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Helping the Herd By: Theo Winters

Felicia and Theo walked together down the sidewalk, each one carrying a pair of bags in their hands. The cheetah was in the lead, walking a few steps ahead of the lion, each step she took sending her long hips rocking as he long tail swayed from side to side. Theo was behind her, smiling as she watched her walk, enjoying the view.

For her part, she didn't mind teasing him, her boyfriend was always very attentive to her and would do anything to please her or make her happy. True, he would follow her for hours just to watch her ass, but he would also got to hell and back to please her... not that she wanted him to do that again.

They came to a stop at a crosswalk, waiting for a light to change. The traffic was light for a Saturday afternoon and there wouldn't be long to wait. As they waited she shuffled her feet against the ground, looking over to where Theo was standing. He was sifting his bags from paw to paw. "How are you doing, hon?"

"I'm doing okay," he replied, switching the bags around in his hands.

She shook her head. "I know you like doing the honorable lion thing, but I can carry my own bags."

"Oh, I like doing it. It's kind of nice, you know? It makes me feel manly," he replied, chuckling softly.

Felicia returned the chuckle. "Manly huh? Half of these clothes are for you."

The blush was bright enough she could see it through the black of his name. She could understand why he was embarrassed, it was the truth. Most of the dresses in their bags were for him, and even if he had protested that he didn't need any party dresses she had insisted. She wanted to be sure that he would be ready if he needed them again.

"I shouldn't have told you about my night out with Annis. We didn't need so many," he said, but it was a weak protest.

She laughed and gave him a loving smile. "A woman needs to have a selection of dresses so she can wear the proper one for the occasion. Trust me, you'll thank me for this the next time you go out as Thea, or if I can drag you out dancing."

"If you say so," he replied, though there was a hint of anticipation in his voice. Maybe he was finally starting to give in on the idea of going out to dance with her?

The light finally changed for them and they started walking again. There were still a few blocks until they reached the car but she wasn't in a hurry, instead she took her time, enjoying the warm sunlight on her fur. She didn't even notice when her boyfriend stopped at the entry to an alleyway.

"Hey hon, hold up."

Felicia came to a stop, looking back at the lion. He was leaning down the alley, his long hair swaying against his back. "What is it?"

"I think Godfrey is still here."

She struggled to come up with the name. "Godfrey, the mage?" she guessed.

The lion nodded before he started down the alley, walking carefully around the standing puddles of water. She followed after him, not quite sure what to expect, in the distant part of the alley she could see a small tent tucked in next to a dumpsters, the brown fabric mingling in with the grey of the buildings.

She tried to pull up a memory of this mage, a small frown crossing her muzzle as she finally came up with something about him. "Wait, Godfrey? Wasn't he the one--"

"Yes, that was him," he said, laughing slightly. "I learned my lesson from that and we're still on good terms. I was at his shop last week, I'm just surprised he's still in down. Usually he's around for only a day or two."

"If you're sure," she said.

He looked back, giving her a smile as he pushed his glasses up his wide muzzle, an awkward move considering he was still carrying the bags. "I'm sure, hon."

They moved down the alleyway towards the tent. It was small, maybe four feet wide and a bit longer on the side. The fabric had been patched a number of times, making it a mix of different shades of brown, it look more like a quilt then a tent.

Theo grabbed the flap on the tent, then shooting his girlfriend a smile he stepped inside, motioning for her to follow after him. She pushed under the tent flap, only slightly surprised to find that the dimensions on the inside of the tent were completely unrelated to the outside. The small tent held a large shop, rows and rows of short shelves lined the hard wood floor, each one was lined with all sorts of items, most of which she didn't recognize. At the far end of the room was a long counter and next to it was a wide door that looked like it lead outside.

"Wow," She finally said, it seemed appropriate.

He turned back and gave her a smile as he set the bags on the floor. "I know."

"It's just like your show," she said, though it sounded somewhat dumb once she said it.

He nodded and started walking through the shop. "See, aren't you glad I had you watch it?"

"I suppose," the cheetah replied, setting her own bags down near the door. It was a bit hard to take in. Theo might have dealt with magic almost daily but she didn't.

Walking quickly to the counter, the lion leaned over it and looked around. "Godfrey, are you here?" he called out, his voice echoing through the shop. A few moments later the mage came out of the large doorway.

This time Felicia was very surprised. He was a human, and rather muscular looking as well, though had a tiredness in his face and bags under his eyes. His was wearing a dress shirt that had the first couple buttons open and suits pants, his red hair was a mess and his shoes, which looked to have been rather well polished at one point in time but now they were dirty. It wasn't the first time she had seen a human, but this one just seemed different.

"Theo, what are you doing here?" the mage asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question. I hope we didn't come at a bad time?"

Godfrey reached up and ran his hands through his hair, brushing it back down into something that looked tidy, though there was still a cowlick sticking up in the back. "It's not the best time, one of my girls is sick."

"How bad is it?" the lion asked, moving towards the back door.

"She's been getting better, but it will still be a few days before she can travel. I have an appointment I need to be at tomorrow real time and I'm already shorthanded to begin with. I can't haul the whole shop without the full team."

Felicia flicked her ears back, not quiet understanding what the mage was talking about. At first she thought he might have a sick child, but that didn't quite make sense for hauling anything. She just found herself confused, but decided not to ask about it just yet.

"Damn," the lion replied, stepping though the doorway with the human. The other feline followed a few steps after, surprised yet again by what she saw. Behind the shop was a large open filed, the ground covered with bright green glass that glowed in the sunlight. That was odd as there simply wasn't any sun, instead the roof of the tent arched high overhead, sitting in a large dome over the field.

The center of the flied was dominated by five large elephants, four were standing upright, staying close to a fifth one who was laying on the ground, her ears flapping lazily in the non-existent wind.

"These are the elephants you insulted?" she asked, still trying to take in the impossibly large room.

"Yes they are, but I think he's learned his lesson, didn't you?" Godfrey said with a slight smile.

Theo just nodded as he looked out over the elephants. "Do you know what made her sick?"

"I believe she picked up a virus somewhere. I'm treating her as well as I can, but with her in this shape I can't travel."

He nodded and the two men started walking up towards the group of elephants. Felicia followed just after them, not quite sure how to handle herself around the large animals. She didn't want to do anything that would startle them.

"Is there any way you can travel with only part of the shop?" Theo asked.

The human shook his head as he walked through the standing elephants and placed a hand on the one laying on the ground, stroking it over her grey skin. "Not really, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to leave her alone without someone to look after her."

Felicia stopped just outside the circle of elephants, looking at them as they turned their large heads to look back at her, tusk swinging around to block her path behind the two men. They big eyes stared unblinking at her for a few moments before they finally looked away, letting her pass.

"Thank you," she said. She felt really out of her element by everything that was going on. Humans, elephants and mages, that was all Theo's thing. He was comfortable with dealing with it, she just felt like she was in over her head.

"What sort of looking after would she need?" Theo asked, bending down to stroke a hand over the sick elephant's flank, his tail flicking slowly over the grass.

Godfrey sighed softly and slumped down a bit. "I just want someone to keep an eye on her, just in case something happens. I'm not expecting any further problems, but I would just feel better knowing that someone is watching over her."

The lion nodded, his long hair dancing over his shoulders and sliding off his back. "How long would it be?"

"No more than two days, but it wouldn't matter. Even if someone was watching her I couldn't bring the whole shop over without her," he said, stroking his hand slowly over her frank, worry still lining his face.

Theo turned around, giving Felicia a quick look, his ears flicking back slightly. He didn't even have to ask the question, she knew exactly what he wanted to ask. One constant about Theo was how willing he was to help his friends. If that meant that they babysat a sick elephant for a weekend then so be it.

She gave him a nod in agreement.

The lion stood up and moved to stand next to the mag. "Well, if you can find a way to go we can watch her for you until you get back."

Godfrey looked up at him for a moment before nodding, a small smile on his lips. "Thank you, that means a great deal to me. More so after what happened last time."

"No worries, I learned my lesson and I did kind of deserve it. In truth it turned out to be a great deal of fun."

"It's a pity I can't take you up on it. There's no reasonable way to break up my shop and transport it with one less elephant. Unless I can find a new pack animal there is very little that I can do. But I still appreciate the offer," he replied, standing back up and tugging at his shirt.

"Oh, do you know where you can find one around here?"

Godfrey shook his head, turning back and heading towards the door to the shop. "There is no place in this world where I could rent a pack animal for the week I would need one."

The lion followed after him, his ears perking up as he started to get a familiar bounce in his step, his tail flicking in anticipation. Once again the cheetah could tell exactly what her boyfriend was thinking, but then anyone who knew him could read his mind this time. As she followed behind the two men she pulled out her cellphone, starting to check what their plans for the next week was supposed to be and what she could cancel.

"A week?" Theo asked.

"It will take three days of travel to reach where I need to go and just as many to get back. I can fulfill my tasks in less than a day," the mage explained as they walked back into the shop. He started to walk down the shelves, picking up a few carefully selected items.

"But you said you needed to be there tomorrow, and only needed someone to watch her for two days," the lion replied.

Godfrey chuckled a bit as walked to the counter, setting the items out in front of himself. "Yes I do. It will take three days to make the journey between the worlds, but to the outside world the trip would be almost instantaneous. If I do not dally I will be back before nightfall tomorrow."

That made Theo's ears perk up even more. "By tomorrow... really?" he asked, rubbing his chin.

Felicia shook her head, sending a quick text message to Brandi, telling the snow leopard that she wouldn't be able to make it to dinner that night.

The mage responded with a short nod, starting to mix his ingredients into a small glass decanter, his hands glowing as he worked. The color of the liquid kept changing as he mixed things together, starting clear then turning light orange, then dark red, brown, blue and orange before finally settling into a warm grey color.

Theo finally broke into a smile. "You know, I think I have a solution to you problem."

"Oh really?" Godfrey asked, setting the potion down on the counter in front of the lion. He was starting to chuckle a bit and Felicia couldn't help herself, joining in a moment later. They were both a few steps ahead of her boyfriend.

He didn't notice. "Well, if we'll be back by tomorrow night you could turn me into a replacement elephant for the tip."

The mage broke into a laugh and Felicia over and hugged Theo. "Hon, you're so easy."

"What?" he asked in surprise.

Godfrey pushed the decanter across the counter to the lion. "Theo, you are one of the most transparent people I know when it comes to your desires. Drink this and it will be done."

Chuckling slightly, the lion picked up the potion and swirled it around in the decanter. "I guess I'm pretty oblivious when it comes to my transformations," he paused and looked back at Felicia. "Are you okay with this, hon? I know this will kill are plans for tonight."

She smiled at him and shook her head. "It's fine, you need to help your friend and I'll be happy to keep an eye on the elephant for the night... though we can't exactly keep her in the backyard."

"I will just leave the field here for the time being. It will last at least a week without any intervention, so even if we return late you will be fine. I want to thank both of you for this, there is no need but for you to be doing this, so you have my appreciation and thanks. If there is anything I can do for you, either of your, just ask me and I will attempt to do it. And Theo, before you have to ask, I will hold onto the next transformation artifact that I come upon."

The lion blushed a bit but nodded. "Thank you. I'm sure Felicia would have some ideas as well. I know there have been a few things she asked me to find for her."

Godfrey glanced at the cheetah for a moment, giving her a knowing smile. She blushed slightly at the attention, her ears flicking back slightly against her hair. "Well, I'm sure whatever she wants I should be able to find it. Think about what you would like and we shall discuses it when I return."

She nodded, not quite sure what to say. There were a few things she had suggested in the past, but nothing ever really important or that serious. She would really have to think about what she would want from him.

The mage turned back to Theo. "We should join the rest of the elephants before you drink that."

"That's probably a good idea," he replied, sniffing at the potion in the decanter before they started back towards the field. Felicia followed after the two men, still wondering what she had gotten herself into. She had no idea how to take care of a sick elephant, or even a healthy one.

The three of them stepped out into the flied, Theo moving a few feet forward, still swirling the decanter. "Should I strip for this?"

"No, the spell will insure your clothing will be safe."

He nodded, then with a deep breath lifted the decanter up to his lips and began to drink. The first two swallows were slow and hesitant, but after that he started to gulp at it. His cheeks were bulging out with each mouthful, some of it rolling out of the corners of his mouth as he leaned his head back to get every drop of it. Finally he let the glass fall from his lips as he gasped for air, having drunken it all.

The lion was about to say something, but all that came out was a mighty belch that made his belly shake under his shirt, and the color of his nose turned dark grey.

"How was it?" Felicia asked.

Theo shrugged his shoulders, rubbing the back of his paw against his nose. "I guess it was all right," he said. He wrinkled his nose for a moment and when he relaxed it dropped down about a inch to dangle in front of his muzzle. The tip was starting to reform, think ridges starting to shape around his wide nostrils.

Crossing his eyes behind his glasses, the changing lion tried to look up at the addition. He reached up and poked gently at his new trunk, snorting down the length of it. The grey was starting to spread out from his nose and back across his muzzle, the fur on his face starting to melt away.

"That feels kind of nice," he said, his words starting to slur a little.

His girlfriend nodded, watching as he changed in front of her. She had gotten used to it over the years, the man just loved being made into other things. Sometimes it seemed liked he spent more time as other things them himself, though some of his favorite forms were fun to play with.

The lion let out a yawn, his jaw opening wide before stretching even wider, the shape of it starting to change. The sharp pointed teeth started to flatten out while growing wider in his mouth. His rolled his jaw, reaching up to rub at it as it changed. At the same time the fur on his hands starting to pull back, the palms starting to swell out around his fingers.

He held his hands out, wiggling his fingers as they started to vanish into his hands, his claws growing out, turning into a large nail at the end of each stubby digit.

"Wow," he said, the word coming out rather distorted as his lower lip started to stretch out under his trunk, which was still growing down from his face, dominating it as it swayed from side to side.

The transforming lion shook his head from side to side, his muzzle starting to spread out, his glasses spreading with them, perfectly fitting his face even as it changed. He grunted a bit, a funny sound with the new truck, and then bent forward, his new feet pressing onto the ground.

Bracing himself, he arched his back up as he stretched out his neck. His neck grew out and twisted, his head turning upright as his shoulders popped outwards. A moment later his hips shifted in his pants, popping his legs around and making him a quadruped.

Theo started to shuffle from foot to foot, his trunk brushing the ground. The grey skin was running up his legs and down his shoulders, his fore limbs starting to bulk up to support his new weight. Weight that was starting to make itself known as his belly starting to swell out, quickly starting to add bulk.

He shook his head from side to side, his trunk swaying as his clothing starting to creek around his swelling body. Instead of tearing from the new bulk they began to fade away, vanishing into the ether, first his shirt, then his pants and finally his under things.

The half elephant looked back over his nude form and let out a laugh, the sound of much deeper than before.

Felicia couldn't help herself, she stepped forward and ran her hand down the length of his growing trunk, feeling the small hairs and the thick heavy skin. "Having fun?"

He nodded, his face starting to reshape as his eyes slowly pushed towards the side of his head, his glasses still fitting perfectly. The shape of his bright blue eyes were changing as well, growing lager and brighter, never losing their color.

"You look like it," she said with a soft purr, leaning up and kissing him on the top of his head. His made was starting to fall away as his neck swelled out, his whole body growing thicker as the grey skin starting to roll down his back. He was growing taller with each passing second, soon he was eye to eye with the cheetah.

Theo pawed his large forefeet against the ground, his belly swelling outward, sagging down between his legs as his body grew longer and wider. By now the whole of his front side had changed, leaving hmi looking rather stitched together.

He flexed out his hind legs, flexing his toes as they started to reshape, taking on a familiar round shape as his toes and claws swelled out. He lifted each foot as it changed, placing it back down on the field as they took on the proper shape to support his growing weight.

Suddenly he let out a low bellow, arching his head back and twisting his trunk as his upper lip pushed out as two thick tusks starting to grow. They bright ivory slid outwards, growing inches every second, matching his increased size and weight.

He shook his head, waving his trunk in the air as he grew taller. His rump and belly were swelling out as well, growing to match the size and shape of his front quarters. The grey skin had covered most of his belly and legs, spreading down his ass and slinking down the length of his tail. The tail grew shorter as the black tail tuft thinned out, but didn't go away. He stamped his back legs as they became the proper feet for an elephant.

The only sign that the big animal in front of them used to be a lion was the small feline eras that stood on top of the pachyderm's large head. Theo flicked them a bit and shook his head, snapping it from side to side. With a pop his ears exploded outwards, becoming the huge floppy ears of an African elephant.

As the changes came to an end, Theo blinked his large bright eyes behind his perfectly fitted glasses, cocking his head to the side and flicking out his large ears.

Felicia stepped forward and touched the side of his large leg. His head towered high over her, nearly twice as tall as she was. "Well... my boyfriend is an elephant. Most people would be bothered by this."

The former lion let out a snorting chuckle and wrapped his agile trunk gently around the cheetah's chest, rubbing the very tip of up under her chin. It made her smile and purr softly as she snuggled into the nimble appendage.

Godfrey stepped forward, his arms held behind his back and a smile on his furless face. "I think that went rather well for a spell I just through together. You should do just fine on the trip, and I will appreciate the company."

Theo nodded, rocking his tusks a bit as he unwound his trunk from around his girlfriend. He took a step back, going slow and seeming a bit unsure of his motions. Though that was natural when you went from 250 pounds to 8,000 pounds. Turning his head he looked at the other elephants in the field, all of which were watching him.

The mage smiled and nodded his head. "Go, get acquainted with the rest of the herd. I need to start getting the shop broken down and to keep the field stable until we get back."

With a nod the large elephant reached out with his trunk to goose the curve of Felicia's ass, then turned and started plodding across the field to where the other elephants were waiting.

"He's going to have far too much fun doing this," she said, laughing softly.

"Indeed. Once again I would like to thank for your taking care of my girl until I return."

"Any friend of Theo's is a friend of mine."

Reaching out the human placed his hand on her shoulder. "While that might be the case, I do owe you both something. I suspect Theo will be happy with just his time as an elephant, and I will be happy to get you whatever spell you might like, if it's in reason of course."

Felicia smiled a bit more, her tail flicking out behind her. It was true, her transformation loving boyfriend would be happy to accept the change as the payment for his help, but then again he would do almost anything if he was transformed to do it. On the other hand she had her own interests, and while they were not as transformation related as the lion's, there was still one thing she wanted.

"Did you make that pokeball necklace he has?"

The mage lifted an eyebrow. "The one that turns him into the flame tailed dragoness?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I made that for him," he said.

Her smile grew even wider, crossing the width of her muzzle. "I want one of my own."

Godfrey returned the smile. "I'll have it for you when we get back."

"Thank you," she said, then turned her attention back to Theo as he and the other elephant's carefully walked around each other, sizing each other up. He was the biggest one of the herd, but they seemed to be willing to accept him. "Treat him well, okay?"

"Of course! He is a friend. I wouldn't dream of doing anything less," he replied with a small bow then vanished back through the door into the shop.

The cheetah stood here for a few more moments, watching her boyfriend interact with the herd. Living with Theo certainly made life interesting, but interesting in a very good way... and she would have something new to tease him about the next time he complained about his weight. Laughing softly to herself she sat down in the field, ready to keep her vigil for the night.

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This story was written and copyright 2012 by Theo Winters, reposting and archiving are allowed as long as this copyright notice and the author's name are not removed. This story cannot be published without permission of the author. Violators will be trampled.