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Replacement (Part 4)

I could barely contain myself. Now dry, I bounded down the stairs to the back door, calling over my shoulder.

"Come on Skyler! Let's go! You've got to feel the grass! The trees! The wind!" I stopped at the base of the stairs and waited. He stumbled out of the bathroom, still touching himself all over. I ran back up to help him. I didn't mind. I had so much energy. "How are you doing?" He gave me a sad look.

"Iem jupht fo comfust." I took his paw in mine and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Say it slowly." He sighed, his ears down.

"I'm juspt... Just th... so... com, con, confust. I dom... donpt know what's happenig... happening." I smiled. He was so cute, like a new kit.

"I know. But everything's going to be alright. Let's get outside. I'll explain as best I can." We both looked at the stairs. "How do your legs feel? Can you get down?" He shook his head with wide eyes.

"I dompt know. I feial kinda wierb, Thapy... Sh...ak...ie... Shaky." I put my shoulder under his arm and he wrapped his arm around me.

"Let's give these new legs a shot." We started down the steps. Our paws touched the carpet in unison. On the fifth step, Skyler stumbled backward. I had to put all my weight into my injured leg to pull him back up. Something pulled inside it and I yelped in pain. I gingerly sat down on the step and Skyler steadied himself on the wall.

"What is ik?" I winced and massaged my throbbing tendons.

"It's just my leg... damn it. I thought I was better..." I stood back up and took his shoulder again. "Let's go"

"Yoo a kay... okay?"

"Yeah." I said halfheartedly. We made it down the rest of the steps. I could feel my leg in my head. The pounding pain of my previously broken joint and torn tendons almost made me faint.

"You sfoore youar okay?" I nodded through gritted teeth. In the wild, you did what you had to do. You couldn't worry about little things like pain. And that's just where we were going: the wild. I let him out of my grip and he took a few practice steps forward. He held his tail awkwardly to one side because his muscles where stiff.

"Just relax." I said from behind him. "Don't be so wary of your new body. Trust that it can do what you tell it to." He shook one leg then the other.

"My feet... paf, paws feel weird om the floar." He flexed the claws on his foot-paws and dug them into the carpet. He chuckled to himself. "I know why capth... cak, cats scratch furnitur... Furniture." I hobbled to the door and pulled it open.

"If you want anything from the house, you better get it now." He looked about in a daze.

"Fah key." He staggered over to the coffee table where he had left the lanyard with the house key on it."I flought, thought maybe we coold, could use thif. Just im case." I nodded.

"Good. That should be all. We can't carry much out there. Put that on and let's go." Skyler put the lanyard on and made his way to the open door. I eased my leg out onto the steps. Skyler followed behind me, taking a deep sniff of the afternoon air. The sun shone weakly through an overcast sky.

"I can spmell the rain... amd the treez." I smiled again. He made me forget how much my leg hurt.

"Yes." I got off the steps with a wince. He followed me and nearly hit the ground after he caught his claws on a board. I couldn't help him again. I had already re-injured my leg. He stood up from where he caught himself with his paws. "Sorry" I said. "I can't help you like that again. I'll hurt myself... You understand, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine." His ears went up. "I jupht siad a whole fentance witoot a miphtake!" I laughed. I laughed so hard I almost had to sit down.

"Did you hear yourself?" He laughed too. "Oh, my... Okay, let's get out of here. We don't want anyone to hear." He nodded in approval and we went into the trees. Skyler touched every tree he passed. His nose was constantly on a swivel, smelling in every direction. I stopped at the shock line and touched my throat. Skyler whined with pity.

"I'm sorry, thredl. It's okay now. You're free." I loved how he tried to say my name. He started sniffing again. "Hey... I smell you. You were here lasp nighk... you and... someone elthp." My ears went down in shame.

"Yeah... that was another Fox... He told me about all this." Skyler was confused, but continued to smell. He stopped abruptly. I turned away.

"Yes. You can smell it, I know... look, I'll explain everything."

"Ethplan it to me now." He sat awkwardly against the tree Kyle had sat at. He nearly crushed his tail sliding to the ground.

"Can we please move a little farther into the forest first?" I offered a paw and help him up.

"Okay. I'll waip, wait. There is odviouthly something coing, going on that's out of my grasp." He took it and I pulled him up with a little effort, making sure to keep the weight off my bad leg. We walked for a ways onward. I didn't know this forest but I assumed that we were known here. Kyle seemed to know a lot. I could smell traces of Kyle's scent. He had gone this way after our encounter. My leg was not feeling any better as I walked on it. We came to a rise in the land. I stopped at the base and looked up, trying to find trees and saplings that would aid my ascent. There were few.

"I'm not sure I can do this. We can rest here. My leg isn't feeling well." I got down against the rise and stretched my leg out in front of me. Skyler laid down next to me, the opposite way round.

"Lay this way." He said, tapping the pad of my good foot with his claw. "You should elevate your leg." As I took his advice and turned around, he clenched his paws in success. "I did it agam!" Realizing he messed up the word "Again" he pounded the ground with one paw. "Danbit! So close." I petted his chest.

"I don't know. Elevate is a pretty big word." We both smiled. His smile faded first.

"So... can you explain now?" I heaved a sigh and looked up at the canopy of half-dead leaves.

"I'll try." There was a pause. Where to begin? "Well... Let me ask you something. Was it Matilda's idea to get me from the animal shelter?" Skyler thought.

"Yes, it was. She spent a long time trying to find: "The right one" as she put it."

"Okay... Matilda got me from the animal shelter for you. I know that sounds odd. Let me finish. Umm... the night Matilda left, she left to go back to these woods."

"Hmm?" Skyler was confused again.

"She lives in these woods. She's a Druid. Do you know what that is?" Skyler could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

"Uh... I've hearg of them, I guess."

"Well Matilda want's a child. A child she can only have with certain humans." He nodded.

"She was very exthiteb when the babeh was on the way. I've never seen her more sad than when she lost it." His eyes narrowed. "Althoo, come to think of it, she got over it real fast."

"Yes, you see, that is far from the first baby she's lost."

"Really?!"

"Mhmm. She desires a child, but only a select few humans can give it to her. You failed." Skyler's ears went down.

"Wow... I'm so sorry. Couldn't we have tried again?" I shake my head sadly.

"There's a catch. You only have one chance. If you fail, you can never be with a woman again. That's why you've been feeling strange lately. That's why she got me for you, as a way to say sorry." There was another pause. Skyler was deep in thought.

"Wait. Why turn me into a Fox then? Do I have to be one? Is it for you?" I stopped to think for a moment.

"Partially... Matilda gets very attached to all her previous mates. She doesn't want to let them go. And since they can't be with a woman again, she feels bad for changing their lives against their will. So she does what she can do. She takes you into her domain as part of her flock. You're an honorary member of the wood now; higher than the rest of the animals, because you're the Lady's chosen." I paused for him to ask a question, but he was silent. "She got me for you because all the interested males in this wood have already been paired with her failed mates."

"How many has she had? There's a match for all of them?" I was about to answer, but I was interrupted.

"Except one." A female voice sounded from behind. Both of us turned back around as fast as we could. Skyler scrambled up to his feet, I had a hard time doing so, but got there. Matilda and Kyle stood there. Matilda was wearing armor made of bark and wood. She carried a gnarled staff in one hand, and petted Kyle's head with the other. She was half a foot taller than us now. Skyler stumbled over his words desperately.

"M Matilba... What are you... I mean, I'm just..." She held up a pale hand and he stopped trying.

"I hear Friedel and Kyle got to know each other already, but Skyler, this is Kyle, my concubine."

"What!" We said in unison. Kyle blushed.

"My Lady, must you flaunt me so?"

"So that's what you didn't tell me!" I blurted out, aghast. Kyle nodded.

"Sorry Friedel. I did like you, but..." He shrugged. "It's my job to satisfy the Lady between human lovers. I can't be with you like Skyler can." I was blushing now, ashamed. Matilda clicked her tongue and shook her head in disappointment.

"I would expect better from you, Kyle." She turned her attention to Skyler and approached him. "Skyler dear... Welcome home!" She hugged him. After a few moments, he hugged her back, his tail wagging. She withdrew and stood back to regard him. "I've done it again haven't I Kyle. I've made him too handsome. Remind me to make the next one with a few imperfections." Kyle nodded slowly.

"Yes my Lady. You certainly have." Skyler looked very uncomfortable. I put my paw on his shoulder. Matilda giggled to herself.

"Really Skyler... I'm sorry. This is how I do things. And I'm afraid I won't stop until I've gotten my baby..." Skylers' ears dropped in shame.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give it too you..." She took him by his muzzle with a tender hand.

"It's nothing personal sweetie, in fact, you where one of the nicer men I've had the pleasure of almost marrying." I interject.

"Er... Matilda. Oh, um, my Lady... Would the pleasure of marriage be mine?" Matilda threw her head back a laughed.

"Oh yes! I remember you said you liked the idea of marriage. Well, why not? How about it Skyler?" I turn to Skyler with pleading eyes. Matilda whispers in my ear.

"It is customary to get down on one knee and ask your mate to marry you."

"Oh." I quickly get down, holding Skylers' paw. "Umm, I'm not sure how this works exactly, but I know I would like to be with you forever. Do you feel the same way, Skyler?" His face was distraught. Perhaps this wasn't a good time. Everything was still so new. His grip tightened on my paw.

"Fledel... I... It's so sudden, all this..." I stood, ashamed I asked.

"Sorry. We can talk another time." Matilda smiled warmly.

"It's so sweet seeing you two play lovers' games like this. I'm sure you'll be happy with Friedel." She petted Skyler on the head. She lifted her gaze to the forest with a sigh. "Well... This has been interesting. It's the first time I've paired one of my mates with an animal from another forest... The both of you will get along fine here, don't worry. If anyone gives you a hard time, let me know, alright?" We both nodded. "I think I'll take a little break from the search... If you two decide to, I'd be happy to marry you. In the meantime, you should look for a place to stay tonight. Kyle."

"Yes Lady?"

"Could you give them the tour?"

"Certainly." Matilda walked past us up the rise.

"I'll be in my hut. Kyle will show you where it is. Come visit anytime and tell me how you're doing. Love you..." Her sentence trailed off into and awkward silence as she turned to face us at the top of the rise. Her face held a distracted look of melancholy. Then she disappeared with a brief shimmer of magic. I felt different all of the sudden. My leg had been healed. I moved it around to test it, but it was as fit as it ever had been. Kyle shifted his gaze to us.

"Well, first things first: Welcome to the forest."

"Hold on." I said. I was still unsure of a few things.

"Yes?"

"Were you lying when you said you were her human mate before Skyler?" He shook his head.

"Nope. I was."

"Then why where you made concubine?" He chuckled to himself.

"That's a very funny little story there. You'll love this Skyler. Alright, so me and Matilda mated. But we mated three times in one night. She was all over me. I knew something was up after that, and you know the rest of how that goes firsthand, but she..." He stopped and stifled laughter.

"What?" Skyler demanded.

"She..." He broke down again, holding his sides. "Then she mated with you right? Then... Ha ha ha ha! She, she was so spoiled by what I gave her, all she could think of was me!" He then fully exploded, falling to his knees. His sides heaved with the effort of the laughter. Skyler was not impressed. I put my hand over my mouth, hiding my smile.

"So, what? She gets it anytime she asks for it now does she?" Skyler retorted, a little hurt. Kyle stood.

"Hey, it's not like I enjoy it. I'm in the same boat you're in... If you want to know a secret, she's actually punishing me. When she turned me, I was alone with her. I had discovered her true nature on my own, and for that I was silenced. But... well at the time I thought it would reverse the spell if I broke her staff..." I winced. Skyler smiled. Even he knew it was a low blow. Kyle threw his paws up. "I know, I know! It didn't work obviously, and the original decision was to punish me by leaving me alone in the forest... but as you can see, that only lasted until she had a taste of Skyler, then she came crawling back... don't give me that look now. It's a bit of a drag actually. Friedel can tell you she's not my first choice for a partner." Skyler and I looked at each other.

"I didn't know... For all I knew at the time, Matilda got me for him." Kyle started up the rise.

"Please, don't start that now. I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything at first. I had a lot to cover. I could have had you right there, but I didn't." We followed him up. "I hadn't been with a man for months, so give me some credit. You seemed eager enough yourself." We reached the top of the rise. The land sloped back down on the other side, more gradually than before. The forest stretched out before us.

"Yeah... I guess so..." Kyle turned to me.

"Don't let me keep you from Skyler now. I'm just pointing out the facts... The Lady did do a good job on him... Damn. He's the first Fennec she's done." Kyle looked him up and down. Skyler looked awkward again. I hugged him.

"How are you doing? I know this is all very sudden, but I think you understand now, right?" He returned my embrace. I loved the warmth of his fur against me.

"I understand. I love you Friedel." We separated. As we did I gave his face a lick.

"You said it! You said my name right!" Skylers ears perked up.

"I did!"

"So. How do you like your new body now that you've given it some time to settle? I've never changed before, so you might want to ask Kyle the specific questions." Skyler looked himself down the front and touched the tips of his ears.

"It's dipthrent." He stopped and took a breath. "Different, but... I like it."

"I'm glad."

"I like it because I can be like you." My heart melted and I took him by the waist. We kissed again. It was easier for Skyler this time, but he still tried to kiss like a human. His new lips didn't function like his old ones did...It was so cute. I hardened my embrace, pulling him into me. Kyle's raised his voice over Skylers whine of pleasure.

"Alright you two, save it for tonight. Let's get going. I'll tell you some about the forest, and you can find a place to sleep."

Kyle showed us around the forest and told us about the animals that lived here. It sounded like the perfect place to live, except for the cold in the winter. Skyler was worried, but he'd come around once he found out how free he could be. Night fell and Kyle left us in a sloped ravine.

"I'll leave you here. It's sheltered from the wind, and there's plenty of saplings and shrubbery around. Should be a cozy little place for tonight." We waved goodbye, and he disappeared into the dark.

"Friedel..." Skyler took my paw. "I'm a bit nervous. I've never slept in the woods without gear... and it's going to get really dark soon..." I give him a funny look.

"It's about as dark as it's going to get with a half moon." Skyler looked about in wonder.

"Wow... It must be these Fox eyes of mine. I can still see pretty far." I nodded. An owl hooted in the distance and Skyler stepped closer to me, wrapping a paw around my waist. I did the same to him.

"It's alright. It's just an owl. Here..." I sat down in the leaves under a young pine tree. I patted the ground next to me for him to sit. He did after fiddling with his tail, trying not to sit on it. I laughed.

"What?" He said. "I don't know how to sit properly." He had put his tail between his legs.

"Leave it out." I advised, flicking my own along the ground behind me. He reached behind himself and pulled his tail out from under him. "It can move on its own you know."

"I'm finding that out." He gave it a wag. Just then the wind picked up. The trees whispered all around. It was going to rain before the night was out. "I knew it smelt like rain." Skyler pointed out. "Will we be dry here?" He asked, worried. I shook my head.

"Not very. But we're better off here than in the open, or even in the flat part of the wood." He looked down in thought. I touch the side of his face. "Hey, it's okay. You've got fur remember? Doesn't it keep you warmer than that bare skin you had? Besides... we can stay together to keep warm." He smiled and shifted closer to me. I put one arm around him and he rested his head on my shoulder. "We're going to be very happy here. You'll see. That dream you had will be just the average day." I reached down with my muzzle and licked his ear twice. He curled his legs under him and closed his eyes.

"I know it will... Thank you Friedel." I closed my eyes too and leaned back against the tree.

"Mmm... you comfy?" I felt him nod his muzzle against my chest. In the morning, we would start a new life together. It will be just like old times in the woods of my youth, except now I have Skyler to share it with. I would have to teach him everything. I didn't mind though. It was so cute to see him learn new things. I felt like kissing him goodnight, but I listened to his breathing against my chest and discovered he was already asleep. I was tired too. With the warmth of Skyler's body on me, I fell asleep faster than I thought I would. I woke up again when Skyler huddled closer to me when the rain started. It was a light rain, but the occasional dollop from the overhanging branches made its way into our fur. "Are you cold?" I asked him.

"No... just keep holding me." I smiled and shifted my grip on him. I put one leg around his middle so he could put his whole body between my legs. He happily curled up tight against me. This was all I needed, right here. Despite the rain, we were warm, and soon fell asleep again.