• it / its

local queer disaster pack of critters | ΘΔ &
mid 20s


A young skunk woman receives a phone call from her ex, with a special plea for help. About 3400 words.

🦨 Got the idea for this the other day, wanted to play a bit around with some elements of being furry and having to adjust to it. Accidentally ended up making something with a bit of emotion to it oops. Please enjoy!


The sound of her phone vibrating over by the kitchen bench Alexis out of the fog of reading she had been in for... When did the sun get so low?

The skunk blinked once, twice, and lifted her glasses to quickly rub at eyes that had finally gotten the chance to scream their tiredness. The glasses came down just in time to turn the blur of her apartment mostly back into recognizable shapes. Mostly. Her reading glasses helped her retain the shapes of letters in books held near her face, but if she wanted to see more than maybe three meters the heavy plates of glass that pushed down on her muzzle hard enough to give her a headache after a full day were the only thing good enough. As it stood, she could make out the half-full bookcase more or less and the landlord-certified Totally Innovative partial photo shot of the Eiffel Tower between it and her bedroom door, but anything further away, like the sunset past the neighbouring apartment blocks or her kitchen-

Her phone vibrated again, a reminder of why she wasn’t still wrapped up in her beloved words. She stretched out and pushed herself into a sitting and then standing position off of her couch, taking care not to get the mass of fur and limb she called her tail in a pinch. Sore muscles all complained about the sudden movement, but when Alexis got close enough to see who was calling, those worries went right out. Alongside most other thoughts, all aside from the sudden debate on whether or not to even answer the call in front of her.

... This was a mistake. She sighed, preparing for the worst, and accepted the call. “What the fuck are you calling me for?”

The voice at the other end only giggled. “Charming as ever, I hear.”

That fucking voice made Alexis’ fur bristle. She still had no idea how her ex could remain so casual when the last several conversations they’d had were so... Ugh. Alexis could feel her tail standing above her head, close to touching the roof. She didn’t know if she could shoot stink, but more than a minute of this conversation and she had a feeling she would be finding out.

“Look, Rachel,” she said, “I think we both made our point very clear last time we met. Why the fuck are you calling me?”

“Maybe I wanted to reminisce about the old days- Nah, not gonna joke about that. That’s not what matters.”

“And what does, then?”

“I need your help.”

Alexis exhaled, loudly enough that she hoped it would be picked up by the phone. “Really? You want me to help you? After everything-”

“It’s not for me.” Fuck, Alexis knew that tone. It was Rachel dropping all her beloved joking around, and whenever she brought it out Alexis knew it meant serious time. Somehow her tail started to relax.

But she wasn’t ready to accept yet. “Why are you specifically calling me for this then?”

A moment of hesitation from the other end of the line. Rachel, stopping to think? Alexis realized this might actually be something serious. Then the response:

“I was hanging out with some friends over at the park, the one down by the lakeside. One of the others.... I was talking to Thomas, and then suddenly everyone is yelling, and I turned around to see one of the others glowing. Like what you said happened to you. He popped out of it... Like you.”

Like you.

The remaining anger in Alexis briefly shrank away. She had talked online with others who, like her, had suddenly turned into half animals. People from all over the world, who’d found their lives turned upside down. Even a couple she’d been lucky enough to meet in person. She knew it was fortunate that she knew someone who knew someone in the same situation through the internet, and could get access to that community shortly after... Shortly after everything with Rachel had fallen apart. She hadn’t been subtle about it when she had finally moved out from the apartment they once shared.

“Fuck.”

Rachel laughed this time, uncertainty vibrant in the sound. “Yeah. That’s a good summary.”

Another realization ran cold down Alexis’ back. “... And the others? How did they..?”

“Bad.” Another pause, painful air. “Almost as bad as...”

“Almost as bad as you did to me?” She could hear the words were already paining Rachel, but fuck it. Alexis could afford to be petty for five seconds. Her mind was made up anyway.

“I- That’s... Yes. Almost as bad. The way they talked... Fuck. I’m so sorry for-”

“Not the time. Are you both still at the park?”

“Yeah.”

Alexis snatched up the apartment keys, and got her high-power glasses ready. The park was a good fifteen minutes away, but with a bit of powerwalking... “I’ll be there in ten,” she said.

She could hear some relieved sounds from the other side of the call. “Thank you so so so much,” Rachel said. “I owe you one.”

Alexis made sure to end the call before she could say “You owe me one?”, because she already had her one petty moment. She was out the door (Tail kept in front as she went through; she had learnt the hard way how long it took all of her to get through a door) while her thoughts were racing.

Rachel asking her for help for someone else who had also turned into an animal. Despite the obvious rejection of everyone else in that friend group. A corner of Alexis’ mind dared to hope that the distress in Rachel’s voice came from genuine compassion. That something in her had changed. A much larger part of her mind remembered Rachel coming back home after her own change. The way her body language seemed cold, even to eyes that could barely make it out. Rachel’s voice, speaking to what was ostensibly her lover with a vile mixture of disgust and hatred. How total the rejection was.

And how, despite everything, there was still something in Rachel’s voice that made Alexis’ heart bounce lighter.


A quick check of her phone as she got to the park told Alexis she had spent a total of eleven minutes getting there. She had once hoped becoming part animal would’ve improved her stamina a little. Five seconds of Googling and a couple days of experience told her that nope, she was not getting away from her lack of physical skill that easily. At least the traffic hadn’t given her any trouble. It was one thing having right of way as a pedestrian, but she knew nobody wanted to argue with a skunk. If not for the situation at hand, she might’ve thought more depressively of it.

But she did not have the time. There, framed against the almost setting sun reflected upon the lake, were two people sitting on one of the park benches. Alexis could recognize Rachel and- Not red hair, as it had been for as long as the two had been together, but a deep blue now. It suits her, Alexis thought. And the other person....

When Rachel got up to greet the approaching Alexis, she managed to make out some details. They appeared to be a gray fox, between the light charcoal and orange fur coat and that muzzle deep in thought. Alexis could smell the hint of something salty, and they confirmed with a sniffle that they had been crying up until very recently. Of all human features to stick around, it was one Alexis too was familiar with. They seemed quite uncomfortable in fancy summer clothes, a polo and shorts that they now seemed to drown in. Alexis noticed a bag by their feet, and thanks to actually having glasses that almost gave her her old sight back, she could barely make out a badge with “They/Them” on it- another thing she had to talk to Rachel about later.

“Yeah, I noticed the badge after the call,” Rachel interrupted Alexis’ thoughts. They were apparently having that conversation now. “I fucked up on that too, I have apologized, didn’t help that none of the others paid any attention to that either.”

Alexis looked back to Rachel. She totally did not have to fight any sort of urge that suggested she should hug the woman in front of her. “We’ll talk later. How are they doing?”

“A little better,” Rachel responded. “Took them a good few minutes to calm down, and I don’t know how they’re holding up all around, but they did give some cool details about a plane that went by just now, so that’s a promising sign.”

Alexis nodded, before approaching the bench with the fox. They must’ve not noticed her coming over through the park, because Alexis saw the moment they looked up and realized another animal person was approaching them. A fair bit of surprise, like she often got when out on the streets, but more than that was the sense of awe. Of knowing someone had been through the same thing. She’d done the same thing the first time she’d met someone like her.

... Okay, maybe the first several times. It was incredible to know others like you were out there, okay?

“May I sit here?” she asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. Had to make sure. The fox, realizing they were full-on staring at her, shook themselves out of their state and gave a quick nod. Alexis, with a gentle hum, manoeuvred herself down onto the bench, taking care with her oversized tail.

Silence. Alexis knew she was coming here to help someone new to being part creature, but now that she was sitting on that bench beside them, she realized she had spent exactly zero seconds of that eleven minute walk considering what to say. And now she was paying for that. Amazing help she was bringing-

Nope. Not going there now. She could self-doubt on her own time, when someone didn’t need her.

“... The sunsets are lovely at this time of year, aren’t they?” she finally said. “Especially with how the light bounces all over the lake like this and the water almost looks like a gemstone or something. It’s beautiful, don’t you think?”

They blinked at her. Had she already messed things up? How good were even fox eyes, was she accidentally reminding them about something they had lost-

“Yes,” they replied. “Yes they are.” Another moment of silence, before they looked right into her eyes. “Those glasses... Did you have them before..?”

“Before I became a skunk?”

They nodded.

“No, I didn’t. There were times I thought I needed them, mostly after spending all day staring at a screen for work, but not like I need them now. If I wasn’t wearing my glasses now, I would probably not be able to make out most of your face. I got a little unlucky with the skunk to human eye ratio.”

The fox once again drifted off into their own thoughts for a moment, now staring out at the lake in front of them. “... You know if anyone has found a way to fix this?”

Alexis couldn’t stop the gentle exhale. She could hear Rachel a bit away from the two giggling not quietly enough. “If you mean something to make you appear human again, no. People have figured out tools to make things easier for us, and we’re fortunate that we’re not being made a major political subject right now, but right now there’s no way back.”

They collapsed slightly, sinking into themselves. Their eyes seemed less bright when they turned back to Alexis. “So you’re saying it’s just tough luck?”

“Perhaps in some ways it is.” Alexis took a long breath, clearing her head. “But honestly, it’s like every other thing with being alive. We have to find a way to best get through it, somehow. That’s all anyone can do.”

They sighed. “And how can you figure out how to do that?”

Alexis smirked. “Well, first of all you try finding something about your new self that you like.”

“What did you find?”

“Well, the biggest advantage was that I don’t need HRT anymore. Or most of the surgeries I worried about. Whatever causes the changes is damn good at apologizing for this entire thing by giving people those small extra things.”

They froze, and looked Alexis up and down. Only now did she remember that she brought the purse without the trans flag pin on it. She just grabbed the closest one earlier. Ah well, she was used to that gaze. Better the fox finding a companion than the old men on the street by a mile.

“You- You’re really like me, aren’t you?” They finally said. For the first time, Alexis hear joy in their voice.

“Yeah. And so are a lot of cool people out there too. And I know everyone are willing to help you out with stuff. You’re not alone in this.”

They sniffled again. Tears- happy ones, Alexis hoped- were pooling in their eyes. “... When everyone here... When I transformed,” they said through sobs. “... I thought they were my friends. They might not have noticed the pronoun pin, but I didn’t really call it out either, but I thought they were the kind to be cool with anything. And then...”

“And then they weren’t cool with something that mattered.”

“Yes.” They were crying again. Alexis raised an arm and tipped her head slightly, offering a hug, and quickly had to catch herself against the bench as the fox threw themselves at her and almost sent both of them tumbling down. That hug was probably one of the happiest she’d had in a long time.

“... What do I do now?” The fox eventually asked, unwrapping themselves from Alexis.

“Now there’s a bit of work to do. I recommend looking into your new species’ diet, make sure there’s no surprises there. Most people remain omnivorous, but there can be some nasty surprises. Chocolate is probably off the table, check with a doctor about that.” Their ears drooped at that last sentence. “Honestly, get a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible, make sure nothing is going horribly wrong. If your doctor is a shithead about it, I know a couple in town who are for sure not. You can somewhat choose when you want to come out to people about this- as long as those ‘friends’ don’t do anything unnecessary- but remember that you will have to come out about this to everyone you meet at some point. Also, there is a whole bucketload of paperwork to transfer your current ID’s and all that, but I know a couple guides on that- You have any social media or anything I can message you on?”

The fox, partially occupied with their hands, perked up again. “Oh, uh- I have a Facebook, but the name...”

Alexis grinned as wide as her muzzle allowed her. “Not a fan of that old name?” The fox shook their head, and punctuated the motion with an angry flick of their tail. “Completely understandable, felt the same.” She handed them her phone. “You handle adding your stuff to a chat, and what would you like to be called instead?”

They started typing something Alexis didn’t care for, clumsily. Very clearly unused to the pawpads. That was the sort of thing that came after plenty of practice.

“... Olive,” they eventually responded. “Could you please call me Olive?”

Alexis smiled back. “Sure, Olive. It’s lovely to meet you.”

It was a good thing Olive had finished adding themselves to a chat, because when they returned the phone it was with the joyous fluster of someone who had just had their name said to them for the first time. Alexis made sure not to giggle at the happy creature, even if the random plaps of fox tail against her own from uncontrolled wagging was a little tickly. She double checked the chat, quickly replaced the ill-fitting name on there with Olive’s, and sent a quick confirmation message. A loud pling sounded from the bag, loud enough to make Olive jump slightly in surprise.

“Oh yeah,” Alexis said while very much not holding back the giggles at the jump, “That’s another thing. Hearing is almost always something that improves after changing, you’ll get used to it mostly.”

“I guess...” Olive meekly responded. They dug out the offending phone, and gave the screen a glance. “Alexis, right?”

“Yeah- Oh yeah, I did forget to introduce myself, didn’t I.” Now it was Alexis’ turn to be flustered. Not only did Olive do a terrible job at suppressing a giggle, she could also hear Rachel laughing behind them. Traitor. “Well hi hello, yeah I’m Alexis. She/her. Local skunk.”

Olive smiled back. “Well, it’s nice to meet you too. When Rachel said she didn’t know if you were gonna show up or not I didn’t know what to think of you, but you seem alright.”

“Thanks.” A cool breeze blew by, a reminder that the sun was still setting and night was starting to approach. Perhaps a star or two had started to show. It was still too bright for Alexis to possibly make any out, even with her glasses. She could barely see them during the dark too. “When I last talked to Rachel... I’ll be honest, we had a very rough breakup. A big part of me still wants to test my stink spray right in her face.” Alexis then pointedly ignored the angry cry of “I heard that!” from behind, and gave Olive just enough time to giggle a bit at the mental image, before continuing; “But the woman I broke up with was not the same one who would’ve sat here and comforted someone recently transformed like this. How did she react to the others..?”

Olive sighed. “Everyone stared at first, but then when someone- I think it was Thomas- started saying some ugly things, and she called him out on it after the second full sentence. I don’t know if she realized something there, but she did her best to both try and calm everyone down and stop the ugly words. And she kept me company all the way until you came here, and didn’t mind the fur or the tail or anything. I don’t know why you broke up, but I trust her.”

“And that’s what matters right now,” Alexis said, stretching her body and getting up from the bench. She turned to face both Olive and Rachel, the latter of which had moved closer again as the conversation drew towards the coming conclusion. “Okay, so I’m gonna send you a bunch of stuff when I get home, both the fun and not so fun kind. I’ll also link some good chat groups I know of with others like us. You’ll probably love most of those fuzzballs too.” She focused on Rachel. “Olive seems alright, but can you make sure they get back home safe?”

Rachel nodded. “Of course. They live like five minutes from me anyway, it’s not much of a detour.” She paused briefly, making sure to meet Alexis’ eyes. “Listen, I know I don’t deserve to say this, but I’m so sorry about how I... About being a fucking asshole to you like that back then. And you’re still willing to jump in and help despite everything, and I just keep on messing things up-”

“Hey.” Alexis put her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. It was warm, like it had always been when she’d rested her head on there. More bittersweet memories, but this time the sweet was the vibrant emotion. “If someone had told me earlier today that I’d be seeing you actually take responsibility like this, I probably would’ve just laughed them off. I don’t think it’ll be love again, but... If this is the Rachel I’ll get to know, I think I might be willing to give things another shot.”

Rachel’s face shone with relief and a hint of joy. “That’s more than I probably deserve, and I’ll take it happily.” She held her hand out. “Friends?”

Alexis shook it. “Friends.”

The two looked over to Olive, who was struggling with keeping all their clothes on, and giggled at the situation. The angry yelps as the fox noticed them staring only brought open laughter. Perhaps things could get better.


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