Going Home - (Zorua TF)
#1 of Pokemon Transformation Short Stories
Going Home
Zorua "TF," by Mewscaper
Developed via role-play, with Ashachulover
The young man sighed in idle boredom as he looked around the dark and seemingly empty forest. It was getting quite late now, and the sun had already set well beneath the tree tops, sunlight barely streaming through the branches.
Maybe it just seemed too good, at the time. After all, he knew the general direction of his home--just north, on the other side of the woods. It wouldn't have been a problem: an easy trek through about a half-mile of trees. No expensive bus toll, no overcrowding, and the benefit of some peace and quiet in the crisp, late afternoon air, with only the trees as his companions.
Plus, he'd be away from those people at the bus stop, particularly that gentleman.
"You going that way, son?" He had called from his seat, as the young man began to trek away from the crowded, covered terminal, into the forest. "You sure you know where you're going?"
The young man paused, briefly. "Well, yeah. I just live on the other side. It shouldn't be a problem."
The gentleman shook his head. "I'd wait, if I were you. Bus towards that part of town will be here in just a half-hour. It'd be safer. You've seen the news, right?"
"Yeah, but I'll be fine," replied the young man, trying not to sound too impatient. Actually, he hadn't seen the news, but he didn't really care. He just wanted to get going. "You don't have to worry."
"You_really_ shouldn't go," said the gentleman, a little more urgently, hands placed rather tightly over his knees. "The town doesn't know what to make of it. First construction workers, then regular folk like you and me. They're considering red-flagging those acres, anyways, so you'd best just stay put."
It was then young man noticed how the people in the terminal were sitting unusually close to each other, as if paranoid by the prospect of being caught alone or separated. A child clutched his father's hand tightly, not speaking. One woman held a Meowth tightly to her lap, eyes wide and wandering, the Meowth's whiskers trembling. Yet another woman, hair dark yet tinted with red, stared in the young man's direction, eyes sharp and brooding. An atmosphere of unease all about the crowd. Weird.
"Look," he stated, rather dismissively. "I can take care of myself, guy. No, seriously." He raised a hand, as the gentleman opened his mouth to retort. "It's an easy walk--a shortcut, I've taken it plenty of times before." Of course, he hadn't, but he wasn't going to admit it. "I'll be home before the bus even gets here. But thanks anyway, guy." He turned, and resumed his walk, perhaps a little more quickly.
"Those monsters aren't friendly, kid!" The gentleman's voice floated past the young man's ears. "They're going to get you, and then what?"
The young man responded by increasing his pace, now eager to put some distance between himself and the terminal. _Monsters?_So, the gentleman's a nut, now. Who knew?
In retrospect, he probably would have been better off. Really, he wasn't this much in a hurry to get home, or, at least, not so much in a hurry that he'd do something this rash and impatient. It would have been just as reasonable to wait at the bus stop, even if it meant sitting in the company of paranoid people.
At least he wouldn't be lost.
The twilight shadows began to creep in around him, faint reds and purples scarcely lighting his way. He squinted in the darkness, focusing. Nothing looked right, and he could have sworn he had walked this path already... He paused, looking about, trying to gain his bearings.
He inhaled, then sighed once more. Strange. An unusual scent had mingled into the late afternoon air, barely perceivable, but noticeable enough to perk him up.
For the first time, he actually felt worried. Definitely lost, and definitely alone. Alone? He looked around again, unable to shake this sudden feeling that someone--or something--was lurking among the shadows of the tree trunks, just out of sight, watching him as he tarried along.
He started walking again, blindly and briskly, just to get moving. To where? Well, not here, certainly. The more he stood still, he figured, the more paranoid he would get.
Suddenly, partially covered by leaves, unseen in the dim light, his foot snagged on a tree root. He tripped, stumbled, and tumbled onto the ground, bruising himself up rather badly. Fretfully, he stumbled up to his feet...before falling again as his leg failed to support his body.
Sitting up, grumpy and sore, he examined his leg, realizing he had twisted it in the fall. Groaning in pain, he scrambled to a tree trunk and rested his back against it, sighing. Worry returned to him fully-fledged. Now he was never going to get home. Worse yet, the seasonal night air began to settle in, chilling him. He pulled his jacket tightly over his body, wishing he had brought something warmer and thicker, and he couldn't suppress a little shiver.
Sounds. He perked up. He could hear rustling noises among the leaves, the subtle sounds of footfalls, just out of sight, getting closer.
Staring in the general direction of the disturbed leaves he called out nervously, trying to sound braver than he really felt. "...Hello? Who's there? Can someone help me?" Out of the corner of his eye he glanced a flicker of movement, but it quickly disappeared. He pressed himself back against the tree, realizing that there was nowhere to run, waiting nervously.
The careful footfalls paused. For a moment, silence fell upon the dark and shadowy forest.
The young man waited with bated breath.
Then, the silence broke: a deep, rather good-natured chuckle.
Someone's there. Somewhat relieved, and trying to sound a little brave in spite of his situation, the young man laughed a little as well. "Hello? Can you help me?"
Although trying to sound courteous and friendly his eyes kept darting around, hoping to spot the hidden being.
Another chortle. A deep voice spoke from the shadows. "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to go wondering about in woods you're not familiar with? Hm, hm..."
He heard a rather melodramatic sigh. "Well, that's okay, kid. I guess I can help you out."
The footfalls resumed their approach, the new arrival now looming over him. It stepped out from the shadows...
...Furry.
...Long ears.
...Cuddly?
A Wigglytuff.
He stared at the large pink Pokémon for a second before bursting out into laughter, fears now completely alleviated, wondering how he could have been afraid of such a cute creature. Relaxing, he sat up again before it suddenly struck him, reality bursting through. "Wait... Pokémon... Pokémon can't talk!"
The Wigglytuff stared down upon the young man, light glinting in its large, luminous eyes.
"No, kid," stated the pink, balloonish bunny, its deep and husky voice not matching its cuddly physique. "It's not that Pokémon can't talk, it's just that humans can't understand them."
It smiled first, then it grinned. _Odd._The Wigglytuff had rather... pointy teeth.
Suddenly perceiving an instinctual sense of danger, the young man's relief evaporated, staring in fear at those teeth. "W-what? What are you, then? Wait. How can_I_ understand you?"
The Wigglytuff laughed a coarse and unsettling tone, its big, bushy tail sweeping back and forth deviously. Big, bushy tail?
"Well, wouldn't you like to know, kit? ...Kid." The creature corrected an apparent misspeaking, still chortling.
"H-hey! Look, I am not some little kid you can just look down on!" He replied indignantly, shakily getting to his feet, using the tree as support. "Yes, I know I shouldn't be out here like this, but now I don't have a choice, now do I? If you're not going to help me, just leave me alone!" He rambled on, glaring at the Pokémon, hoping it would run away.
An uncomfortable pause. In an instant, the Wigglytuff's eyes became less round and luminous, sharpening to an animal's night-eyes. Its gaze pierced into the young man, rather chillingly.
"Feisty one, aren't you, kid? That's okay. Let's how long you last..."
The Wigglytuff's posterity suddenly changed as it began to stand taller, gaining height. Its fur grew thicker, and its pelt went gray, swept with streaks of rusty-red. Its ears shortened and widened a little, very fox-like, its head adorned with a crown of flowing fur. Its face stretched, pointed and vulpine. Its hands and feet became sharp, canine paws, glinting and deadly-looking.
Even from where the young man stood, propped up against the tree trunk, the not-Wigglytuff towered over him.
"Yeah, just try running, kid. I dare you." The creature sneered.
Staring at the creature, terrified, he tried to scream, or even talk, but nothing came out. Out of pure instinct, the young man tried running--rather, limping--hoping to evade this creature though the trees, hoping to find someone who could help.
Smirking, the creature's vulpine legs bent, preparing to spring.
"Well... I like it when they try to run. A good sport."
The creature leapt and in one bound tackled the human, pinning him down in the dirt.
"That foot's still injured, kid. What, did you think you were just gonna hobble away?"
Struggling futilely to break free he eventually laid still, looking up at the beast. Its smell was overpowering, animalistic, and awful, forcing him to breathe through his mouth. "P-please don't hurt me!" He whimpered, vulnerably.
The creature growled, voice coarse and beastly. "Hurt you, kid?" It laughed, its breath washing over the human, making him gag. "I'm not gonna hurt you, kid! Well... not much, at least." It added, smirking.
"If I wanted to tear you limb-to-limb, I would have done so the moment you set foot in this part of the forest."
Hoping it was telling the truth the human tried talking, reasoning with it. "S-so what are you going to do, then?" He asked it, finding his voice, hoping that it would show some mercy.
The fox-wolf creature grinned, showing off its teeth. "Oh, nothing too dramatic, kid." It brought its face down to the human's. "Not yet, at least. I'm just going to... give you a little nip." He felt a sharp pain in his left ear, and he could feel blood drawn.
"Then," continued the fox-wolf creature. "I'm going to let you go."
The creature got up and off of the human, sitting on its haunches, grinning widely, its tail swishing calmly, deviously.
"That's it. You can go now, kid. Go on. I won't follow."
"O-okay..." The human mumbled quietly, shocked and thoroughly confused, at what had happened. Stumbling back to his feet, he quickly hobbled away from the strange creature.
"But you'll be back." The fox-wolf muttered under its breath, sharp eyes staring at the human as he went. "Soon, you'll never want to leave, kit... Soon... It's just a matter of time."
Time had passed. He had tracked who knows how many acres. It was no use. He was cold, tired, and his leg was badly hurting. He had to sit down. Now fully night, he couldn't see the path he was following, even in the dull moonlight. Panting and shivering, he sat down, exhausted.
This was it. He was done for, he was sure of it. The air chilled him, numbing him. That, combined with the pain from his injuries and shock from his encounter, lulled him into closing his eyes, convinced it would be for the last time...
...How strange it wasn't. The young man awoke some time later, a disturbance rousing him from his slumber. Something was wrong. Wincing a bit, moonlight heavily filtered through the trees, he looked around, and discovered that... he could see. He could see better. It was nighttime. Yet, he could see, like a sharp, black-and-white film...
A quick intake of breath, and he paused, holding it in. Even better than his newly-discovered eyesight, he found he could smell things, too... He exhaled, and breathed in again, and again. The trees, the imprints of various creatures that had come and gone, the night air, he could sense them all around his being... even he himself had a scent.
With his newfound senses, the young man realized... he was not alone.
He looked around, hoping to see whatever it was out in the woods, hoping it wasn't the fox-wolf. He tested the air. Certainly smelled like the fox-wolf.
He grimaced, standing up. He realized the pain in his leg had since subsided... In fact, it had completely disappeared!
Not only the pain had gone, but he found find that both his legs felt strengthened - Strong and able and furry!
...Furry?
"Huh?" The young man wondered and, in spite of the chill, quickly took off his trousers to see. All up his legs... fur, thick and peppery gray. He slowly rubbed to check if it was real. "Oh no..." He mumbled to himself before hearing the crackle of twigs. His head snapped up.
"Hm, hm..." The fox-wolf creature emerged from the shadows of the forests, eying you up with its unsettling grin. "You're looking pretty good already, kit. Zoroarks always do." You can smell the creature, strongly now, and strangely, it didn't smell that unpleasant anymore. "Aren't you lucky I found you first, before some other beast got at you?"
"I-I'm not a kit!" Though in front of the intimidating creature he couldn't but feel...belittled. "What do you mean I look good?" His tone increased, curiously higher-pitched than he remembered, vocals trembling. "What have you done?!"
"Shh..." The Zoroark whispered, reassuringly. "No need to be afraid, little kit."
The Zoroark approached the altered human, its feral scent washing over him, making him feel rather calm and...familiar. "C'mere, little one. Mother's here."
For a moment, his fears were lost. He gazed upon the kitsune towering over him, his mind fogging over briefly. He took an involuntary step forward, a small smile creeping onto his face... before shaking his head, snapping himself out of it. "No! This... th-this is wrong!" Using his newly strengthened legs, he quickly began to run, to get away from this Pokémon, this monster! He found that he could run with agility like never before, sprinting through the forest ...feeling so very free, as if he could escape even his impending fate!
The kitsune, in response, laughed, watching him go. "Where are you going to run, kit?" She whispered.
The Zoroark began to follow her query, rather leisurely.
Ignoring her, he continued to run, still convinced he could escape, but... his legs! They now seemed to be getting weaker, even... shorter? No... his entire body had begun shrinking without him even noticing it, causing him to become more fatigued more quickly.
His formerly strong, foxish legs had shrunk down into shorter, pup legs and paws. Still struggling, he began to swim in the shirt and jacket he was wearing, a little itchy, even, because of the peppery-toned fur growing within.
He could hear and smell the Zoroark vixen trotting up from behind. Even so, he tried to crawl away, on all fours, little paws and weak vulpine legs scratching futilely upon the ground. "Aw..." She breathed, murmuring maternally. "Have you tuckered yourself out already, little kit?"
Now panting heavily, body covered in fur, he stopped crawling, and couldn't help but nod, slowly, defeated. He felt a strange warmth wash over his diminutive body, sensing a bright glow within his vision. As the heat continued to flow over him, he felt his bones begin to break and reform.
The ears on the top of his head reach full pup-sized, pointy and furry and flexible, with a cute little crown of pepper-and-rust fur flowing in-between. His face pushed outwards into a vulpine muzzle with a snap, temporarily blinding him. His legs and arms reshaped into short and puppy-like digitigrades.
Not a human anymore. A tiny fox. It drew its little paws together, eyes closed and frightened, a silky, bushy tail flickering up between its legs.
"Now, now, little kit." The Zoroark nuzzled up to the little fox, licking its fur, softly, comfortingly, her scent washing all about her young, making the warm feeling all the more gratifying and soothing. "Mother's here. Just let go, and let it happen."
It closed its eyes, taking deep breaths as the scent allowed him to become more calm and relaxed. Wait! Suddenly, it reached a moment of clarity. "N-no..." It sputtered, and paused a moment. It opened its eyes in shock at its baby-like, strangely feminine voice! "I-I'm not supposed to be like this! P-please change me back! I'm not your little boy who you can just take!"
"You want to change back, little kit?" The mother fox smirked, nuzzling and grooming her young's now-silky fur. "Well, isn't that a shame. There isn't any way to change back. No way at all."
She laps the crown on the top of the little Zorua's head. "But, you don't REALLY want to change back, now do you?" She noses at her young's tummy. "Don't you want to stay with your mommy, forever and ever, son?" She continued to nose along, then, detecting something intriguing, grinned. "Or should I say, daughter?"
The little Zorua suddenly sat up in the Zoroark vixen's arms, shivering. "W-what did you say?!" His...his... her voice was high, soft, and female. "No th-that's not true! I don't want to be a baby girl Zorua! I... I..." Her nose twitches, and she her senses filled with a good smell of her mother, and she couldn't help but smile at it.
Holding her new daughter close to her fluffy bosom, the mother nuzzled the top of her daughter's head, murmuring in her ears. "Of course you do. I knew it the moment I saw you, little kit, and what a fine Zorua you'd be. And someday, a strong leader among the foxes. A queen of foxes..." Her voice reduced to a whisper, as if telling a little secret. "Someday... we'll move beyond these woods, and creep into the realm of those humans... And we'll thrive over the years..."
She nipped the tips of the Zorua's ears, affectionately. "I started changing you the moment you entered this forest. Just being in my presence long enough allowed you to understand me, my pheromones transforming you..."
The young Zorua begin to relax all the more, the smell coming from her mother seeping into her body and mind, making it foggy. She concentrated, trying to remember the reason for being here... but... But don't I live here? Yes... that was it. I live here.... She began to lay still in her mother's arms, snuggling into her chest.
Her pheromones continued to comfort the young Zorua, making her feel... helpless. Completely dependent to the vixen's embrace and care. The vixen's vulpine heartbeat lub-dubbed into her daughter's ears, a rhythm that makes her feel warm and sleepy.
_Of course this is where you belong._Foxy and feral and feminine. Not belonging to some haughty, human dwelling.
Say, what is a human, anyways? What's that? Sounds tasty, actually. Sounds... corruptible. So changeable. It became harder and harder to think coherently, the Zorua's mind devolving completely into that of simple, curious, youthful fox. Gone was life and drive of humanity, leaving the former human a young and helpless female kit, in all ways, for all her days...
Yawning, she rubbed her cheek over her mother's furry chest. The mother smiled in response, gently and maternally, petting her daughter, grooming her ears, her crown, and her face, giving a little lap to her cute, button nose.
"What a good little kit."
Hugging her lovingly, eyes closing, the young Zorua mumbled quietly.
"Mama..."
Daughter coddled in her fore-claws, the Zoroark looked up, over the expanse of the acres where they lived. A late night mist descended upon the forest, shimmering in the moonlight and bathing the woodlands a mystical silver. She looked down once more, her daughter now fast asleep in her arms.
Finally... one of her own. It had been too long...
"Let's go home."
The mother stalking away, they disappeared together into the evening fog, becoming one and complete with the wilderness.
A shirt, a jacket, some shoes, and a pair of trousers allude that a human once passed here, but alas, that was nonsense. After all, this was the realm of the wild and untamed--the home of a couple of female foxes, a mother and a daughter, among the many beasts and creatures of the deep, dark forest.