Changing The Stars by Jayestoat

Marcus couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe what Sess had told him, but he could see no lie in the furaxi’s eyes or ears. The alien’s tail had drooped slightly, further showing off the unhappiness the furaxi felt. Marcus’s own rubbery tail, a part of the quarantine suit he had been sealed in since he had first stepped onto the furaxi spaceship, mimicked the pose.

“We expect the summons to arrive tomorrow,” Sess explained mournfully. His hand rested lightly on Marcus’s shoulders, fingers making soft swirls over his rubbery skin. The furaxi’s touch was close to the sensitive, pseudo-erogenous zone that made up much of Marcus’s back, but for once the feeling didn’t bring pleasure to the human. Instead, the touch was a reminder of what he was soon going to lose.

Beneath the thick visor of his helmet, Marcus blinked. His tail tip perked up slightly. “But if the summons haven’t arrived, how do you know what they contain?”

Sess grimaced. His ears pulled back. “We may have quicker methods of communication than we have let your Furaxi Collaboration Committee know. Our ambassadors on Earth were able to learn of the summons, and they sent a quicker message to let us know. They aren’t certain what the summons contained, but they understood the FCC was upset with the lack of progress being made.”

Marcus slumped back and looked up to the stars. Sess had pointed out which one was the one around which Earth orbited. His eyes quickly found out what the furaxi had called the great eye. He shuddered at the thought of returning there. “Is there no way we can ignore the summons? No way we can stop me from going back?”

“The agreement between our species is that the furaxi don’t hold dominion over humans, and humans don’t hold dominion over furaxi. If the FCC wants to recall its humans, then we have no way to refuse without breaking our treaty,” Sess explained. His fingers moved to gently slide over Marcus’s chest, which brought out a few more tingles of pleasure, but less so compared to the sensitivity of the human’s back. “Why is it you want to stay here so much?”

Marcus lifted his hands up as though reaching towards the stars. The unfamiliar distribution of the points of light fascinated him. “Out here I feel like I have meaning and purpose. I’m learning how to be a bridge between humans and another species. I would never have dreamed of that possibility, of that purpose. Even when I was studying terraforming, I never expected to have the chance to make a huge difference by myself. The furaxi have given me that chance, and it’s humans who are going to take it away from me again.”

“There may be…” Sess mumbled, before falling silent.

Marcus glanced up at the furaxi. Sess’s ears had both curled forward, almost flat against his head. The human longed to question what Sess meant, but he held his tongue. The furaxi would explain his thoughts when he was ready.

Instead of speaking, Sess held out his hand to grasp Marcus’s mitted hand. The human was pulled to his feet before the furaxi spoke. “I have an idea. I’ll have to speak to Hiss first, so I’m sorry, I won’t be able to tell you what it is yet. But I might have a way you can stay here.”

Marcus’s tail flicked up. “Really?” he asked, his voice rising. He barely dared to hope, but he could see the positivity returning to Sess’s expression as well. The furaxi’s ears had perked up again.

“Come with me,” Sess said, tugging lightly on Marcus’s arm.

The human allowed himself to be led away from the forest, back towards the distant city and the bright lights. Sess did not explain his plan at all, not giving any hints to his thoughts as they made their way back to the tall buildings of the furaxi capital.

Marcus did not recognise where Sess took him. They did not return to the centre of the great city, instead diverting towards a small cluster of buildings towards the outskirts of what Marcus had come to recognise as the business district. Sess had occasionally sent and received a few messages on their way through the city, but the furaxi had not filled Marcus in on what he said.

A few furaxi paused as they passed through the brightly lit streets. Even long after night had fallen, there were still hundreds of furaxi on the roads, with even a few of the other species of the galaxy amongst their number. Clad in his rubbery skin-tight suit, Marcus knew he stood out, even if his shape was roughly similar to the furaxi by his side.

Their destination was a building that looked almost like a mixture between a mansion and a school, surrounded by wide grounds filled with the tree-like vines native to the planet. Over his few weeks on Hyssansyr, Marcus had been getting a good impression of furaxi architecture, but the human could not immediately tell just what this building was. Then he saw the sign beside the front door. It was an embassy.

Despite the late time and the fact most of the light appeared to be switched off inside, the front door slid open as Sess and Marcus approached. It was one of the first doors Marcus had actually seen: every other building used the strange portals. Inside the building was a large lobby with sweeping walls and a rounded ceiling. Soft lights glowed gently, providing just about enough illumination to see clearly.

“Are we supposed to be in here?” Marcus asked apprehensively. He looked up, towards the distant ceiling.

“Hiss will be meeting us here,” Sess explained, putting his arm around Marcus’s shoulders. The furaxi’s muzzle scrunched as he peered towards the other end of the room. There were no other doors or exit points but for the sliding door behind them.

As Marcus looked around for where they needed to go next, a bright light sparked at the far end of the room. A portal opened up, but no one stepped through. Sess tugged on Marcus’s hand, leading him towards the glowing circle.

The portals had once unnerved Marcus, but he was used to them now. He ducked his head to step through after Sess, making sure to stay well within the boundaries of the portal. That was one thing he had not asked about yet, and he was not sure he wanted to find out what happened if he touched the edges of the glowing circles of light. When the light cleared from Marcus’s eyes, he found himself in a small room, about the size of the bedroom he shared with Sess. Artistic markings of black and cream snaked across the walls, and the wide windows overlooked the gardens around the embassy.

The room appeared to be an office. Only one furaxi was present, and Marcus didn’t need her to turn around to recognise Hiss. The furaxi stared out the window, her back to the portal, though the flick of her ears indicated that she was aware of the company.

“I would like to nominate Marcus,” Sess said, not waiting for any greeting between the two furaxi.

“This is most improper,” Hiss said without turning around. Her tail swished from side to side in stiff, erratic movements. Her ears curled forward as she slowly turned around on the spot. Like always, she wore nothing. “This is not the procedure we must follow.”

Sess wrinkled his muzzle. “When do we bind ourselves strictly to procedure? We allowed ourselves to bend from the procedure with the goperites. Why can’t we do the same here?”

Hiss palmed her forehead and groaned. “The goperites were ruled by a moron who lucked himself into power just after we made contact. We couldn’t allow a peaceful first contact to be squandered because of the irrational incompetence of one person. This is not a similar case.”

“All the same, we should make the offer,” Sess pressed. He took a step forward, releasing Marcus’s hand as he approached the other furaxi. “We can’t let them go home without the opportunity to choose to stay here.”

Hiss slid her hand down her muzzle, her fingertips raking through the soft, short fur around her mouth. “They are not ready for this offer.”

“Then no human ever will be,” Sess retorted, his ears perked forward and tail thrashing. Even his voice had gotten harsher, but his tone quickly softened again. “Please, Hiss. Let us at least offer this to them.”

Hiss drew in her breath, then lowered her arms to her sides. “Very well. I do not believe they are all suitable, but there is one other I will nominate to be asked.”

Sess clasped his hands together. “Thank you, Hiss. I truly believe this will be for the best.”

Hiss smirked. She winked at Sess as she stepped past him, though her eyes were on Marcus. “And it’s not just because you’ve taken quite a liking to this one?”

Sess did not answer. The tips of his ears had turned pink. Marcus also blushed, glad that his helmet hid much of the reaction from Hiss, though he imagined his ears had probably also flushed in some way. Hiss simply smirked at them both again, flicking the tip of her tail against Marcus as she summoned a fresh portal and stepped through. Marcus only got a glimpse through the bright light, but he recognised the apartment where all the humans were housed.

As soon as the portal closed behind Hiss, Marcus turned to Sess. “What are you offering? What is this procedure?” he asked, holding his mitted hands to his hips. His head tilted to one side as he looked up to the furaxi.

Sess’s ears pinned back as he lightly bit down on his lower lip. “I will let Hiss explain with the other human she has chosen for this. It would be best if she only said it once.”

Though Marcus desperately wanted some answers, he bowed his head and sighed. He could only hope he would not need to wait long before Hiss returned. His tail itched as it swished to the side. He feared going back to Earth, but whatever this procedure meant, if it gave him the hope of staying on Hyssansyr, then he would accept the offer.

“This is your chance to stay, though,” Sess said quietly. He turned to look out the windows, his hands clasped together behind his back. His ears and tail drooped. “But we will be asking a lot of you. I will… we will all understand if the price is too high.”

Marcus flicked an ear and stared at the furaxi. His heart hammered away inside his chest, apprehensive about what was to be asked of him. He wanted to remain on Hyssansyr, but he had no idea what would be asked of him.

Before Marcus could think of anything else to say, the portal opened once more. Two shadows emerged through the bright light, both in the rough outline of furaxi. Marcus blinked as he realised one of them was merely one of the other humans in their suit. He rubbed his mitted hand over the visor of his helmet. The human was Ellen, and despite the memories that clearly told Marcus otherwise, he still saw and thought of the other human as male.

Ellen looked just as confused as Marcus felt as he came through the portal with Hiss. The furaxi moved to stand by Sess’s side, while Ellen lingered closer to Marcus.

“Do you know what this is about?” Ellen asked in a whispered tone, one ear flicked down as he leaned closer to Marcus’s side.

Marcus had no time to answer before Hiss started speaking again. The furaxi’s voice was stern and serious as she looked to one suited human and then to the other. “What we are about to offer you is something we give to very few. We only consider those who have shown the best aptitude amongst the cultural envoys.”

“What is it you’re offering us?” Ellen said sharply. His hands balled into fists, closely mimicking Marcus’s own mitted hands.

Hiss spread her hands wide. “How would you like to become like us, without the need of your suits?”

Marcus’s throat went dry. “You mean…” he spluttered, unable to speak any more. He felt like he could barely breathe, as though his suit had constricted around him.

“We are offering you the chance to become furaxi in biology,” Sess explained. He met Marcus’s gaze. “You would no longer be human in any way. You would be one of us in every possible way.”

“We could extoll all the ways our species has an advantage over yours,” Hiss said, clasping her hands back together and entwining her long fingers. “Our senses are better, and we are longer lived thanks to our technology. But in truth, almost all of what we can offer as a furaxi are things that will soon be made available to humans. You must not make this decision through envy of our species, but because you truly believe you wish to be like us.”

“And is it reversible?” Ellen asked. His voice sounded hoarse and tight, just like Marcus felt.

Hiss slowly shook her head. “If you make this choice now, it will not be able to get undone. You may remain human, or you may become furaxi. You cannot become human again should you make the latter choice.”

“And we must make the choice now?” Ellen asked, his voice shaking a little. He stepped back, away from the two furaxi.

“You may have until tomorrow to choose,” Hiss said, clasping her hands together. “Unfortunately circumstances mean we can’t let you wait any longer than that.”

“I don’t know…” Ellen whispered. He looked up to Marcus. “What do you think?”

Hidden inside his helmet, Marcus licked his lips. He scuffed his foot against the ground and ran his fingerless hands over his body. The tight latex of the suit squeaked a little. He imagined that there was fur there, instead of the skintight rubber. He breathed quickly as he slowly looked up. There could only be one answer he could give. “Yes.”

“What?” Ellen yelped.

“Are you sure you don’t want to think about it first?” Hiss said at the same time. Sess said nothing, but his ears perked up and his eyes brightened.

Marcus shook his head. “No, I don’t need to think about it,” he said, confidence coming back into his voice. “I understand why you might be reluctant, Ellen. You have a life of success on Earth. All of you do, but I don’t have that. I had no prospects until now, and there’s no one back there who will miss me. I’ve got nothing to lose with this, but everything to gain.”

“Are you sure?” Hiss said firmly, stepping forward. She looked at Marcus with narrowed eyes. Behind her, Sess seemed unable to keep still, hopping from one foot to the other.

“There is nothing anyone can say to me that will make me want to change my mind,” Marcus said, just as firmly as the furaxi. He looked up at the two alien creatures, then glanced aside to Ellen. “I know that I want this.”

“You would turn your back on what it means to be human,” Ellen whispered, his ears drooping low, tail tucked between his legs.

Marcus grimaced and shook his head. “I’m not turning my back on any of that. I’m giving myself purpose and the opportunity to help humans become part of this bigger community,” he explained. A small shiver passed down his spine. There was no doubt in his mind, but there were awkward questions forming in his thoughts. Was he really doing this for humanity? Was this really the only option?

Ellen stepped back and lifted his hands, warding away the furaxi. “I appreciate the offer you have given to me, and I thank you for the trust you have shown, but like Marcus my mind cannot be changed. I can’t accept this,” he said hesitantly.

Hiss bowed her head. “Very well. I shall escort you back to your accommodation,” the furaxi said. There was a little sorrow in her eyes and ears, but her tail flicked up. Marcus got the feeling she had expected that answer from Ellen. “Marcus, we shall get you prepared for the procedure. It is unlikely that you will ever see your companions again with human eyes. Do you wish to say your goodbyes first?”

Marcus hesitated. He looked to Ellen, then back to the furaxi. He had spent a lot of time with the other ten humans on their journey through the stars, but that had been solely out of necessity. He doubted he could truly consider any of them as friends. They were acquaintances at best. Fellow humans exploring an unknown frontier together. Their shared experiences had bound them together, but nothing more than that.

“They won’t understand,” Ellen said in a small voice. She took a step forward, towards Marcus. He then pulled Marcus into a quick embrace, making sure to keep his hands away from the sensitive areas of Marcus’s back. He moved away, ears curled down slightly. “I’ll say goodbye to them for you. We’ll miss you.”

“Thank you,” Marcus said, flicking his tail against his legs. He wondered what that would feel like when the additional limb was truly a part of him, and not just a rubbery extension of his suit.

Hiss opened the portal back up for Ellen to step through. When the light faded, Marcus was alone with just the two furaxi once more. Golden light soon bathed his skintight suit again as a second portal was opened, this time to a room that was unfamiliar to Marcus. Something still itched at the base of his tail, as well as the thoughts swirling through his mind. Had he made the right decision? He thought he was sure. He would have liked to have seen Ellen’s face beneath the helmet one last time. He rubbed his mitted hand against the visor of his own helmet. Would he feel vulnerable and naked without the skintight suit on? There were few times when he felt naked inside it, even without any other clothes to cover his modified appearance.

“Come through here and we’ll explain everything you need to know,” Hiss said, extending her hand out towards Marcus.

“You can still change your mind, if you want to,” Sess added. “You haven’t committed to anything until the moment we start the procedure on you.”

Feeling like his head was spinning, Marcus nodded once and followed the two furaxi. He leaned on Hiss’s arm for support, unsure if he could fully trust his feet not to stumble and fall. “Will I get much say in what I look like?” he asked, his voice sounding quiet and faraway even to his own ears.

“Unfortunately not, no,” Hiss said, leading Marcus through the portal and into a room that the human did not recognise. He got the impression of a laboratory crossed with a hospital, with machines of unknown purpose lining the walls. Several holographic screens were in a dormant state, and there was the faint smell of antiseptic on the air. “Your new body will be modelled largely from the input provided by your skinsuit. That is one of the reasons why we quarantine envoys in them, in case they are chosen to go through this procedure. If we had a couple more weeks, we could create a new, custom profile for you. But right now, we have no time.”

“It’s another one of your tests,” Marcus said with a laugh. Then he realised just what Hiss’s words really meant. He lightly touched his mitted hands to the small mounds on his chest. “I’d become female?”

“That would be the expected outcome, yes,” Hiss said. She had closed the portal already, sealing the room with the four walls and no doors. She moved over to swipe her hands at the holographic projectors.

“Will that be a problem?” Sess asked, his focus remaining on Marcus.

“It’s not something I ever thought I’d be,” Marcus said slowly. He caught a reflection of himself in the surface of one of the machines. His tail flicked up. “If that’s what I have to do to stay, then I’ll do it.”

“It is possible that you will still have enough juvenile hormones in your body that, should you change your behaviours, you may still be able to switch in the first few days,” Hiss added. She paused in her work to look back, twitching her muzzle. “Once your form locks, then there will be little we can do to change it. Human bodies can be a little more malleable to artificially changed hormone levels. Ours are not. You must be sure this is something you want before we proceed.”

“I am sure,” Marcus said without hesitation.

Hiss placed her hands on the edge of the bed-like object in the centre of the room. The half-sphere balanced perfectly on its rounded edge, with a sloped, soft depression on the top side. “If you could lie here, please. We will put you into an enforced sleep. When you wake, you will have taken on your new form.”

Marcus ran his tongue over his lips, unsure how that translated to his expressive ears. He pressed the tip of his mitted hand to his hip. “Is there any chance I can just see myself without the suit, one last time?”

Sess and Hiss shared a quick glance. The female furaxi shook her head once. “For our safety, I cannot allow that, sorry.”

Marcus had expected that. He didn’t delay any more before lying down in the middle of the gentle depression. The soft surface he lay on seemed to enclose around his body, keeping him secure and comforted. It felt almost like a horizontal version of the beds on the spaceship. “How long will this take?”

Sess peered down at him. His furred hand cupped gently over Marcus’s cheek. “For you, little more than the blink of an eye. It will take us at least a day before we will be ready to wake you.”

Hiss reached down to plug a tube into Marcus’s helmet. The human felt a pinch of discomfort as a port opened to accept the tube, and a blast of chilled air touched his cheek. His human cheek, the skin that had not been exposed to anything for several weeks. He shivered.

“This will be your last chance to back out. Tell me now if you want to pause and think about it more,” Hiss said. She stared Marcus in the eye.

“I’m ready,” Marcus said. He rested his hands against the side of the pod. “Do it.”

Air hissed into Marcus’s suit. The human closed his eyes to blink. All was dark.

***

Eyes snapped open. Piercing bright light flooded everything, blurring all shapes and scattering solid forms into indistinct shadows. Sharp, fresh air tickled at an unfamiliar nose. A new chest heaved with its first breaths. Thoughts were slower to return, and when they did, they were overwhelmed by the strange new sensations.

Muffled voices slowly gained clarity as two of the shadows began to grow more solid. Words formed out of the sounds. They were unfamiliar words, but clarity and understanding slowly leaked through. The words were furaxi, and there was no electronic translator to change them into English. Twisting thought towards them slowly brought about meaning.

“Stay still for a little bit,” one voice said, too hazy and indistinct to know who was speaking.

“Everything will feel strange. Just let your brain adapt to all the new nerves,” a second voice added. Or it might have been the first again, just coming into clearer focus.

Marcus blinked and the two furaxi came into sharper focus. The light and colours were brighter than he was used to, and not just because they were no longer obscured by the visor of a helmet. He took in a deep breath, his open mouth drawing in the air directly. A slight sweetness was on the air, bathing his tongue in the sensation that was both taste and smell.

A dark, fuzzy shape at the bottom of Marcus’s vision distracted him. He wrinkled his nose and the shape moved. Slowly, he moved his arm, dragging his hand across the edge of the pod. He reached out to touch his nose, but his hand stopped sooner than he was used to. He blinked again and his vision came into full focus at last.

Tawny orange fur covered Marcus’s hand. The shape at the base of his vision was his muzzle, pushed out further than his human nose ever had. His hand was not quite the same colour as his skinsuit had been. He brushed his fingers through the soft fur in disbelief, blinking slowly as he stared down at the unfamiliar sight.

“Whuh…” Marcus struggled to properly form any words. His mouth was strange; a different shape to what he was used to. He prodded his tongue at his teeth, finding them to be much sharper.

“Take it slowly,” Hiss said. Her voice was richer than Marcus had ever noticed before, containing more pitch and musical lilt. He wasn’t sure if it was the lack of helmet covering his ears, or his new furaxi senses that changed how he heard her, but he stared up at Hiss with wide eyes.

With a helping hand from Sess, Marcus slowly sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the pod. He had not moved anywhere; still in the same place that appeared to function as a hospital room. His time in the skinsuit had adapted his movements enough that he didn’t trap his tail beneath his body as he sat upright, but he still had to stare down at the furred limb in wonder. His hands trembled as he reached for it, stroking the soft fur gently. He shivered.

“I need to run a few physical checks,” Hiss said, standing in front of Marcus. “I just need you to do as I say, so that I know everything is working as it should. Can you nod your head for me?”

Marcus nodded slowly. He couldn’t stop running his tongue over his teeth, nor teasing his fingers through the soft fur on his arm. With a great effort though, he forced himself to listen to Hiss as she went through a few more instructions. At her request, he flicked his tail. He clenched his fingers into fists. He curled his toes. His feet. He gasped as he stared down at them. He splayed his toes wide as he stared at them, looking more like feline paws than his old feet.

If there was anything else on Hiss’s checklist, then Marcus did not hear it in his distraction. He blinked a few times, then slowly pushed his hands down against the pod as he edged himself towards the edge and lowered towards the floor. He was aware of Sess by his side, but the furaxi did not hold onto him.

Marcus pressed his feet down firmly before he released his grip on the edge of the pod. He wobbled slightly, finding that only his toes naturally touched the floor. His tail flicked to the side as he swayed, grinning madly. A small part at the back of his mind warned Marcus that he should be feeling disturbed by this – he was no longer human, after all. That little voice was easily ignored as the wonder of his situation overtook that small worry.

“I think everything is working just fine,” Hiss said. Her ears perked high, with her eyes lit brightly. She did not pull her lips back in the awkward human-like smile, but Marcus easily recognised the emotion she displayed. He tried to replicate the expression, unsure if he was getting the movements just right.

“Let’s take your first steps as a furaxi,” Sess said, standing next to Marcus with his arm held protectively around the newly formed alien. Sess gently coaxed Marcus into a few shaky, hesitant steps.

Marcus struggled to balance. His tail, now feeling so much more real than his old suit’s tail had been, was held stiffly behind him. The structure of his feet was different, and he tried to put too much weight towards the back of his ankles. Without Sess behind him, he would have toppled ungracefully to the floor. He felt a blush of embarrassment forming, though the heat was not centred on his cheeks. Instead, he felt the flush rise to his pointed ears.

Once Marcus got the first step, the rest began to come easily. He stumbled towards the far wall, but his return back across the room was a little more confident. By the fifth transit, he no longer needed Sess’s supportive arm.

“This is… amazing,” Marcus said slowly, carefully bringing his hands up to cover his new muzzle. His voice was different to how he remembered. It was softer and gentler, with the words a little slurred as he struggled to adapt to a new tongue and shape of mouth. He couldn’t describe his voice as feminine, certainly not by any human metric, but he wondered how it compared to other female furaxi.

Marcus tilted his head to the side and flicked his tail. The rest of his body froze as that errant thought rattled around his mind. Other female furaxi. He glanced down and blinked. Small breasts rose from his chest, the same size as those his skinsuit had simulated. They barely protruded from his soft fur, but they were noticeably there, and not just large pectoral muscles. With a quick, guilty glance to the two furaxi, he touched a hand down to between his legs. He gulped as the full realisation of his transformation hit him. There was no penis or testicles there anymore, not even bundled up and hidden away inside a rigid tube.

There was no pleasure that accompanied the brief touch over his new slit. Instead, there was an uncomfortable sensation almost like a deep, irritating itch. He quickly moved his hand away again and shuddered.

“What happens now?” Marcus asked, pinning an ear back and looking towards the other two furaxi. He shivered, his tail curling loosely against his leg.

“I will start the process to formally grant you citizenship and a personal identity on Hyssansyr,” Hiss said, spreading her arms wide. “You will go with Sess and rest for the night. Your new body will feel weary for a while, so it will take time to gain your energy. Leave the formalities to me, but I will be in touch to confirm some details with you. A new name, for example.”

Marcus blinked. “A new name?”

Hiss inclined her head. “Of course. You are furaxi now, not human. I strongly encourage a furaxi name to fit your identity. I am sure Sess can help you settle on a name befitting a furaxi woman.”

The heat in Marcus’s ears increased as his blush deepened. He had known he would be becoming a female furaxi, but hearing those words from Hiss really made the point more obvious. He still struggled to see himself as female, but he was sure that would slowly start changing as he came to terms with his new body.

In his internal distraction, Marcus didn’t notice a new portal open until Sess took hold of his hand. The furaxi gently pulled him forward, making sure not to throw Marcus off balance. Only then did the former human look up and see the golden circle of light and the darkness beyond it. Beyond was a room he was not familiar with, but Sess led him through before he could question where they were going. Hiss did not follow them, and the portal closed up behind them.

“Someday you’ll have to explain how those work to me,” Marcus said, glancing back at the darkness that swallowed the portal. After images still lingered on his retinas as he stared into the dark, before his eyes quickly adjusted to the change in light.

“We’ll arrange some catch-up classes for you,” Sess said, smiling in the furaxi way of perked ears and bright eyes. He did not show his sharp teeth in the expression at all. His tail slowly swished as he guided Marcus away from where the portal had faded.

The two furaxi were alone in a dark, circular room with pale white walls. Soft furnishings and cushions were scattered through the room, around the walls. A gentle depression in the centre of the room was also lined with cushions. Wide windows covered half the circular walls, overlooking the darkened and sleeping city.

“Where is this?” Marcus asked, flicking an ear back as he carefully walked forward, not wanting to fall over. He had expected to be returned to the apartment, but the more he thought about that, the more he realised that would never have happened. He was no longer human. He would not be housed with them. His ears slowly flattened as he breathed quickly.

“This is my home,” Sess said. This time it was his turn to blush slightly, his ears reddening as he stepped back, away from Marcus. “I thought you might want to stay here for a bit, at least until you’ve started to understand your new body better.”

“I would like that,” Marcus said, pulling his lips back in a smile before realising he was instinctively falling back into his human expressions. He forced his ears to move up again, putting his expression into the upper part of his face, rather than his mouth.

Sess’s muzzle twitched. The furaxi’s ears faded from a deep crimson to a lighter shade of red. He held his hands out to take hold of Marcus again, gently coaxing the former human towards the circular depression in the middle of the room. “Then come and settle down with me.”

“Is this… is this your bed?” Marcus asked, glancing down at the soft indentation in the floor. He looked around the room. Opposite the windows, he could see small doors and handles around what was probably a kitchen. A small alcove hid what was likely a bathroom. There were no other rooms at all, with everything enclosed inside the circular space.

“That’s not a problem, is it?” Sess said, his muzzle and ears drooping a little. His hands loosened their grip on Marcus, but the former human squeezed tighter to stop the furaxi pulling away.

Marcus quickly shook his head. “Not at all, no,” he said, feeling his ears warm up again. He flicked them back, hoping Sess would not notice, but the other furaxi smirked. He leaned in close, touching his nose against Marcus’s neck. “I get the feeling you want to know how your new body works in some other ways.”

Marcus gasped and bit his lip lightly. “Was I really that obvious?” he asked.

Sess continued to smirk. He lightly moved his nose down Marcus’s neck and around to his throat. “Every new furaxi is excited about that, but yes. I can smell the arousal in your fur.”

Marcus twitched his nose. Now that he had it brought to his attention, he realised he could detect a slight sweet scent. He had never noticed it before, certainly not when he had still been human, even with his previous experiences with Sess. He shivered, partly in anticipation, but also as he felt Sess’s tongue move over the fur on his throat. “Will it feel much different to before?”

Sess did not answer vocally. Instead he moved his hands around to gently stroke down Marcus’s back.

“Oh, fuck,” Marcus gasped, switching back to English for a moment. The words felt clumsy on his tongue. His legs trembled as he leaned into Sess, feeling weak as the force of the sensation swept through him. It was nothing like he had ever experienced before. Waves of pleasurable tingles rippled through his body, radiating out from his back and filling him with an overwhelming contentment. Curiously, he noticed that the pleasure never seemed to reach his crotch, but those thoughts were soon pushed away as Sess’s fingers moved against the grain of his fur.

Sess gently lowered Marcus down onto the floor, amongst the cushions that lined the soft depression right in the middle of the room. Marcus sunk comfortably into the mattress-like surface, his fur tickling as it brushed out of position. Though he initially lay on his back, Sess quickly nudged him over onto his side, with the other furaxi slipping into position right behind him.

Marcus had loved every time he had shared a pod or a bed with Sess before, with the sensations on his back unlike anything he had experienced outside of the skinsuit he had worn. That was nothing compared to what he felt as the furaxi put his belly to Marcus’s back. The waves of pleasure were enhanced to something far greater, and though there was a faint phantom sensation from the cock he no longer possessed, very little of that centred on his crotch at all.

With trembling hands, Marcus reached up to grip onto Sess’s arm as it looped around his body. He tried to press back into the other furaxi, struggling to focus on the rhythmic movements Sess had taught him. Whereas before he had always been concerned with what was going on between his legs, with his penis trapped inside a tight tube and prevented from fully stiffening, now he felt liberated and freed from that. He could focus fully and exclusively on the pleasure that spread through the rest of his body.

Sess moved a little more than usual. His hips and shoulders undulated in a constant rhythm, sliding his chest and belly over Marcus’s sensitive back. The furaxi rumbled and purred, his nose pressing into the crook of Marcus’s neck. His teeth lightly nipped, his tongue occasionally flicking through Marcus’s fur as the two furaxi softly panted.

Marcus let out a long, whimpering moan. He closed his eyes and arched his head back, giving himself over fully to Sess. He trembled as liquid fire coursed through his veins. Everywhere that fire touched turned to pleasure. Even his breath felt superheated, like each pant raised the temperature in the room.

With each passing moment, Marcus grew more confident in his movements against Sess. It wasn’t just the other furaxi’s movement against his back that was important, it was his own, too. He needed to complement Sess’s motion, grinding his fur against the other furaxi’s in a way that stimulated each other. It felt so much better than it had before, muted by the rubbery skinsuit and his lack of fur.

Lost in the rhythm of their motion, Marcus didn’t even recognise an orgasm growing, for it felt nothing like he was used to. The build up of desperate need started deeper and more central, well away from his crotch. It infused every movement, filling every breath and twitch of his hands into an explosion of sensation.

Slowly, that pressure welled up within his belly. The newly transformed furaxi didn’t know how he was going to contain it within himself. Every nerve was ablaze from the tip of his pointed ears all the way down to his twitching tail and curled toes. The only part that was left out was his crotch, which felt nothing.

There was no single moment of orgasm. There was no one point of release. Instead, that build up of pressure blossomed into a wave of blissful contentment. It crashed over him, pressing him back into Sess’s belly. The other furaxi tensed a little, letting out small whimpering pants as their legs and tails entwined.

Tingles of complete satisfaction washed down Marcus’s limbs. The pressure inside his chest was gone. His lips pulled up into a smile as he felt Sess settle down behind him, the grip of the furaxi’s hand slackening as his companion drifted off into a contented sleep.

Though he could feel lethargy brought on by his full-body orgasm tugging at his eyes, Marcus forced himself to stay awake a few moments longer. He wearily brought his hand down towards his crotch, curious to feel if anything had happened down there at all. There was no wetness at all between his legs.

When he had still been human, the pleasure he felt was very much furaxi, brought on by the sensitivity given to him by the skinsuit. The orgasms had been furaxi in nature, but he had still had a typical human reaction as well. Though his penis had not been directly stimulated, he had always cum from it. The same was not true of his new vagina. His feminine slit was dry and felt completely lacking in any sort of arousal. The moment his fingers touched the slit, a deep and annoying itch started to build up.

Marcus quickly removed his fingers again, allowing his body to settle down in the comforting embrace of Sess. His nose twitched with sweet scents filling the air; scents that he was starting to associate with furaxi arousal and pleasure.

His eyes fluttered closed. The embrace of Sess was growing familiar. He enjoyed the feel of the furaxi’s arms around his body. The cool air against his fur was very much not familiar, but Marcus was already growing to like it. With a human smile still on his muzzle, the new furaxi drifted off into sleep.

***

Several days passed by in a whirl of faces and places. Almost all of those faces were furaxi, and Marcus struggled to remember all the names. He had been taken to various authority figures to fully confirm his new identity and position amongst the furaxi people. In all of that time, he had not seen a single human, but Sess had assured him that they were still on the planet. They had not been sent home, not yet.

Marcus still deliberated over a new name. He thought he had settled on Mrych, but committing to that really did feel like discarding his old life entirely. He knew there was no going back. He could not be human again, even if he wanted to. He was a furaxi now, and there were a lot of changes to come to terms with. He had tried referring to himself as female a few times, but that was one change he had not yet been able to make.

Much of the nights had passed the same way as the first. Sess and Marcus had laid down together in the furaxi’s bed, and they had shared a host of pleasurable experiences. Each time had been as good as the last, and already Marcus was coming to recognise that his orgasms were so much better now. He understood why furaxi were a species who focused a lot on intimate relations in such a way.

On the fourth morning since his transformation, Marcus felt a slightly different mood in Sess’s apartment. The furaxi’s tail twitched nervously as he paced around the room, while Marcus still sat in the bed, rubbing his eyes. Changing his body hadn’t changed Marcus’s dislike of the mornings, but the furaxi did have a drink close enough to coffee to wake him up.

“Did you want to go and see them today?” Sess suddenly asked, turning away from the wide windows.

Marcus flicked an ear back. “See them?”

Sess gestured out to the city. “The humans. Their ship is due to leave later today. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see them again.”

“Would I have to talk to them?” Marcus asked. His tail draped over his nude lap. He stroked his fingers gently through his soft fur.

Sess’s muzzle twitched. “I think that would be unwise. They might not understand the decision you made.”

Marcus curled his ears down. He stared at the tail in his lap, then turned his hands over and splayed his fingers. For so long he had worn a similar shape on their journey from Earth. All of the humans had, though Marcus had been forced to go through the disadvantage of an incorrectly applied suit that had deprived him of his fingers. Just having his dexterity back had been a beautiful feeling, no longer forced into dependency on those around him.

“I think I would like to see them,” Marcus admitted. He looked up to Sess and forced his ears back up into a furaxi smile. “Even if it’s just from a distance. It would be nice to see them as they leave.”

“Then powder your fur and we can prepare to leave,” Sess said, matching Marcus’s smile.

Marcus rolled his eyes and hauled himself to his feet. “Do I have to?” he asked with a groan. He brushed his hands through the fur on his belly, practice already allowing him to avoid the sensitive parts.

Sess giggled and came across to press his nose against Marcus’s neck. “It is, unless you want to smell of arousal to everyone. Marcus may have gone around with arousal clinging to his rubber suit, but Mrych should take pride in her fur and keep it clean.”

Marcus nuzzled into Sess, before pulling away with a dramatic sigh. He swished his tail lightly against Sess’s belly before padding away. “Fine,” he said with a grin. He managed to suppress the blush at being called his new name, though he still wasn’t sure if it suited him. He did like how it sounded when Sess used it, though.

Though there was something that resembled an Earth-like shower in the bathroom, Marcus had soon discovered that furaxi didn’t wash their fur with water daily. Instead, they used a neutral scented powder to keep scents from clinging to their fur. With some help from Sess, Marcus was able to eradicate the sweet scent of arousal that still lingered from their activities of the previous night.

Nervousness bubbled up in Marcus’s belly as he prepared to leave Sess’s apartment. He had walked amongst furaxi as one of them many times already. The adjustment of walking without clothes was still an ongoing process, but he no longer walked with a constant blush in his ears, nor did he keep trying to cover his crotch behind his hands whenever someone walked past. But they had all been furaxi. The thought of seeing humans again, even if from a distance, twisted his gut. He wanted to do it, but he was scared of what they might say should they somehow recognise him.

Marcus did not explain his worries to Sess, but the way the furaxi stayed close told Marcus that Sess was quite aware of the inner conflicts. The furaxi’s hand rarely strayed far from Marcus’s shoulder as they walked through the city after they had both pampered their fur into good condition.

A large crowd gathered to say farewell to the human emissaries at the plaza where they had first arrived. Marcus couldn’t see as many furaxi as there had been to welcome them to Hyssansyr, but it was still the largest crowd of furaxi he had stood amongst since his transformation.

Marcus leaned into Sess and stared with wide eyes. He had never really appreciated the diversity in the furaxi before, but now he noticed all the little differences between them. Different colours of fur, shapes of the ears and fur tufts at the cheeks. Even the little differences between the genders were more noticeable now. A small sheath at the crotch for males, and the soft mounds of breasts on the females. One female furaxi nearby cradled a swollen, pregnant belly. Her breasts were significantly larger than any other.

Then the humans came out from the nearest building, with Hiss walking a few paces behind them. They were the companions Marcus had flown halfway across the galaxy with. All ten of them still wore their rubber suits. He recognised Ellen in the lead. Even without his helmet on anymore, Marcus was surprised to realise that he still thought of Ellen as male. His ears flicked back in confusion as he briefly made eye contact with his former companion. Ellen’s eyes quickly moved on to the next furaxi in the crowd without any recognition.

One by one, the humans lined up together at the far end of the plaza. Hiss stood in front of them and turned to face the crowd of furaxi. “Our delegation with the humans has not progressed as we expected, but this is not the end of our relations,” the furaxi said loudly, lifting her hands and addressing everyone gathered. “They go with our blessing and with our thanks for embracing our ways as well as they did. We will work in other ways to bring Earth into the fold of our galactic community.”

Ellen stepped up to stand by Hiss’s side. He shuffled his feet. The ears on his helmet lowered, but the movement now looked stiff and awkward to Marcus’s changed eyes. “On behalf of humanity, I would like to thank you for your welcome to us,” Ellen said, his voice hushed but projected strongly by the speakers on his helmet. Like the movement of his ears, Ellen’s voice also sounded stiff and artificial now. “We hope to return again. Thank you.”

There were no more words. No further ceremony. A portal was opened for the ten humans and one by one they all stepped through the glowing circle of light. Hiss went through with them, and then the portal closed.

Marcus squeezed onto Sess’s hand. “They’re gone,” he said, his heart racing as he stared to the empty space where the portal had been.

“Would you like to go back?” Sess asked, squeezing back around Marcus’s hand.

Marcus flicked his ears. “Home? Or to Earth?”

“Both are good questions,” Sess replied with a shrug. His ears perked up.

“Earth, eventually,” Marcus admitted. He forced himself to look away from the plaza and meet Sess’s eyes again. “I would like to go back and help Earth integrate. That’s why I was chosen to come out here, so I’d still like to do that. But first I’d like to see more of the galaxy and see what humanity has been missing out on.”

“And home?” Sess pressed.

Marcus’s cheek twitched as he tried to suppress a human smile, pushing the emotion up into his ears. “Earth is no longer home,” he admitted. He leaned into the furaxi by his side. “Hyssansyr is home now, and I like that feeling. But more than that, home is where you are. I already know that I made the right choice to stay here, and that you’re here to show me what it means to be furaxi.”

Sess pressed his nose to Marcus’s cheek. “Then let me show you everything there is to know. This is a wonderous galaxy, and there is so much to teach you.”

Hand in hand with Sess, Marcus turned away from the plaza. He turned his back to where the ten humans had last stood on Hyssansyr. Someday, they would return. Someday, Marcus knew he would go back to Earth, but it would not be as a human. He had left that life behind him.

The human known as Marcus had found his way to the stars. The furaxi known as Mrych had found her place amongst them.

She was home.

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