The Journey

Chapter 10

Will A. Sanborn

11/15 - 11/22/94

The first thing that draws my attention from the void is a low humming sound, seemingly all around me. My eyes still closed, I begin the long rise from the murky depths of a deep sleep, my mind still groggy, my senses slowly coming back to me.

What had happened? Where was I? Pondering the questions forming within me, I wait as the sleepiness drains from my mind. My eyes are still closed, as of now I'm not alert enough to force them open. My body still feels tired, whatever happened, it feels like I've been in a very deep sleep. Still I don't feel the same as after a nice, long nap; my mind still feels sluggish.

Okay, where had I been? What had I been doing? 'Hmmm... I remember I was with Marissa,' the thought of her bringing a smile, or so it felt, to my lips; although my mouth feels a little strange.

What had we been doing? 'Something was wrong wasn't it? Weren't we upset about something?' Something doesn't seem right about this, but I can't place it, my mind still full of cobwebs. Waiting a few more moments, still muddled from my sleep, another couple of things are drawn to my attention.

Firstly, my body feels exhausted, not just tired, but almost weighted down; I can barely move. Secondly, I'm beginning to notice a slight chill creeping in over me. 'What's going on here?' becoming more than a little concerned over the current situation. 'Why can't I think straight? Why can't I move?!' straining my mind, trying to concentrate.

'The lizards... they're boosting their power... I was caught in some kind of explosion...' All at once these thoughts come flooding over me, as pieces of my memory fit together like a puzzle. However, my mind is still fuzzy, unable to make sense out of everything, just getting small glimpses and a feeling of fear and urgency.

'I've got to get out of here!' trying to sit up and open my eyes; still my body won't respond. Slowly and maddeningly, I fight my way back to consciousness, my mind racing out of control, still only reacting to the fear, still full of cobwebs. Finally my eyes come open, and I'm not to happy about what greets me as they do so.

Darting my eyes back and forth, my head too tired to move, I'm in one of the rooms we hadn't discovered yet; what appears to be some strange combination of a medical lab and a chamber of horrors. From my point of view, it seems I'm lying supine on some sort of a bench or table. Looking off to my side, a second table, made of polished stone, rising about three feet off the ground, lies empty. Save for all of the instruments in the room, this is the only piece of furniture, if it can be called that, in the dimly-lit chamber. A single thought flashes through my confused mind, 'where's Marissa? I need to find her!'

Still I can't move, my body feels too heavy and lethargic, as well as a little cool, it just refuses to respond to my urgent commands. Trying to move my hand, it's too weak to even lift it; the whole situation is terrifying and frustrating at the same time, feeling my heart beat faster, pounding in my ears.

Turning my attention back to the room I've found myself in, my tired mind desperately tries to reason things out, coming up fairly short in the process. I realize I somehow survived whatever booby-trap I managed to set off back there, but what's going on now, I can only imagine. Looking at the array of instruments and devices clustered around me, I can only assume I'm going to be run through a series of tests and examinations, if not something worse.

Shuddering, even with my weakness, I get a better look at some of the devices in the room. First of all there's an assortment of scopes, readouts and a couple of terminals, all casting off a phosphorescent glow in the darkness, washing the lab in their pale and eerie light.

Putting a good deal of effort into it, I manage to turn my head, giving me a better look at what's off to the side; bad idea, I'd rather not have seen it. For off to my left, a few feet away, placed in a tray on a small cart, lies a disturbing array of instruments. 'Implements of torture' would be a more fitting term though, as several of them look like they could be used for cutting through things, and some are adorned with unusual points and edges; things I'd rather not think about.

Other instruments look innocuous at first, until the chill realization of their possible use strikes me. Given their long, blunt, rounded structures, with some telescoping attachments, they could very well be some sort of probes, used for studying various areas that I'd rather not know about.

A few other miscellaneous items lie in the tray, including a couple of syringes and some small metal plates, square, about an inch on a side, having what looks like jacks for wires to attach to them on their front faces. Turning away from this grim spectacle, forcing my head to turn once again, I'm greeted with another startling surprise above me.

I hadn't noticed before, since I'd been looking mostly straight up, or off to the sides, but above me, focused down on the center of my body, hangs a large rectangular device. Suspended a couple of feet above me, a tube looking much like a CRT from a television set juts out from the bottom, aiming down at me; it appears to be some sort of scanner. Looking up at it, feeling my pulse quicken, the screen gives off a faint, almost imperceptible glow, as it hums softly to itself, releasing intermittent clicks every so often.

Not too pleased with the notion of being studied like this, and for who knows what reasons, still upset about not being able to move, my eyes nervously scan the room once again. Looking off to the right this time, my heart gives another jump as yet another device comes into view. Rectangular, several feet long, yet only a couple of feet deep, the unit contains, among other things, some sort of a terminal and display screen. What's so disturbing about this unit however, is that several tubes and wires terminate there.

Nervously following them back to their points of origin, they disappear from my point of view, but obviously leading up to me, seemingly attached to my body at various points. Shuddering again, my mind leaping in terror, I try and bring my head up, giving up after a few moments when it's unable to escape gravity's pull.

Panting heavily, my mind races, 'what am I gonna do?' Struggling against the mounting panic flooding through me, I manage to channel some calming energy through my mind, slowly clearing it a little further. 'Okay, let's take this slow... see what I can do.'

First of all, how do I feel? Considering this for several moments, I realize that there's no pain that I can detect; either I didn't retain any serious damage from the blast I received, or they've got me on some sort of anesthetic. Next, my body's a bit cold, especially my back, then realizing wryly they must have taken my clothes in order to put me through all of this. Feeling my heat slowly being sucked through the rock behind me, I realize that the cold is not only a temperature sensation, but also some sort of a numbness. Yes indeed, they must have given me some sort of drug, which explains my current inability to move.

'Now what?' as I lie there, flat on my back, naked and vulnerable, hooked up to who knows how many machines, waiting for them to return and possibly do something even worse to me. Perhaps I can move a little, if I work at it. Lying there, I begin to slowly work at moving my hand, first starting with my fingers.

A few minutes pass, but I can feel it working. Straining lightly against the numbness, pushing a little further each time, then backing off to try again, progress is slow but steady. Finally I'm able to move my fingers, lifting them up, then stretching them and tapping them lightly on the hard, cool rock beneath them, only dimly aware of the loud clicking sounds my fingernails make as I do so.

After this, I need a rest. It had only taken a few minutes, but it felt much longer, and took a lot of effort. Dropping my hand back onto the table, only having lifted it a couple of inches at the most, I let out several heavy breaths, panting loudly against the humming of the machinery.

Something is strange as my mouth hangs open, but what is it? Pausing, considering just what it is that seems different, a couple of minutes pass before I can localize it. It's my mouth itself that feels weird, but how, what's so different about it?

Still panting, with my mouth partially open, and a small trail of drool dribbling from lips, my tongue seems overly sensitive, as my teeth grate against it. Pulling it inside my mouth, running it against the roof, my tender flesh gives out a small cry of protest, my tongue scraping across it. Confused by this, I rub along the sides of my mouth, desensitizing my over-active nerves. Getting used to this, my nerves calm some, but it still feels strange, different; something isn't right.

Muddling over this, still rubbing my tongue along the inside of my mouth, now used to the feeling and enjoying it, in a strange way, interested by the sensations. My tongue feels like sand paper, well not that abrasive, but it's definitely rough. 'It's like...' my jumbled mind searching for something, 'it's like... Marissa's tongue?'

No that can't be, then rubbing against my mouth once more, it does remind me of her tongue, smiling a little in spite of myself as I remember kissing her deeply. 'But that can be... if my tongue feels like hers... then...' Feeling my pulse quicken yet again, I open my mouth wider and jut my tongue out, gliding it along my teeth.

There's the familiar sensation of running my tongue along their hardness, but something's changed. They do seem sharper, 'no this isn't right...' then moving to the side of my mouth, my canines are pointed. Not just little pricks, but what feels like towering peaks, hard and sharp against my tender flesh.

My mind racing at this, blindly trying to assimilate the seemingly-incongruous information, I struggle to comprehend what's happening. 'What have they done to me?' Letting panic grip me for several moments, I finally struggle against the fear, forcing the emotions out, pulling myself back together.

Becoming a little more rational, my tongue still hanging out of my mouth, slightly panting, I realize I need to get a look at myself, to know for sure what's going on. Resting up for a few minutes, then pooling all of my reserves, I concentrate on lifting me head from the stone table. Putting what seems like all of my effort into it, I finally manage to bring my head up so I can look down at myself, straining every muscle of my neck in the process.

The scene unfolding before me confirms my fears, as the furry body of a felenzi lies spread out in front of me. Holding out against the terror building within me, my mind reeling at the implications, I fight against the fear, forcing myself to stay calm as I look down upon myself. Even so, my pulse feels heavy in my chest, my breathing forced, as I look at what I've become, 'how can this be happening?'

Feeling my body tense up and react as adrenaline courses through my felenzi veins, my heart beating loudly against my ears, fear washes back over me. Struggling to retain my sanity, I react quickly, forcing another wave of calming energy through me, spreading from my very core to every extremity. Slowly, rational thought comes back to me, as the terror ebbs away, 'I've got to keep myself together...'

Fighting fatigue, holding my head up, my eyes darting over my new form with nervous urgency, I take in the full sight of my feline body now before me. My sides, arms, legs, and presumably my face and back, are covered in rich, golden-brown fur, highlighted here and there with small streaks of black, while my chest, abdomen and inner thighs are colored a creamy-white.

My body seems a little bigger, with my arms and legs a little thicker than before, muscles rippling lightly under the fur. I'd always been in good shape, and as I'd demonstrated, could handle myself well in a fight, but had always been a little on the smallish or average side. Now I look a little bigger, not grotesquely so, just a nice, healthy build. Were the situation different, I might really admire this body, but now it's too much of a change, as my mind still shudders at the suddenness of the transformation.

Looking down toward my groin, I'm given another shock, as my manhood lies before me, hiding against the cool air of the room, only the pink tip peeking out from its sheath. That's right, I have a sheath, which I guess shouldn't startle me, given what I can think of about animal physiology, but it still comes as a pretty big surprise. Looking down again, I smile wryly, 'it looks like everything's gotten a little bigger... guess it fits nice with the rest of my though...'

Looking below my sheath and furry balls, covered in the same soft white fur as my belly, I notice my tail jutting out and lying between my legs. It's thick, like Marissa's, several inches around, and almost as long as my legs, typical dimensions for a felenzi of my size. It's colored uniformly in the same golden brown fur as my sides, that is except for at the tip, where the last few inches are colored in a dark, brownish black. Watching it, it twitches lightly, the dark tip moving around, as if on its own accord.

My feet, as expected, are now digitrade, with four squat toes on each one, retractable claws just barely poking through the surface of the fur. Looking at my hands, they too are the four-fingered appendages of a normal felenzi. Turning my hand on it's side, I see the palm is white like my front is. Lightly flexing my hand, still very weak, I manage to extend my claws, gleaming sharply in the dim light. Then as they retract into my fingers, still having a little trouble controlling them, my attention is brought to something more important, much more important.

Having gotten used to being a felenzi, at least so I'm no longer teetering on the edge of sanity, a new threat greets me. Looking at my body a little closer, as I lie on the stone slab, I can now see where all of the wires and tubes from the machinery are going to. Fear, an unwanted, yet familiar visitor, perched ever so near me, I look down and see over half a dozen wires attached to me, mostly on my chest and abdomen.

They aren't attached with simple adhesive pads like hospitals use for monitoring heart beats, brain waves, or something like that, no, nothing that friendly, perhaps that wouldn't work on my fur. Instead, each wire is attached to a needle, or pin, which is buried into my fur, and I assume also my flesh, only their tips visible. Shuddering at this, my heart missing a beat or two, my breathing becoming heavier, there's an even nastier surprise still waiting for me.

Besides the wires, there are several tubes connecting me to the array of machinery filling the room. Most of them are small, the size of IV tubes I'd seen in hospitals before, but one of them is close to three times that size. These tubes are connected to me at several points, one of them connected to my right arm at the inside of my elbow; I hadn't even noticed it when I'd lifted my hand up. Another disappears into my side, while still another snakes underneath me, down near the base of my spine, disappearing under my back. All of these tubes are filled with a clear liquid, so I assume it must some sort of drug they're using on me, perhaps to keep me under control while they do whatever it is they're doing to me.

This isn't the worst of it though, as I notice where the final, larger tube is going. Looking down, following it to the end, it's buried deep within my hip. Watching in disgust, it slowly pumps a thick, bloody fluid from me, my life essence sucked into the bowels of the machinery, disappearing from me drop by drop.

Terror and revulsion crashes in upon me, as fatigue also takes it's toll. No longer able to hold my head up, I let go, my skull crashing down with a heavy thud on the cold stone beneath me. The dull pain echoes through me, helping to clear me head, keeping my wild, racing thoughts at bay. Holding out against the fear, concentrating hard, I bring myself back to control once again. Then after working at it, I manage to send some healing magic to my head, dulling the pain, at least partially.

That takes most of my energy, and although I can still move a little, there's not much more I can do. Struggling I manage to move my hand, and even lift it slightly, but it's almost useless, there's no strength in it. I can't even pull the tube out from my arm, I'm at their mercy.

Lying there, weak and numb, my mind still confused and scared, I notice something else. The optics of my felenzi eyes are subtly different than what I'm used to. First of all, they seem to be better adapted at low light levels, as I have an easier time making out the fine details in this dim room than I would have before. However, as a drawback to this, my elliptical pupils seem to slightly accent vertical edges more than horizontal ones.

This is certainly interesting, but I've got better things to occupy my time. 'How am I gonna get out of here... and what have they done with Marissa?' Thinking of Marissa, my fear turns to concern. After only a week of being together as lovers, I can't lose her now.

I don't have too long to worry about this though. Muddling things over, sporadic thoughts echoing through my mind as I struggle to solve this situation I've been thrown into, I'm soon interrupted by the door opening at the other end of the room. I don't really hear it, as the mechanism is silent, but I somehow can sense it, maybe because of the subtle change in light levels, maybe because magic is involved.

Turning my head toward the doorway, one of the lizards walks in, dressed in a dark, maroonish-brown cloak. Stepping through the doorway, the wall coalesces behind him. He makes a quick hand gesture into the air, and the lights come up to full intensity, leaving me blinking as I adjust to the brightness.

Looking at me with the cold fire of determination in his beady little eyes, he walks over toward me. Before he reaches me, his thick, heavy scent, strong and definitely reptilian, washes over me, wafting into my sensitive nostrils. At first it's overwhelming, as I almost gag from the sheer strength of it, then adapting to my new senses, things drop into place. He still smells strong, and a little unpleasant, a little sick maybe, but I can manage it.

As he crosses the short distance from the doorway to the bench I'm spread out on, my body reacts quickly, pumping felenzi hormones into my system, the adrenaline running high. Feeling my ears stand up, and my fur become prickly with anticipation, I'm surprised to hear a low growl rising up from within me, gently rumbling my upper chest.

Instinctively opening my mouth and baring my teeth, my fingers stretch, extending my sharp and powerful claws. Unfortunately, with the condition I'm in, this is about all I can do, putting on an empty show of force. In my weakened state, I doubt if I could even make a token swipe at him with one of my paws.

Looking at me with some interest, he goes first to one of the many machines filling the room, stooping over a display. Punching several keys on the terminal, he brings up what looks like medical charts, with various graphs and several diagrams of what I assume must be parts of my physiology. Looking on with slight interest, overshadowed by my apprehension, I watch the lizard study the readouts scrolling quickly by in front of him.

Perhaps a minute or two passes, my heart pounding loud within my ears, as I wait with uncertainty, scared of what lies ahead. Finally turning around, looking at me yet again with his cold stare, the lizard walks over until he's standing directly above me, his peering down at me over his pointed snout. "So, I see you're conscious," his voice cold and without emotion, with just the slightest trace of a hiss to it. Saying this, he reaches out and places a single hand on my chest, his long taloned fingers poking through my fur, touching the skin underneath; his touch is cool, and sends a shiver through me.

Growling briefly, I manage to bring myself to speak, "what have you done to me?" my voice trembling, giving away my fear; I must look absolutely pathetic, cowering weakly beneath him like this.

A slight smirk, crosses his lips, still looking rather cold, "don't blame us... this was all your own doing... If you hadn't invaded our privacy... if you hadn't messed with our equipment... playing with something you obviously don't understand... you wouldn't have been transformed like this... Still, it shows us that things are getting closer for our plans..."

"We're surprised you survived it at all though," he continues. "You didn't have the power levels up to full, but they were still high enough to affect a drastic change... We still don't know how you did it, given that the unit wasn't calibrated or setup properly..."

"It seems you have a stronger magical aptitude than we'd thought... Hopefully the readings we've taken will show something... It doesn't explain everything, but it will give us we're looking for... It seems you and the female both have bodies highly suited for magic use..."

At the mention of Marissa, my ears perk up, "what have you done with her?" again the nervousness evident in my voice.

"We're through with her... We turned our studies toward you... You seem to have a better physiology for what we're looking for..."

"You bastards!" my voice becoming a growl, feeling rage flood through me, sure they've harmed Marissa, my mate. In an instant, I gather the necessary energy within me, and lifting my hand up slightly, point up towards the lizard and unleash a mighty bolt of power.

Except nothing happens, one second the energy was flowing within me, the next it just fizzled out, as if it was sucked away; it felt almost like something had dampened or quenched the flow, as a slight shiver ran through me. Looking up at the lizard, he flashes me a brief toothy grin, "your power is strong, but it's no match for ours... Don't bother trying to fight us..." A moment later his face returns to the stoic mask it was before, as he continues to study me.

"We don't want to hurt you... You're going to be very useful to us... In fact, we're very lucky you decided to interrupt us... We'll be able to finish things much faster now..."

All I can do is look numbly back up at him, the thwarted spell having taken the last of my reserves, and his counter-measure having weakened me even further. With him this close, his hand still on my chest, his scent is extremely strong. The reptilian component of it isn't all that bad, given a chance to get used to it, although it is a bit overpowering, as I'm still getting used to how acute my new nose is.

However, there's another part to his scent that is very disturbing, and it takes a couple of moments to place it. Then realizing what it is, I shudder slightly at the thought, for what I'm smelling is disease or decay. It's not as strong as his main scent, just lingering there in the background, but it's enough to turn my stomach and cause me to wrinkle my nose.

Looking at him, he appears very thin, as the cloak just hangs on his frame; I'm sure if he was to open it, his scaly skin would be stretched across his ribs. On the left side of his face, a small brown spot is forming, only about the size of a nickel, but it looks like it could progress into the same hideous wounds that we saw on the bodies in the morgue.

His eyes appear just the tinniest bit sunken, and he looks as if he's missed a lot of sleep, as well as not being in the finest health. It's as if his body wants to collapse, but he's keeping himself moving by pure determination. Still, even as weak as he looks, he seems to have a lot of strength left, and magic to boot. They're almost like the living dead, my mind reeling at the thought.

Moving his fingers along my chest, he comes to the first of the needles. Disconnecting the wire and letting it drop to the floor, he holds the needle between two of his fingers, and twisting it slightly, pulls it out. There's no pain, only a slight pressure, as my body still feels numb and cool. Holding the needle up, it's about two and a half or three inches long. Cringing at what kind of a wound that thing left, he reaches over me and drops it in the tray off to my left.

Then bringing his hand back down to the spot where the needle had been poking into my flesh, he places his fingers firmly down on it. Feeling a slight tingle, even through the numbness, I realize he's taking the time to heal me, which perhaps might be a good sign.

Going through the same process with the remaining needles, he then turns his attentions to the tubes still connected to me. Getting back a little of my energy, I lift my head once again, satisfying a perverse sense of curiosity, intermingled with my apprehension. Removing the tubes from my arm and side, and dropping them to the floor, they spill the clear liquid out, making small puddles at his feet, of which he's totally oblivious. As with the needles, he seals up the wounds they left behind.

Then forcing one of his hands underneath me, grabbing me by my now-feline haunches, he firmly lifts me up; even in his condition this seems effortless. With my hips up in the air like that, he reaches in with the other hand, coming to the base of my spine. Doing so he brushes past the root of my tail, which sends a small shiver through me, sort of a ticklish sensation, but almost a tingle of pleasure; it's so strange to feel an appendage connected there. Then realizing how sensitive Marissa's tail is, and how she likes me to stroke it when we're mating, I feel my face heat up, understanding the root of those strange sensations.

Ignoring my modesty and discomfort, the lizard simply reaches up to grasp the tube connected there, yanking it out. Tossing it aside with the others, I feel him apply the similar healing energy, before pulling away, and roughly dropping my butt back onto the table.

Now all that is left is the large tube stuck into my leg, right below my hip. Grasping this tube, he has to work it out slowly, as it's buried deep within me. Shuddering in disgust, several bloody inches are revealed to me, as finally the end, complete with a hollow needle, is taken from the wound. Dropping it to the floor with the others, a small puddle of the thick, bloody substance oozes out of it.

Glancing back to my leg, it's dribbling more of the liquid. Unfazed by how this treatment is affecting me, he simply places a finger over the wound, stopping the flow of blood and in a flash of warmth, soon has it knitted back together, good as new. The wound wasn't even big enough to leave a bald spot on my fur.

Relieved to finally be disconnected from all of their devices, I let out a small sigh. Looking at me, perhaps a little quizzically, his steely eyes suggest there's still more to come. Then leaning over me once again, he reaches into the pan off to my left and retrieves a syringe, a rather large syringe in fact.

Holding it up, as if for me to get a better look, it's about four inches long, easily an inch in diameter, with a needle almost as long as the syringe itself. Looking up at him, our eyes meet, as his cold stare pierces through me. "What... what are you gonna do with that?" again my voice cracking under the tension.

"We still need to get some cells from your stomach... We've found they make the best samples..." His cool and tempered voice sends shudders through me as he places his hand firmly down on my belly.

Feeling my stomach tighten into several knots, I tilt my head backwards, bringing it back to the table, closing my eyes and clenching my jaw tight. He hisses at this, as if he's laughing. Opening my eyes, his mouth is open slightly, forming another menacing smirk, as his forked tongue darts over his sharp teeth.

"You won't feel a thing... you're still under the influence of the drugs... Now hold still..."

As if I have a choice in the matter, my body still weak and almost lifeless. Closing my eyes again, lying there I feel a slight prick in my stomach, followed by a strong pressure, pushing into me. Then there's a slight warmth, as the pressure increases, spreading outward into my belly. It doesn't hurt exactly, but it isn't really all that comfortable either, making me feel a little queasy; that along with the knowledge of what's happening, makes it very hard to stifle a few whimpers.

Finally, after what seems like forever, the pressure retreats and I feel the warm embrace of his healing magic washing over me. Lying there, my eyes closed, panting, I silently plead for the torture to be over.

I almost jump when his fingers stroke my cheek, that is I would've jumped if I had any strength for it. Snapping my eyes open, he's peering down directly at my face, his face only a foot or so away from mine. In his right hand, he holds another, smaller syringe, filled with greenish-yellow liquid.

As if in answer to my eyes wide with fear, he simply states "we're done with you now... This shot will counteract the effects of the drug we gave you... relieving your numbness and giving you back your strength..."

With that, he bends down and taking my arm in his hand, aligns the needle with a vein, and forces it in. Depressing the plunger, all of the colored liquid disappears into me, now coursing through my system. Part of me doesn't believe him, yet there's nothing I can do, and why would he bother lying to me.

Withdrawing the needle, he adds, "it works fairly quickly... You'll get some of your strength back in a few minutes... You'll still be weak though, and you'll need my help getting up..."

Lying there, waiting, with him above me, a light tingling soon comes over my body. Within minutes the numbness drains out of me, my body warming slightly. Then trying to lift my arm, I breath a sigh of happy relief as it now lifts much easier on my command; my body still feels weak or tired, but I think I could get up in this state.

Nodding at me, the lizard takes my arm and helps me up to a sitting position. Then swinging my legs over the side of the stone table, he helps me to stand on my unsteady feet, draping one arm around his shoulder, letting me lean on him for support. Standing up, I'm about an inch or so taller than him, my body bigger than his, looking stronger than his emaciated frame, yet still I need to lean some of my weight against him.

Turning to look at me, "good... Now we can get you out of here... You'll still be weak for a little while longer though... and don't think of trying anything... I'm still stronger than you, and you've seen what I can do against your magic..."

With that we're off, shuffling slowly toward the end of the lab, my legs still wobbly; if he were to let go of me, I'd surely collapse on the floor. Walking on my now digitrade feet is very disorienting at first, as it seems like I'm sort of standing only on the front parts of my feet. For a couple of moments, I'm afraid of losing my balance, but my tail helps to act as a counterweight, with the structure of my new body designed to keep me centered; once I get used to it. Taking a few steps, I think I can adjust to this, especially since there seems to be no other alternative.

Nearing the wall, we pass by another large piece of machinery, still humming softly, its metal sides polished brightly. Pausing, it's possible to see our reflections in the polished steel; they're distorted, but it's enough to give me a general idea of what my new body looks like.

Except for the fact I'm leaning weakly against the lizard, I'm a perfect specimen of a male felenzi. Standing tall, my fur clean and, for the most part, smooth, the golden-brown of my body making a striking contrast with the white fur of my front. Glancing up, I see the head of a cougar looking back at me with amber eyes; short wavy, dark-brown hair covering my head, and feline ears pointing out through its gentle waves. The golden brown of my fur, meeting the white of my neck and muzzle, as well as the two dark, vertical stripes on either side of my mouth, makes quite an attractive visage. Under different circumstances, I might consider this body quite handsome, but now, with everything else, the change only adds to my tension. At least the cougar markings ease my mind a little, I'd always admired their fur patterns, and thought they were beautiful cats.

I catch another small smirk on the lizard's face, as he guides me past our reflections and toward the door which opens before us. Walking me out into the hallway, we follow it perhaps fifty feet, coming to another lizard, looking much like the first one, thin and sickly, dressed in a similar cloak. The second lizard nods slightly at us as we come to a stop before him, then turning to the wall and making a couple of gestures with his hands, another doorway opens for us.

Guiding me inside, I see it's a small room, about fifteen feet on a side, furnished with basic bedding and toilet facilities. A moment later, my heart leaps, as I notice Marissa getting up off the mattress, she's okay! Like myself, she's also stripped down to the fur, looking well off considering the circumstances.

Taking another step into the room, she hisses at us, her ears going back; I feel mine go back also, instinctively reacting to her confrontation. "What are you doing with that male?" she growls, advancing on the lizard.

Taking one look at her, he simply drops me to the hard, smooth floor of the room, stepping back through the opening. Screaming at this, Marissa charges after him, only to run into the solid wall, missing the door closing by a couple seconds.

Growling in frustration, pounding her fist against the wall, she turns back to me. Lying there, still weak from the effects of the drug, I'd managed to turn over on my back; that's about all I think I can do, feeling the dull pain from crashing down on the floor.

"Who are you?" her voice still sharp and alarmed, as she looks at me with suspicion, and that's not all, as she takes a couple of quick, furtive glances, perusing my new and impressive furry form.

Cautiously, she steps towards me, coming closer, but staying out of my reach. Lying down on the floor, feeling weak and confused, I don't think to answer her. Looking up at her, probably with a dazed look washed across my face, I'm relieved to know she's okay. Seeing her standing there, alive and unharmed, some of my fears are calmed.

Then looking at her soft, furry body, with her muscles accentuated as she stands in a slight crouch, readying herself to fight if necessary, my eyes wander over her beautiful form; her black spots playing nicely across the snowy fields of her body. Feeling my thoughts becoming muddled with desire, I notice that with my new nose her scent is stronger now. Breathing in deeply, my lungs fill with her rich, spicy scent; so alluring and intriguing, my fur prickling lightly with excitement.

Warmed by her presence, I guess I smile up at her, my eyes alit with desire. Her ears go back at this, and I realize I'm in trouble. In a flash she's upon me, screaming and leaping onto my chest. "Don't you get any funny ideas... I'm not here to be your mate," she snarls, bringing her claws to bear on my flesh, digging deep into me. With the other hand she grabs me by the neck, squeezing tightly, working her knees onto my arms, effectively pinning me to the floor.

"Marissa... it's me... Ben..." I manage to gasp, my voice forced through her choke hold.

Her eyes going wide with surprise, registering a barrage of emotions, flashing through confusion, disbelief, and happiness, then on to relief. "Ben... is it really you? What have they done to you?" her voice still showing a trace of disbelief, releasing her strangle hold upon my neck.

Looking up at her, this beautiful felenzi perched on top of me, some of the weight is lifted from my soul, knowing she's okay, and if nothing else we're together for the moment. Feeling a slight smile creep over my lips, even with all of the trouble still festering within me, I reply "I don't know exactly... somehow whatever I was messing with... it changed me... Even the lizards don't know what happened... I gather I'm lucky to be alive though... Not that it looks like it's doing us any good..."

"Ben, I saw you get ripped apart back there..." her voice softening, her eyes beginning to glisten over. "I thought you were dead... then they burst in and hit me with something... Next thing I knew, I was somewhere else, and they were... doing strange things to me..." she shudders slightly at this.

"I know... that's where I just came from... Are you alright?"

"Yes..." then realizing I'm bleeding from four red stripes along my chest, "oooh... I'm sorry Ben... I didn't know..."

Reaching down to softly touch my wounds, she takes the pain away, knitting the torn flesh, then lingers, running her fingers gently through my fur, only slightly stained with my blood. Watching her, as she looks down at me as if contemplating my new form, my lips draw back into a gentle smile.

Slowly easing herself off of me, she drags her hands to mine, taking my hand in hers. "Can you get up?" Nodding weakly, I let her help me up to a standing position; gingerly supporting some of my weight on her, we cross the room to the stone slab with a mattress and a couple of blankets on it. Looking down at her, using her height as a reference, it seems I've grown to two or three inches above six feet, as I'm now about five or six inches above her.

Guiding me onto the mattress, I fall onto it, leaning my back against the cool, smooth wall, still very weak from the drugs, my mind aching from all that has happened. Sitting beside me, pressing her warm body against mine, she turns and watches me, looking into my dazed eyes, her own eyes deep with concern. "Ben, are you okay?"

Floored by her question, a melange of desperate and wild emotions stirring within me, I'm unable to answer right away. It takes a few moments, our eyes locked in each other's gaze, before I can finally reply, "I don't know Marissa... It's all so sudden..."

Continuing to gaze into the depths of my soul, she regards me with her green eyes brimming with emotions. Moments pass in silence, before I finally ask "hold me... please," my voice soft and plaintive.

"Oh Ben..." she leans into me, throwing her warm arms around me, gripping me tightly. Holding me in this firm embrace, my arms slowly snake around her to grip her even closer to me, feeling her calming presence wash over me.

Still, I begin to tremble slightly, feeling wild and confused thoughts racing through me, feeling my eyes water, sniffling once or twice. At this she holds me tighter, slowly stroking my sides, massaging the anguish out of me. Leaning her head against my chest, her caring presence surrounds me; closing my eyes, I try and let everything go.

For several minutes she holds me like this, silently reassuring me, as my tremblings die down and my mental turmoil begins to dissipate. Opening my eyes slowly, looking down at her, warmth flows over me. Holding my arms around her, I hug her gently against me, enjoying the healing feel of her warm fur against mine.

Softly nuzzling my chest, she gently parts the fur and rubs her cool nose against my sensitive flesh, sending tiny tingles through me. Holding each other like this, time slows between us, my spirits slowly lifting, having my lover administer her tender mercies upon me.

Holding her there, as she continues to softly pet me, my mind calms, the worries drain from me, flowing out of me, seeping into the cool floor below. Whatever happens, she's with me now, and her gentle touch quenches the wild fires burning within me.

Minutes later, gazing down on her beautiful body, I give her a gentle squeeze. Loosening my grip on her slightly, she pulls away from me, only enough to raise her head; looking back up at me, smiling warmly. My voice soft and appreciative, "thank you Marissa," sniffling once more as a couple of tears run down my furry cheek.

Her deep and caring eyes gazing at me, she replies "I know this is hard for you Ben... You've been through a lot... We'll get through this together..."


Copyright 1994, Will A. Sanborn - was1@shore.net