Sketch by  Prurientpie and inks etc by myself- with a story by  TiarasTwilight

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Zeydaan Jem woke up. The gray of their bedsheets had collected dust overnight in the dim apartment they were staying in, but this realm wasn't that bad. Cheap utilities, casual grocery stores with friendly residents, hardly an endurance for an adventurer like him. Here up north the town was surrounded by wilderness and clear sunny skies, only obstructed at the edge of the city by a strange factory that from word of mouth, produced stale chips, bread and canned products. It was their first time in the region and the first time they was here as roommates with Isabella, who had been here before. both cutting down their rent due to Isabella's maid services around the apartment for their landlord Kale. They didn't know much about Kale but Kale always seemed nice enough, if a little too giddy and carefree for their tastes. Zey also knew they liked women, something Isabella seemed to be oblivious of. It wasn't their forte, and they didn't know much about dating, or really care for it or relationships at all although Kale was alright with that. Zey couldn't say the same when Kale threw parties and had scantily interdimensional visitors over, but they could deal. What they did know about dating, Zeydaan remembered, was that it wasn't worth the effort with a crocodile bachelor like Kale. Kale had a high-expectations, and high-standards, and wasn't the type to settle for someone like Zeydaan or Isabella, even if they weren't into relationships at all. Zeydaan, who was now throwing off their sheets and heading into the shower to let warm water wash over their fur, had just overheard another loud party the previous night. The only girl they dated was once in the second grade, a girl with glasses and it was enough to have them decide they were of the gray-persuasion, sexuality wise. As they toweled off, Isabella caught them in the hallway.

"Are you awake already? I need to sleep but I feel too rested." The Draconid asked.
"You and me both. This was the night for sleeping." Zey said. "I guess we won't be making any plans for later. Let's at least find some breakfast before we talk business."
"I guess I can do that." Isabella said as Zeydaan began to shave their fur and brush teeth. "I'll go cook pancakes." The Draconid scurried off with their tail swishing behind them. To think just a month ago they'd got sucked into this dimension, the two Hawkmoths slapped with catching a strange fugitive in the space-time continuum. Outside encountering some bug monsters, they hadn't really gotten to see any action in this town yet. The trail was still cold, their apartment on the down-low and most days were spent hiking, playing videogames and checking their budget for groceries. Sometimes they'd spend afternoons sitting around watching TV, not really saying much. They usually came home at a similar time every night, except for Kale, who never came home except to party. They'd have made their dinner by that point, awaiting any reports or news from the other Hawkmoths on their equipment. Sometimes Kale would cook something, or they'd make a grocery run, but as usual the meals were mostly bland or canned stuff. They rarely had good food or booze, but hey. it was good to relax with the TV.

When Zey came down, Isabella had breakfast already prepared. They sat down and started to dig in, pouring globs of syrup onto pancakes and chewing down. "So, what's on the agenda today?" They asked.
"We got some leads along the western trail of the woods, some reports of shack tools gone missing around that area and iffy sightings. Sounds like a dead end, but it could be valid."
"Right. Just like the whole 'chicken coop' incident." Zey shrugged.
"I guess it will, maybe. So you see, I was looking for a way to finish this mission and get me away from Kale's rut."
"I'm listening."
Isabella folded their arms and smiled. "My aunt in the underworld had a trick to find slippery capers, especially when chasing trolls and superheroes. I'm in need of some help to hunt down some items that might hold the key to finding it. You want to help me?"
"If I know how to play it safe in this place." Not like earthlings to just go with it.
"Well, my aunt would say you cannot make an omelette without cracking some eggs. Then she'd break an egg on my head."
"Then we should be fine." Zeydaan said, reaching for his plate and taking another bite. They continued to discuss the logistics as they finished their breakfast.

"So when should we go start hunting?" They asked, holding up a feather duster.
"Sounds like we've got a plan." Zey yawned and grabbed his bag, the two out into town before they knew it.

It was raining.
The sky was gray and the wind was brisk as it drizzled off and drenched the land. It was pouring rain and it was cold. Very cold. Zeydaan had been walking for an hour, a little less than two, in the wind, rain and cold. They hadn't much noticed they were lost, but then again they never found a road marker or a house to go to, not that they were really looking. Instead, they trudged forward in the deep woods all morning,, not talking much as they went. Zeydaan held on to the thick branch that was their only guide and his eyes flitted from side to side for any trace of the trail. The path was long, the rain fell in torrents, and so was he.

So wet and cold they almost didn't feel them. They came from above.
Zeydaan saw two pairs of eyes like cold flames glowing in the dark. They gasped as it jumped out them and pounced!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH Isabella HELP!" Even at full power, they couldn't have matched the horrifying ambush of.. soft paws scratching his face and a small tongue licking their cheek.
"Ooh.. a Yokai! How adorable!" Isabella patted the tiny feloid, its flaming tails like shiny wisps.
"I want to go home." Zeydaan whispered to himself.

They were in some woods in the northern plains of this planet, not far from the capital, not in far, it wasn't that far, they were close to civilization, only about 3 miles outside their town. The small critter, the feloid Yokai, She had crimson fur and she had wings. The wings had been burnt into her skin, making it dark and scarred. But she could fly. Her fur was long and she had the strangest eyes, black like coal, with red fire at the center. They were like twin moons circling her head. She was the smallest Yokai they'd ever seen and she didn't have an owner, so she was free to run and eat whatever she wanted.
"Poor lil guy must've broke into the shacks. It's not our target, but... they're soooo cute! I'm gonna name you, Hana. Can we take them home? Can we Zeydaan, can weeee?"
"No way! They could have DEMON PARASITES, trust me you don't want to risk that."
Isabellad pouted, their eyes glittering and giving puppy-dog eyes.
Zey rolled their eyes. "Great, more monsters." They sighed, seeing it was almost half past 2. "Fine, let's go home. This lead may have been a miserable failure, but an afternoon of playing Smasher Crashers IV won't let us down."
"We still have to defeat the Mini-Boss!" Isabella cheered.
"And our mission to protect this planet?" The maiden Hawkmoth mused.
"We're working on it." Zey took Isabella's hand and they soon made their way on home.

When they arrived back at their apartment, there were police cars everywhere. "What the?!" Zeydaan ran inside in a panic. "What's going on here?!" They asked.

A news reporter was standing outside taking a report on the front lawn. There were a couple of police officers talking to another woman, who was covered in dirt and screaming about something that wasn't said. Zeydaan, who recognized her as one of the apartment's lower residents, walked up to her, her hair disheveled and blood covering her pale face. She stared blankly at the camera, eyes wide with terror. "H-help me.." She said. Zeydaan patted her shoulder. "What happened?! Why is there a hole in the front door?"
"There was a break in. I... I didn't see the trespasser, but, there was a loud crash and some stuff got stolen, and when I tried to catch them a huge explosion of smoke covered everything and I couldn't see. They got away.."
A husky police officer came over and stopped the two. "Where were you all afternoon?" They asked.
"We were, on the trail past town. Honest!" Isabella stammered.
"Officer, could you help us find out who did it?" Zey asked.
"We're working on it.. and what's your relation to them, you their sister?"
Isabella perked up. "Oh! Um.. No I'm not Zey's sister, I'm their twin, err, them sorta. I'm a version of them from another dimension. Parallel timeline type deal." They shapeshifted their hands to seem like Zey's paws for the cop, and Zey shifted their head into Isabella's for a brief moment. The canine cop nodded and jotted some things down but hardly seemed to care or give them much attention.
The police got in their cars and started to drive away. "Wait, where are you all going!"
"Okay, cool. We'll call you if any other reports or anything comes up."
Zey was besides themself. "Are you kidding me? We just got broken into and you ask a single question, than ditch?!"
"Don't worry, we'll be here if there's any news." The police vehicles were already driving off.

"This is so frustrating." They thought to themselves.
"Where are they going? And what's going to happen to us?" They shook their head, trying to shake off their worries. "At least we got some new stuff, not all of that junk Kale was giving us back in town."
"Let's go inside then, we could use some rest." Isabella cheered. Zey sighed.
"Alright, let's go stay inside. Doesn't look like they're going to do much of anything, its really frustrating but, we have to let low for now."

This is so frustrating, they thought to themselves.
"Where are they going? And what's going to happen to us?" They shook their head, trying to shake off their worries. "At least we got some new stuff, not all of that junk Kale was giving us back in town."
"Let's go inside then, we could use some rest." Isabella cheered. Zey sighed.
"Alright, let's go stay inside. Doesn't look like they're going to do much of anything, its really frustrating but, we have to let low for now."
They entered their apartment and shut the door. There were a few cans of beer emptied in the kitchen and some silverwear from the cabinets thrown about.
They looked at each other and both thought that the apartment looked ran-shacked, crumbs left from the fridge where cockroaches scurried about. "They took all our food, what a creep!" Isabella yelled. For the most part their personal bedrooms were left alone, although the bathroom showed some tubes of toothpaste, deodorant, and mint hand sanitizer were taken.

A few days later, while getting on the train back from a journey to the forest, Zey and Isabella got on and started discussing recent events. "Okay, so we know what was stolen from us, what we going to do?" Isabella asked.
"Do?" Zey scoffed. "Oh, don't worry, I'm doing it."
They hopped into the same carriage, and both made their way home.
Isabella took a quick look over Zey's shoulder to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
"Zey, don't you think we should, maybe you should call the cops?"
"Why, am I stupid? The cops are never going to care about some thieves that broke into our place, they proved that last time they were here. And besides, it was just some minor market goods, nothing we cannot replace."
"Well I still think we should call!" Isabella insisted.

"Fine, go ahead and call the cops. Oh wait, better do that first."
"Wait! What do you mean first? I want to know who did this! Who stole from us!"
"Fine, fine.. I'll tell you what though, while you're yelling the cops at me, I'll feed that weird fire-breathing pet we adopted. Try to stay out of potential conflict."

Zeydaan went to go scrape some tuna for Hana, letting the kitty roast the fish before it nibbled and are away at its morning meal. They leaned down, hearing Isabella start to plead with the cops.

"Officer! Officer! Please help us, we were robbed!"
The officer sighed and started to write down things on the other end at the station.
"Alright, well your apartment was burgled and a firecracker was stolen. I can understand that you'd want someone to pay for the loss and all, but I'm sure you can help us with some sort of reward."
Isabella pouted. "Reward? Well, we're new here, we don't have much, and our apartment was broken into. I'm sorry, but that's it."
"Wait a second, you're making a huge fuss over nothing, you don't have much, how much damage was done?"
Zeydaan looked at Hana who was starting to munch on the tuna they'd found. Zeydaan had always been a bit too carefree for cats, dogs were more their style. They felt bad for her now, but they had other things to take care of.
"Um.. the kitchen's still a mess. There's food missing, there's a water bowl for some reason, some beer they left and there's a the scorched remains of fire in the living room, so there's things like that missing, and whatnot, not much, but it's a bit annoying."
"Oh, okay, sorry about that. And did you, well, was anyone hurt?"
"No, everything seemed fine. Oh and we have a cat, so there's that. Officer, can you please try to take this seriously?"
"You have a cat?! I guess that makes the intruder.. a Cat burglar?!"

Isabella could hear them bursting into husky laughter on the other end, barely able to hold their teeth from gritting.
Zeydaan heard the same ear-piercing cackle in the background and turned to look at Hana, giving a reluctant shrug.
A few bad-tasting jokes later, Isabella hung up.
"They're not going to do anything." They bemoaned.
"I'm sorry, Isabella. I'm not trying to get us in more trouble, but we really have to figure this out on our own somehow."
"But we were just talking about that! If no one's going to help us, then what are we going to do?"
"Well, I'm going to try to make some money to fix up this place and buy some food and stuff. If that doesn't work I'll contact the other Hawkmoths."

They inspected the kitchen. There were a few cans of beer emptied in the kitchen and some silverwear from the cabinets thrown about. They picked up a few things and sat down in the living room, the television screen displaying static, like it wasn't receiving any signals. They flipped it on and all they got was a blank screen with a spinning red, white and blue bar.
Zeydaan picked up a pair of chopsticks from the coffee table. "I guess we're going to the movies."
"Sounds fun! Let me clean up abit first, looks like whoever broke in made a mess of things." Isabella insisted.
While they cleaned up, Zey sat back and found something left on the lone table. Zeydaan stopped in their tracks, their nose twitching to the left as their nostrils caught a powerful whiff of something. It was a single bottle of beer, of some malt brand they'd never seen before, causing him to raise eyebrow. The bottle was a maroon shade with a pure red bottlecap, the kind you'd seen on cola-cola. They held it up and looked at the brew bubbling inside, fizz and scum seeming to jiggle within. "Who abandoned you little guy?" They said to the drink. "But by the mercy of Zeydaan, you've been rescued."
"What did you say, Zeydaan?" Isabella said from the kitchen. "Oh, nothing." They gave it a good shake, making sure all the foam inside shook until it was a rushing white.
"Alright, here goes." When they gripped the bottle, there was a layer of filth along the sides that left it sticky and coarse to touch. The kind of cold, dewy swill that one felt when touching a drink left too long in the back of the fridge that left your fingertips moist and wet. Passing some of the strange brew between them as they brushed the beer around in their hands. It was slippery, a bit oily with a bit of a caramel flavouring but it was far from the foul smelling gurgle it made in their belly just from the scent. The slimy alcoholic bottle-film stuck to their clawed fingers and a fine stretched layer of it coated the bottom of their palms. When they tried to clasp their hands away, a visible stretchy trail of droplets stuck their palm to the bottle tightly, as if begging them not to let go. Zeydaan held their hands to the bottle but it just pulled back, almost as if resisting them. They stared at it, holding back a whimper of fright. Slowly, they gripped the sides and started to open it. With a single finger nail they scraped near the top of the cap and applied some force, carefully denting the bottlecap until the pressure gave way and it flipped off. A geyser of beer shot out directly from the top, some of it splashing on Zeydaan's face. They wiped their face, then held the yeasty bottle up towards their lips. They took a small sip and winced.

"Hmm.."
They took a swig from the bottle again, making a face as it slipped down. It had a nice sweetness, like chocolate and cherry cola mixed together in a soft and frothy drink. They let out a quick sigh of relief when it slid down their throat. They swished it around for a bit before spitting it back in the bottle. It gave off a strong and strange aroma, cinnamon and spice leaving a cold mist from the top that was pleasant as whift. It tasted even better as they poured it on their lips, making it bubble through their senses and tickle their taste buds. It burned going down, the burn fading as their tongue tingled with pleasure. A tingling they never experienced before rose in their mouth, rising inside like poprock candy going off with a starched sweet aftertaste. Finally they belched loudly.

Zeydaan peered inside at the liquid. What was supposed to be a clear, amber liquid, it was in fact, brownish with a dark sheen. There were large bubbles in the liquid that resembled the kind you'd find in a pond, that would give a rippling effect if you touched it.


As Isabella finished cleaning up, Zeydaan was still sitting in the living room. They weren't bored or anything, they were just thinking about how strange and exciting it was to drink that strange beverage, but also to do it with their twin self. "Hey Isa. You've got to try this!!"
"What, you want to get me drunk?" Isabella peaked over smiling, their draconian snout could smell the beverage's acrid lure from here.
"Not curious about how it tastes? But I was just thinking, this is the most unusual beverage I've ever tasted, but I like it.." They burped again.

Isabella went back to her cleaning. "I think I'll pass on it." They shook their head.
"It's really good! C'mon, is it bad for you?"
"I dunno, is there any reason I should try it?" Isabella pouted. "Besides I'm a lightweight."
"Oh! It's not like it's poison or anything. We're the same person! If I can handle it, you can."
"It's just... weird. Where'd you get that anyway?"
Zeydaan was getting more thirsty, more like the strange beverage just tasted that much better. "The intruder... They left it here when they broke in. Well, we've got time before the movies.."
Isabella finished cleaning up and went to the kitchen to fetch some snacks.
Zeydaan stood up, a small sigh of disappointment. Their counterpart giggled, their dragon scales scrubbed with soap from cleaning off the table and washing gloved hands in the sink. "I don't know, I guess I'll have to stick to soda, at least it's easily available." They sighed and got up to stretch, stomach feeling rather bloated from the sticky sweet drink.

"I'm going to go take a quick shower before we go out. The forest was a bit dirty don't you think?"
Zeydaan said as they went to the bathroom.
"Zey! Zey! Zeydaan!" They said as they shut the bathroom door.
"I'm fine! I'll be out in a minute!" They leaned against the shower wall, feeling the brew bubble in their stomach and leave them uncomfortably cramped.
"Zeydaan? Are you ok?" They asked, knocking on the entrance.
Zeydaan stood there for a moment. They didn't quite know how to feel, their stomach rumbled and bloated in place. They felt like their spine was tingling and sending small pulses of pleasure across their entire body. They turned the shower on and closed the door. There was a thick cloud of steam in the room, like warm air coming in, but it was more that the hot water poured in, making for a large cloud of vapor that they'd have to find a way out of. They stood there as they waited for the water to drench over them in the shower, looking about the room. All was dim. Their twin opened the door with a towel around their shoulder and left it by the sink counter. "Just leaving a fresh towel for you Zey." And gently closed it, allowing the steam to accumulate. No matter how much they concentrated and tried, Zeydaan couldn't get the taste out of their mouth or the smell of that brew out of their head. Soon they were they were covered in thick sweat, their head a little faint. "I guess it's time to go to the movies." They lowered the dial until the water ceased and stepped out, the room spinning just slightly. The grooves on their paws were all wrinkled, a pleasurable buzz consciously made Zeydaan feel like they were floating as if in a state of eureka.

The next thing Zey knew they were drying off their fur in a lime towel and trying to put the strange sensations out of their mind. Every few minutes they belched slightly, but they figured that would wear off. When they went back to their room to change, all of their wardrobe seemed, oddly unfamiliar to them. They recalled picking out all the clothing, but something in the back of their head made them feel uncomfortable with each and every article. They settled for an orange hoodie with vanilla slacks, a waist-belt and beige jacket. Isabel came just in time to see them finish with a plastic baggie of popcorn, chips, crackers and two sodacans inside. "Ready to go?" Isabella put their arm around Zey. "Yep! C'mon, we can get there by bike."
They soon rode on their bike, Zey holding into Isabella's wing while they zipped down the streets, both noticing the strange smog that wafted through the town. "It's that time again.." Isabella turned her head toward the gigantic factory at the end of town, noticing the steam coming from the top that was never late or failed to fog up the town. They continued bicycling, gently hitting their wheels against a mound of disheveled rubble and asphalt along the way. No sign of the police cars from earlier could be seen, and most townsfolk they saw while a decent friendly crowd, were usually quite insular onto themselves. That could've been because of the accent they exhibited, Zeydaan noted. They were trained in many skills, from tracking, combat, navigating, even marksmen-ship and shapeshifting, but linguistics and social sleuthing were more of Isabella's thing. They always found that rather humorous, as far as they knew they were the exact same person from parallel worlds, able to shift back and forth into one another, but they still never felt as comfortable navigating conversations as Isabella did, even as Isabella themself.
They exited the residential neighborhood and proceeded north, past some small apartments, into the downtown district. As they cycled, Zey got a whiff of it's weird odors and the pungent smoke coming from the far off factory, trying to put aside how pleasant it smelt to them.
When they rounded the corner they saw the small block of St. Michaels, it's most populous citizens were already busy celebrating a festival by an old Cathedral. There were people singing and dancing, some even playing carnival games like the ones in the circus, a little tent near the town square. This was the first time Zey could've swore they heard that sound again, the song that used to seem so familiar to him, when they were Isabella they'd attended a circus in one world once, the mirth was similar. But this was distinct, the sound of the church's bells and symbols brought up a strange familiarity. With the religious institution, the festival, the steam clouding over and even their home.. err, this town. They'd only been in this town a single month, whatever comfort they felt must've been from Stockholm syndrome or weariness, they just wanted to finish the mission and go home.
"We better hurry, Isabella, because I think the Movie theater closes at 6."
"How did you know that?" Isabella asked.
Zey gave pause, their fur feeling some baggy wrinkles near their scalp, slight strands shuffling out. Were they shedding?
"I.. I don't know? Lucky guess, I think."
"Huh.. alright! Let's go!"
They cycled through the streets, past the cathedral, followed by a dozen or so turns downtown.

When they made it to the movie theater, they locked their bike around a stand on the side parking lot and hurried in. Isabella quickly paid the ticket and they rushed in. "Heyyy, smooth guess. You were right, closes half-past 6 noon. We caught the last showing."
"I don't know what happened, but wouldn't want to drive all the way here for nothing." Without further ado, they headed inside the thearte.

The two sat down and took their seats. The film was a spaghetti western, which they loved. Zeydaan had no clue who the main character was, but the plot was a nice change of pace for him from the typical superhero movie with no real plot or anything. While watching the movie, Zeydaan began to feel bloated again, which was brought with a strange itch across their chest, scalp and arms. They were embarrassed to feel like their fur was on fire, and despite trying to hide it couldn't help but scratching it. The only thing bothering him more was a dull ache in their belly and throat, which despite the bloating was strangely craving a drink. "Hey Isa', can you 'and me the pop?" They asked. Isabella turned around. "Hm?" Maybe it was them trying to be quieter but they didn't quite catch their meaning. "The pop, you know.." "Oh, the soda!" They laughed, taking out a coke and handing it to them. "Thanks luv." Zey popped the can open and started to sip it slowly, feeling the cool sugar fill their parched throat. They had to fight down a gurgle when their neck started to spasm and their gut felt queasy. The sugary drink was alright, but they were really craving something heavier, like downing a beer. They failed to notice the slight tints of light color along their black and red strands uptop.
"You okay Zey?"
"I'm just peachy." Zeydaan lied. But they could tell Isabella didn't buy it for one.
The two of them continued to watch the film and drank sodas throughout it.
Sometime during the film, a series of teenagers started to throw popcorn and scream. Isabella took notice, but gently tried to ignore it. Zey on the other hand couldn't put their nasally and whiny voices of their mind, the taunts irritating them to no end. Finally they stood up and yelled. "Hey, 'ou brats down there! Wha'chu think you're doing? Knock it off or I'ma come drop your chops! Hush up pansies!"
"What'd you say, fleabag?" One of the teens yelled with howlish laughter.
"Aye said HUSH UP PANSIES!" They got up and rushed down the aisle, their fist soon going over and nearly denting one of the kids brace-filled faces. The other two looked on in fear. "Woah, easy there! We don't want any trouble."
"Than don't make a fookin' scene in a movie theater!" Zey demanded. "Or I'll-"
Isabella grabbed their raised hand and held them back. "That's enough. Please, try to keep quiet." They said, dragging Zeydaan back to their seat.
"Zey, what came over you?"
"Wot? They were acting like bunch'a hooligans, dey were."
"But you could've started a fight and gotten us both kicked out!"
"I.." Zey shrugged.
"I don't understand why you're so stressed out."
"You know me, always in a foul mood." Zeydaan said, feeling it was true.
"Zey, you're getting so thin. And what happened to the hair?" Isabella ran their fingers thru it, noticing their red was all but gone and hair was much lighter, bristled and loose.
"It just feels kinda itchy, I guess."

Zeydaan replied.
Isabella shook her head. "I told you to go to a real hair stylist, not to just let it go and cut it up."
"I dunno, I've got the money for the salon, and I wanted to try it out on my own. Maybe try a new style, innit nice idea luv?"
Isabella shrugged. "Can we just finish the movie? Also what's with the slang?"
Zey got up and their legs wobbled. "I've gotta use the telly.. I mean bathroom!" And they ran out, heading to the restroom. Standing atop a urinal, they swiftly let themselves release with a wet tinkle. When they looked into the mirror to wash up, they noticed the fur around their hands and face were oddly faint, almost creme colored in some patches. Were they a little shorter than before too? When they rinsed themselves they noticed it was true, some patches of fur had lightened up. Not only that, one of their eyes were shining like emeralds, the tints of green swirling in the glint of their iris.

They took a closer look at their face, and the color was definitely paler than before, the shadows on their cheeks a lighter shade and the color of their nostrils and lips was a deeper red. A faint blush could be seen, which wasn't possible with their dark fur before. As they dried themselves, the faint tints of color continued to grow, even becoming smoother and more sheeny as if sticking together in clumps that wouldn't break or bristle. When they looked up in the mirror, they stared into a wolf's face, albeit lighter in color, but their features were decidedly more feminine and humanoid. It was hard to say if it was a good or bad thing, whether it was Zeydaan or Zeydaan-the-human. Either way, they were definitely an amalgam of the two, a bit rougher, a bit finer, atleast they still had their fur. Zeydaan went back to the theater room and sat down again. The teenagers looked up sheepishly, but they raised their fist and shook it, making an aggressive expression that said 'Don't fuck with me.'

The film soon ended, and the teens started to get up. Isabella stood up too, but Zey did not. They slowly got up, still looking at the teenagers. "Thank you for keeping quiet during the movie! I appreciate that." Isabella told them and smiled a thank you to the three youngsters. They all shook hands and said their goodbyes. "Zey, how are you holding up?

They had a scowl on their face. "Not so good, but we'll be peachy once we've left this shithole." They said, voice a tad bit accented.
The physical differences weren't lost on Isabella. "Are you practicing your shapeshifting? Doesn't seem like the place for it in a Movie theater."

"Nah, this'all I am at the moment. I'm trying to stay in my own form most of the time." They responded.
Isabella scratched their head. "Your, own form? Zey that doesn't look like..." they shrugged. "Alright, you do you. Wanna grab something to eat on the way home? Maybe stop in a diner?"
Zey perked up. "Oi, I'd love a good pub to get me a booger at!!"
Isa squinted. "A.. booger?"
"Whoo yes a boogah!"
They cupped their mouth and had to take a minute. "You want to eat boogers?"
"Ah yis gimee dat good bread yah. Y'know, with the meat, cheese, the whole deli wad, classic flavor?"
"Oh, oh you want a good burger! Why didn't you say so, you're talking kinda funny."
Zey pressed their head forward to their counterparts. "What the fook is wrong with the way ah talk?" They paused. "Sorry." They fought themselves to even say the word. "Feeling a little off today, bit blunt."
Isabella patted them on the back. "There there, I know it's been stressful. C'mon we'll go grab a bite!" They said unlocking the bike and hopping on. They drove a short distance to the nearest shopping center and found a place to head in.

Zeydaan walked in the local diner, which was pretty much just a big wooden kitchen with booths for diners and a long bar that jutted out, a small seating area, and a couple tables where patrons sat eating and drinking. They knew the food was average as if they'd been here before, but it was cheap and came quickly. The establishment only catered to the working class, being popular with the locals. And they were the working class... they thought? Most missions didn't pay a great deal past living expenses, so they guessed that train of thought made sense? They ordered a chicken cheeseburger, onion rings and drank a bottle of soda from the soda machine. Their hunger was almost too much to handle at one time, even Isabella was taken back by how much they ordered. In no time at all the waiter came with their food and they started eating aggressively. They could feel the grease filling their belly, their appetite for the food hitting the roof. As they dug into the burger, their mouth began to water.
Zey took one bite, savoring the flavor, and put it back down. "Ah dahnnaaaa. A burger wagna taste like a pig's asshole."
"What?" Isabella asked with a puzzled look. They'd ordered a light salad.
"Ah dinnae like pig." Zey replied.
An hour passed, and they were a little peckish. Their belly had made a slow descent but still had some room to go. "Mmm, Ah luv wungnaa cheese." Zey said, "Oi, the burger was great! We shoulda come 'ere more often." Zey belched loudly. They were much thinner than before, having lost a good deal of height and muscle mass, but not too much. The slacks they wore seemed navy shaded now with tears and patches in them, studded belt now casual leather with a silver buckle. Their beige jacket was taking on shades of blue while the crimson t-shirt had begun moving its saturation to a lighter shade, slowly transitioning to a bright mustard yellow. Zeydaan's hair was getting a little longer, in the style of something that had been popular during another time period in the 90's or early 2000's, but with it were some very soft, wispy tips of azule blue hair poking out from under the top of their head. It also was thinner, and much lighter than before. Their fur on their face had virtually dissipated or blended so lightly, that it began to resemble fleshy bare skin with a bare-tan.
"Zeydaan, we need to talk about this. Are you sure you're okay? Doesn't this look bother you?"
"Wot look mate? Holee Jesus I look right fine, real wank observation dere Isa." They ran their paws through their bluish hair, paws starting to recede into normal human fingertips.
"Yes, I'm glad." Isa said sheepishly. "But are you really convinced this is you?"

"Oh c'mon! Ah'm a wolf, a wolf-dragon, we wif the moooon like a sailor n' his beard! Ah've always been a wolf, not a man. Besides, it's what I do. We've only got the tiniest of clues to find the culprit 'ere. You know how it is, we're not that sharp. Wiff 'gards to arr goal, we need a little help from someone with expertise ova here in dis town, I'll tell ya right now. "
"But they'll know about this and say something if you keep shapeshifting. It'll blow your cover! I can't do that to you."
"Nu, Ah'll deal with that. "
"But Zeydaan, I'm worried about you! You keep talking like that, and even when you shifted before you never talked differently. You don't want to lose yourself. Not like this."
"Look, Ah think ah'm gonna need to keep this up for a little while longer. Ah could've stayed dis way s'was before but ah'm really not having it. 'Chu can't keep shoving me 'nother way"

Isabella, much as they would love to help, also didn't want to get Zeydaan mixed up in anything bad, so they didn't want to encourage anything. They took Zey's paw and looked it over, watching in real time as the remaining fur dwindled and became a perfectly human appendage, a hand with 5 digits, short nails and not a single claw to be seen.
Isabella stared at her hand, not knowing what to do, but they had to help their friend in any way they could. They decided that they needed to at least try to heal Zey's hand, if nothing else.
She took the back of her hand and ran her fingers over the palm and up and down the creases, trying to feel the difference. It wasn't much. Then they used their fingers to rub the skin where the fur used to be and the skin started to grow in thick and dark fur, the palm was turning the skin a deeper brown than it had been.
"Zeydaan. You look like..." Isabella trailed off, they weren't sure what they were supposed to say that after that.
"I know, me mates say ah look like a wolf like me, Ah wundnae go back to being a man."
Isabella could barely understand their accent in some responses. The waiter came around and Zey was handed the check. How much was a 15% tip? They didn't really remember going to college or distinct mathematical prowess, or even the practice of tipping for that matter. After taking too long, the waiter took the check anyway and they paid, leaving quietly.
Once they got on the bike it was already night time. Isabella noticed Zey coughing in a fit, their lungs seeming somewhat troubled now.
"This is you, isn't it? Are you certain?" They asked concerned.
"Yes, Ah know I look and sound a little different but it's always been right-as-me. I just need time to get used to the whole thing, so hold onto yer tits Izzy."
"Isabella." They corrected them, before biking on home.

Later that night, Isabella had gone to bed early after arriving home. Their other half decided to sleep on the couch, their skinnier body fitting on it rather nicely and enjoying the cozy lackadaisical ring to it. It was midnight, Zey got up slowly, it took every ounce of their energy to do so. They could still taste the food they ate when they ate, but the taste was a little more than they was used to, more greasy and full. They were also feeling lightheaded. They got back into his bedroom and paced around, now noticing their tail had shrunk throwing them a bit off balance. They weren't not sure if they'd had gotten enough food to feel this lightheaded, but something needed to sooth the emptiness. The room seemed strangely, uncomfortable to them, like the room of a sterile hotel or foreigner. Soon they dragged themselves to the kitchen. Zeydaan's stomach rumbled a bit, not as much as it had when they ate, but still. They opened their mouth to howl, but nothing came out, not an animalistic sound or even a roar. They picked at their teeth, sharp fangs starting to slowly shrink into molars that were in rather dire need of a dentist. They looked through the fridge and found some beer cans, quickly cracked them open on the table and took a large gulp of the alcohol and started panting, trying to get some of the excess food in him out, until they finally belched loud enough to echo through the apartment. their stomach was starting to feel a little bloated even up top near their chest. It wasn't too much, they hadn't consumed much, but it was enough that it had become a problem. Zey felt that they needed to puke, they ran to the sink and grabbed their chest.

"Geez mate!" Zeydaan coughed and wheezed, as if they had a decade-long smoker's lung. The pressure from their nipples was unlike anything they'd ever felt, They grabbed their abdomen and tried to twist their body into a more comfortable position for their heaving stomach to expel its toxins. However, in their haste, Zey's torso twisted in a direction that ended up pushing their upper body into an upright position, their lower back and butt still resting on the table. Their stomach sent waves of pressure which continued to rub through their body, which was now standing at an extreme angle to its previous shape, like they were going to topple over. They leaned down their on the table, feeling an unsettling heaviness in the front and back.
"Arrg, arrg! Help me!" They said, still being unable to speak their own accent, now struggling with this new personality infecting thoughts aswell, as they tried to shift their stomach back down to its natural location.
"Izzie! izsmee!" Zey said through a wheezing breath.
The pressure got worse, they felt their own flesh from within pounding. If there were any slight faded patches of fur, they swiftly sheered and fell out onto the floor, especially on their rear and chest. "My bloody arse, I swear to gawd what was in dat burger?!" The gravity built until the tightness of their flesh gave way to a soft, fibrous burst of doughy expansion. When they looked down they saw their nipples growing and the flesh around them expanding, dark areolas that grew in size over alabaster skin. The round mass that jiggled out grew and enlarged right in front of them, their very own bouncy perk breasts. "Whaaat the fook?" They'd created the visage of these extremities in some forms and while shapeshifting before, but seeing them before the table right now sent their mind reeling into confusion.

In their panic Zey ran into the living and searched through their bags, they could feel the length of their hips growing out and crunching from the muscles and posterior, increasing the volume of their gluteus maximus while they searched. "Tractor beam, no.. Multiversal translator, course not. Tictacs.. oo dese mints could be hella useful if I need a freshie! Wait NO, focus Zey!" Their buttocks naturally grew larger and swung from side to side as they threw item after item onto the couch, their memory of some of these devices and gadgets from the Hawkmoth repository faint and frail. When they finally found a SynthBioReader, they opened the SBR orb until a holographic disc was projected and held it up.
"Sinbad, Run a diagnostic! Real quick, observe for biomass changes!"
"Diagnostic engaged. Scanning in progress.."

It was supposed to be an instant diagnostic, but it was taking a long time, this was their body so far into the transformation, could it's databank identify what was occurring or effecting them?

They held their hands in front of their face, Zey's mind clearly trying to make a reasonable conclusion of the situation. The answer appeared not in a reasonable explanation but a distraction, an impulse! A few strands of blue hair tickle their nose as a gust of cold air hits their faces and it occurs to them. Shapeshifting! Yes, they could just focus and transform back. They went over near a window. Closing their eyes and concentrated, Zey tried to remember what they looked like. They just had to focus and change into their true form, the form of their mind. Wide perky hips, soft shoulders, smooth lips and cheaply cut haircut, focus on that image and bring it back to the fold. In no time at all their hair had all this strange dark tint to it. Now, look at their hair. It had a brown hue. Their fingers are getting colder, becoming slicker and more feminine. At first, Zey was holding them in a way that was quite awkward while trying to focus on regaining paws, but they were confused why they would have paws? The transformation must've cursed them somehow, they just had to concentrate on having the course, factory-worked hands they always did and surely enough, now they were becoming stiffer. Less-wolf like. More like when one holds a rifle, a lever, or better yet a beer bottle. Their back arched, bipedal form becoming more like an evolved primates and not a canine or dragon's distinct anatomy. Their normally low pitched voice was becoming higher pitched, loud, crass and very drunk.


They then open their eyes and stared at the mirror in front of them.

And they were...

A drunken and crude woman with an exaggeratedly perky chest. Was that the correction they hoped? It must've worked! Mangy, dishevelled and smelly Smoggie!
Smoggie? What did that thought mean? Zey shook their head, this wasn't right. In the last few moments they had become even more human and even in their drunken state, seemed to reinforce the changes. They had to go back to being wolf, if only for a moment to get back to their senses and revert to being their true selves! A wolf, a dragon, change into Isabella even. But they couldn't recall how to reverse the process or change back, it was getting much harder to even remember what they formerly were like at all.

They watched in fascination as Smoggie looked at herself in the mirror. "Who's that?" They/She was saying.

"Myself, Zey's self. I'm still there. Just, a little, human now. My mind can shape-shift, just like you can. But now I'm in a wolf-form. I haven't gotten quite to the great garbage disposal in the sky yet."
Zey.. abit confused waved to the reflection. "Please you've got to help me, me! Stay with me, tell me how to transform back! I don't bloody know how long I can hold right on before I'm some, dumpster diving broad."
The SynthBioReader suddenly floated towards them. "Scanning complete! Reality altering contagion currently in progress. Composition made of mostly sugar, fructose, yeast, barley, wheat and photonic tachyons."
Zey cursed themselves. "Beer? It must've been that bottle I drank this afternoon. Always gotta be the tachyons.." They looked down at their effeminate body, barely recognizable at all from the draconian wolf they once were. "How do we isolate and remove it?"

"Antidote measures downloading.. complete. To access the antidote regimen, enter passcode."
"P-passcode? O blood hell errr nooo don't kno' no freakin' passcode! What's the marra? Werk ya piece ah junk!" They tried to focus and remember as hard as they could the device protocols and terminology, but nothing came. Some rugged instructions for factory machinery and manual labor, but nothing about how to operate it. "Um.. Pucker up 'em?"
"Passcode incorrect. Analysis denied."
"Aww fook'CHU YA CHEEP SHOP CHOP WANKER! YER BLOODY OOSELISS!" They kicked the orb across the room like a soccer ball until it short-circuited along a wall.
"Shoot.." They sat back down, wondering how they could be forgetting their very identity and not even realizing it. They were really very drunk, how did that happen? Maybe the alcohol made them lose their memory? Even when concentrating with all of their might, squeezing their muscle memory and shapeshifting to its limit, they could only create canine legs and a bushy tail in back within the slick mangy jeans. They thought hard, but the more they did, the harder it was to think. They looked down, the top half of their body was that of a drunken and randy woman and their wolf lower half looked so out of place that it didn't even fit properly.

Zey looked down at their hands. Both of them. How did they get here? And what were they, really?
They shook their head, knowing they were losing concentration fast. The reflection of them in the mirror, having faded into Smoggie somewhat coughed a few times. "It's simple, if you drank something innit made you all, dis boogey-boo drunkin lou, 'chu can just squeeze 'er out cannot ya? Gis it off ya bod mate, only way. Chunk it out all nasty like yanno? Just, throw dat nasty brine up!"

The words seemed more like garbled noises than anything else, even their mental reflection now accented. "Throw it, up? I've been... it's been over a few hours, and... digested.. I can't just jump from... I... I've.... It doesn't work that way." Their head wasn't very clear right now, it seemed like a hella stupid idea, puking the transformative substance out, but what choice did they have? But how would they barf up?

Thinking with all the brainpower they had left, the only solution that came to mind was to chug hard and fill'er up until they let loose.
Their nose, usually sensitive and useful was becoming less than when they were a furred animal, slowly pressing back into their face and becoming more flat. While their nose wasn't overly sharp anymore, they still sniffed through their air and picked up the scents of beer and nicotine. "Eww, from 'ere can smell that! Fookin filth.. The neighbor's garbage disposal.." It had been a rather cold night in their city, a chilly mist hanging in the air. There was a definite, damp sensation that made the air feel slightly more stale, something they couldn't sense or adjust to before. In fact,they could feel little drips and squirts of liquid condensation that landed on them, soaking them, their new nipples shivering, cold sweat falling from their fingertips. This made them more sensitive and tender. Zey tried to shake off this feeling and walk around, but it was harder to keep focused with the growing fog inside their mind.... her mind?

No matter how much their head said that they weren't a girl, and it'd be obvious either way they weren't becoming some frilled keggy princess, it would never be enough. Girl. Working glass gal. Grill. Gurl. Smoggie. Beer babe. Bilge-sucking bitch, filthy canning factory lubber chip n' fish grubber. Zey tried to gather a will that would be able to push the thoughts away, but it felt like an eternity, a factory sending an endless conveyor belt of new ideas and terms through their head. Resistance wasn't not going to work. The memories sank in deep, they were always there, Here, here in this town, as far from anything as anyone's ever been, and she began to remember a lifetime living here. She was always here. Smoggie was always a girl.

A female. She couldn't deny it. But they still didn't want it. "Fookin' a girl," they spat out under their stinkin beer-breath.
She paced back and forth, wondering why her room was so, upscale? There was an High Def screen TV , fine bookshelves and knickknacks, even the kitchen had more food and supplies than she could ever hope to afford with her Can-factory salary. In the corner of the living room was some strange device smashed, kicked against the wall as it was. "Wuz dis?" She asked, picking it up.
She couldn't make much sense of the gadget. The machine slowly however started to crumple in their touch, melting like wet clay when they picked it up and observed it. It's metallic material and circuitry started to become simple strands of rubberized polymers and reshape into a soft bowl form, becoming a smooth latex set of headwear, slightly crumpled and just the right shape for the top of Grey's head. Waves of blackish material spread throughout it dyeing the silvers and whites until it was sufficiently vivid. 
"Charming.. dunno 'ey I left dis 'round. Been ah'while." She flopped it fresh back and forth, blowing the dust off before stretching the rubber beanie atop. It was a little smaller than she imagined, resisting her and her grip with a tense, stressed firmness.
"C'mon now y'all, don't giv'em an'ey." She said under her breath as she adjusted her beanie.
With a streaky, creaking STRCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH it fit right tight over her electric blue hair, finally SNAP'ing perfectly the rubber beanie place.
"Dere 'ey go!"
She chuckled as she stared at herself. The headwear suited her best.

Grey moved over to the kitchen for some food. After a couple minutes of sniffing a couple stale tins, Zey ran into their fridge and pulled out a pint of Guinness, they remembered saving it for the moment they decided to try one, which was this moment.
"Dayum so slick. S'been too long, time for sum briney refreshment." Zeydaan said, pulling out a can and popping open a quarter inch of beer. They remembered it was important to drink as much beer as possible, to get wasted and to puke up, but they couldn't recall the specific reason why, that whole line of thought bubbling and dissolving in real time in the back of their drunken mind. "Gawd, me 'ead is spinnin', Dun know 'at I've been smellin', can't even recall dis mornin' clearly. Ah git beer 'ight front of me, wuz gonna do?" Zeydaan had an idea, but they didn't quite know why some voice in the back of their head was telling them this was all wrong. Their body responded to the alcohol differently, nose was getting more delicate as the beer wafted. "Giz a croggy chug for smoggie!" And without restraint, they drowned that internal voice with a heavy chug of beer.

They stretched, slapping their pert ass and running their hands now their twiggy skinny curves. The last vestiges of her mind went under the water and disappeared, replaced by a new consciousness, her body now having a purpose. She chugged the beer and spat it out, now fully realizing the fullness of her new form. The fullness of her new form. She had breasts! She'd be a beautiful female, her nipples now standing hard and erect. "I'm gonna git me some booshes. Gawd, nice perky teets, but it sure'aint 'ot." After another chug, Smoggie crushed the beercan in their hands and threw it into the garbage disposal.

"S'time fer sum right fun, 'chu bet!"

Zey went upstairs and stretched, seeing their pale skin and bare face. Their hand reached into the cabinets and they took out some eyeliner, running it along their eyes to thicken their lashes nice and plump. In the mirror they did their make up, checking themselves out to make sure there wasn't too much. They couldn’t be that good looking, after all, a smoggie gal wasn't some well-to-do prep or the queen of fookin' england afterall, but a little bit of freshening up wouldn't shock. They looked up and bit their lip, feeling something was off with their hairstyle. The shape and form was right but, the brunette color just wouldn't do. Zey started to look through the cabinets, finding some blue dye below the sink and set it on the counter. “Perf! Ah 'hink at'll do juss swell” they said, turning on the tap on the faucet, putting their face under the faucet and letting warm water spraying on away. Hot clean water poured and sprayed down over their hair, wetting it dark and slick until it was sufficiently damp. When they pulled back, Zey uncapped the can of dye and fingered the goop, taking a small whiff of the chemicals to determine they were freshly putrid. "Yer do a'ight." Without delay, they started to run it down their hair and let the dye sink in, goopy liquid drenching every pore and scalp layer across their head. The dye went deep into their roots staining them with color. Their hair became more deep blue with every layer. The blue liquid darkened around the brows over their eyes, matching them with the hair color. When they pulled the can away, the blue dye looked great, like they were staring into azure heavens.

"Aye! So ah 'ope ta' leave ye with yer 'tention ta' make sure ya don't go doon ta that fookin' fae again." Zey said, winking. They finished their makeup. “Yer very lucky ta' me, ya know? That’s mah kinda gal ya are.” They said talking to themselves. "Lookin' ace Smoggers. Ta'e care yerse'f now.”

"Juss sayin' that you're gonna need ta' keep watchin' 'yerse'f.” Zey said to themselves, wondering why that name kept in their head. They headed into the kitchen and reached for several cans of beer, excited to pop open whatever was in the fridge and chug what was offered before them. With each new drink, with every sip, any slight or fading, effaced remainder of her old memories were drowned further in the pleasure and bliss of the devil's nectar. But the drink wasn't enough, the latent residue of magic making them abit itchy and unsettled. Smoggie searched around the living room, finding in a pack a strange pair of cigarettes to calm her nerves. They looked like ordinary cigs with some red rune symbols printed on the paper print. When she found a lighter and lit them up, they emitted a bluish-green strange light that would be unearthly for any ordinary indulgence of the sort.

Every single drag drove her further into the crass mindset of the Teesside girl. The cigarettes were only supposed to be taken at a dose of 1 a day to relax and reduce one's latent magical output, but the girl in no time at all had smoked two whole packs, enough to more or less nullify any traces of magic from her system completely. And with each puff, every drag, Smoggie's old mind tried to be a more active participant in what was about to happen, but her mind was too tired to understand or fight the influence of Smoggy any more, its powers having been almost drained from its use. But then suddenly it all went away as if something was yanked from her grasp. As the last of the magic was absorbed into her body, the wolf-dragon tail, furry legs and bottom were replaced by a body not as old and worn but as young as a twenty year old. As they walked away, the vestiges of their old transformed self, the wolf-dragon tail, furry legs and bottom dissolving into jeans and cheap sneakers. The girl found herself looking back into the mirror and a face that was not only young, but had also never seen a mirror before to compare it to. The face of the devil, it's face, was one of rough, rugged, yet youthful perfection. An almost cartoonish english beauty of a young working-class girl with large emerald green eyes,

There was a knock at the door and they went downstairs.

“Clive, Mike, Mags, dat yoo? Yer 'ome fer ‘ome?” The woman said. She went to the entrance. Kale and two girls with him hung by the apartment entrance, all of them were dressed in skimpy tanktops, mini-skirts, shorts and sandals.
"Woah what?!" Kale asked, his muscular beach-bod and long wavy hair pressed against the two dates. "What's your name miss?"
The Teesside native stopped for a moment. That name in the back of their head, that one they were thinking before, faded like a twinkling star into the smoggy night sky. A new name finally came naturally from their lips, as natural as dirty soil of Northern England itself. "Grey Ryder." She said.
"You look nice Grey! You should relax, I'd love to give a girl like you a little attention. I mean, if you wanna hang out with us that's cool. Don't know where Zeydaan went, but you seem like one cool cat."
"Cool cat?"
"Yeah! Do you like pussy?"
Grey snickered.They felt Hana snuggling by their ankles and picked the yokai cat up, stroking her gently. Hana purred at the attention.
"Yeh. Ey like'em.”

"Well, you and Hana can come around with us. We've got a new gig set up, this is a little bit different. You're gonna love this shit, Grey. You should, this is like a house party for us. We might even get in the pool, you know? Zeydaan's gone for however long, and it's summer so we have the freedom to do what we want, and if you come, you could come too. No commitments. We're all just looking for a little fun this summer."

Kale's words hit Grey in the right place. They had the freedom, with a few exceptions, to do whatever they wanted. To live their own life again. To let go of their old self, and be reborn. Plus the two babes Kale brought were pretty good lookers, she had to admit. Grey threw her arms around the gals and got ready to show them around to her place. Kale suddenly got a text on his phone. "Shoot, I've got to run across town. You three, start your own thing."

"Yer ta'e ta'e care," Grey winked. "Ah'go ta'e care a'right, ya doan need ta'see me ta'en ah'way. Ah'll check up with ye 'n see 'ere Zeydaan is at." She kissed Kale on his soft skin before they left, thinking what fun she could have with a cute boy sometime.

"Y'like booze?' Grey offered, going to the cabinets and pulling out a bottle. They drank and chatted about the places they'd been and what they liked about them. "There's something about you Grey. I feel like I can trust you." One of the girls said. The other sat on Grey's lap and started to pull her wet lips in close. "I love your accent. You live here for awhile?"
Ryder smiled. "Nuh, juss git 'ere a' few days a' time ah'go. Pullin' int' town. It's really right nice up 'ere, all green. No smoggies 'cept fer me."

Fin