The sun was already beginning its descent when Alex's family had arrived at the park, but they'd gotten in a good late afternoon nonetheless. The two dragon-girls, still restless from two days spent mostly indoors, had taken off like a shot from the car, eager to stretch their muscles and their wings, alternating between running and short flights at whim.
Their parents held back, more just enjoying the weather and watching the kids go. Susan had been a little concerned about the whole flying thing, particular with the little aerobatic tricks on display. Alex, as ever, was the more daring of the two, though she was still getting used to her wings and didn't try anything too crazy. Sally was a little more cautious, but ever eager to equal her brother-turned-sister.
The naga-man could hardly tear his eyes off his children - what if something happened? They were still new at this...augh. No, that was just the inner worrier in him talking...he knew perfectly well that Alex wasn't that reckless. It was just that innate mother response...even if he was male now, it still persisted.
Andy, on the other hand, watched with fascination, and a bit of guilt as well. She'd...she'd been hard on Alex before, trying to toughen him up, thinking that this would help him grow into a real man, only making him withdraw, but...God, look at her now! It was like as soon as she'd stopped trying to force her son-turned-daughter into the role, she'd taken up the challenge of her own free will. Had she...all this time, had she been holding Alex back?
Sighing, dismayed by the idea, she turned from the scene and began to wander around the park. It was a nice little park, well-kept but not so large that it was overrun with people. It reminded her of a little park in Portland, where they'd lived when they were first married. In that park...on a whim, late one particular night not too long after the wedding...that was where they'd conceived Alex. Was it seventeen years ago already? Of course, the girls were closer to Sally's thirteen now.
The memory gave her a warm feeling, just a bit of a buzz...and something new. There was sort of a pang of longing, not for sex exactly, but for something else...a kind of emptiness in her...her uterus? Was that where it was?
She felt her...her husband's hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he said. "Watcha thinking about?"
The rabbit-woman sighed, this time happily. "The park in Portland."
He grinned. "You too, huh? Bet I know what about..."
She nodded. "Mm, yep." It was...it was still so strange to know that she...that she was a woman, and she was attracted to and desired Susan...her husband. But...well, she could hardly claim to have any objections to it, not after last night. Any question of that had been answered. She pressed up against him, and he smiled and wrapped his arm around her.
"Been a while, hasn't it?" the snake-man mused. "We were just lucky we didn't get arrested...Mom would've killed you if she'd found out."
"Me?" Andy laughed. "It was your idea, you know."
"Was it? Hey, yeah...wow. We should listen to my ideas more often..."
She smirked. "I think the night-side people would object to that, Sue."
Tiffany could hardly believe how ravenous she felt. However long it had been since she'd eaten...it was far longer than her re-changed body was okay with. She devoured the sandwich and two more before her dad told her to take a break. She didn't want to, she still felt hungry, but she guessed he was probably right; better to be hungry for a while and then eat again later than to provoke herself into puking it up and then be starving all over again.
Still, she thought as she laid on the couch, only barely awake, it had felt...good. Tasted good. She hadn't even realized she'd missed the sensations of eating until she'd experienced them again - the flavor, the texture, the warmth of a hot sandwich making its way down to her stomach. It was like sleep; the massive sleep-debt was horrible, but to actually be experiencing it again...
Why had she stopped? She didn't even really know. She just stopped needing it and fell out of the habit, she supposed. It was a nuisance, she could be much more efficient if she remained active at night. Except...all she really did then was sit around and keep her dad from bailing on her. And when she did sleep she'd be taken by dreams, like that awful harpy nightmare...
Why did it have to be like that? Her first change had brought so much...so why did it take the simple pleasures away? Why did it leave her in this shit-tastic state of being absolutely drained when it left? Tiffany hated to admit it, but she was beginning to wonder if...if it had really been...as great as it seemed.
But on the other hand, this second change...it was weak, it was freakish, it was just plain disorienting. She stared up at her horn. What was she?
Tetra was less than perfectly agreeable. "I'm not a doll!" she protested, folding her arms and turning her head away in a distinctly feline fashion. She liked Jenny all right, but she wasn't a toy to be played with!
"Aw, please?" Jenny asked. "I won't make you do stuff, promise!"
The tiny cat-girl looked up at her protegé, thought for a moment, then relented. Jenny took a couple of dolls and started playing with them, her mentor doing her best to improvise along with what the little girl was doing.
Jenny couldn't quite get her mind off that rifle. Grandpa was in the Army? Wow...did he help protect people too, then? Just like mommy, kind of...so maybe if she fought to protect other people, it would be like what they were doing? She kinda liked that idea...
As she played, the story that was unfolding gradually shifted from what had started as an ordinary little domestic scene. Now the little-kid doll was out on the lawn, cornered and being menaced by the vicious cat-monster (who was playing the role rather alarmingly well.) The big-sister doll was perched on top of the house - she'd only have one shot at this!
"BAM! Gotcha!" Jenny exclaimed, poking Tetra in the forehead. The cat-girl sputtered in protest, but obligingly sprawled out backwards. Just as the big-sister doll was about to fire again to be sure, Jenny heard the door open.
"Hey, Jenny," Muriel said. "Having fun?"
"Uh-huh!" the little girl replied. "Mummy, was this really yours?"
Her mom nodded, smiling. This place did bring back a lot of nostalgia... "Yeah," she said. "Back when I was your age, I used to come to this room every day, after school, and I'd spend hours here...and grandma and grandpa would come play along, sometimes."
Jenny beamed. "I was playing too," she said. "Tetra was bein' a monster, an' there was a little kid, and the big girl saved him from the monster, bam!"
Muriel paused for a moment, then smiled. "Well, that was good of her," she said. "She must be good at taking care of people. But they probably need something to eat now, and so do you."
Jenny nodded - she was kinda hungry. They set the dolls inside the house at the table.
"C'mon, monster," the insect-woman said to Tetra. "Let's get you something to eat that's not children." The cat-girl rolled her eyes, but chuckled, and ducked back into Jenny's jumper pocket.
Muriel led her...her daughter downstairs, clutching her little hand. They reached the bottom of the stairs and rounded the bend, going to the kitchen, and Jenny gasped. Muriel frowned for a moment, then smiled as she understood. "Oh yeah," she said. "I suppose I should've mentioned. Jenny, this is your grandpa."
