafy boughs that obscured the solitary power line, and CM followed him, her paws gripping the handlebars tightly. The road ducked and wove as it followed the meandering stream to the valley's entrance. Rocks clustered on their right, huge stacks that supported trees and the vast hillsides that stretched from the mountains. Moss clung to their surface, and even as they cruised past, CM could smell the rich aroma of the wide variety of deer, grouse, and other game that made these mountains their home.

After only a few minutes the forest thinned enough that they started to see houses and yards on either side. Most were run down or in poor repair, with plastic siding or wooden beams long in need of replacing. They weren't truly poor, those who lived here, they just didn't have enough to rebuild what was slowly falling apart. The four of them were fortunate so far in their lives, but they could all just as easily end up living somewhere remote. For a Changed, it might not be such a bad thing either.

But none of this was on CM's mind. For the first time, the she-bear was riding a motorcycle down a road without assistance. And as she made turn after turn and kept her speed under control, she felt her confidence increasing. The wind sliced through hr fur and pounded at her chest, but it was a good feeling, strong and powerful that made her call on her strength to beat it back. She sat firmly in the chair, her thick legs supporting her upper body as it bore the brunt of the air's cloying hands.

Her nostrils flared with the rich scents pouring her way. CM's ears folded back as she listened to the growling of the engine between her legs. She smiled and chuckled to herself at the odd sensation of the wind cleaning her fangs. Her stub of a tail twitched with delight in her shorts.

And then they passed out of the hills and onto the small plain that was the town of Pembroke. The road straightened as it neared the much larger and far busier 460. Dennis slowed and CM eased back with him. Behind them, Rob pulled the Matrix off to one side while Dennis and CM parked on the shoulder. CM let out a long sigh of pleasure as she turned the key and rubbed her paw pad over the bike's chrome handlebars and across the fuel tank.

"That good, huh?" Dennis asked with a knowing smile crossing his snout. His spines shivered down his back like a wave passing through sand.

CM nodded and could not disguise the awe in her voice. "Oh yeah. That was amazing."

Jan laughed as he climbed out of the Matrix and clopped his hooves to her side. "You looked like a natural, CM! Did you like it?"

"I loved it! I'm so getting one of these when I can afford it!" CM roared in delight, rubbing her paws along the bike's front some more. "This was a really sweet ride. Thank you, Jan."

The boar nodded, "You look right for a bike. Maybe one day we go riding together, yah?"

"I'd like that. These mountains beg to be ridden!"

Jan crossed his arms, glancing once at the low, green mountains that surrounded them. "Yah, they do. But there's just one thing."

CM looked back at him. "What's that?"

The boar's expression was of pleased amusement. "Could I have my bike back now?" Rob beat his paws against his steering wheel to keep from laughing.

{{Separator|k}}

When not working, CM and Rob spent the next few days calling the few Changed they knew in Virginia and the surrounding states. They discussed strategies for looking for new Changed, and the warning signs that would precede the Change. Much of this was merely refresher for the others who'd been preparing on their own, but for most of them, this would be the first time they'd be actively looking for new Changed.

Much of their time on the phone was spent catching up with those who they'd gathered with at Technicon earlier in the year. Claire, the otter from Bristol, had her paws full getting her children ready for the next year of grade school. Edgar, the opossum from Richmond, boasted of his recent promotion and how smart his three year old boy was. Carl, the Golden from South Boston, spent most of the time asking them what they were doing in their lives, but did admit that his nephew was home from his tour of duty overseas and was most amused that his old fogey of an uncle had attended Technicon. Kyle the chipmunk wouldn't stop raving about how excited he was to be coming to Virginia Tech in another week. And of course Jan and Dennis were already talking about dragging CM on a biking trip into the Jefferson National Forest in September.

The only other Changed that had been there, Barb the panther, was local and had her own network of friends that she promised to keep an eye on. And so with little else to do but wait, Rob and CM kept up the facade of a normal life around their friends and coworkers as the days of the week trickled past. Until the sickness came on the fifteenth, they wouldn't know who might join their August company on Sunday morn.

Leslie could tell that CM was a little anxious, and it pained the she-bear not to be able to tell her wife what was amiss. But there always lingered that hope in her ursine chest that in a few days Leslie would join her amongst the ranks of the Changed and there would never need be any secrets between them again.

By Thursday night, CM's anxiety had reached such a height that he could only be thankful that Leslie worked that evening. The she-bear climbed into her Saturn and took the long drive down Harding Avenue heading out of Blacksburg. It was a particular favourite of theirs, winding down into a valley lined by ridges with ranches and old country homes on either side of the twisting road. At that hour of the night, he saw deer at the edge of the woods, and sometimes a raccoon or skunk.

The road changed names and turned down several other roads, including route 42 which climbed up a steep mountain face before returning to 460. By the time that CM returned home it had been a two hour drive, but it had done its job. The bear was finally able to calm down and collapse in bed. The metal groaned under her weight, but she was long since used to it. Her mind, once racing with wonder what the next day would bring, had calmed down enough that simple prayer kept it focussed.

Dreams of Leslie sprouting fur in a few days kept her in a pleasant slumber. CM could never quite tell what Leslie was becoming, but the sight of her changing was enough. With such sweet dreams, CM never cared what happened to herself.

But when her eyes crept open Friday morning and felt a crushing headache pounding on either side of her massive ursine head, and a sickening tightness stirring her corpulent gut, CM couldn't think of anything but herself. The agony raced from one side of her head to the other, like giants playing ping pong in her mind. She dug her claws into her belly fur and groaned loudly, twisting beneath the blankets.

Beside her, Leslie stirred and lifted one arm to rub at her forehead. CM opened one eye and felt a glimmer of hope. But then she scooted up and blinked her eyes clear of her usual pre-coffee bleariness. "Are you okay?" she asked in clear tones.

CM grunted and sighed. "Feelin' sick."

Leslie leaned over and rubbed the top of the bear's head, feeling for a fever. The usual pleasure CM would have felt at Leslie rubbing her head fur was not there. "You always seem to get sick right before the fall semester."

CM grunted and closed her eyes. "Yeah. I guess you're feeling okay?"

"Need coffee, but yeah." Leslie lifted her hand away. "You definitely feel hot. Is there anything I can get you?"

Medicine never helped this sickness. It just had to run its course. By tomorrow evening he'd feel fine again. But she'd have to wait at least another year for Leslie to Change. The she bear sighed. "The phone, so I can call off from work."

Leslie nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and climbed out of bed to retrieve the phone. CM sighed and kept her eyes closed. The pain was familiar but still debilitating. If not for the Change that followed, she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

There wasn't anything else CM could do but lay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. She hoped that Rob and the others would have better luck.

{{Separator|k}}

After calling off from work and being kissed and tended by Leslie, CM spent most of Friday laying in bed. She attempted to read, but her eyes didn't want to focus on the pages. She tried at one point to climb out of bed to go watch a movie on the couch, but it took an hour to convince her body to make that journey; then after watching the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring she decided she'd rather try to sleep anyway. Apart from one time in the evening when she plopped herself on the porcelain pedestal to make her bodily offering, she never bothered trying to get out of bed again.

Leslie was kind enough to leave the phone at her bedside once she went to work, and so CM was able to answer the phone when Rob called to check on her. The skunk asked her how she was doing, but once he knew that CM was suffering the Change sickness, he excused himself and hung up. CM felt like growling at the world, but that would probably only make her stomach tie itself into even more knots. Instead, she lay in bed and let her bodily misery run its course.

Like all things, time worked its own wonders, and the she bear found the patience she'd honed in her many years alone and the seven times she'd suffered this before (not to mention all the periods she'd undergone during her five female years) helped her endure the long Friday. She got little sleep that night, and the illness persisted Saturday morning. Another quick call to work and she resumed her sojourn in bed. Leslie understood her need to suffer alone and after doing what little she could for her husband, Leslie closed the bedroom door and quietly went about her daily chores before work.

By the time Leslie left for her afternoon-evening shift, the pain began to ebb. CM opened her eyes and took a long deep breath of air that stank of bear fur. She panted, drool wetting her cheeks. With her right paw she thrust the covers off her frame, and enjoyed the relatively cool air inside their apartment. A few minutes later, she managed to lumber to her feet and began navigating her heavy bulk over to her dresser. She pulled a loose t-shirt on and a pair of shorts. If she was lucky, she wouldn't need the bras and panties after tomorrow morning, so decided not to bother with them.

Their dog Crystal lay sleeping on her beanbag, but did open her eyes at CM's approach. The she-bear pet the elderly Cairn on the head and then entered the kitchen to find something to eat. It would be her last meal as a bear, possibly forever, and after a day and a half of laying in bed, she was starved!

A hour later, CM had cleaned out the fridge and sat contented, one paw idly storking her distended and gurgling belly through the fur. If not for being female, she'd love being a bear. And, CM had to admit with a sigh, being female wasn't so bad either.

But tomorrow morning she wouldn't be a bear anymore, and there was plenty to do still to prepare. Being the middle of the Summer, as it was only six o'clock they had a few hours until night cloaked their little mountain town. But CM wouldn't be able to stay up much more after that, not when she had a Change coming the next day.

With a grunt, she hefted herself out of the chair, found the phone, and gave Rob a call. The skunk answered on the third ring. "Hey, CM! Feeling better?"

"Much," CM replied. "No more headache and my belly's fed, so I'm good. How about you? And the rest of SOAP?"

She could almost see him shake his head. "Looks like I'm going to stay a skunk, and none of the other SOAP members reported coming down with the flu recently. Barb and I also checked with a bunch of folks from VTSFFC, but nobody there either."

It only took CM a moment to remember that VTSFFC was the local science fiction and fantasy fan club; technically Technicon was started by VTSFFC, but the last few years it had been mostly run by the furs from SOAP. "So nobody new that we know," CM said with a rumbling sigh. "It was probably too much to expect. What about the others across the state?"

"I called them yesterday to let them know you were out of it, but nothing on that front either. At least not yet. Not even Jan and Dennis had anything to report. Tomorrow's the big day. If anything's going to happen it'll be then."

"And then some," CM added with a faint laugh. "Well, next time you see me I won't be a bear. Most likely. We should keep our eyes and ears open tomorrow. If folks don't show up to work or church and all that, it could be because they've Changed."

Rob laughed. "I was hiding in my room last year! I don't know how long I would have stayed in there if you hadn't shoved your claws under my door! It'll probably take a few days before we can be sure."

"True." CM leaned her head back, shifting the handset from ear to muzzle as she spoke and listened. "Either way, when Kyle gets here, there'll be four of us in Blacksburg."

"He's already here," Rob replied. The skunk snorted and CM could imagine him rolling his eyes. "He's suck a chipmunk. He couldn't wait and is crashing over at the furry apartment until the dorms open up. Patrick's going to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't leave fur all over the place."

The bear laughed and felt a smile crease her jowls. "I should have known he'd come early."

"Hey, CM, does Leslie work tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Since Kyle's here, I'm going to have a Changed party at my place tomorrow night. Only going to be four of us it looks like, but Patrick and Audrey will be there too. If you aren't going to tell Leslie, at least come join us to celebrate a year."

CM nodded. "I will. If I become male again, I'll have to tell Leslie. Until then, we'll see. Thanks for the invite though. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Show up whenever, but not until after five." The skunk paused for a moment then added, "You don't work tomorrow do you?"

"No, I asked for that day off weeks ago."

"They probably think you took the last two days off to extend your holiday."

CM grunted, tongue clicking against the back of her fangs. "They better not."

Rob laughed and said, "Well, I'm going to go over the server one more time to make sure it's ready. If we're right, we should get a whole lot more Changed joining the Network in the next few weeks."

"Indeed! Take care, Rob. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I may try to come to Mass too," Rob replied. "See you then!"

CM hung up the phone and smiled. Well they may not have any new Changed from amongst their friends, but at least there'd be more of them local no matter what happened. It was a stark change from previous years when CM had spent her days and nights wondering if she was the only in all the world.

CM lumbered into the computer room and opened her private closet. She pulled out the numbered boxes and opened all those marked "3". It was time to put all of her bear things away.

With care and precision, CM took her clothes out of her dresser and closet and one by one folded them tight and stuffed them into the boxes. She had to shove a few times, and snagged her claws in a few loose fibres a few times too, but managed to get everything inside. Next came all her bras and panties, as well as other female accessories she wouldn't be needing for the next year if she were lucky. Even if she did need them, she'd likely need much smaller versions.

CM stalked every corner of their apartment for anything else that had to go into the boxes. Such a thorough inspection offered several opportunities to clean which she took without thinking. By the time she stuffed all but a single pair of shoes in the boxes, she'd knew Leslie would be very pleased with seeing how nice the apartment looked. Twilight descended outside, and all that CM had left to store in the boxes was her current attire, the last pair of shoes, and her wedding ring.

Time enough for one last jaunt around the complex with Crystal, and then she should get to bed. CM slipped the shoes over her feet, watched them disappear, and called her dog after her. Crystal climbed off the beanbag chair and followed the bear out the door. Crystal was an old dog, but she managed the stairs fine. The evening was pleasantly cool and the slight breeze felt good through her thick fur. Crystal sniffed around and them ambled after the bear as they walked around the Chasewood Downs complex.

She didn't see any of the other neighbourhood dogs, and so after fifteen minutes they wended their way back to the apartment. CM closed the door behind them, gently pet Crystal on her hairy head, and then stretched, letting out a rumbling sigh. "Well, I guess it's time to go to bed, eh, Crystal?"

Her Cairn Terrier licked her nose and laid back down on the bean bag. CM laughed and padded back into the computer room. She stuffed her last pair of shoes into the boxes, and then removed the last of her clothing, folded it, and shoved it in. She closed up the boxes and put them back into the closet, making sure that the boxes marked with a "4" were now on top so she could get to them easily if she changed as she expected.

Completely naked apart from her fur, CM turned off the computer room lights and entered her bedroom. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and shifted about, noting the bulky, ursine form. Her belly curved outward as if she'd hidden a basket beneath her fur. Her breasts sagged, though covered by her brown fur, they appeared only as very noticeable lumps on her chest. Her face, broad and dark, ended in a wide black nose, while her eyes, small and black, stared out with a warmth that she had grown to love in the last year.

CM smiled and her fangs glistened beneath her jowls. Yes, she'd miss being a bear.

CM climbed into bed and pulled out her journal. She tapped the pencil against her fangs for a moment and then began to write.

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
Aug 16, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Another year comes to a close, another chapter in my unusual life comes to its end. Tomorrow I will Change again, and the only thing I can hope is that I will be male again. I've been female for three years now, and I hate to admit it but it's starting to rub off on me. But there's a very good reason for that.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">This is the first time I've been seen and treated as a female.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But this is also the first year I've realized that I wasn't alone. There are so many more who are Changed like me into animal-men. First my friend Rob was turned into a skunk. Then there was this lawyer from Cleveland, Walter Lundh who is now a long horn bull. And through him I met Carter Ryan a black wolf from Buffalo, who I've been working with this last year on calculating the number of Changed. And then there's the ones we met at Technicon, Jan and Dennis, Claire, Barb, Carl, Kyle, and Edgar.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm so happy to know I'm not alone, it made being treated like a female from time to time well worth it. It's kind of funny, because I don't even mind the way Jan leered at me the first time we met anymore. I guess he's more than made up for it with his visits, and the time he's spent teaching me to ride a bike. I know I want one of those one day. Ah, but first I need some real money.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The money we made from the work with the number crunching helped pay off some of my education debts, but there's plenty more of that to go. It's better to pay off debt anyway. Wish the government would figure that one out.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ironically, the money I used to pay off my debt was tax dollars, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">It was rather interesting to meet Congressman Sandrick. Good to know there's at least one person in congress who understands our needs. But I really enjoyed meeting Number Two. Reynaldo De Smet was a very interesting fox, and he seemed to understand my situation better than most. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk with somebody who's been Changed longer than I have.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The important thins above all else, I'm not alone. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll never be alone again.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Bear. Female. It's been interesting. I love being a bear. I even love having a big belly and dealing with hibernation hunger. And I love making Rob, Jan and the others squirm when I catch a fish in my jaws. And it's kind of fun seeing the way they act all embarrassed around me when we're bathing.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ah... but the year of bear is over. And
hopefully the years of female are over. I only wish that Leslie was Changing too.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, I don't know what You still have in store for me in the years to come, but I will trust in You that everything will be okay. No matter what happens. Please guide me. In nomine Patris, et Filli, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
</div>

CM closed her journal, turned out the light, and lay her massive head down to sleep on her last night as a bear. For the first time in a log time, she was truly happy before a Change.

{{Separator|k}}

Five o'clock. CM's eyes popped pen at that early hour of the morning with the sudden need to use the bathroom. It was always like this. The she-bear could still smell the pizza on Leslie who lay snoring faintly next to her with mouth agape. Crystal was curled up between them.

CM slid one paw under the sheet and gingerly drew it over her chest and belly. She lifted one knee and eased her paw to the ground, being careful not to catch her long claws on the blankets. She put one hand on the bedframe and heaved herself up. The metal groaned faintly as it disgorged her three-hundred plus pound body, but Leslie continued her peaceful slumber. CM smiled, eyes warming beneath heavy brows, and pulled the covers back over her side of the bed.

With many years of practice walking with claws, CM had no trouble quietly making her way from the bedroom to the bathroom. She shut both doors behind her, sat on the toilet, and relieved herself one last time as a bear. A sullen energy filled her, building to what would come in only minutes. CM tensed her claws, digging through the fur over her knees. What was going to happen this year? What would her friends say when they saw what she became?

CM lowered the lid, flushed, and then shook out her fur, glancing at herself in the mirror. The charge inside of her flesh was making her fingers tremble. She smiled at her reflection and softly whispered, "Goodbye bear."

And then the power broke forth like water rushing through a dam. But instead of that internal expansion she'd felt the last time, this was like being wrapped tight in a glove and squeezed from every direction. Her fur lightened in hue, though still remained a warm brown. It shrank into her body even as her bulk sucked inward like plastic recoiling and corroding from a fire. Her snout narrowed, whiskers flanking on either side. Fangs diminished, while from her gums incisors began to protrude. Rounded ears did not shrink with the rest of her, but lost their fur and scalloped inward.

CM's paws gripped the side of the sink, and they too lost their fur. The skin beneath became a pinkish beige which could almost pass for a typical Caucasian skin tone. Her claws, once long and thick, were now narrow and pointed. The only fur left on her paws was a taper on the back extending just past her wrists.

Her heels lifted off the floor as the thick pads of her feet faded into a slender digitgrade stance. Her toes lengthened and splayed, ursine claws dwindling into tiny spears. She shifted her weight around, knees folding to adjust to her new stance.

Though her weight decreased everywhere else, behind her she felt her tail swell and stretch, descending down beyond her ankles and curling across the cool tile of the bathroom floor. It thickened as she shrank, until it was wider than her arms at its root. The familiar muscles twisted from side to side, and her long whip-like tail slid effortlessly across the floor and through the air.

Aware of all that happened to her body, CM still watched only her face. The face of the bear melted away, even as she shrank inch by inch from the top of the mirror down to its bottom. Though her eyes didn't move, it appeared that they slid further apart as her head moulded to its new shape. But they did bulge more as they darkened to a rich black. Her nose brightened to the same beige hue as her paws, while from beneath her cleft lips protruded a pair of thick, white incisors. Coupled with the long, thick tail, the short stature, the almost furless paws, and the still rotund belly, CM had once more become a rat.

But unlike the bear, this time there was an odd weight bearing down on her front. CM, glanced down and blinked a few times, her heart beating faster and faster she took the sight in. She wasn't a she anymore. Betwixt her... no, his legs was something he'd pined for these last three years. CM no longer, he was Christopher Mattiaz once again. A man! A rat, but a man at long last!

Chris covered his longer snout with his paws, even as he felt the power of the change dissipate from his body. He trembled, trying to hold back the laugh that pounded at the back of his throat. His tongue pressed firmly against his incisors, and he felt the need to gnaw wake from a long slumber. He shifted his legs about, tail lashing in ecstasy, and nearly pinched his returned genitals. After three years of being a woman, he now had to remember he had something between his legs in front too.

Unable to contain his excitement, Chris grabbed his bathrobe and dashed out the bathroom, short claws digging into the carpet. He yanked the robe over his arms, even as the end dragged a full foot behind him. The robe, too short while he'd been a bear, was much too long now that he was a rat. But he didn't care. He fumbled at the lock to his front door, managed it, charged up the stairs and outside into the parking lot, and let out a shout for joy into the night sky.

"Thank you! Hallelujah! Oh thank you! Thank you!" Chris laughed and danced on his paws, not caring about all the little stones irritating his sensitive flesh, nor that anyone in the complex would wake and hear him. "Oh Lord, thank you! I'm a man again! I love you! Thank you! Hallelujah!" He laughed in delight so hard he started to cry. His tail lashed so hard that he managed to yank his robe off, leaving him completely nude.

Christopher Mattiaz was so happy he managed not to notice his nudity for another three minutes. He capered about, grasping his tail in his paws and feeling across its smooth surface marred only by the occasional scraggly strand of brown hair. He ran his paws through his fur, which was a uniform brown across his back with a lighter underbelly. And he enjoyed every bit of it.

The newly made rat finally pulled his robe back over his form and managed to huddle down on his modified knees. His long tail continued to whip back and forth behind him, so close to the asphalt that he could feel it tickle his scraggly hairs. He took a long deep breath, savouring the feel of every part of his new and very masculine body. In a much quieter voice he said, "Thank you, Father. Please let me stay this way. If it is your will. But for today, thank you!"

Chris made the sign of the cross, lowering his snout as his claw traced out that venerable symbol of his faith. In the light of the streetlamps, Chris consummated his prayer with a kiss from his incisors on the backs of his paws. He rose, once again a man, and walked back to his apartment. It was time to set out his year four gear and post his good fortune on the forums.

He still gave one more scream of joy before rushing back inside.

{{Separator|k}}

Leslie slept for another three hours in which Chris readied all of his rat things and posted on the Changed network. It was too early for there to be any postings about new Changed, but there were a couple people who knew folks who'd been sick the last couple of days, so the rat hoped to see some good news from them soon.

Chris spent a good bit of time refamiliarizing himself with his rodent form. He'd been a rat once before, and had been male that time too, so it didn't take long for him to remember how his body worked. The profusion of whiskers were very sensitive and helped him determine which way the wind was blowing and also helped him find his way in the dark The long tail helped him keep his balance; as a bear he could walk and stand like a human, but the rodent body shape was more beastly and he always leaned slightly forward with bent knees and ankles. His fingers and toes were long and thin, and so he had to trade up for his original wedding band, the smallest of the four. His incisors yearned to gnaw and he realized he'd have to find someway to do so discretely. When he'd been a rat before, most of the year he'd still been a bachelor, and so it was easy to keep a supply of sticks to sate his teeth. Now he'd have to figure out a way to keep Leslie from noticing chewed up wood chips.

But with a new body there came other adjustments too. Chris had to find a comfortable way to sit down without pinching his tail and using the toilet without making a mess every time. Because his tail was not as flexible as he wished, he had to sit as far forward on the couch as he could, or to lean back and slide his tail forward between his legs. And on the toilet he had to sit backward and bend as far forward as he could just to aim properly. It was one of the few things he knew he'd miss about being female — a male Changed always had to perform some sort of gymnastics to cleanly make use of a toilet.

But those were challenges he was delighted to undertake. He was equally pleased to resume buttoning his pants in front and back. He'd have to be very careful about leaving laundry out because the hole he'd made to accommodate his rat tail was very large compared to the size of his pants. He'd even sewn tail sleeves onto his winter gear to help keep the sensitive appendage warm.

But now that he was male again, the thought struck him, perhaps it was time to let Leslie in on the secret the way Rob had let Audrey in on it. There wouldn't be the gender awkwardness, nor the spectre of a lesbian relationship, a thought that thoroughly discomforted and disgusted Chris. Not that he would say others couldn't do that sort of thing if it was their choice, he just had no desire to do it himself, no matter how comfortable he'd become in a female body.

But when Leslie finally woke, the inchoate desire to tell her what he truly was withered inside of him like a new shoot under a bright, arid sun. One look from her groggy face as she walked into the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee made him withdraw back into his nest of secrets. After a brief ‘good morning', the rat busied himself with stuffing his modified clothing into his side of the dresser. Maybe he'd have the courage after Mass to tell.

When he finished, Chris started to head out to join his wife on the couch when it dawned on him that this would be just about the first time he would be male with her since their wedding. He tapped his knuckles against either side of his snout to calm himself. It felt so odd to brush them through his whiskers, stiff but yielding and sensitive. His body trembled for several seconds, and then his breathing caught up to him. "I'm a man again," he whispered, new tongue forming the pleasing words without difficulty. "I'm a man again. I can be a proper husband."

He opened his eyes, emboldened, and left the bedroom, found his wife on the couch scouring the TV Guide crossword, and slid in next to her, one paw carefully gliding his tail around his other hip. He slid his left arm around her back, and then set his right paw on her thigh and stroked softly with his thumb and claw. He turned to look up at her, noting her face in all its lovely detail.

He knew that not everyone would say that Leslie was beautiful. She didn't fit the stereotype that the world considered glamorous of gorgeous. She had a small face that fit nicely beneath her tangle of tightly curled dark brown hair. Her lips only smiled when she was truly happy, which made her appear more focussed than she really was. And her glasses gave her a faintly standoffish look. But for all that, Christopher Mattiaz knew in his heart she was beautiful and he loved her.

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Change Building}}

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-05-04T09:29:32Z

MatthiasRat: Started next scene.

{{Universe|Paradise}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in August 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Change Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

To Rob's complete surprise, the real problem with inviting Jan and Dennis to Blacksburg the last weekend before the August Change to join them on their trek down the Cascades Trail was not that Jan would get to see CM the she-bear naked. Rather it was that the boar would have to disrobe himself and as it turned out, he was genuinely nervous about doing this around others.

To even convince Rob that this was something they could do CM had promised to wear a male swimsuit. But the skunk had never expected that Jan would insist on wearing even more before agreeing to go into the water with the rest of them. Dennis the hedgehog had no such inhibitions and skinny dipped like the skunk, his spines rustling like a swimming sea slug as he moved through the waterfall fed pool.

Jan slipped into the water so only his porcine head was visible. "This is very nice," he admitted, his nostrils flaring momentarily as he settled down. CM swam on the other side with Rob and Dennis between them. Their cleaning gear remained on the bank. "Are all your Summer days like this?"

"Yeah, this area is great in Summer," Rob replied. "No humidity, rarely over eighty degrees, it's great."

"Especially with all this fur!" CM trumpeted before diving beneath the water. A dark brown mass swam back and forth and then lifted up with a fish trapped between her jaws. Even though he'd seen his friend do this a few times now, it still unnerved him. Dennis gaped, little eyes widening in disbelief. Jan stared for a moment and then guffawed.

"I think you've been a bear too long, yah!"

CM climbed on bank and deposited the fish in a plastic bag filled with water. Her thick fur clung to her body and as she lumbered on all fours, apart from the swimming trunks, she looked very much like a normal bear. "Leslie loves it when I bring back fresh fish. And since you both are staying for dinner, I'm going to catch some extra."

Jan shook his head and waved his arms in the water. After getting into the small pool beneath the forty-foot waterfall, he'd not moved from the rock shelf he'd settled on. Rob swam a little closer and found another shelf nearby. "So, Jan, I've never asked you what you do for a living."

The boar kept his eyes on the rippling surface of the crystal clear water. He twitched when a small fish brushed one of his bristly legs. "I work at a small engineering company. We do contract work around the area, so I get to play with all sorts of toys. Is how I met Dennis."

"I thought you worked as an insurance auditor," Rob said, turning to the hedgehog.

"I do. We contracted Jan's company to verify a client's claims. We'd used them before, but I never really knew Jan until he changed. I've met a few other Changed because of my job too. Just last week we added three more Changed to the NoVa community."

Rob idly watched CM catch another fish in her jaws. He really hoped no hikers came up the trail. The skunk dunked his head under the water and then shook it out of his fur. "You met three at once?"

"Through this Jack Russell lady. She filed a claim on some furniture she'd destroyed. Claimed her dog did it, but those claw marks were obviously not her dogs. I made her drop the claim to prevent an official investigation. She already knew two other Changed in the area, and we all got together and pooled our money to buy her new furniture."

"That's interesting," Rob admitted, glancing between Jan and Dennis. "I wonder how many Changed know each other but haven't met people in the network. CM, what do you think?"

The she-bear dropped her fourth fish from her jaws into the plastic bag and licked her jowls. "Finding isolated pockets of Changed? It's happened a few times. I think it's going to happen a lot more over the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised if we found some other websites for Changed communities that don't know anything about us." CM shook like a dog and sprayed water all over the river-smoothed rocks.

Rob pondered that thought as he relaxed in the water. The day was pleasantly cool in the shade of the valley, while all the trees swung with a light breeze, green leaves rustling and pines thrumming. The falls provided a constant crashing splatter that drowned out everything else. The vaulted walls of slate rising upward, domed by a variety of deciduous trees, sheltered them in an arboreal sanctuary.

"The network scrubs the web already," Rob pointed out. "If there were any such sites, they would have been found. Or they're going to be found eventually. Whatever."

"We're going to see a lot more Changed after next Sunday, ya?" Jan asked.

"Well, probably not right away," CM admitted as she slipped back beneath the waters. Rob wondered why she bothered to shake off if she was just going to get back in, but knew there was no point in asking. The Change brought some strange instincts that were often hard to resist. "Odds are we won't know anybody who Changes, but we need to keep watch anyway. Which reminds me, what are the NoVa Changed doing to prepare?"

"We've made lists," Jan replied. "At least ten people each that we'll check up on next Friday and Saturday for the sickness."

"And we've got everyone's phone numbers," Dennis added with a shrug of his shoulders. His spines rippled along his back and upper arms. "I'm not sure what else we can do except keep our eyes open."

"There's really not much else you can do," Rob pointed out. "I just hope there's more people here locally who've Changed."

"Kyle's coming down to Tech the week after," CM pointed out as she sank into the water. "And Barb knows a lot of people we don't."

"I'm hoping for somebody middle-aged," the skunk said with a churr in his throat. "We'll have three college students and a retiree. We need more variety to make all the connections we need in town."

The she-bear frowned and waved her arms back and forth to keep steady in the natural pool. "Well, as college students, we probably won't be living here forever."

"True," Rob admitted. "Which just makes our need for more people who do live here more important."

Jan grunted through his nose and played his hoof-like hand across the water's surface. "I'll be happy so long as I stay a boar."

"I'll be happy as long as I go male again," CM said with a heavy sigh.

"Ya, I hope so too," Jan replied, a twinkle filling his beady eyes. "You look too good to be a woman."

CM glowered and splashed him with a wave of her paw. Rob and Dennis laughed. The hedgehog shook his head and sighed, "Well, I'm stuck this way. Coming up on two years for me now. What about you, Rob?"

"I wouldn't mind changing again as long as I stay male. I'd love to become feline. But skunk isn't so bad. I'm not drinking as much as I used to which helps. I really hope Audrey changes though. And it'd be nice if some others from SOAP did too."

"It'll happen eventually," CM said. "Well, if we're right it will. Anyway, we've been checking in with the other Changed in the area, and things sound pretty good. I think everybody's ready for next week, or as ready as we'll ever get. Everybody's trying stuff similar to what you NoVa Changed are doing, so we'll compare notes and see how we did in two weeks."

"Sounds fair," Jan nodded. "Are we going to try meeting again like we did at Technicon?"

Rob groaned, "Oh I hope not! At least not at Technicon. I don't even want to think about Technicon for another three months."

CM chuckled and snuffed. "We probably won't be able to get everybody together like we did that time, but we may try to organize a couple get togethers. We'll see. First, we have to get through another Change Day."

"Do you really think it's going to be that bad?" Jan asked.

"Who knows!" Rob shrugged. "All I know is that I'm going to spend all day tomorrow working on the server, changing out cables, and figuring out why I'm getting an intermittent signal on my remote laptop." The skunk then elaborated on exactly what the problems were and what he thought he needed to do to solve them.

When he finished, the hedgehog, eyes raised, said, "And on that note, I think I'm going to start scrubbing." Jan guffawed and followed his friend to the slate ledge where they'd left their gear. Amazingly, CM's shaking hadn't completely drenched their things.

{{Separator|k}}

The sky cleared by the time late afternoon arrived. The four friends laughed and teased each other as they made their way back down the Cascades trail. After scrubbing the shampoo through their fur, or in Dennis's case, bristly spines, they'd washed clean, played around a bit longer in the pool, and then lay in the open air drying off. Jan never lost his self-consciousness and kept his swimming trunks on despite how sopping wet this made him all the way back down the trail. When they reached the parking lot, he rubbed his middle down one last time with his towels while CM, Rob, and Dennis stowed their gear in Rob's Matrix.

As Jan finished drying himself off, his brow furrowed, eyes staring fixedly at the pair of bikes parked next to Rob's Matrix. He wrapped his towel behind his neck and snorted. "Hey CM! I got an idea."

The bear lifted her head from the trunk of the car and said, "Uh oh. What's the idea?"

Jan laughed and gestured to his bike. "Would you like to ride my bike down to the main road? Is not a long ride and there won't be many cars."

CM shifted her weight and regarded both the boar and the bike. He had shown her so much in the last five months that she had begun to feel very comfortable on a motorcycle. However, he'd never let her do more than drive around parking lots. If she became a rat again like she suspected, with such a long tail it would be nearly impossible for her to ride until her next Change. This was probably her last opportunity.

"Just to the end of the road. Not onto 460?"

The boar grabbed either end of towel draping over his neck and pulled gently. "Ya. It'll give you a taste of what bikes are really like."

Rob slapped the bear on the back and said, "Get on the bike and get it over with. You know you want to."

CM laughed, her fur and jowls shaking with the pleasure. "Okay, fine. You sure you trust me?"

Jan patted the seat and grunted. "Yah. Speed limit's only thirty-five. Take it easy on the turns and you'll be fine."

While CM took those few steps toward Jan and the motorcycle, Dennis climbed on his bike and chuckled under his breath. "I'll set a good pace for you, CM. Just stay a car length behind me and you'll do fine."

"Thanks, Dennis." CM swung one leg over the bike and felt her bulk settle comfortably into the seat.

Jan handed her the keys, patted her shoulder once, and followed Rob to his Matrix. "We follow you and watch you," the boar declared with his usual aplomb. "I'll let you know how you did!"

CM ignored the boar's attempt at a joke, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the bike. It rumbled to life and roared pleasantly when she gave it gas. Dennis nodded his pudgy head in approval, started his bike, and slowly eased out of the parking space and into the empty lot. CM gently followed him, feeling an anxious tightening in her heart as the bike responded to her commands. With a twist of her wrist, she shifted gears and turned to follow the hedgehog.

The parking lot was shrouded by deciduous forest on every side. Only the road leading to 460 offered a way out. Dennis eased down the road as it plunged beneath leafy boughs that obscured the solitary power line, and CM followed him, her paws gripping the handlebars tightly. The road ducked and wove as it followed the meandering stream to the valley's entrance. Rocks clustered on their right, huge stacks that supported trees and the vast hillsides that stretched from the mountains. Moss clung to their surface, and even as they cruised past, CM could smell the rich aroma of the wide variety of deer, grouse, and other game that made these mountains their home.

After only a few minutes the forest thinned enough that they started to see houses and yards on either side. Most were run down or in poor repair, with plastic siding or wooden beams long in need of replacing. They weren't truly poor, those who lived here, they just didn't have enough to rebuild what was slowly falling apart. The four of them were fortunate so far in their lives, but they could all just as easily end up living somewhere remote. For a Changed, it might not be such a bad thing either.

But none of this was on CM's mind. For the first time, the she-bear was riding a motorcycle down a road without assistance. And as she made turn after turn and kept her speed under control, she felt her confidence increasing. The wind sliced through hr fur and pounded at her chest, but it was a good feeling, strong and powerful that made her call on her strength to beat it back. She sat firmly in the chair, her thick legs supporting her upper body as it bore the brunt of the air's cloying hands.

Her nostrils flared with the rich scents pouring her way. CM's ears folded back as she listened to the growling of the engine between her legs. She smiled and chuckled to herself at the odd sensation of the wind cleaning her fangs. Her stub of a tail twitched with delight in her shorts.

And then they passed out of the hills and onto the small plain that was the town of Pembroke. The road straightened as it neared the much larger and far busier 460. Dennis slowed and CM eased back with him. Behind them, Rob pulled the Matrix off to one side while Dennis and CM parked on the shoulder. CM let out a long sigh of pleasure as she turned the key and rubbed her paw pad over the bike's chrome handlebars and across the fuel tank.

"That good, huh?" Dennis asked with a knowing smile crossing his snout. His spines shivered down his back like a wave passing through sand.

CM nodded and could not disguise the awe in her voice. "Oh yeah. That was amazing."

Jan laughed as he climbed out of the Matrix and clopped his hooves to her side. "You looked like a natural, CM! Did you like it?"

"I loved it! I'm so getting one of these when I can afford it!" CM roared in delight, rubbing her paws along the bike's front some more. "This was a really sweet ride. Thank you, Jan."

The boar nodded, "You look right for a bike. Maybe one day we go riding together, yah?"

"I'd like that. These mountains beg to be ridden!"

Jan crossed his arms, glancing once at the low, green mountains that surrounded them. "Yah, they do. But there's just one thing."

CM looked back at him. "What's that?"

The boar's expression was of pleased amusement. "Could I have my bike back now?" Rob beat his paws against his steering wheel to keep from laughing.

{{Separator|k}}

When not working, CM and Rob spent the next few days calling the few Changed they knew in Virginia and the surrounding states. They discussed strategies for looking for new Changed, and the warning signs that would precede the Change. Much of this was merely refresher for the others who'd been preparing on their own, but for most of them, this would be the first time they'd be actively looking for new Changed.

Much of their time on the phone was spent catching up with those who they'd gathered with at Technicon earlier in the year. Claire, the otter from Bristol, had her paws full getting her children ready for the next year of grade school. Edgar, the opossum from Richmond, boasted of his recent promotion and how smart his three year old boy was. Carl, the Golden from South Boston, spent most of the time asking them what they were doing in their lives, but did admit that his nephew was home from his tour of duty overseas and was most amused that his old fogey of an uncle had attended Technicon. Kyle the chipmunk wouldn't stop raving about how excited he was to be coming to Virginia Tech in another week. And of course Jan and Dennis were already talking about dragging CM on a biking trip into the Jefferson National Forest in September.

The only other Changed that had been there, Barb the panther, was local and had her own network of friends that she promised to keep an eye on. And so with little else to do but wait, Rob and CM kept up the facade of a normal life around their friends and coworkers as the days of the week trickled past. Until the sickness came on the fifteenth, they wouldn't know who might join their August company on Sunday morn.

Leslie could tell that CM was a little anxious, and it pained the she-bear not to be able to tell her wife what was amiss. But there always lingered that hope in her ursine chest that in a few days Leslie would join her amongst the ranks of the Changed and there would never need be any secrets between them again.

By Thursday night, CM's anxiety had reached such a height that he could only be thankful that Leslie worked that evening. The she-bear climbed into her Saturn and took the long drive down Harding Avenue heading out of Blacksburg. It was a particular favourite of theirs, winding down into a valley lined by ridges with ranches and old country homes on either side of the twisting road. At that hour of the night, he saw deer at the edge of the woods, and sometimes a raccoon or skunk.

The road changed names and turned down several other roads, including route 42 which climbed up a steep mountain face before returning to 460. By the time that CM returned home it had been a two hour drive, but it had done its job. The bear was finally able to calm down and collapse in bed. The metal groaned under her weight, but she was long since used to it. Her mind, once racing with wonder what the next day would bring, had calmed down enough that simple prayer kept it focussed.

Dreams of Leslie sprouting fur in a few days kept her in a pleasant slumber. CM could never quite tell what Leslie was becoming, but the sight of her changing was enough. With such sweet dreams, CM never cared what happened to herself.

But when her eyes crept open Friday morning and felt a crushing headache pounding on either side of her massive ursine head, and a sickening tightness stirring her corpulent gut, CM couldn't think of anything but herself. The agony raced from one side of her head to the other, like giants playing ping pong in her mind. She dug her claws into her belly fur and groaned loudly, twisting beneath the blankets.

Beside her, Leslie stirred and lifted one arm to rub at her forehead. CM opened one eye and felt a glimmer of hope. But then she scooted up and blinked her eyes clear of her usual pre-coffee bleariness. "Are you okay?" she asked in clear tones.

CM grunted and sighed. "Feelin' sick."

Leslie leaned over and rubbed the top of the bear's head, feeling for a fever. The usual pleasure CM would have felt at Leslie rubbing her head fur was not there. "You always seem to get sick right before the fall semester."

CM grunted and closed her eyes. "Yeah. I guess you're feeling okay?"

"Need coffee, but yeah." Leslie lifted her hand away. "You definitely feel hot. Is there anything I can get you?"

Medicine never helped this sickness. It just had to run its course. By tomorrow evening he'd feel fine again. But she'd have to wait at least another year for Leslie to Change. The she bear sighed. "The phone, so I can call off from work."

Leslie nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and climbed out of bed to retrieve the phone. CM sighed and kept her eyes closed. The pain was familiar but still debilitating. If not for the Change that followed, she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

There wasn't anything else CM could do but lay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. She hoped that Rob and the others would have better luck.

{{Separator|k}}

After calling off from work and being kissed and tended by Leslie, CM spent most of Friday laying in bed. She attempted to read, but her eyes didn't want to focus on the pages. She tried at one point to climb out of bed to go watch a movie on the couch, but it took an hour to convince her body to make that journey; then after watching the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring she decided she'd rather try to sleep anyway. Apart from one time in the evening when she plopped herself on the porcelain pedestal to make her bodily offering, she never bothered trying to get out of bed again.

Leslie was kind enough to leave the phone at her bedside once she went to work, and so CM was able to answer the phone when Rob called to check on her. The skunk asked her how she was doing, but once he knew that CM was suffering the Change sickness, he excused himself and hung up. CM felt like growling at the world, but that would probably only make her stomach tie itself into even more knots. Instead, she lay in bed and let her bodily misery run its course.

Like all things, time worked its own wonders, and the she bear found the patience she'd honed in her many years alone and the seven times she'd suffered this before (not to mention all the periods she'd undergone during her five female years) helped her endure the long Friday. She got little sleep that night, and the illness persisted Saturday morning. Another quick call to work and she resumed her sojourn in bed. Leslie understood her need to suffer alone and after doing what little she could for her husband, Leslie closed the bedroom door and quietly went about her daily chores before work.

By the time Leslie left for her afternoon-evening shift, the pain began to ebb. CM opened her eyes and took a long deep breath of air that stank of bear fur. She panted, drool wetting her cheeks. With her right paw she thrust the covers off her frame, and enjoyed the relatively cool air inside their apartment. A few minutes later, she managed to lumber to her feet and began navigating her heavy bulk over to her dresser. She pulled a loose t-shirt on and a pair of shorts. If she was lucky, she wouldn't need the bras and panties after tomorrow morning, so decided not to bother with them.

Their dog Crystal lay sleeping on her beanbag, but did open her eyes at CM's approach. The she-bear pet the elderly Cairn on the head and then entered the kitchen to find something to eat. It would be her last meal as a bear, possibly forever, and after a day and a half of laying in bed, she was starved!

A hour later, CM had cleaned out the fridge and sat contented, one paw idly storking her distended and gurgling belly through the fur. If not for being female, she'd love being a bear. And, CM had to admit with a sigh, being female wasn't so bad either.

But tomorrow morning she wouldn't be a bear anymore, and there was plenty to do still to prepare. Being the middle of the Summer, as it was only six o'clock they had a few hours until night cloaked their little mountain town. But CM wouldn't be able to stay up much more after that, not when she had a Change coming the next day.

With a grunt, she hefted herself out of the chair, found the phone, and gave Rob a call. The skunk answered on the third ring. "Hey, CM! Feeling better?"

"Much," CM replied. "No more headache and my belly's fed, so I'm good. How about you? And the rest of SOAP?"

She could almost see him shake his head. "Looks like I'm going to stay a skunk, and none of the other SOAP members reported coming down with the flu recently. Barb and I also checked with a bunch of folks from VTSFFC, but nobody there either."

It only took CM a moment to remember that VTSFFC was the local science fiction and fantasy fan club; technically Technicon was started by VTSFFC, but the last few years it had been mostly run by the furs from SOAP. "So nobody new that we know," CM said with a rumbling sigh. "It was probably too much to expect. What about the others across the state?"

"I called them yesterday to let them know you were out of it, but nothing on that front either. At least not yet. Not even Jan and Dennis had anything to report. Tomorrow's the big day. If anything's going to happen it'll be then."

"And then some," CM added with a faint laugh. "Well, next time you see me I won't be a bear. Most likely. We should keep our eyes and ears open tomorrow. If folks don't show up to work or church and all that, it could be because they've Changed."

Rob laughed. "I was hiding in my room last year! I don't know how long I would have stayed in there if you hadn't shoved your claws under my door! It'll probably take a few days before we can be sure."

"True." CM leaned her head back, shifting the handset from ear to muzzle as she spoke and listened. "Either way, when Kyle gets here, there'll be four of us in Blacksburg."

"He's already here," Rob replied. The skunk snorted and CM could imagine him rolling his eyes. "He's suck a chipmunk. He couldn't wait and is crashing over at the furry apartment until the dorms open up. Patrick's going to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't leave fur all over the place."

The bear laughed and felt a smile crease her jowls. "I should have known he'd come early."

"Hey, CM, does Leslie work tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Since Kyle's here, I'm going to have a Changed party at my place tomorrow night. Only going to be four of us it looks like, but Patrick and Audrey will be there too. If you aren't going to tell Leslie, at least come join us to celebrate a year."

CM nodded. "I will. If I become male again, I'll have to tell Leslie. Until then, we'll see. Thanks for the invite though. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Show up whenever, but not until after five." The skunk paused for a moment then added, "You don't work tomorrow do you?"

"No, I asked for that day off weeks ago."

"They probably think you took the last two days off to extend your holiday."

CM grunted, tongue clicking against the back of her fangs. "They better not."

Rob laughed and said, "Well, I'm going to go over the server one more time to make sure it's ready. If we're right, we should get a whole lot more Changed joining the Network in the next few weeks."

"Indeed! Take care, Rob. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I may try to come to Mass too," Rob replied. "See you then!"

CM hung up the phone and smiled. Well they may not have any new Changed from amongst their friends, but at least there'd be more of them local no matter what happened. It was a stark change from previous years when CM had spent her days and nights wondering if she was the only in all the world.

CM lumbered into the computer room and opened her private closet. She pulled out the numbered boxes and opened all those marked "3". It was time to put all of her bear things away.

With care and precision, CM took her clothes out of her dresser and closet and one by one folded them tight and stuffed them into the boxes. She had to shove a few times, and snagged her claws in a few loose fibres a few times too, but managed to get everything inside. Next came all her bras and panties, as well as other female accessories she wouldn't be needing for the next year if she were lucky. Even if she did need them, she'd likely need much smaller versions.

CM stalked every corner of their apartment for anything else that had to go into the boxes. Such a thorough inspection offered several opportunities to clean which she took without thinking. By the time she stuffed all but a single pair of shoes in the boxes, she'd knew Leslie would be very pleased with seeing how nice the apartment looked. Twilight descended outside, and all that CM had left to store in the boxes was her current attire, the last pair of shoes, and her wedding ring.

Time enough for one last jaunt around the complex with Crystal, and then she should get to bed. CM slipped the shoes over her feet, watched them disappear, and called her dog after her. Crystal climbed off the beanbag chair and followed the bear out the door. Crystal was an old dog, but she managed the stairs fine. The evening was pleasantly cool and the slight breeze felt good through her thick fur. Crystal sniffed around and them ambled after the bear as they walked around the Chasewood Downs complex.

She didn't see any of the other neighbourhood dogs, and so after fifteen minutes they wended their way back to the apartment. CM closed the door behind them, gently pet Crystal on her hairy head, and then stretched, letting out a rumbling sigh. "Well, I guess it's time to go to bed, eh, Crystal?"

Her Cairn Terrier licked her nose and laid back down on the bean bag. CM laughed and padded back into the computer room. She stuffed her last pair of shoes into the boxes, and then removed the last of her clothing, folded it, and shoved it in. She closed up the boxes and put them back into the closet, making sure that the boxes marked with a "4" were now on top so she could get to them easily if she changed as she expected.

Completely naked apart from her fur, CM turned off the computer room lights and entered her bedroom. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and shifted about, noting the bulky, ursine form. Her belly curved outward as if she'd hidden a basket beneath her fur. Her breasts sagged, though covered by her brown fur, they appeared only as very noticeable lumps on her chest. Her face, broad and dark, ended in a wide black nose, while her eyes, small and black, stared out with a warmth that she had grown to love in the last year.

CM smiled and her fangs glistened beneath her jowls. Yes, she'd miss being a bear.

CM climbed into bed and pulled out her journal. She tapped the pencil against her fangs for a moment and then began to write.

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
Aug 16, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Another year comes to a close, another chapter in my unusual life comes to its end. Tomorrow I will Change again, and the only thing I can hope is that I will be male again. I've been female for three years now, and I hate to admit it but it's starting to rub off on me. But there's a very good reason for that.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">This is the first time I've been seen and treated as a female.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But this is also the first year I've realized that I wasn't alone. There are so many more who are Changed like me into animal-men. First my friend Rob was turned into a skunk. Then there was this lawyer from Cleveland, Walter Lundh who is now a long horn bull. And through him I met Carter Ryan a black wolf from Buffalo, who I've been working with this last year on calculating the number of Changed. And then there's the ones we met at Technicon, Jan and Dennis, Claire, Barb, Carl, Kyle, and Edgar.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm so happy to know I'm not alone, it made being treated like a female from time to time well worth it. It's kind of funny, because I don't even mind the way Jan leered at me the first time we met anymore. I guess he's more than made up for it with his visits, and the time he's spent teaching me to ride a bike. I know I want one of those one day. Ah, but first I need some real money.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The money we made from the work with the number crunching helped pay off some of my education debts, but there's plenty more of that to go. It's better to pay off debt anyway. Wish the government would figure that one out.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ironically, the money I used to pay off my debt was tax dollars, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">It was rather interesting to meet Congressman Sandrick. Good to know there's at least one person in congress who understands our needs. But I really enjoyed meeting Number Two. Reynaldo De Smet was a very interesting fox, and he seemed to understand my situation better than most. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk with somebody who's been Changed longer than I have.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">The important thins above all else, I'm not alone. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll never be alone again.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Bear. Female. It's been interesting. I love being a bear. I even love having a big belly and dealing with hibernation hunger. And I love making Rob, Jan and the others squirm when I catch a fish in my jaws. And it's kind of fun seeing the way they act all embarrassed around me when we're bathing.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Ah... but the year of bear is over. And
hopefully the years of female are over. I only wish that Leslie was Changing too.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, I don't know what You still have in store for me in the years to come, but I will trust in You that everything will be okay. No matter what happens. Please guide me. In nomine Patris, et Filli, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
</div>

CM closed her journal, turned out the light, and lay her massive head down to sleep on her last night as a bear. For the first time in a log time, she was truly happy before a Change.

{{Separator|k}}

Five o'clock. CM's eyes popped pen at that early hour of the morning with the sudden need to use the bathroom. It was always like this. The she-bear could still smell the pizza on Leslie who lay snoring faintly next to her with mouth agape. Crystal was curled up between them.

CM slid one paw under the sheet and gingerly drew it over her chest and belly. She lifted one knee and eased her paw to the ground, being careful not to catch her long claws on the blankets. She put one hand on the bedframe and heaved herself up. The metal groaned faintly as it disgorged her three-hundred plus pound body, but Leslie continued her peaceful slumber. CM smiled, eyes warming beneath heavy brows, and pulled the covers back over her side of the bed.

With many years of practice walking with claws, CM had no trouble quietly making her way from the bedroom to the bathroom. She shut both doors behind her, sat on the toilet, and relieved herself one last time as a bear. A sullen energy filled her, building to what would come in only minutes. CM tensed her claws, digging through the fur over her knees. What was going to happen this year? What would her friends say when they saw what she became?

CM lowered the lid, flushed, and then shook out her fur, glancing at herself in the mirror. The charge inside of her flesh was making her fingers tremble. She smiled at her reflection and softly whispered, "Goodbye bear."

And then the power broke forth like water rushing through a dam. But instead of that internal expansion she'd felt the last time, this was like being wrapped tight in a glove and squeezed from every direction. Her fur lightened in hue, though still remained a warm brown. It shrank into her body even as her bulk sucked inward like plastic recoiling and corroding from a fire. Her snout narrowed, whiskers flanking on either side. Fangs diminished, while from her gums incisors began to protrude. Rounded ears did not shrink with the rest of her, but lost their fur and scalloped inward.

CM's paws gripped the side of the sink, and they too lost their fur. The skin beneath became a pinkish beige which could almost pass for a typical Caucasian skin tone. Her claws, once long and thick, were now narrow and pointed. The only fur left on her paws was a taper on the back extending just past her wrists.

Her heels lifted off the floor as the thick pads of her feet faded into a slender digitgrade stance. Her toes lengthened and splayed, ursine claws dwindling into tiny spears. She shifted her weight around, knees folding to adjust to her new stance.

Though her weight decreased everywhere else, behind her she felt her tail swell and stretch, descending down beyond her ankles and curling across the cool tile of the bathroom floor. It thickened as she shrank, until it was wider than her arms at its root. The familiar muscles twisted from side to side, and her long whip-like tail slid effortlessly across the floor and through the air.

Aware of all that happened to her body, CM still watched only her face. The face of the bear melted away, even as she shrank inch by inch from the top of the mirror down to its bottom. Though her eyes didn't move, it appeared that they slid further apart as her head moulded to its new shape. But they did bulge more as they darkened to a rich black. Her nose brightened to the same beige hue as her paws, while from beneath her cleft lips protruded a pair of thick, white incisors. Coupled with the long, thick tail, the short stature, the almost furless paws, and the still rotund belly, CM had once more become a rat.

But unlike the bear, this time there was an odd weight bearing down on her front. CM, glanced down and blinked a few times, her heart beating faster and faster she took the sight in. She wasn't a she anymore. Betwixt her... no, his legs was something he'd pined for these last three years. CM no longer, he was Christopher Mattiaz once again. A man! A rat, but a man at long last!

Chris covered his longer snout with his paws, even as he felt the power of the change dissipate from his body. He trembled, trying to hold back the laugh that pounded at the back of his throat. His tongue pressed firmly against his incisors, and he felt the need to gnaw wake from a long slumber. He shifted his legs about, tail lashing in ecstasy, and nearly pinched his returned genitals. After three years of being a woman, he now had to remember he had something between his legs in front too.

Unable to contain his excitement, Chris grabbed his bathrobe and dashed out the bathroom, short claws digging into the carpet. He yanked the robe over his arms, even as the end dragged a full foot behind him. The robe, too short while he'd been a bear, was much too long now that he was a rat. But he didn't care. He fumbled at the lock to his front door, managed it, charged up the stairs and outside into the parking lot, and let out a shout for joy into the night sky.

"Thank you! Hallelujah! Oh thank you! Thank you!" Chris laughed and danced on his paws, not caring about all the little stones irritating his sensitive flesh, nor that anyone in the complex would wake and hear him. "Oh Lord, thank you! I'm a man again! I love you! Thank you! Hallelujah!" He laughed in delight so hard he started to cry. His tail lashed so hard that he managed to yank his robe off, leaving him completely nude.

Christopher Mattiaz was so happy he managed not to notice his nudity for another three minutes. He capered about, grasping his tail in his paws and feeling across its smooth surface marred only by the occasional scraggly strand of brown hair. He ran his paws through his fur, which was a uniform brown across his back with a lighter underbelly. And he enjoyed every bit of it.

The newly made rat finally pulled his robe back over his form and managed to huddle down on his modified knees. His long tail continued to whip back and forth behind him, so close to the asphalt that he could feel it tickle his scraggly hairs. He took a long deep breath, savouring the feel of every part of his new and very masculine body. In a much quieter voice he said, "Thank you, Father. Please let me stay this way. If it is your will. But for today, thank you!"

Chris made the sign of the cross, lowering his snout as his claw traced out that venerable symbol of his faith. In the light of the streetlamps, Chris consummated his prayer with a kiss from his incisors on the backs of his paws. He rose, once again a man, and walked back to his apartment. It was time to set out his year four gear and post his good fortune on the forums.

He still gave one more scream of joy before rushing back inside.

{{Separator|k}}

Leslie slept for another three hours in which Chris readied all of his rat things and posted on the Changed network. It was too early for there to be any postings about new Changed, but there were a couple people who knew folks who'd been sick the last couple of days, so the rat hoped to see some good news from them soon.

Chris spent a good bit of time refamiliarizing himself with his rodent form. He'd been a rat once before, and had been male that time too, so it didn't take long for him to remember how his body worked. The profusion of whiskers were very sensitive and helped him determine which way the wind was blowing and also helped him find his way in the dark The long tail helped him keep his balance; as a bear he could walk and stand like a human, but the rodent body shape was more beastly and he always leaned slightly forward with bent knees and ankles. His fingers and toes were long and thin, and so he had to trade up for his original wedding band, the smallest of the four. His incisors yearned to gnaw and he realized he'd have to find someway to do so discretely. When he'd been a rat before, most of the year he'd still been a bachelor, and so it was easy to keep a supply of sticks to sate his teeth. Now he'd have to figure out a way to keep Leslie from noticing chewed up wood chips.

But with a new body there came other adjustments too. Chris had to find a comfortable way to sit down without pinching his tail and using the toilet without making a mess every time. Because his tail was not as flexible as he wished, he had to sit as far forward on the couch as he could, or to lean back and slide his tail forward between his legs. And on the toilet he had to sit backward and bend as far forward as he could just to aim properly. It was one of the few things he knew he'd miss about being female — a male Changed always had to perform some sort of gymnastics to cleanly make use of a toilet.

But those were challenges he was delighted to undertake. He was equally pleased to resume buttoning his pants in front and back. He'd have to be very careful about leaving laundry out because the hole he'd made to accommodate his rat tail was very large compared to the size of his pants. He'd even sewn tail sleeves onto his winter gear to help keep the sensitive appendage warm.

But now that he was male again, the thought struck him, perhaps it was time to let Leslie in on the secret the way Rob had let Audrey in on it. There wouldn't be the gender awkwardness, nor the spectre of a lesbian relationship, a thought that thoroughly discomforted and disgusted Chris. Not that he would say others couldn't do that sort of thing if it was their choice, he just had no desire to do it himself, no matter how comfortable he'd become in a female body.

But when Leslie finally woke, the inchoate desire to tell her what he truly was withered inside of him like a new shoot under a bright, arid sun. One look from her groggy face as she walked into the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee made him withdraw back into his nest of secrets. After a brief ‘good morning', the rat busied himself with stuffing his modified clothing into his side of the dresser. Maybe he'd have the courage after Mass to tell.

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Change Building}}

User talk:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-05-04T09:28:31Z

MatthiasRat:

A man again! Huzzah! :) --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 04:45, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

: Huzzah! Yup! It's good to be a man. :-) --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 09:28, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-05-01T00:45:32Z

MatthiasRat: Change scene finished! You knew I'd do this. :-)

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-04-30T09:24:31Z

MatthiasRat: Hooray! The Change is here! Still more to go, but that's all I had time for this morning. Off to work!

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-04-29T00:50:43Z

MatthiasRat: Finished the scene finally.

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-04-27T09:23:05Z

MatthiasRat: Tiny bit more

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-04-23T16:10:58Z

MatthiasRat: Next scene underway

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-04-22T23:44:44Z

MatthiasRat: Finished off the scene. Plenty more to come on this one.

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-04-22T09:25:08Z

MatthiasRat: Just a tidbit more.

User:MatthiasRat/Change Building

2009-04-21T09:17:03Z

MatthiasRat: My Next Paradise Story, first couple scenes done.

User:MatthiasRat

2009-04-21T09:10:36Z

MatthiasRat: /* My Paradise Stories */

{{my stories}}
== Welcome to the Matthias Rat/Trike's User Page! ==

Hello all! I'm Charles Matthias, more commonly known online as MatthiasRat or MattTrike. I was introduced to many good friends through the Transformation Story Archive, so now I am delighted to post a few of my own works on its newest incarnation.

=== Stories by Charles Matthias ===

* [[User:MatthiasRat/BadPapers | Bad Papers]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/GillieGift | Gillie's Gift]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/LadyNoHelp | The Lady Who Didn't Want Help]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/ALong-ForgottenMadness | A Long-Forgotten Madness]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/The Perfect Girl | The Perfect Girl]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Pruning | Pruning ]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/AnUnexpectedStop | An Unexpected Stop]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/WUN | WUN]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/YouCanOnlySee | You Can Only See]]

=== My Paradise Stories ===

* [[User:MatthiasRat/MadeAlone | Made Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/BathingAlone | Bathing Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Not Quite Alone | Not Quite Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Suspected Alone | Suspected Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Revealing Alone | Revealing Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Convention Building | Convention Building]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Model Building | Model Building]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Change Building | Change Building]]

And everyone remember: <math>1 + \mathrm{e}^{\mathrm{i}\pi} = 0</math>. It's that important.

[[Image:BrutonMattRat.gif]] [[Image:MattTrikeHappy.JPG]]
{{author page}}{{DEFAULTSORT:MatthiasRat}}

Paradise (Setting)

2009-04-06T09:19:31Z

MatthiasRat: /* {{separator|f|Stories in Chronological Order}} */

{{Universe|Paradise}}

{{byline|author=Jon Buck
|user=JonBuck}}

A direct link '''[[User:JonBuck/A Kind of Paradise|To the original story.]]'''

={{separator|f|Basics}}=
*The setting is basically indistinguishable from the Real World up until 1987, the year when people first begin to spontaneously transform into furries.
*Exactly one person transformed in Year One ''(i.e.,'' 1987), and the number of furries doubles in late August each year. The initial story in this setting, [[User:JonBuck/A Kind of Paradise|A Kind of Paradise]], is set in Year 21 ''(i.e.,'' 2007), when there are just over one million furries. The next year (2008) will add a million, for a total of two megafurries, and so forth.
*The first furry in 1987 was a vixen, with a tod the next year. Some stereotypes do have a basis in "reality". :)
**The entire world will be furry in 2020.
*Every year it's possible that an already-changed person could change ''again''. With increasing rarity, all less than one percent:
**A species change. ("What the..? I'm a ''wolf'' now? What am I supposed to do with all these hoof picks?")
**A gender change. ("Well, I guess the fawns have two moms.")
**A combination of both. ("Don't ''even'' call me a bitch! Just show me how to put on this stupid bra!")
**The next year there is about a 25% chance that the person will revert to their original gender/first species. If that doesn't happen, it's fixed. If they change back... there's another 25% chance that you'll bounce back ''again'' the next year. So there's some potential for characters who spend years alternating between species/gender.
*Also distinctive from Winds of Change: ''No superpowers''. Just whatever natural abilities (things like augmented senses, physical strength, ''etc)'' come from being half animal.
*'''The Role Reversal Paradox.'''
**''IF'' the couple has children, pre- or post-Change, no matter what age...
**''IF'' one of the couple has been transgendered...
**''THEN'' it is essentially a sure thing that the partner will TG as well.
**The reason for this is simple. ROB hates paradoxes. If they have children, there ''must'' be a father and a mother. And it ''must'' be the same two people. It doesn't matter if that person divorced and remarried someone else. Or if they're unmarried. One father, one mother. Otherwise, the kids will logically not have come into existence.
**Conversely, if they are married/going out/living together/etc., the same TG 1% dice roll applies to them as everyone else.

'''Important.''' Please ''do not'' write stories that are father ahead in the timeline than those I have written.''

'''Note on Politics'''. As a request, I ask authors not to use major political figures from Real Life. I don't want any political bashing going on here. Characters like Congressman Sandrick are perfectly fine, so feel free to create fictional members of Congress or Members of Parliament. Remember this world is different from ours from 1987 onwards. There are still details I haven't filled in between then and now, and the Butterfly Effect means that there will be some small, some major differences.

{{add|'''Winners of the 2008 Election'''}}
*President: Karen Hutchinson. (Reverse Pres. Obama and his wife, basically)
*VP: Steven Angstrom

==Physiology==

*Furries can still interbreed with one another as if they were all still human. Children get a 50/50 chance of which of the parents' species they follow.
*Conversely, humans '''cannot''' interbreed with furries, probably due to the RDF.
*There are some physical variations, but not the wide "Degrees" that Winds of Change has. The most obvious differences are hair, feet, and hands. Otherwise, most everyone is about as morphic as seen in common furry art.
**Females most often have hair the same color and similar texture as their fur. Though you do still get the occasional blond.
**Males retain their hair less frequently.
*'''Size Limitations.''' On the suggestion from the Talk page. I'm not going to limit species. However, I will have a minimum/maximum size range:
**7 feet (or 2.1m), max. About 400 lb (180 kg), max.
**4 feet (1.2m). I'll leave the small side open.
*Species are native to a particular continent. So most people in North America will end up whitetail deer, elk, bears, foxes, wolves, etc. Recent immigrants will more likely end up native species to wherever they came from.
**However, this means that someone from Seattle could ''still'' end up a leopard, or a llama, or what-have-you from other continents. I just want to make that clear.
**No mythicals like dragons, griffins, satyrs, vampires, mages, what-have-you. Just furries.
**No birds unless the laws of physics get bent a bit so they can actually fly... Which still may happen.
*'''No Extinct Species.''' No dinosaurs. Sadly, I can't include them. There are so many species that are just too big.
*Mammals only until I figure a reasonable way others can be included.
*'''Note on Transsexuals'''. This setting is intended as a mix of wish fulfillment and darker, more realistic consequences. That said, all TS folks get their bodies "corrected". Keep in mind that this won't necessarily make life easier for said character. Conflict generates Plot. And since most of the folks who get their gender switched ''won't'' be TS, there's still plenty of that around.
*Results of major surgeries are translated. Artificial hips, knees and pacemakers still work as needed. Transplant patients will not reject their organs. However, lost limbs will not regenerate and major chronic diseases will not be cured, but may go into a lengthy remission.
*One of the major benefits is a major improvement in health and fitness. ROB can't stop the change, but at least he can give the victims a sort of consolation prize. You may not end up in perfect shape, but it'll be close. A flood of positive endorphins to make the victim feel good about their new bodies doesn't hurt, either (optional). Now, what happens to that state of fitness ''after'' is entirely up to your characters.

==Psychology==
*At this point I'm inclined to have some mitigating effects on the "victims". It's still going to be very, very hard to deal with. This is a major life disruption. And there are no doubt a lot of secluded furs. But suicides aren't as common as you'd think.
*The transgendered furs do have an even rougher time. The double-whammy of species and gender would likely make serious post-change Issues a reality.
**Transgendered furs typically refer to themselves by their initials: BD, DL, etc..
**Some might end up going a little crazy and think they had ''always been'' their new gender, especially after the effects of Tall Tales Con.
*The more adjusted furs have figured out how to find these troubled souls and bring them back into the real world.

={{separator|f|The Reality Distortion Field}}=
*Humans can't see furries for what they are. They still see whatever the person looked like before, even if that person was the opposite gender.
*Some things aren't filtered correctly. Consequently...
**If a TGed man gets pregnant, the filter will change that person's ghost image to female. But she will still appear human to other humans.
**Things like hoof/paw prints, shed fur, shed antlers, clawmarks, animal odors, etc., are not filtered. So if a cougar morph gets in a fight with a normal human and lashes out with his claws, he could cause a hell of a lot of damage.
**Some humans think that there is something up (referred to as "Known" or "Friends"). And some have figured out that the friends who claim to be furry actually ''are'' what they claim to be.
*The RDF sometimes breaks down a little during large gatherings of furries (like at conventions). "Hey, that's the best costume I've ever seen! Is that a prosthetic muzzle?" Memories afterwards will probably remember some really good costumes, and photos will be perceived as such.
**In more extreme cases it will break down entirely. But it would take repeated exposures, or perhaps having a number of furry friends while remaining humans oneself. Like in [[User:Nikon/Changing_Perspectives|Changing Perspectives]].
**Transgendered furs may be perceived by humans as their new gender out of the corner of their eye. And there are likely other circumstances where the human RDF image will realign also. Specific circumstances (such as pregnancy) will be the decisive factor.
**As of 2007, TGed TallTales Con attendees have had a major RDF alteration. Everyone except family, friends, or people who have seen them often enough to really know, will perceive them as their new physical sex. Which is essentially the vast majority of people. This effect will spread to all the other TGed until 2008, when it becomes the norm.
*Do animals perceive the RDF? Probably not. But the odor of a fur is neither quite human or animal. There are still some common human pheromones, for example. Which is what makes romance between wolf and deer possible. This is a ''good'' thing, since it means that a doe-woman in heat won't be chased down by a normal buck.
*It may start to break down as there grow to be millions of furries in the world (see below).
*Another storytelling idea: The RDF is an ''antiviral measure'' (see The Cause below). When the RDF breaks down, people ''may'' change out-of-phase, since they no longer have that protection. This will make it harder to track down people who change and get them the help they need. This is ''not'' a hard-and-fast rule, but the storytelling device is available. But I '''don't''' want it to become commonplace.

={{separator|f|The Numbers}}=

Total sequence as follows (all figures approximate):
Year AD Total Furries Total Populace Furries, as %age of total populace
1 1987 1 5,184,212,887 0.000 000 02%
2 1988 2 5,247,179,035 0.000 000 04%
3 1989 4 5,310,909,955 0.000 000 05%
4 1990 8 5,375,414,934 0.000 000 15%
5 1991 16 5,440,703,374 0.000 000 3%
6 1992 32 5,506,784,792 0.000 000 6%
7 1993 64 5,573,668,818 0.000 001 1%
8 1994 128 5,641,365,200 0.000 002%
9 1995 256 5,709,883,806 0.000 004%
10 1996 512 5,779,234,621 0.000 009%
11 1997 1,028 5,849,427,754 0.000 018%
12 1998 2,056 5,920,473,436 0.000 03%
13 1999 4,112 5,992,382,020 0.000 07%
14 2000 8,224 6,065,163,988 0.000 14%
15 2001 16,448 6,138,829,947 0.000 3%
16 2002 32,896 6,213,390,635 0.000 5%
17 2003 65,792 6,288,856,918 0.001 0%
18 2004 131,584 6,365,239,795 0.002%
19 2005 263,168 6,442,550,400 0.004%
20 2006 526,336 6,520,800,000 0.008%
21 2007 1,052,672 6,600,000,000 0.016%
22 2008 2,105,344 6,680,161,943 0.032%
23 2009 4,210,688 6,761,297,514 0.062%
24 2010 8,421,376 6,843,418,536 0.123%
25 2011 16,842,752 6,926,536,980 0.24%
26 2012 33,685,504 7,010,664,959 0.48%
27 2013 67,371,008 7,095,814,736 0.95%
28 2014 134,742,016 7,181,998,721 1.88%
29 2015 269,484,032 7,269,229,474 3.71%
30 2016 538,968,064 7,357,519,711 7.33%
31 2017 1,077,936,128 7,446,882,298 14.47%
32 2018 2,155,872,256 7,537,330,262 28.60%
33 2019 4,311,744,512 7,628,876,783 56.52%
34 2020 8,623,489,024 7,721,535,206 >100%

At this point stories should take place in '''2001 at the earliest''', up to the current story-time year (2007). The community gets really, really small before then. If you have a story that takes place in this era, submit it to me first. Thank you.

Things should start to get really interesting around 2010. There's enough furs in the world then that niche markets would start to open up. More clothing and products specifically designed for furries start popping up. Also, it will become harder and harder to induct new furs into the group in a healthy manner. Society may start to break down in places.

It will take a concerted effort by those previously changed to keep everything under control...

'''Distribution.''' It's not random, or even. It's an expanding fractal centered on the Chicago area. As far as visualization, I'll leave that vague. But the majority of the first furs were in North America.

From the way these stories are playing out, I'd say that events are unfolding like this:

*'''1987-2002''': "Alone" period. Isolation between furries, with only a few very small groups, most of them thinking they're all alone. Best exemplified by [[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat's]] stories. Nobody knows what's going on.
*'''2002-2008''': Forming Communities. There's now enough furs to start encountering each other regularly. Conventions start up. Anthro imagery (in movies, TV shows, and other media) start to show up more frequently. Information getting put together indicates an ominous trend. The whole world will eventually go furry.
*'''2008-?''': Events unfolding in [[User:JonBuck/Open Secrets|Open Secrets]] will nail down this theme. {{add|From here for the next few years, a third to nearly a half of the new Changed will be Known/Friends or family members. People who can see through the Veil easily.}}

==Important Events==
This section will be for events of note that will be important to the overall storytelling. Authors feel free to note important events in your works that could impact the setting as a whole here.

'''2007'''
*First instances of total, permanent [[User:Nikon/Changing Perspectives|RDF breakdown]]. Incidents isolated.
*First appearance of anthro dolphins. The RDF with these people is a very strained affair. The longer they stay around humans, the more likely it'll fail. Perhaps it realigns the image as a normal dolphin in the water, and a human on land.
*'''Added 2/24.''' Transgendered furs at [[User:JonBuck/Tall Tales|Tall Tales Con]] now appear as their new physical gender to anyone but close friends and family. The RDF is even actively changing identification. Active records like passports and driver's licenses, medical records are all altered to reflect this. Even a pre-Change photo ID will show the new human face, which will be a shock to the TGed fur. This effect is slowly spreading to other TGed furs, see [[User:Jetfire/Doing Hard Time|Doing Hard Time]].
*A number of pressing environmental problems relax slightly. While these solutions will solve some problems, they will cause others, especially in the short term.
**The recovery of the major world fisheries detected in the mid-90s continues apace.
**Major discoveries in energy include massive oilfields in various stable First World nations: US, Canada, UK, Norway, etc..
**Scientists observe CO2 levels stabilizing for currently unknown reasons.
**Third World experiences boosts in food production from improved farming practices and soil conditions.
**New renewable energy discoveries, new batteries, a bacterial process for making gasoline and diesel from municipal wastewater.
*With all these new furs, there are now enough singles to start pairing up. The lingering worries about fertility and children will be answered next year...

'''2008'''
*Fallout from Tall Tales Con continues. All newbie and furry gatherings the next year will be much, much smaller, informal.
*Although there were a few before this year, this is the first year a large number of furry babies will be born.

'''2009'''
*This Change Day will be different from the others. Instead of all happening in the same moment, the new furs will happen in fits and starts throughout the day. Some might change in the early morning, others late that night. The trend will continue over the next few years.
**Another wrinkle. If there's a TG, they don't have to happen at the same time. So some poor fellow who becomes a clouded leopard in the morning (or a woman) will get hit again sometime later.

={{separator|f|The Cause}}=

So, why is this happening? What's causing it? A nanotech virus? Microscopic magic pixies? The return of magic? The wrath of God? What?

The answer is contained in '''[[User:JonBuck/Tall Tales|Tall Tales]]'''.

However, the idea is this. Ever since I read [http://www.accelerando.org/ ''Accelerando''] By Charles Stross, I've been enamored with the idea of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity technological Singularity]. So I've been looking for a way to use it in my fiction at one point. This setting provides the answer to that desire. ''Accelerando'' is available for free on the web.

Our universe--or perhaps just our planet, I haven't decided yet--and all the people in it, are basically a simulation. This doesn't make the characters in these stories any less real than you our I. Mathematics forms the basis of the universe, after all. The people are as sentient as you or I. This makes the setting rather Matrix-like, without the human bodies being used as "batteries". We're all more like Agent Smith.

I refer to this as a "furry virus". It comes from outside the post-Singularity brain, and is slightly more advanced than "ours". What's happening is this bit of malicious code (sentient, no less, but on a level far beyond our ability to comprehend it) is messing up the simulated world we reside in. Why? I dunno. One of those inscrutable things. The RDF is an antiviral measure to contain the damage and allow the society within to adapt. This is also why so far, furry species are limited to mammals. As the numbers of furs increase, that ''will'' change. I have yet to decide just when.

Why not just scrap the whole thing and restore from backup? There are no backups because the simulated people are nevertheless living beings. And they can't just be wiped out.

I hope that explanation isn't too confusing. Please let me know on the '''[[Talk:Paradise (Setting)|Talk Page]]''' if you have questions.

={{separator|f|Notes on Avatars}}=
So far, the convention for avatars in this setting is for writers to use the first initials of first and last names. However, I wanted to note that my intent here is to give the writer more freedom than to base these characters on yourself. I've changed a lot of details about Jerome, for instance. If you want to put your avatar--if you decide to use one--into this setting, go crazy. Give them a challenge (worse job, emotional trouble). Or make them better off and have the change cause a lot of trouble with work/family/whatever. What I'm trying to say here is, don't feel you have to be directly limited by your present or past self. ''Have fun.''

={{separator|f|Important Cast}}=

'''[[Paradise Cast List]]'''

Since this is a wiki, that means everyone can edit it. Authors who want to put names and short bios of the characters in their stories, just in case someone else wants to use them for a cameo. With the characters, please list the stories that they appear in. Please put your cast members on the linked cast page. Thank you.

={{separator|f|Stories in Chronological Order}}=

Authors may add links to their stories as they happen in chronological order in story time. For a complete listing of all Paradise stories, since this list may be updated sporadically, see [[:Category:Paradise|the Paradise Category]].

'''2000'''
*[[User:Erastus/On the Outside Looking|On the Outside, Looking...]] ''(Through 2010)''

'''2002'''
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Made Alone|Made Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Bathing Alone|Bathing Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Not Quite Alone|Not Quite Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Suspected Alone|Suspected Alone]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Revealing Alone|Revealing Alone]]

'''2003'''
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Convention Building|Convention Building]]
*[[User:MatthiasRat/Model Building | Model Building]]

'''2005'''
*[[User:Jetfire/Holes in the Veil| Holes in the Veil]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Lifting The Veil| Lifting The Veil]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Poking the Veil| Poking the Veil]]
*[[User:Eirik/Stages|Stages]] ''(Through October 2006)''

'''2006'''
*[[User:Jetfire/Film at 2011| Film at 2011]]
*[[User:Jetfire/GM'O'Fur| GM'O'Fur]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Twisting the Veil| Twisting the Veil]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Silver Fox Tracks|Silver Fox Tracks]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Generations| Generations]]
*[[User:Jetfire/A Rolling Stone Gathers No Veil|A Rolling Stone Gathers No Veil]]
*[[User:Eirik/Bare Hands|Bare Hands]]

'''2007'''
*[[User:Eirik/Treatment|Treatment]]
*[[User:JonBuck/A Kind of Paradise|A Kind of Paradise]]
*[[User:JonBuck/Tall Tales|Tall Tales]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Doing Hard Time|Doing Hard Time]] (Extends into 2008)

'''2008'''
*[[User:JonBuck/Open Secrets|Open Secrets]] (In Progress)
*[[User:Eirik/Centers of Power|Centers of Power]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Live_At_Five|Live At Five]]
*[[User:Jetfire/Gulf_Ice|Gulf Ice]] (Prelude in 2001)
[[Category:Paradise]]

User talk:Posti/Baylors Rein

2009-02-27T05:17:09Z

MatthiasRat: Created page with 'Good story, Posti! I confess your horse TF stories are a particular weakness of mine. You make me, by your stories, want to be a horse too. That said, we never see Baylor as a...'

Good story, Posti! I confess your horse TF stories are a particular weakness of mine. You make me, by your stories, want to be a horse too. That said, we never see Baylor as a human in this story which makes it even more unique. He starts as a horse, and ends up deciding to stay a horse, even though that means he'll lose human intelligence. Personally, that's what I couldn't do. I guess that is what made the scene in the throne room so very melancholy for me. Betrayed by his own father and condemned to be a beast. You'd think he would have asked if there might be some way for Baylor to retain part of his intelligence so he wouldn't be completely lost. Also, I wonder how much of the human Baylor was left anyway when asked to make a decision. How much of it was Thunder wanting to stay Thunder?

Good story as always, Posti! Thank you for sharing your inestimable talents yet again. :-)

''Dominus tecum''

--[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 05:17, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2009-02-20T16:56:44Z

MatthiasRat: Cleaned up the text, fixed errors, etc... The story is done.

{{Universe|Paradise}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in July 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Model Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

Rob the skunk carried the cardboard boxes from the hall into his room and set them down on the clean floor. It had been almost a year since he'd changed into an anthro-skunk and forced to keep his room clean, and still he flinched his toes to avoid stubbing them into discarded detrius that no longer lingered on his carpet. His friend CM had shown him the necessity of maintaining house and over a week's time helped him turn his room from a pig sty into a place where a Changed could easily keep their true nature a secret.

And now he and his friends were leaving FoxRidge 1600J for good. Trevor, Brett, and Nick had found a house in downtown Christiansburg to rent, while he was moving with Audrey into the upscale apartments FoxRidge offered. A few weeks ago Audrey had accepted his marriage proposal and now his mind was abuzz with managing his and her families as they swarmed in battle over the wedding arrangements. It had to be in Vermont! No in New Jersey! It must be big! It must be small! It must be Protestant! It must be Catholic! On, and on, and on!

Here in Blacksburg, Virginia, he and Audrey could escape for a time and be together without the discomfort of feuding families. In one week's time he'd be out of the Furry apartment and would no longer need to hide. Apart from Patrick whom CM had told because he'd become too nosy, Audrey was the only other among them that knew the secret of the Changed. He hoped she didn't mind lots of potpouri or cleaning up skunk fur.

As the skunk set down the boxes his phone rang. He snatched it from his computer table and read the number. His eyes widened; he recognized that name. He cast a quick glance at the server humming away in one corner and then opened the phone.

"This is Rob. Hello?"

A deep, rumbling voice answered him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hallman. This is Walter Lundh. How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine, just getting ready to move next week. Already signed the lease and everything." He said that deliberately. The last time the longhorn bull called he'd had to cancel his plans on short notice. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm mailing you, CM, and Mr. Ryan round-trip tickets to Washington in two weeks."

"DC?" Rob asked, both surprised and relieved that he at least had two weeks before he needed to jump through the lawyer's hoops. "What for?"

"Congressman Sandrick requested an update on the status of your project prior to next month's Change. We want to know where to look and what to expect. You and your colleagues must ready a presentation for the Congressman. Will there be any trouble for you?"

Rob walked to his calendar and studied the dates. "I'm going to have to get off work. So will CM. They'll probably be pissed that they didn't have more advanced warning."

"I apologize for that," Walter replied brusquely. "I'm sure the Congressman can send you each a letter if necessary, though we'd all prefer to keep this low profile. Are there any other difficulties?"

The skunk shook his head. "No. It's good for me, but you'll want to check with CM. She might have plans. Will we see you in DC?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Dulles. All the arrangements for the hotel have been made. I will see you there. Good luck with your move. Don't damage anything."

The bull hung up and Rob set the phone down with a long sigh. A move and a presentation! Well, he'd better get started packing then.

{{Separator|k}}

CM carried the footboard into Rob's new bedroom and set it against the wall with the rest of the pieces of his bed. The skunk was rifling through his toolbox with Audrey at his side resting one hand on his shoulder. Rob's tail twitched to the far side as he turned to see the bear.

"Hey Audrey, can you go keep the others busy for a few minutes?" Rob asked.

"Changed stuff?" Audrey asked, and at the skunk's nod, she smiled and nodded. "Sure! Open the door when you're done." She hugged CM as she walked past, surprising the bear, and then closed the door behind her.

"Trevor and the others are busy packing their own things," CM pointed out. She rested her paw on the footboard and tilted it back and forth. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Rob held a wrench out and said, "Well, you can help me put my bed together!" CM laughed. "Seriously, we haven't had a chance to talk. You got Lundh's message last week, right?"

CM nodded. She'd been at work the first time the bull had called. Leslie had taken the message, but of course Lundh hadn't said anything to her other than his name; CM was amazed he'd given her that much! "I've got my part of the presentation prepared. I know you haven't had much chance to look it over or anything but what you've done looked good to me."

"Not much else I could do," Rob grunted as he straightened and looked around the room. "Here, against this wall. The headboard should go here. Do you need a paw?"

CM nodded. "It's a little awkward, yes." Together, they carried the arched headboard to where Rob wanted it and then leaned it against the wall. "Do you need some help with your presentation?"

The skunk frowned as he returned for one of the side pieces. "I shouldn't. It's not like I did anything anyway."

"You kept the server going," CM replied with a smile. She could tell the skunk was bothered by something but she couldn't tell what. "Carter and I couldn't do anything without that!"

"But are we really ready to tell these guys anything?" Rob asked. "Bring the footboard; we'll get these pieces together."

CM pondered the question for a moment as she retrieved the footboard. Rob had both side pieces laid out in front of the headboard and was checking the various bolts to make sure he had the right ones. She ran her tongue along the back of her short fangs and grunted. "We have enough to give them a good estimate. We've ruled out pretty much everything except exponential growth. That's scary in itself."

"And there should be a heck of a lot more of us than there are, right?"

CM set the footboard down and held it steady with one paw. She was careful not to nick the wood with her claws. "Yes, but Carter would know more about where they should be than I do. It'll be good to see him again at least."

"He won't have his jeep with him this time. Did you get stuck in coach too?"

CM nodded and Rob rolled his eyes as he lifted the first side piece and put the bolt through the hole. CM held the other end up with her free paw. She laughed and rumbled. "His note did say that he reserved the two seats next to mine too. Paid extra for that. I'm going to need it." She patted her tummy which was already building up girth for winter hibernation. Of course, if the August Change played its usual tricks, she wouldn't be a bear for much longer.

As long as she became male again she wouldn't mind staying a bear forever. But that wasn't up to her.

"Well, that's something at least. I hope you didn't have any plans for next weekend."

CM grunted. "Jan and Dennis were planning to come down to visit."

Rob's tail darted to one side and he glanced back at the bear in surprise. "The boar and the hedgehog? Wouldn't that be like their third time this year?"

"Jan's fourth, Dennis's third. He couldn't make it last time." CM grinned and shrugged. "Jan's determined to make a biker out of me. He's probably going to succeed at some point too. Just don't have the money for it now."

"And Leslie would kill you," Rob added.

CM's grin didn't fade even though she nodded. "Yeah, probably. They're working on that too."

"So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd be in DC anyway, and if time allowed, I'd meet them there. Probably going to have to be in the evening though. Looks like Lundh wants us there to present and get out as quick as possible."

"Probably to keep from too many questions being asked," Rob said. He stood up, brushed his pants off, and walked over to where CM crouched against the footboard. "Okay, the first one's in. Scoot back and I'll get this bolt in too."

{{Separator|k}}

Roanoke Airport was a small regional airport with a single concourse. There were direct flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Richmond, and of course DC. Their plane left at 2:20, so Rob picked CM up at her apartment a little before noon. They each had packed an overnight bag, though in CM's case it looked like one that would barely fit in the overhead compartment. Rob resisted the temptation to ask the she-bear if she'd packed the kitchen sink.

Traffic was light that Friday as they drove up I-81 to Roanoke. The airport was reasonably busy with families heading out for the weekend to visit relatives as well as several others heading out of town on business. The pair checked in, saw that their flight was on time — which surprised the skunk who'd never seen a plane leave on time — and headed for the terminal.

Both of them felt a little anxious passing through the security station, especially with the post-9/11 heightened security measures. But neither of them were singled out for extra scrutiny and they passed by unmolested.

While Rob went to their terminal, CM stopped at one of the terminal-side restaurants and ordered the largest fish item they had on the menu. That and an appetizer of fried cheese sticks. It did sate her hibernation hunger for the time, but she knew she'd be hungry again in a few hours. At least the flight wouldn't be long. She hoped that Walter would be understanding about how much she'd probably order from room service!

When CM went to their terminal she found the skunk reviewing his portion of the presentation. He'd been able to finish only the day before and only because Audrey let him shirk his duties in setting up their new apartment. He'd have a lot of catch up to do when they got back, but CM had volunteered to come over a day or two and pitch in to make up for it.

CM settled her bulk on one of the benches and grimaced as the arms pinched her paunch. "Ugh. They need bigger seats."

Rob glanced up and chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-eighty," CM replied. "I'll hit three hundred again by the Change."

The skunk nodded. "The way you eat, yah. What are you going to become?"

"A rat I expect," she replied. She briefly touched one breast with a claw and grunted, "And hopefully male again. Do you hope to change again?"

Rob shook his head. "Skunk wasn't my first choice, believe me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm happy this way, so why Change again?"

"But if you did, what would you prefer?"

The skunk put his papers down in his lap and leaned back into his tail which curled over the end of the seat. "Something feline I think. Jaguar. Definitely a jaguar. Oh, and male too."

CM chuckled. "Well, odds are you won't change again. How goes the presentation?"

"Slow," Rob grunted and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be reading over this on the plane. I finished the slides at like 3 AM last night."

"Well, if you practice, don't practice too loudly," CM said as her eyes followed a family coming up the causeway and settling in next row of seats. "We won't be alone."

Rob glanced at them and nodded. "Right." He lowered his snout to the pages and though he moved his lips, not even the bear could hear anything he said. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and resigned herself to waiting another hour for their flight to depart.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that their plane was a prop, CM managed to relax and sort of enjoy the flight. Perhaps because bears were natural swimmers, she had no trouble adjusting to the pressure change as the plane gained altitude. And with nobody sitting in the seats next to her, she was able to stretch out her bulk across all three. The seat belt was almost as loose as it could go, but it neither pinched her gut nor did the seat pinch her tail. For all of that she was grateful.

Rob faced a different situation. His lengthy tail made getting comfortable extremely difficult. It wasn't like his car where he could sit forward and lean forward when necessary. In the purgatory of coach, there was no room to lean forward and if he sat forward his knees pressed into the tray table. So he ended up pulling his tail between his legs and doing his best not to get it tangled in the seat belt. The older woman sitting next to him watched him with a vague sense of unease, but of course she couldn't tell what was really going on.

To the skunk's immense relief, the flight lasted less than an hour and soon they were settled back on the ground. He lashed his tail back and forth and hissed as they walked up the boarding passage to the gate. "Ugh! I'm never flying coach again!"

"Yeah," CM said as she hefted her carry-on over her shoulder. "It's a little cramped. If Walter hadn't kept the seats next to mine empty, I think I would have eaten somebody. Just kidding."

"That lady was giving me the creeps!" Rob shook his head and checked behind him to make sure she wasn't nearby. "I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die on me."

The bear chuckled and pointed down the concourse. "Well, we're here now. I think we want to go that way to get to the main terminal."

Rob glanced at the signs and nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. Shouldn't be hard to find Walter."

"There is that at least," CM agreed.

The two of them moved through the throng of people waiting for their flight or rushing to catch a connecting flight. Rob held his tail close to his back and twitched anytime anybody brushed too close. CM ambled along at a decent pace over the worn carpeting. It was so old that the long claws on her toes clicked against the concrete beneath every few steps.

Dulles International Airport was immense compared to what they'd left in Roanoke. Vendors and restaurants greeted them the entire way through the concourse, as well as people going every which way. Many were dressed for business, but just as many were dressed as if they were going to Florida, Mexico, or California. A good number were either calling somebody on cell phones or were getting called. And despite the huge throng, not a one of them was Changed like them.

It took almost ten minutes to get from their gate to the security plaza. Once through, they headed into the wide open-air centre lined with airline registration desks and even more shops selling touristry gewgaws. Skunk and bear scanned the crowds in every direction, and found what they sought almost immediately.

"There he is," CM said as soon as she spotted the huge horns sticking out of either side of his black-and-white speckled bovine brow. Rob saw it too and the pair of them made their way through the crowds toward the huge computer display listing arrivals. Walter was dressed in business attire and carried a briefcase in one hoof-like hand. Small, glassy eyes greeted them as they approached. "Mr. Hallman, CM, I see you made it without incident."

Rob held out one hand and the two shook. "And good to see you too, Walter."

"Likewise," CM said before shaking the bull's hand. His grip was heavy and felt odd with those two pointed hoof-like nails. "Where's Carter?"

"His flight is just now arriving. He'll be with us shortly." Walter grunted and glanced between the two. "I hope you brought more professional attire for tomorrow's meeting."

"Yes," Rob said. "I only have the one set of suit pants with a hole for my tail."

"I only have one good suit that fits me at this size," CM admitted.

"That will suffice. If we have too many more meetings, I will see to it that you each have more. My discretionary funds are limited, but they would be ample enough for that if there was a need."

"Discretionary funds?" Rob asked, not sure he could believe what he was hearing. "Just how long have you been a lawyer?"

Walter lightly stomped one hoof. "This is a business meeting, Mr. Hallman. It pays to be professional. As to my years of experience, I will have been with my firm for thirty years as of October 04."

"That long?" CM asked in surprise. "You don't look that old."

"It's the Change," Walter replied with a faint degree of aplomb. "It is much harder to tell people's ages this way. In time we'll adapt and learn to read the clues. Are you ready to present tomorrow?"

"Yes," Rob replied. He patted his suitcase. "Power Point okay?"

"Preferred."

"So the meeting's tomorrow." CM shifted her carry-on from one shoulder to the other. "Are there any plans for tonight?"

Walter set his briefcase down and pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. He pulled a pair of small cards from this and handed them one to each. "Once Carter joins us we will ride to our hotel. I am attending to transportation. I have a business dinner to attend this evening with several lobbyists. I would have preferred dining with you myself but that will not be possible. I'm afraid you are on your own for dinner. I do ask that you avoid alcohol. Our meeting with the Congressman should remain out of the news, but it might not if any of you shows up hung over."

Rob grimaced then nodded as he studied the card. An itinerary was listed on the one side while the other was blank. "Yeah, I learned my lesson about alcohol. You don't have to worry about that."

"I won't touch anything either." CM pocketed her card and then waved over their heads. They all turned and saw a black wolf shouldering his way through the crowd clustered beneath the departures board. He grinned, tail wagging back and forth as he approached. "Hey Carter!" the bear called as soon as he was close enough. CM gave him a hug around one arm. "Good to see you again!"

"And you too, CM!" He then hugged the skunk, "And you too, Rob! Been way too long." With the bull he shook hands. "And it's good to see you too, Walter. What did you think of those numbers we sent?"

"I'm not a statistician, Mr. Ryan," Walter said rather gruffly. "I'm looking forward to your presentation tomorrow. Hopefully then I will better understand the numbers."

Carter's tail fell, but still he nodded and managed to smile. "So, what are we doing now?"

"Do any of you have any other luggage?" But they each had everything, and so Walter said, "Then follow me." Walter turned down the concourse toward the parking lots and shuttle buses. Once four sets of furry paws and hooves clattered along the faux marble floor, Walter continued, "We're going to our hotel. You will be on your own for dinner. I recommend you order room service so I can charge it to my business account. If you want to go out to eat you may do so, but you will have to pay for it." He handed Carter a third card. "That's the schedule for tomorrow. Bring it with you to the meeting. We'll be disposing of them afterward."

Carter grinned and pocketed the card. "Wow. I feel all cloak and dagger."

Walter grunted and swung his head to the side. The horns whipped over the wolf's head. "This is not a game, Mr. Ryan. This is professional. Please remember that."

The wolf nodded, "Of course. I know how to be professional." CM and Rob glanced at each other and stifled their mirth.

{{Separator|k}}

Transportation proved to be a non-descript blue minivan with Virginia plates. Walter indicated that they should all ride in the back, and once he opened the driver-side door they could all see why. There was only one seat in the front with the steering column only slightly off center. The bull didn't wait for them to ask before explaining, "I cannot drive a normal car with my horns. I'd have to keep the window rolled down and that is not always a convenient option."

"How'd you get this done? I've never seen a car like this before!" Carter exclaimed while Rob and CM climbed into the back. It was all bench seating which in general was easier for the often oddly shaped Changed.

"I contracted the conversion work to a Changed auto mechanic for vehicles in every area I'm likely to be. The work will prove pivotal in the future as more and more Changed need such modifications. You three are fortunate that you have not needed any such modifications. Others less economically stable than myself have had to make do with very unsafe workarounds." Walter set his briefcase next to his seat and then climbed into the car, turning his head as he did to slide the long horns smoothly inside. His chair had a little hole along the left side to allow his tail to comfortably slide into place as well.

Rob pulled the seat belt over his shoulders and grimaced as his tail bunched uncomfortably behind him. "How do you explain this to still human clients?"

Walter shut his door and grunted. "I don't. All non Changed clients ride with me in a limousine if we ever need to travel together. Since this meeting is to be as low-profile as possible, we take the minivan. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Not at all," CM replied as she settled into place. "What do other drivers think when they see you in the middle?"

"I do get a few queer stares," Walter admitted wearily. "But nothing more than that." After Carter had buckled up, the long-horn bull started the van and carefully eased out of the short-term parking lot. An Easy-Pass system officiated his parking bill and they soon merged onto the highway.

The bright Summer afternoon greeted them as they drove through the crowded highways of Northern Virginia. Though a Saturday, the highways were still jammed with cars going in either direction. CM was reminded why she never wanted to move back to the area with each passing minute. They would have talked, but as soon as they reached the highway, Walter brought up a TV feed of C-SPAN on a dashboard LCD. Some congressman droned about a bill to increase spending on some pet project, but the language and details were so esoteric, CM couldn't make heads or tails of what the pet project actually was. Carter and Rob looked no better off.

They were on the road for no more than twenty minutes before Walter turned off the highway and led them to a nice but unremarkable Holiday Inn. He drove up to front and pulled to a stop in front of the portico. "Your rooms are reserved under my name. Don't use the phones unless it's an emergency. And remember no alcohol tonight. I'll be by at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to take us into DC. Make sure that you're ready to leave by then."

Rob was the first to climb out of the van. "See you at seven then!" The skunk hefted his bag over his shoulder and waited by the curb for the bear and wolf to climb out. CM grunted in irritation at Carter who held the door for her, but the wolf just wagged his tail.

After Carter shut the door, Walter nodded to them and drove off around the back-side of the hotel. CM drummed her claws over her suitcase and sighed. "I guess we should get our rooms and get this stuff put away."

"What then?" Carter asked.

"Dinner I suppose. It's already past five," Rob replied.

A slight grin played at the edge of CM's broad muzzle. "I could call Jan and Dennis. They live in this area. We could get together with them."

"Walter said no phone calls," Carter pointed out.

"I've got a cell phone," CM replied. "I'm sure Walter only meant for us not to use the hotel's phones because those calls will show up on the bill."

"I'm up to it," Rob replied. His long tail danced behind his head and a smile crawled up his cheeks. "They probably know some good places to eat around here. I'm really not up for whatever room service this place has to offer."

Carter gazed at the hotel and began to nod. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Who are Jan and Dennis?"

"A couple Changed we know," CM replied. "Good folks about our age too." CM dug into her suitcase and took her rather large cellphone from its pocket. "So if there's no objection?"

"Not from me," Carter said with a tail wag. "I'm always happy to meet more Changed!"

CM tapped the number with the tips of her claws then set the headset to her left ear and waited while it rang. Three rings and a familiar grunting voice replied with far too much aplomb, "Hello there, sweet lady!"

The bear's eyes narrowed and her lips drew back revealing a few fangs, an effect completely lost on the boar for whom it was meant. "Jan," she said in a warning tone, "how many times have I told you not to answer my number like that?"

"Ya, I'll remember one day," he continued in his usual affable manner. The boar was charming in an irritating sort of way. "How are you, CM? Did you make it in safe?"

"We all did. Rob and I both, with another Changed. Wondering if you and Dennis were free for dinner."

"Dennis should be back soon," the boar replied in a more even tone of voice. "We were going to ride if we didn't hear from you, but we'd rather be with friends if friends are around! Where are you at? We can come pick you up."

An image of three Changed all stacked on the back of Jan's bike clutching each other for dear life flashed through CM's mind. She chuckled and then told the boar the hotel's address. The boar wrote it down and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "Probably be an hour before we get there. I know a few good restaraunts out that way. See you in a bit!"

CM hung up the phone and shook her head. "About an hour, Jan said."

"An hour?" Rob replied. "Good. Maybe I can get some of these knots out of my tail by then!" The wolf and bear laughed. Together, the three went into the hotel lobby to pick up their room keys.

{{Separator|k}}

The trio of Changed took advantage of their hour to settle into the rooms and relax. Walter had reserved adjacent rooms with connecting privacy doors each with a TV and single Queen size bed. Rob's room was in the middle which suited CM just fine. She left her privacy door shut while Rob and Carter talked. CM could hear the skunk chuff angrily as he brushed out the snags in his tail like promised.

The she-bear laid out on the bed and breathed heavily, paws resting on her already growing belly. The long plane flight and the ride here had all been without food, something her body craved ravenously. She contemplated ordering some room service while they waited for Jan and Dennis. They would undoubtedly have to wait at whatever restaraunt they stopped at. But she knew that it would probably take just as long for the room service to arrive. She was better off just raiding a vending machine. She'd seen one in the hall on the way to their third floor rooms.

But first she had to decide what to wear. It was easily fifteen degrees warmer here in Northern Virginia than it had been down in Blacksburg. And it was ten times as humid! The first thing she'd done after coming into the room was crank the AC to the max. She was comfortable now, but would she be once they left with Jan and Dennis?

There wasn't anyway around it. She was going to have to dress lightly. That meant no bra and there was a good chance she'd be showing some cleavage. The thought didn't appeal to the male portion of her brain which always lurked in the background when she was in female mode. She thought about briefly making herself think as a guy again, but there didn't seem much point. CM was female for the duration of this trip. But she was a female off limits. The others knew that, even if Jan liked to tease her from time to time. She'd have to trust the boar to behave himself.

"Easier said than done," she muttered ruefully.

Nevertheless, CM pushed herself off the bed and stripped her clothes off. Once naked apart from the panties she glanced a look at her massive ursine shape in the mirror. An unconscious twitch in her jowls brought a beastly smile to her face. CM turned away and grunted at herself, turning all her efforts to digging into her suitcase for something light to wear. She didn't have to worry about revealing too much because she would never buy such clothes, but still, she'd be around other Changed all evening long and all of them guys. It couldn't help but make her predominant female side anxious.

She selected a V-neck blue T-shirt and jeans that fit her comfortably but not too tight even with her expanding waistline. CM took a moment to examine herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure not too much was showing. Jan would undoubtedly stare until she smacked his snout with the back of her paw, but it was at least modest. There may be no bra, but everything that was visible, and that but a crescent lune, was covered in thick brown fur anyhow.

Once satisfied, CM raided the vending machine and then joined Rob and Carter in the middle room. She carried with her a dozen items with an even mix between chips, candy bars, and fruit-based snakcs. Rob sat on the bed combing his tail which stretched out beside him. Carter reclined in the chair by the window with his tail sticking out the front and long gangly legs propped on the little side table. His lupine paws massaged the air as if he were still walking and pressing into the ground.

"Hey, CM, woah! Nice shirt!" Carter grinned and then lowered his ears in a canine blush. "Sorry about that. Just didn't expect you to... you know."

"It's too hot here for anything else," CM replied. She unceremoniously sat down on the floor and proceeded to tear into her packages. Rob glanced once, nodded having seen it all and more before, and then returned to working knots out of his tail.

"A little hungry?"

"A little," CM replied after scarfing the first candy bar in one bite. It was some chocolate thing; she hadn't really cared. She wasn't going to taste any of them for more than a second anyway. "Stare at my chest again and I might eat you."

Carter laughed and quickly returned to talking about the vagaries of polling data and the crazy stuff his company did when there wasn't an election season going on. Rob interjected frequently with little tidbits about stupid users who shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of a computer. CM listened as she devoured her light snack. Oh Jan and Dennis had better get there soon and get her some real food!

{{Separator|k}}

About an hour later as promised, CM's cellphone rang. The she-bear had long since finished her snacks and was leaning against the wall, legs splayed in front of her, the girth of her belly weighing down into her lap. Carter and Rob stopped talking while CM fished the cellphone off the floor and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, CM!" Jan's voice called back with a grunt of delight. "We're parked outside your hotel right now."

"We're on our way down." She hung up the phone and heaved herself to her broad feet. The claws dug into the carpet, but didn't catch.

"Just a second," Carter said as he leapt to his paws. "I think I took my shoes off. Can't remember." He bent down and fiddled at his paws, and before their eyes a shoe materialized. "Oh, guess I didn't. Nevermind." The wolf slipped the sneaker back over his four-toed paw and it disappeared again. Rob twitched a little as he watched, his long tail tip flicking back and forth in surprise, but after nearly seven years, CM was used to what the Changed now called the 'Shoe-Field'.

They grabbed wallet, locked their rooms, and headed back into the later afternoon heat. They didn't see any other hotel guests, but they did pass one of the cleaning ladies who gave them a brief stare, then snapped her head back up in surprise. All three tightened but the lady turned away again shaking her head and muttering something to herself.

"Okay, what was that?" Rob asked once they were in the stairwell.

"I don't know," CM admitted. "It's like she saw something that wasn't there."

"Saw us perhaps?" Carter suggested.

"That's never happened before," the she-bear growled under her breath. The stairwell resounded with the heavy tred of their paws. "And even if she did, it was only out of the corner of her eye."

"I'll mention it on the Network when we get back. See if anybody else has seen something like that." Rob kept one hand on the guiderail as he made his way down. His snout lifted thoughtfully. "Maybe she's been taking some drugs that messed with her head. We don't know anything for sure. I'm not going to leap to conclusions."

"Good point," Carter nodded and wagged his tail. "Still, it'd be pretty cool if others could see us as we are."

"No it wouldn't," CM muttered, feeling the weight of her breasts with each bouncing step.

None of them said anything more until they were on the bottom floor and walking out the lobby. All three of them began to pant a little as they stared into the afternoon sun. To their left, two familiar voices began shouting.

"Over here!"

Turning out of the sun, they beheld a pair of Changed standing in front of an old blue van. The larger of the two was a bristly boar dressed in white tank-top and shorts. His wispy tail flapped on either side of hearty legs ending in hooves with cloves as big as a man's fist. Beside him was a hedgehog dressed in much the same attire but far shorter and plumper. Long spines poked along his upper arms, out from the back of his shirt, and over the top of the back.

"Jan, Dennis!" CM cried as she picked up her pace. Carter and Rob were at her heels as the five Changed all gathered in the lee of the van. CM patted them both on their arms, being careful not to touch Dennis's spines, and rumbled like a pleased bear. "Good to see you both again."

Jan's little eyes glanced up and down CM's attire and his snout broke into a mirthful grin. "Always good to see more of each other."

Dennis rolled his eyes, Rob chuckled under his breath, Carter guffawed, and CM did her best to ignore the remark. "Jan, Dennis, this is Carter Ryan," CM indicated the black-furred wolf who had managed to regain his composure. "Carter, this is Jan Krazinski, and Dennis Meale, friends of ours who live up this way."

Jan extended his two-fingered hand and grinned. "Pleased to meet you, Carter. Are you from Blacksburg, too?"

"Buffalo," Ryan replied as they shook hands. "Down here on business."

Dennis shook his hand next. The hedgehog's pudgy face wrinkled a little. "Changed business I suppose?"

"Yeah, with Walt--- ooof!" Carter's reply was cut short when Rob elbowed him in the side.

"Sorry guys, we're not supposed to talk about it," the skunk cut in.

CM patted her belly. "So where are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Jan's snout wrinkled into a grin. "There's a great place few miles down the road. They know how to serve food." The way Jan said the word 'food' implied that he didn't think most restaraunts knew what it was. "Trust me, you won't be hungry for long!" They all voiced their approval and followed Jan around the back of the van to the passenger-side sliding door while Dennis climbed into the driver's seat. Jan jumped into the passenger seat and stuck his head and right arm out, pumping his oddly-shaped fist up and down, "Here come the Changed! Watch out food!"

Carter leaned over and whispered into Rob's ear, "He isn't insane is he?"

The skunk laughed.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that Dennis was a generally quiet hedgehog, he drove with an intensity that surprised Rob. The skunk well remembered CM's warnings the first time they drove out to the Cascade Trail to take their hike and bath. Without doctors who could see them as they really were they needed to avoid accidents with ruthless discipline. Yet here the hedgehog flew down the main roads passing cars on both the left and the right and taking turns fast enough that Rob's tail swung with the turn each time. He didn't even seem worried that a cop might pull them over!

CM noticed it too, because she kept interupting Jan and Carter to yell at the hedgehog. Dennis would nod, slow down for a few minutes, and then slowly build up speed again.

They left the highway after a few minutes and followed a two-lane road through rolling green hills filled with horse farms. The road dipped and wove, not nearly as badly as the roads around Blacksburg, but bad enough that the skunk was beginning to sympathize with the bear whose long claws nearly tore chucnks out of her seat. After turning onto an even smaller road, Rob finally decided to add his voice. "Hey, Dennis, can you slow it down? I think I'm going to be sick back here."

"Seriously?" the hedgehog asked. "Fine I'll slow down." And slow down he did. The van no longer lurched about as if it were going to flip over.

"I'm amazed you haven't gotten yourselves killed driving like that!" CM scolded in her Momma Bear voice.

Jan grinned as he leaned to one side in his seat to talk with them. "Ya, I thought the same too. But Dennis drove... what cars were those again?"

"Stock cars," the hedgehog replied. "Only stopped because I can't do it anymore with these spines." He turned back onto a larger road and merged in with the traffic. Apartment buildings and shopping centres loomed in either direction. "Parents said I was going to get killed too. Haven't been in an accident yet."

"Let's not tempt fate," Rob said, eyeing CM. The she bear looked back at him with a 'thank you' in her dark brown eyes. "So do you race bikes too?"

"Not so much," Dennis replied. "You aren't as stable on a bike, so the risk of injury's greater. Bikes are for relaxing. Cars are for racing."

Jan snorted and grinned. "Bikes are for riding and conquering the road."

"You a Jack Kerouac fan?" Carter asked.

The boar blinked in confusion but the smile remained. "If he liked bikes then ya!"

The wolf's tail tried to wag where it was pinned between his back and the seat. "He pracitically invented the romanticism of the road, so yeah, you'd be a fan."

They followed this road past the first set of shopping centers, through a lightly forested area, and then past another set of horse farms. As they neared another highway, Dennis turned the van off at a restaraunt and store which clearly catered to truckers. All the gas pumps came equiped with extra large canopies and most of them were diesel. The parking spaces were long enough for trailers, and a bright neon sign reading 'Open 24 Hours' flashed in red, white, and blue.

"A truck stop?" CM asked incredulously as Dennis parked the van.

Jan nodded and emitted a very pig-like squeal from the back of his throat as he climbed out of the van. "Best food in the area. Run by a Polish couple so they have real food. Oh, they serve American food too for everybody else!"

"Showing a little national pride there are we?" Rob chided as he jumped to the asphalt. It felt hot and grimy beneath his paw pads, but the thrill of working out the kinks in his tail more than made up for the discomfort.

But Jan was already on his way, hooves clopping the asphalt with Dennis and CM right behind him. Carter slammed the sliding door and shrugged his shoulders. "Never eaten at a truck stop before. These guys seem pretty cool though. CM likes them."

Rob's eyes narorwed thoughtfully, but he did not share any of those thoughts even with himself. Together, the five of them crossed the parking lot where already sat several trucks, some of them with engines still running, to the front door of the old-fashioned but moderately clean restaraunt.

The interior looked like any truck stop seen in the movies, long chrome-plated bar along the back behind which pots of coffee brewed and waitresses liesurely made their way back and forth. Stools ranged across the bar and booths along the front windows. Curtains in a red, white and blue checkerboard pattern gave the place an air of Americana, though with the addition of the red and white Polish flag hanging from the backwall beside the clock and menu, it seemed as if the couple were trying a little too hard to fit in.

The scent of oil and grease pervaded the air, but overwhelming it was the delicious aroma of cooked meats, potatoes, eggs, fries, and other things they couldn't name but knew they'd love to eat in addition to the faint crispness of fresh vegetables and fruits. A few truckers sat at the bar and with a pair of them arose the pungent aroma of cigarettes. They talked quietly to themselves or ate their food. Talk radio blathered from somewhere behind the double swinging doors to the kitchen. A bell on the door tinkled at their entrance.

Everyone turned their heads to look at them then returned to their food. Jan made a big show of inhaling with his porcine snout, and then drummed his hands on his pants. CM bumped him from behind as Rob and Carter slipped inside. The boar took a step forward, hooves clattering on the linolieum.

From a door behind the bar an elderly lady with pronounced nose and peppered grey hair held back in a bun emerged. She was dressed in a white apron with red blouse on underneath. Her face lit up when she saw Jan and Dennis. They widened when she took in Rob and the others. "Oh, you brought friends this time! Do they like to ride too?"

Jan grinned, "Not yet," he then clasped the bruin on the shoulder, "but this one sh... he likes to ride too. Just no bike yet!"

CM twitched at the near slip but kept a smile on her muzzle.

"Well, just place your order right here, and then find any seat you want." The woman spoke with a stronger Polish accent than Jan did but Rob didn't have any trouble following her. She looked at the boar and hedgehog. "Will you want your usual?"

"Ya," Jan replied. "Been looking forward to it!"

"I will too," Dennis said with a half laugh.

The menu hung on the wall next to the Polish flag. Rob studied it for a while, noting that most of the items were as promised typical American cuisine that one could find at any mid-end restaurant. Then there was the list of pierogies, haluskis, and other Polish items that fleshed out the remainder of the menu. The skunk decided to take a chance and ordered one of the pierogies. Carter selected a half-pound cheeseburger. CM was typical CM.

"How big are your portions?" the bear asked, her claws gently tapping the top of her belly.

The woman smiled sweetly and replied, "We have full portions for dinner menu, but smaller lunch portions if you are trying to lose weight."

All five Changed chuckled to one degree or another. "Oh no," CM replied, a little embarrassment slipping into her voice. "No, that's not it. I'm just very, very hungry right now. Hmmm, let's try two of your fried fish dinners, the chicken strips dinner, a side of onion rings and one of applesauce. Oh, what fresh fruit do you have?"

CM caught the attention of nearly everybody in the restaurant with that order. The lady glanced at Jan as if making sure this was okay. The boar nodded and so she wrote it down. "Okay, sir, we will have that ready in a few minutes. Just find a seat anywhere, ya."

Jan guffawed as he picked a booth at the end of the restaraunt that had wraparound seating. Dennis sat on one end, so Carter and Rob slid in the other side. Jan gestured for CM to follow, but she replied, "I'd rather sit on the end if you don't mind. You know."

The boar nodded and managed not to make the sexist comment everyone expected him to. Still, Rob couldn't help but note that Jan had managed to sit right next to the bear. The boar looked very pleased with himself. He leaned back and polished one tusk with a thick hoof-like finger. "See, I told you this place was good."

"We haven't eaten yet, Jan!" Carter said as he shifted in his seat to get his tail comfortable. Rob had managed to pull his tail between his legs. Somewhat uncomfortable, but he was used to it by now.

"Ah, but this place is good and private," Dennis said in a hushed voice. "We've come here before to meet with other Changed. Those truckers will be gone in ten to fifteen minutes, and even if they do listen to us, they won't have a clue what we're saying."

CM frowned, rested her hearty forearms on the table edge, then finally nodded. "Good enough. So, we know you've found more Changed up here. How is the NoVa community coming?"

"There's about seven of us now," Dennis replied in a whisper. "And that's including Sandrick who doesn't come to our meetings. I've heard through the grapevine that there are a few more working in DC but for security reasons can't reveal themselves."

"Only seven?" Rob asked, eyes narrowing. "As big as this area is?"

"That's the problem, ya," Jan said laconically. "Lots of people, but too big for us to see. We find more after August."

"That's something," CM murmured as she shifted about in her seat, "we're going to have to talk about. August is almost on us. In another month we're going to have a lot more Changed."

"You want us to come down to Blacksburg with the other Changed in VA to meet sometime in the next month?" Dennis asked

"Change day falls on a Sunday this year," the bear replied, counting off the dates on her claws. "Rob and I were thinking of booking a restaurant the weekend before and inviting everyone down who could make it. Drive in and out the same day if ya'll had to."

The boar grinned to the bear on his right. He turned a bit in his seat and said, "Dennis and I can stay in a hotel so we can give you more practice riding!"

CM lowered her eyes at that, and tightened her paws into makeshift fists. "That's up to you. Not everyone can afford it."

"So," Dennis asked, looking over at Carter and Rob, "How many more Changed can we expect?"

Before the skunk could stop him, Carter blurted, "At least twice as many. And that's just in new Changed." The skunk wanted to say something, but shook his head and let the wolf blather on. "There's all the Changed that don't know about the Network out there now. With more Changed period, we're probably going to see the Network population go up to at least ten thousand in a year. At least that's what our models say."

"Ten thousand!" Dennis gasped. "It's hard to believe that there are so many."

"Ya!" Jan agreed, though his sanguine amusement kept the shock from his voice. "But at least we'll still be the old timers in at the very beginning!"

"There is that," Rob conceded. "Although those few at the very beginning would still say were all a bunch of newbies."

The boar waved one hoof-like hand. "In another five years we'll be the old timers. You have to think long term."

"Well," CM grumbled, her eyes staring at a well-laden waitress, "my thoughts are particularly short term right now."

Jan erupted with a squealing laugh.

{{Separator|k}}

Dinner proved delicious but not exquisite. CM enjoyed her fish, chicken, and sides, and also enjoyed the fact that her bill wasn't too exorbitant. Jan took care of the tip for everyone and the five of them went back to the van after saying goodbye to their server. Jan and she talked briefly about Jan's mother and how she was doing but the boar quickly followed them out.

"What's wrong with your mother?" CM asked her friend after he clopped across the asphalt.

Jan frowned, an expression that wrinkled his snout in an unfamiliar way. "It's cancer. Had it off and on for the last four years. Mom's doing okay for now, but we have to keep close watch on her. I visit them on Sundays." A faint smile crept back into his countenance. "If things turn for the worse, I'll tell her just what her son is."

"A pig?" Dennis asked without the slightest trace of humor.

"A boar," Jan replied with pride. "Far better than a pig."

"I'll keep her in my prayers," CM offered and the boar's smile widened.

"I have said many novenas for her, but thank you!" To the bear's surprise, Jan gave her a sudden hug and then a slap on the back. "That's what friends are for, ya!" He jumped into the passenger seat and his good humor appeared to fully return. "So can we take you anywhere else? Still plenty of daylight left."

It was past seven already, but they had at least another hour of sunlight left before twilight would bring its darkening touch. Carter yawned and climbed into the van, "We should probably get back. We've got an early day tomorrow."

CM noted out of the corner of her eye the skunk glancing between her and the boar. "Carter's right," Rob said. "We should be getting back to the hotel. It's been a long and tiring day."

"We could drop you two off," Jan suggested mildly as Dennis climbed in beside him. The hedgehog's spines thrummed as he settled into the driver's seat. The seats were cloth and looked recently upholstered but still had a few holes where the hedgehog's spines got the better of the weave. The boar looked at the bear and grinned. "Want to come over and practice riding? You have to keep practicing to ride. You'll be happy you did when you get your own bike."

CM didn't doubt it, and the thought of taking a little time to ride on their bikes along the lightly travelled roads feeling the wind through her fur appealed greatly to her. It would be nice to see where Jan and Dennis lived too. Every time they'd gotten together, it was Jan and Dennis who rode down to Blacksburg and not the other way around.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a warm smile. She then felt an undo measure of scrutiny coming from the skunk and realized just how utterly feminine her intonation had been. Steeling herself, the bear took a breath and shook her head. "But Carter and Rob are right. We've an early morning ahead of us and it has been a long day. Thank you for the offer though. I'll make it up to you next time."

Jan laughed and settled in his seat. "Sure thing. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Warp Speed!"

"Could we try the speed limit instead?" CM suggested with a laugh hidden behind her fangs.

"Ya, we could give that a try too. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Speed Limit!" Dennis turned the engine over and gave the boar a long stare which coming from a pudgy hedgehog face looked fairly ridiculous. Jan's chest heaved with his mirth and he shook his snout back and forth. "Nope, doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

{{Separator|k}}

They returned safe and sound to the hotel. Dennis drove slower this time though every time they went around a curve they could feel the hedgehog pushing down on the accelerator. But his dirving skills were just as good as he'd claimed. No matter how he pushed the van, they never felt even the slightest suggestion of danger.

Before dropping them off, Jan extracted a promise from CM to come visit and ride together before the August Change made it more difficult. The she-bear didn't make it too hard, merely worrying about her work schedule and the cost of gas. Rob was surprised she didn't mention Leslie. The skunk knew the bear's wife a little. Leslie was such a private person it was hard to get to know her. But it had never been hard to see that CM and she loved each other, even if Leslie had no idea what CM really was. That CM didn't mention her in her short litany of excuses set the gears in the skunk's mind turning.

After Dennis and Jan drove off, the three Changed marched back into the hotel air conditioning and sighed in relief. Carter's ears and tail drooped as he said, "I'm going to go crash. See you both tomorrow."

"Good Night, Carter," CM said with a weay smile.

The wolf shut his door quietly as the skunk and bear continued to theirs. Rob clicked his tongue against his short, sharp teeth and said, "Hey, CM, you have a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Let's go into your room so we don't disturb Carter."

CM nodded, dark eyes perplexed but as calm as ever. The air inside her room was arctic cold. Rob drew his tail over his chest in surprise. "Sorry about that," CM apologized in a huff. "I left the AC on full blast. It's actually a little chilly for me too now."

Rob settled onto the bed and sighed loudly while the bear fiddled with the AC controls. "Okay, Chris, this is getting a little weird for me."

The bear turned at her real name and he could see a surprised look in her eyes. She sat down in the chair and rested her paws on her knees. The chair was wide enough and strong enough that it didn't creak from her weight. She self-consciously lowered her snout and almost hid the exposed curves of her breasts. "What is?"

The skunk knew mincing words with the she-bear was a pointless exercise. CM was very good at parsing language to suit her arguments. "You and Jan. The first time I saw you together you nearly tore his head off for making a sexist advance at you. Now you either ignore his constant flirting or you get all girly. It's really starting to scare me, Chris. You didn't even mention you were worried about Leslie's schedule when he asked you to come back in a few weeks!"

CM bristled and her jowls drew back. She heaved, her breath still reeking of onions and fish. "I am not flirting with Jan!"

"But you sat next to him. You've seen him how many times this year already, four, five? Normally when you're around other Changed you act like a Momma Bear. But you aren't doing that with Jan. Good grief, Chris!"

"I get together with Jan ''and'' Dennis," she growled. "And I've been consciously trying not to be a Momma Bear."

"Well you're succeeding, cause you're acting like a young woman falling in love instead!"

CM growled again, but this time kept her tongue behind her teeth. She glared down at her legs and paws, digging her claws through the thick, brown fur. "I'm not in love with him. He's just a friend. I love Leslie."

"When was the last time you and Leslie did anything together?"

"I..." CM shook her head and flecked her lips at the skunk. "Stop trying to fix me, Rob! My relationship with my wife is complicated! I love her, but I have to hide this from her. If she knew that I was female... No, I can't let that happen."

"You have to tell her sometime. I told Audrey, and we aren't even married yet."

"You're lucky!" CM snarled. "You're still male!"

"That could change in month like it did for you."

"I'm exceptional! There aren't many of us who've changed genders as well as species! You don't understand."

Rob took a deep breath and let the bear get her rage back under control. If she got any angrier she'd tear gouges into the chair arms with her claws, or worse. The skunk lowered his snout and ran one paw through his thick tail. "You cannot be yourself with Leslie, Chris. But you can with Jan. And right now you're female. I'm worried you might do something you'd regret because your body so badly wants..."

A dangerous glint came to the bear's eye. "Sex?"

Rob knew better than to go there. "Companionship. Whatever. Jan isn't your answer."

"He's a friend. That's all. I'm not going to betray Leslie." Every word came with a fresh growl.

Rob did his best to smile as he stood. "Good. I trust you. Now stick with it."

CM appeared to seeth for a few moments. As the skunk rose to leave, she composed herself and stood. "I'd like to be alone now. Thank you for telling me what you think, Rob. Get a good night sleep and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The skunk nodded and left the bear alone. He'd said what he had to. He swung his tail free and quietly shut the door behind him.

{{Separator|k}}

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
July 19, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm tired of being female. I've been female for almost three years now. Leslie doesn't know because I don't know what it would do to our marriage. Only the other Changed know and that is what makes things hard. They see me and treat me like a woman, and half the time I act like a woman and don't think anything of it! How can I lead a double life like this? How can I keep doing it? It just hurts too much!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Rob came by this evening and accussed me of flirting with Jan. He said it looked like I was falling in love with him! I'm not! Jan is... Jan! While I confess he's not as irritating as I thought at first, and the manner in which he displays his masculinity is far more appealing to me as a woman than I would have ever expected, there is someone else I'd rather be with. Oh Leslie, if only I could be with you, all of this would go away! If only I could be male again! If only you were Changed and could understand!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I don't think Jan does more than tease me for the sake of teasing me. When I first met him I think he was still being a pig. But since then, he seems more intent on getting me into bikes than he does into my pants. I think he understands my struggles and while perhaps he isn't helping as much as he could, he isn't making things harder.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But am I? That's what Rob seems to think. I wanted to smack his snout with the back of my paw for hearing him suggest such things. But is he right? It's taken me a full hour of Discovery Channel just to calm down enough to write in this journal. And I still don't know for sure how I feel. I was alone for six years with this Change. Now that I can finally be with others, am I trying for things I shouldn't have? If not for Leslie, would I have given in and dated Jan? The thought sends shivers through my fur!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I hope and pray that in a few weeks I'll be male again and all of this can be straightened out. Tomorrow we go before Congressman Sandrick and tell him our projections for the Changed population. If we're right, things are going to get very interesting in a few years. Somehow, I'm far more confidant about how the world will accept the Changes than how I will deal with my own. What if I stay a female bear? At some point I will stop Changing. What will I do then? I just don't know. For now I will sleep on it and hope for the best.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, give me the wisdom I need to do Your will and to follow in Your ways. In nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti. Amen.

</div>

{{Separator|k}}

By the time Walter the longhorn bull came to gather them, all three were dressed and ready. They carried their luggage down to the hotel lobby a full five minutes before Walter descended the stairs. The bull dressed as was his custom in a black suit that blended with his splotchy hide at the neck, with a patterned red tie and ironic bovine tie tac. He noted their attire and nodded gratefully before checking out of the hotel.

Both Rob and Carter were also dressed in black suits which blended with their fur. Apart from Carter's white shirt and golden eyes, the wolf nearly blended into his outfit. Even his tail wagging between his coattails struck the bear as unremarkable. Rob's monochromatic tail was more noticeable, the base pushing aside his coattails as it curled upwards in a characteristic question mark. But despite the incongruity of animals in business attire, they each managed a look of dignity that surpassed most of the other hotel patrons they saw walking in and out the entrance.

CM, due to her physique, wore a plus-size woman's business jacket and blouse with matching navy blue slacks. Both blouse and jacket were modest and sufficiently androgynous that she garnered no unusual looks from the other hotel guests, but she still felt conspicuously feminine. Before last night she hadn't thought much on her business attire, but now she knew that all the other Changed would even more consciously think of her as female. There was nothing to be done for the moment but to accept it and all that went with it.

Besides, in a month she hoped she'd be male again and could put this chapter behind her.

Walter Lundh nodded to each of them as they gathered by the lobby doors. "Do you each have everything?" At their positive reply, his bovine snout parted in the faintest of smiles. "Good. Follow me and we can be on our way."

He led them into the parking lot and right back to the minivan. They stowed their luggage in the back and climbed inside. Though it was still early in the morning, already the air was too humid for CM's taste. Even Carter began panting as the van got underway. Walter cranked the AC and pulled back onto the highway. "It won't take us long to get into DC, so I'm going to briefly go over our schedule. Congressman Sandrick has arranged a breakfast for us in his office. After we've had a quick bite to eat, you will begin your presentations. CM, you will go first since your presentation has the punchline. Mr. Ryan, you'll go next so you can better explain the methodology, and Mr. Hallman you'll be last to describe the resources used. Once all are done we are at the Congressman's pleasure to further explain anything he wants to know. We'll then have lunch and afterward I'll drive you back to Dulles to catch your return flights. Are there any questions?"

"No," Rob replied. "It's better to get in and out."

"How bad will traffic be?" Carter asked. The wolf glanced at the cars flanking them on either side of the highway. While not nearly as many as there would be on a weekday, traffic was far heavier than anything they were familiar with seeing.

"This should be the worst we see," Walter replied with a bovine grunt. "In about ten minutes you'll see the Pentagon, and in another ten we'll be at the Rayburn building. If you have any last minute preparations to make, now is the time."

CM reached into her satchel and pulled out the hard copies of her slides. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rob and Carter do the same. With a growling chuckle, she began rehearsing her lines.

{{Separator|k}}

It took a full half-hour before they parked in the underground parking lot beneath the Rayburn building. Even for a Sunday the lot was two-thirds full. After parking, Lundh made a brief call while Rob, Carter, and CM put their presentation materials back in their briefcases and climbed out. The air was still humid, but the darkness brought a relief from the Summer heat already building outside.

The longhorn hung up and gestured toward the far end of the lot. "We'll be met by the elevators in a few minutes. Do you each have everything you need?" They nodded and then so did he. "Good. I'm told Number Two is already here so we can begin as soon as we finish eating."

"Number Two?" Carter asked, his tail lowering between his legs. "You mean the second guy to Change?"

"Yes," Walter said with an almost perceptible roll of his glassy eyes. "Of necessity Mr. De Smet has been a leader in the Changed Community. For the sake of his privacy, he prefers to be known as Number Two now."

Together the four of them made their way through the crowded parking lot. Most of the cars parked within were luxury sedans though there were a few sporting vehicles and a handful of trucks too. As they reached the line of elevators at the far end one of them opened and out stepped a raccoon in a business suit. His masked face brightened with a show of fangs when he saw them approach.

He extended a black-furred hand toward the bull. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Lundh."

The longhorn shook his hand and nodded. "And you, Mr. Norton. This is Robert Hallman, Carter Ryan, and Christopher Mattiaz. Gentlemen, this is Mr. Evan Norton, Congressman Sandrick's Internet Coordinator." There was no hint of irony in the bulls's voice as he pronounced the raccoon's title.

Evan shook their paws one at a time, green eyes noting CM a little more closely before turning back to the elevator. It looked large enough to host a small convention. "All is waiting for you. Just follow me and we'll be there in moments. Do you have your passes?"

Walter handed each of them a lobbyist pass which they clipped to their lapels as they stepped onto the elevator. Their nostrils flared as they took in each other's scents in so close proximity. The elevator hummed softly as they went up two levels. Evan tapped his claws together nervously and CM realized that he was just as young as they were. "Have you worked long for the Congressman?" the shebear asked.

"Only since last December," Evan replied. "The Congressman needed somebody who could be a connection to the Changed community without drawing too much notice. Nobody pays attention to internet staffers yet, so here I am." His smile was half-hearted, but he didn't sound disappointed with his lot in life. CM nodded and settled in her corner of the elevator for a few seconds more.

The Rayburn office building was one of many office buildings in DC for Congressmen. And with Congress still in session, even on a Sunday the halls were busy with Representatives, their aides, and lobbyists scurrying back and forth to curry favor on this or that bill. Evan led them from the elevator down one hall all the while assuring them that their passage would not be noticed. Not that they needed assuring; everyone else they saw was still human and far too wrapped up in their own affair to care about them or the internet staffer to a sophomore congressman.

Congressman Sandrick's office had a front desk where a receptionist could sit and handle all comers but there was no one there now. A sign sat on the desk apologizing to any lobbyist that the Congressman couldn't see them today. Evan ignored this and headed straight for the door to the back office where the real work was done. Walter followed him and with the opening of the door two new animal scents greeted them as did the delectable aroma of fresh fruits and cooked meats.

Standing behind a solid oak desk was a broad badger with dark eyes. Black paws with long claws were folded over his middle. Sitting in a well cushioned chair was a tall red fox in a tan suit. Both smiled as they entered.

The congressman smiled and waved one of those long-clawed paws at the array of chairs set around his desk. "I'm Congressman Phillip Sandrick of South Carolina. I know Walter Lundh has been having you do work for the Changed Community and you're here today to report on your findings. You can speak freely in this office. I've cleared my schedule for the day and my chief of staff is off on a fact finding errand that will keep him from disturbing us. The rest of my staff have the day off. We have as long as we need. Please refresh yourselves and enjoy a bit of breakfast. I'd like to get to know ya'll a little before I take your advice."

"Thank you," CM said, her eyes going to the platters of fresh fruit, jerky, and sausage beneath the windows on the left wall. A projector had been set up facing the right wall and Evan immediately sat down at a nearby computer and began clicking through windows.

The badger gestured to the fox who rose from his seat and wagged his tail once. "This is Mr. Reynaldo De Smet, more commonly known as Number Two. He's been regaling me with the history of the early Changed community for an hour now, and while very interesting, I'm going to have to strangle him if he tells the tale of foiling the traditional English fox hunt one more time."

The fox laughed and waved one hand. "You are too kind, Phillip." The badger rolled his eyes while the fox turned to the rest. "As my easily irritated friend has said, my name is Reynaldo De Smet. My mother was French, my father Belgian, and they must have known I'd go into acting when they named me."

"I've never heard of you," Carter said.

The fox nodded. "As it should be. After I became this back in 1988, my career took a decided turn to the local markets. And since we are still too few in number to risk having too many in prominent positions, I am known in the Changed community as Number Two."

"Walter said you wanted to be called that for your privacy," Rob pointed out. "I thought actors wanted fame."

Reynaldo shook his head and sat back down. "Very true! But for now, I need the anonymity to maintain my standing as a local artist only. Once I become known by my real name as a Changed artist, I won't be able to do just local venues anymore. But that is enough of me. I understand it is you three who've achieved something for the Changed community. Tell us of yourselves. I can talk forever if I must."

Phillip nodded from behind his desk. "I'll vouch for that. You should be in Congress, De Smet. You make more sense than a lot of the clowns I deal with and still manage to irritate."

"It is a gift," Reynaldo agreed with a playful wink.

CM and Rob laughed while Carter filled his plate with jerky and sausage. CM selected several choice fruits and berries in addition to a two plates of jerky and sausage while Rob chose a similar proportion only much smaller. Walter only chose fruits. Together the four sat down and one by one introduced themselves. Reynaldo asked questions here and there about their lives while Sandrick kept his focus on their technical qualifications. Nevertheless, by the time they'd finished eating everyone in the room felt comfortable with each other and the mood had lightened considerably.

"Well, if everyone is settled," Walter Lundh suggested, "perhaps we can begin the presentations?"

"Of course," Sandrick gestured at the raccoon and Evan came to where the rest sat.

The raccoon folded his paws as he looked over the trio. "I'm prepared for Power Point Presentations if you brought them. I'll clean any residual data from the computer once were done." They each reached into their briefcases and handed him disks which he took and loaded one by one into his computer. "Give me one minute and I'll have them up. Who is presenting first?"

"I am," the shebear said as she rose to her heavy paws. She pulled her business suit taut and glanced one last time over her preperation materials. CM set them back in her chair and then walked over to the projector screen, laser pointer in paw.

"I'll get the blinds," Reynaldo said. The fox jumped from his seat and drew the blinds shut. He sat back down with the quiet grace of a professional actor.

CM felt all eyes turn to her. Sandrick leaned back in his wide chair, lightly durmming the tips of his claws against his knees. Lundh gazed placidly at her as any bull in a field might. Rob and Carter watched with polite encouragement writ in their beastly eyes. Reynaldo couldn't keep the twitch out of his tail as it dangled through the gap in his chair. Only Evan wasn't looking at her, and that was only because he was busy loading her presentation.

And then with one final click the raccoon scooted back in his seat and the projector splashed the first slide on the screen. "There we go," Evan said. "Just say 'Next' when you want me to advance the slides."

CM nodded and half turned between her audience and the screen. Her first slide was merely a title and her name. "Last year Walter Lundh contracted us to examine the issue of the Changed population and how it was growing. We were to develop a statistical and demographic model on where the Changed are, how many of us there are, and how many more of us there will be in August. Over the last ten months we've been collecting data from the Changed network, collating it, and running various models to determine what is the most statistically likely scenarios. Next."

The slide changed to an outline for the three presentations. It wasn't in the same order that Walter requested, but CM decided to gloss over that. "In my presentation I'll tell you what numbers we've found and what they mean. Carter will tell you what the demographics look like and where we can expect new Changed to crop up, and also, where we think all the missing Changed can be found. Rob will go over the technical systems we've developed in order to store and process the model data. Next."

She turned on the laser pointer and circled the bar graph showing. The horizontal axis had a list of years, while the vertical axis had population numbers. Except for the first few years listed, each block was larger than the one before it. "Here's where things stand now if you plot the Changed population in the Network versus the year that they Changed. This includes those who've died after joining the network." Which, she was grateful to learn, was only a handful so far. She circled the pointer over the very small block on the year 1988. "This block has only you in it, Reynaldo." The fox's ears flicked back and his muzzle tightened in a vulpine grin.

"But what is immediately obvious from these numbers is that every August the Changed population increases exponentially."

Sandrick shook his head. "I'm a Congressman, CM. I can't even balance a budget let alone do advanced math. What do you mean 'exponential'?"

CM rolled the pointer around in her heavy paw as she tried to think of a way to explain it that would make sense. "Every August, the total population of Changed is multiplied by a fixed amount. We're growing and we're going to grow faster every year. This we could see just from the numbers of Changed we know about. There are more in the Network who Changed last year than in the previous ten. What we had to do was determine what that fixed multiplier was."

The badger grimaced but began to nod. "I think I understand what you're saying. So do you have a number?"

CM nodded. "Next." The slide changed by adding some captions to the graph. "With a little over 86 percent certainty, the Changed population doubles every August 17th. Which means, that there should be ten times as many Changed worldwide than what we currently have in the network. And also, it means that after August 2007, there will be a million Changed worldwide. In 2017, a billion Changed. And after 2020, everyone will be Changed."

For several seconds, no one said anything while those staggering numbers sank in.

At last Reynaldo let out a short yipping laugh. "Well, we knew we were growing fast, but... are you sure about this? We've only three thousand in the network. How do you know we're doubling like this?"

CM rumbled and gestured with a claw at the black wolf. "Carter's demographics analysis of the Changed population. That and my analysis on the trends in the last few years showing when Changed are discovered and added to the Network. That said, we have only 86 percent certainty about these results. We could be overestimating or underestimating actual growth, but we're almost one hundred percent certain that the growth is exponential. Which means unless the Change stops, in the next thirteen to thirty years everyone on Earth will be Changed."

"How did you arrive at that date range?" Sandrick asked as he scratched behind one circular ear.

CM waved her paws at the projector. "The next slide has the tolerance figures we've put on the exponential growth. It's what gave us the range. Evan?" The raccoon nodded and tapped a key. The screen changed to show a table of figures. CM drew her laser pointer along the top row. "Here we have the lowest and highest possible exponent bases that fit the models. At the low end, we have the population increasing by a little over 1.75 each August. At that rate, it would be 2027 to 2029 before all the world was Changed, barring major shifts in global population trends. Carter will talk about those details. At the high end the rate is just shy of 2.25, which means that by 2015 everyone would be Changed.

"Now both of these are extreme cases and represent the tolerance for our analysis. But the probability that the real rate is one or the other is very slim. The most likely situation is that the rate is closer to 2 if not 2 precisely."

Reynaldo tapped one claw against the side of his snout. "It didn't look like the Changed were doubling each year in the graph you just showed us. Some of them looked like they'd more than doubled. Could this rate be changing each year too?"

CM nodded and tapped her claws together. She rather liked the fox. He put things in plain language yet seemed to understand and anticipate her explanations. It dawned on her as she studied him that he was the first Changed she'd met that had been Changed longer than she had. A smile teased the edges of her heavy jowls. She'd have to talk with him afterward if possible. But first, she said, "We considered that and it still may be the case. With Congressman Sandrick's assistance we'll be able to keep analysing the Changed population over the next few years. That will help us refine our conclusions. But those variances you've noted can also be explained by demographics. We think that is much more likely given the intelligent nature of the Change and how it manifests in the world."

Sandrick frowned, glancing briefly at Walter Lundh who watched the presentations with bovine placidity. The badger turned his gaze back on the bear. "Could you explain that comment please? What do you mean by the intelligent nature of the Change?"

"Well, I'll be spoiling one of Carter's points but I don't think he'll mind too much."

The wolf laughed and wagged his tail. "You're the one who put a name to it, CM. Go for it."

CM nodded her thanks and turned back to the congressman. "There are a couple of reasons. First, the reality distortion field, or RDF, as it's called on the Network. A radical change as we've undergone would surely be noticed unless there was some aspect to it that made it imperceptible to others. But it isn't fully. I've had a friend swear they were pushing against thin air when they touched my head. Our Change is more than just illusion, it is real. An the altering of perception is constrained to a fixed area about ourselves. Which is why we leave hoof prints or paw prints when we walk. Separating one part of our body from another doesn't change the effect either, which is why shed fur just looks like human hair to others. So in that sense, the Change operates under rules, rules that we can discover through scientific inquiry and also through deductive and historical science."

CM gestured to Carter and continued. "Secondly, the pattern in which the Change spreads, so far as we've been able to determine, is centred around Chicago and expanding in what appears at first blush to be a fractal. This is very incomplete because we've used a lot of conjecture to fill in the gaps of Changed we know based on our population model who aren't in the Network. But, in the last few months we've tested this model based on the newest Changed we've discovered. We've had to make a few tweaks, but with a little over fifty percent accuracy, the Changed originated where we predicted them too.

"And that leads to the third reason I state that the Change is an intelligent phenomenon. With as little data as we have, we've been able to construct models from which we can make predictions and have such confidence in them. Our model's predictive capability is slightly better than flipping a coin, and it's leagues better than any odds you'll get at a casino. And our estimates of exponential growth indicate the most likely base is an integer! Nature, undirected, doesn't typically operate with integers. That speaks strongly, from a philosphical perspective, of intelligent direction in the course of the Change."

Reynaldo waved his paws in the air and laughed. "It sounds to me like you might be making the ROB argument. That the Change is proof of the existence of the divine."

"ROB?" Rob asked with an amused twitch of his long tail.

"Random Omnipotent Being," Walter grunted. "It's a term being tossed about in the forums by those who believe the Change is of supernatural origin but are unwilling to ascribe it to a particular religion." From the tone of the bull's voice, CM could tell he didn't think too highly of the concept or those pandering it.

"Ah, I must have missed those threads," Rob said softly.

CM rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Apart from being an oxymoron, an omnipotent being cannot be random because random implies that there is more than one and an omnipotent being by the very quality of omnipotence is singular, I'm not actually proposing the ROB theory. I happen to be Catholic and believe very strongly in the existence of the divine as the source of ultimate creation. I can recite the creed if you want. What I'm saying is that I think the Change is intelligent in the sense that it is the consequence of intelligent action and design. It need not be an act of God per se because nature as I said does not usually rely on integral rates for anything. That typifies more the act of a limited intelligence and suggests to me that while I cannot tell you how it is being affected, the Change likely has its source in natural intelligence rather than supernatural."

Sandrick shook his head and started laughing. "You use a lot of big words and I confess I'm not following all of it. But are you saying this is the work of aliens?"

Carter let out a single bark in amusement, Rob covered his snout to stiffle his laugh, and Evan had to wrap his muzzle in the crook of an elbow to keep himself from breaking down. Even Reynaldo's tail and whiskers trembled in mirth. Only Walter was unmoved by the suggestion.

"I don't know," CM confessed. "I can't speak to the particular mechanism of the Change. Only that it seems to me to have as its origin a natural intelligence. Now, I also believe that, like all of nature, it is used by God to further His will, and that for some reason He wants me to be female for a time. I do not understand it but I accept it as best I can. But I also believe He gave us the capacity to understand the Change. The fact that we've been able to learn so much with such a small population sample tells us something that I don't think we should ignore."

Reynaldo waved one paw. "I'm satisfied with that answer. I'm a little unnerved by your suggestion, but since we don't know either how it works, I don't see how we can say no to it. I'd love to see you write your theory up and post it to the forums. It's certainly worth exploring some. But that's beside the point. I've lived with being a fox for a very long time. You say you can make some predictions. What are we looking at come this August?"

The she-bear felt a bit embarassed that she allowed her temptation to erudition to wander so freely in front of these important men. She did have a presentation to finish. Turning back to the projector, she circled the left column. "Here are the years, and here are the population projections by exponential base. If we are doubling, then we can expect an additional 32,896 Changed on August 17. With that many more, we anticipate an even higher percentage of the Changed population will find the Network, both for new Changed and those who have believed themselves to be alone."

"It might be time," Sandrick mused, "to consider changing our recruitment tactics." The badger stroked the fur under his snout with one claw. "Any Changed that watches C-SPAN will eventually see me and figure out they aren't alone. But that isn't going to be a lot. I've kept a low-profile since I Changed. Maybe I should seek more publicity?"

Walter shook his head ever so slightly. Still, the tips of his horns swept out large deadly arcs in the air. "The more publicity any of us seeks, the greater risk we expose the Changed community. Our numbers are too few at this time to risk exposure."

"We're going to be exposed at some point," Rob said. The skunk laconically shrugged his shoulders. "What difference does it make now or later?"

"The infrastructure for Changed is still in its infancy," Lundh said, jabbing his hoof-like hand into the air. "It needs more time and more Changed to mature. I'm looking at your numbers, and if you're right about the doubling, then we have a few years to go before I'm willing to even consider risking more publicity."

Sandrick lowered his paw and nodded. "You're right, Walter. There is a lot of work still to be done, and much of it will not be done here today." His dark eyes focussed on the bear and his voice took on a note of authority. This was a man who was used to people doing what he told them. "What more do you have to say in your presentation?"

CM folded her paws over her growing belly. "Mostly various projections and the data to back up our claims."

"No more bombs to be dropped?"

"No, sir. From here on out we explain the data behind the bombs we've dropped."

Sandrick grinned, exposing the many pearly, white spears the Change had given him. "Then let us hear the data."

CM nodded and looked to the raccoon. "Next slide please."

{{Separator|k}}

"And that's all I have," Rob said. The skunk shurgged his shoulders, long tail dancing behind him and occasionally getting in the way of the projector.

Phillip Sandrick stood and spread his paws on the table before him. His long claws tapped the wood with a pleasing rattle. "Thank you gentleman. Seeing as it is nearly noon, I suggest a short break. I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you before you depart, but as I'm starving, you'll forgive me if I make you wait a few minutes more. I won't be interfering with your travel plans will I?"

"No," Walter replied. "I've arranged for seats on later flights if necessary, but we still have a few hours yet before they're needed."

"Good." The badger patted his paws once on the desk and waltzed around to snag something to eat. "Let's take as least fifteen minutes to relax and enjoy some food."

Nobody else needed convincing. Evan bolted from his seat by the computer and was rifling his paws through the crackers and meats. Rob and Carter flanked him. Walter kept to the other side where the vegetables were. Only CM, who'd been snaking from the buffet table ever since finishing her presentation, didn't join in the rush for delectables. She caught the fox's eyes as he returned to his seat with a plate full of cold cuts.

A little nervously, CM asked, "Number Two, do you mind talking privately for a moment? There's some things I'd like to ask you."

Reynaldo's ears lifted and his jowls brimmed with good humour. "Of course not. Let's go back to Sandrick's reception room. That's probably pretty private today."

None of the other Changed objected and so the bear and fox stepped into the reception room. Along the wall beneath the light of the windows was a row of large old-fashioned chairs. CM gingerly sat in one, and though the wood groaned, it held her weight. Reynaldo draped his tail over the decorative arm and sat cross-legged next to her.

"So, what's on your mind, CM? Curious to know what things were like in the beginning?"

"A little," CM admitted. "I know it must have been lonely. I was. I guess I just wanted to finally talk to somebody who's been this way longer than I have. You're the first I've ever met."

Reynaldo nibbled on a bit of shredded ham. "And judging by the numbers you've crunched, there aren't too many of us that have been Changed longer than you. Ninety-six, right? So I've been this way only eight years longer than you. The numbers become less important with time. Eight years. Ten years. Twenty years. After you've lived them, they all blend together."

"But still," CM said softly, her eyes straying hungrily to the fox's plate, "You have been Changed longer than I have. I know that I'm always going to be one of the oldest Changed, if not the oldest, in any gathering of Changed. Has it always been that way with you?"

Reynaldo yipped a laugh and shook his head. "Actually, no. The very first Changed I met was Number One. She's a musician, and I an actor. It turns out her band was booked for the same theatre that I was working in at the time between roles. This was back in late ninety-three. So for five years I thought I was the only one. Seeing Cass there," his golden eyes took on a faraway look and the slit pupils narrowed as a flash of sunlight poured through the windows, "was like falling in love for the first time all over again."

"The two of you are together?"

Reynaldo shook his head. "No, no. She married before the Change to her drummer, and they have three kids already. He's a good man and all three are good kids. Shortly after we met, she told him about the Change which he took in good stride. He hasn't Changed yet himself, but her youngest boy became a bright looking fox last August. Of course, he's seventeen now, but I still remember him when he was little trying to sing along with his Mom; he could hit the high notes just like she did!"

CM felt herself smiling and delighting in the little aside about the boy. It was the Momma Bear in her again, but she indulged it for now. "That's so sweet. So how long was it before you met the others in Chicago? It seems there's a lot of older Changed there."

"We met Red, Number Three I mean, a year later, and the rest of the early crowd by 2000. Nobody else from that time period has shown up in or near Chicago. Did you model predict there would be more there?"

"A few yes, but most are probably like me and appeared in isolation as new seeds. I've already had two people in my current hometown Change in the last year. I guess... how did you handle it?"

"Being alone? Probably the same way you did," Reynaldo admitted. He shoved the last of the ham on his tongue and swallowed it with only a few quick bites. "Once we started finding each other, we started having weekly meetings to help each other out. With five to seven of us it was easy. Once we had twenty, we had to move to monthly meetings, and then it was the mailing list. We had somebody hack the list in ninety-seven so that got shut down. Then, some tech savvy mouse put together the website and security measures and we've bene online ever since. When Walter joined us a few years back he got the money together to buy the current servers and to wrap up the domain names for any sites we might want to use in the future."

"And your role in the Network?"

"Spokesman, old fart, wily fox, something like that," Reynaldo laughed and held out the plate. "Here, you finish the rest before you start drooling on it."

CM took the plate in one paw and lowered her owls. "Oh, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. I've seen worse. A friend of mine got Changed into a St. Bernard. He carries handkerchiefs with him just so the humans don't notice. And heaven forbid he shake!"

CM laughed as she picked through the meats. "I've been a Rottweiler twice now, so I know what it's like being a dog and contending with drool."

"Now that's one thing I don't think I could have managed," Reynaldo said as he gestured at the bear. "Changing shape again and again. And gender too. I see you're married. Wife or husband?"

"Wife," CM said a little more quickly than she would have liked. "She's still human and doesn't know. We married while I was male. I'd hoped marriage would keep me male, but that hasn't happened."

"I'm sorry. You just didn't say anything about her, so I didn't know what to assume."

CM swallowed a bit of turkey and nodded. "Fair enough. It has not been easy on me. Before I met any other Changed, being female was just something I knew about myself. Now others are treating me like a woman and it's getting harder to supress."

"Who's been treating you like a woman?"

"None of you, but all Changed who see me before they find out do. There's one guy who knows but slips up frequently. I think he does it on purpose."

Reynaldo shook his head. "What an ass."

"Boar actually," CM replied with a laugh threatening at the back of her throat. "He's a good man, just aggravating at times."

Reynaldo blinked and ran one paw over his forehead. "Does it bother you when he does it? I know one gender Changed in the Chicago area that gets absolutely livid when she's treated like a woman."

"It depends," CM replied. "If I wasn't married or if I knew I'd be stuck as a female I might feel differently about it. But since I keep on Changing, until I stop I don't know what to do!"

Reynaldo nodded and scratched himself behind one ear. "I've seen some of those guides you've been writing up on the Network. Keep doing that. It's been very helpful to the others."

"Thank you, I will."

"And since," the fox smiled that impish smile which made his golden eyes gleam, "you Changed back in ninety-six, that makes you eligible for the First Ten club. I think we need a better name, but it's something Cass and I've been tossing back and forth since the Change started exploding like it has in the last few years."

The shebear picked the last bit of salami from the plate and downed it. "What is it?"

"Just something we've been talking about on the side. Just for us who Changed in the first ten years. There were never many of us, so we all have that alone story in common. With the way things are going, most Changed won't remember what it's like to be alone. Those of us who were will always feel a little out of place, even once the whole world Changes. We don't know what we're going to do, maybe meet once every few years like a reunion to gripe about all the youngins, but if you're interested I'll add you to the roster."

CM smiled and set the plate aside. "Thank you, Reynaldo. I really appreciate that. I would like to be part of it. I don't know how much I can contribute."

"Just do what you're doing. Let old timers like Cass, Red, and I worry about this for now."

"Okay," CM agreed and leaned back a bit. The chair groaned under the bear's weight. "So are you in anything currently?"

Reynaldo's eyes looked skyward. "We're doing Lerner and Lowe's Camelot this Season. I'm playing Lancelot of all people. After that I just have minor roles. If you could get to Chicago I could get you tickets."

"Unless Walter wants to foot the bill, I'm not going anywhere!"

"I'll see if I can send you a video then," Reynaldo stood up and patted the bear on the shoulder. "Shall we go back in? Or was there something else."

CM shook her head and stood much to the chair's relief. "No. I didn't even know what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to talk to somebody who'd been this way longer than me for once."

Reynaldo's grin was true and his grip on the bear's shoulder was firm. "You're doing just fine, CM. And thank you for all you're doing for us. Just knowing what's happening is a great blessing."

"That it is," CM replied as they made their way to Sandrick's office again.

{{Separator|k}}

"First," Congressman Sandrick said once they were all seated and paying attention to the badger, "I want to commend you all on your work. You've done a hard but necessary task for the Changed community, and as one of its spokesman, I thank you. Your numbers will help us plan for the coming years. In the next five years I think we can expect vast changes as we prepare for the day when it will be impossible to keep the Change a secret. And for that reason I believe you three should continue your work."

The badger gestured with one paw at the projector which now lay dormant. "While you won't need to come give me presentations like this again, and it is probably safer if you do not, I would like quarterly reports on the Changed population and what your models show. We can quibble about the format of the reports later, but I do want updated numbers and graphs like you showed me today. Send whatever you have to Walter and he'll make sure it comes to me.

"And," he said, holding out one paw to forestall any objections or questions, "because I'm asking you to do this on a schedule, and because of the good work you've already done, I'm going to find a way to pay you for your services. Walter and I will work out the legal aspects, but you will be reimbursed for your efforts to date and any work you do for us in the future." Carter wagged his tail and panted in delight, Rob pumped his fist, and CM rumbled deep in her chest. Finally, some money!

"Now I want you to realize something. The Changed organization can control things by and large for now because we are small and unnoticed. If your numbers are correct, then this is going to spiral out of our control very quickly. People on the ground are going to have ideas that we would never think of that will make our lives easier. Already people are doing what they must to adjust to this life. Although I didn't have to resew my clothes, I've heard that there are dozens of guides already posted on the forums. That's just the beginning."

Rob shook his head and asked, "So what are you getting at?"

Sandrick frowned at the skunk. "What I'm getting at is we have some of the most powerful members of the Changed community in this room right now, and I'm telling you that we aren't all that powerful. I'm only in my second term as a Congressman; I have to spend most of my time making sure I stay in Congress. Walter has his own clients, and Number Two only has power because of his position in the community. We are very much finite. Do not expect that because you are involved at this level that you will have much say in how the Changed community develops. You won't. But neither will we."

"I'm just happy to be getting paid for this," Rob replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I've got enough on my plate as it is without worrying about impacting the community."

"Good. That makes you ten times a better person than half the people who come into my office," Sandrick replied with a low growl that was not directed at the skunk. "And to be frank, it is refreshing talking to you because you aren't here with an agenda. I wish I could meet with you more often. But there's nothing to be done about that." He spread his paws on his desk and frowned, his muzzle scrunching and whiskers twitching on either jowl. "Are there any questions?"

Carter lifted his paw. His golden eyes kept sliding away from the badger's resolute stare. "You said that you didn't have the power to direct the Changed community. What can you do? You talk about planning, but what are we going to be planning?"

"We need to spend the next few years building up the Network. There's going to be a lot of people joining who are going to need help adjusting. Right now the network is in a support and grow phase. That is the best we can do. From a high-level we can discuss ideas on ways to support the needs of the community, but the actual implementation of those ideas will need to be done by those on the ground. For instance, Walter has done work with Changed who've been placed in mental institutions. Right now he has various connections scouring medical notices to find patients who meet the profile. When he finds them, he goes to interview them and help them adjust and if possible, take legal action to have them released. To date he's found... fourteen?"

"Fifteen," Walter supplied.

"Fifteen Changed in institutions. We're probably missing a large number of them, but until we have more people who can help, that's the best we can do. Walter, in addition to coordinating your efforts, is also spearheading a team to develop better approaches to this problem. They expect to be very busy after August 17th. Things like this we can plan for. But there's a lot we'll miss."

"That's all well and good," Reynaldo interjected, "but everyone else needs to know that we are doing something. That will give them the confidence to do what they need to do."

"And we are, and we will." Sandrick nodded to the fox. "You and everyone else need to get the word out that we are not going to let any more Change days pass without some plan to handle them."

"Even if our plans are just to do what we've always done and keep an eye out for anybody getting sick?"

"Yes, that's right."

The fox nodded and relaxed in his chair. "I'll do my part then."

Sandrick nodded and then turned to the skunk and bear. "I understand you two have appointed yourselves the leaders of the Changed living in the Virginias and neighbor states to the south. Do you have plans for the Change Day?"

Rob nodded. "Much the same. We've met with all the Changed we know in the area and have given them as much guidance as we can. Neither of us has a lot of experience finding new Changed. I Changed last year, and I'm the only person CM's ever talked through it."

"That's more than many receive. But as long as you have a plan you should be in good shape. Are there any other questions?" When nobody lifted a paw, the congressman grinned, showing a wide array of white fangs behind his lips. "Then it was a great pleasure meeting you all. I wish you the best of luck next month and in the years to come. I'll work out the details on what I want from you with Walter. Evan will show you out."

They all said their thanks to the badger who was polite, but from the way his eyes twitched to a stack of papers on his desk made it clear that he had other things he really needed to be getting to. The raccoon ushered them all back into the hallway and toward the elevators, including the fox. Reynaldo smiled at all the women he passed in a way that CM felt sure was risking a lawsuit in their litigation-happy society.

The elevator was even more cramped than before but they made it to the parking garage safely. Evan thanked them all and wished he could spend more time with them, but he had other duties for the badger that couldn't wait. They said their goodbyes and the raccoon disappeared back into the elevator.

Reynaldo stretched out his arms and yawned like a canine with wide jaws and long curled tongue. "Well, that was very interesting. We knew we were growing a lot but... marvellous work you three."

"Thanks," Rob replied. "I'm just glad to be getting paid for it."

The fox smiled and folded his arms behind his back. "I may see you again at another of these meetings or at a Changed gathering of some sort. If so, I'll make sure to have at least a meal with you. I wish I could promise more, but fame is a pain like that. Even only Changed fame."

"Hey, maybe we'll be famous for this work," Carter replied with an eager puppy-dog look to his face.

"Nobody cares about the number crunchers," Rob pointed out.

"We do have a flight to catch," Walter pointed out in a breathy grumble.

Wolf and skunk frowned, while CM extended her paw to the fox. "It was a great pleasure meeting you, Number Two. I hope our paths cross again."

Reynaldo smiled at her and he let his paw be engulfed in her own. "And I you. I hope your next Change makes you a man again." CM smiled a little more but said nothing.

Rob and Carter said their goodbyes to the fox too. Walter nodded to him and they briefly shook paws. Then they went their separate ways, each wondering if they would ever see each other again.

When they finally reached the van, all their minds a flutter with thoughts of money, impressing the congressman, and meeting one of the oldest of the Changed, the taciturn bull surprised them all when he turned and his muzzle broke into a firm, proud grin. "You three did a very good job in there. Thank you." And like that, the moment of praise passed and they were on their way back to the airport with yet one more thing to marvel at.

{{Separator|k}}

Rob and CM said goodbye to Carter and Walter at Dulles. The bull dropped them off, thanked them for a job well done and wished them a safe flight home. He helped them unload their luggage, assured them he would contact them soon about the reports Congressman Sandrick wanted, and then drove back to the highway.

The wolf's plane was the first to depart and the trio stayed together until the boarding call. Carter waved and wagged his tail as he followed the other passengers. They stayed to watch his plane taxi and then made their way to their terminal.

Dulles was too crowded an airport to let the skunk and bear talk freely so they chatted about movies and school while waiting for their afternoon flight. Though the Roanoke airport was only a regional airport, the flight was still fully booked. Again, Walter had managed to secure an empty seat next to CM, and apparently with enough money he was able to keep it empty. Rob had to sit next to a guy covered in tattoos with whom they chatted amiably during the hour flight. He ran a tattoo parlor in Roanoke and was looking at expanding his business. Both CM and Rob wondered for how much longer he'd be able to stay in business with the Change giving everyone thick coats of fur.

The flight was otherwise uneventful and they landed with ease and a few minutes ahead of schedule. They wished the tattoist the best of luck and made their way back to the skunk's car. CM sighed as they walked through the much cooler air of the Appalachians. Her muzzle broke into a predatory grin as she surveyed the green-capped mountains surrounding them. She loved it here; so much more beautiful than the DC area.

"Well, another hour's drive and we'll be home," Rob said as he stuffed his luggage in the trunk. "It feels like this visit took a week."

CM nodded and settled her bags next to the skunk's and then shut the trunk. "We've done a lot. It'll be good to get home."

"Audrey promised to cook up some steaks this evening. Care to join us? Both you and Leslie are welcome to come."

CM's stomach grumbled and she nodded. "Thank you. I'll ask Leslie when I see her."

Together they climbed in the car and Rob drove back down interstate 81 toward Blacksburg. The stereo serenaded them with something by Mythus. It wasn't until they passed the Ironto exit that either of them said anything. "You know," Rob said as the tip of his tail flicked behind his head, "Things are really going to be strange these next few years."

"Things have already been strange for me these last seven years," CM pointed out, though there was a laugh in her voice. "They will certainly be interesting. I wonder if anyone else we know will Change next month."

"I hope so. I hope it's Audrey. And Leslie. Be good for both of us."

CM grunted, paws resting in her lap. "As long as I'm male again."

"You will. Come on, CM, it'll happen."

"We'll see. It's only four weeks away."

The skunk nodded, sighed, and fell silent again. The roads through Blacksburg were lightly travelled in Summer and so once they left the highway it took very little time before they pulled into the Chasewood Downs parking lot. CM climbed out of the car and smiled to Rob. "I'll give you a call if we plan to come over."

"Great! Hope to hear from ya!"

CM collected her things and watched Rob drive off. She sighed and turned her eyes to her apartment. Leslie's car was parked in its usual spot but CM couldn't see her through the window. She took one step forward and stopped when she heard the familiar click of claws on asphalt. But they weren't her claws.

Turning to her left, CM smiled brightly as she saw Leslie walking their little Cairn Terrier around the complex. They were just coming back. Leslie had on a bright blue western-style shirt tucked neatly into her pants. She wore the short boots they'd bought her a few years back. Crystal, their dog, carried a tennis ball in her mouth, but she dropped it when she saw CM.

"Hey sweetheart!" CM shouted, waving one paw, "I'm home!" And silently, under her breath, CM repeated the mantra to put her mind back into the male husband mode.

Leslie followed Crystal with a bright gleam in her face. "Hey," she said with quiet love as she neared. "How was the trip?"

Chris wrapped his wife in bear arms and pulled her close. "Good, but not as good as this." Together, husband and wife laughed and hugged while their elderly dog sniffed about their feet. The bear sighed, the weight on his heart lifting even as the words drifted off his tongue. "I love you."

"And I love you too. Now let's get your things inside." Chris the shebear hefted his luggage and followed his unsuspecting but wonderful wife back home.

{{Separator|k}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Model Building}}

Talk:Paradise (Setting)

2009-01-28T17:26:05Z

MatthiasRat: /* Change and the Media */

It's an interesting setting, what I've read so far, and I've got an idea or two percolating that may or may not come to fruition. A seed is trying to sprout for an idea starting in '05 and going forward.

One little detail though, (and it doesn't really apply to me but may for others), removing hippo's, rhino's and elephants from the pool seems to be a bit speciest, considering moose are allowed. In looking at the Wiki, it seems that hippos (1.5meters) and rhinos (2.0 meters) are actually generally smaller or the same size as the largest moose (2.1 metres) species. Elephants seem to average about a meter or two larger than the moose.

Perhaps a better restriction would be to allow any land mammal (and any sea mammal that is between the sizes of the minimum land mammal size and the maximum land mammal size), but set minimum and maximum furre sizes; something like a min of 1.2 metres or 4ft to a max of 2.0 metres or 7ft.

Anyways, I'll try and keep an eye on things and see if I can culture this idea I've got further. - 19:50, 10 January 2008 [[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]]

== Theory on how the Change 'spreads' ==

Been thinking about how it might spread, such that we have a higher proportion of Changed in NA, but not leaving the rest of the world out, and I think I know how.

The 'computer virus' that Changes people, uses the RDF to spread itself. Our 'program's' own protection method is also spreading the damages.

Basically, I am guessing that if the RDF needs to kick in on you, then you are passively 'infected'.

Then, when August 17th comes around, the Virus triggers itself, but it for whatever reason can only copy itself for every previously Changed person. (The Doubling effect), and it can only affect people that have been passively infected, ie people who have had the RDF kick in on them.

The goal of the virus is to spread as far as it can, so it takes the number of new Changed it can, and spreads it more or less evenly across the available (RDF-affected) population.

So the first Changed is in Chicago (I think). Through the year until the next Change, she will encounter thousands of people, even in passing, which triggers the RDF on them and passively infects them.

Come August, 1988, the next Changed will be picked randomly from those thousands of people, and now we'll have 2 people spreading the RDF virus. 1989, a big chunk of Chicago has probably had the RDF trigger at least once, not to mention some tourists and other visitors to the city.

In 89, we get 2 more Changed, and one of them could possibly be in a different random city, just because he'd been to Chicago in the past 2 years and unknowingly seen a Changed, and a new nest of RDF-field affected people starts up.

European and Asian and Oceanic outbreaks could happen in years to come as the number of tourists and business people from those reasons travel into North America and begin to be fielded and infected themselves.

The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City probably 'infected' most of the people who were around and watching, meaning that by then (if not before) pretty much anyone has a chance to be Changed.

It also means that truly isolated areas of the world (South Pacific islands, isolated Amazonian tribes, etc) could potentially be unchanged after the 2020 deadline; but any encounter at all with a Changed would likely Change them immediately and spread like wildfire through the village)

And while the RDF may 'fail' at some point, it'll probably still be around in a less effective form, trying to maintain some stability and spreading the Change. --[[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]]
:I'll give that some thought. It's somewhat similar to something I already had in mind. Perhaps those who have the RDF fail completely will be much more likely to change the next year, or they might even change out-of-phase. In any case, once they figure out that it's like a communicable disease, and everyone is already 'infected', the remaining humans will go nuts. --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 12:35, 27 January 2008 (EST)

== Change and disabilities? ==

I keep forgetting to bring this up on IRC, but how do people (as in writers and other interested people in this setting) think disabilities would be affected by the change? Both Mental and Physical?

Would a paraplegic who lost his legs in an accident regrow them if he changed? Would he regain the use of them if they weren't lost but just disabled? (back injury)? What about false teeth, deafness, blindness, etc?

What if the cause was not from a physical accident, but was viral or bacterial in nature? Some disease struck them blind? Would they stay blind?

And what if the disabilities were genetic? Would those genetic flaws still show in the new form?

Finally, what about mental disabilities? Could the Change 'cure' Alzheimer's? Would it affect someone who is literally a brain dead vegetable on life support?

If it does have curative properties, I suspect we'll start seeing more and more miracle cures (assuming they can survive the flu) in the years to come. Which may imply that there'll be a push in the early to mid 2010's to just keep someone alive as long as possible in the home they Change and are cured/fixed.

Thoughts?

--[[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]] 11:00, 4 February 2008 (EST)

:I think there are good arguments to be made for some healing properties of the Change, but I wouldn't make it go all out. A person missing a limb should still be missing a limb after the change (I have in mind a scene with a one-armed pianist who goes monkey and starts playing with his feet).

:When it comes to things like Alzheimer's, that is a much more difficult choice. I don't see mental retardation being suddenly healed by the Change, as that is a birth defect (and such things happen in animals too). But progressive diseases may backtrack, even if the conditions begin to return over time. That could make an even more painful story, somebody suffering from Alzheimer's, who Changes and now recognizes all his family again. But after a year or so everything starts to slip away again...

:Anyway, the whole keeping folks alive and hoping for a Change could make a good dynamic too. I just think there's a lot fo possibilities to consider before we make a decision on this. --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 12:24, 4 February 2008 (EST)
::I'm inclined to do as Matthias suggests. It's more or less what I had in mind. However, one of the things that the Change does is it puts everyone in very good health. Even being a 300 pound female bear, CM is in very good shape. It will cure some ailments, and put chronic diseases into remission. Those developments will confuse the medical community enough without regrowing limbs or curing Down's Syndrome. But if you've read the latest Tall Tales, ROB is being forced to act more openly. --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 15:40, 4 February 2008 (EST)

:What happens to medical devices like heart pacemakers or hip replacements that were implanted in people before they changed? --[[User:JeniSkunk|Jenifur Charne]] 20:45, 10 February 2008 (EST)

::That's basically an open-ended question. I'm going to leave the answer to that one unsaid because I think it'd be a good Plot Point in a story. A furry episode of ''House'' maybe? --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 22:45, 10 February 2008 (EST)

::Late into the discussion, but better late than never. : ) Anyway, what about things like fillings and caps on teeth? Going to a dentist would be interesting. Going another step, outside medical devices wouldn't fit anymore and would bring up some unique delimas. What about people with prosthetics? If someone turns into a bear, I'm sure their leg isn't going to fit anymore, yet Unknown will wonder why they make such a claim all of a sudden. Lots of places to go with these stories. [[User:Tinbender|Tinbender]] 21:24, 5 May 2008 (EDT)

Hey, not really sure on any of the points raised, have to give it some thought. One thing to consider though is can anthro's act as a bridge to humans for viruses that currently only affect animals?--[[User:Devin|Devin]] 23:35, 10 February 2008 (EST)

== A mortal analysis of Paradise ==

Lets me see if I get some of the details right.

There is a post-singularity Uber-computer, that when projected into 3-space, has the same consistency as humanity's combined thumbnail and happens to be running a simulation of the events leading up to its own creation. Secondly, it gets infected by a super-bug/virus that makes borg nano-probes look overly large and cumbersome. Said post-singularity, sentient, ROB-type entity/ virus changes some lines of code (if such things can be referred to as such) in reference to the people in the simulation, in and around the vicinity of Chicago (maybe the super-bug's designers had way-distant ancestors from there, or whose ancestors had a grudge against the place). The Uber-comp, in a flash of inspiration counters with the 'firewall-from-not-heck', or RDF as we understand it. The ROB is still successful with its dastardly and despicable plan to make the simulated history end differently.

That I get as far as it can be understood by a three-dimensional entity not particularly versed in post-singularity, multi-dimensional physics and computational theory.

The RDF, The Veil, The "Really-Annoying-Mess-Up-Everyones-Lives" Field, appears to start collapsing or 'twisting' in several personal accounts. In fact, it would seem that there are certain individuals who have appeared to figure out means of 'gazing-past' the gaps in said previously mentioned field even though they do not have one of their own. Yes it has been theorized that they will soon fall victim to the ROB, however, consider that all of this is in one sense mere coding (albeit it happens to be far more complex than that), and that said people are taking advantage of 'bugs' in the code. How many bugs are there? Is it possible for someone (probably a changed, or mad scientist) to 'tune' or 'tinker' with the field, probably no more than tweaks to appearance or color? I know the Primary Engineer Of This Work has stated that there are no 'powers', but then again, this is all just code, and hackers can sometimes be just mortal.

Just a thought or two. I should probably stop this monologue before a super spy shows up.
~midon~

:You're pretty close overall, though the simulation doesn't necessarily have to be of the ROB's own creation. Human Earth could be something It came up with all by Itself. Another book that's similar to what I've come up with here is ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwinia_(novel) Darwinia]''. Someone suggested that the best thing for the ROB to do is to restore from backup. The thing is, these are still people. ROB doesn't have a moral problem with allowing them to die within the sim, but will act to protect both itself and its people from an outside threat. Hence the RDF and other measures.--[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 17:46, 4 February 2008 (EST)

== Thinking far future... ==

First, to make it VERY clear, I am NOT thinking of any stories or anything set in the 2020 period yet. I've just been thinking of how the world may be like by then, as the last half are about to change.

I suspect there would be a mix of celebration (the last humans are joining us!) and mourning (humans will no longer be as they were). Regionally, there will probably be searches for the "last human baby", the ones born days/hours before the last Aug 17 change; they'd probably be local celebrities, similar to "New Years Babies"

And in 2021, the nervousness would start. Is the change source gone? Is it mutating? Are we going to change further? Or into something else now? For the Changed Generation, that little shiver of fear every August 17th will probably persist until they are all gone.

All that assumes civilization hasn't fallen apart by then of course. :)

--[[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]] 10:42, 25 February 2008 (EST)

== Summer Olympics ==

This was nagging at the back of my mind a bit, but I finally nailed it down to actually check dates:

:"The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008".

For the record, the 2004 Olympics also just straddled the Change day, having started on Aug 13th. No other Summer Olympics have straddled Change day, but the 1996 games ended just before it, and the Paralympic Games that year did straddle the Change day.

The 2012 games in London curiously have a break between the end of the Olympics on Aug 12, 2012, and the start of the Paralympics on Aug 29.

Just something to think about for writers out there. :)

--[[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]] 10:07, 27 February 2008 (EST)

:The Change takes place right in the middle of the Olympics. All it takes is for one or two athletes to change to gum up the works. These people are already in top physical shape, too. But what happens when a swimmer becomes a dolphin, an otter, or perhaps something that doesn't swim well? I don't think the RDF can handle becoming as large as a rhino. They'll still displace an awful lot of water when they splash in.

:I'll have to mention this in Open Secrets.

:--[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 14:53, 27 February 2008 (EST)

::At least the illness will be a bit of a cover. Depending on how many Changed athletes there are, (both active and new Changed), the illness could be used to skip out on some events out of necessity.

::Still the pressure to perform, even if their form is inappropriate for the sport (A Bull trying to do a polevault or the triathlon in general? A bear for gymnastics? A Mouse in weightlifting? ) will be intense

::There would probably be a lot of discussion when a star athlete suddenly isn't performing as well as they did before.

::Of course, a few years after that, the Beijing Olympics here will probably end up with a * like the LA and Moscow Olympics, as people find out about the Change and the number of ringers (otters in swimming events, felines and primates in gymnastics, gazelles and cheetahs in track events, bears and bulls in weight lifting, etc...) semi-intentionally sent by the various countries. We could very well see TTC-level problems happening in Olympic Village.

--[[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]] 15:07, 27 February 2008 (EST)

== What happens ''after'' 2020? ==

Point one: Computer programs are never ''intrinsically'' equipped with an off-switch. Rather, a shutdown condition must be explicitly coded into a program -- and any program which ''lacks'' an explicit shutdown condition, will continue to chug merrily along until something hardware-ish gets in the way.

Point two: The Change is the result of a 'furry virus", ''i.e.,'' a '''computer program'''.

2020 is when the entire planetary population will be furry... but who's to say the 'furry virus' won't ''continue'' to do its thing, Changing people year in and year out, with each year's quantity of Changes being double that of the year before? We know that being Changed is ''not'' an absolute protection against the 'furry virus' -- the setting rules themselves ''explicitly allow'' previously-Changed people to get hit with another dose of Change, after all -- so ''either'' (a) the 'furry virus' ''does'' have an explicitly-coded off-switch, or else (b) starting in 2020, an ever-increasing number of people are going to end up Changing ''two or more times in any given year.''

If the 'furry virus' ''has'' a built-in off-switch, that begs the question of what, exactly, its shutdown condition ''is.'' Does it stop spreading/infecting when there's no unchanged Human left, is it waiting for some specific event or combination of events before it quits, or what? Perhaps the guy who wrote the 'furry virus' did so with the specific intent of encouraging ROB to make [insert specific changes here] in ROB's virtual world, such that the results of those changes are the virus's 'off-switch'?

If, on the other hand, the 'furry virus' has ''no'' built-in brakes, things can get weird, fast. People have already floated the notion of Changes happening "out of season"; what if these 'unscheduled' Changes are merely a harbinger of things to come, in which people can be re-zapped at any time of year, an arbitrarily large number of times per year? It may be instructive, or at least amusing, to extrapolate the data given in "The Numbers", and divide each year's expected number of Changes by the expected population for that year: In 2020, there's 1.12 Changes per person (perhaps every human being Changes, regardless of their current state, and there's a 12% chance of one guy Changing ''twice?).'' Since we're basically talking about a doubling function, it only takes until 2024 for every ex-human to be an involuntary member of the Change Of The Month Club (because there's a touch over 17 Changes per person that year), and the Change Of The '''Day''' Club starts up in 2029 (during which year there's a bit less than 514 Changes per person per year). In 2034, the extrapolated number of Changes per person for that year is significantly over 15,000 (which works out to about 7/4 of a Change ''per hour,'' every hour, for every human being); by 2040, we hit 1.75 Changes per ''minute;'' 2046 is when every human being starts to hit 1 Change per ''second.''

To repeat what I said above: Things get weird, fast.

Obviously, the above figures are ridiculous, since they're derived from mindless extrapolation of an exponential curve. Perhaps the most sensible way to go is to presume that ROB manages to ''do'' something about the metatstasizing 'furry virus' no later than 2025 or so. In any case, one hopes said figures at least provide a bit of food for thought... [[User:Cubist|Cubist]] 05:03, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

== Change and the Media ==

It's probably a sign that I watch WAY too much TV, but it's a theme that's been in the back of my mind (man that back area's getting mighty crowded with ideas). As the Change progresses, even with the Veil in place, more and more effects of the Change will start showing up in other ways, and it will become more and more 'public' even if the Unchanged won't really know what is going on. I suspect TV shows especially will begin to show a lot of these.

This is just some of my rambling thoughts on what the TV Cable signals might be sending to the screens of the Changed near-Future.

Reality TV in all its forms will probably be the first to really start showing the effects of the Changed, since they tend to have the fastest turnaround time and the most contact with non-actors. Court shows (like I wrote in my short story case) will have more and more cases of Changed vs Norms and even weird Changed vs Changed cases. "He won't share the nail clippers!" "She gifted me the money for the vacation to Alaska in January")

Gameshows also will start having more Changed contestants, especially popular ones like Price is Right.

And then you have the Survivor types. Show's like "Top Model" and "Bachelor(ette)" and "Blind Date" (especially given the Change's habit of giving the Changed Eye-turning bodies) will probably have the most Changed on a show early on (whether intentionally or unintentionally).

Home Makeover shows may start seeing even weirder designs as designers/homeowners remake rooms to give room for antlers or bigger buttons for hoof fingers and such. (We thought Frank's designs on Trading Spaces were weird BEFORE he Changed... :P )

Amazing Race may have a Changed Team soon; a few Changed in the Big Brother House (probably intentionally put in there by a Changed Studio staffer), and the next Survivor or two would probably have some contestants.

Once the Field comes down, I fully expect CBS to roll out a "Furries vs Normals" Survivor while they can.

Now onto more tasteful TV. (arguably :P )

Cartoons? (what few new ones that are made) will likely start having more and more of a furry bend to them. Hallowe'en specials may turn 'human' toons into furry ones as experiments to transition shows.

Soaps? Expect Change stories fairly soon I dare say. I don't watch them myself, but from what I've heard of some storylines they've done in the past, the Change isn't all that strange. These writers will probably be chaffing at the restrictions of the Field the most.

Sitcoms will probably start getting Changed in-jokes fairly quickly as more Changed writers and actors come on staff. Some of the jokes may verge on Veil-breaking too, but viewers would discount as visual FX.

Procedurals/Drama's, business as normal but more Change-related stories. Maulings and gorings investigated on CSI's (along with strange fingerprints/bootprints, hair samples, etc...), Without a Trace investigating people who disappear after Change Day, maybe even a TG mystery. Numb3rs maybe touching on the Change rate (imagine Chris brought in as an advisor for an ep ? :) ). House or ER dealing with a Changed patient and/or Changed doctors/nurses.

And finally (for now) Sci Fi/Fantasy shows will probably find themselves in a very difficult position. On the one hand, they'd be ideal to start exploring the Change itself. On the other hand, as long as the Field is in effect, they can't really explore them since they'd have to turn normals into Furry's (or dress furry's in fursuits). Plus, a show's setting may not exactly be ideal for adjusting to the Change. "SG-1/Atlantis" may be able to adjust (turn it into an Ori curse or something), but Terminator would have a harder time. Heroes could probably pull it off, but BSG? Unlikely. (Imagine them finding 'Earth' but it's a Furry Earth... Hmmm...)

Anyways, that's just some of my rambling thoughts on the TV of the near future, for what its worth.

:There's a simple way to make furries show up in Television. Simply use the polarized lenses as featured in Open Secrets on the video camera units. The image of the furries would pass through the polarized lenses onto the film. The film would record the true image in the same way that people would see the true image. Boom, RDF circumvented. --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 12:26, 28 January 2009 (EST)

== Furries in Space? ==

OK Time for even more thoughts from me. :) Endeavor's launch last night triggered this thought.

I'm not going to elaborate, but is anyone watching the ISS crew for change symptoms? Or the shuttle crew if they're up? A Change up there could be Veil breaking just because of the amount of attention and lack of privacy those people have. (not to mention the extreme circumstances they'd be under).

The Change itself could very well spell the end of Manned space flight for the next few decades in the end.

Not sure if it would spell the end of manned space flight but yeah even just an examination of the air filter would find stuff that couldn't have gotten up there any other way.--[[User:Devin|Devin]] 19:16, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

:I'm sure it'd be the end of manned space flight for quite some time simply for economic reasons if nothing else. This is going to be rather disruptive and there'll probably be a bit of a budget pinch. [[User:Bryan|Bryan]] 19:21, 18 March 2008 (EDT)

==The Reality Distortion Field is Real ==

Sadly, not the one you have in mind: http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/18/2117208 :) [[User:Bryan|Bryan]] 19:21, 18 March 2008 (EDT)

== Bats? ==

Just a question about the species: I've noticed you put aside birds for now, but what about bats?--[[User:142.68.130.19|142.68.130.19]] 23:52, 1 April 2008 (EDT)

:Bats will put a huge strain on the Veil. If/when they do show up, it might be coming down by then anyway. --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 00:36, 2 April 2008 (EDT)

== Farming in Paradise ==

Just shooting an idea in here for later. [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410153658.htm This is the technology] widely deployed it the Paradise setting. But put the clock back ten years (1997 discovery, widespread global deployment by 2008). Biochar/agrichar. With any luck, the Green Revolution will be replaced with the Black Gold Revolution quickly. --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 03:27, 15 April 2008 (EDT)

== BioFuels ==

Jon, you're beginning to scare me a bit. :P

This was just on Slashdot this morning: [http://www.utexas.edu/news/2008/04/23/biofuel_microbe/ New Source for Biofuels Discovered by Researchers At The University of Texas at Austin]

Basically, some bacteria that can make cellulose which can be turned to fuel, and the cellulose can be harvested without harming the bacteria.
--[[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]] 06:10, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

:I read about this yesterday. They hope to increase production efficiency 17-fold because otherwise, you'd have to cover the ''entire'' Midwest with this. Unfortunately it won't happen fast enough to prevent the shortages I know are coming.

:I read about this stuff every day. I mean, ''every'' day. --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 14:19, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Another bit of news: [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece "Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol."] --[[User:JonBuck|Buck]] 11:12, 15 June 2008 (EDT)

== The Chicago Ghost Killer ==

After having seen countless videos of Persona 3 on youtube, and having played the .hack//GU games, and having read about this setting repeatedly, this idea was born out of my skull. It doesn't really fit with the setting per-say, (people dealing with expected changes in their lives and the changing of culture as truth becomes harder and harder to keep hidden), but it's still interesting.

Imagine if once the number of furries hits the thousand mark or close to it (1997), a strange series of murders begin in Chiago and wander outwards. To normal police and investigators these people have -nothing- in common, just random innocent people. But the furries know that every single person killed was a furry! Now this is where things start to get weird.

When seen by furries, the killer is a lanky laid back twenty something raven haired young man whose expression almost always remains passive wearing semi-formal dark clothes with a revolver in one hand and spare bullets in the opposite pocket.

When the police just about anyone else whose effected by the perception filter see him, they see 'Average Joe' or 'Face You Can't Help But Forget' and never ever notice the weapon he's holding unless he hits them with it or shoots them or something just as drastic. It is also is picked up by metal detectors the same as any metal gun. In other words, his existence, is like the existence of furriness to normal humans, his existence effects them, but they can't notice him directly.

This guy always knows a furry when he sees one regardless of media or medium, or reads one, this include file records of people TGed by the virus. When he spots one or finds out about one, he calmly location that person, in order of him learning about them, and shoot that person in the head without fanfare then simply move on to the next one.

Physically his strength and speed are all perfectly average human, meaning a bear or tiger furry could easy tear him apart.

Strange thing is that if profiled, no records of him will turn up, anywhere!

Also, he might even begin to appear DIFFERENTLY to people who are under the effect of the perception filter. He can't appear as a furry, and can NEVER EVER appear as a precise person (he can't appear as someone's mother or brother). But he can ultimately change how people look at him, they see a five year old girl with a teddy bear opposed to a man with a revolver even if he STILL can't fit in a toy car for the life of him and that 'bear' might go off if someone else 'hugs' it, (which he'd avoid someone doing at all posts). He could also appear as a fire fighter or police officer if he gets clever enough. Though furries will -always- see through this disguise. Along with any human whose able to see furries without effort.

The Chicago Ghost Killer never attacks non-changed humans, and will never take a shot if there's a reasonable chance of shooting a non-changed person.

He travels by mundane methods, he always travels by the most practical and speedy method and always has the correct change or ticket (this is not an illusion). His taxi, train, or airplane never crash.

If detained for questioning, he might just walk straight out of the police station unless some of the cops are furries. If stripped of his weapon and ammo next time he shows up he'll have a new set perfectly identical to the last one down to the imperfections in the casing.

Now this is where things get ambiguous. I don't know if he's killed he just appears in Chicago the day after the change again each year, or weather two different people with abilities similar to his appear in his stead these armed with a crossbow and another one shot distance weapon.

Since deleting the entire universe is not an option, The Chicago Ghost Killer might be an emergency fail safe to try and cut off the infected flesh from the system.

His name comes from where he started killing (strangely the same place as the changes began) and the fact that to normal humans he IS like a ghost, there yet not there but decidedly felt.

I know this doesn't really fit with the setting at all, but I just had to share it with the only people who'd appreciate it.

Thank you.

- Alex Warlorn. 2008 06 15

:And his name is Agent Johnathan Walker Smith, is it? Seems like a Matrix Agent to me... (unsigned comment)
::Actually I don't think he'd -have- a name, or even know the true nature of the world, he'd just know what he -had- to do and how to do it and how he can do it.-- Alex Warlorn

== Octuplets born in California ==

Things that make you go Hmmmm....

8 babies at once
Planning to breast feed them all.
Names not being released (yet).

Could we have a changed couple hiding out there from the glare of the media spotlight? :)

--[[User:Jetfire|Jetfire]] 15:25, 27 January 2009 (EST)

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2009-01-28T17:21:54Z

MatthiasRat: Rough draft for this story is finished. I'll come through and edit this another time.

{{Universe|[[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]]}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in July 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Model Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

Rob the skunk carried the cardboard boxes from the hall into his room and set them down on the clean floor. It had been almost a year since he'd changed into an anthro-skunk and forced to keep his room clean, and still he flinched his toes to avoid stubbing them into discarded detrius that no longer lingered upon his carpet. His friend CM had shown him the necessity of maintaining house and over a week's time helped him turn his room from a pig sty into a place where a Changed could easily keep their true nature a secret.

And now he and his friends were leaving FoxRidge 1600J for good. Trevor, Brett, and Nick had found a house in downtown Christiansburg to rent, while he was moving with Audrey into the upscale apartments FoxRidge offered. A few weeks ago Audrey had accepted his marriage proposal and now his mind was abuzz with managing his and her families as they swarmed in battle over the wedding arrangements. It had to be in Vermont! No in New Jersey! It must be big! It must be small! It must be Protestant! It must be Catholic! On, and on, and on!

Here in Blacksburg, Virginia, he and Audrey could escape for a time and be together without the discomfort of feuding families. In one week's time he'd be out of the Furry apartment and would no longer need to hide. Apart from Patrick whom CM had told because he'd become too nosy, Audrey was the only other among them that knew the secret of the Changed. He hoped she didn't mind lots of potpouri or cleaning up skunk fur.

As the skunk set down the boxes his phone rang. He snatched it from his computer table and read the number. His eyes widened; he recognized that name. He cast a quick glance at the server humming away in one corner and then opened the phone.

"This is Rob. Hello?"

A deep, rumbling voice answered him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hallman. This is Walter Lundh. How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine, just getting ready to move next week. Already signed the lease and everything." He said that deliberately. The last time the longhorn bull called he'd had to cancel his plans on short notice. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm mailing you, CM, and Mr. Ryan round-trip tickets to Washington in two weeks."

"DC?" Rob asked, both surprised and relieved that he at least had two weeks before he needed to jump through the lawyer's hoops. "What for?"

"Congressman Sandrick requested an update on the status of your project prior to next month's Change. We want to know where to look and what to expect. You and your colleagues must ready a presentation for the Congressman. Will there be any trouble for you?"

Rob walked to his calendar and studied the dates. "I'm going to have to get off work. So will CM. They'll probably be pissed that they didn't have more advanced warning."

"I apologize for that," Walter replied brusquely. "I'm sure the Congressman can send you each a letter if necessary, though we'd all prefer to keep this low profile. Are there any other difficulties?"

The skunk shook his head. "No. It's good for me, but you'll want to check with CM. She might have plans. Will we see you in DC?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Dulles. All the arrangements for the hotel have been made. I will see you there. Good luck with your move. Don't damage anything."

The bull hung up and Rob set the phone down with a long sigh. A move and a presentation! Well, he'd better get started packing then.

{{Separator|k}}

CM carried the footboard into Rob's new bedroom and set it against the wall with the rest of the pieces of his bed. The skunk was rifling through his toolbox with Audrey at his side resting one hand on his shoulder. Rob's tail twitched to the far side as he turned to see the bear.

"Hey Audrey, can you go keep the others busy for a few minutes?" Rob asked.

"Changed stuff?" Audrey asked, and at the skunk's nod, she smiled and nodded. "Sure! Open the door when you're done." She hugged CM as she walked past, surprising the bear, and then closed the door behind her.

"Trevor and the others are busy packing their own things," CM pointed out. She rested her paw on the footboard and tilted it back and forth. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Rob held a wrench out and said, "Well, you can help me put my bed together!" CM laughed. "Seriously, we haven't had a chance to talk. You got Lundh's message last week, right?"

CM nodded. She'd been at work the first time the bull had called. Leslie had taken the message, but of course Lundh hadn't said anything to her other than his name; CM was amazed he'd given her that much! "I've got my part of the presentation prepared. I know you haven't had much chance to look it over or anything but what you've done looked good to me."

"Not much else I could do," Rob grunted as he straightened and looked around the room. "Here, against this wall. The headboard should go here. Do you need a paw?"

CM nodded. "It's a little awkward, yes." Together, they carried the arched headboard to where Rob wanted it and then leaned it against the wall. "Do you need some help with your presentation?"

The skunk frowned as he returned for one of the side pieces. "I shouldn't. It's not like I did anything anyway."

"You kept the server going," CM replied with a smile. She could tell the skunk was bothered by something but she couldn't tell what. "Carter and I couldn't do anything without that!"

"But are we really ready to tell these guys anything?" Rob asked. "Bring the footboard; we'll get these pieces together."

CM pondered the question for a moment as she retrieved the footboard. Rob had both side pieces laid out in front of the headboard and was checking the various bolts to make sure he had the right ones. She ran her tongue along the back of her short fangs and grunted. "We have enough to give them a good estimate. We've ruled out pretty much everything except exponential growth. That's scary in itself."

"And there should be a heck of a lot more of us than there are, right?"

CM set the footboard down and held it steady with one paw. She was careful not to nick the wood with her claws. "Yes, but Carter would know more about where they should be than I do.. It'll be good to see him again at least."

"He won't have his jeep with him this time. Did you get stuck in coach too?"

CM nodded and Rob rolled his eyes as he lifted the first side piece and put the bolt through the hole. CM held the other end up with her free paw. She laughed and rumbled. "His note did say that he reserved the two seats next to mine too. Paid extra for that. I'm going to need it." She patted her tummy which was already building up girth for winter hibernation. Of course, if the August Change played its usual tricks, she wouldn't be a bear for much longer.

As long as she became male again she wouldn't mind staying a bear forever. But that wasn't up to her.

"Well, that's something at least. I hope you didn't have any plans for next weekend."

CM grunted. "Jan and Dennis were planning to come down to visit."

Rob's tail darted to one side and he glanced back at the bear in surprise. "The boar and the hedgehog? Wouldn't that be like their third time this year?"

"Jan's fourth, Dennis's third. He couldn't make it last time." CM grinned and shrugged. "Jan's determined to make a biker out of me. He's probably going to succeed at some point too. Just don't have the money for it now."

"And Leslie would kill you," Rob added.

CM's grin didn't fade even though she nodded. "Yeah, probably. They're working on that too."

"So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd be in DC anyway, and if time allowed, I'd meet them there. Probably going to have to be in the evening though. Looks like Lundh wants us there to present and get out as quick as possible."

"Probably to keep from too many questions being asked," Rob said. He stood up, brushed his pants off, and walked over to where CM crouched against the footboard. "Okay, the first one's in. Scoot back and I'll get this bolt in too."

{{Separator|k}}

Roanoke Airport was a small regional airport with a single concourse. There were direct flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Richmond, and of course DC. Their plane left at 2:20, so Rob picked CM up at her apartment a little before noon. They each had packed an overnight bag, though in CM's case it looked like one that would barely fit in the overhead compartment. Rob resisted the temptation to ask the she-bear if she'd packed the kitchen sink.

Traffic was light that Friday as they drove up I-81 to Roanoke. The airport itself was reasonably busy with families heading out for the weekend to visit relatives as well as several others heading out of town on business. The pair checked in, saw that their flight was on time — which surprised the skunk who'd never seen a plane leave on time — and headed for the security.

Both of them felt a little anxious passing through the security station, especially with the post-9/11 heightened security measures. But neither of them were singled out for extra scrutiny and they passed by unmolested.

While Rob went to their terminal, CM stopped at one of the terminal-side restaurants and ordered the largest fish item they had on the menu. That and an appetizer of fried cheese sticks. It did sate her hibernation hunger for the time, but she knew she'd be hungry again in a few hours. At least the flight wouldn't be long. She hoped that Walter would be understanding about how much she'd probably order from room service!

When CM went to their terminal she found the skunk reviewing his portion of the presentation. He'd been able to finish only the day before and only because Audrey let him shirk his duties to setting up their new apartment. He'd have a lot of catch up to do when they got back, but CM had volunteered to come over a day or two and pitch in to make up for it.

CM settled her bulk on one of the benches and grimaced as the arms pinched her paunch. "Ugh. They need bigger seats."

Rob glanced up and chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-eighty," CM replied. "I'll hit three hundred again by the Change."

The skunk nodded. "The way you eat, yah. What are you going to become?"

"A rat I expect," she replied. She briefly touched one breast with a claw and grunted, "And hopefully male again. Do you hope to change again?"

Rob shook his head. "Skunk wasn't my first choice, believe me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm happy this way, so why Change again?"

"But if you did, what would you prefer?"

The skunk put his papers down in his lap and leaned back into his tail which curled over the end of the seat. "Something feline I think. Jaguar. Definitely a jaguar. Oh, and male too."

CM chuckled. "Well, odds are you won't change again. How goes the presentation?"

"Slow," Rob grunted and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be reading over this on the plane. I finished the slides at like 3 AM last night."

"Well, if you practice, don't practice too loudly," CM said as her eyes followed a family coming up the causeway and settling in next row of seats. "We won't be alone."

Rob glanced at them and nodded. "Right." He lowered his snout to the pages and though he moved his lips, not even the bear could hear anything he said. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and resigned herself to waiting another hour for their flight to depart.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that their plane was a prop, CM managed to relax and sort of enjoy the flight. Perhaps because bears were natural swimmers, she had no trouble adjusting to the pressure change as the plane gained altitude. And with nobody sitting in the seats next to her, she was able to stretch out her bulk across all three. The seat belt was almost as loose as it could go, but it neither pinched her gut nor did the seat pinch her tail. For all of that she was grateful.

Rob faced a different situation. His length tail made getting comfortable extremely difficult. It wasn't like his car where he could sit forward and lean forward when necessary. In the purgatory of coach, there was no room to lean forward and if he sat forward his knees pressed into the tray table. So he ended up pulling his tail between his legs and doing his best not to get it tangled in the seat belt. The older woman sitting next to him watched him with a vague sense of unease, but of course she couldn't tell what was really going on.

To the skunk's immense relief, the flight lasted less than an hour and soon they were settled back on the ground. He lashed his tail back and forth and hissed as they walked up the boarding passage to the gate. "Ugh! I'm never flying coach again!"

"Yeah," CM said as she hefted her carry-on over her shoulder. "It's a little cramped. If Walter hadn't kept the seats next to mine empty, I think I would have eaten somebody. Just kidding."

"That lady was giving me the creeps!" Rob shook his head and checked behind him to make sure she wasn't nearby. "I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die on me."

The bear chuckled and pointed down the concourse. "Well, we're here now. I think we want to go that way to get to the main terminal."

Rob glanced at the signs and nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. Shouldn't be hard to find Walter."

"There is that at least," CM agreed.

The two of them moved through the throng of people waiting for their flight or rushing to catch a connecting flight. Rob held his tail close to his back and twitched anytime anybody brushed too close. CM ambled along at a decent pace over the worn carpeting. It was so old that the long claws on her toes clicked against the concrete beneath every few steps.

Dulles International Airport was immense compared to what they'd left in Roanoke. Vendors and restaurants greeted them the entire way through the concourse, as well as people going every which way. Many were dressed for business, but just as many were dressed as if they were going to Florida, Mexico, or California. A good number were either calling somebody on cell phones or were getting called. And despite the huge throng, not a one of them was Changed like them.

It took almost ten minutes to get from their gate to the security plaza. Once through, they headed into the wide open-air centre lined with airline registration desks and even more shops selling touristry gewgaws. Skunk and bear scanned the crowds in every direction, and found what they sought almost immediately.

"There he is," CM said as soon as she spotted the huge horns sticking out of either side of his black-and-white speckled bovine brow. Rob saw it too and the pair of them made their way through the crowds towards the huge computer display listing arrivals. Walter was dressed in business attire and carried a briefcase in one hoof-like hand. Small, glassy eyes greeted them as they approached. "Mr. Hallman, CM, I see you made it without incident."

Rob held out one hand and the two shook. "And good to see you too, Walter."

"Likewise," CM said before shaking the bull's hand. His grip was heavy and felt odd with those two pointed hoof-like nails. "Where's Carter?"

"His flight is just now arriving. He'll be with us shortly." Walter grunted and glanced between the two. "I hope you brought more professional attire for tomorrow's meeting."

"Yes," Rob said. "I only have the one set of suit pants with a hole for my tail."

"I only have one good suit that fits me at this size," CM admitted.

"That will suffice. If we have too many more meetings, I will see to it that you each have more. My discretionary funds are limited, but they would be ample enough for that if there was a need."

"Discretionary funds?" Rob asked, not sure he could believe what he was hearing. "Just how long have you been a lawyer?"

Walter lightly stomped one hoof. "This is a business meeting, Mr. Hallman. It pays to be professional. As to my years of experience, I will have been with my firm for thirty years as of October 04."

"That long?" CM asked in surprise. "You don't look that old."

"It's the Change," Walter replied with a faint degree of aplomb. "It is much harder to tell people's ages this way. In time we'll adapt and learn to read the clues. Are you ready to present tomorrow?"

"Yes," Rob replied. He patted his suitcase. "Power Point okay?"

"Preferred."

"So the meeting's tomorrow." CM shifted her carry-on from one shoulder to the other. "Are there any plans for tonight?"

Walter set his briefcase down and pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. He pulled a pair of small cards from this and handed them one to each. "Once Carter joins us we will ride to our hotel. I am attending to transportation. I have a business dinner to attend this evening with several lobbyists. I would have preferred dining with you myself but that will not be possible. I'm afraid you are on your own for dinner. I do ask that you avoid alcohol. Our meeting with the Congressman should remain out of the news, but it might not if any of you shows up hung over."

Rob grimaced then nodded as he studied the card. An itinerary was listed on the one side while the other was blank. "Yeah, I learned my lesson about alcohol. You don't have to worry about that."

"I won't touch anything either." CM pocketed her card and then waved over their heads. They all turned and saw a black wolf shouldering his way through the crowd clustered beneath the departures board. He grinned, tail wagging back and forth as he approached. "Hey Carter!" the bear called as soon as he was close enough. CM gave him a hug around one arm. "Good to see you again!"

"And you too, CM!" He then hugged the skunk, "And you too, Rob! Been way too long." With the bull he shook hands. "And it's good to see you too, Walter. What did you think of those numbers we sent?"

"I'm not a statistician, Mr. Ryan," Walter said rather gruffly. "I'm looking forward to your presentation tomorrow. Hopefully then I will better understand the numbers."

Carter's tail fell, but still he nodded and managed to smile. "So, what are we doing now?"

"Do any of you have any other luggage?" But they each had everything, and so Walter said, "Then follow me." Walter turned down the concourse toward the parking lots and shuttle buses. Once four sets of furry paws and hooves clattered along the faux marble floor, Walter continued, "We're going to our hotel. You will be on your own for dinner. I recommend you order room service so I can charge it to my business account. If you want to go out to eat you may do so, but you will have to pay for it." He handed Carter a third card. "That's the schedule for tomorrow. Bring it with you to the meeting. We'll be disposing of them afterward."

Carter grinned and pocketed the card. "Wow. I feel all cloak and dagger."

Walter grunted and swung his head to the side. The horns whipped over the wolf's head. "This is not a game, Mr. Ryan. This is professional. Please remember that."

The wolf nodded, "Of course. I know how to be professional." CM and Rob glanced at each other and stifled their mirth.

{{Separator|k}}

Transportation proved to be a non-descript blue minivan with Virginia plates. Walter indicated that they should all ride in the back, and once he opened the driver-side door they could all see why. There was only one seat in the front with the steering column only slightly off center. The bull didn't wait for them to ask before explaining, "I cannot drive a normal car with my horns. I'd have to keep the window rolled down and that is not always a convenient option."

"How'd you get this done? I've never seen a car like this before!" Carter exclaimed while Rob and CM climbed into the back. It was all bench seating which in general was easier for the often oddly shaped Changed.

"I contracted the conversion work to a Changed auto mechanic for vehicles in every area I'm likely to be. The work will prove pivotal in the future as more and more Changed need such modifications. You three are fortunate that you have not needed any such modifications. Other less economically stable than myself have had to make do with very unsafe workarounds." Walter set his briefcase next to his seat and then climbed into the car, turning his head as he did to slide the long horns smoothly inside. His chair had a little hole along the left side to allow his tail to comfortably slide into place as well.

Rob pulled the seat belt over his shoulders and grimaced as his tail bunched uncomfortably behind him. "How do you explain this to still human clients?"

Walter shut his door and grunted. "I don't. All non Changed clients ride with me in a limousine if we ever need to travel together. Since this meeting is to be as low-profile as possible, we take the minivan. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Not at all," CM replied as she settled into place. "What do other drivers think when they see you in the middle?"

"I do get a few queer stares," Walter admitted wearily. "But nothing more than that." After Carter had buckled up, the long-horn bull started the van and carefully eased out of the short-term parking lot. An Easy-Pass system officiated his parking bill and they soon merged onto the highway.

The bright Summer afternoon greeted them as they drove through the crowded highways of Northern Virginia. Though a Saturday, the highways were still jammed with cars going in either direction. CM was reminded why she never wanted to move back to the area with each passing minute. They would have talked, but as soon as they reached the highway, Walter brought up a TV feed of C-SPAN on a dashboard LCD. Some congressman droned about a bill to increase spending on some pet project, but the language and details were so esoteric, CM couldn't make heads or tails of what the pet project actually was. Carter and Rob looked no better off.

They were on the road for no more than twenty minutes before Walter turned off the highway and led them to a nice but unremarkable Holiday Inn. He drove up to front and pulled to a stop in front of the portico. "Your rooms are reserved under my name. Don't use the phones unless it's an emergency. And remember no alcohol tonight. I'll be by at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to take us into DC. Make sure that you're ready to leave by then."

Rob was the first to climb out of the van. "See you at seven then!" The skunk hefted his bag over his shoulder and waited by the curb for the bear and wolf to climb out. CM grunted in irritation at Carter who held the door for her, but the wolf just wagged his tail.

After Carter shut the door, Walter nodded to them and drove off around the back-side of the hotel. CM drummed her claws over her suitcase and sighed. "I guess we should get our rooms and get this stuff put away."

"What then?" Carter asked.

"Dinner I suppose. It's already past five," Rob replied.

A slight grin played at the edge of CM's broad muzzle. "I could call Jan and Dennis. They live in this area. We could get together with them."

"Walter said no phone calls," Carter pointed out.

"I've got a cell phone," CM replied. "I'm sure Walter only meant for us not to use the hotel's phones because those calls will show up on the bill."

"I'm up to it," Rob replied. His long tail danced behind his head and a smile crawled up his cheeks. "They probably know some good places to eat around here. I'm really not up for whatever room service this place has to offer."

Carter gazed at the hotel and began to nod. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Who are Jan and Dennis?"

"A couple Changed we know," CM replied. "Good folks about our age too." CM dug into her suitcase and took her rather large cellphone from its pocket. "So if there's no objection?"

"Not from me," Carter said with a tail wag. "I'm always happy to meet more Changed!"

CM tapped the number with the tips of her claws then set the headset to her left ear and wiated while it rang. Three rings and a familiar grunting voice replied with far too much aplomb, "Hello there, sweet lady!"

The bear's eyes narrowed and her lips drew back revealing a few fangs, an effect completely lost on the boar for whom it was meant. "Jan," she said in a warning tone, "how many times have I told you not to answer my number like that?"

"Ya, I'll remember one day," he continued in his usual affable manner. The boar was charming in an irritating sort of way. "How are you, CM? I wasn't expecting to hear from you this weekend."

"I'm well. Up your way actually. Rob and I both, with another Changed. Wondering if you and Dennis were free for dinner."

"Dennis should be back soon," the boar replied in a more even tone of voice. "We were going to ride, but we'd rather be with friends if friends are around! Where are you at? We can come pick you up."

An image of three Changed all stacked on the back of Jan's bike clutching each other for dear life flashed through CM's mind. She chuckled and then told the boar the hotel's address. The boar wrote it down and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "Probably be an hour before we get there. I know a few good restaraunts out that way. See you in a bit!"

CM hung up the phone and shook her head. "About an hour, Jan said."

"An hour?" Rob replied. "Good. Maybe I can get some of these knots out of my tail by then!" The wolf and bear laughed. Together, the three went into the hotel lobby to pick up their room keys.

{{Separator|k}}

The trio of Changed took advantage of their hour to settle into the rooms and relax. Walter had reserved adjacent rooms with connecting privacy doors each with a TV and single Queen size bed. Rob's room was in the middle which suited CM just fine. She left her privacy door shut while Rob and Carter talked. CM could hear the skunk chuff angrily as he brushed out the snags in his tail like promised.

The she-bear laid out on the bed and breathed heavily, paws resting on her already growing belly. The long plane flight and the ride here had all been without food, something her body craved ravenously. She contemplated ordering some room service while they waited for Jan and Dennis. They would undoubtedly have to wait at whatever restaraunt they stopped at. But she knew that it would probably take just as long for the room service to arrive. She was better off just raiding a vending machine. She'd seen one in the hall on the way to their third floor rooms.

But first she had to decide what to wear. It was easily fifteen degrees warmer here in Northern Virginia than it had been down in Blacksburg. And it was ten times as humid! The first thing she'd done after coming into the room was crank the AC to the max. She was comfortable now, but would she be once they left with Jan and Dennis?

There wasn't anyway around it. She was going to have to dress lightly. That meant no bra and there was a good chance she'd be showing some cleavage. The thought didn't appeal to the male portion of her brain which always lurked in the background when she was in female mode. She thought about briefly making herself think as a guy again, but there didn't seem much point. CM was female for the duration of this trip. But she was a female off limits. The others knew that, even if Jan liked to tease her from time to time. She'd have to trust the boar to behave himself.

"Easier said than done," she muttered ruefully.

Nevertheless, CM pushed herself off the bed and stripped her clothes off. Once naked apart from the panties she glanced a look at her massive ursine shape in the mirror. An unconscious twitch in her jowls brought a beastly smile to her face. CM turned away and grunted at herself, turning all her efforts to digging into her suitcase for something light to wear. She didn't have to worry about revealing too much because she would never buy such clothes, but still, she'd be around other Changed all evening long and all of them guys. It couldn't help but make her predominant female side anxious.

She selected a V-neck blue T-shirt and jeans that fit her comfortably but not too tight even with her expanding waistline. CM took a moment to examine herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure not too much was showing. Jan would undoubtedly stare until she smacked his snout with the back of her paw, but it was at least modest. There may be no bra, but everything that was visible, and that but a crescent lune, was covered in thick brown fur anyhow.

Once satisfied, CM raided the vending machine and then joined Rob and Carter in the middle room. She carried with her a dozen items with an even mix between chips, candy bars, and fruit-based snakcs. Rob sat on the bed combing his tail which stretched out beside him. Carter reclined in the chair by the window with his tail sticking out the front and long gangly legs propped on the little side table. His lupine paws massaged the air as if he were still walking and pressing into the ground.

"Hey, CM, woah! Nice shirt!" Carter grinned and then lowered his ears in a canine blush. "Sorry about that. Just didn't expect you to... you know."

"It's too hot here for anything else," CM replied. She unceremoniously sat down on the floor and proceeded to tear into her packages. Rob glanced once, nodded having seen it all and more before, and then returned to working knots out of his tail.

"A little hungry?"

"A little," CM replied after scarfing the first candy bar in one bite. It was some chocolate thing; she hadn't really cared. She wasn't going to taste any of them for more than a second anyway. "Stare at my chest again and I might eat you."

Carter laughed and quickly returned to talking about the vagaries of polling data and the crazy stuff his company did when there wasn't an election season going on. Rob interjected frequently with little tidbits about stupid users who shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of a computer. CM listened as she devoured her light snack. Oh Jan and Dennis had better get there soon and get her some real food!

{{Separator|k}}

About an hour later as promised, CM's cellphone rang. The she-bear had long since finished her snacks and was leaning against the wall, legs splayed in front of her, the girth of her belly weighing down into her lap. Carter and Rob stopped talking while CM fished the cellphone off the floor and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, CM!" Jan's voice called back with a grunt of delight. "We're parked outside your hotel right now."

"We're on our way down." She hung up the phone and heaved herself to her broad feet. The claws dug into the carpet, but didn't catch.

"Just a second," Carter said as he leapt to his paws. "I think I took my shoes off. Can't remember." He bent down and fiddled at his paws, and before their eyes a shoe materialized. "Oh, guess I didn't. Nevermind." The wolf slipped the sneaker back over his four-toed paw and it disappeared again. Rob twitched a little as he watched, his long tail tip flicking back and forth in surprise, but after nearly seven years, CM was used to what the Changed now called the 'Shoe-Field'.

They grabbed wallet, locked their rooms, and headed back into the later afternoon heat. They didn't see any other hotel guests, but they did pass one of the cleaning ladies who gave them a brief stare, thne snapped her head back up in surprise. All three tightened but the lady turned away again shaking her head and muttering something to herself.

"Okay, what was that?" Rob asked once they were in the stairwell.

"I don't know," CM admitted. "It's like she saw something that wasn't there."

"Saw us perhaps?" Carter suggested.

"That's never happened before," the she-bear growled under her breath. The stairwell resounded with the heavy tred of their paws. "And even if she did, it was only out of the corner of her eye."

"I'll mention it on the Network when we get back. See if anybody else has seen something like that." Rob kept one hand on the guiderail as he made his way down. His snout lifted thoughtfully. "Maybe she's been taking some drugs that messed with her head. We don't know anything for sure. I'm not going to leap to conclusions."

"Good point," Carter nodded and wagged his tail. "Still, it'd be pretty cool if others could see us as we are."

"No it wouldn't," CM muttered, feeling the weight of her breasts with each bouncing step.

None of them said anything more until they were on the bottom floor and walking out the lobby. All three of them began to pant a little as they stared into the afternoon sun. To their left, two familiar voices began shouting.

"Over here!"

Turning out of the sun, they beheld a pair of Changed standing in front of an old blue van. The larger of the two was a bristly boar dressed in white tank-top and shorts. His wispy tail flapped on either side of hearty legs ending in hooves with cloves as big as a man's fist. Beside him was a hedgehog dressed in much the same attire but far shorter and plumper. Long spines poked along his upper arms, out from the back of his shirt, and over the top of the back.

"Jan, Dennis!" CM cried as she picked up her pace. Carter and Rob were at her heels as the five Changed all gathered in the lee of the van. CM patted them both on their arms, being careful not to touch Dennis's spines, and rumbled like a pleased bear. "Good to see you both again."

Jan's little eyes glanced up and down CM's attire and his snout broke into a mirthful grin. "Always good to see more of each other."

Dennis rolled his eyes, Rob chuckled under his breath, Carter guffawed, and CM did her best to ignore the remark. "Jan, Dennis, this is Carter Ryan," CM indicated the black-furred wolf who had managed to regain his composure. "Carter, this is Jan Krazinski, and Dennis Meale, friends of ours who live up this way."

Jan extended his two-fingered hand and grinned. "Pleased to meet you, Carter. Are you from Blacksburg, too?"

"Buffalo," Ryan replied as they shook hands. "Down here on business."

Dennis shook his hand next. The hedgehog's pudgy face wrinkled a little. "Changed business I suppose?"

"Yeah, with Walt--- ooof!" Carter's reply was cut short when Rob elbowed him in the side.

"Sorry guys, we're not supposed to talk about it," the skunk cut in.

CM patted her belly. "So where are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Jan's snout wrinkled into a grin. "There's a great place few miles down the road. They know how to serve food." The way Jan said the word 'food' implied that he didn't think most restaraunts knew what it was. "Trust me, you won't be hungry for long!" They all voiced their approval and followed Jan around the back of the van to the passenger-side sliding door while Dennis climbed into the driver's seat. Jan jumped into the passenger seat and stuck his head and right arm out, pumping his oddly-shaped fist up and down, "Here come the Changed! Watch out food!"

Carter leaned over and whispered into Rob's ear, "He isn't insane is he?"

The skunk laughed.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that Dennis was a generally quiet hedgehog, he drove with an intensity that surprised Rob. The skunk well remembered CM's warnings the first time they drove out to the Cascade Trail to take their hike and bath. Without doctors who could see thme as they really were they needed to avoid accidents with ruthless discipline. Yet here the hedgehog flew down the main roads passing cars on both the left and the right and taking turns fast enough that Rob's tail fell toward the outside of the turn each time. He didn't even seem worried that a cop might pull them over!

CM noticed it too, because she kept interupting Jan and Carter to yell at the hedgehog. Dennis would not, slow down for a few minutes, and then slowly build up speed again.

They left the highway after a few minutes and followed a two-lane road through rolling green hills filled with horse farms. The road dipped and wove, not nearly as badly as the roads around Blacksburg, but bad enough that the skunk was beginning to smypathize with the bear whose long claws nearly tore chucnks out of her seat. After turning onto an even smaller road, Rob finally decided to add his voice. "Hey, Dennis, can you slow it down? I think I'm going to be sick back here."

"Seriously?" the hedgehog asked. "Fine I'll slow down." And slow down he did. The van no longer lurched about as if it were going to flip over.

"I'm amazed you haven't gotten yourselves killed driving like that!" CM scolded in her Momma Bear voice.

Jan grinned as he leaned to one side in his seat to talk with them. "Ya, I thought the same too. But Dennis drove... what cars were those again?"

"Stock cars," the hedgehog replied. "Only stopped because I can't do it anymore with these spines." He turned back onto a larger road and merged in with the traffic. Apartment buildings and shopping centres loomed in either direction. "Parents said I was going to get killed too. Haven't been in an accident yet."

"Let's not tempt fate," Rob said, eyeing CM. The she bear looked back at him with a 'thank you' in her dark brown eyes. "So do you race bikes too?"

"Not so much," Dennis replied. "You aren't as stable on a bike, so the risk of injury's greater. Bikes are for relaxing. Cars are for racing."

Jan snorted and grinned. "Bikes are for riding and conquering the road."

"You a Jack Kerouac fan?" Carter asked.

The boar blinked in confusion but the smile remained. "If he liked bikes then ya!"

The wolf's tail tried to wag where it was pinned between his back and the seat. "He pracitically invented the romanticism of the road, so yeah, you'd be a fan."

They followed this road past the first set of shopping centers, through a lightly forested area, and then past another set of horse farms. As they neared another highway, Dennis turned the van off at a restaraunt and store which clearly catered to truckers. All the gas pumps came equiped with extra large canopies and most of them were diesel. The parking spaces were long enough for trailers, and a bright neon sign reading 'Open 24 Hours' flashed in red, white, and blue.

"A truck stop?" CM asked incredulously as Dennis parked the van.

Jan nodded and emitted a very pig-like squeal from the back of his throat as he climbed out of the van. "Best food in the area. Run by a Polish couple so they have real food. Oh, they serve American food too for everybody else!"

"Showing a little national pride there are we?" Rob chided as he jumped to the asphalt. It felt hot and grimy beneath his paw pads, but the thrill of working out the kinks in his tail more than made up for the discomfort.

But Jan was already on his way, hooves clopping the asphalt with Dennis and CM right behind him. Carter slammed the sliding door and shrugged his shoulders. "Never eaten at a truck stop before. These guys seem pretty cool though. CM likes them."

Rob's eyes narorwed thoughtfully, but he did not share any of those thoughts evne with himself. Together, the five of them crossed the parking lot where already sat several trucks, some of them with engines still running, to the front door of the old-fashioned but moderately clean restaraunt.

The interior looked like any trcuk stop seen in the movies, long chrome-plated bar along the back behind which pots of coffee brewed and waitresses liesurely made their way back and forth. Stools ranged across the bar and booths along the front windows. Curtains in a red, white and blue checkerboard pattern gave the place an air of Americana, though with the addition of the red and white Polish flag hanging from the backwall beside the clock and menu, it seemed as if the couple were trying a little too hard to fit in.

The scent of oil and grease still pervaded the air, but overwhelming it was the delicious aroma of cooked meats, potatoes, eggs, fries, and other things they couldn't name but knew they'd love to eat in addition to the faint crispness of fresh vegetables and fruits. A few truckers sat at the bar and with a pair of them arose the pungent aroma of cigarettes. They talked quietly to themselves or ate their food. Talk radio blathered from somewhere behind the double swinging doors to the kitchen. A bell on the door tinkled at their entrance.

Everyone turned their heads to look at them then returned to their food. Jan made a big show of inhaling with his porcine snout, and then drummed his hands on his pants. CM bumped him from behind as Rob and Carter slipped inside. The boar took a step forward, hooves clattering on the linolieum.

From a door behind the bar an elderly lady with pronounced nose and peppered grey hair held back in a bun emerged. She was dressed in a white apron with red blouse on underneath. Her face lit up when she saw Jan and Dennis. They widened when she took in Rob and the others. "Oh, you brought friends this time! Do they like to ride too?"

Jan grinned, "Not yet," he then clasped the bruin on the shoulder, "but this one sh... he likes to ride too. Just no bike yet!"

CM twitched at the near slip but kept a smile on her muzzle.

"Well, just place your order right here, and then find any seat you want." The woman spoke with a stronger Polish accent than Jan did but Rob didn't have any trouble following her. She looked at the boar and hedgehog. "Will you want your usual?"

"Ya," Jan replied. "Been looking forward to it!"

"I will too," Dennis said with a half laugh.

The menu hung on the wall next to the Polish flag. Rob studied it for a while, noting that most of the items were as promised typical American cuisine that one could find at any mid-end restaurant. Then there was the list of pierogies, haluskis, and other Polish items that fleshed out the remainder of the menu. The skunk decided to take a chance and ordered one of the pierogies. Carter selected a half-pound cheeseburger. CM was typical CM.

"How big are your portions?" the bear asked, her claws gently tapping the top of her belly.

The woman smiled sweetly and replied, "We have full portions for dinner menu, but smaller lunch portions if you are trying to lose weight."

All five Changed chuckled to one degree or another. "Oh no," CM replied, a little embarrassment slipping into her voice. "No, that's not it. I'm just very, very hungry right now. Hmmm, let's try two of your fried fish dinners, the chicken strips dinner, a side of onion rings and one of applesauce. Oh, what fresh fruit do you have?"

CM caught the attention of nearly everybody in the restaurant with that order. The lady glanced at Jan as if making sure this was okay. The boar nodded and so she wrote it down. "Okay, sir, we will have that ready in a few minutes. Just find a seat anywhere, ya."

Jan guffawed as he picked a booth at the end of the restaraunt that had wraparound seating. Dennis sat on one end, so Carter and Rob slid in the other side. Jan gestured for CM to follow, but she replied, "I'd rather sit on the end if you don't mind. You know."

The boar nodded and managed not to make the sexist comment everyone expected him to. Still, Rob couldn't help but note that Jan had managed to sit right next to the bear. The boar looked very pleased with himself. He leaned back and polished one tusk with a thick hoof-like finger. "See, I told you this place was good."

"We haven't eaten yet, Jan!" Carter said as he shifted in his seat to get his tail comfortable. Rob had managed to pull his tail between his legs. Somewhat uncomfortable, but he was used to it by now.

"Ah, but this place is good and private," Dennis said in a hushed voice. "We've come here before to meet with other Changed. Those truckers will be gone in ten to fifteen minutes, and even if they do listen to us, they won't have a clue what we're saying."

CM frowned, rested her hearty forearms on the table edge, then finally nodded. "Good enough. So, we know you've found more Changed up here. How is the NoVa community coming?"

"There's about seven of us now," Dennis replied in a whisper. "And that's including Sandrick who doesn't come to our meetings. I've heard through the grapevine that there are a few more working in DC but for security reasons can't reveal themselves."

"Only seven?" Rob asked, eyes narrowing. "As big as this area is?"

"That's the problem, ya," Jan said laconically. "Lots of people, but too big for us to see. We find more after August."

"That's something," CM murmured as she shifted about in her seat, "we're going to have to talk about. August is almost on us. In another month we're going to have a lot more Changed."

"You want us to come down to Blacksburg with the other Changed in VA to meet sometime in the next month?" Dennis asked

"Change day falls on a Sunday this year," the bear replied, counting off the dates on her claws. "Rob and I were thinking of booking a restaurant the weekend before and inviting everyone down who could make it. Drive in and out the same day if ya'll had to."

The boar grinned to the bear on his right. He turned a bit in his seat and said, "Dennis and I can stay in a hotel so we can give you more practice riding!"

CM lowered her eyes at that, and tightened her paws into makeshift fists. "That's up to you. Not everyone can afford it."

"So," Dennis asked, looking over at Carter and Rob, "How many more Changed can we expect?"

Before the skunk could stop him, Carter blurted, "At least twice as many. And that's just in new Changed." The skunk wanted to say something, but shook his head and let the wolf blather on. "There's all the Changed that don't know about the Network out there now. With more Changed period, we're probably going to see the Network population go up to at least ten thousand in a year. At least that's what our models say."

"Ten thousand!" Dennis gasped. "It's hard to believe that there are so many."

"Ya!" Jan agreed, though his sanguine amusement kept the shock from his voice. "But at least we'll still be the old timers in at the very beginning!"

"There is that," Rob conceded. "Although those few at the very beginning would still say were all a bunch of newbies."

The boar waved one hoof-like hand. "In another five years we'll be the old timers. You have to think long term."

"Well," CM grumbled, her eyes staring at a well-laden waitress, "my thoughts are particularly short term right now."

Jan erupted with a squealing laugh at that.

{{Separator|k}}

Dinner proved delicious but not exquisite. CM enjoyed her fish, chicken, and sides, and also enjoyed the fact that her bill wasn't too exorbitant. Jan took care of the tip for everyone and the five of them went back to the van after saying goodbye to their server. Jan and she talked briefly about Jan's mother and how she was doing but the boar quickly followed them out.

"What's wrong with your mother?" CM asked her friend after he clopped across the asphalt.

Jan frowned, an expression that wrinkled his snout in an unfamiliar way. "It's cancer. Had it off and on for the last four years. Mom's doing okay for now, but we have to keep close watch on her. I visit them on Sundays." A faint smile crept back into his countenance. "If things turn for the worse, I'll tell her just what her son is."

"A pig?" Dennis asked without the slightest trace of humor.

"A boar," Jan replied with pride. "Far better than a pig."

"I'll keep her in my prayers," CM offered and the boar's smile widened.

"I have said many novenas for her, but thank you!" To the bear's surprise, Jan gave her a sudden hug and then a slap on the back. "That's what friends are for, ya!" He jumped into the passenger seat and his good humor appeared to fully return. "So can we take you anywhere else? Still plenty of daylight left."

It was past seven already, but they had at least another hour of sunlight left before twilight would bring its darkening touch. Carter yawned and climbed into the van, "We should probably get back. We've got an early day tomorrow."

CM noted out of the corner of her eye the skunk glancing between her and the boar. "Carter's right," Rob said. "We should be getting back to the hotel. It's been a long and tiring day."

"We could drop you two off," Jan suggested mildly as Dennis climbed in beside him. The hedgehog's spines thrummed as he settled into the driver's seat. The seats were cloth and looked recently upholstered but still had a few holes where the hedgehog's spines got the better of the weave. The boar looked at the bear and grinned. "Want to come over and practice riding? You have to keep practicing to ride. You'll be happy you did when you get your own bike."

CM didn't doubt it, and the thought of taking a little time to ride on their bikes along the lightly travelled roads feeling the wind through her fur appealed greatly to her. It would be nice to see where Jan and Dennis lived too. Every time they'd gotten together, it was Jan and Dennis who rode down to Blacksburg and not the other way around.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a warm smile. She then felt an undo measure of scrutiny coming from the skunk and realized just how utterly feminine her intonation had been. Steeling herself, the bear took a breath and shook her head. "But Carter and Rob are right. We've an early morning ahead of us and it has been a long day. Thank you for the offer though. I'll make it up to you next time."

Jan laughed and settled in his seat. "Sure thing. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Warp Speed!"

"Could we try the speed limit instead?" CM suggested with a laugh hidden behind her fangs.

"Ya, we could give that a try too. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Speed Limit!" Dennis turned the engine over and gave the boar a long stare which coming from a pudgy hedgehog face looked fairly ridiculous. Jan's chest heaved with his mirth and he shook his snout back and forth. "Nope, doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

{{Separator|k}}

They returned safe and sound to the hotel. Dennis drove slower this time though every time they went around a curve they could feel the hedgehog pushing down on the accelerator. But his dirving skills were just as good as he'd claimed. No matter how he pushed the van, they never felt even the slightest suggestion of danger.

Before dropping them off, Jan extracted a promise from CM to come visit and ride together before the August Change made it more difficult. The she-bear didn't make it too hard, merely worrying about her work schedule and the cost of gas. Rob was surprised she didn't mention Leslie. The skunk knew the bear's wife a little. Leslie was such a private person it was hard to get to know her. But it had never been hard to see that CM and she loved each other, even if Leslie had no idea what CM really was. That CM didn't mention her in her short litany of excuses set the gears in the skunk's mind turning.

After Dennis and Jan drove off, the three Changed marched back into the hotel air conditioning and sighed in relief. Carter's ears and tail drooped as he said, "I'm going to go crash. See you both tomorrow."

"Good Night, Carter," CM said with a weay smile.

The wolf shut his door quietly as the skunk and bear continued to theirs. Rob clicked his tongue against his short, sharp teeth and said, "Hey, CM, you have a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Let's go into your room so we don't disturb Carter."

CM nodded, dark eyes perplexed but as calm as ever. The air inside her room was arctic cold. Rob drew his tail over his chest in surprise. "Sorry about that," CM apologized in a huff. "I left the AC on full blast. It's actually a little chilly for me too now."

Rob settled onto the bed and sighed loudly while the bear fiddled with the AC controls. "Okay, Chris, this is getting a little weird for me."

The bear turned at her real name and he could see a surprised look in her eyes. She sat down in the chair and rested her paws on her knees. The chair was wide enough and strong enough that it didn't creak from her weight. She self-consciously lowered her snout and almost hid the exposed curves of her breasts. "What is?"

The skunk knew mincing words with the she-bear was a pointless exercise. CM was very good at parsing language to suit her arguments. "You and Jan. The first time I saw you together you nearly tore his head off for making a sexist advance at you. Now you either ignore his constant flirting or you get all girly. It's really starting to scare me, Chris. You didn't even mention you were worried about Leslie's schedule when he asked you to come back in a few weeks!"

CM bristled and her jowls drew back. She heaved, her breath still reeking of onions and fish. "I am not flirting with Jan!"

"But you sat next to him. You've seen him how many times this year already, four, five? Normally when you're around other Changed you act like a Momma Bear. But you aren't doing that with Jan. Good grief, Chris!"

"I get together with Jan ''and'' Dennis," she growled. "And I've been consciously trying not to be a Momma Bear."

"Well you're succeeding, cause you're acting like a young woman falling in love instead!"

CM growled again, but this time kept her tongue behind her teeth. She glared down at her legs and paws, digging her claws through the thick, brown fur. "I'm not in love with him. He's just a friend. I love Leslie."

"When was the last time you and Leslie did anything together?"

"I..." CM shook her head and flecked her lips at the skunk. "Stop trying to fix me, Rob! My relationship with my wife is complicated! I love her, but I have to hide this from her. If she knew that I was female... No, I can't let that happen."

"You have to tell her sometime. I told Audrey, and we aren't even married yet."

"You're lucky!" CM snarled. "You're still male!"

"That could change in month like it did for you."

"I'm exceptional! There aren't many of us who've changed genders as well as species! You don't understand."

Rob took a deep breath and let the bear get her rage back under control. If she got any angrier she'd tear gouges into the chair arms with her claws, or worse. The skunk lowered his snout and ran one paw through his thick tail. "You cannot be yourself with Leslie, Chris. But you can with Jan. And right now you're female. I'm worried you might do something you'd regret because your body so badly wants..."

A dangerous glint came the bear's eye. "Sex?"

Rob knew better than to go there. "Companionship. Whatever. Jan isn't your answer."

"He's a friend. That's all. I'm not going to betray Leslie." Every word came with a fresh growl.

Rob did his best to smile as he stood. "Good. I trust you. Now stick with it."

CM appeared to seeth for a few moments. AS the skunk rose to leave, she composed herself and stood. "I'd like to be alone now. Thank you for telling me what you think, Rob. Get a good night sleep and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The skunk nodded and left the bear alone. He'd said what he had to. He swung his tail free and quietly shut the door behind him.

{{Separator|k}}

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
July 19, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm tired of being female. I've been female for almost three years now. Leslie doesn't know because I don't know what it would do to our marriage. Only the other Changed know and that is what makes things hard. They see me and treat me like a woman, and half the time I act like a woman and don't think anything of it! How can I lead a double life like this? How can I keep doing it? It just hurts too much!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Rob came by this evening and accussed me of flirting with Jan. He said it looked like I was falling in love with him! I'm not! Jan is... Jan! While I confess he's not as irritating as I thought at first, and the manner in which he displays his masculinities is far more appealing to me as a woman than I would have ever expected, there is someone else I'd rather be with. Oh Leslie, if only I could be with you, all of this would go away! If only I could be male again! If only you were Changed and could understand!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I don't think Jan does more than tease me for the sake of teasing me. When I first met him I think he was still being a pig. But since then, he seems more intent on getting me into bikes than he does into my pants. I think he understands my struggles and while perhaps he isn't helping as much as he could, he isn't making things harder.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But am I? That's what Rob seems to think. I wanted to smack his snout with the back of my paw for hearing him suggest such things. But is he right? It's taken me a full hour of Discovery Channel just to calm down enough to write in this journal. And I still don't know for sure how I feel. I was alone for six years with this Change. Now that I can finally be with others, am I trying for things I shouldn't have? If not for Leslie, would I have given in and dated Jan? The thought sends shivers through my fur!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I hope and pray that in a few weeks I'll be male again and all of this can be straightened out. Tomorrow we go before Congressman Sandrick and tell him out projections for the Changed population. If we're right, things are going to get very interesting in a few years. Somehow, I'm far more confidant about how the world will accept the Changes than how I will deal with my own. What if I stay a female bear? At some point I will stop Changing. What will I do then? I just don't know. For now I will sleep on it and hope for the best.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, give me the wisdom I need to do Your will and to follow in Your ways. In nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti. Amen.

</div>

{{Separator|k}}

By the time Walter the longhorn bull came to gather them, all three were dressed and ready. They carried their luggage down to the hotel lobby a full five minutes before Walter descended the stairs. The bull dressed as was his custom in a black suit that blended with his splotchy hide at the neck, with a patterned red tie and ironic bovine tie tac. He noted their attire and nodded gratefull before checking them out of the hotel.

Both Rob and Carter were dressed in black suits as well which blended with their fur. Apart from Carter's white shirt and golden eyes, the wolf nearly blended into his outfit. Even his tail wagging between his coattails struck the bear as unremarkable. Rob's monochromatic tail was more noticeable, the base pushing aside his coattails as it curled upwards in a characteristic question mark. But despite the incongruity of animals in business attire, they each managed a look of dignity that surpassed most of the other hotel patrons they saw walking in and out the entrance.

CM, due to her physique, wore a plus-size woman's business jacket and blouse with matching navy blue slacks. Both blouse and jacket were modest and sufficiently androgynous that she garnered no unusual looks from the other hotel guests, but she still felt conspicuously feminine. Before last night she hadn't thought much on her business attire, but now she knew that all the other Changed would even more consciously think of her as female. There was nothing to be done for the moment but to accept it and all that went with it.

Besides, in a month she hoped she'd be male again and could put this chapter behind her.

Walter Lundh nodded to each of them as they gathered by the lobby doors. "Do you each have everything?" At their positive reply, his bovine snout parted in the faintest of smiles. "Good. Follow me and we can be on our way."

He led them into th eparking lot and right back to the minivan. They stowed their luggage in the back and climbed inside. Though it was still early in the morning, already the air was too humid for CM's taste. Even Carter began panting as the van got underway. Walter cranked the AC and pulled back onto the highway. "It won't take us long to get into DC, so I'm going to briefly go over our schedule. Congressman Sandrick has arranged a breakfast for us in his office. After we've had a quick bite to eat, you will begin your presentations. CM, you will go first since your presentation has the punchline. Mr. Ryan, you'll go next so you can better explain the methodology, and Mr. Hallman you'll be last to describe the resources used. Once all are done we are at the Congressman's pleasure to further explain anything he wants to know. We'll thne have lunch and after I'll drive you back to Dulles to catch your return flights. Are there any questions?"

"No," Rob replied. "It's better to get in and out."

"How bad will traffic be?" Carter asked. The wolf glanced at the cars flanking them on either side of the highway. While not nearly as many as there would be on a weekday, traffic was far heavier than anything they were familiar with seeing.

"This should be the worst we see," Walter replied with a bovine grunt. "In about ten minutes you'll see the Pentagon, and in another ten we'll be at the Rayburn building. If you have any last minute preparations to make, now is the time."

CM reached into her satchel and pulled out the hard copies of her slides. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rob and Carter do the same. With a growling chuckle, she began rehearsing her lines.

{{Separator|k}}

It took a full half-hour before they parked in the underground parking lot beneath the Rayburn building. Even for a Sunday the lot was two-thirds full. After parking, Lundh made a brief call while Rob, Carter, and CM put their presentation materials back in their briefcases and climbed out. The air was still humid, but the darkness brought a relief from the Summer heat already building outside.

The longhorn hung up and gestured toward the far end of the lot. "We'll be met by the elevators in a few minutes. Do you each have everything you need?" They nodded and then so did he. "Good. I'm told Number Two is already here so we can begin as soon as we finish eating."

"Number Two?" Carter asked, his tail lowering between his legs. "You mean the second guy to Change?"

"Yes," Walter said with an almost perceptible roll of his glassy eyes. "Of necessity Mr. De Smet has been a leader in the Changed Community. For the sake of his privacy, he prefers to be known as Number Two now."

Together the four of them made their way through the crowded parking lot. Most of the cars parked within were luxury sedans though there were a few sporting vehicles and a handful of trucks too. As they reached the set of elevators at the far end one of them opened and out stepped a raccoon in a business suit. His masked face brightened with a show of fangs when he saw them approach.

He extended a black-furred hand toward the bull. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Lundh."

The longhorn shook his hand and nodded. "And you, Mr. Norton. This is Robert Hallman, Carter Ryan, and Christopher Mattiaz. Gentlemen, this is Mr. Evan Norton, Congressman Sandrick's Internet Coordinator." There was no hint of irony in the bulls's voice as he pronounced the raccoon's title.

Evan shook their paws one at a time, green eyes noting CM a little more closely before turning back to the elevator. It looked large enough to host a small convention. "All is waiting for you. Just follow me and we'll be there in moments. Do you have your passes?"

Walter handed each of them a lobbyist pass which they clipped to their lapels as they stepped onto the elevator. Their nostrils flared as they took in each other's scents in so close proximity. The elevator hummed softly as they went up two levels. Evan tapped his claws together nervously and CM realized that he was just as young as they were. "Have you worked long for the Congressman?" the shebear asked.

"Only since last December," Evan replied. "The Congressman needed somebody who could be a connection to the Changed community without drawing too much notice. Nobody pays attention to internet staffers yet, so here I am." His smile was half-hearted, but he didn't sound disappointed with his lot in life. CM nodded and settled in her corner of the elevator for a few seconds more.

The Rayburn office building was one of many office buildings in DC for Congressmen. And with Congress still in session, even on a Sunday the halls were busy with Representatives, their aides, and lobbyists scurrying back and forth to curry favor on this or that bill. Evan led them from the elevator down one hall all the whiel assuring them that their passage would not be noticed. Not that they needed assuring; everyone else they saw was still human and far too wrapped up in their own affair to care about them or the internet staffer to a sophomore congressman.

Congressman Sandrick's office had a front desk where a receptionist could sit and handle all comers but there was no one there now. A sign sat on the desk apologizing to any lobbyist that the Congressman couldn't see them today. Evan ignored this and headed straight for the door to the back office where the real work was done. Walter followed him and with the opening of the door two new animal scents greeted them as did the delectable aroma of fresh fruits and cooked meats.

Standing behind a solid oak desk was a broad badger with dark eyes. Black paws with long claws were folded over his middle. Sitting in a well cushioned chair was a tall red fox in a tan suit. Both smiled as they entered.

The congressman smiled and waved one of those long-clawed paws at the array of chairs set around his desk. "I'm Congressman Phillip Sandrick of South Carolina. I know Walter Lundh has been having you do work for the Changed Community and you're here today to report on your findings. You can speak freely in this office. I've cleared my schedule for the day and my chief of staff is off on a fact finding errand that will keep him from disturbing us. The rest of my staff have the day off. We have as long as we need. Please refresh yourselves and enjoy a bit of breakfast. I'd like to get to know ya'll a little before I take your advice."

"Thank you," CM said, her eyes going to the platters of fresh fruit, jerky, and sausage beneath the windows on the left wall. A projector had been set up facing the right wall and Evan immediately sat down at nearby computer and began clicking through windows.

The badger gestured to the fox who rose from his seat and wagged his tail once. "This is Mr. Reynaldo De Smet, more commonly known as Number Two. He's been regaling me with the history of the early Changed community for an hour now, and while very interesting, I'm going to have to strangle him if he tells the tale of foiling the traditional English fox hunt one more time."

The fox laughed and waved one hand. "You are too kind, Phillip." The badger rolled his eyes while the fox turned to the rest. "As my easily irritated friend has said, my name is Reynaldo De Smet. My mother was French, my father Belgian, and they must have known I'd go into acting when they named me."

"I've never heard of you," Carter said.

The fox nodded. "As it should be. After I became this back in 1988, my career took a decided turn to the local markets. And since we are still too few in number to risk having too many in prominent positions, I am known in the Changed community as Number Two."

"Walter said you wanted to be called that for your privacy," Rob pointed out. "I thought actors wanted fame."

Reynaldo shook his head and sat back down. "Very true! But for now, I need the anonymity to maintain my standing as a local artist only. Once I become known by my real name as a Changed artist, I won't be able to do local venues only. But that is enough of me. I understand it is you three who've achieved something for the Changed community. Tell us of yourselves. I can talk forever if I must."

Phillip nodded from behind his desk. "I'll vouch for that. You should be in Congress, De Smet. You make more sense than a lot of the clowns I deal with and still manage to irritate."

"It is a gift," Reynaldo agreed with a playful wink.

CM and Rob laughed while Carter filled his plate with jerky and sausage. CM selected several choice fruits and berries in addition to a two plates of jerky and sausage while Rob chose a similar proportion only much smaller. Walter only chose fruits. Together the four sat down and one by one introduced themselves. Reynaldo asked questions here and there about their lives while Sandrick kept his focus on their technical qualifications. Nevertheless, by the time they'd finished eating everyone in the room felt comfortable with each other and the mood had lightened considerably.

"Well, if everyone is settled," Walter Lundh suggested, "perhaps we can begin the presentations?"

"Of course," Sandrick gestured at the raccoon and Evan came to where the rest sat.

The raccoon folded his paws as he looked over the trio. "I'm prepared for Power Point Presentations if brought them. I'll clean any residual data from the computer once were done." They each reached into their briefcases and handed him disks which he took and loaded one by one into his computer. "Give me one minute and I'll have them up. Who is presenting first?"

"I am," the shebear said as she rose to her heavy paws. She pulled her business suit taut and glanced one last time over her preperation materials. CM set them back in her chair and then walked over to the projector screen, laser pointer in paw.

"I'll get the blinds," Reynaldo said. The fox jumped form his seat and drew the blinds shut. He sat back down with the quiet grace of a professional actor.

CM felt all eyes turn to her. Sandrick leaned back in his wide chair, lightly durmming the tips of his claws against his knees. Lundh gazed placidly at her as any bull in a field might. Rob and Carter watched with polite encouragement writ in their beastly eyes. Reynaldo couldn't keep the twitch out of his tail as it dangled through the gap in his chair. Only Evan wasn't looking at her, and that was only because he was busy loading her presentation.

And then with one final click the raccoon scooted back in his seat and the projector splashed the first slide on the screen. "There we go," Evan said. "Just say 'Next' when you want me to advance the slides."

CM nodded and half turned between her audience and the screen. Her first slide was merely a title and her name. "Last year Walter Lundh contracted us to examine the issue of the Changed population and how it was growing. We were to develop a statistical and demographic model on where the Changed are, how many of us there are, and how many more of us there will be in August. Over the last ten months we've been collecting data from the Changed network, collating it, and running various models to determine what is the most statistically likely scenarios. Next."

The slide changed to an outline for the three presentations. It wasn't in the same order that Walter requested, but CM decided to gloss over that. "In my presentation I'll tell you what numbers we've found and what they mean. Carter will tell you what the demographics look like and where we can expect new Changed to crop up, and also, where we think all the missing Changed can be found. Rob will go over the technical systems we've developed in order to store and process the model data. Next."

She turned on the laser pointer and circled the bar graph showing. The horizontal axis had a list of years, while the vertical axis had population numbers. Except for the first few years listed, each block was larger than the one before it. "Here's where things stand now if you plot the Changed population in the Network versus the year that they Changed. This includes those who've died after joining the network." Which, she was grateful to learn, was only a handful so far. She circled the pointer over the very small block on the year 1988. "This block has only you in it, Reynaldo." The fox's ears flicked back and his muzzle tightened in a vulpine grin.

"But what is immediately obvious from these numbers is that every August the Changed population increases exponentially."

Sandrick shook his head. "I'm a Congressman, CM. I can't even balance a budget let alone do advanced math. What do you mean 'exponential'?"

CM rolled the pointer around in her heavy paw as she tried to think of a way to explain that would make sense. "Every August, the total population of Changed is multiplied by a fixed amount. We're growing and we're going to grow faster every year. This we could see just from the numbers of Changed we know about. There are more in the Network who Changed last year than in the previous ten. What we had to do was determine what that fixed multiplier was."

The badger grimaced but began to nod. "I think I understand what you're saying. So do you have a number?"

CM nodded. "Next." The slide changed by adding some captions to the graph. "With a little over 86 percent certainty, the Changed population doubles every August 17th. Which means, that there should be ten times as many Changed worldwide than what we currently have in the network. And also, it means that after August 2007, there will be a million Changed worldwide. In 2017, a billion Changed. And after 2020, everyone will be Changed."

For several seconds, no one said anything while those staggering numbers sank in.

At last Reynaldo let out a short yipping laugh. "Well, we knew we were growing fast, but... are you sure about this? We've only three thousand in the network. How do you know we're doubling like this?"

CM rumbled and gestured with a claw at the black wolf. "Carter's demographics analysis of the Changed population. That and my analysis on the trends in the last few years showing when Changed are discovered and added to the Network. That said, we have only 86 percent certainty about these results. We could be overestimating or underestimating actual growth, but we're almost one hundred percent certain that the growth is exponential. Which means unless the Change stops, in the next thirteen to forty years everyone on Earth will be Changed."

"How did you arrive at that date range?" Sandrick asked as he scratched behind one circular ear.

CM waved her paws at the projector. "The next slide has the tolerance figures we've put on the exponential growth. It's what gave us the range. Evan?" The raccoon nodded and tapped a key. The screen changed to show a table of figures. CM drew her laser pointer along the top row. "Here we have the lowest and highest possible exponent bases that fit the models. At the low end, we have the population increasing by a little over 1.75 each August. At that rate, it would be 2027 to 2029 before all the world was Changed, barring major shifts in global population trends. Carter will talk about those details. At the high end the rate is just shy of 2.25, which means that by 2015 everyone would be Changed.

"Now both of these are extreme cases and represent the tolerance for our analysis. But the probability that the real rate is one or the other is very slim. The most likely situation is that the rate is closer to 2 if not 2 precisely."

Reynaldo tapped one claw against the side of his snout. "It didn't look like the Changed were doubling each year in the graph you just showed us. Some of them looked like they'd more than doubled. Could this rate be changing each year too?"

CM nodded and tapped her claws together. She rather liked the fox. He put things in plain language yet seemed to understand and anticipate her explanations. It dawned on her as she studied him that he was the first Changed she'd met that had been Changed longer than she had. A smile teased the edges of her heavy jowls. She'd have to talk with him afterward if possible. But first, she said, "We considered that and it still may be the case. With Congressman Sandrick's assistance we'll be able to keep analysing the Changed population over the next few years. That will help us refine our conclusions. But those variances you've noted can also be explained by demographics. We think that is much more likely given the intelligent nature of the Change and how it manifests in the world."

Sandrick frowned, glancing briefly at Walter Lundh who watched the presentations with bovine placidity. The badger turned his gaze back on the bear. "Could you explain that comment please? What do you mean by the intelligent nature of the Change?"

"Well, I'll be spoiling one of Carter's points but I don't think he'll mind too much."

The wolf laughed and wagged his tail. "You're the one who put a name to it, CM. Go for it."

CM nodded her thanks and turned back to the congressman. "There are a couple of reasons. First, the reality distortion field, or RDF, as it's called on the Network. A radical change as we've undergone would surely be noticed unless there was some aspect to it that made it imperceptible to others. But it isn't fully. I've had a friend swear they were pushing against thin air when they touched my head. Our Change is more than just illusion, it is real. An the altering of perception is constrained to a fixed area about ourselves. Which is why we leave hoof prints or paw prints when we walk. Separating one part of our body from another doesn't change the effect either, which is why shed fur just looks like human hair to others. So in that sense, the Change operates under rules, rules that we can discover through scientific inquiry and also through deductive and historical science."

CM gestured to Carter and continued. "Secondly, the pattern in which the Change spreads, so far as we've been able to determine, is centred around Chicago and expanding in what appears at first blush to be a fractal. This is very incomplete because we've used a lot of conjecture to fill in the gaps of Changed we know based on our population model who aren't in the Network. But, in the last few months we've tested this model based on the newest Changed we've discovered. We've had to make a few tweaks, but with a little over seventy percent accuracy, the Changed originated where we predicted them too.

"And that leads to the third reason I state that the Change is an intelligent phenomenon. With as little data as we have, we've been able to construct models from which we can make predictions and have such confidence in them. Our model's predictive capability is slightly better than flipping a coin, and it's leagues better than any odds you'll get at a casino. And our estimates of exponential growth indicate the most likely base is an integer! Nature, undirected, doesn't typically operate with integers. That speaks strongly, from a philosphical perspective, of intelligent direction in the course of the Change."

Reynaldo waved his paws in the air and laughed. "It sounds to me like you might be making the ROB argument. That the Change is proof of the existence of the divine."

"ROB?" Rob asked with an amused twitch of his long tail.

"Random Omnipotent Being," Walter grunted. "It's a term being tossed about in the forums by those who believe the Change is of supernatural origin but are unwilling to ascribe it to a particular religion." From the tone of the bull's voice, CM could tell he didn't think too highly of the concept or those pandering it.

"Ah, I must have missed those threads," Rob said softly.

CM rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Apart from being an oxymoron, an omnipotent being cannot be random because random implies that there is more than one and an omnipotent being by the very quality of omnipotence is singular, I'm not actually proposing the ROB theory. I happen to be Catholic and believe very strongly in the existence of the divine as the source of ultimate creation. I can recite the creed if you want. What I'm saying is that I think the Change is intelligent in the sense that it is the consequence of intelligent action and design. It need not be an act of God per se because nature as I said does not usually rely on integral rates for anything. That typifies more the act of a limited intelligence and suggests to me that while I cannot tell you how it is being affected, the Change likely has its source in natural intelligence rather than supernatural."

Sandrick shook his head and started laughing. "You use a lot of big words and I confess I'm not following all of it. But are you saying this is the work of aliens?"

Carter let out a single bark in amusement, Rob covered his snout to stiffle his laugh, and Evan had to wrap his muzzle in the crook of an elbow to keep himself from breaking down. Even Reynaldo's tail and whiskers trembled in mirth. Only Walter was unmoved by the suggestion.

"I don't know," CM confessed. "I can't speak to the particular mechanism of the Change. Only that it seems to me to have as its origin a natural intelligence. Now, I also believe that, like all of nature, it is used by God to further His will, and that for some reason He wants me to be female for a time. I do not understand it but I accept it as best I can. But I also believe He gave us the capacity to understand the Change. The fact that we've been able to learn so much with such a small population sample tells us something that I don't think we should ignore."

Reynaldo waved one paw. "I'm satisfied with that answer. I'm a little unnerved by your suggestion, but since we don't know either how it works, I don't see how we can say no to it. I'd love to see you write your theory up and post it to the forums. It's certainly worth exploring some. But that's beside the point. I've lived with being a fox for a very long time. You say you can make some predictions. What are we looking at come this August?"

The she-bear felt a bit embarassed that she allowed her temptation to erudition to wander so freely in front of these important men. She did have a presentation to finish. Turning back to the projector, she circled the left column. "Here are the years, and here are the population projections by exponential base. If we are doubling, then we can expect an additional 32,896 Changed on August 17. With that many more, we anticipate an even higher percentage of the Changed population will find the Network, both for new Changed and those who have believed themselves to be alone."

"It might be time," Sandrick mused, "to consider changing our recruitment tactics." The badger stroked the fur under his snout with one claw. "Any Changed that watches C-SPAN will eventually see me and figure out they aren't alone. But that isn't going to be a lot. I've kept a low-profile since I Changed. Maybe I should seek more publicity?"

Walter shook his head ever so slightly. Still, the tips of his horns swept out large deadly arcs in the air. "The more publicity any of us seeks, the greater risk we expose the Changed community. Our numbers are too few at this time to risk exposure."

"We're going to be exposed at some point," Rob said. The skunk laconically shrugged his shoulders. "What difference does it make now or later?"

"The infrastructure for Changed is still in its infancy," Lundh said, jabbing his hoof-like hand into the air. "It needs more time and more Changed to mature. I'm looking at your numbers, and if you're right about the doubling, then we have a few years to go before I'm willing to even consider risking more publicity."

Sandrick lowered his paw and nodded. "You're right, Walter. There is a lot of work still to be done, and much of it will not be done here today." His dark eyes focussed on the bear and his voice took on a note of authority. This was a man who was used to people doing what he told them. "What more do you have to say in your presentation?"

CM folded her paws over her growing belly. "Mostly various projections and the data to back up our claims."

"No more bombs to be dropped?"

"No, sir. From here on out we explain the data behind the bombs we've dropped."

Sandrick grinned, exposing the many pearly, white spears the Change had given him. "Then let us hear the data."

CM nodded and looked to the raccoon. "Next slide please."

{{Separator|k}}

"And that's all I have," Rob said. The skunk shurgged his shoulders, long tail dancing behind him and occasionally getting in the way of the projector.

Phillip Sandrick stood and spread his paws on the table before him. His long claws tapped the wood with a pleasing rattle. "Thank you gentleman. Seeing as it is nearly noon, I suggest a short break. I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you before you depart, but as I'm starving, you'll forgive me if I make you wait a few minutes more. I won't be interfering with your travel plans will I?"

"No," Walter replied. "I've arranged for seats on later flights if necessary, but we still have a few hours yet before they're needed."

"Good." The badger patted his paws once on the desk and waltzed around to snag something to eat. "Let's take as least fifteen minutes to relax and enjoy some food."

Nobody else needed convincing. Evan bolted from his seat by the computer and was rifling his paws through the crackers and meats. Rob and Carter flanked him. Walter kept to the other side where the vegetables were. Only CM, who'd been snaking from the buffet table ever since finishing her presentation, didn't join in the rush for delectables. She caught the fox's eyes as he returned to his seat with a plate full of cold cuts.

A little nervously, CM asked, "Number Two, do you mind talking privately for a moment? There's some things I'd like to ask you."

Reynaldo's ears lifted and his jowls brimmed with good humour. "Of course not. Let's go back to Sandrick's reception room. That's probably pretty private today."

None of the other Changed objected and so the bear and fox stepped back into the reception room. Along the wall beneath the light of the windows was a row of large old-fashioned chairs. CM gingerly sat in one, and though the wood groaned, it held her weight. Reynaldo draped his tail over the decorative arm and sat cross-legged next to her.

"So, what's on your mind, CM? Curious to know what things were like in the beginning?"

"A little," CM admitted. "I know it must have been lonely. I was. I guess I just wanted to finally talk to somebody who's been this way longer than I have. You're the first I've ever met."

Reynaldo nibbled on a bit of shredded ham. "And judging by the numbers you've crunched, there aren't too many of us that have been Changed longer than you. Ninety-six, right? So I've been this way only eight years longer than you. The numbers become less important with time. Eight years. Ten years. Twenty years. After you've lived them, they all blend together."

"But still," CM said softly, her eyes straying hungrily to the fox's plate, "You have been Changed longer than I have. I know that I'm always going to be one of the oldest Changed, if not the oldest, in any gathering of Changed. Has it always been that way with you?"

Reynaldo yipped a lugh and shook his head. "Actually, no. The very first Changed I met was Number One. She's a musician, and I an actor. It turns out her band was booked for the same theatre that I was working in at the time between roles. This was back in late ninety-three. So for five years I thought I was the only one. Seeing Cass there," his golden eyes took on a faraway look and the slit pupils narrowed as a flash of sunlight poured through the windows, "was like falling in love for the first time all over again."

"The two of you are together?"

Reynaldo shook his head. "No, no. She married before the Change to her drummer, and they have three kids already. He's a good man and all three are good kids. Shortly after we met, she told him about the Change which he took in good stride. He hasn't Changed yet himself, but her youngest boy became a bright looking fox last August. Of course, he's seventeen now, but I still remember him when he was little trying to sing along with his Mom; he could hit the high notes just like she did!"

CM felt herself smiling and delighting in the little aside about the boy. It was the Momma Bear in her again, but she indulged it for now. "That's so sweet. So how long was it before you met the others in Chicago? It seems there's a lot of older Changed there."

"We met Red, Number Three I mean, a year later, and the rest of the early crowd by 2000. Nobody else from that time period has shown up in or near Chicago. Did you model predict there would be more there?"

"A few yes, but most are probably like me and appeared in isolation as new seeds. I've already had two people in my current hometown Change in the last year. I guess... how did you handle it?"

"Being alone? Probably the same way you did," Reynaldo admitted. He shoved the last of the ham on his tongue and swallowed it with only a few quick bites. "Once we started finding each other, we started having weekly meetings to help each other out. With five to seven of us it was easy. Once we had twenty, we had to move to monthly meetings, and then it was the mailing list. We had somebody hack the list in ninety-seven so that got shut down. Then, some tech savvy mouse put together the website and security measures and we've bene online ever since. When Walter joined us a few years back he got the money together to buy the current servers and to wrap up the domain names for any sites we might want to use in the future."

"And your role in the Network?"

"Spokesman, old fart, wily fox, something like that," Reynaldo laughed and held out the plate. "Here, you finish the rest before you start drooling on it."

CM took the plate in one paw and lowered her owls. "Oh, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. I've seen worse. A friend of mine got Changed into a St. Bernard. He carries handkerchiefs with him just so the humans don't notice. And heaven forbid he shake!"

CM laughed as she picked through the meats. "I've been a Rottweiler twice now, so I know what it's like being a dog and contending with drool."

"Now that's one thing I don't think I could have managed," Reynaldo said as he gestured at the bear. "Changign shape again and again. And gender too. I see you're married. Wife or husband?"

"Wife," CM said a little more quickly than she would have liked. "She's still human and doesn't know. We married while I was male. I'd hoped marriage would keep me male, but that hasn't happened."

"I'm sorry. You just didn't say anything about her, so I didn't know what to assume."

CM swallowed a bit of turkey and nodded. "Fair enough. It has not been easy on me. Before I met any other Changed, being female was just something I knew about myself. Now others are treating me like a woman and it's getting harder to supress."

"Who's been treating you like a woman?"

"None of you, but all Changed who see me before they find out do. There's one guy who knows but slips up frequently. I think he does it on purpose."

Reynaldo shook his head. "What an ass."

"Boar actually," CM replied with a laugh threatening at the back of her throat. "He's a good man, just aggravating at times."

Reynaldo blinked and ran one paw over his forehead. "Does it bother you when he does it? I know one gender Changed in the Chicago area that gets absolutely livid when she's treated like a woman."

"It depends," CM replied. "If I wasn't married or if I knew I'd be stuck as a female I might feel differently about it. But since I keep on Changing, until I stop I don't know what to do!"

Reynaldo nodded and scratched himself behind one ear. "I've seen some of those guides you've been writing up on the Network. Keep doing that. It's been very helpful to the others."

"Thank you, I will."

"And since," the fox smiled that impish smile which made his golden eyes gleam, "you Changed back in ninety-six, that makes you eligible for the First Ten club. I think we need a better name, but it's something Cass and I've been tossing back and forth since the Change started exploding like it has in the last few years."

The shebear picked the last bit of salami from the plate and downed it. "What is it?"

"Just something we've been talking about on the side. Just for us who Changed in the first ten years. There were never many of us, so we all have that alone story in common. With the way things are going, most Changed won't remember what it's like to be alone. Those of us who were will always feel a little out of place, even once the whole world Changes. We don't know what we're going to do, maybe meet once every few years like a reunion to gripe about all the youngins, but if you're interested I'll add you to the roster."

CM smiled and set the plate aside. "Thank you, Reynaldo. I really appreciate that. I would like to be part it. I don't know how much I can contribute."

"Just do what you're doing. Let old timers like Cass, Red, and I worry about this for now."

"Okay," CM agreed and leaned back a bit. The chair groaned under the bear's weight. "So are you in anything currently?"

Reynaldo's eyes looked skyward. "We're doing Lerner and Lowe's Camelot this Season. I'm playing Lancelot of all people. After that I just have minor roles. If you could get to Chicago I could get you tickets."

"Unless Walter wants to foot the bill, I'm not going anywhere!"

"I'll see if I can send you a video then," Reynaldo stood up and patted the bear on the shoulder. "Shall we go back in? Or was there something else."

CM shook her head and stood much to the chair's relief. "No. I didn't even know what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to talk to somebody who'd been this way longer than me for once."

Reynaldo's grin was true and his grip on the bear's shoulder was firm. "You're doing just fine, CM. And thank you for all you're doing for us. Just knowing what's happening is a great blessing."

"That it is," CM replied as they made their way to Sandrick's office again.

{{Separator|k}}

"First," Congressman Sandrick said once they were all seated and paying attention to the badger, "I want to commend you all on your work. You've done a hard but necessary task for the Changed community, and as one of its spokesman, I thank you. Your numbers will help us plan for the coming years. In the next five years I think we can expect vast changes as we prepare for the day when it will be impossible to keep the Change a secret. And for that reason I believe you three should continue your work."

The badger gestured with one paw at the projector which now lay dormant. "While you won't need to come give me presentations like this again, and it is probably safer if you do not, I would like quarterly reports on the Changed population and what your models show. We can quibble about the format of the reports later, but I do want updated numbers and graphs like you showed me today. Send whatever you have to Walter and he'll make sure it comes to me.

"And," he said, holding out one paw to forestall any objections or questions, "because I'm asking you to do this on a schedule, and because of the good work you've already done, I'm going to find a way to pay you for your services. Walter and I will work out the legal aspects, but you will be reimbursed for your efforts to date and any work you do for us in the future." Carter wagged his tail and panted in delight, Rob pumped his fist, and CM rumbled deep in her chest. Finally, some money!

"Now I want you to realize something. The Changed organization can control things by and large for now because we are small and unnoticed. If your numbers are correct, then this is going to spiral out of our control very quickly. People on the ground are going to have ideas that we would never think of that will make our lives easier. Already people are doing what they must to adjust to this life. Although I didn't have to resew my clothes, I've heard that there are dozens of guides already posted on the forums. That's just the beginning."

Rob shook his head and asked, "So what are you getting at?"

Sandrick frowned at the skunk. "What I'm getting at is we have some of the most powerful members of the Changed community in this room right now, and I'm telling you that we aren't all that powerful. I'm only in my second term as a Congressman; I have to spend most of my time making sure I stay in Congress. Walter has his own clients, and Number Two only has power because of his position in the community. We are very much finite. Do not expect that because you are involved at this level that you will have much say in how the Changed community develops. You won't. But neither will we."

"I'm just happy to be getting paid for this," Rob replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I've got enough on my plate as it is without worrying about impacting the community."

"Good. That makes you ten times a better person than half the people who come into my office," Sandrick replied with a low growl that was not directed at the skunk. "And to be frank, it is refreshing talking to you because you aren't here with an agenda. I wish I could meet with you more often. But there's nothing to be done about that." He spread his paws on his desk and frowned, his muzzle scrunching and whiskers twitching on either jowl. "Are there any questions?"

Carter lifted his paw. His golden eyes kept sliding away from the badger's resolute stare. "You said that you didn't have the power to direct the Changed community. What can you do? You talk about planning, but what are we going to be planning?"

"We need to spend the next few years building up the Network. There's going to be a lot of people joining who are going to need help adjusting. Right now the network is in a support and grow phase. That is the best we can do. From a high-level we can discuss ideas on ways to support the needs of the community, but the actual implementation of those ideas will need to be done by those on the ground. For instance, Walter has done work with Changed who've been placed in mental institutions. Right now he has various connections scouring medical notices to find patients who meet the profile. When he finds them, he goes to interview them and help them adjust and if possible, take legal action to have them released. To date he's found... fourteen?"

"Fifteen," Walter supplied.

"Fifteen Changed in institutions. We're probably missing a large number of them, but until we have more people who can help, that's the best we can do. Walter, in addition to coordinating your efforts, is also spearheading a team to develop better approaches to this problem. They expect to be very busy after August 17th. Things like this we can plan for. But there's a lot we'll miss."

"That's all well and good," Reynaldo interjected, "but everyone else needs to know that we are doing something. That will give them the confidence to do what they need to do."

"And we are, and we will." Sandrick nodded to the fox. "You and everyone else need to get the word out that we are not going to let any more Change days pass without some plan to handle them."

"Even if our plans are just to do what we've always done and keep an eye out for anybody getting sick?"

"Yes, that's right."

The fox nodded and relaxed in his chair. "I'll do my part then."

Sandrick nodded and then turned to the skunk and bear. "I understand you two have appointed yourselves the leaders of the Changed living in the Virginias and neighbor states to the south. Do you have plans for the Change Day?"

Rob nodded. "Much the same. We've met with all the Changed we know in the area and have given them as much guidance as we can. Neither of us has a lot of experience finding new Changed. I Changed last year, and I'm the only person CM's ever talked through it."

"That's more than many receive. But as long as you have a plan you should be in good shape. Are there any other questions?" When nobody lifted a paw, the congressman grinned, showing a wide array of white fangs behind his lips. "Then it was a great pleasure meeting you all. I wish you the best of luck next month and in the years to come. I'll work out the details on what I want from you with Walter. Evan will show you out."

They all said their thanks to the badger who was polite, but from the way his eyes twitched to a stack of papers on his desk made it clear that he had other things he really needed to be getting to. The raccoon ushered them all back into the hallway and toward the elevators, including the fox. Reynaldo smiled at all the women he passed in a way that CM felt sure was risking a lawsuit in their litigation-happy society.

The elevator was even more cramped than before but they made it to the parking garage safely. Evan thanked them all and wished he could spend more time with them, but he had other duties for the badger that couldn't wait. They said their goodbyes and the raccoon disappeared back into the elevator.

Reynaldo stretched out his arms and yawned like a canine with wide jaws and long curled tongue. "Well, that was very interesting. We knew we were growing a lot but... marvellous work you three."

"Thanks," Rob replied. "I'm just glad to be getting paid for it."

The fox smiled and folded his arms behind his back. "I may see you again at another of these meetings or at a Changed gathering of some sort. If so, I'll make sure to have at leat a meal with you. I wish I could promise more, but fame is a pain like that. Even only Changed fame."

"Hey, maybe we'll be famous for this work," Carter replied with an eager puppy-dog lookt o his face.

"Nobody cares about th enumber crunchers," Rob pointed out.

"We do have a flight to catch," Walter pointed out in a breathy grumble.

Wolf and skunk frowned, while CM extended her paw to the fox. "It was a great pleasure meeting you, Number Two. I hope our paths cross again."

Reynaldo smiled at her and he let his paw be engulfed in her own. "And I you. I hope your next Change makes you a man again." CM smiled a little more but said nothing.

Rob and Carter said their goodbyes to the fox too. Walter nodded to him and briefly they shook paws. Then they went their separate ways, each wondering if ever they would see each other again.

When they finally reached the van, all their minds a flutter with thoughts of money, impressing the congressman, and meeting one of the oldest of the Changed, the taciturn bull surprised them all when he turned and his muzzle broke into a firm, proud grin. "You three did a very good job in there. Thank you." And like that, the moment of praise passed and they were on their way back to the airport with yet one more thing to marvel at.

{{Separator|k}}

Rob and CM said goodbye to Carter and Walter at Dulles. The bull dropped them off, thanked them for a job well done and wished them a safe flight home. He helped them unload their luggage, assured them he would contact them soon about the reports Congressman Sandrick wanted, and then drove back to the highway.

The wolf's plane was the first to depart and the trio stayed together until the boarding call. Carter waved and wagged his tail as he follwoed the other passengers. They stayed to watchi his plane taxi and then made their way to their terminal.

Dulles was too crowded an airport to let the skunk and bear talk freely so they chatted about movies and school while waiting for their afternoon flight. Though the Roanoke airport was only a regional airport, the flight was still fully booked. Against, Walter had managed to secure an empty seat next to CM, and apparently with enough money he was able to keep it empty. Rob had to sit next to a guy covered in tattoos with whom they chatted amiably during the hour flight. He ran a tattoo parlor in Roanoke and was looking at expanding his business. Both CM and Rob wondered for how much longer he'd be able to stay in business with the Change giving everyone thick coats of fur.

The flight was otherwise uneventful and they landed with ease and a few minutes ahead of schedule. They wished the tattoist the best of luck and made their way back to the skunk's car. CM sighed as they walked through the much cooler air of the Appalachians. Her muzzle broke into a predatory grin as she surveyed the green-capped mountains surrounding them. She loved it here; so much more beautiful than the DC area.

"Well, another hour's drive and we'll be home," Rob said as he stuffed his luggage in the trunk. "It feels like this visit took a week."

CM nodded and settled her bags next to the skunk's and then shut the trunk. "We've done a lot. It'll be good to get home."

"Audrey promised to cook up some steaks this evening. Care to join us? Both you and Leslie are welcome to come."

CM's stomach grumbled and she nodded. "Thank you. I'll ask Leslie when I see her."

Together they climbed in the car and Rob drove back down interstate 81 toward Blacksburg. The stereo serenaded them with something by Mythus. It wasn't until they passed the Ironto exit that either of them said anything. "You know," Rob said as the tip of his tail flicked behind his head, "Things are really going to be strange these next few years."

"Things have already been strange for me these last seven years," CM pointed out, though there was a laugh in her voice. "They will certainly be interesting. I wonder if anyone else we know will Change next month."

"I hope so. I hope it's Audrey. And Leslie. Be good for both of us."

CM grunted, paws resting in her lap. "As long as I'm male again."

"You will. Come on, CM, it'll happen."

"We'll see. It's only four weeks away."

The skunk nodded, sighed, and fell silent again. The roads through Blacksburg were lightly travelled in Summer and so once they left the highway it took very little time before they pulled into the Chasewood Downs parking lot. CM climbed out of the car and smiled to Rob. "I'll give you a call if we plan to come over."

"Great! Hope to hear from ya!"

CM collected her things and watched Rob drive off. She sighed and turned her eyes to her apartment. Leslie's car was parked in its usual spot but CM couldn't see her through the window. She took one step forward and stopped when she heard the familiar click of claws on asphalt. But they weren't her claws.

Turning to her left, CM smiled brightly as she saw Leslie walking their little Cairn Terrier around the complex. They were just coming back. Leslie had on a bright blue western-style shirt tucked neatly into her pants. She wore the short boots they'd bought her a few years back. Crystal, their dog, carried a tennis ball in her mouth, but she dropped it when she saw CM.

"Hey sweetheart!" CM shouted, waving one paw, "I'm home!" And silently, under her breath, CM repeated the mantra to put her mind back into the male husband mode.

Leslie followed Crystal with a bright gleam in her face. "Hey," she said with quiet love as she neared. "How was the trip?"

Chris wrapped his wife in bear arms and pulled her close. "Good, but not as good as this." Together, husband and wife laughed and hugged while their elderly dog sniffed about their feet. The bear sighed, the weight on his heart lifting even as the words drifted off his tongue. "I love you."

"And I love you too. Now let's get your things inside." Chris the shebear hefted his luggage and followed his unsuspecting but wonderful wife back home.

{{Separator|k}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Model Building}}

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2009-01-07T17:50:14Z

MatthiasRat: Finished off the scene with Sandrick. Going to try to keep this story to one more scene to wrap things up.

{{Universe|[[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]]}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in July 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Model Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

Rob the skunk carried the cardboard boxes from the hall into his room and set them down on the clean floor. It had been almost a year since he'd changed into an anthro-skunk and forced to keep his room clean, and still he flinched his toes to avoid stubbing them into discarded detrius that no longer lingered upon his carpet. His friend CM had shown him the necessity of maintaining house and over a week's time helped him turn his room from a pig sty into a place where a Changed could easily keep their true nature a secret.

And now he and his friends were leaving FoxRidge 1600J for good. Trevor, Brett, and Nick had found a house in downtown Christiansburg to rent, while he was moving with Audrey into the upscale apartments FoxRidge offered. A few weeks ago Audrey had accepted his marriage proposal and now his mind was abuzz with managing his and her families as they swarmed in battle over the wedding arrangements. It had to be in Vermont! No in New Jersey! It must be big! It must be small! It must be Protestant! It must be Catholic! On, and on, and on!

Here in Blacksburg, Virginia, he and Audrey could escape for a time and be together without the discomfort of feuding families. In one week's time he'd be out of the Furry apartment and would no longer need to hide. Apart from Patrick whom CM had told because he'd become too nosy, Audrey was the only other among them that knew the secret of the Changed. He hoped she didn't mind lots of potpouri or cleaning up skunk fur.

As the skunk set down the boxes his phone rang. He snatched it from his computer table and read the number. His eyes widened; he recognized that name. He cast a quick glance at the server humming away in one corner and then opened the phone.

"This is Rob. Hello?"

A deep, rumbling voice answered him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hallman. This is Walter Lundh. How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine, just getting ready to move next week. Already signed the lease and everything." He said that deliberately. The last time the longhorn bull called he'd had to cancel his plans on short notice. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm mailing you, CM, and Mr. Ryan round-trip tickets to Washington in two weeks."

"DC?" Rob asked, both surprised and relieved that he at least had two weeks before he needed to jump through the lawyer's hoops. "What for?"

"Congressman Sandrick requested an update on the status of your project prior to next month's Change. We want to know where to look and what to expect. You and your colleagues must ready a presentation for the Congressman. Will there be any trouble for you?"

Rob walked to his calendar and studied the dates. "I'm going to have to get off work. So will CM. They'll probably be pissed that they didn't have more advanced warning."

"I apologize for that," Walter replied brusquely. "I'm sure the Congressman can send you each a letter if necessary, though we'd all prefer to keep this low profile. Are there any other difficulties?"

The skunk shook his head. "No. It's good for me, but you'll want to check with CM. She might have plans. Will we see you in DC?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Dulles. All the arrangements for the hotel have been made. I will see you there. Good luck with your move. Don't damage anything."

The bull hung up and Rob set the phone down with a long sigh. A move and a presentation! Well, he'd better get started packing then.

{{Separator|k}}

CM carried the footboard into Rob's new bedroom and set it against the wall with the rest of the pieces of his bed. The skunk was rifling through his toolbox with Audrey at his side resting one hand on his shoulder. Rob's tail twitched to the far side as he turned to see the bear.

"Hey Audrey, can you go keep the others busy for a few minutes?" Rob asked.

"Changed stuff?" Audrey asked, and at the skunk's nod, she smiled and nodded. "Sure! Open the door when you're done." She hugged CM as she walked past, surprising the bear, and then closed the door behind her.

"Trevor and the others are busy packing their own things," CM pointed out. She rested her paw on the footboard and tilted it back and forth. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Rob held a wrench out and said, "Well, you can help me put my bed together!" CM laughed. "Seriously, we haven't had a chance to talk. You got Lundh's message last week, right?"

CM nodded. She'd been at work the first time the bull had called. Leslie had taken the message, but of course Lundh hadn't said anything to her other than his name; CM was amazed he'd given her that much! "I've got my part of the presentation prepared. I know you haven't had much chance to look it over or anything but what you've done looked good to me."

"Not much else I could do," Rob grunted as he straightened and looked around the room. "Here, against this wall. The headboard should go here. Do you need a paw?"

CM nodded. "It's a little awkward, yes." Together, they carried the arched headboard to where Rob wanted it and then leaned it against the wall. "Do you need some help with your presentation?"

The skunk frowned as he returned for one of the side pieces. "I shouldn't. It's not like I did anything anyway."

"You kept the server going," CM replied with a smile. She could tell the skunk was bothered by something but she couldn't tell what. "Carter and I couldn't do anything without that!"

"But are we really ready to tell these guys anything?" Rob asked. "Bring the footboard; we'll get these pieces together."

CM pondered the question for a moment as she retrieved the footboard. Rob had both side pieces laid out in front of the headboard and was checking the various bolts to make sure he had the right ones. She ran her tongue along the back of her short fangs and grunted. "We have enough to give them a good estimate. We've ruled out pretty much everything except exponential growth. That's scary in itself."

"And there should be a heck of a lot more of us than there are, right?"

CM set the footboard down and held it steady with one paw. She was careful not to nick the wood with her claws. "Yes, but Carter would know more about where they should be than I do.. It'll be good to see him again at least."

"He won't have his jeep with him this time. Did you get stuck in coach too?"

CM nodded and Rob rolled his eyes as he lifted the first side piece and put the bolt through the hole. CM held the other end up with her free paw. She laughed and rumbled. "His note did say that he reserved the two seats next to mine too. Paid extra for that. I'm going to need it." She patted her tummy which was already building up girth for winter hibernation. Of course, if the August Change played its usual tricks, she wouldn't be a bear for much longer.

As long as she became male again she wouldn't mind staying a bear forever. But that wasn't up to her.

"Well, that's something at least. I hope you didn't have any plans for next weekend."

CM grunted. "Jan and Dennis were planning to come down to visit."

Rob's tail darted to one side and he glanced back at the bear in surprise. "The boar and the hedgehog? Wouldn't that be like their third time this year?"

"Jan's fourth, Dennis's third. He couldn't make it last time." CM grinned and shrugged. "Jan's determined to make a biker out of me. He's probably going to succeed at some point too. Just don't have the money for it now."

"And Leslie would kill you," Rob added.

CM's grin didn't fade even though she nodded. "Yeah, probably. They're working on that too."

"So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd be in DC anyway, and if time allowed, I'd meet them there. Probably going to have to be in the evening though. Looks like Lundh wants us there to present and get out as quick as possible."

"Probably to keep from too many questions being asked," Rob said. He stood up, brushed his pants off, and walked over to where CM crouched against the footboard. "Okay, the first one's in. Scoot back and I'll get this bolt in too."

{{Separator|k}}

Roanoke Airport was a small regional airport with a single concourse. There were direct flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Richmond, and of course DC. Their plane left at 2:20, so Rob picked CM up at her apartment a little before noon. They each had packed an overnight bag, though in CM's case it looked like one that would barely fit in the overhead compartment. Rob resisted the temptation to ask the she-bear if she'd packed the kitchen sink.

Traffic was light that Friday as they drove up I-81 to Roanoke. The airport itself was reasonably busy with families heading out for the weekend to visit relatives as well as several others heading out of town on business. The pair checked in, saw that their flight was on time — which surprised the skunk who'd never seen a plane leave on time — and headed for the security.

Both of them felt a little anxious passing through the security station, especially with the post-9/11 heightened security measures. But neither of them were singled out for extra scrutiny and they passed by unmolested.

While Rob went to their terminal, CM stopped at one of the terminal-side restaurants and ordered the largest fish item they had on the menu. That and an appetizer of fried cheese sticks. It did sate her hibernation hunger for the time, but she knew she'd be hungry again in a few hours. At least the flight wouldn't be long. She hoped that Walter would be understanding about how much she'd probably order from room service!

When CM went to their terminal she found the skunk reviewing his portion of the presentation. He'd been able to finish only the day before and only because Audrey let him shirk his duties to setting up their new apartment. He'd have a lot of catch up to do when they got back, but CM had volunteered to come over a day or two and pitch in to make up for it.

CM settled her bulk on one of the benches and grimaced as the arms pinched her paunch. "Ugh. They need bigger seats."

Rob glanced up and chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-eighty," CM replied. "I'll hit three hundred again by the Change."

The skunk nodded. "The way you eat, yah. What are you going to become?"

"A rat I expect," she replied. She briefly touched one breast with a claw and grunted, "And hopefully male again. Do you hope to change again?"

Rob shook his head. "Skunk wasn't my first choice, believe me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm happy this way, so why Change again?"

"But if you did, what would you prefer?"

The skunk put his papers down in his lap and leaned back into his tail which curled over the end of the seat. "Something feline I think. Jaguar. Definitely a jaguar. Oh, and male too."

CM chuckled. "Well, odds are you won't change again. How goes the presentation?"

"Slow," Rob grunted and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be reading over this on the plane. I finished the slides at like 3 AM last night."

"Well, if you practice, don't practice too loudly," CM said as her eyes followed a family coming up the causeway and settling in next row of seats. "We won't be alone."

Rob glanced at them and nodded. "Right." He lowered his snout to the pages and though he moved his lips, not even the bear could hear anything he said. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and resigned herself to waiting another hour for their flight to depart.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that their plane was a prop, CM managed to relax and sort of enjoy the flight. Perhaps because bears were natural swimmers, she had no trouble adjusting to the pressure change as the plane gained altitude. And with nobody sitting in the seats next to her, she was able to stretch out her bulk across all three. The seat belt was almost as loose as it could go, but it neither pinched her gut nor did the seat pinch her tail. For all of that she was grateful.

Rob faced a different situation. His length tail made getting comfortable extremely difficult. It wasn't like his car where he could sit forward and lean forward when necessary. In the purgatory of coach, there was no room to lean forward and if he sat forward his knees pressed into the tray table. So he ended up pulling his tail between his legs and doing his best not to get it tangled in the seat belt. The older woman sitting next to him watched him with a vague sense of unease, but of course she couldn't tell what was really going on.

To the skunk's immense relief, the flight lasted less than an hour and soon they were settled back on the ground. He lashed his tail back and forth and hissed as they walked up the boarding passage to the gate. "Ugh! I'm never flying coach again!"

"Yeah," CM said as she hefted her carry-on over her shoulder. "It's a little cramped. If Walter hadn't kept the seats next to mine empty, I think I would have eaten somebody. Just kidding."

"That lady was giving me the creeps!" Rob shook his head and checked behind him to make sure she wasn't nearby. "I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die on me."

The bear chuckled and pointed down the concourse. "Well, we're here now. I think we want to go that way to get to the main terminal."

Rob glanced at the signs and nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. Shouldn't be hard to find Walter."

"There is that at least," CM agreed.

The two of them moved through the throng of people waiting for their flight or rushing to catch a connecting flight. Rob held his tail close to his back and twitched anytime anybody brushed too close. CM ambled along at a decent pace over the worn carpeting. It was so old that the long claws on her toes clicked against the concrete beneath every few steps.

Dulles International Airport was immense compared to what they'd left in Roanoke. Vendors and restaurants greeted them the entire way through the concourse, as well as people going every which way. Many were dressed for business, but just as many were dressed as if they were going to Florida, Mexico, or California. A good number were either calling somebody on cell phones or were getting called. And despite the huge throng, not a one of them was Changed like them.

It took almost ten minutes to get from their gate to the security plaza. Once through, they headed into the wide open-air centre lined with airline registration desks and even more shops selling touristry gewgaws. Skunk and bear scanned the crowds in every direction, and found what they sought almost immediately.

"There he is," CM said as soon as she spotted the huge horns sticking out of either side of his black-and-white speckled bovine brow. Rob saw it too and the pair of them made their way through the crowds towards the huge computer display listing arrivals. Walter was dressed in business attire and carried a briefcase in one hoof-like hand. Small, glassy eyes greeted them as they approached. "Mr. Hallman, CM, I see you made it without incident."

Rob held out one hand and the two shook. "And good to see you too, Walter."

"Likewise," CM said before shaking the bull's hand. His grip was heavy and felt odd with those two pointed hoof-like nails. "Where's Carter?"

"His flight is just now arriving. He'll be with us shortly." Walter grunted and glanced between the two. "I hope you brought more professional attire for tomorrow's meeting."

"Yes," Rob said. "I only have the one set of suit pants with a hole for my tail."

"I only have one good suit that fits me at this size," CM admitted.

"That will suffice. If we have too many more meetings, I will see to it that you each have more. My discretionary funds are limited, but they would be ample enough for that if there was a need."

"Discretionary funds?" Rob asked, not sure he could believe what he was hearing. "Just how long have you been a lawyer?"

Walter lightly stomped one hoof. "This is a business meeting, Mr. Hallman. It pays to be professional. As to my years of experience, I will have been with my firm for thirty years as of October 04."

"That long?" CM asked in surprise. "You don't look that old."

"It's the Change," Walter replied with a faint degree of aplomb. "It is much harder to tell people's ages this way. In time we'll adapt and learn to read the clues. Are you ready to present tomorrow?"

"Yes," Rob replied. He patted his suitcase. "Power Point okay?"

"Preferred."

"So the meeting's tomorrow." CM shifted her carry-on from one shoulder to the other. "Are there any plans for tonight?"

Walter set his briefcase down and pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. He pulled a pair of small cards from this and handed them one to each. "Once Carter joins us we will ride to our hotel. I am attending to transportation. I have a business dinner to attend this evening with several lobbyists. I would have preferred dining with you myself but that will not be possible. I'm afraid you are on your own for dinner. I do ask that you avoid alcohol. Our meeting with the Congressman should remain out of the news, but it might not if any of you shows up hung over."

Rob grimaced then nodded as he studied the card. An itinerary was listed on the one side while the other was blank. "Yeah, I learned my lesson about alcohol. You don't have to worry about that."

"I won't touch anything either." CM pocketed her card and then waved over their heads. They all turned and saw a black wolf shouldering his way through the crowd clustered beneath the departures board. He grinned, tail wagging back and forth as he approached. "Hey Carter!" the bear called as soon as he was close enough. CM gave him a hug around one arm. "Good to see you again!"

"And you too, CM!" He then hugged the skunk, "And you too, Rob! Been way too long." With the bull he shook hands. "And it's good to see you too, Walter. What did you think of those numbers we sent?"

"I'm not a statistician, Mr. Ryan," Walter said rather gruffly. "I'm looking forward to your presentation tomorrow. Hopefully then I will better understand the numbers."

Carter's tail fell, but still he nodded and managed to smile. "So, what are we doing now?"

"Do any of you have any other luggage?" But they each had everything, and so Walter said, "Then follow me." Walter turned down the concourse toward the parking lots and shuttle buses. Once four sets of furry paws and hooves clattered along the faux marble floor, Walter continued, "We're going to our hotel. You will be on your own for dinner. I recommend you order room service so I can charge it to my business account. If you want to go out to eat you may do so, but you will have to pay for it." He handed Carter a third card. "That's the schedule for tomorrow. Bring it with you to the meeting. We'll be disposing of them afterward."

Carter grinned and pocketed the card. "Wow. I feel all cloak and dagger."

Walter grunted and swung his head to the side. The horns whipped over the wolf's head. "This is not a game, Mr. Ryan. This is professional. Please remember that."

The wolf nodded, "Of course. I know how to be professional." CM and Rob glanced at each other and stifled their mirth.

{{Separator|k}}

Transportation proved to be a non-descript blue minivan with Virginia plates. Walter indicated that they should all ride in the back, and once he opened the driver-side door they could all see why. There was only one seat in the front with the steering column only slightly off center. The bull didn't wait for them to ask before explaining, "I cannot drive a normal car with my horns. I'd have to keep the window rolled down and that is not always a convenient option."

"How'd you get this done? I've never seen a car like this before!" Carter exclaimed while Rob and CM climbed into the back. It was all bench seating which in general was easier for the often oddly shaped Changed.

"I contracted the conversion work to a Changed auto mechanic for vehicles in every area I'm likely to be. The work will prove pivotal in the future as more and more Changed need such modifications. You three are fortunate that you have not needed any such modifications. Other less economically stable than myself have had to make do with very unsafe workarounds." Walter set his briefcase next to his seat and then climbed into the car, turning his head as he did to slide the long horns smoothly inside. His chair had a little hole along the left side to allow his tail to comfortably slide into place as well.

Rob pulled the seat belt over his shoulders and grimaced as his tail bunched uncomfortably behind him. "How do you explain this to still human clients?"

Walter shut his door and grunted. "I don't. All non Changed clients ride with me in a limousine if we ever need to travel together. Since this meeting is to be as low-profile as possible, we take the minivan. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Not at all," CM replied as she settled into place. "What do other drivers think when they see you in the middle?"

"I do get a few queer stares," Walter admitted wearily. "But nothing more than that." After Carter had buckled up, the long-horn bull started the van and carefully eased out of the short-term parking lot. An Easy-Pass system officiated his parking bill and they soon merged onto the highway.

The bright Summer afternoon greeted them as they drove through the crowded highways of Northern Virginia. Though a Saturday, the highways were still jammed with cars going in either direction. CM was reminded why she never wanted to move back to the area with each passing minute. They would have talked, but as soon as they reached the highway, Walter brought up a TV feed of C-SPAN on a dashboard LCD. Some congressman droned about a bill to increase spending on some pet project, but the language and details were so esoteric, CM couldn't make heads or tails of what the pet project actually was. Carter and Rob looked no better off.

They were on the road for no more than twenty minutes before Walter turned off the highway and led them to a nice but unremarkable Holiday Inn. He drove up to front and pulled to a stop in front of the portico. "Your rooms are reserved under my name. Don't use the phones unless it's an emergency. And remember no alcohol tonight. I'll be by at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to take us into DC. Make sure that you're ready to leave by then."

Rob was the first to climb out of the van. "See you at seven then!" The skunk hefted his bag over his shoulder and waited by the curb for the bear and wolf to climb out. CM grunted in irritation at Carter who held the door for her, but the wolf just wagged his tail.

After Carter shut the door, Walter nodded to them and drove off around the back-side of the hotel. CM drummed her claws over her suitcase and sighed. "I guess we should get our rooms and get this stuff put away."

"What then?" Carter asked.

"Dinner I suppose. It's already past five," Rob replied.

A slight grin played at the edge of CM's broad muzzle. "I could call Jan and Dennis. They live in this area. We could get together with them."

"Walter said no phone calls," Carter pointed out.

"I've got a cell phone," CM replied. "I'm sure Walter only meant for us not to use the hotel's phones because those calls will show up on the bill."

"I'm up to it," Rob replied. His long tail danced behind his head and a smile crawled up his cheeks. "They probably know some good places to eat around here. I'm really not up for whatever room service this place has to offer."

Carter gazed at the hotel and began to nod. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Who are Jan and Dennis?"

"A couple Changed we know," CM replied. "Good folks about our age too." CM dug into her suitcase and took her rather large cellphone from its pocket. "So if there's no objection?"

"Not from me," Carter said with a tail wag. "I'm always happy to meet more Changed!"

CM tapped the number with the tips of her claws then set the headset to her left ear and wiated while it rang. Three rings and a familiar grunting voice replied with far too much aplomb, "Hello there, sweet lady!"

The bear's eyes narrowed and her lips drew back revealing a few fangs, an effect completely lost on the boar for whom it was meant. "Jan," she said in a warning tone, "how many times have I told you not to answer my number like that?"

"Ya, I'll remember one day," he continued in his usual affable manner. The boar was charming in an irritating sort of way. "How are you, CM? I wasn't expecting to hear from you this weekend."

"I'm well. Up your way actually. Rob and I both, with another Changed. Wondering if you and Dennis were free for dinner."

"Dennis should be back soon," the boar replied in a more even tone of voice. "We were going to ride, but we'd rather be with friends if friends are around! Where are you at? We can come pick you up."

An image of three Changed all stacked on the back of Jan's bike clutching each other for dear life flashed through CM's mind. She chuckled and then told the boar the hotel's address. The boar wrote it down and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "Probably be an hour before we get there. I know a few good restaraunts out that way. See you in a bit!"

CM hung up the phone and shook her head. "About an hour, Jan said."

"An hour?" Rob replied. "Good. Maybe I can get some of these knots out of my tail by then!" The wolf and bear laughed. Together, the three went into the hotel lobby to pick up their room keys.

{{Separator|k}}

The trio of Changed took advantage of their hour to settle into the rooms and relax. Walter had reserved adjacent rooms with connecting privacy doors each with a TV and single Queen size bed. Rob's room was in the middle which suited CM just fine. She left her privacy door shut while Rob and Carter talked. CM could hear the skunk chuff angrily as he brushed out the snags in his tail like promised.

The she-bear laid out on the bed and breathed heavily, paws resting on her already growing belly. The long plane flight and the ride here had all been without food, something her body craved ravenously. She contemplated ordering some room service while they waited for Jan and Dennis. They would undoubtedly have to wait at whatever restaraunt they stopped at. But she knew that it would probably take just as long for the room service to arrive. She was better off just raiding a vending machine. She'd seen one in the hall on the way to their third floor rooms.

But first she had to decide what to wear. It was easily fifteen degrees warmer here in Northern Virginia than it had been down in Blacksburg. And it was ten times as humid! The first thing she'd done after coming into the room was crank the AC to the max. She was comfortable now, but would she be once they left with Jan and Dennis?

There wasn't anyway around it. She was going to have to dress lightly. That meant no bra and there was a good chance she'd be showing some cleavage. The thought didn't appeal to the male portion of her brain which always lurked in the background when she was in female mode. She thought about briefly making herself think as a guy again, but there didn't seem much point. CM was female for the duration of this trip. But she was a female off limits. The others knew that, even if Jan liked to tease her from time to time. She'd have to trust the boar to behave himself.

"Easier said than done," she muttered ruefully.

Nevertheless, CM pushed herself off the bed and stripped her clothes off. Once naked apart from the panties she glanced a look at her massive ursine shape in the mirror. An unconscious twitch in her jowls brought a beastly smile to her face. CM turned away and grunted at herself, turning all her efforts to digging into her suitcase for something light to wear. She didn't have to worry about revealing too much because she would never buy such clothes, but still, she'd be around other Changed all evening long and all of them guys. It couldn't help but make her predominant female side anxious.

She selected a V-neck blue T-shirt and jeans that fit her comfortably but not too tight even with her expanding waistline. CM took a moment to examine herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure not too much was showing. Jan would undoubtedly stare until she smacked his snout with the back of her paw, but it was at least modest. There may be no bra, but everything that was visible, and that but a crescent lune, was covered in thick brown fur anyhow.

Once satisfied, CM raided the vending machine and then joined Rob and Carter in the middle room. She carried with her a dozen items with an even mix between chips, candy bars, and fruit-based snakcs. Rob sat on the bed combing his tail which stretched out beside him. Carter reclined in the chair by the window with his tail sticking out the front and long gangly legs propped on the little side table. His lupine paws massaged the air as if he were still walking and pressing into the ground.

"Hey, CM, woah! Nice shirt!" Carter grinned and then lowered his ears in a canine blush. "Sorry about that. Just didn't expect you to... you know."

"It's too hot here for anything else," CM replied. She unceremoniously sat down on the floor and proceeded to tear into her packages. Rob glanced once, nodded having seen it all and more before, and then returned to working knots out of his tail.

"A little hungry?"

"A little," CM replied after scarfing the first candy bar in one bite. It was some chocolate thing; she hadn't really cared. She wasn't going to taste any of them for more than a second anyway. "Stare at my chest again and I might eat you."

Carter laughed and quickly returned to talking about the vagaries of polling data and the crazy stuff his company did when there wasn't an election season going on. Rob interjected frequently with little tidbits about stupid users who shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of a computer. CM listened as she devoured her light snack. Oh Jan and Dennis had better get there soon and get her some real food!

{{Separator|k}}

About an hour later as promised, CM's cellphone rang. The she-bear had long since finished her snacks and was leaning against the wall, legs splayed in front of her, the girth of her belly weighing down into her lap. Carter and Rob stopped talking while CM fished the cellphone off the floor and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, CM!" Jan's voice called back with a grunt of delight. "We're parked outside your hotel right now."

"We're on our way down." She hung up the phone and heaved herself to her broad feet. The claws dug into the carpet, but didn't catch.

"Just a second," Carter said as he leapt to his paws. "I think I took my shoes off. Can't remember." He bent down and fiddled at his paws, and before their eyes a shoe materialized. "Oh, guess I didn't. Nevermind." The wolf slipped the sneaker back over his four-toed paw and it disappeared again. Rob twitched a little as he watched, his long tail tip flicking back and forth in surprise, but after nearly seven years, CM was used to what the Changed now called the 'Shoe-Field'.

They grabbed wallet, locked their rooms, and headed back into the later afternoon heat. They didn't see any other hotel guests, but they did pass one of the cleaning ladies who gave them a brief stare, thne snapped her head back up in surprise. All three tightened but the lady turned away again shaking her head and muttering something to herself.

"Okay, what was that?" Rob asked once they were in the stairwell.

"I don't know," CM admitted. "It's like she saw something that wasn't there."

"Saw us perhaps?" Carter suggested.

"That's never happened before," the she-bear growled under her breath. The stairwell resounded with the heavy tred of their paws. "And even if she did, it was only out of the corner of her eye."

"I'll mention it on the Network when we get back. See if anybody else has seen something like that." Rob kept one hand on the guiderail as he made his way down. His snout lifted thoughtfully. "Maybe she's been taking some drugs that messed with her head. We don't know anything for sure. I'm not going to leap to conclusions."

"Good point," Carter nodded and wagged his tail. "Still, it'd be pretty cool if others could see us as we are."

"No it wouldn't," CM muttered, feeling the weight of her breasts with each bouncing step.

None of them said anything more until they were on the bottom floor and walking out the lobby. All three of them began to pant a little as they stared into the afternoon sun. To their left, two familiar voices began shouting.

"Over here!"

Turning out of the sun, they beheld a pair of Changed standing in front of an old blue van. The larger of the two was a bristly boar dressed in white tank-top and shorts. His wispy tail flapped on either side of hearty legs ending in hooves with cloves as big as a man's fist. Beside him was a hedgehog dressed in much the same attire but far shorter and plumper. Long spines poked along his upper arms, out from the back of his shirt, and over the top of the back.

"Jan, Dennis!" CM cried as she picked up her pace. Carter and Rob were at her heels as the five Changed all gathered in the lee of the van. CM patted them both on their arms, being careful not to touch Dennis's spines, and rumbled like a pleased bear. "Good to see you both again."

Jan's little eyes glanced up and down CM's attire and his snout broke into a mirthful grin. "Always good to see more of each other."

Dennis rolled his eyes, Rob chuckled under his breath, Carter guffawed, and CM did her best to ignore the remark. "Jan, Dennis, this is Carter Ryan," CM indicated the black-furred wolf who had managed to regain his composure. "Carter, this is Jan Krazinski, and Dennis Meale, friends of ours who live up this way."

Jan extended his two-fingered hand and grinned. "Pleased to meet you, Carter. Are you from Blacksburg, too?"

"Buffalo," Ryan replied as they shook hands. "Down here on business."

Dennis shook his hand next. The hedgehog's pudgy face wrinkled a little. "Changed business I suppose?"

"Yeah, with Walt--- ooof!" Carter's reply was cut short when Rob elbowed him in the side.

"Sorry guys, we're not supposed to talk about it," the skunk cut in.

CM patted her belly. "So where are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Jan's snout wrinkled into a grin. "There's a great place few miles down the road. They know how to serve food." The way Jan said the word 'food' implied that he didn't think most restaraunts knew what it was. "Trust me, you won't be hungry for long!" They all voiced their approval and followed Jan around the back of the van to the passenger-side sliding door while Dennis climbed into the driver's seat. Jan jumped into the passenger seat and stuck his head and right arm out, pumping his oddly-shaped fist up and down, "Here come the Changed! Watch out food!"

Carter leaned over and whispered into Rob's ear, "He isn't insane is he?"

The skunk laughed.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that Dennis was a generally quiet hedgehog, he drove with an intensity that surprised Rob. The skunk well remembered CM's warnings the first time they drove out to the Cascade Trail to take their hike and bath. Without doctors who could see thme as they really were they needed to avoid accidents with ruthless discipline. Yet here the hedgehog flew down the main roads passing cars on both the left and the right and taking turns fast enough that Rob's tail fell toward the outside of the turn each time. He didn't even seem worried that a cop might pull them over!

CM noticed it too, because she kept interupting Jan and Carter to yell at the hedgehog. Dennis would not, slow down for a few minutes, and then slowly build up speed again.

They left the highway after a few minutes and followed a two-lane road through rolling green hills filled with horse farms. The road dipped and wove, not nearly as badly as the roads around Blacksburg, but bad enough that the skunk was beginning to smypathize with the bear whose long claws nearly tore chucnks out of her seat. After turning onto an even smaller road, Rob finally decided to add his voice. "Hey, Dennis, can you slow it down? I think I'm going to be sick back here."

"Seriously?" the hedgehog asked. "Fine I'll slow down." And slow down he did. The van no longer lurched about as if it were going to flip over.

"I'm amazed you haven't gotten yourselves killed driving like that!" CM scolded in her Momma Bear voice.

Jan grinned as he leaned to one side in his seat to talk with them. "Ya, I thought the same too. But Dennis drove... what cars were those again?"

"Stock cars," the hedgehog replied. "Only stopped because I can't do it anymore with these spines." He turned back onto a larger road and merged in with the traffic. Apartment buildings and shopping centres loomed in either direction. "Parents said I was going to get killed too. Haven't been in an accident yet."

"Let's not tempt fate," Rob said, eyeing CM. The she bear looked back at him with a 'thank you' in her dark brown eyes. "So do you race bikes too?"

"Not so much," Dennis replied. "You aren't as stable on a bike, so the risk of injury's greater. Bikes are for relaxing. Cars are for racing."

Jan snorted and grinned. "Bikes are for riding and conquering the road."

"You a Jack Kerouac fan?" Carter asked.

The boar blinked in confusion but the smile remained. "If he liked bikes then ya!"

The wolf's tail tried to wag where it was pinned between his back and the seat. "He pracitically invented the romanticism of the road, so yeah, you'd be a fan."

They followed this road past the first set of shopping centers, through a lightly forested area, and then past another set of horse farms. As they neared another highway, Dennis turned the van off at a restaraunt and store which clearly catered to truckers. All the gas pumps came equiped with extra large canopies and most of them were diesel. The parking spaces were long enough for trailers, and a bright neon sign reading 'Open 24 Hours' flashed in red, white, and blue.

"A truck stop?" CM asked incredulously as Dennis parked the van.

Jan nodded and emitted a very pig-like squeal from the back of his throat as he climbed out of the van. "Best food in the area. Run by a Polish couple so they have real food. Oh, they serve American food too for everybody else!"

"Showing a little national pride there are we?" Rob chided as he jumped to the asphalt. It felt hot and grimy beneath his paw pads, but the thrill of working out the kinks in his tail more than made up for the discomfort.

But Jan was already on his way, hooves clopping the asphalt with Dennis and CM right behind him. Carter slammed the sliding door and shrugged his shoulders. "Never eaten at a truck stop before. These guys seem pretty cool though. CM likes them."

Rob's eyes narorwed thoughtfully, but he did not share any of those thoughts evne with himself. Together, the five of them crossed the parking lot where already sat several trucks, some of them with engines still running, to the front door of the old-fashioned but moderately clean restaraunt.

The interior looked like any trcuk stop seen in the movies, long chrome-plated bar along the back behind which pots of coffee brewed and waitresses liesurely made their way back and forth. Stools ranged across the bar and booths along the front windows. Curtains in a red, white and blue checkerboard pattern gave the place an air of Americana, though with the addition of the red and white Polish flag hanging from the backwall beside the clock and menu, it seemed as if the couple were trying a little too hard to fit in.

The scent of oil and grease still pervaded the air, but overwhelming it was the delicious aroma of cooked meats, potatoes, eggs, fries, and other things they couldn't name but knew they'd love to eat in addition to the faint crispness of fresh vegetables and fruits. A few truckers sat at the bar and with a pair of them arose the pungent aroma of cigarettes. They talked quietly to themselves or ate their food. Talk radio blathered from somewhere behind the double swinging doors to the kitchen. A bell on the door tinkled at their entrance.

Everyone turned their heads to look at them then returned to their food. Jan made a big show of inhaling with his porcine snout, and then drummed his hands on his pants. CM bumped him from behind as Rob and Carter slipped inside. The boar took a step forward, hooves clattering on the linolieum.

From a door behind the bar an elderly lady with pronounced nose and peppered grey hair held back in a bun emerged. She was dressed in a white apron with red blouse on underneath. Her face lit up when she saw Jan and Dennis. They widened when she took in Rob and the others. "Oh, you brought friends this time! Do they like to ride too?"

Jan grinned, "Not yet," he then clasped the bruin on the shoulder, "but this one sh... he likes to ride too. Just no bike yet!"

CM twitched at the near slip but kept a smile on her muzzle.

"Well, just place your order right here, and then find any seat you want." The woman spoke with a stronger Polish accent than Jan did but Rob didn't have any trouble following her. She looked at the boar and hedgehog. "Will you want your usual?"

"Ya," Jan replied. "Been looking forward to it!"

"I will too," Dennis said with a half laugh.

The menu hung on the wall next to the Polish flag. Rob studied it for a while, noting that most of the items were as promised typical American cuisine that one could find at any mid-end restaurant. Then there was the list of pierogies, haluskis, and other Polish items that fleshed out the remainder of the menu. The skunk decided to take a chance and ordered one of the pierogies. Carter selected a half-pound cheeseburger. CM was typical CM.

"How big are your portions?" the bear asked, her claws gently tapping the top of her belly.

The woman smiled sweetly and replied, "We have full portions for dinner menu, but smaller lunch portions if you are trying to lose weight."

All five Changed chuckled to one degree or another. "Oh no," CM replied, a little embarrassment slipping into her voice. "No, that's not it. I'm just very, very hungry right now. Hmmm, let's try two of your fried fish dinners, the chicken strips dinner, a side of onion rings and one of applesauce. Oh, what fresh fruit do you have?"

CM caught the attention of nearly everybody in the restaurant with that order. The lady glanced at Jan as if making sure this was okay. The boar nodded and so she wrote it down. "Okay, sir, we will have that ready in a few minutes. Just find a seat anywhere, ya."

Jan guffawed as he picked a booth at the end of the restaraunt that had wraparound seating. Dennis sat on one end, so Carter and Rob slid in the other side. Jan gestured for CM to follow, but she replied, "I'd rather sit on the end if you don't mind. You know."

The boar nodded and managed not to make the sexist comment everyone expected him to. Still, Rob couldn't help but note that Jan had managed to sit right next to the bear. The boar looked very pleased with himself. He leaned back and polished one tusk with a thick hoof-like finger. "See, I told you this place was good."

"We haven't eaten yet, Jan!" Carter said as he shifted in his seat to get his tail comfortable. Rob had managed to pull his tail between his legs. Somewhat uncomfortable, but he was used to it by now.

"Ah, but this place is good and private," Dennis said in a hushed voice. "We've come here before to meet with other Changed. Those truckers will be gone in ten to fifteen minutes, and even if they do listen to us, they won't have a clue what we're saying."

CM frowned, rested her hearty forearms on the table edge, then finally nodded. "Good enough. So, we know you've found more Changed up here. How is the NoVa community coming?"

"There's about seven of us now," Dennis replied in a whisper. "And that's including Sandrick who doesn't come to our meetings. I've heard through the grapevine that there are a few more working in DC but for security reasons can't reveal themselves."

"Only seven?" Rob asked, eyes narrowing. "As big as this area is?"

"That's the problem, ya," Jan said laconically. "Lots of people, but too big for us to see. We find more after August."

"That's something," CM murmured as she shifted about in her seat, "we're going to have to talk about. August is almost on us. In another month we're going to have a lot more Changed."

"You want us to come down to Blacksburg with the other Changed in VA to meet sometime in the next month?" Dennis asked

"Change day falls on a Sunday this year," the bear replied, counting off the dates on her claws. "Rob and I were thinking of booking a restaurant the weekend before and inviting everyone down who could make it. Drive in and out the same day if ya'll had to."

The boar grinned to the bear on his right. He turned a bit in his seat and said, "Dennis and I can stay in a hotel so we can give you more practice riding!"

CM lowered her eyes at that, and tightened her paws into makeshift fists. "That's up to you. Not everyone can afford it."

"So," Dennis asked, looking over at Carter and Rob, "How many more Changed can we expect?"

Before the skunk could stop him, Carter blurted, "At least twice as many. And that's just in new Changed." The skunk wanted to say something, but shook his head and let the wolf blather on. "There's all the Changed that don't know about the Network out there now. With more Changed period, we're probably going to see the Network population go up to at least ten thousand in a year. At least that's what our models say."

"Ten thousand!" Dennis gasped. "It's hard to believe that there are so many."

"Ya!" Jan agreed, though his sanguine amusement kept the shock from his voice. "But at least we'll still be the old timers in at the very beginning!"

"There is that," Rob conceded. "Although those few at the very beginning would still say were all a bunch of newbies."

The boar waved one hoof-like hand. "In another five years we'll be the old timers. You have to think long term."

"Well," CM grumbled, her eyes staring at a well-laden waitress, "my thoughts are particularly short term right now."

Jan erupted with a squealing laugh at that.

{{Separator|k}}

Dinner proved delicious but not exquisite. CM enjoyed her fish, chicken, and sides, and also enjoyed the fact that her bill wasn't too exorbitant. Jan took care of the tip for everyone and the five of them went back to the van after saying goodbye to their server. Jan and she talked briefly about Jan's mother and how she was doing but the boar quickly followed them out.

"What's wrong with your mother?" CM asked her friend after he clopped across the asphalt.

Jan frowned, an expression that wrinkled his snout in an unfamiliar way. "It's cancer. Had it off and on for the last four years. Mom's doing okay for now, but we have to keep close watch on her. I visit them on Sundays." A faint smile crept back into his countenance. "If things turn for the worse, I'll tell her just what her son is."

"A pig?" Dennis asked without the slightest trace of humor.

"A boar," Jan replied with pride. "Far better than a pig."

"I'll keep her in my prayers," CM offered and the boar's smile widened.

"I have said many novenas for her, but thank you!" To the bear's surprise, Jan gave her a sudden hug and then a slap on the back. "That's what friends are for, ya!" He jumped into the passenger seat and his good humor appeared to fully return. "So can we take you anywhere else? Still plenty of daylight left."

It was past seven already, but they had at least another hour of sunlight left before twilight would bring its darkening touch. Carter yawned and climbed into the van, "We should probably get back. We've got an early day tomorrow."

CM noted out of the corner of her eye the skunk glancing between her and the boar. "Carter's right," Rob said. "We should be getting back to the hotel. It's been a long and tiring day."

"We could drop you two off," Jan suggested mildly as Dennis climbed in beside him. The hedgehog's spines thrummed as he settled into the driver's seat. The seats were cloth and looked recently upholstered but still had a few holes where the hedgehog's spines got the better of the weave. The boar looked at the bear and grinned. "Want to come over and practice riding? You have to keep practicing to ride. You'll be happy you did when you get your own bike."

CM didn't doubt it, and the thought of taking a little time to ride on their bikes along the lightly travelled roads feeling the wind through her fur appealed greatly to her. It would be nice to see where Jan and Dennis lived too. Every time they'd gotten together, it was Jan and Dennis who rode down to Blacksburg and not the other way around.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a warm smile. She then felt an undo measure of scrutiny coming from the skunk and realized just how utterly feminine her intonation had been. Steeling herself, the bear took a breath and shook her head. "But Carter and Rob are right. We've an early morning ahead of us and it has been a long day. Thank you for the offer though. I'll make it up to you next time."

Jan laughed and settled in his seat. "Sure thing. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Warp Speed!"

"Could we try the speed limit instead?" CM suggested with a laugh hidden behind her fangs.

"Ya, we could give that a try too. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Speed Limit!" Dennis turned the engine over and gave the boar a long stare which coming from a pudgy hedgehog face looked fairly ridiculous. Jan's chest heaved with his mirth and he shook his snout back and forth. "Nope, doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

{{Separator|k}}

They returned safe and sound to the hotel. Dennis drove slower this time though every time they went around a curve they could feel the hedgehog pushing down on the accelerator. But his dirving skills were just as good as he'd claimed. No matter how he pushed the van, they never felt even the slightest suggestion of danger.

Before dropping them off, Jan extracted a promise from CM to come visit and ride together before the August Change made it more difficult. The she-bear didn't make it too hard, merely worrying about her work schedule and the cost of gas. Rob was surprised she didn't mention Leslie. The skunk knew the bear's wife a little. Leslie was such a private person it was hard to get to know her. But it had never been hard to see that CM and she loved each other, even if Leslie had no idea what CM really was. That CM didn't mention her in her short litany of excuses set the gears in the skunk's mind turning.

After Dennis and Jan drove off, the three Changed marched back into the hotel air conditioning and sighed in relief. Carter's ears and tail drooped as he said, "I'm going to go crash. See you both tomorrow."

"Good Night, Carter," CM said with a weay smile.

The wolf shut his door quietly as the skunk and bear continued to theirs. Rob clicked his tongue against his short, sharp teeth and said, "Hey, CM, you have a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Let's go into your room so we don't disturb Carter."

CM nodded, dark eyes perplexed but as calm as ever. The air inside her room was arctic cold. Rob drew his tail over his chest in surprise. "Sorry about that," CM apologized in a huff. "I left the AC on full blast. It's actually a little chilly for me too now."

Rob settled onto the bed and sighed loudly while the bear fiddled with the AC controls. "Okay, Chris, this is getting a little weird for me."

The bear turned at her real name and he could see a surprised look in her eyes. She sat down in the chair and rested her paws on her knees. The chair was wide enough and strong enough that it didn't creak from her weight. She self-consciously lowered her snout and almost hid the exposed curves of her breasts. "What is?"

The skunk knew mincing words with the she-bear was a pointless exercise. CM was very good at parsing language to suit her arguments. "You and Jan. The first time I saw you together you nearly tore his head off for making a sexist advance at you. Now you either ignore his constant flirting or you get all girly. It's really starting to scare me, Chris. You didn't even mention you were worried about Leslie's schedule when he asked you to come back in a few weeks!"

CM bristled and her jowls drew back. She heaved, her breath still reeking of onions and fish. "I am not flirting with Jan!"

"But you sat next to him. You've seen him how many times this year already, four, five? Normally when you're around other Changed you act like a Momma Bear. But you aren't doing that with Jan. Good grief, Chris!"

"I get together with Jan ''and'' Dennis," she growled. "And I've been consciously trying not to be a Momma Bear."

"Well you're succeeding, cause you're acting like a young woman falling in love instead!"

CM growled again, but this time kept her tongue behind her teeth. She glared down at her legs and paws, digging her claws through the thick, brown fur. "I'm not in love with him. He's just a friend. I love Leslie."

"When was the last time you and Leslie did anything together?"

"I..." CM shook her head and flecked her lips at the skunk. "Stop trying to fix me, Rob! My relationship with my wife is complicated! I love her, but I have to hide this from her. If she knew that I was female... No, I can't let that happen."

"You have to tell her sometime. I told Audrey, and we aren't even married yet."

"You're lucky!" CM snarled. "You're still male!"

"That could change in month like it did for you."

"I'm exceptional! There aren't many of us who've changed genders as well as species! You don't understand."

Rob took a deep breath and let the bear get her rage back under control. If she got any angrier she'd tear gouges into the chair arms with her claws, or worse. The skunk lowered his snout and ran one paw through his thick tail. "You cannot be yourself with Leslie, Chris. But you can with Jan. And right now you're female. I'm worried you might do something you'd regret because your body so badly wants..."

A dangerous glint came the bear's eye. "Sex?"

Rob knew better than to go there. "Companionship. Whatever. Jan isn't your answer."

"He's a friend. That's all. I'm not going to betray Leslie." Every word came with a fresh growl.

Rob did his best to smile as he stood. "Good. I trust you. Now stick with it."

CM appeared to seeth for a few moments. AS the skunk rose to leave, she composed herself and stood. "I'd like to be alone now. Thank you for telling me what you think, Rob. Get a good night sleep and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The skunk nodded and left the bear alone. He'd said what he had to. He swung his tail free and quietly shut the door behind him.

{{Separator|k}}

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
July 19, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm tired of being female. I've been female for almost three years now. Leslie doesn't know because I don't know what it would do to our marriage. Only the other Changed know and that is what makes things hard. They see me and treat me like a woman, and half the time I act like a woman and don't think anything of it! How can I lead a double life like this? How can I keep doing it? It just hurts too much!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Rob came by this evening and accussed me of flirting with Jan. He said it looked like I was falling in love with him! I'm not! Jan is... Jan! While I confess he's not as irritating as I thought at first, and the manner in which he displays his masculinities is far more appealing to me as a woman than I would have ever expected, there is someone else I'd rather be with. Oh Leslie, if only I could be with you, all of this would go away! If only I could be male again! If only you were Changed and could understand!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I don't think Jan does more than tease me for the sake of teasing me. When I first met him I think he was still being a pig. But since then, he seems more intent on getting me into bikes than he does into my pants. I think he understands my struggles and while perhaps he isn't helping as much as he could, he isn't making things harder.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But am I? That's what Rob seems to think. I wanted to smack his snout with the back of my paw for hearing him suggest such things. But is he right? It's taken me a full hour of Discovery Channel just to calm down enough to write in this journal. And I still don't know for sure how I feel. I was alone for six years with this Change. Now that I can finally be with others, am I trying for things I shouldn't have? If not for Leslie, would I have given in and dated Jan? The thought sends shivers through my fur!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I hope and pray that in a few weeks I'll be male again and all of this can be straightened out. Tomorrow we go before Congressman Sandrick and tell him out projections for the Changed population. If we're right, things are going to get very interesting in a few years. Somehow, I'm far more confidant about how the world will accept the Changes than how I will deal with my own. What if I stay a female bear? At some point I will stop Changing. What will I do then? I just don't know. For now I will sleep on it and hope for the best.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, give me the wisdom I need to do Your will and to follow in Your ways. In nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti. Amen.

</div>

{{Separator|k}}

By the time Walter the longhorn bull came to gather them, all three were dressed and ready. They carried their luggage down to the hotel lobby a full five minutes before Walter descended the stairs. The bull dressed as was his custom in a black suit that blended with his splotchy hide at the neck, with a patterned red tie and ironic bovine tie tac. He noted their attire and nodded gratefull before checking them out of the hotel.

Both Rob and Carter were dressed in black suits as well which blended with their fur. Apart from Carter's white shirt and golden eyes, the wolf nearly blended into his outfit. Even his tail wagging between his coattails struck the bear as unremarkable. Rob's monochromatic tail was more noticeable, the base pushing aside his coattails as it curled upwards in a characteristic question mark. But despite the incongruity of animals in business attire, they each managed a look of dignity that surpassed most of the other hotel patrons they saw walking in and out the entrance.

CM, due to her physique, wore a plus-size woman's business jacket and blouse with matching navy blue slacks. Both blouse and jacket were modest and sufficiently androgynous that she garnered no unusual looks from the other hotel guests, but she still felt conspicuously feminine. Before last night she hadn't thought much on her business attire, but now she knew that all the other Changed would even more consciously think of her as female. There was nothing to be done for the moment but to accept it and all that went with it.

Besides, in a month she hoped she'd be male again and could put this chapter behind her.

Walter Lundh nodded to each of them as they gathered by the lobby doors. "Do you each have everything?" At their positive reply, his bovine snout parted in the faintest of smiles. "Good. Follow me and we can be on our way."

He led them into th eparking lot and right back to the minivan. They stowed their luggage in the back and climbed inside. Though it was still early in the morning, already the air was too humid for CM's taste. Even Carter began panting as the van got underway. Walter cranked the AC and pulled back onto the highway. "It won't take us long to get into DC, so I'm going to briefly go over our schedule. Congressman Sandrick has arranged a breakfast for us in his office. After we've had a quick bite to eat, you will begin your presentations. CM, you will go first since your presentation has the punchline. Mr. Ryan, you'll go next so you can better explain the methodology, and Mr. Hallman you'll be last to describe the resources used. Once all are done we are at the Congressman's pleasure to further explain anything he wants to know. We'll thne have lunch and after I'll drive you back to Dulles to catch your return flights. Are there any questions?"

"No," Rob replied. "It's better to get in and out."

"How bad will traffic be?" Carter asked. The wolf glanced at the cars flanking them on either side of the highway. While not nearly as many as there would be on a weekday, traffic was far heavier than anything they were familiar with seeing.

"This should be the worst we see," Walter replied with a bovine grunt. "In about ten minutes you'll see the Pentagon, and in another ten we'll be at the Rayburn building. If you have any last minute preparations to make, now is the time."

CM reached into her satchel and pulled out the hard copies of her slides. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rob and Carter do the same. With a growling chuckle, she began rehearsing her lines.

{{Separator|k}}

It took a full half-hour before they parked in the underground parking lot beneath the Rayburn building. Even for a Sunday the lot was two-thirds full. After parking, Lundh made a brief call while Rob, Carter, and CM put their presentation materials back in their briefcases and climbed out. The air was still humid, but the darkness brought a relief from the Summer heat already building outside.

The longhorn hung up and gestured toward the far end of the lot. "We'll be met by the elevators in a few minutes. Do you each have everything you need?" They nodded and then so did he. "Good. I'm told Number Two is already here so we can begin as soon as we finish eating."

"Number Two?" Carter asked, his tail lowering between his legs. "You mean the second guy to Change?"

"Yes," Walter said with an almost perceptible roll of his glassy eyes. "Of necessity Mr. De Smet has been a leader in the Changed Community. For the sake of his privacy, he prefers to be known as Number Two now."

Together the four of them made their way through the crowded parking lot. Most of the cars parked within were luxury sedans though there were a few sporting vehicles and a handful of trucks too. As they reached the set of elevators at the far end one of them opened and out stepped a raccoon in a business suit. His masked face brightened with a show of fangs when he saw them approach.

He extended a black-furred hand toward the bull. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Lundh."

The longhorn shook his hand and nodded. "And you, Mr. Norton. This is Robert Hallman, Carter Ryan, and Christopher Mattiaz. Gentlemen, this is Mr. Evan Norton, Congressman Sandrick's Internet Coordinator." There was no hint of irony in the bulls's voice as he pronounced the raccoon's title.

Evan shook their paws one at a time, green eyes noting CM a little more closely before turning back to the elevator. It looked large enough to host a small convention. "All is waiting for you. Just follow me and we'll be there in moments. Do you have your passes?"

Walter handed each of them a lobbyist pass which they clipped to their lapels as they stepped onto the elevator. Their nostrils flared as they took in each other's scents in so close proximity. The elevator hummed softly as they went up two levels. Evan tapped his claws together nervously and CM realized that he was just as young as they were. "Have you worked long for the Congressman?" the shebear asked.

"Only since last December," Evan replied. "The Congressman needed somebody who could be a connection to the Changed community without drawing too much notice. Nobody pays attention to internet staffers yet, so here I am." His smile was half-hearted, but he didn't sound disappointed with his lot in life. CM nodded and settled in her corner of the elevator for a few seconds more.

The Rayburn office building was one of many office buildings in DC for Congressmen. And with Congress still in session, even on a Sunday the halls were busy with Representatives, their aides, and lobbyists scurrying back and forth to curry favor on this or that bill. Evan led them from the elevator down one hall all the whiel assuring them that their passage would not be noticed. Not that they needed assuring; everyone else they saw was still human and far too wrapped up in their own affair to care about them or the internet staffer to a sophomore congressman.

Congressman Sandrick's office had a front desk where a receptionist could sit and handle all comers but there was no one there now. A sign sat on the desk apologizing to any lobbyist that the Congressman couldn't see them today. Evan ignored this and headed straight for the door to the back office where the real work was done. Walter followed him and with the opening of the door two new animal scents greeted them as did the delectable aroma of fresh fruits and cooked meats.

Standing behind a solid oak desk was a broad badger with dark eyes. Black paws with long claws were folded over his middle. Sitting in a well cushioned chair was a tall red fox in a tan suit. Both smiled as they entered.

The congressman smiled and waved one of those long-clawed paws at the array of chairs set around his desk. "I'm Congressman Phillip Sandrick of South Carolina. I know Walter Lundh has been having you do work for the Changed Community and you're here today to report on your findings. You can speak freely in this office. I've cleared my schedule for the day and my chief of staff is off on a fact finding errand that will keep him from disturbing us. The rest of my staff have the day off. We have as long as we need. Please refresh yourselves and enjoy a bit of breakfast. I'd like to get to know ya'll a little before I take your advice."

"Thank you," CM said, her eyes going to the platters of fresh fruit, jerky, and sausage beneath the windows on the left wall. A projector had been set up facing the right wall and Evan immediately sat down at nearby computer and began clicking through windows.

The badger gestured to the fox who rose from his seat and wagged his tail once. "This is Mr. Reynaldo De Smet, more commonly known as Number Two. He's been regaling me with the history of the early Changed community for an hour now, and while very interesting, I'm going to have to strangle him if he tells the tale of foiling the traditional English fox hunt one more time."

The fox laughed and waved one hand. "You are too kind, Phillip." The badger rolled his eyes while the fox turned to the rest. "As my easily irritated friend has said, my name is Reynaldo De Smet. My mother was French, my father Belgian, and they must have known I'd go into acting when they named me."

"I've never heard of you," Carter said.

The fox nodded. "As it should be. After I became this back in 1988, my career took a decided turn to the local markets. And since we are still too few in number to risk having too many in prominent positions, I am known in the Changed community as Number Two."

"Walter said you wanted to be called that for your privacy," Rob pointed out. "I thought actors wanted fame."

Reynaldo shook his head and sat back down. "Very true! But for now, I need the anonymity to maintain my standing as a local artist only. Once I become known by my real name as a Changed artist, I won't be able to do local venues only. But that is enough of me. I understand it is you three who've achieved something for the Changed community. Tell us of yourselves. I can talk forever if I must."

Phillip nodded from behind his desk. "I'll vouch for that. You should be in Congress, De Smet. You make more sense than a lot of the clowns I deal with and still manage to irritate."

"It is a gift," Reynaldo agreed with a playful wink.

CM and Rob laughed while Carter filled his plate with jerky and sausage. CM selected several choice fruits and berries in addition to a two plates of jerky and sausage while Rob chose a similar proportion only much smaller. Walter only chose fruits. Together the four sat down and one by one introduced themselves. Reynaldo asked questions here and there about their lives while Sandrick kept his focus on their technical qualifications. Nevertheless, by the time they'd finished eating everyone in the room felt comfortable with each other and the mood had lightened considerably.

"Well, if everyone is settled," Walter Lundh suggested, "perhaps we can begin the presentations?"

"Of course," Sandrick gestured at the raccoon and Evan came to where the rest sat.

The raccoon folded his paws as he looked over the trio. "I'm prepared for Power Point Presentations if brought them. I'll clean any residual data from the computer once were done." They each reached into their briefcases and handed him disks which he took and loaded one by one into his computer. "Give me one minute and I'll have them up. Who is presenting first?"

"I am," the shebear said as she rose to her heavy paws. She pulled her business suit taut and glanced one last time over her preperation materials. CM set them back in her chair and then walked over to the projector screen, laser pointer in paw.

"I'll get the blinds," Reynaldo said. The fox jumped form his seat and drew the blinds shut. He sat back down with the quiet grace of a professional actor.

CM felt all eyes turn to her. Sandrick leaned back in his wide chair, lightly durmming the tips of his claws against his knees. Lundh gazed placidly at her as any bull in a field might. Rob and Carter watched with polite encouragement writ in their beastly eyes. Reynaldo couldn't keep the twitch out of his tail as it dangled through the gap in his chair. Only Evan wasn't looking at her, and that was only because he was busy loading her presentation.

And then with one final click the raccoon scooted back in his seat and the projector splashed the first slide on the screen. "There we go," Evan said. "Just say 'Next' when you want me to advance the slides."

CM nodded and half turned between her audience and the screen. Her first slide was merely a title and her name. "Last year Walter Lundh contracted us to examine the issue of the Changed population and how it was growing. We were to develop a statistical and demographic model on where the Changed are, how many of us there are, and how many more of us there will be in August. Over the last ten months we've been collecting data from the Changed network, collating it, and running various models to determine what is the most statistically likely scenarios. Next."

The slide changed to an outline for the three presentations. It wasn't in the same order that Walter requested, but CM decided to gloss over that. "In my presentation I'll tell you what numbers we've found and what they mean. Carter will tell you what the demographics look like and where we can expect new Changed to crop up, and also, where we think all the missing Changed can be found. Rob will go over the technical systems we've developed in order to store and process the model data. Next."

She turned on the laser pointer and circled the bar graph showing. The horizontal axis had a list of years, while the vertical axis had population numbers. Except for the first few years listed, each block was larger than the one before it. "Here's where things stand now if you plot the Changed population in the Network versus the year that they Changed. This includes those who've died after joining the network." Which, she was grateful to learn, was only a handful so far. She circled the pointer over the very small block on the year 1988. "This block has only you in it, Reynaldo." The fox's ears flicked back and his muzzle tightened in a vulpine grin.

"But what is immediately obvious from these numbers is that every August the Changed population increases exponentially."

Sandrick shook his head. "I'm a Congressman, CM. I can't even balance a budget let alone do advanced math. What do you mean 'exponential'?"

CM rolled the pointer around in her heavy paw as she tried to think of a way to explain that would make sense. "Every August, the total population of Changed is multiplied by a fixed amount. We're growing and we're going to grow faster every year. This we could see just from the numbers of Changed we know about. There are more in the Network who Changed last year than in the previous ten. What we had to do was determine what that fixed multiplier was."

The badger grimaced but began to nod. "I think I understand what you're saying. So do you have a number?"

CM nodded. "Next." The slide changed by adding some captions to the graph. "With a little over 86 percent certainty, the Changed population doubles every August 17th. Which means, that there should be ten times as many Changed worldwide than what we currently have in the network. And also, it means that after August 2007, there will be a million Changed worldwide. In 2017, a billion Changed. And after 2020, everyone will be Changed."

For several seconds, no one said anything while those staggering numbers sank in.

At last Reynaldo let out a short yipping laugh. "Well, we knew we were growing fast, but... are you sure about this? We've only three thousand in the network. How do you know we're doubling like this?"

CM rumbled and gestured with a claw at the black wolf. "Carter's demographics analysis of the Changed population. That and my analysis on the trends in the last few years showing when Changed are discovered and added to the Network. That said, we have only 86 percent certainty about these results. We could be overestimating or underestimating actual growth, but we're almost one hundred percent certain that the growth is exponential. Which means unless the Change stops, in the next thirteen to forty years everyone on Earth will be Changed."

"How did you arrive at that date range?" Sandrick asked as he scratched behind one circular ear.

CM waved her paws at the projector. "The next slide has the tolerance figures we've put on the exponential growth. It's what gave us the range. Evan?" The raccoon nodded and tapped a key. The screen changed to show a table of figures. CM drew her laser pointer along the top row. "Here we have the lowest and highest possible exponent bases that fit the models. At the low end, we have the population increasing by a little over 1.75 each August. At that rate, it would be 2027 to 2029 before all the world was Changed, barring major shifts in global population trends. Carter will talk about those details. At the high end the rate is just shy of 2.25, which means that by 2015 everyone would be Changed.

"Now both of these are extreme cases and represent the tolerance for our analysis. But the probability that the real rate is one or the other is very slim. The most likely situation is that the rate is closer to 2 if not 2 precisely."

Reynaldo tapped one claw against the side of his snout. "It didn't look like the Changed were doubling each year in the graph you just showed us. Some of them looked like they'd more than doubled. Could this rate be changing each year too?"

CM nodded and tapped her claws together. She rather liked the fox. He put things in plain language yet seemed to understand and anticipate her explanations. It dawned on her as she studied him that he was the first Changed she'd met that had been Changed longer than she had. A smile teased the edges of her heavy jowls. She'd have to talk with him afterward if possible. But first, she said, "We considered that and it still may be the case. With Congressman Sandrick's assistance we'll be able to keep analysing the Changed population over the next few years. That will help us refine our conclusions. But those variances you've noted can also be explained by demographics. We think that is much more likely given the intelligent nature of the Change and how it manifests in the world."

Sandrick frowned, glancing briefly at Walter Lundh who watched the presentations with bovine placidity. The badger turned his gaze back on the bear. "Could you explain that comment please? What do you mean by the intelligent nature of the Change?"

"Well, I'll be spoiling one of Carter's points but I don't think he'll mind too much."

The wolf laughed and wagged his tail. "You're the one who put a name to it, CM. Go for it."

CM nodded her thanks and turned back to the congressman. "There are a couple of reasons. First, the reality distortion field, or RDF, as it's called on the Network. A radical change as we've undergone would surely be noticed unless there was some aspect to it that made it imperceptible to others. But it isn't fully. I've had a friend swear they were pushing against thin air when they touched my head. Our Change is more than just illusion, it is real. An the altering of perception is constrained to a fixed area about ourselves. Which is why we leave hoof prints or paw prints when we walk. Separating one part of our body from another doesn't change the effect either, which is why shed fur just looks like human hair to others. So in that sense, the Change operates under rules, rules that we can discover through scientific inquiry and also through deductive and historical science."

CM gestured to Carter and continued. "Secondly, the pattern in which the Change spreads, so far as we've been able to determine, is centred around Chicago and expanding in what appears at first blush to be a fractal. This is very incomplete because we've used a lot of conjecture to fill in the gaps of Changed we know based on our population model who aren't in the Network. But, in the last few months we've tested this model based on the newest Changed we've discovered. We've had to make a few tweaks, but with a little over seventy percent accuracy, the Changed originated where we predicted them too.

"And that leads to the third reason I state that the Change is an intelligent phenomenon. With as little data as we have, we've been able to construct models from which we can make predictions and have such confidence in them. Our model's predictive capability is slightly better than flipping a coin, and it's leagues better than any odds you'll get at a casino. And our estimates of exponential growth indicate the most likely base is an integer! Nature, undirected, doesn't typically operate with integers. That speaks strongly, from a philosphical perspective, of intelligent direction in the course of the Change."

Reynaldo waved his paws in the air and laughed. "It sounds to me like you might be making the ROB argument. That the Change is proof of the existence of the divine."

"ROB?" Rob asked with an amused twitch of his long tail.

"Random Omnipotent Being," Walter grunted. "It's a term being tossed about in the forums by those who believe the Change is of supernatural origin but are unwilling to ascribe it to a particular religion." From the tone of the bull's voice, CM could tell he didn't think too highly of the concept or those pandering it.

"Ah, I must have missed those threads," Rob said softly.

CM rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Apart from being an oxymoron, an omnipotent being cannot be random because random implies that there is more than one and an omnipotent being by the very quality of omnipotence is singular, I'm not actually proposing the ROB theory. I happen to be Catholic and believe very strongly in the existence of the divine as the source of ultimate creation. I can recite the creed if you want. What I'm saying is that I think the Change is intelligent in the sense that it is the consequence of intelligent action and design. It need not be an act of God per se because nature as I said does not usually rely on integral rates for anything. That typifies more the act of a limited intelligence and suggests to me that while I cannot tell you how it is being affected, the Change likely has its source in natural intelligence rather than supernatural."

Sandrick shook his head and started laughing. "You use a lot of big words and I confess I'm not following all of it. But are you saying this is the work of aliens?"

Carter let out a single bark in amusement, Rob covered his snout to stiffle his laugh, and Evan had to wrap his muzzle in the crook of an elbow to keep himself from breaking down. Even Reynaldo's tail and whiskers trembled in mirth. Only Walter was unmoved by the suggestion.

"I don't know," CM confessed. "I can't speak to the particular mechanism of the Change. Only that it seems to me to have as its origin a natural intelligence. Now, I also believe that, like all of nature, it is used by God to further His will, and that for some reason He wants me to be female for a time. I do not understand it but I accept it as best I can. But I also believe He gave us the capacity to understand the Change. The fact that we've been able to learn so much with such a small population sample tells us something that I don't think we should ignore."

Reynaldo waved one paw. "I'm satisfied with that answer. I'm a little unnerved by your suggestion, but since we don't know either how it works, I don't see how we can say no to it. I'd love to see you write your theory up and post it to the forums. It's certainly worth exploring some. But that's beside the point. I've lived with being a fox for a very long time. You say you can make some predictions. What are we looking at come this August?"

The she-bear felt a bit embarassed that she allowed her temptation to erudition to wander so freely in front of these important men. She did have a presentation to finish. Turning back to the projector, she circled the left column. "Here are the years, and here are the population projections by exponential base. If we are doubling, then we can expect an additional 32,896 Changed on August 17. With that many more, we anticipate an even higher percentage of the Changed population will find the Network, both for new Changed and those who have believed themselves to be alone."

"It might be time," Sandrick mused, "to consider changing our recruitment tactics." The badger stroked the fur under his snout with one claw. "Any Changed that watches C-SPAN will eventually see me and figure out they aren't alone. But that isn't going to be a lot. I've kept a low-profile since I Changed. Maybe I should seek more publicity?"

Walter shook his head ever so slightly. Still, the tips of his horns swept out large deadly arcs in the air. "The more publicity any of us seeks, the greater risk we expose the Changed community. Our numbers are too few at this time to risk exposure."

"We're going to be exposed at some point," Rob said. The skunk laconically shrugged his shoulders. "What difference does it make now or later?"

"The infrastructure for Changed is still in its infancy," Lundh said, jabbing his hoof-like hand into the air. "It needs more time and more Changed to mature. I'm looking at your numbers, and if you're right about the doubling, then we have a few years to go before I'm willing to even consider risking more publicity."

Sandrick lowered his paw and nodded. "You're right, Walter. There is a lot of work still to be done, and much of it will not be done here today." His dark eyes focussed on the bear and his voice took on a note of authority. This was a man who was used to people doing what he told them. "What more do you have to say in your presentation?"

CM folded her paws over her growing belly. "Mostly various projections and the data to back up our claims."

"No more bombs to be dropped?"

"No, sir. From here on out we explain the data behind the bombs we've dropped."

Sandrick grinned, exposing the many pearly, white spears the Change had given him. "Then let us hear the data."

CM nodded and looked to the raccoon. "Next slide please."

{{Separator|k}}

"And that's all I have," Rob said. The skunk shurgged his shoulders, long tail dancing behind him and occasionally getting in the way of the projector.

Phillip Sandrick stood and spread his paws on the table before him. His long claws tapped the wood with a pleasing rattle. "Thank you gentleman. Seeing as it is nearly noon, I suggest a short break. I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you before you depart, but as I'm starving, you'll forgive me if I make you wait a few minutes more. I won't be interfering with your travel plans will I?"

"No," Walter replied. "I've arranged for seats on later flights if necessary, but we still have a few hours yet before they're needed."

"Good." The badger patted his paws once on the desk and waltzed around to snag something to eat. "Let's take as least fifteen minutes to relax and enjoy some food."

Nobody else needed convincing. Evan bolted from his seat by the computer and was rifling his paws through the crackers and meats. Rob and Carter flanked him. Walter kept to the other side where the vegetables were. Only CM, who'd been snaking from the buffet table ever since finishing her presentation, didn't join in the rush for delectables. She caught the fox's eyes as he returned to his seat with a plate full of cold cuts.

A little nervously, CM asked, "Number Two, do you mind talking privately for a moment? There's some things I'd like to ask you."

Reynaldo's ears lifted and his jowls brimmed with good humour. "Of course not. Let's go back to Sandrick's reception room. That's probably pretty private today."

None of the other Changed objected and so the bear and fox stepped back into the reception room. Along the wall beneath the light of the windows was a row of large old-fashioned chairs. CM gingerly sat in one, and though the wood groaned, it held her weight. Reynaldo draped his tail over the decorative arm and sat cross-legged next to her.

"So, what's on your mind, CM? Curious to know what things were like in the beginning?"

"A little," CM admitted. "I know it must have been lonely. I was. I guess I just wanted to finally talk to somebody who's been this way longer than I have. You're the first I've ever met."

Reynaldo nibbled on a bit of shredded ham. "And judging by the numbers you've crunched, there aren't too many of us that have been Changed longer than you. Ninety-six, right? So I've been this way only eight years longer than you. The numbers become less important with time. Eight years. Ten years. Twenty years. After you've lived them, they all blend together."

"But still," CM said softly, her eyes straying hungrily to the fox's plate, "You have been Changed longer than I have. I know that I'm always going to be one of the oldest Changed, if not the oldest, in any gathering of Changed. Has it always been that way with you?"

Reynaldo yipped a lugh and shook his head. "Actually, no. The very first Changed I met was Number One. She's a musician, and I an actor. It turns out her band was booked for the same theatre that I was working in at the time between roles. This was back in late ninety-three. So for five years I thought I was the only one. Seeing Cass there," his golden eyes took on a faraway look and the slit pupils narrowed as a flash of sunlight poured through the windows, "was like falling in love for the first time all over again."

"The two of you are together?"

Reynaldo shook his head. "No, no. She married before the Change to her drummer, and they have three kids already. He's a good man and all three are good kids. Shortly after we met, she told him about the Change which he took in good stride. He hasn't Changed yet himself, but her youngest boy became a bright looking fox last August. Of course, he's seventeen now, but I still remember him when he was little trying to sing along with his Mom; he could hit the high notes just like she did!"

CM felt herself smiling and delighting in the little aside about the boy. It was the Momma Bear in her again, but she indulged it for now. "That's so sweet. So how long was it before you met the others in Chicago? It seems there's a lot of older Changed there."

"We met Red, Number Three I mean, a year later, and the rest of the early crowd by 2000. Nobody else from that time period has shown up in or near Chicago. Did you model predict there would be more there?"

"A few yes, but most are probably like me and appeared in isolation as new seeds. I've already had two people in my current hometown Change in the last year. I guess... how did you handle it?"

"Being alone? Probably the same way you did," Reynaldo admitted. He shoved the last of the ham on his tongue and swallowed it with only a few quick bites. "Once we started finding each other, we started having weekly meetings to help each other out. With five to seven of us it was easy. Once we had twenty, we had to move to monthly meetings, and then it was the mailing list. We had somebody hack the list in ninety-seven so that got shut down. Then, some tech savvy mouse put together the website and security measures and we've bene online ever since. When Walter joined us a few years back he got the money together to buy the current servers and to wrap up the domain names for any sites we might want to use in the future."

"And your role in the Network?"

"Spokesman, old fart, wily fox, something like that," Reynaldo laughed and held out the plate. "Here, you finish the rest before you start drooling on it."

CM took the plate in one paw and lowered her owls. "Oh, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. I've seen worse. A friend of mine got Changed into a St. Bernard. He carries handkerchiefs with him just so the humans don't notice. And heaven forbid he shake!"

CM laughed as she picked through the meats. "I've been a Rottweiler twice now, so I know what it's like being a dog and contending with drool."

"Now that's one thing I don't think I could have managed," Reynaldo said as he gestured at the bear. "Changign shape again and again. And gender too. I see you're married. Wife or husband?"

"Wife," CM said a little more quickly than she would have liked. "She's still human and doesn't know. We married while I was male. I'd hoped marriage would keep me male, but that hasn't happened."

"I'm sorry. You just didn't say anything about her, so I didn't know what to assume."

CM swallowed a bit of turkey and nodded. "Fair enough. It has not been easy on me. Before I met any other Changed, being female was just something I knew about myself. Now others are treating me like a woman and it's getting harder to supress."

"Who's been treating you like a woman?"

"None of you, but all Changed who see me before they find out do. There's one guy who knows but slips up frequently. I think he does it on purpose."

Reynaldo shook his head. "What an ass."

"Boar actually," CM replied with a laugh threatening at the back of her throat. "He's a good man, just aggravating at times."

Reynaldo blinked and ran one paw over his forehead. "Does it bother you when he does it? I know one gender Changed in the Chicago area that gets absolutely livid when she's treated like a woman."

"It depends," CM replied. "If I wasn't married or if I knew I'd be stuck as a female I might feel differently about it. But since I keep on Changing, until I stop I don't know what to do!"

Reynaldo nodded and scratched himself behind one ear. "I've seen some of those guides you've been writing up on the Network. Keep doing that. It's been very helpful to the others."

"Thank you, I will."

"And since," the fox smiled that impish smile which made his golden eyes gleam, "you Changed back in ninety-six, that makes you eligible for the First Ten club. I think we need a better name, but it's something Cass and I've been tossing back and forth since the Change started exploding like it has in the last few years."

The shebear picked the last bit of salami from the plate and downed it. "What is it?"

"Just something we've been talking about on the side. Just for us who Changed in the first ten years. There were never many of us, so we all have that alone story in common. With the way things are going, most Changed won't remember what it's like to be alone. Those of us who were will always feel a little out of place, even once the whole world Changes. We don't know what we're going to do, maybe meet once every few years like a reunion to gripe about all the youngins, but if you're interested I'll add you to the roster."

CM smiled and set the plate aside. "Thank you, Reynaldo. I really appreciate that. I would like to be part it. I don't know how much I can contribute."

"Just do what you're doing. Let old timers like Cass, Red, and I worry about this for now."

"Okay," CM agreed and leaned back a bit. The chair groaned under the bear's weight. "So are you in anything currently?"

Reynaldo's eyes looked skyward. "We're doing Lerner and Lowe's Camelot this Season. I'm playing Lancelot of all people. After that I just have minor roles. If you could get to Chicago I could get you tickets."

"Unless Walter wants to foot the bill, I'm not going anywhere!"

"I'll see if I can send you a video then," Reynaldo stood up and patted the bear on the shoulder. "Shall we go back in? Or was there something else."

CM shook her head and stood much to the chair's relief. "No. I didn't even know what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to talk to somebody who'd been this way longer than me for once."

Reynaldo's grin was true and his grip on the bear's shoulder was firm. "You're doing just fine, CM. And thank you for all you're doing for us. Just knowing what's happening is a great blessing."

"That it is," CM replied as they made their way to Sandrick's office again.

{{Separator|k}}

"First," Congressman Sandrick said once they were all seated and paying attention to the badger, "I want to commend you all on your work. You've done a hard but necessary task for the Changed community, and as one of its spokesman, I thank you. Your numbers will help us plan for the coming years. In the next five years I think we can expect vast changes as we prepare for the day when it will be impossible to keep the Change a secret. And for that reason I believe you three should continue your work."

The badger gestured with one paw at the projector which now lay dormant. "While you won't need to come give me presentations like this again, and it is probably safer if you do not, I would like quarterly reports on the Changed population and what your models show. We can quibble about the format of the reports later, but I do want updated numbers and graphs like you showed me today. Send whatever you have to Walter and he'll make sure it comes to me.

"And," he said, holding out one paw to forestall any objections or questions, "because I'm asking you to do this on a schedule, and because of the good work you've already done, I'm going to find a way to pay you for your services. Walter and I will work out the legal aspects, but you will be reimbursed for your efforts to date and any work you do for us in the future." Carter wagged his tail and panted in delight, Rob pumped his fist, and CM rumbled deep in her chest. Finally, some money!

"Now I want you to realize something. The Changed organization can control things by and large for now because we are small and unnoticed. If your numbers are correct, then this is going to spiral out of our control very quickly. People on the ground are going to have ideas that we would never think of that will make our lives easier. Already people are doing what they must to adjust to this life. Although I didn't have to resew my clothes, I've heard that there are dozens of guides already posted on the forums. That's just the beginning."

Rob shook his head and asked, "So what are you getting at?"

Sandrick frowned at the skunk. "What I'm getting at is we have some of the most powerful members of the Changed community in this room right now, and I'm telling you that we aren't all that powerful. I'm only in my second term as a Congressman; I have to spend most of my time making sure I stay in Congress. Walter has his own clients, and Number Two only has power because of his position in the community. We are very much finite. Do not expect that because you are involved at this level that you will have much say in how the Changed community develops. You won't. But neither will we."

"I'm just happy to be getting paid for this," Rob replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I've got enough on my plate as it is without worrying about impacting the community."

"Good. That makes you ten times a better person than half the people who come into my office," Sandrick replied with a low growl that was not directed at the skunk. "And to be frank, it is refreshing talking to you because you aren't here with an agenda. I wish I could meet with you more often. But there's nothing to be done about that." He spread his paws on his desk and frowned, his muzzle scrunching and whiskers twitching on either jowl. "Are there any questions?"

Carter lifted his paw. His golden eyes kept sliding away from the badger's resolute stare. "You said that you didn't have the power to direct the Changed community. What can you do? You talk about planning, but what are we going to be planning?"

"We need to spend the next few years building up the Network. There's going to be a lot of people joining who are going to need help adjusting. Right now the network is in a support and grow phase. That is the best we can do. From a high-level we can discuss ideas on ways to support the needs of the community, but the actual implementation of those ideas will need to be done by those on the ground. For instance, Walter has done work with Changed who've been placed in mental institutions. Right now he has various connections scouring medical notices to find patients who meet the profile. When he finds them, he goes to interview them and help them adjust and if possible, take legal action to have them released. To date he's found... fourteen?"

"Fifteen," Walter supplied.

"Fifteen Changed in institutions. We're probably missing a large number of them, but until we have more people who can help, that's the best we can do. Walter, in addition to coordinating your efforts, is also spearheading a team to develop better approaches to this problem. They expect to be very busy after August 17th. Things like this we can plan for. But there's a lot we'll miss."

"That's all well and good," Reynaldo interjected, "but everyone else needs to know that we are doing something. That will give them the confidence to do what they need to do."

"And we are, and we will." Sandrick nodded to the fox. "You and everyone else need to get the word out that we are not going to let any more Change days pass without some plan to handle them."

"Even if our plans are just to do what we've always done and keep an eye out for anybody getting sick?"

"Yes, that's right."

The fox nodded and relaxed in his chair. "I'll do my part then."

Sandrick nodded and then turned to the skunk and bear. "I understand you two have appointed yourselves the leaders of the Changed living in the Virginias and neighbor states to the south. Do you have plans for the Change Day?"

Rob nodded. "Much the same. We've met with all the Changed we know in the area and have given them as much guidance as we can. Neither of us has a lot of experience finding new Changed. I Changed last year, and I'm the only person CM's ever talked through it."

"That's more than many receive. But as long as you have a plan you should be in good shape. Are there any other questions?" When nobody lifted a paw, the congressman grinned, showing a wide array of white fangs behind his lips. "Then it was a great pleasure meeting you all. I wish you the best of luck next month and in the years to come. I'll work out the details on what I want from you with Walter. Evan will show you out."

They all said their thanks to the badger who was polite, but from the way his eyes twitched to a stack of papers on his desk made it clear that he had other things he really needed to be getting to. The raccoon ushered them all back into the hallway and toward the elevators, including the fox. Reynaldo smiled at all the women he passed in a way that CM felt sure was risking a lawsuit in their litigation-happy society.

The elevator was even more cramped than before but they made it to the parking garage safely. Evan thanked them all and wished he could spend more time with them, but he had other duties for the badger that couldn't wait. They said their goodbyes and the raccoon disappeared back into the elevator.

Reynaldo stretched out his arms and yawned like a canine with wide jaws and long curled tongue. "Well, that was very interesting. We knew we were growing a lot but... marvellous work you three."

"Thanks," Rob replied. "I'm just glad to be getting paid for it."

The fox smiled and folded his arms behind his back. "I may see you again at another of these meetings or at a Changed gathering of some sort. If so, I'll make sure to have at leat a meal with you. I wish I could promise more, but fame is a pain like that. Even only Changed fame."

"Hey, maybe we'll be famous for this work," Carter replied with an eager puppy-dog lookt o his face.

"Nobody cares about th enumber crunchers," Rob pointed out.

"We do have a flight to catch," Walter pointed out in a breathy grumble.

Wolf and skunk frowned, while CM extended her paw to the fox. "It was a great pleasure meeting you, Number Two. I hope our paths cross again."

Reynaldo smiled at her and he let his paw be engulfed in her own. "And I you. I hope your next Change makes you a man again." CM smiled a little more but said nothing.

Rob and Carter said their goodbyes to the fox too. Walter nodded to him and briefly they shook paws. Then they went their separate ways, each wondering if ever they would see each other again.

When they finally reached the van, all their minds a flutter with thoughts of money, impressing the congressman, and meeting one of the oldest of the Changed, the taciturn bull surprised them all when he turned and his muzzle broke into a firm, proud grin. "You three did a very good job in there. Thank you." And like that, the moment of praise passed and they were on their way back to the airport with yet one more thing to marvel at.

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Model Building}}

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2009-01-05T17:49:07Z

MatthiasRat: Started the next scene. Won't be too much more to it.

{{Universe|[[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]]}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in July 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Model Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

Rob the skunk carried the cardboard boxes from the hall into his room and set them down on the clean floor. It had been almost a year since he'd changed into an anthro-skunk and forced to keep his room clean, and still he flinched his toes to avoid stubbing them into discarded detrius that no longer lingered upon his carpet. His friend CM had shown him the necessity of maintaining house and over a week's time helped him turn his room from a pig sty into a place where a Changed could easily keep their true nature a secret.

And now he and his friends were leaving FoxRidge 1600J for good. Trevor, Brett, and Nick had found a house in downtown Christiansburg to rent, while he was moving with Audrey into the upscale apartments FoxRidge offered. A few weeks ago Audrey had accepted his marriage proposal and now his mind was abuzz with managing his and her families as they swarmed in battle over the wedding arrangements. It had to be in Vermont! No in New Jersey! It must be big! It must be small! It must be Protestant! It must be Catholic! On, and on, and on!

Here in Blacksburg, Virginia, he and Audrey could escape for a time and be together without the discomfort of feuding families. In one week's time he'd be out of the Furry apartment and would no longer need to hide. Apart from Patrick whom CM had told because he'd become too nosy, Audrey was the only other among them that knew the secret of the Changed. He hoped she didn't mind lots of potpouri or cleaning up skunk fur.

As the skunk set down the boxes his phone rang. He snatched it from his computer table and read the number. His eyes widened; he recognized that name. He cast a quick glance at the server humming away in one corner and then opened the phone.

"This is Rob. Hello?"

A deep, rumbling voice answered him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hallman. This is Walter Lundh. How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine, just getting ready to move next week. Already signed the lease and everything." He said that deliberately. The last time the longhorn bull called he'd had to cancel his plans on short notice. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm mailing you, CM, and Mr. Ryan round-trip tickets to Washington in two weeks."

"DC?" Rob asked, both surprised and relieved that he at least had two weeks before he needed to jump through the lawyer's hoops. "What for?"

"Congressman Sandrick requested an update on the status of your project prior to next month's Change. We want to know where to look and what to expect. You and your colleagues must ready a presentation for the Congressman. Will there be any trouble for you?"

Rob walked to his calendar and studied the dates. "I'm going to have to get off work. So will CM. They'll probably be pissed that they didn't have more advanced warning."

"I apologize for that," Walter replied brusquely. "I'm sure the Congressman can send you each a letter if necessary, though we'd all prefer to keep this low profile. Are there any other difficulties?"

The skunk shook his head. "No. It's good for me, but you'll want to check with CM. She might have plans. Will we see you in DC?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Dulles. All the arrangements for the hotel have been made. I will see you there. Good luck with your move. Don't damage anything."

The bull hung up and Rob set the phone down with a long sigh. A move and a presentation! Well, he'd better get started packing then.

{{Separator|k}}

CM carried the footboard into Rob's new bedroom and set it against the wall with the rest of the pieces of his bed. The skunk was rifling through his toolbox with Audrey at his side resting one hand on his shoulder. Rob's tail twitched to the far side as he turned to see the bear.

"Hey Audrey, can you go keep the others busy for a few minutes?" Rob asked.

"Changed stuff?" Audrey asked, and at the skunk's nod, she smiled and nodded. "Sure! Open the door when you're done." She hugged CM as she walked past, surprising the bear, and then closed the door behind her.

"Trevor and the others are busy packing their own things," CM pointed out. She rested her paw on the footboard and tilted it back and forth. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Rob held a wrench out and said, "Well, you can help me put my bed together!" CM laughed. "Seriously, we haven't had a chance to talk. You got Lundh's message last week, right?"

CM nodded. She'd been at work the first time the bull had called. Leslie had taken the message, but of course Lundh hadn't said anything to her other than his name; CM was amazed he'd given her that much! "I've got my part of the presentation prepared. I know you haven't had much chance to look it over or anything but what you've done looked good to me."

"Not much else I could do," Rob grunted as he straightened and looked around the room. "Here, against this wall. The headboard should go here. Do you need a paw?"

CM nodded. "It's a little awkward, yes." Together, they carried the arched headboard to where Rob wanted it and then leaned it against the wall. "Do you need some help with your presentation?"

The skunk frowned as he returned for one of the side pieces. "I shouldn't. It's not like I did anything anyway."

"You kept the server going," CM replied with a smile. She could tell the skunk was bothered by something but she couldn't tell what. "Carter and I couldn't do anything without that!"

"But are we really ready to tell these guys anything?" Rob asked. "Bring the footboard; we'll get these pieces together."

CM pondered the question for a moment as she retrieved the footboard. Rob had both side pieces laid out in front of the headboard and was checking the various bolts to make sure he had the right ones. She ran her tongue along the back of her short fangs and grunted. "We have enough to give them a good estimate. We've ruled out pretty much everything except exponential growth. That's scary in itself."

"And there should be a heck of a lot more of us than there are, right?"

CM set the footboard down and held it steady with one paw. She was careful not to nick the wood with her claws. "Yes, but Carter would know more about where they should be than I do.. It'll be good to see him again at least."

"He won't have his jeep with him this time. Did you get stuck in coach too?"

CM nodded and Rob rolled his eyes as he lifted the first side piece and put the bolt through the hole. CM held the other end up with her free paw. She laughed and rumbled. "His note did say that he reserved the two seats next to mine too. Paid extra for that. I'm going to need it." She patted her tummy which was already building up girth for winter hibernation. Of course, if the August Change played its usual tricks, she wouldn't be a bear for much longer.

As long as she became male again she wouldn't mind staying a bear forever. But that wasn't up to her.

"Well, that's something at least. I hope you didn't have any plans for next weekend."

CM grunted. "Jan and Dennis were planning to come down to visit."

Rob's tail darted to one side and he glanced back at the bear in surprise. "The boar and the hedgehog? Wouldn't that be like their third time this year?"

"Jan's fourth, Dennis's third. He couldn't make it last time." CM grinned and shrugged. "Jan's determined to make a biker out of me. He's probably going to succeed at some point too. Just don't have the money for it now."

"And Leslie would kill you," Rob added.

CM's grin didn't fade even though she nodded. "Yeah, probably. They're working on that too."

"So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd be in DC anyway, and if time allowed, I'd meet them there. Probably going to have to be in the evening though. Looks like Lundh wants us there to present and get out as quick as possible."

"Probably to keep from too many questions being asked," Rob said. He stood up, brushed his pants off, and walked over to where CM crouched against the footboard. "Okay, the first one's in. Scoot back and I'll get this bolt in too."

{{Separator|k}}

Roanoke Airport was a small regional airport with a single concourse. There were direct flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Richmond, and of course DC. Their plane left at 2:20, so Rob picked CM up at her apartment a little before noon. They each had packed an overnight bag, though in CM's case it looked like one that would barely fit in the overhead compartment. Rob resisted the temptation to ask the she-bear if she'd packed the kitchen sink.

Traffic was light that Friday as they drove up I-81 to Roanoke. The airport itself was reasonably busy with families heading out for the weekend to visit relatives as well as several others heading out of town on business. The pair checked in, saw that their flight was on time — which surprised the skunk who'd never seen a plane leave on time — and headed for the security.

Both of them felt a little anxious passing through the security station, especially with the post-9/11 heightened security measures. But neither of them were singled out for extra scrutiny and they passed by unmolested.

While Rob went to their terminal, CM stopped at one of the terminal-side restaurants and ordered the largest fish item they had on the menu. That and an appetizer of fried cheese sticks. It did sate her hibernation hunger for the time, but she knew she'd be hungry again in a few hours. At least the flight wouldn't be long. She hoped that Walter would be understanding about how much she'd probably order from room service!

When CM went to their terminal she found the skunk reviewing his portion of the presentation. He'd been able to finish only the day before and only because Audrey let him shirk his duties to setting up their new apartment. He'd have a lot of catch up to do when they got back, but CM had volunteered to come over a day or two and pitch in to make up for it.

CM settled her bulk on one of the benches and grimaced as the arms pinched her paunch. "Ugh. They need bigger seats."

Rob glanced up and chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-eighty," CM replied. "I'll hit three hundred again by the Change."

The skunk nodded. "The way you eat, yah. What are you going to become?"

"A rat I expect," she replied. She briefly touched one breast with a claw and grunted, "And hopefully male again. Do you hope to change again?"

Rob shook his head. "Skunk wasn't my first choice, believe me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm happy this way, so why Change again?"

"But if you did, what would you prefer?"

The skunk put his papers down in his lap and leaned back into his tail which curled over the end of the seat. "Something feline I think. Jaguar. Definitely a jaguar. Oh, and male too."

CM chuckled. "Well, odds are you won't change again. How goes the presentation?"

"Slow," Rob grunted and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be reading over this on the plane. I finished the slides at like 3 AM last night."

"Well, if you practice, don't practice too loudly," CM said as her eyes followed a family coming up the causeway and settling in next row of seats. "We won't be alone."

Rob glanced at them and nodded. "Right." He lowered his snout to the pages and though he moved his lips, not even the bear could hear anything he said. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and resigned herself to waiting another hour for their flight to depart.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that their plane was a prop, CM managed to relax and sort of enjoy the flight. Perhaps because bears were natural swimmers, she had no trouble adjusting to the pressure change as the plane gained altitude. And with nobody sitting in the seats next to her, she was able to stretch out her bulk across all three. The seat belt was almost as loose as it could go, but it neither pinched her gut nor did the seat pinch her tail. For all of that she was grateful.

Rob faced a different situation. His length tail made getting comfortable extremely difficult. It wasn't like his car where he could sit forward and lean forward when necessary. In the purgatory of coach, there was no room to lean forward and if he sat forward his knees pressed into the tray table. So he ended up pulling his tail between his legs and doing his best not to get it tangled in the seat belt. The older woman sitting next to him watched him with a vague sense of unease, but of course she couldn't tell what was really going on.

To the skunk's immense relief, the flight lasted less than an hour and soon they were settled back on the ground. He lashed his tail back and forth and hissed as they walked up the boarding passage to the gate. "Ugh! I'm never flying coach again!"

"Yeah," CM said as she hefted her carry-on over her shoulder. "It's a little cramped. If Walter hadn't kept the seats next to mine empty, I think I would have eaten somebody. Just kidding."

"That lady was giving me the creeps!" Rob shook his head and checked behind him to make sure she wasn't nearby. "I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die on me."

The bear chuckled and pointed down the concourse. "Well, we're here now. I think we want to go that way to get to the main terminal."

Rob glanced at the signs and nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. Shouldn't be hard to find Walter."

"There is that at least," CM agreed.

The two of them moved through the throng of people waiting for their flight or rushing to catch a connecting flight. Rob held his tail close to his back and twitched anytime anybody brushed too close. CM ambled along at a decent pace over the worn carpeting. It was so old that the long claws on her toes clicked against the concrete beneath every few steps.

Dulles International Airport was immense compared to what they'd left in Roanoke. Vendors and restaurants greeted them the entire way through the concourse, as well as people going every which way. Many were dressed for business, but just as many were dressed as if they were going to Florida, Mexico, or California. A good number were either calling somebody on cell phones or were getting called. And despite the huge throng, not a one of them was Changed like them.

It took almost ten minutes to get from their gate to the security plaza. Once through, they headed into the wide open-air centre lined with airline registration desks and even more shops selling touristry gewgaws. Skunk and bear scanned the crowds in every direction, and found what they sought almost immediately.

"There he is," CM said as soon as she spotted the huge horns sticking out of either side of his black-and-white speckled bovine brow. Rob saw it too and the pair of them made their way through the crowds towards the huge computer display listing arrivals. Walter was dressed in business attire and carried a briefcase in one hoof-like hand. Small, glassy eyes greeted them as they approached. "Mr. Hallman, CM, I see you made it without incident."

Rob held out one hand and the two shook. "And good to see you too, Walter."

"Likewise," CM said before shaking the bull's hand. His grip was heavy and felt odd with those two pointed hoof-like nails. "Where's Carter?"

"His flight is just now arriving. He'll be with us shortly." Walter grunted and glanced between the two. "I hope you brought more professional attire for tomorrow's meeting."

"Yes," Rob said. "I only have the one set of suit pants with a hole for my tail."

"I only have one good suit that fits me at this size," CM admitted.

"That will suffice. If we have too many more meetings, I will see to it that you each have more. My discretionary funds are limited, but they would be ample enough for that if there was a need."

"Discretionary funds?" Rob asked, not sure he could believe what he was hearing. "Just how long have you been a lawyer?"

Walter lightly stomped one hoof. "This is a business meeting, Mr. Hallman. It pays to be professional. As to my years of experience, I will have been with my firm for thirty years as of October 04."

"That long?" CM asked in surprise. "You don't look that old."

"It's the Change," Walter replied with a faint degree of aplomb. "It is much harder to tell people's ages this way. In time we'll adapt and learn to read the clues. Are you ready to present tomorrow?"

"Yes," Rob replied. He patted his suitcase. "Power Point okay?"

"Preferred."

"So the meeting's tomorrow." CM shifted her carry-on from one shoulder to the other. "Are there any plans for tonight?"

Walter set his briefcase down and pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. He pulled a pair of small cards from this and handed them one to each. "Once Carter joins us we will ride to our hotel. I am attending to transportation. I have a business dinner to attend this evening with several lobbyists. I would have preferred dining with you myself but that will not be possible. I'm afraid you are on your own for dinner. I do ask that you avoid alcohol. Our meeting with the Congressman should remain out of the news, but it might not if any of you shows up hung over."

Rob grimaced then nodded as he studied the card. An itinerary was listed on the one side while the other was blank. "Yeah, I learned my lesson about alcohol. You don't have to worry about that."

"I won't touch anything either." CM pocketed her card and then waved over their heads. They all turned and saw a black wolf shouldering his way through the crowd clustered beneath the departures board. He grinned, tail wagging back and forth as he approached. "Hey Carter!" the bear called as soon as he was close enough. CM gave him a hug around one arm. "Good to see you again!"

"And you too, CM!" He then hugged the skunk, "And you too, Rob! Been way too long." With the bull he shook hands. "And it's good to see you too, Walter. What did you think of those numbers we sent?"

"I'm not a statistician, Mr. Ryan," Walter said rather gruffly. "I'm looking forward to your presentation tomorrow. Hopefully then I will better understand the numbers."

Carter's tail fell, but still he nodded and managed to smile. "So, what are we doing now?"

"Do any of you have any other luggage?" But they each had everything, and so Walter said, "Then follow me." Walter turned down the concourse toward the parking lots and shuttle buses. Once four sets of furry paws and hooves clattered along the faux marble floor, Walter continued, "We're going to our hotel. You will be on your own for dinner. I recommend you order room service so I can charge it to my business account. If you want to go out to eat you may do so, but you will have to pay for it." He handed Carter a third card. "That's the schedule for tomorrow. Bring it with you to the meeting. We'll be disposing of them afterward."

Carter grinned and pocketed the card. "Wow. I feel all cloak and dagger."

Walter grunted and swung his head to the side. The horns whipped over the wolf's head. "This is not a game, Mr. Ryan. This is professional. Please remember that."

The wolf nodded, "Of course. I know how to be professional." CM and Rob glanced at each other and stifled their mirth.

{{Separator|k}}

Transportation proved to be a non-descript blue minivan with Virginia plates. Walter indicated that they should all ride in the back, and once he opened the driver-side door they could all see why. There was only one seat in the front with the steering column only slightly off center. The bull didn't wait for them to ask before explaining, "I cannot drive a normal car with my horns. I'd have to keep the window rolled down and that is not always a convenient option."

"How'd you get this done? I've never seen a car like this before!" Carter exclaimed while Rob and CM climbed into the back. It was all bench seating which in general was easier for the often oddly shaped Changed.

"I contracted the conversion work to a Changed auto mechanic for vehicles in every area I'm likely to be. The work will prove pivotal in the future as more and more Changed need such modifications. You three are fortunate that you have not needed any such modifications. Other less economically stable than myself have had to make do with very unsafe workarounds." Walter set his briefcase next to his seat and then climbed into the car, turning his head as he did to slide the long horns smoothly inside. His chair had a little hole along the left side to allow his tail to comfortably slide into place as well.

Rob pulled the seat belt over his shoulders and grimaced as his tail bunched uncomfortably behind him. "How do you explain this to still human clients?"

Walter shut his door and grunted. "I don't. All non Changed clients ride with me in a limousine if we ever need to travel together. Since this meeting is to be as low-profile as possible, we take the minivan. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Not at all," CM replied as she settled into place. "What do other drivers think when they see you in the middle?"

"I do get a few queer stares," Walter admitted wearily. "But nothing more than that." After Carter had buckled up, the long-horn bull started the van and carefully eased out of the short-term parking lot. An Easy-Pass system officiated his parking bill and they soon merged onto the highway.

The bright Summer afternoon greeted them as they drove through the crowded highways of Northern Virginia. Though a Saturday, the highways were still jammed with cars going in either direction. CM was reminded why she never wanted to move back to the area with each passing minute. They would have talked, but as soon as they reached the highway, Walter brought up a TV feed of C-SPAN on a dashboard LCD. Some congressman droned about a bill to increase spending on some pet project, but the language and details were so esoteric, CM couldn't make heads or tails of what the pet project actually was. Carter and Rob looked no better off.

They were on the road for no more than twenty minutes before Walter turned off the highway and led them to a nice but unremarkable Holiday Inn. He drove up to front and pulled to a stop in front of the portico. "Your rooms are reserved under my name. Don't use the phones unless it's an emergency. And remember no alcohol tonight. I'll be by at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to take us into DC. Make sure that you're ready to leave by then."

Rob was the first to climb out of the van. "See you at seven then!" The skunk hefted his bag over his shoulder and waited by the curb for the bear and wolf to climb out. CM grunted in irritation at Carter who held the door for her, but the wolf just wagged his tail.

After Carter shut the door, Walter nodded to them and drove off around the back-side of the hotel. CM drummed her claws over her suitcase and sighed. "I guess we should get our rooms and get this stuff put away."

"What then?" Carter asked.

"Dinner I suppose. It's already past five," Rob replied.

A slight grin played at the edge of CM's broad muzzle. "I could call Jan and Dennis. They live in this area. We could get together with them."

"Walter said no phone calls," Carter pointed out.

"I've got a cell phone," CM replied. "I'm sure Walter only meant for us not to use the hotel's phones because those calls will show up on the bill."

"I'm up to it," Rob replied. His long tail danced behind his head and a smile crawled up his cheeks. "They probably know some good places to eat around here. I'm really not up for whatever room service this place has to offer."

Carter gazed at the hotel and began to nod. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Who are Jan and Dennis?"

"A couple Changed we know," CM replied. "Good folks about our age too." CM dug into her suitcase and took her rather large cellphone from its pocket. "So if there's no objection?"

"Not from me," Carter said with a tail wag. "I'm always happy to meet more Changed!"

CM tapped the number with the tips of her claws then set the headset to her left ear and wiated while it rang. Three rings and a familiar grunting voice replied with far too much aplomb, "Hello there, sweet lady!"

The bear's eyes narrowed and her lips drew back revealing a few fangs, an effect completely lost on the boar for whom it was meant. "Jan," she said in a warning tone, "how many times have I told you not to answer my number like that?"

"Ya, I'll remember one day," he continued in his usual affable manner. The boar was charming in an irritating sort of way. "How are you, CM? I wasn't expecting to hear from you this weekend."

"I'm well. Up your way actually. Rob and I both, with another Changed. Wondering if you and Dennis were free for dinner."

"Dennis should be back soon," the boar replied in a more even tone of voice. "We were going to ride, but we'd rather be with friends if friends are around! Where are you at? We can come pick you up."

An image of three Changed all stacked on the back of Jan's bike clutching each other for dear life flashed through CM's mind. She chuckled and then told the boar the hotel's address. The boar wrote it down and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "Probably be an hour before we get there. I know a few good restaraunts out that way. See you in a bit!"

CM hung up the phone and shook her head. "About an hour, Jan said."

"An hour?" Rob replied. "Good. Maybe I can get some of these knots out of my tail by then!" The wolf and bear laughed. Together, the three went into the hotel lobby to pick up their room keys.

{{Separator|k}}

The trio of Changed took advantage of their hour to settle into the rooms and relax. Walter had reserved adjacent rooms with connecting privacy doors each with a TV and single Queen size bed. Rob's room was in the middle which suited CM just fine. She left her privacy door shut while Rob and Carter talked. CM could hear the skunk chuff angrily as he brushed out the snags in his tail like promised.

The she-bear laid out on the bed and breathed heavily, paws resting on her already growing belly. The long plane flight and the ride here had all been without food, something her body craved ravenously. She contemplated ordering some room service while they waited for Jan and Dennis. They would undoubtedly have to wait at whatever restaraunt they stopped at. But she knew that it would probably take just as long for the room service to arrive. She was better off just raiding a vending machine. She'd seen one in the hall on the way to their third floor rooms.

But first she had to decide what to wear. It was easily fifteen degrees warmer here in Northern Virginia than it had been down in Blacksburg. And it was ten times as humid! The first thing she'd done after coming into the room was crank the AC to the max. She was comfortable now, but would she be once they left with Jan and Dennis?

There wasn't anyway around it. She was going to have to dress lightly. That meant no bra and there was a good chance she'd be showing some cleavage. The thought didn't appeal to the male portion of her brain which always lurked in the background when she was in female mode. She thought about briefly making herself think as a guy again, but there didn't seem much point. CM was female for the duration of this trip. But she was a female off limits. The others knew that, even if Jan liked to tease her from time to time. She'd have to trust the boar to behave himself.

"Easier said than done," she muttered ruefully.

Nevertheless, CM pushed herself off the bed and stripped her clothes off. Once naked apart from the panties she glanced a look at her massive ursine shape in the mirror. An unconscious twitch in her jowls brought a beastly smile to her face. CM turned away and grunted at herself, turning all her efforts to digging into her suitcase for something light to wear. She didn't have to worry about revealing too much because she would never buy such clothes, but still, she'd be around other Changed all evening long and all of them guys. It couldn't help but make her predominant female side anxious.

She selected a V-neck blue T-shirt and jeans that fit her comfortably but not too tight even with her expanding waistline. CM took a moment to examine herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure not too much was showing. Jan would undoubtedly stare until she smacked his snout with the back of her paw, but it was at least modest. There may be no bra, but everything that was visible, and that but a crescent lune, was covered in thick brown fur anyhow.

Once satisfied, CM raided the vending machine and then joined Rob and Carter in the middle room. She carried with her a dozen items with an even mix between chips, candy bars, and fruit-based snakcs. Rob sat on the bed combing his tail which stretched out beside him. Carter reclined in the chair by the window with his tail sticking out the front and long gangly legs propped on the little side table. His lupine paws massaged the air as if he were still walking and pressing into the ground.

"Hey, CM, woah! Nice shirt!" Carter grinned and then lowered his ears in a canine blush. "Sorry about that. Just didn't expect you to... you know."

"It's too hot here for anything else," CM replied. She unceremoniously sat down on the floor and proceeded to tear into her packages. Rob glanced once, nodded having seen it all and more before, and then returned to working knots out of his tail.

"A little hungry?"

"A little," CM replied after scarfing the first candy bar in one bite. It was some chocolate thing; she hadn't really cared. She wasn't going to taste any of them for more than a second anyway. "Stare at my chest again and I might eat you."

Carter laughed and quickly returned to talking about the vagaries of polling data and the crazy stuff his company did when there wasn't an election season going on. Rob interjected frequently with little tidbits about stupid users who shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of a computer. CM listened as she devoured her light snack. Oh Jan and Dennis had better get there soon and get her some real food!

{{Separator|k}}

About an hour later as promised, CM's cellphone rang. The she-bear had long since finished her snacks and was leaning against the wall, legs splayed in front of her, the girth of her belly weighing down into her lap. Carter and Rob stopped talking while CM fished the cellphone off the floor and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, CM!" Jan's voice called back with a grunt of delight. "We're parked outside your hotel right now."

"We're on our way down." She hung up the phone and heaved herself to her broad feet. The claws dug into the carpet, but didn't catch.

"Just a second," Carter said as he leapt to his paws. "I think I took my shoes off. Can't remember." He bent down and fiddled at his paws, and before their eyes a shoe materialized. "Oh, guess I didn't. Nevermind." The wolf slipped the sneaker back over his four-toed paw and it disappeared again. Rob twitched a little as he watched, his long tail tip flicking back and forth in surprise, but after nearly seven years, CM was used to what the Changed now called the 'Shoe-Field'.

They grabbed wallet, locked their rooms, and headed back into the later afternoon heat. They didn't see any other hotel guests, but they did pass one of the cleaning ladies who gave them a brief stare, thne snapped her head back up in surprise. All three tightened but the lady turned away again shaking her head and muttering something to herself.

"Okay, what was that?" Rob asked once they were in the stairwell.

"I don't know," CM admitted. "It's like she saw something that wasn't there."

"Saw us perhaps?" Carter suggested.

"That's never happened before," the she-bear growled under her breath. The stairwell resounded with the heavy tred of their paws. "And even if she did, it was only out of the corner of her eye."

"I'll mention it on the Network when we get back. See if anybody else has seen something like that." Rob kept one hand on the guiderail as he made his way down. His snout lifted thoughtfully. "Maybe she's been taking some drugs that messed with her head. We don't know anything for sure. I'm not going to leap to conclusions."

"Good point," Carter nodded and wagged his tail. "Still, it'd be pretty cool if others could see us as we are."

"No it wouldn't," CM muttered, feeling the weight of her breasts with each bouncing step.

None of them said anything more until they were on the bottom floor and walking out the lobby. All three of them began to pant a little as they stared into the afternoon sun. To their left, two familiar voices began shouting.

"Over here!"

Turning out of the sun, they beheld a pair of Changed standing in front of an old blue van. The larger of the two was a bristly boar dressed in white tank-top and shorts. His wispy tail flapped on either side of hearty legs ending in hooves with cloves as big as a man's fist. Beside him was a hedgehog dressed in much the same attire but far shorter and plumper. Long spines poked along his upper arms, out from the back of his shirt, and over the top of the back.

"Jan, Dennis!" CM cried as she picked up her pace. Carter and Rob were at her heels as the five Changed all gathered in the lee of the van. CM patted them both on their arms, being careful not to touch Dennis's spines, and rumbled like a pleased bear. "Good to see you both again."

Jan's little eyes glanced up and down CM's attire and his snout broke into a mirthful grin. "Always good to see more of each other."

Dennis rolled his eyes, Rob chuckled under his breath, Carter guffawed, and CM did her best to ignore the remark. "Jan, Dennis, this is Carter Ryan," CM indicated the black-furred wolf who had managed to regain his composure. "Carter, this is Jan Krazinski, and Dennis Meale, friends of ours who live up this way."

Jan extended his two-fingered hand and grinned. "Pleased to meet you, Carter. Are you from Blacksburg, too?"

"Buffalo," Ryan replied as they shook hands. "Down here on business."

Dennis shook his hand next. The hedgehog's pudgy face wrinkled a little. "Changed business I suppose?"

"Yeah, with Walt--- ooof!" Carter's reply was cut short when Rob elbowed him in the side.

"Sorry guys, we're not supposed to talk about it," the skunk cut in.

CM patted her belly. "So where are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Jan's snout wrinkled into a grin. "There's a great place few miles down the road. They know how to serve food." The way Jan said the word 'food' implied that he didn't think most restaraunts knew what it was. "Trust me, you won't be hungry for long!" They all voiced their approval and followed Jan around the back of the van to the passenger-side sliding door while Dennis climbed into the driver's seat. Jan jumped into the passenger seat and stuck his head and right arm out, pumping his oddly-shaped fist up and down, "Here come the Changed! Watch out food!"

Carter leaned over and whispered into Rob's ear, "He isn't insane is he?"

The skunk laughed.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that Dennis was a generally quiet hedgehog, he drove with an intensity that surprised Rob. The skunk well remembered CM's warnings the first time they drove out to the Cascade Trail to take their hike and bath. Without doctors who could see thme as they really were they needed to avoid accidents with ruthless discipline. Yet here the hedgehog flew down the main roads passing cars on both the left and the right and taking turns fast enough that Rob's tail fell toward the outside of the turn each time. He didn't even seem worried that a cop might pull them over!

CM noticed it too, because she kept interupting Jan and Carter to yell at the hedgehog. Dennis would not, slow down for a few minutes, and then slowly build up speed again.

They left the highway after a few minutes and followed a two-lane road through rolling green hills filled with horse farms. The road dipped and wove, not nearly as badly as the roads around Blacksburg, but bad enough that the skunk was beginning to smypathize with the bear whose long claws nearly tore chucnks out of her seat. After turning onto an even smaller road, Rob finally decided to add his voice. "Hey, Dennis, can you slow it down? I think I'm going to be sick back here."

"Seriously?" the hedgehog asked. "Fine I'll slow down." And slow down he did. The van no longer lurched about as if it were going to flip over.

"I'm amazed you haven't gotten yourselves killed driving like that!" CM scolded in her Momma Bear voice.

Jan grinned as he leaned to one side in his seat to talk with them. "Ya, I thought the same too. But Dennis drove... what cars were those again?"

"Stock cars," the hedgehog replied. "Only stopped because I can't do it anymore with these spines." He turned back onto a larger road and merged in with the traffic. Apartment buildings and shopping centres loomed in either direction. "Parents said I was going to get killed too. Haven't been in an accident yet."

"Let's not tempt fate," Rob said, eyeing CM. The she bear looked back at him with a 'thank you' in her dark brown eyes. "So do you race bikes too?"

"Not so much," Dennis replied. "You aren't as stable on a bike, so the risk of injury's greater. Bikes are for relaxing. Cars are for racing."

Jan snorted and grinned. "Bikes are for riding and conquering the road."

"You a Jack Kerouac fan?" Carter asked.

The boar blinked in confusion but the smile remained. "If he liked bikes then ya!"

The wolf's tail tried to wag where it was pinned between his back and the seat. "He pracitically invented the romanticism of the road, so yeah, you'd be a fan."

They followed this road past the first set of shopping centers, through a lightly forested area, and then past another set of horse farms. As they neared another highway, Dennis turned the van off at a restaraunt and store which clearly catered to truckers. All the gas pumps came equiped with extra large canopies and most of them were diesel. The parking spaces were long enough for trailers, and a bright neon sign reading 'Open 24 Hours' flashed in red, white, and blue.

"A truck stop?" CM asked incredulously as Dennis parked the van.

Jan nodded and emitted a very pig-like squeal from the back of his throat as he climbed out of the van. "Best food in the area. Run by a Polish couple so they have real food. Oh, they serve American food too for everybody else!"

"Showing a little national pride there are we?" Rob chided as he jumped to the asphalt. It felt hot and grimy beneath his paw pads, but the thrill of working out the kinks in his tail more than made up for the discomfort.

But Jan was already on his way, hooves clopping the asphalt with Dennis and CM right behind him. Carter slammed the sliding door and shrugged his shoulders. "Never eaten at a truck stop before. These guys seem pretty cool though. CM likes them."

Rob's eyes narorwed thoughtfully, but he did not share any of those thoughts evne with himself. Together, the five of them crossed the parking lot where already sat several trucks, some of them with engines still running, to the front door of the old-fashioned but moderately clean restaraunt.

The interior looked like any trcuk stop seen in the movies, long chrome-plated bar along the back behind which pots of coffee brewed and waitresses liesurely made their way back and forth. Stools ranged across the bar and booths along the front windows. Curtains in a red, white and blue checkerboard pattern gave the place an air of Americana, though with the addition of the red and white Polish flag hanging from the backwall beside the clock and menu, it seemed as if the couple were trying a little too hard to fit in.

The scent of oil and grease still pervaded the air, but overwhelming it was the delicious aroma of cooked meats, potatoes, eggs, fries, and other things they couldn't name but knew they'd love to eat in addition to the faint crispness of fresh vegetables and fruits. A few truckers sat at the bar and with a pair of them arose the pungent aroma of cigarettes. They talked quietly to themselves or ate their food. Talk radio blathered from somewhere behind the double swinging doors to the kitchen. A bell on the door tinkled at their entrance.

Everyone turned their heads to look at them then returned to their food. Jan made a big show of inhaling with his porcine snout, and then drummed his hands on his pants. CM bumped him from behind as Rob and Carter slipped inside. The boar took a step forward, hooves clattering on the linolieum.

From a door behind the bar an elderly lady with pronounced nose and peppered grey hair held back in a bun emerged. She was dressed in a white apron with red blouse on underneath. Her face lit up when she saw Jan and Dennis. They widened when she took in Rob and the others. "Oh, you brought friends this time! Do they like to ride too?"

Jan grinned, "Not yet," he then clasped the bruin on the shoulder, "but this one sh... he likes to ride too. Just no bike yet!"

CM twitched at the near slip but kept a smile on her muzzle.

"Well, just place your order right here, and then find any seat you want." The woman spoke with a stronger Polish accent than Jan did but Rob didn't have any trouble following her. She looked at the boar and hedgehog. "Will you want your usual?"

"Ya," Jan replied. "Been looking forward to it!"

"I will too," Dennis said with a half laugh.

The menu hung on the wall next to the Polish flag. Rob studied it for a while, noting that most of the items were as promised typical American cuisine that one could find at any mid-end restaurant. Then there was the list of pierogies, haluskis, and other Polish items that fleshed out the remainder of the menu. The skunk decided to take a chance and ordered one of the pierogies. Carter selected a half-pound cheeseburger. CM was typical CM.

"How big are your portions?" the bear asked, her claws gently tapping the top of her belly.

The woman smiled sweetly and replied, "We have full portions for dinner menu, but smaller lunch portions if you are trying to lose weight."

All five Changed chuckled to one degree or another. "Oh no," CM replied, a little embarrassment slipping into her voice. "No, that's not it. I'm just very, very hungry right now. Hmmm, let's try two of your fried fish dinners, the chicken strips dinner, a side of onion rings and one of applesauce. Oh, what fresh fruit do you have?"

CM caught the attention of nearly everybody in the restaurant with that order. The lady glanced at Jan as if making sure this was okay. The boar nodded and so she wrote it down. "Okay, sir, we will have that ready in a few minutes. Just find a seat anywhere, ya."

Jan guffawed as he picked a booth at the end of the restaraunt that had wraparound seating. Dennis sat on one end, so Carter and Rob slid in the other side. Jan gestured for CM to follow, but she replied, "I'd rather sit on the end if you don't mind. You know."

The boar nodded and managed not to make the sexist comment everyone expected him to. Still, Rob couldn't help but note that Jan had managed to sit right next to the bear. The boar looked very pleased with himself. He leaned back and polished one tusk with a thick hoof-like finger. "See, I told you this place was good."

"We haven't eaten yet, Jan!" Carter said as he shifted in his seat to get his tail comfortable. Rob had managed to pull his tail between his legs. Somewhat uncomfortable, but he was used to it by now.

"Ah, but this place is good and private," Dennis said in a hushed voice. "We've come here before to meet with other Changed. Those truckers will be gone in ten to fifteen minutes, and even if they do listen to us, they won't have a clue what we're saying."

CM frowned, rested her hearty forearms on the table edge, then finally nodded. "Good enough. So, we know you've found more Changed up here. How is the NoVa community coming?"

"There's about seven of us now," Dennis replied in a whisper. "And that's including Sandrick who doesn't come to our meetings. I've heard through the grapevine that there are a few more working in DC but for security reasons can't reveal themselves."

"Only seven?" Rob asked, eyes narrowing. "As big as this area is?"

"That's the problem, ya," Jan said laconically. "Lots of people, but too big for us to see. We find more after August."

"That's something," CM murmured as she shifted about in her seat, "we're going to have to talk about. August is almost on us. In another month we're going to have a lot more Changed."

"You want us to come down to Blacksburg with the other Changed in VA to meet sometime in the next month?" Dennis asked

"Change day falls on a Sunday this year," the bear replied, counting off the dates on her claws. "Rob and I were thinking of booking a restaurant the weekend before and inviting everyone down who could make it. Drive in and out the same day if ya'll had to."

The boar grinned to the bear on his right. He turned a bit in his seat and said, "Dennis and I can stay in a hotel so we can give you more practice riding!"

CM lowered her eyes at that, and tightened her paws into makeshift fists. "That's up to you. Not everyone can afford it."

"So," Dennis asked, looking over at Carter and Rob, "How many more Changed can we expect?"

Before the skunk could stop him, Carter blurted, "At least twice as many. And that's just in new Changed." The skunk wanted to say something, but shook his head and let the wolf blather on. "There's all the Changed that don't know about the Network out there now. With more Changed period, we're probably going to see the Network population go up to at least ten thousand in a year. At least that's what our models say."

"Ten thousand!" Dennis gasped. "It's hard to believe that there are so many."

"Ya!" Jan agreed, though his sanguine amusement kept the shock from his voice. "But at least we'll still be the old timers in at the very beginning!"

"There is that," Rob conceded. "Although those few at the very beginning would still say were all a bunch of newbies."

The boar waved one hoof-like hand. "In another five years we'll be the old timers. You have to think long term."

"Well," CM grumbled, her eyes staring at a well-laden waitress, "my thoughts are particularly short term right now."

Jan erupted with a squealing laugh at that.

{{Separator|k}}

Dinner proved delicious but not exquisite. CM enjoyed her fish, chicken, and sides, and also enjoyed the fact that her bill wasn't too exorbitant. Jan took care of the tip for everyone and the five of them went back to the van after saying goodbye to their server. Jan and she talked briefly about Jan's mother and how she was doing but the boar quickly followed them out.

"What's wrong with your mother?" CM asked her friend after he clopped across the asphalt.

Jan frowned, an expression that wrinkled his snout in an unfamiliar way. "It's cancer. Had it off and on for the last four years. Mom's doing okay for now, but we have to keep close watch on her. I visit them on Sundays." A faint smile crept back into his countenance. "If things turn for the worse, I'll tell her just what her son is."

"A pig?" Dennis asked without the slightest trace of humor.

"A boar," Jan replied with pride. "Far better than a pig."

"I'll keep her in my prayers," CM offered and the boar's smile widened.

"I have said many novenas for her, but thank you!" To the bear's surprise, Jan gave her a sudden hug and then a slap on the back. "That's what friends are for, ya!" He jumped into the passenger seat and his good humor appeared to fully return. "So can we take you anywhere else? Still plenty of daylight left."

It was past seven already, but they had at least another hour of sunlight left before twilight would bring its darkening touch. Carter yawned and climbed into the van, "We should probably get back. We've got an early day tomorrow."

CM noted out of the corner of her eye the skunk glancing between her and the boar. "Carter's right," Rob said. "We should be getting back to the hotel. It's been a long and tiring day."

"We could drop you two off," Jan suggested mildly as Dennis climbed in beside him. The hedgehog's spines thrummed as he settled into the driver's seat. The seats were cloth and looked recently upholstered but still had a few holes where the hedgehog's spines got the better of the weave. The boar looked at the bear and grinned. "Want to come over and practice riding? You have to keep practicing to ride. You'll be happy you did when you get your own bike."

CM didn't doubt it, and the thought of taking a little time to ride on their bikes along the lightly travelled roads feeling the wind through her fur appealed greatly to her. It would be nice to see where Jan and Dennis lived too. Every time they'd gotten together, it was Jan and Dennis who rode down to Blacksburg and not the other way around.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a warm smile. She then felt an undo measure of scrutiny coming from the skunk and realized just how utterly feminine her intonation had been. Steeling herself, the bear took a breath and shook her head. "But Carter and Rob are right. We've an early morning ahead of us and it has been a long day. Thank you for the offer though. I'll make it up to you next time."

Jan laughed and settled in his seat. "Sure thing. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Warp Speed!"

"Could we try the speed limit instead?" CM suggested with a laugh hidden behind her fangs.

"Ya, we could give that a try too. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Speed Limit!" Dennis turned the engine over and gave the boar a long stare which coming from a pudgy hedgehog face looked fairly ridiculous. Jan's chest heaved with his mirth and he shook his snout back and forth. "Nope, doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

{{Separator|k}}

They returned safe and sound to the hotel. Dennis drove slower this time though every time they went around a curve they could feel the hedgehog pushing down on the accelerator. But his dirving skills were just as good as he'd claimed. No matter how he pushed the van, they never felt even the slightest suggestion of danger.

Before dropping them off, Jan extracted a promise from CM to come visit and ride together before the August Change made it more difficult. The she-bear didn't make it too hard, merely worrying about her work schedule and the cost of gas. Rob was surprised she didn't mention Leslie. The skunk knew the bear's wife a little. Leslie was such a private person it was hard to get to know her. But it had never been hard to see that CM and she loved each other, even if Leslie had no idea what CM really was. That CM didn't mention her in her short litany of excuses set the gears in the skunk's mind turning.

After Dennis and Jan drove off, the three Changed marched back into the hotel air conditioning and sighed in relief. Carter's ears and tail drooped as he said, "I'm going to go crash. See you both tomorrow."

"Good Night, Carter," CM said with a weay smile.

The wolf shut his door quietly as the skunk and bear continued to theirs. Rob clicked his tongue against his short, sharp teeth and said, "Hey, CM, you have a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Let's go into your room so we don't disturb Carter."

CM nodded, dark eyes perplexed but as calm as ever. The air inside her room was arctic cold. Rob drew his tail over his chest in surprise. "Sorry about that," CM apologized in a huff. "I left the AC on full blast. It's actually a little chilly for me too now."

Rob settled onto the bed and sighed loudly while the bear fiddled with the AC controls. "Okay, Chris, this is getting a little weird for me."

The bear turned at her real name and he could see a surprised look in her eyes. She sat down in the chair and rested her paws on her knees. The chair was wide enough and strong enough that it didn't creak from her weight. She self-consciously lowered her snout and almost hid the exposed curves of her breasts. "What is?"

The skunk knew mincing words with the she-bear was a pointless exercise. CM was very good at parsing language to suit her arguments. "You and Jan. The first time I saw you together you nearly tore his head off for making a sexist advance at you. Now you either ignore his constant flirting or you get all girly. It's really starting to scare me, Chris. You didn't even mention you were worried about Leslie's schedule when he asked you to come back in a few weeks!"

CM bristled and her jowls drew back. She heaved, her breath still reeking of onions and fish. "I am not flirting with Jan!"

"But you sat next to him. You've seen him how many times this year already, four, five? Normally when you're around other Changed you act like a Momma Bear. But you aren't doing that with Jan. Good grief, Chris!"

"I get together with Jan ''and'' Dennis," she growled. "And I've been consciously trying not to be a Momma Bear."

"Well you're succeeding, cause you're acting like a young woman falling in love instead!"

CM growled again, but this time kept her tongue behind her teeth. She glared down at her legs and paws, digging her claws through the thick, brown fur. "I'm not in love with him. He's just a friend. I love Leslie."

"When was the last time you and Leslie did anything together?"

"I..." CM shook her head and flecked her lips at the skunk. "Stop trying to fix me, Rob! My relationship with my wife is complicated! I love her, but I have to hide this from her. If she knew that I was female... No, I can't let that happen."

"You have to tell her sometime. I told Audrey, and we aren't even married yet."

"You're lucky!" CM snarled. "You're still male!"

"That could change in month like it did for you."

"I'm exceptional! There aren't many of us who've changed genders as well as species! You don't understand."

Rob took a deep breath and let the bear get her rage back under control. If she got any angrier she'd tear gouges into the chair arms with her claws, or worse. The skunk lowered his snout and ran one paw through his thick tail. "You cannot be yourself with Leslie, Chris. But you can with Jan. And right now you're female. I'm worried you might do something you'd regret because your body so badly wants..."

A dangerous glint came the bear's eye. "Sex?"

Rob knew better than to go there. "Companionship. Whatever. Jan isn't your answer."

"He's a friend. That's all. I'm not going to betray Leslie." Every word came with a fresh growl.

Rob did his best to smile as he stood. "Good. I trust you. Now stick with it."

CM appeared to seeth for a few moments. AS the skunk rose to leave, she composed herself and stood. "I'd like to be alone now. Thank you for telling me what you think, Rob. Get a good night sleep and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The skunk nodded and left the bear alone. He'd said what he had to. He swung his tail free and quietly shut the door behind him.

{{Separator|k}}

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
July 19, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm tired of being female. I've been female for almost three years now. Leslie doesn't know because I don't know what it would do to our marriage. Only the other Changed know and that is what makes things hard. They see me and treat me like a woman, and half the time I act like a woman and don't think anything of it! How can I lead a double life like this? How can I keep doing it? It just hurts too much!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Rob came by this evening and accussed me of flirting with Jan. He said it looked like I was falling in love with him! I'm not! Jan is... Jan! While I confess he's not as irritating as I thought at first, and the manner in which he displays his masculinities is far more appealing to me as a woman than I would have ever expected, there is someone else I'd rather be with. Oh Leslie, if only I could be with you, all of this would go away! If only I could be male again! If only you were Changed and could understand!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I don't think Jan does more than tease me for the sake of teasing me. When I first met him I think he was still being a pig. But since then, he seems more intent on getting me into bikes than he does into my pants. I think he understands my struggles and while perhaps he isn't helping as much as he could, he isn't making things harder.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But am I? That's what Rob seems to think. I wanted to smack his snout with the back of my paw for hearing him suggest such things. But is he right? It's taken me a full hour of Discovery Channel just to calm down enough to write in this journal. And I still don't know for sure how I feel. I was alone for six years with this Change. Now that I can finally be with others, am I trying for things I shouldn't have? If not for Leslie, would I have given in and dated Jan? The thought sends shivers through my fur!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I hope and pray that in a few weeks I'll be male again and all of this can be straightened out. Tomorrow we go before Congressman Sandrick and tell him out projections for the Changed population. If we're right, things are going to get very interesting in a few years. Somehow, I'm far more confidant about how the world will accept the Changes than how I will deal with my own. What if I stay a female bear? At some point I will stop Changing. What will I do then? I just don't know. For now I will sleep on it and hope for the best.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, give me the wisdom I need to do Your will and to follow in Your ways. In nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti. Amen.

</div>

{{Separator|k}}

By the time Walter the longhorn bull came to gather them, all three were dressed and ready. They carried their luggage down to the hotel lobby a full five minutes before Walter descended the stairs. The bull dressed as was his custom in a black suit that blended with his splotchy hide at the neck, with a patterned red tie and ironic bovine tie tac. He noted their attire and nodded gratefull before checking them out of the hotel.

Both Rob and Carter were dressed in black suits as well which blended with their fur. Apart from Carter's white shirt and golden eyes, the wolf nearly blended into his outfit. Even his tail wagging between his coattails struck the bear as unremarkable. Rob's monochromatic tail was more noticeable, the base pushing aside his coattails as it curled upwards in a characteristic question mark. But despite the incongruity of animals in business attire, they each managed a look of dignity that surpassed most of the other hotel patrons they saw walking in and out the entrance.

CM, due to her physique, wore a plus-size woman's business jacket and blouse with matching navy blue slacks. Both blouse and jacket were modest and sufficiently androgynous that she garnered no unusual looks from the other hotel guests, but she still felt conspicuously feminine. Before last night she hadn't thought much on her business attire, but now she knew that all the other Changed would even more consciously think of her as female. There was nothing to be done for the moment but to accept it and all that went with it.

Besides, in a month she hoped she'd be male again and could put this chapter behind her.

Walter Lundh nodded to each of them as they gathered by the lobby doors. "Do you each have everything?" At their positive reply, his bovine snout parted in the faintest of smiles. "Good. Follow me and we can be on our way."

He led them into th eparking lot and right back to the minivan. They stowed their luggage in the back and climbed inside. Though it was still early in the morning, already the air was too humid for CM's taste. Even Carter began panting as the van got underway. Walter cranked the AC and pulled back onto the highway. "It won't take us long to get into DC, so I'm going to briefly go over our schedule. Congressman Sandrick has arranged a breakfast for us in his office. After we've had a quick bite to eat, you will begin your presentations. CM, you will go first since your presentation has the punchline. Mr. Ryan, you'll go next so you can better explain the methodology, and Mr. Hallman you'll be last to describe the resources used. Once all are done we are at the Congressman's pleasure to further explain anything he wants to know. We'll thne have lunch and after I'll drive you back to Dulles to catch your return flights. Are there any questions?"

"No," Rob replied. "It's better to get in and out."

"How bad will traffic be?" Carter asked. The wolf glanced at the cars flanking them on either side of the highway. While not nearly as many as there would be on a weekday, traffic was far heavier than anything they were familiar with seeing.

"This should be the worst we see," Walter replied with a bovine grunt. "In about ten minutes you'll see the Pentagon, and in another ten we'll be at the Rayburn building. If you have any last minute preparations to make, now is the time."

CM reached into her satchel and pulled out the hard copies of her slides. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rob and Carter do the same. With a growling chuckle, she began rehearsing her lines.

{{Separator|k}}

It took a full half-hour before they parked in the underground parking lot beneath the Rayburn building. Even for a Sunday the lot was two-thirds full. After parking, Lundh made a brief call while Rob, Carter, and CM put their presentation materials back in their briefcases and climbed out. The air was still humid, but the darkness brought a relief from the Summer heat already building outside.

The longhorn hung up and gestured toward the far end of the lot. "We'll be met by the elevators in a few minutes. Do you each have everything you need?" They nodded and then so did he. "Good. I'm told Number Two is already here so we can begin as soon as we finish eating."

"Number Two?" Carter asked, his tail lowering between his legs. "You mean the second guy to Change?"

"Yes," Walter said with an almost perceptible roll of his glassy eyes. "Of necessity Mr. De Smet has been a leader in the Changed Community. For the sake of his privacy, he prefers to be known as Number Two now."

Together the four of them made their way through the crowded parking lot. Most of the cars parked within were luxury sedans though there were a few sporting vehicles and a handful of trucks too. As they reached the set of elevators at the far end one of them opened and out stepped a raccoon in a business suit. His masked face brightened with a show of fangs when he saw them approach.

He extended a black-furred hand toward the bull. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Lundh."

The longhorn shook his hand and nodded. "And you, Mr. Norton. This is Robert Hallman, Carter Ryan, and Christopher Mattiaz. Gentlemen, this is Mr. Evan Norton, Congressman Sandrick's Internet Coordinator." There was no hint of irony in the bulls's voice as he pronounced the raccoon's title.

Evan shook their paws one at a time, green eyes noting CM a little more closely before turning back to the elevator. It looked large enough to host a small convention. "All is waiting for you. Just follow me and we'll be there in moments. Do you have your passes?"

Walter handed each of them a lobbyist pass which they clipped to their lapels as they stepped onto the elevator. Their nostrils flared as they took in each other's scents in so close proximity. The elevator hummed softly as they went up two levels. Evan tapped his claws together nervously and CM realized that he was just as young as they were. "Have you worked long for the Congressman?" the shebear asked.

"Only since last December," Evan replied. "The Congressman needed somebody who could be a connection to the Changed community without drawing too much notice. Nobody pays attention to internet staffers yet, so here I am." His smile was half-hearted, but he didn't sound disappointed with his lot in life. CM nodded and settled in her corner of the elevator for a few seconds more.

The Rayburn office building was one of many office buildings in DC for Congressmen. And with Congress still in session, even on a Sunday the halls were busy with Representatives, their aides, and lobbyists scurrying back and forth to curry favor on this or that bill. Evan led them from the elevator down one hall all the whiel assuring them that their passage would not be noticed. Not that they needed assuring; everyone else they saw was still human and far too wrapped up in their own affair to care about them or the internet staffer to a sophomore congressman.

Congressman Sandrick's office had a front desk where a receptionist could sit and handle all comers but there was no one there now. A sign sat on the desk apologizing to any lobbyist that the Congressman couldn't see them today. Evan ignored this and headed straight for the door to the back office where the real work was done. Walter followed him and with the opening of the door two new animal scents greeted them as did the delectable aroma of fresh fruits and cooked meats.

Standing behind a solid oak desk was a broad badger with dark eyes. Black paws with long claws were folded over his middle. Sitting in a well cushioned chair was a tall red fox in a tan suit. Both smiled as they entered.

The congressman smiled and waved one of those long-clawed paws at the array of chairs set around his desk. "I'm Congressman Phillip Sandrick of South Carolina. I know Walter Lundh has been having you do work for the Changed Community and you're here today to report on your findings. You can speak freely in this office. I've cleared my schedule for the day and my chief of staff is off on a fact finding errand that will keep him from disturbing us. The rest of my staff have the day off. We have as long as we need. Please refresh yourselves and enjoy a bit of breakfast. I'd like to get to know ya'll a little before I take your advice."

"Thank you," CM said, her eyes going to the platters of fresh fruit, jerky, and sausage beneath the windows on the left wall. A projector had been set up facing the right wall and Evan immediately sat down at nearby computer and began clicking through windows.

The badger gestured to the fox who rose from his seat and wagged his tail once. "This is Mr. Reynaldo De Smet, more commonly known as Number Two. He's been regaling me with the history of the early Changed community for an hour now, and while very interesting, I'm going to have to strangle him if he tells the tale of foiling the traditional English fox hunt one more time."

The fox laughed and waved one hand. "You are too kind, Phillip." The badger rolled his eyes while the fox turned to the rest. "As my easily irritated friend has said, my name is Reynaldo De Smet. My mother was French, my father Belgian, and they must have known I'd go into acting when they named me."

"I've never heard of you," Carter said.

The fox nodded. "As it should be. After I became this back in 1988, my career took a decided turn to the local markets. And since we are still too few in number to risk having too many in prominent positions, I am known in the Changed community as Number Two."

"Walter said you wanted to be called that for your privacy," Rob pointed out. "I thought actors wanted fame."

Reynaldo shook his head and sat back down. "Very true! But for now, I need the anonymity to maintain my standing as a local artist only. Once I become known by my real name as a Changed artist, I won't be able to do local venues only. But that is enough of me. I understand it is you three who've achieved something for the Changed community. Tell us of yourselves. I can talk forever if I must."

Phillip nodded from behind his desk. "I'll vouch for that. You should be in Congress, De Smet. You make more sense than a lot of the clowns I deal with and still manage to irritate."

"It is a gift," Reynaldo agreed with a playful wink.

CM and Rob laughed while Carter filled his plate with jerky and sausage. CM selected several choice fruits and berries in addition to a two plates of jerky and sausage while Rob chose a similar proportion only much smaller. Walter only chose fruits. Together the four sat down and one by one introduced themselves. Reynaldo asked questions here and there about their lives while Sandrick kept his focus on their technical qualifications. Nevertheless, by the time they'd finished eating everyone in the room felt comfortable with each other and the mood had lightened considerably.

"Well, if everyone is settled," Walter Lundh suggested, "perhaps we can begin the presentations?"

"Of course," Sandrick gestured at the raccoon and Evan came to where the rest sat.

The raccoon folded his paws as he looked over the trio. "I'm prepared for Power Point Presentations if brought them. I'll clean any residual data from the computer once were done." They each reached into their briefcases and handed him disks which he took and loaded one by one into his computer. "Give me one minute and I'll have them up. Who is presenting first?"

"I am," the shebear said as she rose to her heavy paws. She pulled her business suit taut and glanced one last time over her preperation materials. CM set them back in her chair and then walked over to the projector screen, laser pointer in paw.

"I'll get the blinds," Reynaldo said. The fox jumped form his seat and drew the blinds shut. He sat back down with the quiet grace of a professional actor.

CM felt all eyes turn to her. Sandrick leaned back in his wide chair, lightly durmming the tips of his claws against his knees. Lundh gazed placidly at her as any bull in a field might. Rob and Carter watched with polite encouragement writ in their beastly eyes. Reynaldo couldn't keep the twitch out of his tail as it dangled through the gap in his chair. Only Evan wasn't looking at her, and that was only because he was busy loading her presentation.

And then with one final click the raccoon scooted back in his seat and the projector splashed the first slide on the screen. "There we go," Evan said. "Just say 'Next' when you want me to advance the slides."

CM nodded and half turned between her audience and the screen. Her first slide was merely a title and her name. "Last year Walter Lundh contracted us to examine the issue of the Changed population and how it was growing. We were to develop a statistical and demographic model on where the Changed are, how many of us there are, and how many more of us there will be in August. Over the last ten months we've been collecting data from the Changed network, collating it, and running various models to determine what is the most statistically likely scenarios. Next."

The slide changed to an outline for the three presentations. It wasn't in the same order that Walter requested, but CM decided to gloss over that. "In my presentation I'll tell you what numbers we've found and what they mean. Carter will tell you what the demographics look like and where we can expect new Changed to crop up, and also, where we think all the missing Changed can be found. Rob will go over the technical systems we've developed in order to store and process the model data. Next."

She turned on the laser pointer and circled the bar graph showing. The horizontal axis had a list of years, while the vertical axis had population numbers. Except for the first few years listed, each block was larger than the one before it. "Here's where things stand now if you plot the Changed population in the Network versus the year that they Changed. This includes those who've died after joining the network." Which, she was grateful to learn, was only a handful so far. She circled the pointer over the very small block on the year 1988. "This block has only you in it, Reynaldo." The fox's ears flicked back and his muzzle tightened in a vulpine grin.

"But what is immediately obvious from these numbers is that every August the Changed population increases exponentially."

Sandrick shook his head. "I'm a Congressman, CM. I can't even balance a budget let alone do advanced math. What do you mean 'exponential'?"

CM rolled the pointer around in her heavy paw as she tried to think of a way to explain that would make sense. "Every August, the total population of Changed is multiplied by a fixed amount. We're growing and we're going to grow faster every year. This we could see just from the numbers of Changed we know about. There are more in the Network who Changed last year than in the previous ten. What we had to do was determine what that fixed multiplier was."

The badger grimaced but began to nod. "I think I understand what you're saying. So do you have a number?"

CM nodded. "Next." The slide changed by adding some captions to the graph. "With a little over 86 percent certainty, the Changed population doubles every August 17th. Which means, that there should be ten times as many Changed worldwide than what we currently have in the network. And also, it means that after August 2007, there will be a million Changed worldwide. In 2017, a billion Changed. And after 2020, everyone will be Changed."

For several seconds, no one said anything while those staggering numbers sank in.

At last Reynaldo let out a short yipping laugh. "Well, we knew we were growing fast, but... are you sure about this? We've only three thousand in the network. How do you know we're doubling like this?"

CM rumbled and gestured with a claw at the black wolf. "Carter's demographics analysis of the Changed population. That and my analysis on the trends in the last few years showing when Changed are discovered and added to the Network. That said, we have only 86 percent certainty about these results. We could be overestimating or underestimating actual growth, but we're almost one hundred percent certain that the growth is exponential. Which means unless the Change stops, in the next thirteen to forty years everyone on Earth will be Changed."

"How did you arrive at that date range?" Sandrick asked as he scratched behind one circular ear.

CM waved her paws at the projector. "The next slide has the tolerance figures we've put on the exponential growth. It's what gave us the range. Evan?" The raccoon nodded and tapped a key. The screen changed to show a table of figures. CM drew her laser pointer along the top row. "Here we have the lowest and highest possible exponent bases that fit the models. At the low end, we have the population increasing by a little over 1.75 each August. At that rate, it would be 2027 to 2029 before all the world was Changed, barring major shifts in global population trends. Carter will talk about those details. At the high end the rate is just shy of 2.25, which means that by 2015 everyone would be Changed.

"Now both of these are extreme cases and represent the tolerance for our analysis. But the probability that the real rate is one or the other is very slim. The most likely situation is that the rate is closer to 2 if not 2 precisely."

Reynaldo tapped one claw against the side of his snout. "It didn't look like the Changed were doubling each year in the graph you just showed us. Some of them looked like they'd more than doubled. Could this rate be changing each year too?"

CM nodded and tapped her claws together. She rather liked the fox. He put things in plain language yet seemed to understand and anticipate her explanations. It dawned on her as she studied him that he was the first Changed she'd met that had been Changed longer than she had. A smile teased the edges of her heavy jowls. She'd have to talk with him afterward if possible. But first, she said, "We considered that and it still may be the case. With Congressman Sandrick's assistance we'll be able to keep analysing the Changed population over the next few years. That will help us refine our conclusions. But those variances you've noted can also be explained by demographics. We think that is much more likely given the intelligent nature of the Change and how it manifests in the world."

Sandrick frowned, glancing briefly at Walter Lundh who watched the presentations with bovine placidity. The badger turned his gaze back on the bear. "Could you explain that comment please? What do you mean by the intelligent nature of the Change?"

"Well, I'll be spoiling one of Carter's points but I don't think he'll mind too much."

The wolf laughed and wagged his tail. "You're the one who put a name to it, CM. Go for it."

CM nodded her thanks and turned back to the congressman. "There are a couple of reasons. First, the reality distortion field, or RDF, as it's called on the Network. A radical change as we've undergone would surely be noticed unless there was some aspect to it that made it imperceptible to others. But it isn't fully. I've had a friend swear they were pushing against thin air when they touched my head. Our Change is more than just illusion, it is real. An the altering of perception is constrained to a fixed area about ourselves. Which is why we leave hoof prints or paw prints when we walk. Separating one part of our body from another doesn't change the effect either, which is why shed fur just looks like human hair to others. So in that sense, the Change operates under rules, rules that we can discover through scientific inquiry and also through deductive and historical science."

CM gestured to Carter and continued. "Secondly, the pattern in which the Change spreads, so far as we've been able to determine, is centred around Chicago and expanding in what appears at first blush to be a fractal. This is very incomplete because we've used a lot of conjecture to fill in the gaps of Changed we know based on our population model who aren't in the Network. But, in the last few months we've tested this model based on the newest Changed we've discovered. We've had to make a few tweaks, but with a little over seventy percent accuracy, the Changed originated where we predicted them too.

"And that leads to the third reason I state that the Change is an intelligent phenomenon. With as little data as we have, we've been able to construct models from which we can make predictions and have such confidence in them. Our model's predictive capability is slightly better than flipping a coin, and it's leagues better than any odds you'll get at a casino. And our estimates of exponential growth indicate the most likely base is an integer! Nature, undirected, doesn't typically operate with integers. That speaks strongly, from a philosphical perspective, of intelligent direction in the course of the Change."

Reynaldo waved his paws in the air and laughed. "It sounds to me like you might be making the ROB argument. That the Change is proof of the existence of the divine."

"ROB?" Rob asked with an amused twitch of his long tail.

"Random Omnipotent Being," Walter grunted. "It's a term being tossed about in the forums by those who believe the Change is of supernatural origin but are unwilling to ascribe it to a particular religion." From the tone of the bull's voice, CM could tell he didn't think too highly of the concept or those pandering it.

"Ah, I must have missed those threads," Rob said softly.

CM rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Apart from being an oxymoron, an omnipotent being cannot be random because random implies that there is more than one and an omnipotent being by the very quality of omnipotence is singular, I'm not actually proposing the ROB theory. I happen to be Catholic and believe very strongly in the existence of the divine as the source of ultimate creation. I can recite the creed if you want. What I'm saying is that I think the Change is intelligent in the sense that it is the consequence of intelligent action and design. It need not be an act of God per se because nature as I said does not usually rely on integral rates for anything. That typifies more the act of a limited intelligence and suggests to me that while I cannot tell you how it is being affected, the Change likely has its source in natural intelligence rather than supernatural."

Sandrick shook his head and started laughing. "You use a lot of big words and I confess I'm not following all of it. But are you saying this is the work of aliens?"

Carter let out a single bark in amusement, Rob covered his snout to stiffle his laugh, and Evan had to wrap his muzzle in the crook of an elbow to keep himself from breaking down. Even Reynaldo's tail and whiskers trembled in mirth. Only Walter was unmoved by the suggestion.

"I don't know," CM confessed. "I can't speak to the particular mechanism of the Change. Only that it seems to me to have as its origin a natural intelligence. Now, I also believe that, like all of nature, it is used by God to further His will, and that for some reason He wants me to be female for a time. I do not understand it but I accept it as best I can. But I also believe He gave us the capacity to understand the Change. The fact that we've been able to learn so much with such a small population sample tells us something that I don't think we should ignore."

Reynaldo waved one paw. "I'm satisfied with that answer. I'm a little unnerved by your suggestion, but since we don't know either how it works, I don't see how we can say no to it. I'd love to see you write your theory up and post it to the forums. It's certainly worth exploring some. But that's beside the point. I've lived with being a fox for a very long time. You say you can make some predictions. What are we looking at come this August?"

The she-bear felt a bit embarassed that she allowed her temptation to erudition to wander so freely in front of these important men. She did have a presentation to finish. Turning back to the projector, she circled the left column. "Here are the years, and here are the population projections by exponential base. If we are doubling, then we can expect an additional 32,896 Changed on August 17. With that many more, we anticipate an even higher percentage of the Changed population will find the Network, both for new Changed and those who have believed themselves to be alone."

"It might be time," Sandrick mused, "to consider changing our recruitment tactics." The badger stroked the fur under his snout with one claw. "Any Changed that watches C-SPAN will eventually see me and figure out they aren't alone. But that isn't going to be a lot. I've kept a low-profile since I Changed. Maybe I should seek more publicity?"

Walter shook his head ever so slightly. Still, the tips of his horns swept out large deadly arcs in the air. "The more publicity any of us seeks, the greater risk we expose the Changed community. Our numbers are too few at this time to risk exposure."

"We're going to be exposed at some point," Rob said. The skunk laconically shrugged his shoulders. "What difference does it make now or later?"

"The infrastructure for Changed is still in its infancy," Lundh said, jabbing his hoof-like hand into the air. "It needs more time and more Changed to mature. I'm looking at your numbers, and if you're right about the doubling, then we have a few years to go before I'm willing to even consider risking more publicity."

Sandrick lowered his paw and nodded. "You're right, Walter. There is a lot of work still to be done, and much of it will not be done here today." His dark eyes focussed on the bear and his voice took on a note of authority. This was a man who was used to people doing what he told them. "What more do you have to say in your presentation?"

CM folded her paws over her growing belly. "Mostly various projections and the data to back up our claims."

"No more bombs to be dropped?"

"No, sir. From here on out we explain the data behind the bombs we've dropped."

Sandrick grinned, exposing the many pearly, white spears the Change had given him. "Then let us hear the data."

CM nodded and looked to the raccoon. "Next slide please."

{{Separator|k}}

"And that's all I have," Rob said. The skunk shurgged his shoulders, long tail dancing behind him and occasionally getting in the way of the projector.

Phillip Sandrick stood and spread his paws on the table before him. His long claws tapped the wood with a pleasing rattle. "Thank you gentleman. Seeing as it is nearly noon, I suggest a short break. I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you before you depart, but as I'm starving, you'll forgive me if I make you wait a few minutes more. I won't be interfering with your travel plans will I?"

"No," Walter replied. "I've arranged for seats on later flights if necessary, but we still have a few hours yet before they're needed."

"Good." The badger patted his paws once on the desk and waltzed around to snag something to eat. "Let's take as least fifteen minutes to relax and enjoy some food."

Nobody else needed convincing. Evan bolted from his seat by the computer and was rifling his paws through the crackers and meats. Rob and Carter flanked him. Walter kept to the other side where the vegetables were. Only CM, who'd been snaking from the buffet table ever since finishing her presentation, didn't join in the rush for delectables. She caught the fox's eyes as he returned to his seat with a plate full of cold cuts.

A little nervously, CM asked, "Number Two, do you mind talking privately for a moment? There's some things I'd like to ask you."

Reynaldo's ears lifted and his jowls brimmed with good humour. "Of course not. Let's go back to Sandrick's reception room. That's probably pretty private today."

None of the other Changed objected and so the bear and fox stepped back into the reception room. Along the wall beneath the light of the windows was a row of large old-fashioned chairs. CM gingerly sat in one, and though the wood groaned, it held her weight. Reynaldo draped his tail over the decorative arm and sat cross-legged next to her.

"So, what's on your mind, CM? Curious to know what things were like in the beginning?"

"A little," CM admitted. "I know it must have been lonely. I was. I guess I just wanted to finally talk to somebody who's been this way longer than I have. You're the first I've ever met."

Reynaldo nibbled on a bit of shredded ham. "And judging by the numbers you've crunched, there aren't too many of us that have been Changed longer than you. Ninety-six, right? So I've been this way only eight years longer than you. The numbers become less important with time. Eight years. Ten years. Twenty years. After you've lived them, they all blend together."

"But still," CM said softly, her eyes straying hungrily to the fox's plate, "You have been Changed longer than I have. I know that I'm always going to be one of the oldest Changed, if not the oldest, in any gathering of Changed. Has it always been that way with you?"

Reynaldo yipped a lugh and shook his head. "Actually, no. The very first Changed I met was Number One. She's a musician, and I an actor. It turns out her band was booked for the same theatre that I was working in at the time between roles. This was back in late ninety-three. So for five years I thought I was the only one. Seeing Cass there," his golden eyes took on a faraway look and the slit pupils narrowed as a flash of sunlight poured through the windows, "was like falling in love for the first time all over again."

"The two of you are together?"

Reynaldo shook his head. "No, no. She married before the Change to her drummer, and they have three kids already. He's a good man and all three are good kids. Shortly after we met, she told him about the Change which he took in good stride. He hasn't Changed yet himself, but her youngest boy became a bright looking fox last August. Of course, he's seventeen now, but I still remember him when he was little trying to sing along with his Mom; he could hit the high notes just like she did!"

CM felt herself smiling and delighting in the little aside about the boy. It was the Momma Bear in her again, but she indulged it for now. "That's so sweet. So how long was it before you met the others in Chicago? It seems there's a lot of older Changed there."

"We met Red, Number Three I mean, a year later, and the rest of the early crowd by 2000. Nobody else from that time period has shown up in or near Chicago. Did you model predict there would be more there?"

"A few yes, but most are probably like me and appeared in isolation as new seeds. I've already had two people in my current hometown Change in the last year. I guess... how did you handle it?"

"Being alone? Probably the same way you did," Reynaldo admitted. He shoved the last of the ham on his tongue and swallowed it with only a few quick bites. "Once we started finding each other, we started having weekly meetings to help each other out. With five to seven of us it was easy. Once we had twenty, we had to move to monthly meetings, and then it was the mailing list. We had somebody hack the list in ninety-seven so that got shut down. Then, some tech savvy mouse put together the website and security measures and we've bene online ever since. When Walter joined us a few years back he got the money together to buy the current servers and to wrap up the domain names for any sites we might want to use in the future."

"And your role in the Network?"

"Spokesman, old fart, wily fox, something like that," Reynaldo laughed and held out the plate. "Here, you finish the rest before you start drooling on it."

CM took the plate in one paw and lowered her owls. "Oh, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. I've seen worse. A friend of mine got Changed into a St. Bernard. He carries handkerchiefs with him just so the humans don't notice. And heaven forbid he shake!"

CM laughed as she picked through the meats. "I've been a Rottweiler twice now, so I know what it's like being a dog and contending with drool."

"Now that's one thing I don't think I could have managed," Reynaldo said as he gestured at the bear. "Changign shape again and again. And gender too. I see you're married. Wife or husband?"

"Wife," CM said a little more quickly than she would have liked. "She's still human and doesn't know. We married while I was male. I'd hoped marriage would keep me male, but that hasn't happened."

"I'm sorry. You just didn't say anything about her, so I didn't know what to assume."

CM swallowed a bit of turkey and nodded. "Fair enough. It has not been easy on me. Before I met any other Changed, being female was just something I knew about myself. Now others are treating me like a woman and it's getting harder to supress."

"Who's been treating you like a woman?"

"None of you, but all Changed who see me before they find out do. There's one guy who knows but slips up frequently. I think he does it on purpose."

Reynaldo shook his head. "What an ass."

"Boar actually," CM replied with a laugh threatening at the back of her throat. "He's a good man, just aggravating at times."

Reynaldo blinked and ran one paw over his forehead. "Does it bother you when he does it? I know one gender Changed in the Chicago area that gets absolutely livid when she's treated like a woman."

"It depends," CM replied. "If I wasn't married or if I knew I'd be stuck as a female I might feel differently about it. But since I keep on Changing, until I stop I don't know what to do!"

Reynaldo nodded and scratched himself behind one ear. "I've seen some of those guides you've been writing up on the Network. Keep doing that. It's been very helpful to the others."

"Thank you, I will."

"And since," the fox smiled that impish smile which made his golden eyes gleam, "you Changed back in ninety-six, that makes you eligible for the First Ten club. I think we need a better name, but it's something Cass and I've been tossing back and forth since the Change started exploding like it has in the last few years."

The shebear picked the last bit of salami from the plate and downed it. "What is it?"

"Just something we've been talking about on the side. Just for us who Changed in the first ten years. There were never many of us, so we all have that alone story in common. With the way things are going, most Changed won't remember what it's like to be alone. Those of us who were will always feel a little out of place, even once the whole world Changes. We don't know what we're going to do, maybe meet once every few years like a reunion to gripe about all the youngins, but if you're interested I'll add you to the roster."

CM smiled and set the plate aside. "Thank you, Reynaldo. I really appreciate that. I would like to be part it. I don't know how much I can contribute."

"Just do what you're doing. Let old timers like Cass, Red, and I worry about this for now."

"Okay," CM agreed and leaned back a bit. The chair groaned under the bear's weight. "So are you in anything currently?"

Reynaldo's eyes looked skyward. "We're doing Lerner and Lowe's Camelot this Season. I'm playing Lancelot of all people. After that I just have minor roles. If you could get to Chicago I could get you tickets."

"Unless Walter wants to foot the bill, I'm not going anywhere!"

"I'll see if I can send you a video then," Reynaldo stood up and patted the bear on the shoulder. "Shall we go back in? Or was there something else."

CM shook her head and stood much to the chair's relief. "No. I didn't even know what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to talk to somebody who'd been this way longer than me for once."

Reynaldo's grin was true and his grip on the bear's shoulder was firm. "You're doing just fine, CM. And thank you for all you're doing for us. Just knowing what's happening is a great blessing."

"That it is," CM replied as they made their way to Sandrick's office again.

{{Separator|k}}

"First," Congressman Sandrick said once they were all seated and paying attention to the badger, "I want to commend you all on your work. You've done a hard but necessary task for the Changed community, and as one of its spokesman, I thank you. Your numbers will help us plan for the coming years. In the next five years I think we can expect vast changes as we prepare for the day when it will be impossible to keep the Change a secret. And for that reason I believe you three should continue your work."

The badger gestured with one paw at the projector which now lay dormant. "While you won't need to come give me presentations like this again, and it is probably safer if you do not, I would like quarterly reports on the Changed population and what your models show. We can quibble about the format of the reports later, but I do want updated numbers and graphs like you showed me today. Send whatever you have to Walter and he'll make sure it comes to me.

"And," he said, holding out one paw to forestall any objections or questions, "because I'm asking you to do this on a schedule, and because of the good work you've already done, I'm going to find a way to pay you for your services. Walter and I will work out the legal aspects, but you will be reimbursed for your efforts to dte and any work you do for us in the future." Carter wagged his tail and panted in delight, Rob pumped his fist, and CM rumbled deep in her chest. Finally, some money!

"Now I want you to realize something. The Changed organization can control things by and large for now because we are small and unnoticed. If your numbers are correct, then this is going to spiral out of our control very quickly. People on the ground are going to have ideas that we would never think of that will make our lives easier. Already people are doing what they must to adjust to this life. Although I didn't have to resew my clothes, I've heard that there are dozens of guides already posted on the forums. That's just the beginning."

Rob shook his head and asked, "So what are you getting at?"

Sandrick frowned at the skunk. "What I'm getting at is we have some of the most powerful members of the Changed community in this room right now, and I'm telling you that we aren't all that powerful. I'm only in my second term as a Congressman; I have to spend most of my time making sure I stay in Congress. Walter has his own clients, and Number Two only has power because of his position in the community. We are very much finite. Do not expect that because you are involved at this level that you will have much say in how the Changed community develops. You won't. But neither will we."

"I'm just happy to be getting paid for this," Rob replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I've got enough on my plate as it is without worrying about impacting the community."

"Good. That makes you ten times a better person than half the people who come into my office," Sandrick replied with a low growl that was not directed at the skunk. "And to be frank, it is refreshing talking to you because you aren't here with an agenda. I wish I could meet with you more often. But there's nothing to be done about that." He spread his paws on his desk and frowned, his muzzle scrunching and whiskers twitching on either jowl. "Are there any questions?"

Carter lifted his paw. His golden eyes kept sliding away from the badger's resolute stare. "You said that you didn't have the power to direct the Changed community. What can you do? You talk about planning, but what are we going to be planning?"

"We need to spend the next few years building up the Network. There's going to be a lot of people joining who are going to need help adjusting. Right now the network is in a support and grow phase. That is the best we can do. From a high-level we can discuss ideas on ways to support the needs of the community, but the actual implementation of those ideas will need to be done by those on the ground. For instance, Walter has done work with Changed who've been placed in mental institutions. Right now he has various connections scouring medical notices to find patients who meet the profile. When he finds them, he goes to interview them and help them adjust and if possible, take legal action to have them released. To date he's found... fourteen?"

"Fifteen," Walter supplied.

"Fifteen Changed in institutions. We're probably missing a large number of them, but until we have more people who can help, that's the best we can do. Walter, in addition to coordinating your efforts, is also spearheading a team to develop better approaches to this problem. They expect to be very busy after August 17th. Things like this we can plan for. But there's a lot we'll miss."

"That's all well and good," Reynaldo interjected, "but everyone else needs to know that we are doing something. That will give them the confidence to do what they need to do."

"And we are, and we will." Sandrick nodded to the fox. "You and everyone else need to get the word out that we are not going to let any more Change days pass without some plan to handle them."

"Even if our plans are just to do what we've always done and keep an eye out for anybody getting sick?"

"Yes, that's right."

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Model Building}}

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-12-29T17:26:14Z

MatthiasRat: CM and Reynaldo have a little private conversation

{{Universe|[[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]]}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in July 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Model Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

Rob the skunk carried the cardboard boxes from the hall into his room and set them down on the clean floor. It had been almost a year since he'd changed into an anthro-skunk and forced to keep his room clean, and still he flinched his toes to avoid stubbing them into discarded detrius that no longer lingered upon his carpet. His friend CM had shown him the necessity of maintaining house and over a week's time helped him turn his room from a pig sty into a place where a Changed could easily keep their true nature a secret.

And now he and his friends were leaving FoxRidge 1600J for good. Trevor, Brett, and Nick had found a house in downtown Christiansburg to rent, while he was moving with Audrey into the upscale apartments FoxRidge offered. A few weeks ago Audrey had accepted his marriage proposal and now his mind was abuzz with managing his and her families as they swarmed in battle over the wedding arrangements. It had to be in Vermont! No in New Jersey! It must be big! It must be small! It must be Protestant! It must be Catholic! On, and on, and on!

Here in Blacksburg, Virginia, he and Audrey could escape for a time and be together without the discomfort of feuding families. In one week's time he'd be out of the Furry apartment and would no longer need to hide. Apart from Patrick whom CM had told because he'd become too nosy, Audrey was the only other among them that knew the secret of the Changed. He hoped she didn't mind lots of potpouri or cleaning up skunk fur.

As the skunk set down the boxes his phone rang. He snatched it from his computer table and read the number. His eyes widened; he recognized that name. He cast a quick glance at the server humming away in one corner and then opened the phone.

"This is Rob. Hello?"

A deep, rumbling voice answered him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hallman. This is Walter Lundh. How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine, just getting ready to move next week. Already signed the lease and everything." He said that deliberately. The last time the longhorn bull called he'd had to cancel his plans on short notice. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm mailing you, CM, and Mr. Ryan round-trip tickets to Washington in two weeks."

"DC?" Rob asked, both surprised and relieved that he at least had two weeks before he needed to jump through the lawyer's hoops. "What for?"

"Congressman Sandrick requested an update on the status of your project prior to next month's Change. We want to know where to look and what to expect. You and your colleagues must ready a presentation for the Congressman. Will there be any trouble for you?"

Rob walked to his calendar and studied the dates. "I'm going to have to get off work. So will CM. They'll probably be pissed that they didn't have more advanced warning."

"I apologize for that," Walter replied brusquely. "I'm sure the Congressman can send you each a letter if necessary, though we'd all prefer to keep this low profile. Are there any other difficulties?"

The skunk shook his head. "No. It's good for me, but you'll want to check with CM. She might have plans. Will we see you in DC?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Dulles. All the arrangements for the hotel have been made. I will see you there. Good luck with your move. Don't damage anything."

The bull hung up and Rob set the phone down with a long sigh. A move and a presentation! Well, he'd better get started packing then.

{{Separator|k}}

CM carried the footboard into Rob's new bedroom and set it against the wall with the rest of the pieces of his bed. The skunk was rifling through his toolbox with Audrey at his side resting one hand on his shoulder. Rob's tail twitched to the far side as he turned to see the bear.

"Hey Audrey, can you go keep the others busy for a few minutes?" Rob asked.

"Changed stuff?" Audrey asked, and at the skunk's nod, she smiled and nodded. "Sure! Open the door when you're done." She hugged CM as she walked past, surprising the bear, and then closed the door behind her.

"Trevor and the others are busy packing their own things," CM pointed out. She rested her paw on the footboard and tilted it back and forth. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Rob held a wrench out and said, "Well, you can help me put my bed together!" CM laughed. "Seriously, we haven't had a chance to talk. You got Lundh's message last week, right?"

CM nodded. She'd been at work the first time the bull had called. Leslie had taken the message, but of course Lundh hadn't said anything to her other than his name; CM was amazed he'd given her that much! "I've got my part of the presentation prepared. I know you haven't had much chance to look it over or anything but what you've done looked good to me."

"Not much else I could do," Rob grunted as he straightened and looked around the room. "Here, against this wall. The headboard should go here. Do you need a paw?"

CM nodded. "It's a little awkward, yes." Together, they carried the arched headboard to where Rob wanted it and then leaned it against the wall. "Do you need some help with your presentation?"

The skunk frowned as he returned for one of the side pieces. "I shouldn't. It's not like I did anything anyway."

"You kept the server going," CM replied with a smile. She could tell the skunk was bothered by something but she couldn't tell what. "Carter and I couldn't do anything without that!"

"But are we really ready to tell these guys anything?" Rob asked. "Bring the footboard; we'll get these pieces together."

CM pondered the question for a moment as she retrieved the footboard. Rob had both side pieces laid out in front of the headboard and was checking the various bolts to make sure he had the right ones. She ran her tongue along the back of her short fangs and grunted. "We have enough to give them a good estimate. We've ruled out pretty much everything except exponential growth. That's scary in itself."

"And there should be a heck of a lot more of us than there are, right?"

CM set the footboard down and held it steady with one paw. She was careful not to nick the wood with her claws. "Yes, but Carter would know more about where they should be than I do.. It'll be good to see him again at least."

"He won't have his jeep with him this time. Did you get stuck in coach too?"

CM nodded and Rob rolled his eyes as he lifted the first side piece and put the bolt through the hole. CM held the other end up with her free paw. She laughed and rumbled. "His note did say that he reserved the two seats next to mine too. Paid extra for that. I'm going to need it." She patted her tummy which was already building up girth for winter hibernation. Of course, if the August Change played its usual tricks, she wouldn't be a bear for much longer.

As long as she became male again she wouldn't mind staying a bear forever. But that wasn't up to her.

"Well, that's something at least. I hope you didn't have any plans for next weekend."

CM grunted. "Jan and Dennis were planning to come down to visit."

Rob's tail darted to one side and he glanced back at the bear in surprise. "The boar and the hedgehog? Wouldn't that be like their third time this year?"

"Jan's fourth, Dennis's third. He couldn't make it last time." CM grinned and shrugged. "Jan's determined to make a biker out of me. He's probably going to succeed at some point too. Just don't have the money for it now."

"And Leslie would kill you," Rob added.

CM's grin didn't fade even though she nodded. "Yeah, probably. They're working on that too."

"So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd be in DC anyway, and if time allowed, I'd meet them there. Probably going to have to be in the evening though. Looks like Lundh wants us there to present and get out as quick as possible."

"Probably to keep from too many questions being asked," Rob said. He stood up, brushed his pants off, and walked over to where CM crouched against the footboard. "Okay, the first one's in. Scoot back and I'll get this bolt in too."

{{Separator|k}}

Roanoke Airport was a small regional airport with a single concourse. There were direct flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Richmond, and of course DC. Their plane left at 2:20, so Rob picked CM up at her apartment a little before noon. They each had packed an overnight bag, though in CM's case it looked like one that would barely fit in the overhead compartment. Rob resisted the temptation to ask the she-bear if she'd packed the kitchen sink.

Traffic was light that Friday as they drove up I-81 to Roanoke. The airport itself was reasonably busy with families heading out for the weekend to visit relatives as well as several others heading out of town on business. The pair checked in, saw that their flight was on time — which surprised the skunk who'd never seen a plane leave on time — and headed for the security.

Both of them felt a little anxious passing through the security station, especially with the post-9/11 heightened security measures. But neither of them were singled out for extra scrutiny and they passed by unmolested.

While Rob went to their terminal, CM stopped at one of the terminal-side restaurants and ordered the largest fish item they had on the menu. That and an appetizer of fried cheese sticks. It did sate her hibernation hunger for the time, but she knew she'd be hungry again in a few hours. At least the flight wouldn't be long. She hoped that Walter would be understanding about how much she'd probably order from room service!

When CM went to their terminal she found the skunk reviewing his portion of the presentation. He'd been able to finish only the day before and only because Audrey let him shirk his duties to setting up their new apartment. He'd have a lot of catch up to do when they got back, but CM had volunteered to come over a day or two and pitch in to make up for it.

CM settled her bulk on one of the benches and grimaced as the arms pinched her paunch. "Ugh. They need bigger seats."

Rob glanced up and chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-eighty," CM replied. "I'll hit three hundred again by the Change."

The skunk nodded. "The way you eat, yah. What are you going to become?"

"A rat I expect," she replied. She briefly touched one breast with a claw and grunted, "And hopefully male again. Do you hope to change again?"

Rob shook his head. "Skunk wasn't my first choice, believe me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm happy this way, so why Change again?"

"But if you did, what would you prefer?"

The skunk put his papers down in his lap and leaned back into his tail which curled over the end of the seat. "Something feline I think. Jaguar. Definitely a jaguar. Oh, and male too."

CM chuckled. "Well, odds are you won't change again. How goes the presentation?"

"Slow," Rob grunted and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be reading over this on the plane. I finished the slides at like 3 AM last night."

"Well, if you practice, don't practice too loudly," CM said as her eyes followed a family coming up the causeway and settling in next row of seats. "We won't be alone."

Rob glanced at them and nodded. "Right." He lowered his snout to the pages and though he moved his lips, not even the bear could hear anything he said. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and resigned herself to waiting another hour for their flight to depart.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that their plane was a prop, CM managed to relax and sort of enjoy the flight. Perhaps because bears were natural swimmers, she had no trouble adjusting to the pressure change as the plane gained altitude. And with nobody sitting in the seats next to her, she was able to stretch out her bulk across all three. The seat belt was almost as loose as it could go, but it neither pinched her gut nor did the seat pinch her tail. For all of that she was grateful.

Rob faced a different situation. His length tail made getting comfortable extremely difficult. It wasn't like his car where he could sit forward and lean forward when necessary. In the purgatory of coach, there was no room to lean forward and if he sat forward his knees pressed into the tray table. So he ended up pulling his tail between his legs and doing his best not to get it tangled in the seat belt. The older woman sitting next to him watched him with a vague sense of unease, but of course she couldn't tell what was really going on.

To the skunk's immense relief, the flight lasted less than an hour and soon they were settled back on the ground. He lashed his tail back and forth and hissed as they walked up the boarding passage to the gate. "Ugh! I'm never flying coach again!"

"Yeah," CM said as she hefted her carry-on over her shoulder. "It's a little cramped. If Walter hadn't kept the seats next to mine empty, I think I would have eaten somebody. Just kidding."

"That lady was giving me the creeps!" Rob shook his head and checked behind him to make sure she wasn't nearby. "I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die on me."

The bear chuckled and pointed down the concourse. "Well, we're here now. I think we want to go that way to get to the main terminal."

Rob glanced at the signs and nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. Shouldn't be hard to find Walter."

"There is that at least," CM agreed.

The two of them moved through the throng of people waiting for their flight or rushing to catch a connecting flight. Rob held his tail close to his back and twitched anytime anybody brushed too close. CM ambled along at a decent pace over the worn carpeting. It was so old that the long claws on her toes clicked against the concrete beneath every few steps.

Dulles International Airport was immense compared to what they'd left in Roanoke. Vendors and restaurants greeted them the entire way through the concourse, as well as people going every which way. Many were dressed for business, but just as many were dressed as if they were going to Florida, Mexico, or California. A good number were either calling somebody on cell phones or were getting called. And despite the huge throng, not a one of them was Changed like them.

It took almost ten minutes to get from their gate to the security plaza. Once through, they headed into the wide open-air centre lined with airline registration desks and even more shops selling touristry gewgaws. Skunk and bear scanned the crowds in every direction, and found what they sought almost immediately.

"There he is," CM said as soon as she spotted the huge horns sticking out of either side of his black-and-white speckled bovine brow. Rob saw it too and the pair of them made their way through the crowds towards the huge computer display listing arrivals. Walter was dressed in business attire and carried a briefcase in one hoof-like hand. Small, glassy eyes greeted them as they approached. "Mr. Hallman, CM, I see you made it without incident."

Rob held out one hand and the two shook. "And good to see you too, Walter."

"Likewise," CM said before shaking the bull's hand. His grip was heavy and felt odd with those two pointed hoof-like nails. "Where's Carter?"

"His flight is just now arriving. He'll be with us shortly." Walter grunted and glanced between the two. "I hope you brought more professional attire for tomorrow's meeting."

"Yes," Rob said. "I only have the one set of suit pants with a hole for my tail."

"I only have one good suit that fits me at this size," CM admitted.

"That will suffice. If we have too many more meetings, I will see to it that you each have more. My discretionary funds are limited, but they would be ample enough for that if there was a need."

"Discretionary funds?" Rob asked, not sure he could believe what he was hearing. "Just how long have you been a lawyer?"

Walter lightly stomped one hoof. "This is a business meeting, Mr. Hallman. It pays to be professional. As to my years of experience, I will have been with my firm for thirty years as of October 04."

"That long?" CM asked in surprise. "You don't look that old."

"It's the Change," Walter replied with a faint degree of aplomb. "It is much harder to tell people's ages this way. In time we'll adapt and learn to read the clues. Are you ready to present tomorrow?"

"Yes," Rob replied. He patted his suitcase. "Power Point okay?"

"Preferred."

"So the meeting's tomorrow." CM shifted her carry-on from one shoulder to the other. "Are there any plans for tonight?"

Walter set his briefcase down and pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. He pulled a pair of small cards from this and handed them one to each. "Once Carter joins us we will ride to our hotel. I am attending to transportation. I have a business dinner to attend this evening with several lobbyists. I would have preferred dining with you myself but that will not be possible. I'm afraid you are on your own for dinner. I do ask that you avoid alcohol. Our meeting with the Congressman should remain out of the news, but it might not if any of you shows up hung over."

Rob grimaced then nodded as he studied the card. An itinerary was listed on the one side while the other was blank. "Yeah, I learned my lesson about alcohol. You don't have to worry about that."

"I won't touch anything either." CM pocketed her card and then waved over their heads. They all turned and saw a black wolf shouldering his way through the crowd clustered beneath the departures board. He grinned, tail wagging back and forth as he approached. "Hey Carter!" the bear called as soon as he was close enough. CM gave him a hug around one arm. "Good to see you again!"

"And you too, CM!" He then hugged the skunk, "And you too, Rob! Been way too long." With the bull he shook hands. "And it's good to see you too, Walter. What did you think of those numbers we sent?"

"I'm not a statistician, Mr. Ryan," Walter said rather gruffly. "I'm looking forward to your presentation tomorrow. Hopefully then I will better understand the numbers."

Carter's tail fell, but still he nodded and managed to smile. "So, what are we doing now?"

"Do any of you have any other luggage?" But they each had everything, and so Walter said, "Then follow me." Walter turned down the concourse toward the parking lots and shuttle buses. Once four sets of furry paws and hooves clattered along the faux marble floor, Walter continued, "We're going to our hotel. You will be on your own for dinner. I recommend you order room service so I can charge it to my business account. If you want to go out to eat you may do so, but you will have to pay for it." He handed Carter a third card. "That's the schedule for tomorrow. Bring it with you to the meeting. We'll be disposing of them afterward."

Carter grinned and pocketed the card. "Wow. I feel all cloak and dagger."

Walter grunted and swung his head to the side. The horns whipped over the wolf's head. "This is not a game, Mr. Ryan. This is professional. Please remember that."

The wolf nodded, "Of course. I know how to be professional." CM and Rob glanced at each other and stifled their mirth.

{{Separator|k}}

Transportation proved to be a non-descript blue minivan with Virginia plates. Walter indicated that they should all ride in the back, and once he opened the driver-side door they could all see why. There was only one seat in the front with the steering column only slightly off center. The bull didn't wait for them to ask before explaining, "I cannot drive a normal car with my horns. I'd have to keep the window rolled down and that is not always a convenient option."

"How'd you get this done? I've never seen a car like this before!" Carter exclaimed while Rob and CM climbed into the back. It was all bench seating which in general was easier for the often oddly shaped Changed.

"I contracted the conversion work to a Changed auto mechanic for vehicles in every area I'm likely to be. The work will prove pivotal in the future as more and more Changed need such modifications. You three are fortunate that you have not needed any such modifications. Other less economically stable than myself have had to make do with very unsafe workarounds." Walter set his briefcase next to his seat and then climbed into the car, turning his head as he did to slide the long horns smoothly inside. His chair had a little hole along the left side to allow his tail to comfortably slide into place as well.

Rob pulled the seat belt over his shoulders and grimaced as his tail bunched uncomfortably behind him. "How do you explain this to still human clients?"

Walter shut his door and grunted. "I don't. All non Changed clients ride with me in a limousine if we ever need to travel together. Since this meeting is to be as low-profile as possible, we take the minivan. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Not at all," CM replied as she settled into place. "What do other drivers think when they see you in the middle?"

"I do get a few queer stares," Walter admitted wearily. "But nothing more than that." After Carter had buckled up, the long-horn bull started the van and carefully eased out of the short-term parking lot. An Easy-Pass system officiated his parking bill and they soon merged onto the highway.

The bright Summer afternoon greeted them as they drove through the crowded highways of Northern Virginia. Though a Saturday, the highways were still jammed with cars going in either direction. CM was reminded why she never wanted to move back to the area with each passing minute. They would have talked, but as soon as they reached the highway, Walter brought up a TV feed of C-SPAN on a dashboard LCD. Some congressman droned about a bill to increase spending on some pet project, but the language and details were so esoteric, CM couldn't make heads or tails of what the pet project actually was. Carter and Rob looked no better off.

They were on the road for no more than twenty minutes before Walter turned off the highway and led them to a nice but unremarkable Holiday Inn. He drove up to front and pulled to a stop in front of the portico. "Your rooms are reserved under my name. Don't use the phones unless it's an emergency. And remember no alcohol tonight. I'll be by at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to take us into DC. Make sure that you're ready to leave by then."

Rob was the first to climb out of the van. "See you at seven then!" The skunk hefted his bag over his shoulder and waited by the curb for the bear and wolf to climb out. CM grunted in irritation at Carter who held the door for her, but the wolf just wagged his tail.

After Carter shut the door, Walter nodded to them and drove off around the back-side of the hotel. CM drummed her claws over her suitcase and sighed. "I guess we should get our rooms and get this stuff put away."

"What then?" Carter asked.

"Dinner I suppose. It's already past five," Rob replied.

A slight grin played at the edge of CM's broad muzzle. "I could call Jan and Dennis. They live in this area. We could get together with them."

"Walter said no phone calls," Carter pointed out.

"I've got a cell phone," CM replied. "I'm sure Walter only meant for us not to use the hotel's phones because those calls will show up on the bill."

"I'm up to it," Rob replied. His long tail danced behind his head and a smile crawled up his cheeks. "They probably know some good places to eat around here. I'm really not up for whatever room service this place has to offer."

Carter gazed at the hotel and began to nod. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Who are Jan and Dennis?"

"A couple Changed we know," CM replied. "Good folks about our age too." CM dug into her suitcase and took her rather large cellphone from its pocket. "So if there's no objection?"

"Not from me," Carter said with a tail wag. "I'm always happy to meet more Changed!"

CM tapped the number with the tips of her claws then set the headset to her left ear and wiated while it rang. Three rings and a familiar grunting voice replied with far too much aplomb, "Hello there, sweet lady!"

The bear's eyes narrowed and her lips drew back revealing a few fangs, an effect completely lost on the boar for whom it was meant. "Jan," she said in a warning tone, "how many times have I told you not to answer my number like that?"

"Ya, I'll remember one day," he continued in his usual affable manner. The boar was charming in an irritating sort of way. "How are you, CM? I wasn't expecting to hear from you this weekend."

"I'm well. Up your way actually. Rob and I both, with another Changed. Wondering if you and Dennis were free for dinner."

"Dennis should be back soon," the boar replied in a more even tone of voice. "We were going to ride, but we'd rather be with friends if friends are around! Where are you at? We can come pick you up."

An image of three Changed all stacked on the back of Jan's bike clutching each other for dear life flashed through CM's mind. She chuckled and then told the boar the hotel's address. The boar wrote it down and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "Probably be an hour before we get there. I know a few good restaraunts out that way. See you in a bit!"

CM hung up the phone and shook her head. "About an hour, Jan said."

"An hour?" Rob replied. "Good. Maybe I can get some of these knots out of my tail by then!" The wolf and bear laughed. Together, the three went into the hotel lobby to pick up their room keys.

{{Separator|k}}

The trio of Changed took advantage of their hour to settle into the rooms and relax. Walter had reserved adjacent rooms with connecting privacy doors each with a TV and single Queen size bed. Rob's room was in the middle which suited CM just fine. She left her privacy door shut while Rob and Carter talked. CM could hear the skunk chuff angrily as he brushed out the snags in his tail like promised.

The she-bear laid out on the bed and breathed heavily, paws resting on her already growing belly. The long plane flight and the ride here had all been without food, something her body craved ravenously. She contemplated ordering some room service while they waited for Jan and Dennis. They would undoubtedly have to wait at whatever restaraunt they stopped at. But she knew that it would probably take just as long for the room service to arrive. She was better off just raiding a vending machine. She'd seen one in the hall on the way to their third floor rooms.

But first she had to decide what to wear. It was easily fifteen degrees warmer here in Northern Virginia than it had been down in Blacksburg. And it was ten times as humid! The first thing she'd done after coming into the room was crank the AC to the max. She was comfortable now, but would she be once they left with Jan and Dennis?

There wasn't anyway around it. She was going to have to dress lightly. That meant no bra and there was a good chance she'd be showing some cleavage. The thought didn't appeal to the male portion of her brain which always lurked in the background when she was in female mode. She thought about briefly making herself think as a guy again, but there didn't seem much point. CM was female for the duration of this trip. But she was a female off limits. The others knew that, even if Jan liked to tease her from time to time. She'd have to trust the boar to behave himself.

"Easier said than done," she muttered ruefully.

Nevertheless, CM pushed herself off the bed and stripped her clothes off. Once naked apart from the panties she glanced a look at her massive ursine shape in the mirror. An unconscious twitch in her jowls brought a beastly smile to her face. CM turned away and grunted at herself, turning all her efforts to digging into her suitcase for something light to wear. She didn't have to worry about revealing too much because she would never buy such clothes, but still, she'd be around other Changed all evening long and all of them guys. It couldn't help but make her predominant female side anxious.

She selected a V-neck blue T-shirt and jeans that fit her comfortably but not too tight even with her expanding waistline. CM took a moment to examine herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure not too much was showing. Jan would undoubtedly stare until she smacked his snout with the back of her paw, but it was at least modest. There may be no bra, but everything that was visible, and that but a crescent lune, was covered in thick brown fur anyhow.

Once satisfied, CM raided the vending machine and then joined Rob and Carter in the middle room. She carried with her a dozen items with an even mix between chips, candy bars, and fruit-based snakcs. Rob sat on the bed combing his tail which stretched out beside him. Carter reclined in the chair by the window with his tail sticking out the front and long gangly legs propped on the little side table. His lupine paws massaged the air as if he were still walking and pressing into the ground.

"Hey, CM, woah! Nice shirt!" Carter grinned and then lowered his ears in a canine blush. "Sorry about that. Just didn't expect you to... you know."

"It's too hot here for anything else," CM replied. She unceremoniously sat down on the floor and proceeded to tear into her packages. Rob glanced once, nodded having seen it all and more before, and then returned to working knots out of his tail.

"A little hungry?"

"A little," CM replied after scarfing the first candy bar in one bite. It was some chocolate thing; she hadn't really cared. She wasn't going to taste any of them for more than a second anyway. "Stare at my chest again and I might eat you."

Carter laughed and quickly returned to talking about the vagaries of polling data and the crazy stuff his company did when there wasn't an election season going on. Rob interjected frequently with little tidbits about stupid users who shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of a computer. CM listened as she devoured her light snack. Oh Jan and Dennis had better get there soon and get her some real food!

{{Separator|k}}

About an hour later as promised, CM's cellphone rang. The she-bear had long since finished her snacks and was leaning against the wall, legs splayed in front of her, the girth of her belly weighing down into her lap. Carter and Rob stopped talking while CM fished the cellphone off the floor and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, CM!" Jan's voice called back with a grunt of delight. "We're parked outside your hotel right now."

"We're on our way down." She hung up the phone and heaved herself to her broad feet. The claws dug into the carpet, but didn't catch.

"Just a second," Carter said as he leapt to his paws. "I think I took my shoes off. Can't remember." He bent down and fiddled at his paws, and before their eyes a shoe materialized. "Oh, guess I didn't. Nevermind." The wolf slipped the sneaker back over his four-toed paw and it disappeared again. Rob twitched a little as he watched, his long tail tip flicking back and forth in surprise, but after nearly seven years, CM was used to what the Changed now called the 'Shoe-Field'.

They grabbed wallet, locked their rooms, and headed back into the later afternoon heat. They didn't see any other hotel guests, but they did pass one of the cleaning ladies who gave them a brief stare, thne snapped her head back up in surprise. All three tightened but the lady turned away again shaking her head and muttering something to herself.

"Okay, what was that?" Rob asked once they were in the stairwell.

"I don't know," CM admitted. "It's like she saw something that wasn't there."

"Saw us perhaps?" Carter suggested.

"That's never happened before," the she-bear growled under her breath. The stairwell resounded with the heavy tred of their paws. "And even if she did, it was only out of the corner of her eye."

"I'll mention it on the Network when we get back. See if anybody else has seen something like that." Rob kept one hand on the guiderail as he made his way down. His snout lifted thoughtfully. "Maybe she's been taking some drugs that messed with her head. We don't know anything for sure. I'm not going to leap to conclusions."

"Good point," Carter nodded and wagged his tail. "Still, it'd be pretty cool if others could see us as we are."

"No it wouldn't," CM muttered, feeling the weight of her breasts with each bouncing step.

None of them said anything more until they were on the bottom floor and walking out the lobby. All three of them began to pant a little as they stared into the afternoon sun. To their left, two familiar voices began shouting.

"Over here!"

Turning out of the sun, they beheld a pair of Changed standing in front of an old blue van. The larger of the two was a bristly boar dressed in white tank-top and shorts. His wispy tail flapped on either side of hearty legs ending in hooves with cloves as big as a man's fist. Beside him was a hedgehog dressed in much the same attire but far shorter and plumper. Long spines poked along his upper arms, out from the back of his shirt, and over the top of the back.

"Jan, Dennis!" CM cried as she picked up her pace. Carter and Rob were at her heels as the five Changed all gathered in the lee of the van. CM patted them both on their arms, being careful not to touch Dennis's spines, and rumbled like a pleased bear. "Good to see you both again."

Jan's little eyes glanced up and down CM's attire and his snout broke into a mirthful grin. "Always good to see more of each other."

Dennis rolled his eyes, Rob chuckled under his breath, Carter guffawed, and CM did her best to ignore the remark. "Jan, Dennis, this is Carter Ryan," CM indicated the black-furred wolf who had managed to regain his composure. "Carter, this is Jan Krazinski, and Dennis Meale, friends of ours who live up this way."

Jan extended his two-fingered hand and grinned. "Pleased to meet you, Carter. Are you from Blacksburg, too?"

"Buffalo," Ryan replied as they shook hands. "Down here on business."

Dennis shook his hand next. The hedgehog's pudgy face wrinkled a little. "Changed business I suppose?"

"Yeah, with Walt--- ooof!" Carter's reply was cut short when Rob elbowed him in the side.

"Sorry guys, we're not supposed to talk about it," the skunk cut in.

CM patted her belly. "So where are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Jan's snout wrinkled into a grin. "There's a great place few miles down the road. They know how to serve food." The way Jan said the word 'food' implied that he didn't think most restaraunts knew what it was. "Trust me, you won't be hungry for long!" They all voiced their approval and followed Jan around the back of the van to the passenger-side sliding door while Dennis climbed into the driver's seat. Jan jumped into the passenger seat and stuck his head and right arm out, pumping his oddly-shaped fist up and down, "Here come the Changed! Watch out food!"

Carter leaned over and whispered into Rob's ear, "He isn't insane is he?"

The skunk laughed.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that Dennis was a generally quiet hedgehog, he drove with an intensity that surprised Rob. The skunk well remembered CM's warnings the first time they drove out to the Cascade Trail to take their hike and bath. Without doctors who could see thme as they really were they needed to avoid accidents with ruthless discipline. Yet here the hedgehog flew down the main roads passing cars on both the left and the right and taking turns fast enough that Rob's tail fell toward the outside of the turn each time. He didn't even seem worried that a cop might pull them over!

CM noticed it too, because she kept interupting Jan and Carter to yell at the hedgehog. Dennis would not, slow down for a few minutes, and then slowly build up speed again.

They left the highway after a few minutes and followed a two-lane road through rolling green hills filled with horse farms. The road dipped and wove, not nearly as badly as the roads around Blacksburg, but bad enough that the skunk was beginning to smypathize with the bear whose long claws nearly tore chucnks out of her seat. After turning onto an even smaller road, Rob finally decided to add his voice. "Hey, Dennis, can you slow it down? I think I'm going to be sick back here."

"Seriously?" the hedgehog asked. "Fine I'll slow down." And slow down he did. The van no longer lurched about as if it were going to flip over.

"I'm amazed you haven't gotten yourselves killed driving like that!" CM scolded in her Momma Bear voice.

Jan grinned as he leaned to one side in his seat to talk with them. "Ya, I thought the same too. But Dennis drove... what cars were those again?"

"Stock cars," the hedgehog replied. "Only stopped because I can't do it anymore with these spines." He turned back onto a larger road and merged in with the traffic. Apartment buildings and shopping centres loomed in either direction. "Parents said I was going to get killed too. Haven't been in an accident yet."

"Let's not tempt fate," Rob said, eyeing CM. The she bear looked back at him with a 'thank you' in her dark brown eyes. "So do you race bikes too?"

"Not so much," Dennis replied. "You aren't as stable on a bike, so the risk of injury's greater. Bikes are for relaxing. Cars are for racing."

Jan snorted and grinned. "Bikes are for riding and conquering the road."

"You a Jack Kerouac fan?" Carter asked.

The boar blinked in confusion but the smile remained. "If he liked bikes then ya!"

The wolf's tail tried to wag where it was pinned between his back and the seat. "He pracitically invented the romanticism of the road, so yeah, you'd be a fan."

They followed this road past the first set of shopping centers, through a lightly forested area, and then past another set of horse farms. As they neared another highway, Dennis turned the van off at a restaraunt and store which clearly catered to truckers. All the gas pumps came equiped with extra large canopies and most of them were diesel. The parking spaces were long enough for trailers, and a bright neon sign reading 'Open 24 Hours' flashed in red, white, and blue.

"A truck stop?" CM asked incredulously as Dennis parked the van.

Jan nodded and emitted a very pig-like squeal from the back of his throat as he climbed out of the van. "Best food in the area. Run by a Polish couple so they have real food. Oh, they serve American food too for everybody else!"

"Showing a little national pride there are we?" Rob chided as he jumped to the asphalt. It felt hot and grimy beneath his paw pads, but the thrill of working out the kinks in his tail more than made up for the discomfort.

But Jan was already on his way, hooves clopping the asphalt with Dennis and CM right behind him. Carter slammed the sliding door and shrugged his shoulders. "Never eaten at a truck stop before. These guys seem pretty cool though. CM likes them."

Rob's eyes narorwed thoughtfully, but he did not share any of those thoughts evne with himself. Together, the five of them crossed the parking lot where already sat several trucks, some of them with engines still running, to the front door of the old-fashioned but moderately clean restaraunt.

The interior looked like any trcuk stop seen in the movies, long chrome-plated bar along the back behind which pots of coffee brewed and waitresses liesurely made their way back and forth. Stools ranged across the bar and booths along the front windows. Curtains in a red, white and blue checkerboard pattern gave the place an air of Americana, though with the addition of the red and white Polish flag hanging from the backwall beside the clock and menu, it seemed as if the couple were trying a little too hard to fit in.

The scent of oil and grease still pervaded the air, but overwhelming it was the delicious aroma of cooked meats, potatoes, eggs, fries, and other things they couldn't name but knew they'd love to eat in addition to the faint crispness of fresh vegetables and fruits. A few truckers sat at the bar and with a pair of them arose the pungent aroma of cigarettes. They talked quietly to themselves or ate their food. Talk radio blathered from somewhere behind the double swinging doors to the kitchen. A bell on the door tinkled at their entrance.

Everyone turned their heads to look at them then returned to their food. Jan made a big show of inhaling with his porcine snout, and then drummed his hands on his pants. CM bumped him from behind as Rob and Carter slipped inside. The boar took a step forward, hooves clattering on the linolieum.

From a door behind the bar an elderly lady with pronounced nose and peppered grey hair held back in a bun emerged. She was dressed in a white apron with red blouse on underneath. Her face lit up when she saw Jan and Dennis. They widened when she took in Rob and the others. "Oh, you brought friends this time! Do they like to ride too?"

Jan grinned, "Not yet," he then clasped the bruin on the shoulder, "but this one sh... he likes to ride too. Just no bike yet!"

CM twitched at the near slip but kept a smile on her muzzle.

"Well, just place your order right here, and then find any seat you want." The woman spoke with a stronger Polish accent than Jan did but Rob didn't have any trouble following her. She looked at the boar and hedgehog. "Will you want your usual?"

"Ya," Jan replied. "Been looking forward to it!"

"I will too," Dennis said with a half laugh.

The menu hung on the wall next to the Polish flag. Rob studied it for a while, noting that most of the items were as promised typical American cuisine that one could find at any mid-end restaurant. Then there was the list of pierogies, haluskis, and other Polish items that fleshed out the remainder of the menu. The skunk decided to take a chance and ordered one of the pierogies. Carter selected a half-pound cheeseburger. CM was typical CM.

"How big are your portions?" the bear asked, her claws gently tapping the top of her belly.

The woman smiled sweetly and replied, "We have full portions for dinner menu, but smaller lunch portions if you are trying to lose weight."

All five Changed chuckled to one degree or another. "Oh no," CM replied, a little embarrassment slipping into her voice. "No, that's not it. I'm just very, very hungry right now. Hmmm, let's try two of your fried fish dinners, the chicken strips dinner, a side of onion rings and one of applesauce. Oh, what fresh fruit do you have?"

CM caught the attention of nearly everybody in the restaurant with that order. The lady glanced at Jan as if making sure this was okay. The boar nodded and so she wrote it down. "Okay, sir, we will have that ready in a few minutes. Just find a seat anywhere, ya."

Jan guffawed as he picked a booth at the end of the restaraunt that had wraparound seating. Dennis sat on one end, so Carter and Rob slid in the other side. Jan gestured for CM to follow, but she replied, "I'd rather sit on the end if you don't mind. You know."

The boar nodded and managed not to make the sexist comment everyone expected him to. Still, Rob couldn't help but note that Jan had managed to sit right next to the bear. The boar looked very pleased with himself. He leaned back and polished one tusk with a thick hoof-like finger. "See, I told you this place was good."

"We haven't eaten yet, Jan!" Carter said as he shifted in his seat to get his tail comfortable. Rob had managed to pull his tail between his legs. Somewhat uncomfortable, but he was used to it by now.

"Ah, but this place is good and private," Dennis said in a hushed voice. "We've come here before to meet with other Changed. Those truckers will be gone in ten to fifteen minutes, and even if they do listen to us, they won't have a clue what we're saying."

CM frowned, rested her hearty forearms on the table edge, then finally nodded. "Good enough. So, we know you've found more Changed up here. How is the NoVa community coming?"

"There's about seven of us now," Dennis replied in a whisper. "And that's including Sandrick who doesn't come to our meetings. I've heard through the grapevine that there are a few more working in DC but for security reasons can't reveal themselves."

"Only seven?" Rob asked, eyes narrowing. "As big as this area is?"

"That's the problem, ya," Jan said laconically. "Lots of people, but too big for us to see. We find more after August."

"That's something," CM murmured as she shifted about in her seat, "we're going to have to talk about. August is almost on us. In another month we're going to have a lot more Changed."

"You want us to come down to Blacksburg with the other Changed in VA to meet sometime in the next month?" Dennis asked

"Change day falls on a Sunday this year," the bear replied, counting off the dates on her claws. "Rob and I were thinking of booking a restaurant the weekend before and inviting everyone down who could make it. Drive in and out the same day if ya'll had to."

The boar grinned to the bear on his right. He turned a bit in his seat and said, "Dennis and I can stay in a hotel so we can give you more practice riding!"

CM lowered her eyes at that, and tightened her paws into makeshift fists. "That's up to you. Not everyone can afford it."

"So," Dennis asked, looking over at Carter and Rob, "How many more Changed can we expect?"

Before the skunk could stop him, Carter blurted, "At least twice as many. And that's just in new Changed." The skunk wanted to say something, but shook his head and let the wolf blather on. "There's all the Changed that don't know about the Network out there now. With more Changed period, we're probably going to see the Network population go up to at least ten thousand in a year. At least that's what our models say."

"Ten thousand!" Dennis gasped. "It's hard to believe that there are so many."

"Ya!" Jan agreed, though his sanguine amusement kept the shock from his voice. "But at least we'll still be the old timers in at the very beginning!"

"There is that," Rob conceded. "Although those few at the very beginning would still say were all a bunch of newbies."

The boar waved one hoof-like hand. "In another five years we'll be the old timers. You have to think long term."

"Well," CM grumbled, her eyes staring at a well-laden waitress, "my thoughts are particularly short term right now."

Jan erupted with a squealing laugh at that.

{{Separator|k}}

Dinner proved delicious but not exquisite. CM enjoyed her fish, chicken, and sides, and also enjoyed the fact that her bill wasn't too exorbitant. Jan took care of the tip for everyone and the five of them went back to the van after saying goodbye to their server. Jan and she talked briefly about Jan's mother and how she was doing but the boar quickly followed them out.

"What's wrong with your mother?" CM asked her friend after he clopped across the asphalt.

Jan frowned, an expression that wrinkled his snout in an unfamiliar way. "It's cancer. Had it off and on for the last four years. Mom's doing okay for now, but we have to keep close watch on her. I visit them on Sundays." A faint smile crept back into his countenance. "If things turn for the worse, I'll tell her just what her son is."

"A pig?" Dennis asked without the slightest trace of humor.

"A boar," Jan replied with pride. "Far better than a pig."

"I'll keep her in my prayers," CM offered and the boar's smile widened.

"I have said many novenas for her, but thank you!" To the bear's surprise, Jan gave her a sudden hug and then a slap on the back. "That's what friends are for, ya!" He jumped into the passenger seat and his good humor appeared to fully return. "So can we take you anywhere else? Still plenty of daylight left."

It was past seven already, but they had at least another hour of sunlight left before twilight would bring its darkening touch. Carter yawned and climbed into the van, "We should probably get back. We've got an early day tomorrow."

CM noted out of the corner of her eye the skunk glancing between her and the boar. "Carter's right," Rob said. "We should be getting back to the hotel. It's been a long and tiring day."

"We could drop you two off," Jan suggested mildly as Dennis climbed in beside him. The hedgehog's spines thrummed as he settled into the driver's seat. The seats were cloth and looked recently upholstered but still had a few holes where the hedgehog's spines got the better of the weave. The boar looked at the bear and grinned. "Want to come over and practice riding? You have to keep practicing to ride. You'll be happy you did when you get your own bike."

CM didn't doubt it, and the thought of taking a little time to ride on their bikes along the lightly travelled roads feeling the wind through her fur appealed greatly to her. It would be nice to see where Jan and Dennis lived too. Every time they'd gotten together, it was Jan and Dennis who rode down to Blacksburg and not the other way around.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a warm smile. She then felt an undo measure of scrutiny coming from the skunk and realized just how utterly feminine her intonation had been. Steeling herself, the bear took a breath and shook her head. "But Carter and Rob are right. We've an early morning ahead of us and it has been a long day. Thank you for the offer though. I'll make it up to you next time."

Jan laughed and settled in his seat. "Sure thing. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Warp Speed!"

"Could we try the speed limit instead?" CM suggested with a laugh hidden behind her fangs.

"Ya, we could give that a try too. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Speed Limit!" Dennis turned the engine over and gave the boar a long stare which coming from a pudgy hedgehog face looked fairly ridiculous. Jan's chest heaved with his mirth and he shook his snout back and forth. "Nope, doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

{{Separator|k}}

They returned safe and sound to the hotel. Dennis drove slower this time though every time they went around a curve they could feel the hedgehog pushing down on the accelerator. But his dirving skills were just as good as he'd claimed. No matter how he pushed the van, they never felt even the slightest suggestion of danger.

Before dropping them off, Jan extracted a promise from CM to come visit and ride together before the August Change made it more difficult. The she-bear didn't make it too hard, merely worrying about her work schedule and the cost of gas. Rob was surprised she didn't mention Leslie. The skunk knew the bear's wife a little. Leslie was such a private person it was hard to get to know her. But it had never been hard to see that CM and she loved each other, even if Leslie had no idea what CM really was. That CM didn't mention her in her short litany of excuses set the gears in the skunk's mind turning.

After Dennis and Jan drove off, the three Changed marched back into the hotel air conditioning and sighed in relief. Carter's ears and tail drooped as he said, "I'm going to go crash. See you both tomorrow."

"Good Night, Carter," CM said with a weay smile.

The wolf shut his door quietly as the skunk and bear continued to theirs. Rob clicked his tongue against his short, sharp teeth and said, "Hey, CM, you have a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Let's go into your room so we don't disturb Carter."

CM nodded, dark eyes perplexed but as calm as ever. The air inside her room was arctic cold. Rob drew his tail over his chest in surprise. "Sorry about that," CM apologized in a huff. "I left the AC on full blast. It's actually a little chilly for me too now."

Rob settled onto the bed and sighed loudly while the bear fiddled with the AC controls. "Okay, Chris, this is getting a little weird for me."

The bear turned at her real name and he could see a surprised look in her eyes. She sat down in the chair and rested her paws on her knees. The chair was wide enough and strong enough that it didn't creak from her weight. She self-consciously lowered her snout and almost hid the exposed curves of her breasts. "What is?"

The skunk knew mincing words with the she-bear was a pointless exercise. CM was very good at parsing language to suit her arguments. "You and Jan. The first time I saw you together you nearly tore his head off for making a sexist advance at you. Now you either ignore his constant flirting or you get all girly. It's really starting to scare me, Chris. You didn't even mention you were worried about Leslie's schedule when he asked you to come back in a few weeks!"

CM bristled and her jowls drew back. She heaved, her breath still reeking of onions and fish. "I am not flirting with Jan!"

"But you sat next to him. You've seen him how many times this year already, four, five? Normally when you're around other Changed you act like a Momma Bear. But you aren't doing that with Jan. Good grief, Chris!"

"I get together with Jan ''and'' Dennis," she growled. "And I've been consciously trying not to be a Momma Bear."

"Well you're succeeding, cause you're acting like a young woman falling in love instead!"

CM growled again, but this time kept her tongue behind her teeth. She glared down at her legs and paws, digging her claws through the thick, brown fur. "I'm not in love with him. He's just a friend. I love Leslie."

"When was the last time you and Leslie did anything together?"

"I..." CM shook her head and flecked her lips at the skunk. "Stop trying to fix me, Rob! My relationship with my wife is complicated! I love her, but I have to hide this from her. If she knew that I was female... No, I can't let that happen."

"You have to tell her sometime. I told Audrey, and we aren't even married yet."

"You're lucky!" CM snarled. "You're still male!"

"That could change in month like it did for you."

"I'm exceptional! There aren't many of us who've changed genders as well as species! You don't understand."

Rob took a deep breath and let the bear get her rage back under control. If she got any angrier she'd tear gouges into the chair arms with her claws, or worse. The skunk lowered his snout and ran one paw through his thick tail. "You cannot be yourself with Leslie, Chris. But you can with Jan. And right now you're female. I'm worried you might do something you'd regret because your body so badly wants..."

A dangerous glint came the bear's eye. "Sex?"

Rob knew better than to go there. "Companionship. Whatever. Jan isn't your answer."

"He's a friend. That's all. I'm not going to betray Leslie." Every word came with a fresh growl.

Rob did his best to smile as he stood. "Good. I trust you. Now stick with it."

CM appeared to seeth for a few moments. AS the skunk rose to leave, she composed herself and stood. "I'd like to be alone now. Thank you for telling me what you think, Rob. Get a good night sleep and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The skunk nodded and left the bear alone. He'd said what he had to. He swung his tail free and quietly shut the door behind him.

{{Separator|k}}

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
July 19, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm tired of being female. I've been female for almost three years now. Leslie doesn't know because I don't know what it would do to our marriage. Only the other Changed know and that is what makes things hard. They see me and treat me like a woman, and half the time I act like a woman and don't think anything of it! How can I lead a double life like this? How can I keep doing it? It just hurts too much!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Rob came by this evening and accussed me of flirting with Jan. He said it looked like I was falling in love with him! I'm not! Jan is... Jan! While I confess he's not as irritating as I thought at first, and the manner in which he displays his masculinities is far more appealing to me as a woman than I would have ever expected, there is someone else I'd rather be with. Oh Leslie, if only I could be with you, all of this would go away! If only I could be male again! If only you were Changed and could understand!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I don't think Jan does more than tease me for the sake of teasing me. When I first met him I think he was still being a pig. But since then, he seems more intent on getting me into bikes than he does into my pants. I think he understands my struggles and while perhaps he isn't helping as much as he could, he isn't making things harder.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But am I? That's what Rob seems to think. I wanted to smack his snout with the back of my paw for hearing him suggest such things. But is he right? It's taken me a full hour of Discovery Channel just to calm down enough to write in this journal. And I still don't know for sure how I feel. I was alone for six years with this Change. Now that I can finally be with others, am I trying for things I shouldn't have? If not for Leslie, would I have given in and dated Jan? The thought sends shivers through my fur!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I hope and pray that in a few weeks I'll be male again and all of this can be straightened out. Tomorrow we go before Congressman Sandrick and tell him out projections for the Changed population. If we're right, things are going to get very interesting in a few years. Somehow, I'm far more confidant about how the world will accept the Changes than how I will deal with my own. What if I stay a female bear? At some point I will stop Changing. What will I do then? I just don't know. For now I will sleep on it and hope for the best.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, give me the wisdom I need to do Your will and to follow in Your ways. In nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti. Amen.

</div>

{{Separator|k}}

By the time Walter the longhorn bull came to gather them, all three were dressed and ready. They carried their luggage down to the hotel lobby a full five minutes before Walter descended the stairs. The bull dressed as was his custom in a black suit that blended with his splotchy hide at the neck, with a patterned red tie and ironic bovine tie tac. He noted their attire and nodded gratefull before checking them out of the hotel.

Both Rob and Carter were dressed in black suits as well which blended with their fur. Apart from Carter's white shirt and golden eyes, the wolf nearly blended into his outfit. Even his tail wagging between his coattails struck the bear as unremarkable. Rob's monochromatic tail was more noticeable, the base pushing aside his coattails as it curled upwards in a characteristic question mark. But despite the incongruity of animals in business attire, they each managed a look of dignity that surpassed most of the other hotel patrons they saw walking in and out the entrance.

CM, due to her physique, wore a plus-size woman's business jacket and blouse with matching navy blue slacks. Both blouse and jacket were modest and sufficiently androgynous that she garnered no unusual looks from the other hotel guests, but she still felt conspicuously feminine. Before last night she hadn't thought much on her business attire, but now she knew that all the other Changed would even more consciously think of her as female. There was nothing to be done for the moment but to accept it and all that went with it.

Besides, in a month she hoped she'd be male again and could put this chapter behind her.

Walter Lundh nodded to each of them as they gathered by the lobby doors. "Do you each have everything?" At their positive reply, his bovine snout parted in the faintest of smiles. "Good. Follow me and we can be on our way."

He led them into th eparking lot and right back to the minivan. They stowed their luggage in the back and climbed inside. Though it was still early in the morning, already the air was too humid for CM's taste. Even Carter began panting as the van got underway. Walter cranked the AC and pulled back onto the highway. "It won't take us long to get into DC, so I'm going to briefly go over our schedule. Congressman Sandrick has arranged a breakfast for us in his office. After we've had a quick bite to eat, you will begin your presentations. CM, you will go first since your presentation has the punchline. Mr. Ryan, you'll go next so you can better explain the methodology, and Mr. Hallman you'll be last to describe the resources used. Once all are done we are at the Congressman's pleasure to further explain anything he wants to know. We'll thne have lunch and after I'll drive you back to Dulles to catch your return flights. Are there any questions?"

"No," Rob replied. "It's better to get in and out."

"How bad will traffic be?" Carter asked. The wolf glanced at the cars flanking them on either side of the highway. While not nearly as many as there would be on a weekday, traffic was far heavier than anything they were familiar with seeing.

"This should be the worst we see," Walter replied with a bovine grunt. "In about ten minutes you'll see the Pentagon, and in another ten we'll be at the Rayburn building. If you have any last minute preparations to make, now is the time."

CM reached into her satchel and pulled out the hard copies of her slides. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rob and Carter do the same. With a growling chuckle, she began rehearsing her lines.

{{Separator|k}}

It took a full half-hour before they parked in the underground parking lot beneath the Rayburn building. Even for a Sunday the lot was two-thirds full. After parking, Lundh made a brief call while Rob, Carter, and CM put their presentation materials back in their briefcases and climbed out. The air was still humid, but the darkness brought a relief from the Summer heat already building outside.

The longhorn hung up and gestured toward the far end of the lot. "We'll be met by the elevators in a few minutes. Do you each have everything you need?" They nodded and then so did he. "Good. I'm told Number Two is already here so we can begin as soon as we finish eating."

"Number Two?" Carter asked, his tail lowering between his legs. "You mean the second guy to Change?"

"Yes," Walter said with an almost perceptible roll of his glassy eyes. "Of necessity Mr. De Smet has been a leader in the Changed Community. For the sake of his privacy, he prefers to be known as Number Two now."

Together the four of them made their way through the crowded parking lot. Most of the cars parked within were luxury sedans though there were a few sporting vehicles and a handful of trucks too. As they reached the set of elevators at the far end one of them opened and out stepped a raccoon in a business suit. His masked face brightened with a show of fangs when he saw them approach.

He extended a black-furred hand toward the bull. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Lundh."

The longhorn shook his hand and nodded. "And you, Mr. Norton. This is Robert Hallman, Carter Ryan, and Christopher Mattiaz. Gentlemen, this is Mr. Evan Norton, Congressman Sandrick's Internet Coordinator." There was no hint of irony in the bulls's voice as he pronounced the raccoon's title.

Evan shook their paws one at a time, green eyes noting CM a little more closely before turning back to the elevator. It looked large enough to host a small convention. "All is waiting for you. Just follow me and we'll be there in moments. Do you have your passes?"

Walter handed each of them a lobbyist pass which they clipped to their lapels as they stepped onto the elevator. Their nostrils flared as they took in each other's scents in so close proximity. The elevator hummed softly as they went up two levels. Evan tapped his claws together nervously and CM realized that he was just as young as they were. "Have you worked long for the Congressman?" the shebear asked.

"Only since last December," Evan replied. "The Congressman needed somebody who could be a connection to the Changed community without drawing too much notice. Nobody pays attention to internet staffers yet, so here I am." His smile was half-hearted, but he didn't sound disappointed with his lot in life. CM nodded and settled in her corner of the elevator for a few seconds more.

The Rayburn office building was one of many office buildings in DC for Congressmen. And with Congress still in session, even on a Sunday the halls were busy with Representatives, their aides, and lobbyists scurrying back and forth to curry favor on this or that bill. Evan led them from the elevator down one hall all the whiel assuring them that their passage would not be noticed. Not that they needed assuring; everyone else they saw was still human and far too wrapped up in their own affair to care about them or the internet staffer to a sophomore congressman.

Congressman Sandrick's office had a front desk where a receptionist could sit and handle all comers but there was no one there now. A sign sat on the desk apologizing to any lobbyist that the Congressman couldn't see them today. Evan ignored this and headed straight for the door to the back office where the real work was done. Walter followed him and with the opening of the door two new animal scents greeted them as did the delectable aroma of fresh fruits and cooked meats.

Standing behind a solid oak desk was a broad badger with dark eyes. Black paws with long claws were folded over his middle. Sitting in a well cushioned chair was a tall red fox in a tan suit. Both smiled as they entered.

The congressman smiled and waved one of those long-clawed paws at the array of chairs set around his desk. "I'm Congressman Phillip Sandrick of South Carolina. I know Walter Lundh has been having you do work for the Changed Community and you're here today to report on your findings. You can speak freely in this office. I've cleared my schedule for the day and my chief of staff is off on a fact finding errand that will keep him from disturbing us. The rest of my staff have the day off. We have as long as we need. Please refresh yourselves and enjoy a bit of breakfast. I'd like to get to know ya'll a little before I take your advice."

"Thank you," CM said, her eyes going to the platters of fresh fruit, jerky, and sausage beneath the windows on the left wall. A projector had been set up facing the right wall and Evan immediately sat down at nearby computer and began clicking through windows.

The badger gestured to the fox who rose from his seat and wagged his tail once. "This is Mr. Reynaldo De Smet, more commonly known as Number Two. He's been regaling me with the history of the early Changed community for an hour now, and while very interesting, I'm going to have to strangle him if he tells the tale of foiling the traditional English fox hunt one more time."

The fox laughed and waved one hand. "You are too kind, Phillip." The badger rolled his eyes while the fox turned to the rest. "As my easily irritated friend has said, my name is Reynaldo De Smet. My mother was French, my father Belgian, and they must have known I'd go into acting when they named me."

"I've never heard of you," Carter said.

The fox nodded. "As it should be. After I became this back in 1988, my career took a decided turn to the local markets. And since we are still too few in number to risk having too many in prominent positions, I am known in the Changed community as Number Two."

"Walter said you wanted to be called that for your privacy," Rob pointed out. "I thought actors wanted fame."

Reynaldo shook his head and sat back down. "Very true! But for now, I need the anonymity to maintain my standing as a local artist only. Once I become known by my real name as a Changed artist, I won't be able to do local venues only. But that is enough of me. I understand it is you three who've achieved something for the Changed community. Tell us of yourselves. I can talk forever if I must."

Phillip nodded from behind his desk. "I'll vouch for that. You should be in Congress, De Smet. You make more sense than a lot of the clowns I deal with and still manage to irritate."

"It is a gift," Reynaldo agreed with a playful wink.

CM and Rob laughed while Carter filled his plate with jerky and sausage. CM selected several choice fruits and berries in addition to a two plates of jerky and sausage while Rob chose a similar proportion only much smaller. Walter only chose fruits. Together the four sat down and one by one introduced themselves. Reynaldo asked questions here and there about their lives while Sandrick kept his focus on their technical qualifications. Nevertheless, by the time they'd finished eating everyone in the room felt comfortable with each other and the mood had lightened considerably.

"Well, if everyone is settled," Walter Lundh suggested, "perhaps we can begin the presentations?"

"Of course," Sandrick gestured at the raccoon and Evan came to where the rest sat.

The raccoon folded his paws as he looked over the trio. "I'm prepared for Power Point Presentations if brought them. I'll clean any residual data from the computer once were done." They each reached into their briefcases and handed him disks which he took and loaded one by one into his computer. "Give me one minute and I'll have them up. Who is presenting first?"

"I am," the shebear said as she rose to her heavy paws. She pulled her business suit taut and glanced one last time over her preperation materials. CM set them back in her chair and then walked over to the projector screen, laser pointer in paw.

"I'll get the blinds," Reynaldo said. The fox jumped form his seat and drew the blinds shut. He sat back down with the quiet grace of a professional actor.

CM felt all eyes turn to her. Sandrick leaned back in his wide chair, lightly durmming the tips of his claws against his knees. Lundh gazed placidly at her as any bull in a field might. Rob and Carter watched with polite encouragement writ in their beastly eyes. Reynaldo couldn't keep the twitch out of his tail as it dangled through the gap in his chair. Only Evan wasn't looking at her, and that was only because he was busy loading her presentation.

And then with one final click the raccoon scooted back in his seat and the projector splashed the first slide on the screen. "There we go," Evan said. "Just say 'Next' when you want me to advance the slides."

CM nodded and half turned between her audience and the screen. Her first slide was merely a title and her name. "Last year Walter Lundh contracted us to examine the issue of the Changed population and how it was growing. We were to develop a statistical and demographic model on where the Changed are, how many of us there are, and how many more of us there will be in August. Over the last ten months we've been collecting data from the Changed network, collating it, and running various models to determine what is the most statistically likely scenarios. Next."

The slide changed to an outline for the three presentations. It wasn't in the same order that Walter requested, but CM decided to gloss over that. "In my presentation I'll tell you what numbers we've found and what they mean. Carter will tell you what the demographics look like and where we can expect new Changed to crop up, and also, where we think all the missing Changed can be found. Rob will go over the technical systems we've developed in order to store and process the model data. Next."

She turned on the laser pointer and circled the bar graph showing. The horizontal axis had a list of years, while the vertical axis had population numbers. Except for the first few years listed, each block was larger than the one before it. "Here's where things stand now if you plot the Changed population in the Network versus the year that they Changed. This includes those who've died after joining the network." Which, she was grateful to learn, was only a handful so far. She circled the pointer over the very small block on the year 1988. "This block has only you in it, Reynaldo." The fox's ears flicked back and his muzzle tightened in a vulpine grin.

"But what is immediately obvious from these numbers is that every August the Changed population increases exponentially."

Sandrick shook his head. "I'm a Congressman, CM. I can't even balance a budget let alone do advanced math. What do you mean 'exponential'?"

CM rolled the pointer around in her heavy paw as she tried to think of a way to explain that would make sense. "Every August, the total population of Changed is multiplied by a fixed amount. We're growing and we're going to grow faster every year. This we could see just from the numbers of Changed we know about. There are more in the Network who Changed last year than in the previous ten. What we had to do was determine what that fixed multiplier was."

The badger grimaced but began to nod. "I think I understand what you're saying. So do you have a number?"

CM nodded. "Next." The slide changed by adding some captions to the graph. "With a little over 86 percent certainty, the Changed population doubles every August 17th. Which means, that there should be ten times as many Changed worldwide than what we currently have in the network. And also, it means that after August 2007, there will be a million Changed worldwide. In 2017, a billion Changed. And after 2020, everyone will be Changed."

For several seconds, no one said anything while those staggering numbers sank in.

At last Reynaldo let out a short yipping laugh. "Well, we knew we were growing fast, but... are you sure about this? We've only three thousand in the network. How do you know we're doubling like this?"

CM rumbled and gestured with a claw at the black wolf. "Carter's demographics analysis of the Changed population. That and my analysis on the trends in the last few years showing when Changed are discovered and added to the Network. That said, we have only 86 percent certainty about these results. We could be overestimating or underestimating actual growth, but we're almost one hundred percent certain that the growth is exponential. Which means unless the Change stops, in the next thirteen to forty years everyone on Earth will be Changed."

"How did you arrive at that date range?" Sandrick asked as he scratched behind one circular ear.

CM waved her paws at the projector. "The next slide has the tolerance figures we've put on the exponential growth. It's what gave us the range. Evan?" The raccoon nodded and tapped a key. The screen changed to show a table of figures. CM drew her laser pointer along the top row. "Here we have the lowest and highest possible exponent bases that fit the models. At the low end, we have the population increasing by a little over 1.75 each August. At that rate, it would be 2027 to 2029 before all the world was Changed, barring major shifts in global population trends. Carter will talk about those details. At the high end the rate is just shy of 2.25, which means that by 2015 everyone would be Changed.

"Now both of these are extreme cases and represent the tolerance for our analysis. But the probability that the real rate is one or the other is very slim. The most likely situation is that the rate is closer to 2 if not 2 precisely."

Reynaldo tapped one claw against the side of his snout. "It didn't look like the Changed were doubling each year in the graph you just showed us. Some of them looked like they'd more than doubled. Could this rate be changing each year too?"

CM nodded and tapped her claws together. She rather liked the fox. He put things in plain language yet seemed to understand and anticipate her explanations. It dawned on her as she studied him that he was the first Changed she'd met that had been Changed longer than she had. A smile teased the edges of her heavy jowls. She'd have to talk with him afterward if possible. But first, she said, "We considered that and it still may be the case. With Congressman Sandrick's assistance we'll be able to keep analysing the Changed population over the next few years. That will help us refine our conclusions. But those variances you've noted can also be explained by demographics. We think that is much more likely given the intelligent nature of the Change and how it manifests in the world."

Sandrick frowned, glancing briefly at Walter Lundh who watched the presentations with bovine placidity. The badger turned his gaze back on the bear. "Could you explain that comment please? What do you mean by the intelligent nature of the Change?"

"Well, I'll be spoiling one of Carter's points but I don't think he'll mind too much."

The wolf laughed and wagged his tail. "You're the one who put a name to it, CM. Go for it."

CM nodded her thanks and turned back to the congressman. "There are a couple of reasons. First, the reality distortion field, or RDF, as it's called on the Network. A radical change as we've undergone would surely be noticed unless there was some aspect to it that made it imperceptible to others. But it isn't fully. I've had a friend swear they were pushing against thin air when they touched my head. Our Change is more than just illusion, it is real. An the altering of perception is constrained to a fixed area about ourselves. Which is why we leave hoof prints or paw prints when we walk. Separating one part of our body from another doesn't change the effect either, which is why shed fur just looks like human hair to others. So in that sense, the Change operates under rules, rules that we can discover through scientific inquiry and also through deductive and historical science."

CM gestured to Carter and continued. "Secondly, the pattern in which the Change spreads, so far as we've been able to determine, is centred around Chicago and expanding in what appears at first blush to be a fractal. This is very incomplete because we've used a lot of conjecture to fill in the gaps of Changed we know based on our population model who aren't in the Network. But, in the last few months we've tested this model based on the newest Changed we've discovered. We've had to make a few tweaks, but with a little over seventy percent accuracy, the Changed originated where we predicted them too.

"And that leads to the third reason I state that the Change is an intelligent phenomenon. With as little data as we have, we've been able to construct models from which we can make predictions and have such confidence in them. Our model's predictive capability is slightly better than flipping a coin, and it's leagues better than any odds you'll get at a casino. And our estimates of exponential growth indicate the most likely base is an integer! Nature, undirected, doesn't typically operate with integers. That speaks strongly, from a philosphical perspective, of intelligent direction in the course of the Change."

Reynaldo waved his paws in the air and laughed. "It sounds to me like you might be making the ROB argument. That the Change is proof of the existence of the divine."

"ROB?" Rob asked with an amused twitch of his long tail.

"Random Omnipotent Being," Walter grunted. "It's a term being tossed about in the forums by those who believe the Change is of supernatural origin but are unwilling to ascribe it to a particular religion." From the tone of the bull's voice, CM could tell he didn't think too highly of the concept or those pandering it.

"Ah, I must have missed those threads," Rob said softly.

CM rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Apart from being an oxymoron, an omnipotent being cannot be random because random implies that there is more than one and an omnipotent being by the very quality of omnipotence is singular, I'm not actually proposing the ROB theory. I happen to be Catholic and believe very strongly in the existence of the divine as the source of ultimate creation. I can recite the creed if you want. What I'm saying is that I think the Change is intelligent in the sense that it is the consequence of intelligent action and design. It need not be an act of God per se because nature as I said does not usually rely on integral rates for anything. That typifies more the act of a limited intelligence and suggests to me that while I cannot tell you how it is being affected, the Change likely has its source in natural intelligence rather than supernatural."

Sandrick shook his head and started laughing. "You use a lot of big words and I confess I'm not following all of it. But are you saying this is the work of aliens?"

Carter let out a single bark in amusement, Rob covered his snout to stiffle his laugh, and Evan had to wrap his muzzle in the crook of an elbow to keep himself from breaking down. Even Reynaldo's tail and whiskers trembled in mirth. Only Walter was unmoved by the suggestion.

"I don't know," CM confessed. "I can't speak to the particular mechanism of the Change. Only that it seems to me to have as its origin a natural intelligence. Now, I also believe that, like all of nature, it is used by God to further His will, and that for some reason He wants me to be female for a time. I do not understand it but I accept it as best I can. But I also believe He gave us the capacity to understand the Change. The fact that we've been able to learn so much with such a small population sample tells us something that I don't think we should ignore."

Reynaldo waved one paw. "I'm satisfied with that answer. I'm a little unnerved by your suggestion, but since we don't know either how it works, I don't see how we can say no to it. I'd love to see you write your theory up and post it to the forums. It's certainly worth exploring some. But that's beside the point. I've lived with being a fox for a very long time. You say you can make some predictions. What are we looking at come this August?"

The she-bear felt a bit embarassed that she allowed her temptation to erudition to wander so freely in front of these important men. She did have a presentation to finish. Turning back to the projector, she circled the left column. "Here are the years, and here are the population projections by exponential base. If we are doubling, then we can expect an additional 32,896 Changed on August 17. With that many more, we anticipate an even higher percentage of the Changed population will find the Network, both for new Changed and those who have believed themselves to be alone."

"It might be time," Sandrick mused, "to consider changing our recruitment tactics." The badger stroked the fur under his snout with one claw. "Any Changed that watches C-SPAN will eventually see me and figure out they aren't alone. But that isn't going to be a lot. I've kept a low-profile since I Changed. Maybe I should seek more publicity?"

Walter shook his head ever so slightly. Still, the tips of his horns swept out large deadly arcs in the air. "The more publicity any of us seeks, the greater risk we expose the Changed community. Our numbers are too few at this time to risk exposure."

"We're going to be exposed at some point," Rob said. The skunk laconically shrugged his shoulders. "What difference does it make now or later?"

"The infrastructure for Changed is still in its infancy," Lundh said, jabbing his hoof-like hand into the air. "It needs more time and more Changed to mature. I'm looking at your numbers, and if you're right about the doubling, then we have a few years to go before I'm willing to even consider risking more publicity."

Sandrick lowered his paw and nodded. "You're right, Walter. There is a lot of work still to be done, and much of it will not be done here today." His dark eyes focussed on the bear and his voice took on a note of authority. This was a man who was used to people doing what he told them. "What more do you have to say in your presentation?"

CM folded her paws over her growing belly. "Mostly various projections and the data to back up our claims."

"No more bombs to be dropped?"

"No, sir. From here on out we explain the data behind the bombs we've dropped."

Sandrick grinned, exposing the many pearly, white spears the Change had given him. "Then let us hear the data."

CM nodded and looked to the raccoon. "Next slide please."

{{Separator|k}}

"And that's all I have," Rob said. The skunk shurgged his shoulders, long tail dancing behind him and occasionally getting in the way of the projector.

Phillip Sandrick stood and spread his paws on the table before him. His long claws tapped the wood with a pleasing rattle. "Thank you gentleman. Seeing as it is nearly noon, I suggest a short break. I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you before you depart, but as I'm starving, you'll forgive me if I make you wait a few minutes more. I won't be interfering with your travel plans will I?"

"No," Walter replied. "I've arranged for seats on later flights if necessary, but we still have a few hours yet before they're needed."

"Good." The badger patted his paws once on the desk and waltzed around to snag something to eat. "Let's take as least fifteen minutes to relax and enjoy some food."

Nobody else needed convincing. Evan bolted from his seat by the computer and was rifling his paws through the crackers and meats. Rob and Carter flanked him. Walter kept to the other side where the vegetables were. Only CM, who'd been snaking from the buffet table ever since finishing her presentation, didn't join in the rush for delectables. She caught the fox's eyes as he returned to his seat with a plate full of cold cuts.

A little nervously, CM asked, "Number Two, do you mind talking privately for a moment? There's some things I'd like to ask you."

Reynaldo's ears lifted and his jowls brimmed with good humour. "Of course not. Let's go back to Sandrick's reception room. That's probably pretty private today."

None of the other Changed objected and so the bear and fox stepped back into the reception room. Along the wall beneath the light of the windows was a row of large old-fashioned chairs. CM gingerly sat in one, and though the wood groaned, it held her weight. Reynaldo draped his tail over the decorative arm and sat cross-legged next to her.

"So, what's on your mind, CM? Curious to know what things were like in the beginning?"

"A little," CM admitted. "I know it must have been lonely. I was. I guess I just wanted to finally talk to somebody who's been this way longer than I have. You're the first I've ever met."

Reynaldo nibbled on a bit of shredded ham. "And judging by the numbers you've crunched, there aren't too many of us that have been Changed longer than you. Ninety-six, right? So I've been this way only eight years longer than you. The numbers become less important with time. Eight years. Ten years. Twenty years. After you've lived them, they all blend together."

"But still," CM said softly, her eyes straying hungrily to the fox's plate, "You have been Changed longer than I have. I know that I'm always going to be one of the oldest Changed, if not the oldest, in any gathering of Changed. Has it always been that way with you?"

Reynaldo yipped a lugh and shook his head. "Actually, no. The very first Changed I met was Number One. She's a musician, and I an actor. It turns out her band was booked for the same theatre that I was working in at the time between roles. This was back in late ninety-three. So for five years I thought I was the only one. Seeing Cass there," his golden eyes took on a faraway look and the slit pupils narrowed as a flash of sunlight poured through the windows, "was like falling in love for the first time all over again."

"The two of you are together?"

Reynaldo shook his head. "No, no. She married before the Change to her drummer, and they have three kids already. He's a good man and all three are good kids. Shortly after we met, she told him about the Change which he took in good stride. He hasn't Changed yet himself, but her youngest boy became a bright looking fox last August. Of course, he's seventeen now, but I still remember him when he was little trying to sing along with his Mom; he could hit the high notes just like she did!"

CM felt herself smiling and delighting in the little aside about the boy. It was the Momma Bear in her again, but she indulged it for now. "That's so sweet. So how long was it before you met the others in Chicago? It seems there's a lot of older Changed there."

"We met Red, Number Three I mean, a year later, and the rest of the early crowd by 2000. Nobody else from that time period has shown up in or near Chicago. Did you model predict there would be more there?"

"A few yes, but most are probably like me and appeared in isolation as new seeds. I've already had two people in my current hometown Change in the last year. I guess... how did you handle it?"

"Being alone? Probably the same way you did," Reynaldo admitted. He shoved the last of the ham on his tongue and swallowed it with only a few quick bites. "Once we started finding each other, we started having weekly meetings to help each other out. With five to seven of us it was easy. Once we had twenty, we had to move to monthly meetings, and then it was the mailing list. We had somebody hack the list in ninety-seven so that got shut down. Then, some tech savvy mouse put together the website and security measures and we've bene online ever since. When Walter joined us a few years back he got the money together to buy the current servers and to wrap up the domain names for any sites we might want to use in the future."

"And your role in the Network?"

"Spokesman, old fart, wily fox, something like that," Reynaldo laughed and held out the plate. "Here, you finish the rest before you start drooling on it."

CM took the plate in one paw and lowered her owls. "Oh, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. I've seen worse. A friend of mine got Changed into a St. Bernard. He carries handkerchiefs with him just so the humans don't notice. And heaven forbid he shake!"

CM laughed as she picked through the meats. "I've been a Rottweiler twice now, so I know what it's like being a dog and contending with drool."

"Now that's one thing I don't think I could have managed," Reynaldo said as he gestured at the bear. "Changign shape again and again. And gender too. I see you're married. Wife or husband?"

"Wife," CM said a little more quickly than she would have liked. "She's still human and doesn't know. We married while I was male. I'd hoped marriage would keep me male, but that hasn't happened."

"I'm sorry. You just didn't say anything about her, so I didn't know what to assume."

CM swallowed a bit of turkey and nodded. "Fair enough. It has not been easy on me. Before I met any other Changed, being female was just something I knew about myself. Now others are treating me like a woman and it's getting harder to supress."

"Who's been treating you like a woman?"

"None of you, but all Changed who see me before they find out do. There's one guy who knows but slips up frequently. I think he does it on purpose."

Reynaldo shook his head. "What an ass."

"Boar actually," CM replied with a laugh threatening at the back of her throat. "He's a good man, just aggravating at times."

Reynaldo blinked and ran one paw over his forehead. "Does it bother you when he does it? I know one gender Changed in the Chicago area that gets absolutely livid when she's treated like a woman."

"It depends," CM replied. "If I wasn't married or if I knew I'd be stuck as a female I might feel differently about it. But since I keep on Changing, until I stop I don't know what to do!"

Reynaldo nodded and scratched himself behind one ear. "I've seen some of those guides you've been writing up on the Network. Keep doing that. It's been very helpful to the others."

"Thank you, I will."

"And since," the fox smiled that impish smile which made his golden eyes gleam, "you Changed back in ninety-six, that makes you eligible for the First Ten club. I think we need a better name, but it's something Cass and I've been tossing back and forth since the Change started exploding like it has in the last few years."

The shebear picked the last bit of salami from the plate and downed it. "What is it?"

"Just something we've been talking about on the side. Just for us who Changed in the first ten years. There were never many of us, so we all have that alone story in common. With the way things are going, most Changed won't remember what it's like to be alone. Those of us who were will always feel a little out of place, even once the whole world Changes. We don't know what we're going to do, maybe meet once every few years like a reunion to gripe about all the youngins, but if you're interested I'll add you to the roster."

CM smiled and set the plate aside. "Thank you, Reynaldo. I really appreciate that. I would like to be part it. I don't know how much I can contribute."

"Just do what you're doing. Let old timers like Cass, Red, and I worry about this for now."

"Okay," CM agreed and leaned back a bit. The chair groaned under the bear's weight. "So are you in anything currently?"

Reynaldo's eyes looked skyward. "We're doing Lerner and Lowe's Camelot this Season. I'm playing Lancelot of all people. After that I just have minor roles. If you could get to Chicago I could get you tickets."

"Unless Walter wants to foot the bill, I'm not going anywhere!"

"I'll see if I can send you a video then," Reynaldo stood up and patted the bear on the shoulder. "Shall we go back in? Or was there something else."

CM shook her head and stood much to the chair's relief. "No. I didn't even know what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to talk to somebody who'd been this way longer than me for once."

Reynaldo's grin was true and his grip on the bear's shoulder was firm. "You're doing just fine, CM. And thank you for all you're doing for us. Just knowing what's happening is a great blessing."

"That it is," CM replied as they made thier way to Sandrick's office again.

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Model Building}}

Talk:Naturalization

2008-12-27T17:46:29Z

MatthiasRat:

Very cool looking story, look forward to the next bit.

--[[User:Devin|Devin]] 17:18, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:Thanks. I've got a general idea where I'm going, hopefully my inspiration will hold out until I get there. :) [[User:Bryan|Bryan]] 19:32, 8 February 2008 (EST)

I wanted to say that I'm really enjoying this tale and I hope that you share more of it with us soon. Does the title imply that Reynard will eventually adjust to being Ren in this new world? Will the Shadowcrawler's prove to be more intelligent than even Reynard suspects? How did the accident send him here and as a satyr woman in the first place? Lots of questions still to be answered! --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 22:43, 26 December 2008 (EST)

:Thanks. :) I have a lot more planned out in my head and I think most (though perhaps not all) of those questions will be answered, hopefully to satisfaction. There'll probably be one or two new questions raised along the way, too. It's churning along slowly but surely (been over a year now since I started), and I'll continue to post chunks as they are written. [[User:Bryan|Bryan]] 03:01, 27 December 2008 (EST)

::Well I do hope your next bit won't be quite so long in coming! You've got me hooked. :-) --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 12:46, 27 December 2008 (EST)

Talk:Naturalization

2008-12-27T03:43:48Z

MatthiasRat:

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-12-26T17:56:12Z

MatthiasRat: Finished off the first scene with Sandrick and co. There's more coming, but I think this will do it for the numbers.

{{Universe|[[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]]}}
{{WIP}}
{{my stories
|name=MatthiasRat
|category=MatthiasRat
}}

{{author note| This story is set in July 2003.}}

{{title
|name=Model Building
|author=MatthiasRat
|user=MatthiasRat}}

Rob the skunk carried the cardboard boxes from the hall into his room and set them down on the clean floor. It had been almost a year since he'd changed into an anthro-skunk and forced to keep his room clean, and still he flinched his toes to avoid stubbing them into discarded detrius that no longer lingered upon his carpet. His friend CM had shown him the necessity of maintaining house and over a week's time helped him turn his room from a pig sty into a place where a Changed could easily keep their true nature a secret.

And now he and his friends were leaving FoxRidge 1600J for good. Trevor, Brett, and Nick had found a house in downtown Christiansburg to rent, while he was moving with Audrey into the upscale apartments FoxRidge offered. A few weeks ago Audrey had accepted his marriage proposal and now his mind was abuzz with managing his and her families as they swarmed in battle over the wedding arrangements. It had to be in Vermont! No in New Jersey! It must be big! It must be small! It must be Protestant! It must be Catholic! On, and on, and on!

Here in Blacksburg, Virginia, he and Audrey could escape for a time and be together without the discomfort of feuding families. In one week's time he'd be out of the Furry apartment and would no longer need to hide. Apart from Patrick whom CM had told because he'd become too nosy, Audrey was the only other among them that knew the secret of the Changed. He hoped she didn't mind lots of potpouri or cleaning up skunk fur.

As the skunk set down the boxes his phone rang. He snatched it from his computer table and read the number. His eyes widened; he recognized that name. He cast a quick glance at the server humming away in one corner and then opened the phone.

"This is Rob. Hello?"

A deep, rumbling voice answered him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hallman. This is Walter Lundh. How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine, just getting ready to move next week. Already signed the lease and everything." He said that deliberately. The last time the longhorn bull called he'd had to cancel his plans on short notice. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm mailing you, CM, and Mr. Ryan round-trip tickets to Washington in two weeks."

"DC?" Rob asked, both surprised and relieved that he at least had two weeks before he needed to jump through the lawyer's hoops. "What for?"

"Congressman Sandrick requested an update on the status of your project prior to next month's Change. We want to know where to look and what to expect. You and your colleagues must ready a presentation for the Congressman. Will there be any trouble for you?"

Rob walked to his calendar and studied the dates. "I'm going to have to get off work. So will CM. They'll probably be pissed that they didn't have more advanced warning."

"I apologize for that," Walter replied brusquely. "I'm sure the Congressman can send you each a letter if necessary, though we'd all prefer to keep this low profile. Are there any other difficulties?"

The skunk shook his head. "No. It's good for me, but you'll want to check with CM. She might have plans. Will we see you in DC?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Dulles. All the arrangements for the hotel have been made. I will see you there. Good luck with your move. Don't damage anything."

The bull hung up and Rob set the phone down with a long sigh. A move and a presentation! Well, he'd better get started packing then.

{{Separator|k}}

CM carried the footboard into Rob's new bedroom and set it against the wall with the rest of the pieces of his bed. The skunk was rifling through his toolbox with Audrey at his side resting one hand on his shoulder. Rob's tail twitched to the far side as he turned to see the bear.

"Hey Audrey, can you go keep the others busy for a few minutes?" Rob asked.

"Changed stuff?" Audrey asked, and at the skunk's nod, she smiled and nodded. "Sure! Open the door when you're done." She hugged CM as she walked past, surprising the bear, and then closed the door behind her.

"Trevor and the others are busy packing their own things," CM pointed out. She rested her paw on the footboard and tilted it back and forth. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Rob held a wrench out and said, "Well, you can help me put my bed together!" CM laughed. "Seriously, we haven't had a chance to talk. You got Lundh's message last week, right?"

CM nodded. She'd been at work the first time the bull had called. Leslie had taken the message, but of course Lundh hadn't said anything to her other than his name; CM was amazed he'd given her that much! "I've got my part of the presentation prepared. I know you haven't had much chance to look it over or anything but what you've done looked good to me."

"Not much else I could do," Rob grunted as he straightened and looked around the room. "Here, against this wall. The headboard should go here. Do you need a paw?"

CM nodded. "It's a little awkward, yes." Together, they carried the arched headboard to where Rob wanted it and then leaned it against the wall. "Do you need some help with your presentation?"

The skunk frowned as he returned for one of the side pieces. "I shouldn't. It's not like I did anything anyway."

"You kept the server going," CM replied with a smile. She could tell the skunk was bothered by something but she couldn't tell what. "Carter and I couldn't do anything without that!"

"But are we really ready to tell these guys anything?" Rob asked. "Bring the footboard; we'll get these pieces together."

CM pondered the question for a moment as she retrieved the footboard. Rob had both side pieces laid out in front of the headboard and was checking the various bolts to make sure he had the right ones. She ran her tongue along the back of her short fangs and grunted. "We have enough to give them a good estimate. We've ruled out pretty much everything except exponential growth. That's scary in itself."

"And there should be a heck of a lot more of us than there are, right?"

CM set the footboard down and held it steady with one paw. She was careful not to nick the wood with her claws. "Yes, but Carter would know more about where they should be than I do.. It'll be good to see him again at least."

"He won't have his jeep with him this time. Did you get stuck in coach too?"

CM nodded and Rob rolled his eyes as he lifted the first side piece and put the bolt through the hole. CM held the other end up with her free paw. She laughed and rumbled. "His note did say that he reserved the two seats next to mine too. Paid extra for that. I'm going to need it." She patted her tummy which was already building up girth for winter hibernation. Of course, if the August Change played its usual tricks, she wouldn't be a bear for much longer.

As long as she became male again she wouldn't mind staying a bear forever. But that wasn't up to her.

"Well, that's something at least. I hope you didn't have any plans for next weekend."

CM grunted. "Jan and Dennis were planning to come down to visit."

Rob's tail darted to one side and he glanced back at the bear in surprise. "The boar and the hedgehog? Wouldn't that be like their third time this year?"

"Jan's fourth, Dennis's third. He couldn't make it last time." CM grinned and shrugged. "Jan's determined to make a biker out of me. He's probably going to succeed at some point too. Just don't have the money for it now."

"And Leslie would kill you," Rob added.

CM's grin didn't fade even though she nodded. "Yeah, probably. They're working on that too."

"So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd be in DC anyway, and if time allowed, I'd meet them there. Probably going to have to be in the evening though. Looks like Lundh wants us there to present and get out as quick as possible."

"Probably to keep from too many questions being asked," Rob said. He stood up, brushed his pants off, and walked over to where CM crouched against the footboard. "Okay, the first one's in. Scoot back and I'll get this bolt in too."

{{Separator|k}}

Roanoke Airport was a small regional airport with a single concourse. There were direct flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Richmond, and of course DC. Their plane left at 2:20, so Rob picked CM up at her apartment a little before noon. They each had packed an overnight bag, though in CM's case it looked like one that would barely fit in the overhead compartment. Rob resisted the temptation to ask the she-bear if she'd packed the kitchen sink.

Traffic was light that Friday as they drove up I-81 to Roanoke. The airport itself was reasonably busy with families heading out for the weekend to visit relatives as well as several others heading out of town on business. The pair checked in, saw that their flight was on time — which surprised the skunk who'd never seen a plane leave on time — and headed for the security.

Both of them felt a little anxious passing through the security station, especially with the post-9/11 heightened security measures. But neither of them were singled out for extra scrutiny and they passed by unmolested.

While Rob went to their terminal, CM stopped at one of the terminal-side restaurants and ordered the largest fish item they had on the menu. That and an appetizer of fried cheese sticks. It did sate her hibernation hunger for the time, but she knew she'd be hungry again in a few hours. At least the flight wouldn't be long. She hoped that Walter would be understanding about how much she'd probably order from room service!

When CM went to their terminal she found the skunk reviewing his portion of the presentation. He'd been able to finish only the day before and only because Audrey let him shirk his duties to setting up their new apartment. He'd have a lot of catch up to do when they got back, but CM had volunteered to come over a day or two and pitch in to make up for it.

CM settled her bulk on one of the benches and grimaced as the arms pinched her paunch. "Ugh. They need bigger seats."

Rob glanced up and chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-eighty," CM replied. "I'll hit three hundred again by the Change."

The skunk nodded. "The way you eat, yah. What are you going to become?"

"A rat I expect," she replied. She briefly touched one breast with a claw and grunted, "And hopefully male again. Do you hope to change again?"

Rob shook his head. "Skunk wasn't my first choice, believe me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm happy this way, so why Change again?"

"But if you did, what would you prefer?"

The skunk put his papers down in his lap and leaned back into his tail which curled over the end of the seat. "Something feline I think. Jaguar. Definitely a jaguar. Oh, and male too."

CM chuckled. "Well, odds are you won't change again. How goes the presentation?"

"Slow," Rob grunted and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be reading over this on the plane. I finished the slides at like 3 AM last night."

"Well, if you practice, don't practice too loudly," CM said as her eyes followed a family coming up the causeway and settling in next row of seats. "We won't be alone."

Rob glanced at them and nodded. "Right." He lowered his snout to the pages and though he moved his lips, not even the bear could hear anything he said. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and resigned herself to waiting another hour for their flight to depart.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that their plane was a prop, CM managed to relax and sort of enjoy the flight. Perhaps because bears were natural swimmers, she had no trouble adjusting to the pressure change as the plane gained altitude. And with nobody sitting in the seats next to her, she was able to stretch out her bulk across all three. The seat belt was almost as loose as it could go, but it neither pinched her gut nor did the seat pinch her tail. For all of that she was grateful.

Rob faced a different situation. His length tail made getting comfortable extremely difficult. It wasn't like his car where he could sit forward and lean forward when necessary. In the purgatory of coach, there was no room to lean forward and if he sat forward his knees pressed into the tray table. So he ended up pulling his tail between his legs and doing his best not to get it tangled in the seat belt. The older woman sitting next to him watched him with a vague sense of unease, but of course she couldn't tell what was really going on.

To the skunk's immense relief, the flight lasted less than an hour and soon they were settled back on the ground. He lashed his tail back and forth and hissed as they walked up the boarding passage to the gate. "Ugh! I'm never flying coach again!"

"Yeah," CM said as she hefted her carry-on over her shoulder. "It's a little cramped. If Walter hadn't kept the seats next to mine empty, I think I would have eaten somebody. Just kidding."

"That lady was giving me the creeps!" Rob shook his head and checked behind him to make sure she wasn't nearby. "I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die on me."

The bear chuckled and pointed down the concourse. "Well, we're here now. I think we want to go that way to get to the main terminal."

Rob glanced at the signs and nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. Shouldn't be hard to find Walter."

"There is that at least," CM agreed.

The two of them moved through the throng of people waiting for their flight or rushing to catch a connecting flight. Rob held his tail close to his back and twitched anytime anybody brushed too close. CM ambled along at a decent pace over the worn carpeting. It was so old that the long claws on her toes clicked against the concrete beneath every few steps.

Dulles International Airport was immense compared to what they'd left in Roanoke. Vendors and restaurants greeted them the entire way through the concourse, as well as people going every which way. Many were dressed for business, but just as many were dressed as if they were going to Florida, Mexico, or California. A good number were either calling somebody on cell phones or were getting called. And despite the huge throng, not a one of them was Changed like them.

It took almost ten minutes to get from their gate to the security plaza. Once through, they headed into the wide open-air centre lined with airline registration desks and even more shops selling touristry gewgaws. Skunk and bear scanned the crowds in every direction, and found what they sought almost immediately.

"There he is," CM said as soon as she spotted the huge horns sticking out of either side of his black-and-white speckled bovine brow. Rob saw it too and the pair of them made their way through the crowds towards the huge computer display listing arrivals. Walter was dressed in business attire and carried a briefcase in one hoof-like hand. Small, glassy eyes greeted them as they approached. "Mr. Hallman, CM, I see you made it without incident."

Rob held out one hand and the two shook. "And good to see you too, Walter."

"Likewise," CM said before shaking the bull's hand. His grip was heavy and felt odd with those two pointed hoof-like nails. "Where's Carter?"

"His flight is just now arriving. He'll be with us shortly." Walter grunted and glanced between the two. "I hope you brought more professional attire for tomorrow's meeting."

"Yes," Rob said. "I only have the one set of suit pants with a hole for my tail."

"I only have one good suit that fits me at this size," CM admitted.

"That will suffice. If we have too many more meetings, I will see to it that you each have more. My discretionary funds are limited, but they would be ample enough for that if there was a need."

"Discretionary funds?" Rob asked, not sure he could believe what he was hearing. "Just how long have you been a lawyer?"

Walter lightly stomped one hoof. "This is a business meeting, Mr. Hallman. It pays to be professional. As to my years of experience, I will have been with my firm for thirty years as of October 04."

"That long?" CM asked in surprise. "You don't look that old."

"It's the Change," Walter replied with a faint degree of aplomb. "It is much harder to tell people's ages this way. In time we'll adapt and learn to read the clues. Are you ready to present tomorrow?"

"Yes," Rob replied. He patted his suitcase. "Power Point okay?"

"Preferred."

"So the meeting's tomorrow." CM shifted her carry-on from one shoulder to the other. "Are there any plans for tonight?"

Walter set his briefcase down and pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. He pulled a pair of small cards from this and handed them one to each. "Once Carter joins us we will ride to our hotel. I am attending to transportation. I have a business dinner to attend this evening with several lobbyists. I would have preferred dining with you myself but that will not be possible. I'm afraid you are on your own for dinner. I do ask that you avoid alcohol. Our meeting with the Congressman should remain out of the news, but it might not if any of you shows up hung over."

Rob grimaced then nodded as he studied the card. An itinerary was listed on the one side while the other was blank. "Yeah, I learned my lesson about alcohol. You don't have to worry about that."

"I won't touch anything either." CM pocketed her card and then waved over their heads. They all turned and saw a black wolf shouldering his way through the crowd clustered beneath the departures board. He grinned, tail wagging back and forth as he approached. "Hey Carter!" the bear called as soon as he was close enough. CM gave him a hug around one arm. "Good to see you again!"

"And you too, CM!" He then hugged the skunk, "And you too, Rob! Been way too long." With the bull he shook hands. "And it's good to see you too, Walter. What did you think of those numbers we sent?"

"I'm not a statistician, Mr. Ryan," Walter said rather gruffly. "I'm looking forward to your presentation tomorrow. Hopefully then I will better understand the numbers."

Carter's tail fell, but still he nodded and managed to smile. "So, what are we doing now?"

"Do any of you have any other luggage?" But they each had everything, and so Walter said, "Then follow me." Walter turned down the concourse toward the parking lots and shuttle buses. Once four sets of furry paws and hooves clattered along the faux marble floor, Walter continued, "We're going to our hotel. You will be on your own for dinner. I recommend you order room service so I can charge it to my business account. If you want to go out to eat you may do so, but you will have to pay for it." He handed Carter a third card. "That's the schedule for tomorrow. Bring it with you to the meeting. We'll be disposing of them afterward."

Carter grinned and pocketed the card. "Wow. I feel all cloak and dagger."

Walter grunted and swung his head to the side. The horns whipped over the wolf's head. "This is not a game, Mr. Ryan. This is professional. Please remember that."

The wolf nodded, "Of course. I know how to be professional." CM and Rob glanced at each other and stifled their mirth.

{{Separator|k}}

Transportation proved to be a non-descript blue minivan with Virginia plates. Walter indicated that they should all ride in the back, and once he opened the driver-side door they could all see why. There was only one seat in the front with the steering column only slightly off center. The bull didn't wait for them to ask before explaining, "I cannot drive a normal car with my horns. I'd have to keep the window rolled down and that is not always a convenient option."

"How'd you get this done? I've never seen a car like this before!" Carter exclaimed while Rob and CM climbed into the back. It was all bench seating which in general was easier for the often oddly shaped Changed.

"I contracted the conversion work to a Changed auto mechanic for vehicles in every area I'm likely to be. The work will prove pivotal in the future as more and more Changed need such modifications. You three are fortunate that you have not needed any such modifications. Other less economically stable than myself have had to make do with very unsafe workarounds." Walter set his briefcase next to his seat and then climbed into the car, turning his head as he did to slide the long horns smoothly inside. His chair had a little hole along the left side to allow his tail to comfortably slide into place as well.

Rob pulled the seat belt over his shoulders and grimaced as his tail bunched uncomfortably behind him. "How do you explain this to still human clients?"

Walter shut his door and grunted. "I don't. All non Changed clients ride with me in a limousine if we ever need to travel together. Since this meeting is to be as low-profile as possible, we take the minivan. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Not at all," CM replied as she settled into place. "What do other drivers think when they see you in the middle?"

"I do get a few queer stares," Walter admitted wearily. "But nothing more than that." After Carter had buckled up, the long-horn bull started the van and carefully eased out of the short-term parking lot. An Easy-Pass system officiated his parking bill and they soon merged onto the highway.

The bright Summer afternoon greeted them as they drove through the crowded highways of Northern Virginia. Though a Saturday, the highways were still jammed with cars going in either direction. CM was reminded why she never wanted to move back to the area with each passing minute. They would have talked, but as soon as they reached the highway, Walter brought up a TV feed of C-SPAN on a dashboard LCD. Some congressman droned about a bill to increase spending on some pet project, but the language and details were so esoteric, CM couldn't make heads or tails of what the pet project actually was. Carter and Rob looked no better off.

They were on the road for no more than twenty minutes before Walter turned off the highway and led them to a nice but unremarkable Holiday Inn. He drove up to front and pulled to a stop in front of the portico. "Your rooms are reserved under my name. Don't use the phones unless it's an emergency. And remember no alcohol tonight. I'll be by at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to take us into DC. Make sure that you're ready to leave by then."

Rob was the first to climb out of the van. "See you at seven then!" The skunk hefted his bag over his shoulder and waited by the curb for the bear and wolf to climb out. CM grunted in irritation at Carter who held the door for her, but the wolf just wagged his tail.

After Carter shut the door, Walter nodded to them and drove off around the back-side of the hotel. CM drummed her claws over her suitcase and sighed. "I guess we should get our rooms and get this stuff put away."

"What then?" Carter asked.

"Dinner I suppose. It's already past five," Rob replied.

A slight grin played at the edge of CM's broad muzzle. "I could call Jan and Dennis. They live in this area. We could get together with them."

"Walter said no phone calls," Carter pointed out.

"I've got a cell phone," CM replied. "I'm sure Walter only meant for us not to use the hotel's phones because those calls will show up on the bill."

"I'm up to it," Rob replied. His long tail danced behind his head and a smile crawled up his cheeks. "They probably know some good places to eat around here. I'm really not up for whatever room service this place has to offer."

Carter gazed at the hotel and began to nod. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Who are Jan and Dennis?"

"A couple Changed we know," CM replied. "Good folks about our age too." CM dug into her suitcase and took her rather large cellphone from its pocket. "So if there's no objection?"

"Not from me," Carter said with a tail wag. "I'm always happy to meet more Changed!"

CM tapped the number with the tips of her claws then set the headset to her left ear and wiated while it rang. Three rings and a familiar grunting voice replied with far too much aplomb, "Hello there, sweet lady!"

The bear's eyes narrowed and her lips drew back revealing a few fangs, an effect completely lost on the boar for whom it was meant. "Jan," she said in a warning tone, "how many times have I told you not to answer my number like that?"

"Ya, I'll remember one day," he continued in his usual affable manner. The boar was charming in an irritating sort of way. "How are you, CM? I wasn't expecting to hear from you this weekend."

"I'm well. Up your way actually. Rob and I both, with another Changed. Wondering if you and Dennis were free for dinner."

"Dennis should be back soon," the boar replied in a more even tone of voice. "We were going to ride, but we'd rather be with friends if friends are around! Where are you at? We can come pick you up."

An image of three Changed all stacked on the back of Jan's bike clutching each other for dear life flashed through CM's mind. She chuckled and then told the boar the hotel's address. The boar wrote it down and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "Probably be an hour before we get there. I know a few good restaraunts out that way. See you in a bit!"

CM hung up the phone and shook her head. "About an hour, Jan said."

"An hour?" Rob replied. "Good. Maybe I can get some of these knots out of my tail by then!" The wolf and bear laughed. Together, the three went into the hotel lobby to pick up their room keys.

{{Separator|k}}

The trio of Changed took advantage of their hour to settle into the rooms and relax. Walter had reserved adjacent rooms with connecting privacy doors each with a TV and single Queen size bed. Rob's room was in the middle which suited CM just fine. She left her privacy door shut while Rob and Carter talked. CM could hear the skunk chuff angrily as he brushed out the snags in his tail like promised.

The she-bear laid out on the bed and breathed heavily, paws resting on her already growing belly. The long plane flight and the ride here had all been without food, something her body craved ravenously. She contemplated ordering some room service while they waited for Jan and Dennis. They would undoubtedly have to wait at whatever restaraunt they stopped at. But she knew that it would probably take just as long for the room service to arrive. She was better off just raiding a vending machine. She'd seen one in the hall on the way to their third floor rooms.

But first she had to decide what to wear. It was easily fifteen degrees warmer here in Northern Virginia than it had been down in Blacksburg. And it was ten times as humid! The first thing she'd done after coming into the room was crank the AC to the max. She was comfortable now, but would she be once they left with Jan and Dennis?

There wasn't anyway around it. She was going to have to dress lightly. That meant no bra and there was a good chance she'd be showing some cleavage. The thought didn't appeal to the male portion of her brain which always lurked in the background when she was in female mode. She thought about briefly making herself think as a guy again, but there didn't seem much point. CM was female for the duration of this trip. But she was a female off limits. The others knew that, even if Jan liked to tease her from time to time. She'd have to trust the boar to behave himself.

"Easier said than done," she muttered ruefully.

Nevertheless, CM pushed herself off the bed and stripped her clothes off. Once naked apart from the panties she glanced a look at her massive ursine shape in the mirror. An unconscious twitch in her jowls brought a beastly smile to her face. CM turned away and grunted at herself, turning all her efforts to digging into her suitcase for something light to wear. She didn't have to worry about revealing too much because she would never buy such clothes, but still, she'd be around other Changed all evening long and all of them guys. It couldn't help but make her predominant female side anxious.

She selected a V-neck blue T-shirt and jeans that fit her comfortably but not too tight even with her expanding waistline. CM took a moment to examine herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure not too much was showing. Jan would undoubtedly stare until she smacked his snout with the back of her paw, but it was at least modest. There may be no bra, but everything that was visible, and that but a crescent lune, was covered in thick brown fur anyhow.

Once satisfied, CM raided the vending machine and then joined Rob and Carter in the middle room. She carried with her a dozen items with an even mix between chips, candy bars, and fruit-based snakcs. Rob sat on the bed combing his tail which stretched out beside him. Carter reclined in the chair by the window with his tail sticking out the front and long gangly legs propped on the little side table. His lupine paws massaged the air as if he were still walking and pressing into the ground.

"Hey, CM, woah! Nice shirt!" Carter grinned and then lowered his ears in a canine blush. "Sorry about that. Just didn't expect you to... you know."

"It's too hot here for anything else," CM replied. She unceremoniously sat down on the floor and proceeded to tear into her packages. Rob glanced once, nodded having seen it all and more before, and then returned to working knots out of his tail.

"A little hungry?"

"A little," CM replied after scarfing the first candy bar in one bite. It was some chocolate thing; she hadn't really cared. She wasn't going to taste any of them for more than a second anyway. "Stare at my chest again and I might eat you."

Carter laughed and quickly returned to talking about the vagaries of polling data and the crazy stuff his company did when there wasn't an election season going on. Rob interjected frequently with little tidbits about stupid users who shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of a computer. CM listened as she devoured her light snack. Oh Jan and Dennis had better get there soon and get her some real food!

{{Separator|k}}

About an hour later as promised, CM's cellphone rang. The she-bear had long since finished her snacks and was leaning against the wall, legs splayed in front of her, the girth of her belly weighing down into her lap. Carter and Rob stopped talking while CM fished the cellphone off the floor and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, CM!" Jan's voice called back with a grunt of delight. "We're parked outside your hotel right now."

"We're on our way down." She hung up the phone and heaved herself to her broad feet. The claws dug into the carpet, but didn't catch.

"Just a second," Carter said as he leapt to his paws. "I think I took my shoes off. Can't remember." He bent down and fiddled at his paws, and before their eyes a shoe materialized. "Oh, guess I didn't. Nevermind." The wolf slipped the sneaker back over his four-toed paw and it disappeared again. Rob twitched a little as he watched, his long tail tip flicking back and forth in surprise, but after nearly seven years, CM was used to what the Changed now called the 'Shoe-Field'.

They grabbed wallet, locked their rooms, and headed back into the later afternoon heat. They didn't see any other hotel guests, but they did pass one of the cleaning ladies who gave them a brief stare, thne snapped her head back up in surprise. All three tightened but the lady turned away again shaking her head and muttering something to herself.

"Okay, what was that?" Rob asked once they were in the stairwell.

"I don't know," CM admitted. "It's like she saw something that wasn't there."

"Saw us perhaps?" Carter suggested.

"That's never happened before," the she-bear growled under her breath. The stairwell resounded with the heavy tred of their paws. "And even if she did, it was only out of the corner of her eye."

"I'll mention it on the Network when we get back. See if anybody else has seen something like that." Rob kept one hand on the guiderail as he made his way down. His snout lifted thoughtfully. "Maybe she's been taking some drugs that messed with her head. We don't know anything for sure. I'm not going to leap to conclusions."

"Good point," Carter nodded and wagged his tail. "Still, it'd be pretty cool if others could see us as we are."

"No it wouldn't," CM muttered, feeling the weight of her breasts with each bouncing step.

None of them said anything more until they were on the bottom floor and walking out the lobby. All three of them began to pant a little as they stared into the afternoon sun. To their left, two familiar voices began shouting.

"Over here!"

Turning out of the sun, they beheld a pair of Changed standing in front of an old blue van. The larger of the two was a bristly boar dressed in white tank-top and shorts. His wispy tail flapped on either side of hearty legs ending in hooves with cloves as big as a man's fist. Beside him was a hedgehog dressed in much the same attire but far shorter and plumper. Long spines poked along his upper arms, out from the back of his shirt, and over the top of the back.

"Jan, Dennis!" CM cried as she picked up her pace. Carter and Rob were at her heels as the five Changed all gathered in the lee of the van. CM patted them both on their arms, being careful not to touch Dennis's spines, and rumbled like a pleased bear. "Good to see you both again."

Jan's little eyes glanced up and down CM's attire and his snout broke into a mirthful grin. "Always good to see more of each other."

Dennis rolled his eyes, Rob chuckled under his breath, Carter guffawed, and CM did her best to ignore the remark. "Jan, Dennis, this is Carter Ryan," CM indicated the black-furred wolf who had managed to regain his composure. "Carter, this is Jan Krazinski, and Dennis Meale, friends of ours who live up this way."

Jan extended his two-fingered hand and grinned. "Pleased to meet you, Carter. Are you from Blacksburg, too?"

"Buffalo," Ryan replied as they shook hands. "Down here on business."

Dennis shook his hand next. The hedgehog's pudgy face wrinkled a little. "Changed business I suppose?"

"Yeah, with Walt--- ooof!" Carter's reply was cut short when Rob elbowed him in the side.

"Sorry guys, we're not supposed to talk about it," the skunk cut in.

CM patted her belly. "So where are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Jan's snout wrinkled into a grin. "There's a great place few miles down the road. They know how to serve food." The way Jan said the word 'food' implied that he didn't think most restaraunts knew what it was. "Trust me, you won't be hungry for long!" They all voiced their approval and followed Jan around the back of the van to the passenger-side sliding door while Dennis climbed into the driver's seat. Jan jumped into the passenger seat and stuck his head and right arm out, pumping his oddly-shaped fist up and down, "Here come the Changed! Watch out food!"

Carter leaned over and whispered into Rob's ear, "He isn't insane is he?"

The skunk laughed.

{{Separator|k}}

Despite the fact that Dennis was a generally quiet hedgehog, he drove with an intensity that surprised Rob. The skunk well remembered CM's warnings the first time they drove out to the Cascade Trail to take their hike and bath. Without doctors who could see thme as they really were they needed to avoid accidents with ruthless discipline. Yet here the hedgehog flew down the main roads passing cars on both the left and the right and taking turns fast enough that Rob's tail fell toward the outside of the turn each time. He didn't even seem worried that a cop might pull them over!

CM noticed it too, because she kept interupting Jan and Carter to yell at the hedgehog. Dennis would not, slow down for a few minutes, and then slowly build up speed again.

They left the highway after a few minutes and followed a two-lane road through rolling green hills filled with horse farms. The road dipped and wove, not nearly as badly as the roads around Blacksburg, but bad enough that the skunk was beginning to smypathize with the bear whose long claws nearly tore chucnks out of her seat. After turning onto an even smaller road, Rob finally decided to add his voice. "Hey, Dennis, can you slow it down? I think I'm going to be sick back here."

"Seriously?" the hedgehog asked. "Fine I'll slow down." And slow down he did. The van no longer lurched about as if it were going to flip over.

"I'm amazed you haven't gotten yourselves killed driving like that!" CM scolded in her Momma Bear voice.

Jan grinned as he leaned to one side in his seat to talk with them. "Ya, I thought the same too. But Dennis drove... what cars were those again?"

"Stock cars," the hedgehog replied. "Only stopped because I can't do it anymore with these spines." He turned back onto a larger road and merged in with the traffic. Apartment buildings and shopping centres loomed in either direction. "Parents said I was going to get killed too. Haven't been in an accident yet."

"Let's not tempt fate," Rob said, eyeing CM. The she bear looked back at him with a 'thank you' in her dark brown eyes. "So do you race bikes too?"

"Not so much," Dennis replied. "You aren't as stable on a bike, so the risk of injury's greater. Bikes are for relaxing. Cars are for racing."

Jan snorted and grinned. "Bikes are for riding and conquering the road."

"You a Jack Kerouac fan?" Carter asked.

The boar blinked in confusion but the smile remained. "If he liked bikes then ya!"

The wolf's tail tried to wag where it was pinned between his back and the seat. "He pracitically invented the romanticism of the road, so yeah, you'd be a fan."

They followed this road past the first set of shopping centers, through a lightly forested area, and then past another set of horse farms. As they neared another highway, Dennis turned the van off at a restaraunt and store which clearly catered to truckers. All the gas pumps came equiped with extra large canopies and most of them were diesel. The parking spaces were long enough for trailers, and a bright neon sign reading 'Open 24 Hours' flashed in red, white, and blue.

"A truck stop?" CM asked incredulously as Dennis parked the van.

Jan nodded and emitted a very pig-like squeal from the back of his throat as he climbed out of the van. "Best food in the area. Run by a Polish couple so they have real food. Oh, they serve American food too for everybody else!"

"Showing a little national pride there are we?" Rob chided as he jumped to the asphalt. It felt hot and grimy beneath his paw pads, but the thrill of working out the kinks in his tail more than made up for the discomfort.

But Jan was already on his way, hooves clopping the asphalt with Dennis and CM right behind him. Carter slammed the sliding door and shrugged his shoulders. "Never eaten at a truck stop before. These guys seem pretty cool though. CM likes them."

Rob's eyes narorwed thoughtfully, but he did not share any of those thoughts evne with himself. Together, the five of them crossed the parking lot where already sat several trucks, some of them with engines still running, to the front door of the old-fashioned but moderately clean restaraunt.

The interior looked like any trcuk stop seen in the movies, long chrome-plated bar along the back behind which pots of coffee brewed and waitresses liesurely made their way back and forth. Stools ranged across the bar and booths along the front windows. Curtains in a red, white and blue checkerboard pattern gave the place an air of Americana, though with the addition of the red and white Polish flag hanging from the backwall beside the clock and menu, it seemed as if the couple were trying a little too hard to fit in.

The scent of oil and grease still pervaded the air, but overwhelming it was the delicious aroma of cooked meats, potatoes, eggs, fries, and other things they couldn't name but knew they'd love to eat in addition to the faint crispness of fresh vegetables and fruits. A few truckers sat at the bar and with a pair of them arose the pungent aroma of cigarettes. They talked quietly to themselves or ate their food. Talk radio blathered from somewhere behind the double swinging doors to the kitchen. A bell on the door tinkled at their entrance.

Everyone turned their heads to look at them then returned to their food. Jan made a big show of inhaling with his porcine snout, and then drummed his hands on his pants. CM bumped him from behind as Rob and Carter slipped inside. The boar took a step forward, hooves clattering on the linolieum.

From a door behind the bar an elderly lady with pronounced nose and peppered grey hair held back in a bun emerged. She was dressed in a white apron with red blouse on underneath. Her face lit up when she saw Jan and Dennis. They widened when she took in Rob and the others. "Oh, you brought friends this time! Do they like to ride too?"

Jan grinned, "Not yet," he then clasped the bruin on the shoulder, "but this one sh... he likes to ride too. Just no bike yet!"

CM twitched at the near slip but kept a smile on her muzzle.

"Well, just place your order right here, and then find any seat you want." The woman spoke with a stronger Polish accent than Jan did but Rob didn't have any trouble following her. She looked at the boar and hedgehog. "Will you want your usual?"

"Ya," Jan replied. "Been looking forward to it!"

"I will too," Dennis said with a half laugh.

The menu hung on the wall next to the Polish flag. Rob studied it for a while, noting that most of the items were as promised typical American cuisine that one could find at any mid-end restaurant. Then there was the list of pierogies, haluskis, and other Polish items that fleshed out the remainder of the menu. The skunk decided to take a chance and ordered one of the pierogies. Carter selected a half-pound cheeseburger. CM was typical CM.

"How big are your portions?" the bear asked, her claws gently tapping the top of her belly.

The woman smiled sweetly and replied, "We have full portions for dinner menu, but smaller lunch portions if you are trying to lose weight."

All five Changed chuckled to one degree or another. "Oh no," CM replied, a little embarrassment slipping into her voice. "No, that's not it. I'm just very, very hungry right now. Hmmm, let's try two of your fried fish dinners, the chicken strips dinner, a side of onion rings and one of applesauce. Oh, what fresh fruit do you have?"

CM caught the attention of nearly everybody in the restaurant with that order. The lady glanced at Jan as if making sure this was okay. The boar nodded and so she wrote it down. "Okay, sir, we will have that ready in a few minutes. Just find a seat anywhere, ya."

Jan guffawed as he picked a booth at the end of the restaraunt that had wraparound seating. Dennis sat on one end, so Carter and Rob slid in the other side. Jan gestured for CM to follow, but she replied, "I'd rather sit on the end if you don't mind. You know."

The boar nodded and managed not to make the sexist comment everyone expected him to. Still, Rob couldn't help but note that Jan had managed to sit right next to the bear. The boar looked very pleased with himself. He leaned back and polished one tusk with a thick hoof-like finger. "See, I told you this place was good."

"We haven't eaten yet, Jan!" Carter said as he shifted in his seat to get his tail comfortable. Rob had managed to pull his tail between his legs. Somewhat uncomfortable, but he was used to it by now.

"Ah, but this place is good and private," Dennis said in a hushed voice. "We've come here before to meet with other Changed. Those truckers will be gone in ten to fifteen minutes, and even if they do listen to us, they won't have a clue what we're saying."

CM frowned, rested her hearty forearms on the table edge, then finally nodded. "Good enough. So, we know you've found more Changed up here. How is the NoVa community coming?"

"There's about seven of us now," Dennis replied in a whisper. "And that's including Sandrick who doesn't come to our meetings. I've heard through the grapevine that there are a few more working in DC but for security reasons can't reveal themselves."

"Only seven?" Rob asked, eyes narrowing. "As big as this area is?"

"That's the problem, ya," Jan said laconically. "Lots of people, but too big for us to see. We find more after August."

"That's something," CM murmured as she shifted about in her seat, "we're going to have to talk about. August is almost on us. In another month we're going to have a lot more Changed."

"You want us to come down to Blacksburg with the other Changed in VA to meet sometime in the next month?" Dennis asked

"Change day falls on a Sunday this year," the bear replied, counting off the dates on her claws. "Rob and I were thinking of booking a restaurant the weekend before and inviting everyone down who could make it. Drive in and out the same day if ya'll had to."

The boar grinned to the bear on his right. He turned a bit in his seat and said, "Dennis and I can stay in a hotel so we can give you more practice riding!"

CM lowered her eyes at that, and tightened her paws into makeshift fists. "That's up to you. Not everyone can afford it."

"So," Dennis asked, looking over at Carter and Rob, "How many more Changed can we expect?"

Before the skunk could stop him, Carter blurted, "At least twice as many. And that's just in new Changed." The skunk wanted to say something, but shook his head and let the wolf blather on. "There's all the Changed that don't know about the Network out there now. With more Changed period, we're probably going to see the Network population go up to at least ten thousand in a year. At least that's what our models say."

"Ten thousand!" Dennis gasped. "It's hard to believe that there are so many."

"Ya!" Jan agreed, though his sanguine amusement kept the shock from his voice. "But at least we'll still be the old timers in at the very beginning!"

"There is that," Rob conceded. "Although those few at the very beginning would still say were all a bunch of newbies."

The boar waved one hoof-like hand. "In another five years we'll be the old timers. You have to think long term."

"Well," CM grumbled, her eyes staring at a well-laden waitress, "my thoughts are particularly short term right now."

Jan erupted with a squealing laugh at that.

{{Separator|k}}

Dinner proved delicious but not exquisite. CM enjoyed her fish, chicken, and sides, and also enjoyed the fact that her bill wasn't too exorbitant. Jan took care of the tip for everyone and the five of them went back to the van after saying goodbye to their server. Jan and she talked briefly about Jan's mother and how she was doing but the boar quickly followed them out.

"What's wrong with your mother?" CM asked her friend after he clopped across the asphalt.

Jan frowned, an expression that wrinkled his snout in an unfamiliar way. "It's cancer. Had it off and on for the last four years. Mom's doing okay for now, but we have to keep close watch on her. I visit them on Sundays." A faint smile crept back into his countenance. "If things turn for the worse, I'll tell her just what her son is."

"A pig?" Dennis asked without the slightest trace of humor.

"A boar," Jan replied with pride. "Far better than a pig."

"I'll keep her in my prayers," CM offered and the boar's smile widened.

"I have said many novenas for her, but thank you!" To the bear's surprise, Jan gave her a sudden hug and then a slap on the back. "That's what friends are for, ya!" He jumped into the passenger seat and his good humor appeared to fully return. "So can we take you anywhere else? Still plenty of daylight left."

It was past seven already, but they had at least another hour of sunlight left before twilight would bring its darkening touch. Carter yawned and climbed into the van, "We should probably get back. We've got an early day tomorrow."

CM noted out of the corner of her eye the skunk glancing between her and the boar. "Carter's right," Rob said. "We should be getting back to the hotel. It's been a long and tiring day."

"We could drop you two off," Jan suggested mildly as Dennis climbed in beside him. The hedgehog's spines thrummed as he settled into the driver's seat. The seats were cloth and looked recently upholstered but still had a few holes where the hedgehog's spines got the better of the weave. The boar looked at the bear and grinned. "Want to come over and practice riding? You have to keep practicing to ride. You'll be happy you did when you get your own bike."

CM didn't doubt it, and the thought of taking a little time to ride on their bikes along the lightly travelled roads feeling the wind through her fur appealed greatly to her. It would be nice to see where Jan and Dennis lived too. Every time they'd gotten together, it was Jan and Dennis who rode down to Blacksburg and not the other way around.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a warm smile. She then felt an undo measure of scrutiny coming from the skunk and realized just how utterly feminine her intonation had been. Steeling herself, the bear took a breath and shook her head. "But Carter and Rob are right. We've an early morning ahead of us and it has been a long day. Thank you for the offer though. I'll make it up to you next time."

Jan laughed and settled in his seat. "Sure thing. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Warp Speed!"

"Could we try the speed limit instead?" CM suggested with a laugh hidden behind her fangs.

"Ya, we could give that a try too. Dennis, to the Hollywood Inn! Speed Limit!" Dennis turned the engine over and gave the boar a long stare which coming from a pudgy hedgehog face looked fairly ridiculous. Jan's chest heaved with his mirth and he shook his snout back and forth. "Nope, doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

{{Separator|k}}

They returned safe and sound to the hotel. Dennis drove slower this time though every time they went around a curve they could feel the hedgehog pushing down on the accelerator. But his dirving skills were just as good as he'd claimed. No matter how he pushed the van, they never felt even the slightest suggestion of danger.

Before dropping them off, Jan extracted a promise from CM to come visit and ride together before the August Change made it more difficult. The she-bear didn't make it too hard, merely worrying about her work schedule and the cost of gas. Rob was surprised she didn't mention Leslie. The skunk knew the bear's wife a little. Leslie was such a private person it was hard to get to know her. But it had never been hard to see that CM and she loved each other, even if Leslie had no idea what CM really was. That CM didn't mention her in her short litany of excuses set the gears in the skunk's mind turning.

After Dennis and Jan drove off, the three Changed marched back into the hotel air conditioning and sighed in relief. Carter's ears and tail drooped as he said, "I'm going to go crash. See you both tomorrow."

"Good Night, Carter," CM said with a weay smile.

The wolf shut his door quietly as the skunk and bear continued to theirs. Rob clicked his tongue against his short, sharp teeth and said, "Hey, CM, you have a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Let's go into your room so we don't disturb Carter."

CM nodded, dark eyes perplexed but as calm as ever. The air inside her room was arctic cold. Rob drew his tail over his chest in surprise. "Sorry about that," CM apologized in a huff. "I left the AC on full blast. It's actually a little chilly for me too now."

Rob settled onto the bed and sighed loudly while the bear fiddled with the AC controls. "Okay, Chris, this is getting a little weird for me."

The bear turned at her real name and he could see a surprised look in her eyes. She sat down in the chair and rested her paws on her knees. The chair was wide enough and strong enough that it didn't creak from her weight. She self-consciously lowered her snout and almost hid the exposed curves of her breasts. "What is?"

The skunk knew mincing words with the she-bear was a pointless exercise. CM was very good at parsing language to suit her arguments. "You and Jan. The first time I saw you together you nearly tore his head off for making a sexist advance at you. Now you either ignore his constant flirting or you get all girly. It's really starting to scare me, Chris. You didn't even mention you were worried about Leslie's schedule when he asked you to come back in a few weeks!"

CM bristled and her jowls drew back. She heaved, her breath still reeking of onions and fish. "I am not flirting with Jan!"

"But you sat next to him. You've seen him how many times this year already, four, five? Normally when you're around other Changed you act like a Momma Bear. But you aren't doing that with Jan. Good grief, Chris!"

"I get together with Jan ''and'' Dennis," she growled. "And I've been consciously trying not to be a Momma Bear."

"Well you're succeeding, cause you're acting like a young woman falling in love instead!"

CM growled again, but this time kept her tongue behind her teeth. She glared down at her legs and paws, digging her claws through the thick, brown fur. "I'm not in love with him. He's just a friend. I love Leslie."

"When was the last time you and Leslie did anything together?"

"I..." CM shook her head and flecked her lips at the skunk. "Stop trying to fix me, Rob! My relationship with my wife is complicated! I love her, but I have to hide this from her. If she knew that I was female... No, I can't let that happen."

"You have to tell her sometime. I told Audrey, and we aren't even married yet."

"You're lucky!" CM snarled. "You're still male!"

"That could change in month like it did for you."

"I'm exceptional! There aren't many of us who've changed genders as well as species! You don't understand."

Rob took a deep breath and let the bear get her rage back under control. If she got any angrier she'd tear gouges into the chair arms with her claws, or worse. The skunk lowered his snout and ran one paw through his thick tail. "You cannot be yourself with Leslie, Chris. But you can with Jan. And right now you're female. I'm worried you might do something you'd regret because your body so badly wants..."

A dangerous glint came the bear's eye. "Sex?"

Rob knew better than to go there. "Companionship. Whatever. Jan isn't your answer."

"He's a friend. That's all. I'm not going to betray Leslie." Every word came with a fresh growl.

Rob did his best to smile as he stood. "Good. I trust you. Now stick with it."

CM appeared to seeth for a few moments. AS the skunk rose to leave, she composed herself and stood. "I'd like to be alone now. Thank you for telling me what you think, Rob. Get a good night sleep and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The skunk nodded and left the bear alone. He'd said what he had to. He swung his tail free and quietly shut the door behind him.

{{Separator|k}}

<div style="font-family: Technical, Comic Sans MS, cursive; font-size:12pt; font-weight:normal; width:480px; padding:10px;">
July 19, 2003

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I'm tired of being female. I've been female for almost three years now. Leslie doesn't know because I don't know what it would do to our marriage. Only the other Changed know and that is what makes things hard. They see me and treat me like a woman, and half the time I act like a woman and don't think anything of it! How can I lead a double life like this? How can I keep doing it? It just hurts too much!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Rob came by this evening and accussed me of flirting with Jan. He said it looked like I was falling in love with him! I'm not! Jan is... Jan! While I confess he's not as irritating as I thought at first, and the manner in which he displays his masculinities is far more appealing to me as a woman than I would have ever expected, there is someone else I'd rather be with. Oh Leslie, if only I could be with you, all of this would go away! If only I could be male again! If only you were Changed and could understand!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I don't think Jan does more than tease me for the sake of teasing me. When I first met him I think he was still being a pig. But since then, he seems more intent on getting me into bikes than he does into my pants. I think he understands my struggles and while perhaps he isn't helping as much as he could, he isn't making things harder.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">But am I? That's what Rob seems to think. I wanted to smack his snout with the back of my paw for hearing him suggest such things. But is he right? It's taken me a full hour of Discovery Channel just to calm down enough to write in this journal. And I still don't know for sure how I feel. I was alone for six years with this Change. Now that I can finally be with others, am I trying for things I shouldn't have? If not for Leslie, would I have given in and dated Jan? The thought sends shivers through my fur!

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">I hope and pray that in a few weeks I'll be male again and all of this can be straightened out. Tomorrow we go before Congressman Sandrick and tell him out projections for the Changed population. If we're right, things are going to get very interesting in a few years. Somehow, I'm far more confidant about how the world will accept the Changes than how I will deal with my own. What if I stay a female bear? At some point I will stop Changing. What will I do then? I just don't know. For now I will sleep on it and hope for the best.

<p style="text-indent: 2em; line-height:1.2;">Lord, give me the wisdom I need to do Your will and to follow in Your ways. In nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti. Amen.

</div>

{{Separator|k}}

By the time Walter the longhorn bull came to gather them, all three were dressed and ready. They carried their luggage down to the hotel lobby a full five minutes before Walter descended the stairs. The bull dressed as was his custom in a black suit that blended with his splotchy hide at the neck, with a patterned red tie and ironic bovine tie tac. He noted their attire and nodded gratefull before checking them out of the hotel.

Both Rob and Carter were dressed in black suits as well which blended with their fur. Apart from Carter's white shirt and golden eyes, the wolf nearly blended into his outfit. Even his tail wagging between his coattails struck the bear as unremarkable. Rob's monochromatic tail was more noticeable, the base pushing aside his coattails as it curled upwards in a characteristic question mark. But despite the incongruity of animals in business attire, they each managed a look of dignity that surpassed most of the other hotel patrons they saw walking in and out the entrance.

CM, due to her physique, wore a plus-size woman's business jacket and blouse with matching navy blue slacks. Both blouse and jacket were modest and sufficiently androgynous that she garnered no unusual looks from the other hotel guests, but she still felt conspicuously feminine. Before last night she hadn't thought much on her business attire, but now she knew that all the other Changed would even more consciously think of her as female. There was nothing to be done for the moment but to accept it and all that went with it.

Besides, in a month she hoped she'd be male again and could put this chapter behind her.

Walter Lundh nodded to each of them as they gathered by the lobby doors. "Do you each have everything?" At their positive reply, his bovine snout parted in the faintest of smiles. "Good. Follow me and we can be on our way."

He led them into th eparking lot and right back to the minivan. They stowed their luggage in the back and climbed inside. Though it was still early in the morning, already the air was too humid for CM's taste. Even Carter began panting as the van got underway. Walter cranked the AC and pulled back onto the highway. "It won't take us long to get into DC, so I'm going to briefly go over our schedule. Congressman Sandrick has arranged a breakfast for us in his office. After we've had a quick bite to eat, you will begin your presentations. CM, you will go first since your presentation has the punchline. Mr. Ryan, you'll go next so you can better explain the methodology, and Mr. Hallman you'll be last to describe the resources used. Once all are done we are at the Congressman's pleasure to further explain anything he wants to know. We'll thne have lunch and after I'll drive you back to Dulles to catch your return flights. Are there any questions?"

"No," Rob replied. "It's better to get in and out."

"How bad will traffic be?" Carter asked. The wolf glanced at the cars flanking them on either side of the highway. While not nearly as many as there would be on a weekday, traffic was far heavier than anything they were familiar with seeing.

"This should be the worst we see," Walter replied with a bovine grunt. "In about ten minutes you'll see the Pentagon, and in another ten we'll be at the Rayburn building. If you have any last minute preparations to make, now is the time."

CM reached into her satchel and pulled out the hard copies of her slides. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rob and Carter do the same. With a growling chuckle, she began rehearsing her lines.

{{Separator|k}}

It took a full half-hour before they parked in the underground parking lot beneath the Rayburn building. Even for a Sunday the lot was two-thirds full. After parking, Lundh made a brief call while Rob, Carter, and CM put their presentation materials back in their briefcases and climbed out. The air was still humid, but the darkness brought a relief from the Summer heat already building outside.

The longhorn hung up and gestured toward the far end of the lot. "We'll be met by the elevators in a few minutes. Do you each have everything you need?" They nodded and then so did he. "Good. I'm told Number Two is already here so we can begin as soon as we finish eating."

"Number Two?" Carter asked, his tail lowering between his legs. "You mean the second guy to Change?"

"Yes," Walter said with an almost perceptible roll of his glassy eyes. "Of necessity Mr. De Smet has been a leader in the Changed Community. For the sake of his privacy, he prefers to be known as Number Two now."

Together the four of them made their way through the crowded parking lot. Most of the cars parked within were luxury sedans though there were a few sporting vehicles and a handful of trucks too. As they reached the set of elevators at the far end one of them opened and out stepped a raccoon in a business suit. His masked face brightened with a show of fangs when he saw them approach.

He extended a black-furred hand toward the bull. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Lundh."

The longhorn shook his hand and nodded. "And you, Mr. Norton. This is Robert Hallman, Carter Ryan, and Christopher Mattiaz. Gentlemen, this is Mr. Evan Norton, Congressman Sandrick's Internet Coordinator." There was no hint of irony in the bulls's voice as he pronounced the raccoon's title.

Evan shook their paws one at a time, green eyes noting CM a little more closely before turning back to the elevator. It looked large enough to host a small convention. "All is waiting for you. Just follow me and we'll be there in moments. Do you have your passes?"

Walter handed each of them a lobbyist pass which they clipped to their lapels as they stepped onto the elevator. Their nostrils flared as they took in each other's scents in so close proximity. The elevator hummed softly as they went up two levels. Evan tapped his claws together nervously and CM realized that he was just as young as they were. "Have you worked long for the Congressman?" the shebear asked.

"Only since last December," Evan replied. "The Congressman needed somebody who could be a connection to the Changed community without drawing too much notice. Nobody pays attention to internet staffers yet, so here I am." His smile was half-hearted, but he didn't sound disappointed with his lot in life. CM nodded and settled in her corner of the elevator for a few seconds more.

The Rayburn office building was one of many office buildings in DC for Congressmen. And with Congress still in session, even on a Sunday the halls were busy with Representatives, their aides, and lobbyists scurrying back and forth to curry favor on this or that bill. Evan led them from the elevator down one hall all the whiel assuring them that their passage would not be noticed. Not that they needed assuring; everyone else they saw was still human and far too wrapped up in their own affair to care about them or the internet staffer to a sophomore congressman.

Congressman Sandrick's office had a front desk where a receptionist could sit and handle all comers but there was no one there now. A sign sat on the desk apologizing to any lobbyist that the Congressman couldn't see them today. Evan ignored this and headed straight for the door to the back office where the real work was done. Walter followed him and with the opening of the door two new animal scents greeted them as did the delectable aroma of fresh fruits and cooked meats.

Standing behind a solid oak desk was a broad badger with dark eyes. Black paws with long claws were folded over his middle. Sitting in a well cushioned chair was a tall red fox in a tan suit. Both smiled as they entered.

The congressman smiled and waved one of those long-clawed paws at the array of chairs set around his desk. "I'm Congressman Phillip Sandrick of South Carolina. I know Walter Lundh has been having you do work for the Changed Community and you're here today to report on your findings. You can speak freely in this office. I've cleared my schedule for the day and my chief of staff is off on a fact finding errand that will keep him from disturbing us. The rest of my staff have the day off. We have as long as we need. Please refresh yourselves and enjoy a bit of breakfast. I'd like to get to know ya'll a little before I take your advice."

"Thank you," CM said, her eyes going to the platters of fresh fruit, jerky, and sausage beneath the windows on the left wall. A projector had been set up facing the right wall and Evan immediately sat down at nearby computer and began clicking through windows.

The badger gestured to the fox who rose from his seat and wagged his tail once. "This is Mr. Reynaldo De Smet, more commonly known as Number Two. He's been regaling me with the history of the early Changed community for an hour now, and while very interesting, I'm going to have to strangle him if he tells the tale of foiling the traditional English fox hunt one more time."

The fox laughed and waved one hand. "You are too kind, Phillip." The badger rolled his eyes while the fox turned to the rest. "As my easily irritated friend has said, my name is Reynaldo De Smet. My mother was French, my father Belgian, and they must have known I'd go into acting when they named me."

"I've never heard of you," Carter said.

The fox nodded. "As it should be. After I became this back in 1988, my career took a decided turn to the local markets. And since we are still too few in number to risk having too many in prominent positions, I am known in the Changed community as Number Two."

"Walter said you wanted to be called that for your privacy," Rob pointed out. "I thought actors wanted fame."

Reynaldo shook his head and sat back down. "Very true! But for now, I need the anonymity to maintain my standing as a local artist only. Once I become known by my real name as a Changed artist, I won't be able to do local venues only. But that is enough of me. I understand it is you three who've achieved something for the Changed community. Tell us of yourselves. I can talk forever if I must."

Phillip nodded from behind his desk. "I'll vouch for that. You should be in Congress, De Smet. You make more sense than a lot of the clowns I deal with and still manage to irritate."

"It is a gift," Reynaldo agreed with a playful wink.

CM and Rob laughed while Carter filled his plate with jerky and sausage. CM selected several choice fruits and berries in addition to a two plates of jerky and sausage while Rob chose a similar proportion only much smaller. Walter only chose fruits. Together the four sat down and one by one introduced themselves. Reynaldo asked questions here and there about their lives while Sandrick kept his focus on their technical qualifications. Nevertheless, by the time they'd finished eating everyone in the room felt comfortable with each other and the mood had lightened considerably.

"Well, if everyone is settled," Walter Lundh suggested, "perhaps we can begin the presentations?"

"Of course," Sandrick gestured at the raccoon and Evan came to where the rest sat.

The raccoon folded his paws as he looked over the trio. "I'm prepared for Power Point Presentations if brought them. I'll clean any residual data from the computer once were done." They each reached into their briefcases and handed him disks which he took and loaded one by one into his computer. "Give me one minute and I'll have them up. Who is presenting first?"

"I am," the shebear said as she rose to her heavy paws. She pulled her business suit taut and glanced one last time over her preperation materials. CM set them back in her chair and then walked over to the projector screen, laser pointer in paw.

"I'll get the blinds," Reynaldo said. The fox jumped form his seat and drew the blinds shut. He sat back down with the quiet grace of a professional actor.

CM felt all eyes turn to her. Sandrick leaned back in his wide chair, lightly durmming the tips of his claws against his knees. Lundh gazed placidly at her as any bull in a field might. Rob and Carter watched with polite encouragement writ in their beastly eyes. Reynaldo couldn't keep the twitch out of his tail as it dangled through the gap in his chair. Only Evan wasn't looking at her, and that was only because he was busy loading her presentation.

And then with one final click the raccoon scooted back in his seat and the projector splashed the first slide on the screen. "There we go," Evan said. "Just say 'Next' when you want me to advance the slides."

CM nodded and half turned between her audience and the screen. Her first slide was merely a title and her name. "Last year Walter Lundh contracted us to examine the issue of the Changed population and how it was growing. We were to develop a statistical and demographic model on where the Changed are, how many of us there are, and how many more of us there will be in August. Over the last ten months we've been collecting data from the Changed network, collating it, and running various models to determine what is the most statistically likely scenarios. Next."

The slide changed to an outline for the three presentations. It wasn't in the same order that Walter requested, but CM decided to gloss over that. "In my presentation I'll tell you what numbers we've found and what they mean. Carter will tell you what the demographics look like and where we can expect new Changed to crop up, and also, where we think all the missing Changed can be found. Rob will go over the technical systems we've developed in order to store and process the model data. Next."

She turned on the laser pointer and circled the bar graph showing. The horizontal axis had a list of years, while the vertical axis had population numbers. Except for the first few years listed, each block was larger than the one before it. "Here's where things stand now if you plot the Changed population in the Network versus the year that they Changed. This includes those who've died after joining the network." Which, she was grateful to learn, was only a handful so far. She circled the pointer over the very small block on the year 1988. "This block has only you in it, Reynaldo." The fox's ears flicked back and his muzzle tightened in a vulpine grin.

"But what is immediately obvious from these numbers is that every August the Changed population increases exponentially."

Sandrick shook his head. "I'm a Congressman, CM. I can't even balance a budget let alone do advanced math. What do you mean 'exponential'?"

CM rolled the pointer around in her heavy paw as she tried to think of a way to explain that would make sense. "Every August, the total population of Changed is multiplied by a fixed amount. We're growing and we're going to grow faster every year. This we could see just from the numbers of Changed we know about. There are more in the Network who Changed last year than in the previous ten. What we had to do was determine what that fixed multiplier was."

The badger grimaced but began to nod. "I think I understand what you're saying. So do you have a number?"

CM nodded. "Next." The slide changed by adding some captions to the graph. "With a little over 86 percent certainty, the Changed population doubles every August 17th. Which means, that there should be ten times as many Changed worldwide than what we currently have in the network. And also, it means that after August 2007, there will be a million Changed worldwide. In 2017, a billion Changed. And after 2020, everyone will be Changed."

For several seconds, no one said anything while those staggering numbers sank in.

At last Reynaldo let out a short yipping laugh. "Well, we knew we were growing fast, but... are you sure about this? We've only three thousand in the network. How do you know we're doubling like this?"

CM rumbled and gestured with a claw at the black wolf. "Carter's demographics analysis of the Changed population. That and my analysis on the trends in the last few years showing when Changed are discovered and added to the Network. That said, we have only 86 percent certainty about these results. We could be overestimating or underestimating actual growth, but we're almost one hundred percent certain that the growth is exponential. Which means unless the Change stops, in the next thirteen to forty years everyone on Earth will be Changed."

"How did you arrive at that date range?" Sandrick asked as he scratched behind one circular ear.

CM waved her paws at the projector. "The next slide has the tolerance figures we've put on the exponential growth. It's what gave us the range. Evan?" The raccoon nodded and tapped a key. The screen changed to show a table of figures. CM drew her laser pointer along the top row. "Here we have the lowest and highest possible exponent bases that fit the models. At the low end, we have the population increasing by a little over 1.75 each August. At that rate, it would be 2027 to 2029 before all the world was Changed, barring major shifts in global population trends. Carter will talk about those details. At the high end the rate is just shy of 2.25, which means that by 2015 everyone would be Changed.

"Now both of these are extreme cases and represent the tolerance for our analysis. But the probability that the real rate is one or the other is very slim. The most likely situation is that the rate is closer to 2 if not 2 precisely."

Reynaldo tapped one claw against the side of his snout. "It didn't look like the Changed were doubling each year in the graph you just showed us. Some of them looked like they'd more than doubled. Could this rate be changing each year too?"

CM nodded and tapped her claws together. She rather liked the fox. He put things in plain language yet seemed to understand and anticipate her explanations. It dawned on her as she studied him that he was the first Changed she'd met that had been Changed longer than she had. A smile teased the edges of her heavy jowls. She'd have to talk with him afterward if possible. But first, she said, "We considered that and it still may be the case. With Congressman Sandrick's assistance we'll be able to keep analysing the Changed population over the next few years. That will help us refine our conclusions. But those variances you've noted can also be explained by demographics. We think that is much more likely given the intelligent nature of the Change and how it manifests in the world."

Sandrick frowned, glancing briefly at Walter Lundh who watched the presentations with bovine placidity. The badger turned his gaze back on the bear. "Could you explain that comment please? What do you mean by the intelligent nature of the Change?"

"Well, I'll be spoiling one of Carter's points but I don't think he'll mind too much."

The wolf laughed and wagged his tail. "You're the one who put a name to it, CM. Go for it."

CM nodded her thanks and turned back to the congressman. "There are a couple of reasons. First, the reality distortion field, or RDF, as it's called on the Network. A radical change as we've undergone would surely be noticed unless there was some aspect to it that made it imperceptible to others. But it isn't fully. I've had a friend swear they were pushing against thin air when they touched my head. Our Change is more than just illusion, it is real. An the altering of perception is constrained to a fixed area about ourselves. Which is why we leave hoof prints or paw prints when we walk. Separating one part of our body from another doesn't change the effect either, which is why shed fur just looks like human hair to others. So in that sense, the Change operates under rules, rules that we can discover through scientific inquiry and also through deductive and historical science."

CM gestured to Carter and continued. "Secondly, the pattern in which the Change spreads, so far as we've been able to determine, is centred around Chicago and expanding in what appears at first blush to be a fractal. This is very incomplete because we've used a lot of conjecture to fill in the gaps of Changed we know based on our population model who aren't in the Network. But, in the last few months we've tested this model based on the newest Changed we've discovered. We've had to make a few tweaks, but with a little over seventy percent accuracy, the Changed originated where we predicted them too.

"And that leads to the third reason I state that the Change is an intelligent phenomenon. With as little data as we have, we've been able to construct models from which we can make predictions and have such confidence in them. Our model's predictive capability is slightly better than flipping a coin, and it's leagues better than any odds you'll get at a casino. And our estimates of exponential growth indicate the most likely base is an integer! Nature, undirected, doesn't typically operate with integers. That speaks strongly, from a philosphical perspective, of intelligent direction in the course of the Change."

Reynaldo waved his paws in the air and laughed. "It sounds to me like you might be making the ROB argument. That the Change is proof of the existence of the divine."

"ROB?" Rob asked with an amused twitch of his long tail.

"Random Omnipotent Being," Walter grunted. "It's a term being tossed about in the forums by those who believe the Change is of supernatural origin but are unwilling to ascribe it to a particular religion." From the tone of the bull's voice, CM could tell he didn't think too highly of the concept or those pandering it.

"Ah, I must have missed those threads," Rob said softly.

CM rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Apart from being an oxymoron, an omnipotent being cannot be random because random implies that there is more than one and an omnipotent being by the very quality of omnipotence is singular, I'm not actually proposing the ROB theory. I happen to be Catholic and believe very strongly in the existence of the divine as the source of ultimate creation. I can recite the creed if you want. What I'm saying is that I think the Change is intelligent in the sense that it is the consequence of intelligent action and design. It need not be an act of God per se because nature as I said does not usually rely on integral rates for anything. That typifies more the act of a limited intelligence and suggests to me that while I cannot tell you how it is being affected, the Change likely has its source in natural intelligence rather than supernatural."

Sandrick shook his head and started laughing. "You use a lot of big words and I confess I'm not following all of it. But are you saying this is the work of aliens?"

Carter let out a single bark in amusement, Rob covered his snout to stiffle his laugh, and Evan had to wrap his muzzle in the crook of an elbow to keep himself from breaking down. Even Reynaldo's tail and whiskers trembled in mirth. Only Walter was unmoved by the suggestion.

"I don't know," CM confessed. "I can't speak to the particular mechanism of the Change. Only that it seems to me to have as its origin a natural intelligence. Now, I also believe that, like all of nature, it is used by God to further His will, and that for some reason He wants me to be female for a time. I do not understand it but I accept it as best I can. But I also believe He gave us the capacity to understand the Change. The fact that we've been able to learn so much with such a small population sample tells us something that I don't think we should ignore."

Reynaldo waved one paw. "I'm satisfied with that answer. I'm a little unnerved by your suggestion, but since we don't know either how it works, I don't see how we can say no to it. I'd love to see you write your theory up and post it to the forums. It's certainly worth exploring some. But that's beside the point. I've lived with being a fox for a very long time. You say you can make some predictions. What are we looking at come this August?"

The she-bear felt a bit embarassed that she allowed her temptation to erudition to wander so freely in front of these important men. She did have a presentation to finish. Turning back to the projector, she circled the left column. "Here are the years, and here are the population projections by exponential base. If we are doubling, then we can expect an additional 32,896 Changed on August 17. With that many more, we anticipate an even higher percentage of the Changed population will find the Network, both for new Changed and those who have believed themselves to be alone."

"It might be time," Sandrick mused, "to consider changing our recruitment tactics." The badger stroked the fur under his snout with one claw. "Any Changed that watches C-SPAN will eventually see me and figure out they aren't alone. But that isn't going to be a lot. I've kept a low-profile since I Changed. Maybe I should seek more publicity?"

Walter shook his head ever so slightly. Still, the tips of his horns swept out large deadly arcs in the air. "The more publicity any of us seeks, the greater risk we expose the Changed community. Our numbers are too few at this time to risk exposure."

"We're going to be exposed at some point," Rob said. The skunk laconically shrugged his shoulders. "What difference does it make now or later?"

"The infrastructure for Changed is still in its infancy," Lundh said, jabbing his hoof-like hand into the air. "It needs more time and more Changed to mature. I'm looking at your numbers, and if you're right about the doubling, then we have a few years to go before I'm willing to even consider risking more publicity."

Sandrick lowered his paw and nodded. "You're right, Walter. There is a lot of work still to be done, and much of it will not be done here today." His dark eyes focussed on the bear and his voice took on a note of authority. This was a man who was used to people doing what he told them. "What more do you have to say in your presentation?"

CM folded her paws over her growing belly. "Mostly various projections and the data to back up our claims."

"No more bombs to be dropped?"

"No, sir. From here on out we explain the data behind the bombs we've dropped."

Sandrick grinned, exposing the many pearly, white spears the Change had given him. "Then let us hear the data."

CM nodded and looked to the raccoon. "Next slide please."

{{Separator|k|Work in Progress}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:MatthiasRat]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Paradise]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Model Building}}

User talk:Michael Bard/Christmas in the National Enchanted Forest

2008-12-26T16:42:15Z

MatthiasRat: New page: What a wonderful story. Thank you, Morgan! You brought a smile to my face too. --~~~~

What a wonderful story. Thank you, Morgan! You brought a smile to my face too. --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 11:42, 26 December 2008 (EST)

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-12-23T17:35:23Z

MatthiasRat: Getting to the meeting where we get some actual numbers!

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-12-17T17:52:48Z

MatthiasRat: Yay, another scene! We've made it to the last day in this story.

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-12-02T17:52:24Z

MatthiasRat: Finished the first day finally. Now onto meeting with Sandrick

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-18T17:05:27Z

MatthiasRat: Just addeda few words to finish off the scene.

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-17T17:59:43Z

MatthiasRat: Not going to finish this new scene just yet, but I'm almost there.

User:MatthiasRat/LadyNoHelp

2008-11-15T02:30:22Z

MatthiasRat: New little story. Inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula and the stories of Russell Kirk.

{{title
|name=The Lady Who Didn't Want Help
|author=Charles Matthias
|user=MatthiasRat}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:The Lady Who Didn't Want Help}}

'''Email from Joe Banton to Ben Wendham. 17:51 May 5, 2025'''

I left you a voice message a few minutes ago but you can delete it. I had a few minutes and I wanted to leave you a longer message. First, I will gladly accept your offer of drinks tonight! See you at the Oberland's around 20:00. I've got a lot to tell you.

It's been an interesting day. Ever since the new Elderly Assisted Living Center was opened last week, I've been busy visiting and signing up retirees living outside the city limits. Most of them are glad to learn about a place where their needs will be met and they never need worry about falling down stairs or being away from a doctor. And with the sale of their assets, a large portion of the costs of the Center are paid for so they don't need to worry about burdening any of their family. You need to come visit the Center sometime and see what we have. Everyone is given a room with a bed, computer, and television, as well as a downloadable music and book library. Call buttons summon staff. They get three meals a day and there is even a small park with trees; the walls of the park are painted to give the impression that the park continues for miles which given their poor eyesight and memory most will believe anyway. They never need know they're in the city at all! Truly, a great place for them to spend their remaining years in comfort. We don't have a better name for the Center yet, but we're tossing suggestions back and forth. If you have any, let me know.

Anyway, I ran into one old lady living out along Russell — you know, that winding tract of a road near the wild lands — that didn't want to go to the Center. Name's Cecilia Annette Kirk, and it's Mrs. Kirk, not Ms. and she wouldn't let me forget it! She's about 81 years old and living in a house as old as she is. Definitely old fashioned with lots of inefficiences and more rooms than she needs or can keep in order. Polite though and served excellent tea. Her bit of land has been in her family for generations and she didn't want to sell. She has some grandchildren who live two states over to whom she's promised the house. Sentimental, I know. But that's what I have to work with. I'm going to have to go back there in a few days. I've got a few ideas on how I can convince her that moving into the Center is what's best for her but I'd like to run them by you at Oberland's tonight. I'm pretty sure I shouldn't need more than a second visit. The elderly know us SCA folks are looking out for them.

How are things at the Reserve? You had best give me all the news when I see you! Whoever gets to Oberland's second buys the first round.

'''Email from Ben Wendham to Joe Banton. 08:45 May 6, 2025'''

I tried to call but I guess you've already left on your daily rounds. I've been thinking about what you told me last night with Mrs. Kirk. You're very zealous about your job and that's to your credit, Joe, but I think you should take it easy on Mrs. Kirk. She sounds like an old-fashioned matron who is too used to doing things her own way. Ease her into the idea of entering the Center. Leave her brochures and pamphlets if you have any on the place and then leave it up to her. That will set her mind at ease and help give her time to think about it. If her house is in as good a shape as you said last night, then it will probably be okay for her to stay there a month or two more.

I know how you worry about them and I know you'll win her over in time. Just don't push too hard yet. The Center just opened, and I'm sure there are plenty of other elderly who will gladly sell their assets to live there.

I'm going to be working double duty the next few days at the Reserve. The funding came through for us to upgrade some of the shelters and observations cells and I'm going to have my hands full with the renovations. I'll tell you all when its done. If you need to call, you know my number.

'''Email from Joe Banton to Ben Wendham. 19:33 May 7, 2025'''

Good luck with your renovations! With a little luck we can free up some more property on the city outskirts so you can expand the Reserve.

I took your advice with Mrs. Kirk and gave her brochures to look over. She was gracious as ever when I came to her door and offered me tea. I'm rather fond of her tea, and once I can move her into the Center I must come visit her so she can make me some more! Still, it's going to be harder than I thought. No sooner had I given her the brochures she threw them away. Right in front of me! I've never met anyone quite so unreasonable, irrascible, or old-fashioned! She is completely confused about what is best for her and insists on staying in that house. Not only is it too big for her, but she has to navigate two sets of stairs every day. She'd be much better off in the Center where she would have just the right amount of space and no stairs to fall down.

I may bring in a lawyer to study her case. If she persists in this lunacy I'm going to have to use the law to move her into the Center where she belongs.

Anyway, I'll talk to you again once you've finished those renovations. I'm anxious to hear all about them!

'''Email from Ben Wendham to Joe Banton. 14:52 May 11, 2025'''

Are you up for drinks tonight? Things have finally settled down enough that I can get out
in the evening. I would have written you earlier, but I've been making my weekly rounds for animal sightings. And I know you'll be interested to hear about one of them. That's right, along Russell and near old Mrs. Kirk's place.

I stopped by there to ask her about the animal sighting, but she didn't seem to know anything. She was very concerned though. We had a pleasant conversation about my work tending wild animals at the Reserve and in the surrounding wilderness. It turns out that in her youth Mrs. Kirk used to tend strays. Did you know that? I asked if she had a license which of course she didn't and that's why she doesn't do it anymore. Still, I think it explains one reason why she doesn't want to leave. She'd miss the animals.

Have you considered adding some animals to your Center's park? A few squirrels and birds to live in the trees would add an element of the wild. I might be able to arrange some for you if you can get the necessary permits.

I did take a moment to pitch the Center for you, but I don't think Mrs. Kirk is buying it. And looking over her house, I don't think it's as bad for her as you suggest. There's a risk there, but I think she'll be fine for another year. She appears to be in excellent health and seems able to keep the house in good order. And you're right; she makes delicious tea. I'll talk to you tonight.

'''From Joe Banton's Personal Journal. 16:35 May 11, 2025'''

So Ben paid a visit to Mrs. Kirk. He thinks I should wait a year before trying to move her into the Center. Is he crazy? She's on prime wilderness property! If we can move her off Russell that will free up several more acres for the reclamation projects. Another ten years and we can shut down Russell all together. I know Ben's always talked about wanting to do that, so I have no idea where this "go-slow" approach is coming from. I'm going to have to call him on this over drinks tonight.

In other news, I made an appointment with a doctor for next week. I was surprised he could see me so soon, but hopefully it won't be necessary. I've been developing a rash on my chest, but the skin cream I picked up today should tend to it. Still, always good to see the doctors just in case.

'''Email from Joe Banton to Ben Wendham on 17:01 May 12, 2025'''

I talked to Mrs. Kirk again today. I gave her more brochures and firmly informed her that it was her civic duty to read through them. She didn't throw them away this time. I might be wearing her down. I told her I would be back in a week to hear her answer. I will not stand for another refusal. She doesn't know it yet, but I've arranged to meet with an SCA lawyer tonight to discuss what might be done.

I stopped by your Reserve afterward to take a look at the new facilities. I'm very impressed! I think the animals will really like the new shelter design, and it's much easier now for the guests to see each one. Your animals look very well taken care of. In fact, you can probably fit a dozen more species in now. I look forward to seeing what you'll add to the Reserve in the coming year.

I think I'm going to work a few other cases tomorrow. There's plenty more elderly folks out there who should prove to be easier to sway than that crank Mrs. Kirk. Some success will help me relax. When are you going to be available for drinks again?

'''From Ben Wendham's Personal Journal. 12:14 May 17, 2025'''

I'm beginning to believe that Joe is right and we need to move Mrs. Kirk to the new Elderly Assisted Living Center. We had another animal sighting out on Russell near her house today. After considering the evidence, I'm inclined to believe that Mrs. Kirk is secretly tending the animals in the area without a license. That is why she doesn't want to leave. While I admire her desire to aid the wild animals, she does so without a license and without the cognizance of the proper authorities, namely the Wildlife Management Agency which I represent.

Let me quickly note the evidence I've found so I can refer to this later if I must. While exploring near her house I discovered what appeared to be animal tracks of a small to medium-sized omnivorous mammal. The heavy winds we've had the last few days have made the tracks indistinct so I wasn't able to determine exactly what species, but the tracks did lead to and from Mrs. Kirk's house. All the spore I was able to find was old, but it may indicate a trend of animal visits on her property. Further, given that none of the reports have been made by Mrs. Kirk but by her neighbors (the nearest of whom is a half-mile up the road), and passer-bys implies that she is either completely ignorant (in which case her observational skills are insufficient to keep her safe even in her relatively well-kept house), or she is hiding them (in which case it is best for the animal's sake that she be moved). Also, when I confronted her about the tracks and my suspicions, she proved evasive, changing the subject or offering me more tea.

I'm going to mention this to Joe tonight either by phone or in person. I'm not sure what he's trying to do now, but this could be of help.

'''Email from Joe Banton to Ben Wendham. 13:37 May 17, 2025'''

I just spoke with Will, the Senior Citizen Administration lawyer I told you about. He says that before we can forcibly move Mrs. Kirk to the Center, we'll need concrete proof that she's illegally tending animals. If you attest to your idea before him I can probably coerce her into leaving of her own accord to avoid a protracted court fight. Could you meet with him tonight? I'd like to go over to Mrs. Kirk's first thing tomorrow. The sooner I can get this done the better I'll feel.

Either way, I'll see you for drinks tomorrow night!

'''Email from Ben Wendham to Joe Banton. 18:03 May 17, 2025'''

Joe, I'll see your lawyer friend Will tonight. Catch you for drinks tomorrow!

'''From Joe Banton's Personal Journal. 07:46 May 18, 2025'''

Woke up feeling sore all over and sick in my stomach. The skin cream didn't do anything for the rash. It's spreading up my arms and down my legs too. I can barely stop itching long enough to record this. The only thing the cream does is stop the itch for a while. I'll have to pick up some more on my way to Russell. I'm almost out. At least after I see Mrs. Kirk today I'll be able to visit the doctor. I hope his line isn't too long.

But for now I need to maintain my composure. I have the initial report from Will, and everything looks good for me to bring the weight of the law to Mrs. Kirk. If she doesn't back down this time, Will and Ben can start their investigation. I must make sure she understands that she'll have to pay all court expenses and once we move her into the Center anyway, her family will be responsible for the cost. I don't like impoverishing people but this is for her own good. Hopefully she'll listen to reason and recognize what's best for her. I'm an agent of the Senior Citizen Administration. It's my job to take care of the elderly. The Center is designed for just that. It is utterly unconscionable that anyone would question my and consequently the SCA's judgement in this matter!

'''From Joe Banton's Personal Journal. 11:21 May 18, 2025'''

Time for the law to step in. I cannot understand this woman! Even after I threaten her and she calls me a little thief, she then becomes all sweetness and continues to play the hostess! She could see that I wasn't feeling well and offered me something for it with her tea. It did help some; my stomach's feeling better but I think the cream is wearing off. I itch all over and I'm feeling warm like I'm coming down with the flu.

But no matter how nice she is to me, she's still thumbed her nose at the SCA and that I cannot tolerate. I will not have her accidental death on my conscience, and I know that if she stays in that house that's exactly what will happen.

Ugh, I feel funny. I wish Russell wasn't so curvy. I could really use some speed about now.

Mrs. Kirk. Mrs. Cecilia Annette Kirk! I will see you in the Center before I'm through. Mark my words. Ugh! What the...

'''From Ben Wendham's Personal Journal. 14:25 May 18, 2025'''

Well something worked. A little after noon today, Mrs. Kirk herself reported finding a wounded animal by the road. I wasted no time in coming with my supplies, medicine, a cage, as well as my sample bag so I could take some specimen's around her house. This was a perfect opportunity to start collecting the evidence Joe needed.

Mrs. Kirk had the animal in her living room in an old cardboard box filled with blankets. It was a male raccoon probably a year old. The animal was so feisty I had to tranq it before I could start my examination. I felt a broken rib and a broke right front leg as well as several bruises across its chest, but no other injuries. Mrs. Kirk said she found the poor creature crawling alone the road. I'm not certain where the animal got its injuries. Had it been struck by a car, even one going as slow as they would need to on Russell, it would certainly have been dead by now.

I knew Mrs. Kirk's anxiety was genuine, but I assured her that I would take the raccoon to the Reserve. The animal will probably never return to the wild, not with its injuries. I assured Mrs. Kirk that it would be well take care of. I described the Reserve to her, and told her about the recovery rooms, with veterinarians on staff at all hours, plenty of water and food and exercise equipment to aid the animals in their recovery. Everything they could ever need to live comfortable lives is provided for them by the WMA. This seemed to satisfy her.

Once I'd tended the raccoon's injuries and had him secured in the cage, Mrs. Kirk offered me some tea and asked me about what Joe told her earlier. It seems the news that she could be forced into the Center disturbed her. She asked me if I wanted to put her in there too. I told her that I thought it was in everyone's best interest if she went to the Center. It's clear she doesn't want to go, but she didn't argue anymore. After finishing my tea I left and took my charge back to the Reserve. I think Joe's plan is finally working. Will have to compliment him on a job well done tonight over drinks.

'''From Ben Wendham's Personal Journal. 22:13 May 18, 2025'''

Bad news. I've been pacing for the last fifteen minutes since I received the phone call. If I don't sit down and record this, I think I'll never be able to calm down. Oh Joe! Where are you?

Let me try to record what happened this evening in order. I arrived at Oberland's around 20:00. Joe wasn't there yet, but I didn't think that too unusual. He often has to work late. I waited a full hour and when he still hadn't showed I called his SCA office to learn whether he was tied up. But he hadn't reported in after finishing his meeting with Mrs. Kirk around eleven.

I checked on his schedule and called his next visits, but they'd never seen him. I waited another half-hour before returning home. Fifteen minutes ago I received a call from the police. As I'm one of Joe Banton's closest associates, they questioned me as to his whereabouts. They were kind enough to explain to me that his car crashed along Russell only a few minutes after leaving Mrs. Kirk's house. He drove completely off the road and into the woods before crashing into a tree. They didn't find Joe in or near the crash but they did find his shoes next to the pedals. They found his socks twenty feet away from the crash, but they lost his trail once he reached the road.

The police have already talked with Joe's family but they don't know anything either. I asked them if they spoke with Mrs. Kirk and they had come by her place briefly, but she hadn't known anything, nor did she notice anything unusual with him when he left. A part of me suspects that she had something to do with his disappearance but what and how? The motive is clear; to keep him from moving her into the Center. But if she had something to do with his disappearance, then she'd be put in prison or a mental health center at the latest, and that's a far worse situation for somebody her age!

Still, even though I can't figure out how she's involved, I know she has to be. If she wasn't, then why didn't she mention that the police came by when I stopped to pick up the raccoon? Speaking of the raccoon, I called the Reserve a few minutes ago. The raccoon is doing well, though still quite shocked at being in the recovery enclosure. He's been frantically scratching at the walls and windows and trying to pull out his bandages and fur. I recommended they keep the little fellow on pain killers. That should help him calm down. In time he'll adjust to living at the Reserve.

Ah, if I can't help find Joe, at least I can take care of my animals. That's something at least.

Oh, personal note, make an appointment with a doctor. I've got this weird rash on my chest and it itches like crazy.

Oh, Joe! What's happened to you? Where have you gone? Maybe I'll find out tomorrow. Maybe.

{{Separator|k}}

[[Category: Story]]
[[Category: MatthiasRat]]
[[Category: Animal]]

User:MatthiasRat

2008-11-15T02:20:34Z

MatthiasRat: Added a new misc. story

{{my stories}}
== Welcome to the Matthias Rat/Trike's User Page! ==

Hello all! I'm Charles Matthias, more commonly known online as MatthiasRat or MattTrike. I was introduced to many good friends through the Transformation Story Archive, so now I am delighted to post a few of my own works on its newest incarnation.

=== Stories by Charles Matthias ===

* [[User:MatthiasRat/BadPapers | Bad Papers]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/GillieGift | Gillie's Gift]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/LadyNoHelp | The Lady Who Didn't Want Help]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/ALong-ForgottenMadness | A Long-Forgotten Madness]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/The Perfect Girl | The Perfect Girl]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Pruning | Pruning ]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/AnUnexpectedStop | An Unexpected Stop]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/WUN | WUN]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/YouCanOnlySee | You Can Only See]]

=== My Paradise Stories ===

* [[User:MatthiasRat/MadeAlone | Made Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/BathingAlone | Bathing Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Not Quite Alone | Not Quite Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Suspected Alone | Suspected Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Revealing Alone | Revealing Alone]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Convention Building | Convention Building]]
* [[User:MatthiasRat/Model Building | Model Building]]

And everyone remember: <math>1 + \mathrm{e}^{\mathrm{i}\pi} = 0</math>. It's that important.

[[Image:BrutonMattRat.gif]] [[Image:MattTrikeHappy.JPG]]
[[Category:Author]]{{DEFAULTSORT:MatthiasRat}}

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-13T17:41:09Z

MatthiasRat: Dinner's done and heading back to the hotel.

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-12T17:56:47Z

MatthiasRat: A little bit of Changed discussion before dinner

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-11T17:51:08Z

MatthiasRat: Food ordered and seated.

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-06T17:56:59Z

MatthiasRat: Next scene begun. Time to get some grub!

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-05T17:54:58Z

MatthiasRat: Finished the scene. Still lots more to go. Yeah, this one is getting quite a bit longer than anticipated. But I love just having fun with the different Changed characters.

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-04T17:58:40Z

MatthiasRat:

User talk:MatthiasRat/The Perfect Girl

2008-11-04T17:29:25Z

MatthiasRat: /* huh? */

I don't get it. Why did he abduct her? [[User:Irene|Irene]] 02:54, 21 August 2007 (EDT)

He abducted her because she became the one thing he couldn't refuse, a beautiful young boy. You see, he was a pedophile. --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 09:54, 19 January 2008 (EST)

I got that, it still didn't make a lot of sense... Oh well? [[User:Irene|Irene]] 14:07, 19 January 2008 (EST)

== huh? ==
I am still looking for a 2nd page to this story ...

: There is no second page. What you see here is exactly what you get. --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 12:29, 4 November 2008 (EST)

User talk:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-11-02T18:46:34Z

MatthiasRat:

Very nice so far, I really liked your other stories in this setting. One thing that occurred to me why didn't the bull have his horns cut? AFAIK no blood vessels to complicate matters and they don't keep growing so he'd just need someone to help him one time and be done with it - although it would probably be about as pleasant as having a tooth pulled.

The Unicorn

: To be honest, I haven't really given thought to Walter cutting his horns. I haven't read of anybody else trimming head gear, but if it is as you say with long horn bulls that the horns can be trimmed once and for all, well, there are a few things that pop into my mind. Walter may actually like the horns and doesn't want to lose them. The Change does adjust one to accept their new body. Maybe the thought of cutting his horns is just too horrifying to him now as a bull. Being a bull, he could be vain about his horns. Or its just that it would be a permanent change and there is some timidity in him about doing it.
: So I'm not really sure, but the more I think about Walter, the more I think he's the type to change the world around him to suit himself than to change himself to suit the world. So the horns stay for him.
: Thanks for reading and for asking such a thought provoking question! :-)
: --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 13:46, 2 November 2008 (EST)

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-10-31T16:43:07Z

MatthiasRat: And another scene! Marvel! One day I'll get to the topic of the story title.

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-10-30T16:35:23Z

MatthiasRat: GASP! I added another scene!

Talk:Best of Shifti

2008-10-04T01:40:17Z

MatthiasRat:

No, no, NO! Not that one! ANYTHING but that one!

Yea, sure, you can use it.

--Michael Bard, Oct 1/2008

Yes. I give full permission to use my story 'Gaia's Rain' in your Anthology.

Felix Sagittarius

Aka James Wolf
10/1 2008

Thank you both! ^^

--[[User:Devin|Devin]] 17:51, 1 October 2008 (EDT)

Meh. Feel free, so long as the publication process doesn't screw up the formatting.
--[[User:Viqsi|Viqsi]] 20:47, 1 October 2008 (EDT)

Go for it. [[User:Cubist|Cubist]] 01:07, 2 October 2008 (EDT)

I hereby give permission to use my story in exchange for a contributor copy of the anthology.
--[[User:Xodiac|Xodiac]] 14:50, 2 October 2008 (PDT)

Hiya! I'd be happy to see Hoof Beat in print - for my part, since this is a fund raiser, a courtesy copy (or two, :grin:) of the book would be all the payment I would look for. Hope it works out! --[[User:Posti|Bob Stein]] 16:30, 2 October 2008 (EDT)

Huh. No objections to using 501st, but I think I've written better ones more recently. Maybe the Perils of Voice Acting. I'll see if I can draw something related and scan it. --[[User:Joysweeper|Joysweeper]] 22:16, 2 October 2008 (EDT)

You have permission to use "Public Domain" for this collection. However, if I can sell it elsewhere, I reserve the right. I probably won't, mind you. But...
Phil Geusz

Sure, you can use "Sisters Three" as long as Jon approves; he's ''in'' the story so he should have some say. CGM

You may use my story "A Long Forgotten Madness" in your Best of Shifti book. I'm honored that you would so ask. --[[User:MatthiasRat|MatthiasRat]] 21:40, 3 October 2008 (EDT)

User:MatthiasRat/Model Building

2008-07-26T00:12:10Z

MatthiasRat: Added the next scene.