It had been another few days since Anthony’s attempt to get ‘some help’ from the psychologists. She didn’t see the value in trying again… the demon girl has made her point. She wasn’t.. deserving of any help and Anthony despised herself for showing any weakness.
“Once weakness is shown .. It is remembered. Always…” she knew that.
She didn’t need or want their advise. Anthony just needed time to fix things up in her life, maybe even… disappear. She wouldn’t be the first person to work underground, but that was under the assumption she could access her assets. She quietly thought of getting help from family but… she burned that bridge a long time ago. Returning with a tail between her legs was not an option.
The company- or rather Alex the new CEO had taken it all… and the worst part, she had no legal recourse. Alex’s legal mumbo jumbo somehow abolished him of any ownership of those assets… and if she tried anything the feds may look ‘closer’ at the way everything was done…
she could go to jail. Alex could simply say she made the arrangements which… wasn’t far from the truth so he would be protected… but she …
“This body… in… jail…”
Thoughts and fears past by her in an instant. Most of the changed that ended up in jail were Morphic Water shooters, who simply shot themselves after going on a spree. Some lives were improved… other lives were hampered… she remembered one who ended up as some kind of deer taur, which caused a lot of laughter in the trial… what would something like a small squirrel-girl be treated like?
“Urgh forget this.” She had to toughen up inside. She was as mentally able to deal with this now as she could. Financial trouble could wait. She needed to get out of this and have some fun! What did she used to do to pass some enjoyment? “Oh yeah…” She smiled a bit remembering the bunny-girl… who gave her such a ‘curious’ feeling. She reminded her of the bunnies in that casino she occasionally frequented. She sometimes played a bit, as she had a decent skill of blackjack and slots. Maybe if she won a bit of money it might grant her another month of looking for…
..for a job.
“…at least until I can start again.”
Yes. She would, and start again. She would win! She just needed to win a bit of money.
—
The Lucky Shots casino was quite glamorous. A lot of people of certain levels of wealth came here and it required membership. The lights, sounds and gentle music could be heard.
Anthony Arrived at the Casino, dressed in a simple (rather long) brown jacket and hat that covered her ears. The bouncer appraised Anthony, with a slight smile… no doubt caught by how adorable she looked.
“Member card?”
Anthony pulled it out which .. still showed her old form as a picture. She provided a letter of proof of transformation too.
“Hm” the mana praised it. “Got any ID on you for proof of your new age? We don’t take minors.. or those transformed into minors. Too messy.”
Anthony sighed and pulled out a new id card that had been given with more details of her form which doctors finally mailed her. They still were leaving it open to her changing her name… not that she saw any point to it. She was ‘just an animal’. The bouncer looked at the card then to Anthony and nodded. “Go on in miss.”
“Miss…” the squirrel girl muttered disdainfully. The card did show her gender but that was just on the paper! She didn’t look like a girl. “Whatever…” At least she could finally have some fun.
Anthony quickly scurried inside, a little dazzled by the lights and sounds of money being made and lost. People filled with joy and elations, another with sorrow crying into his beer glass. ‘There’s always one’, she reminded herself. “Poor guy, maybe I should help- Gah what am I thinking!” she was here to make money! Not lose it!
She went to her favourite starting point, the roulette wheel. This always set the tone for her. Five others were already playing. She quietly admired how many of them seemed to know each other… and win or lose they were having a good time. Anthony never gambled with a friend…
… actually he never had a friend.
A bunny girl came over, a human woman ‘dressed’ as a bunny girl to clarify. “Would you like a drink?”
Anthony smiled looking to her… and yet… she was confused. The squirrel didn’t feel that weird ‘thrill’ she had last time. What the heck? She stared at her for some time, trying to work it out… was it because she was a human being? Was she no longer attracted to humans? “Uh- yeah. Red wine please.” She said.
“Coming right up!” the drink was provided and Anthony got to work, trying to make some money from roulette. She knew the rules and probabilities pretty well… a person with sufficient skill ‘could’ override the luck- if she was good enough. “Black first…” She decided. It came back Red. “Damn it… rule of three…” If she could just have two more… and was lucky enough… The first came back as Black- she made her money back! No loss… yet… now she needed a decisive victory. What would the number become?
37
“Huh…” Anthony blinked. It was like… she could ‘feel’ something. That number hovered in the air ethereally in her vision. Unsure she moved her chips to the corner of 37… not quite willing to commit fully.
“Thirty seven!” The cashier nodded increasing Anthony’s pot. “Looks like someone’s on a lucky streak!”
Anthony stared in wonderment… “did…” did she read the future? she reached out at the strange impressions and felt something just ‘lock’ into place. The number was locked onto zero. She stared at it. It was another number now she changed it.
“All bets in,” The cashier encouraged.
Anthony was not sure why but she had to trust it. She placed all her chips on the zero mark… the ball bounced. She watched it slowly, observing and it was like she was trying to ‘hold’ that probability… “Zero, a winner to the squirrel!”
Anthony gasped and suddenly screamed- a rather girly scream at that as she raked in the chips. “Oh YES! YES! Oh THANK YOU GOD!” She was in the game! She had no idea ‘how’ that even happened.. it seemed impossible! Did this body come with a strange… power after all? “twelve…” Anthony placed a few chips there retaining 50% of her victory.
“Another win!”
Anthony quickly took the chips but… she her ears twitched as she heard a button being pushed. Security was now watching. Of course they would… she was a changed that had just had a ‘crazy’ amount of luck… suspicion had been aroused. Its not like she ‘meant’ to cheat… was altering probability of future events even considered cheating? No of course not! Still…
She had to make it look good. She put 80% of her winnings onto number 39… the ‘future sight’ told her it would come up as 19…
“19… sorry about that,” The cashier chuckled.
Security started to relax…
Anthony giggled too. “Ah.. that’s… quite alright. I knew I was pushing my luck too far.” Pushing her luck… literally. She could manipulate the gambling machines! She could make a ton of money right now! Eagerly she started to ‘test’ the limits of this ability.
She went to a slot machine. It felt like she needed to be close to it to change the nature of its fate… about five feet perhaps? She glanced to the next slot machine about 10 feet away. She could ‘see’ what it would display… but she couldn’t ‘hold’ or manipulate the number at that distance. Another slot machine further down gave no information at all.
“…interesting.” She put a cent into a slot machine and took out a dollar. She admired the coin as it glinted her reflection. “Heh… this is… too… easy…”
Still she needed to try something else. “Blackjack…” She set herself on the table, and could tell some of the humans were not at all comfortable with an animal-girl that looked like a kid. “I’m just here to play come on,” she said with a wave of her paw. “Let’s get to it!”
The dealer nodded and started to shuffle. Again… she felt a ‘strange’ impression. It wasn’t like the others though. She couldn’t manipulate the cards once they were set… but it was like she could ‘slightly’ alter the probability of getting a better hand while being shuffled. It was more like a needle on a gauge and she tried to focus it to green… but it felt like she was going against something… the dealers will? she had to push a little more… the others were just machines … manipulating a human was different…
“Twenty One!” She grinned. She won… again. ‘Time to cash in..’ before anyone noticed how improbable this was. Even with the losses she faked she gained a fair amount. She had to call it a night.
Then… she saw someone. Someone she didn’t expect.
Alex…
Alex stopped and stared at Anthony in confusion. “Ah… hello… you seem… to be doing well?”
Anthony looked at Alex and then quietly held her collection of chips. “What can I say? Squirrel luck,” She said faintly. “I suppose I have to thank you for kicking me out of my own company…”
“…Simply a business decision,” Alex explained not wanting any further discussion. “Good day…”
Anthony watched him go… she didn’t want it to end like this. She wanted revenge!... and again the weird dials of probability came to her mind. ‘Chances of falling… increase’… she did it quickly before he left her influence range.
Suddenly Alex ‘bumped’ into a girl, falling with drinks splashed onto him. Alex was on the ground, dazed and confused- but more so was Anthony staring at what she just did… did she do that?
“Oh- I am so sorry sir, please let me get you a free drink,” The bunny girl apologised profusely.
Anthony quietly stared… “Maybe… Maybe what he really needs is a dose of Metamorphic water…” The changes of him getting touched by it were practically zero. “Hm… let’s change that…” In her mind she unlocked that situation, picturing it in her mind. An unlikely event… now becomes a certainty… she realised she had to get closer though almost by instinct. She pulled Alex’s hand and made contact… feeling the threads of fate. “… let me help you up.” She said.
“… appreciated.” Alex said politely but left quickly.
Anthony giggled as she took her winnings, and laughed heading home. She felt it… the fate was set …
“My problems are all solved. Hell- I can’t win the lottery like this but… I can go to Las Vagas and clean them dry!”
She would become the richest, most powerful squirrel ever!
—-
Anthony was giggling madly to herself as she walked home.. She had a power… an ability. That was rare, but not completely unheard of… and it was a power she could easily hide! She didn’t have to register it. Nobody would know she was altering the probability of events around her… making certain events more likely to happen… she could get away with anything!
“I could… become President…” She realised. Well- if she did ‘too many’ weird things maybe that would cause problems… why not make herself a little more lucky? She concentrated on herself in the same manner but… nothing. “Huh…” her power was gone? Did she have some kind of limit? She glanced at a passer-by some kid, and decided to try increasing his luck…
The kid blinked as he found a card on the ground. “Oh wow a super rare!” He looked very happy as he sped off on his bike.
“So… my power is still working…” she placed her hands in her pockets as she debated on how this power even worked… and how best to use it.
A trip to Las Vegas was obviously the first thing to do, perhaps make a few millions? Just enough to manipulate the machines to make it look like she got ‘really’ lucky… then she might take over a company and it would be business as usual again.
She was home… and she had hope for the first time in a long time. Anthony gently slipped off her clothes and got into bed, content with the money she won so far. She needed to push this ability as far as possible…
—-
Anthony was naked…
she seemed to be up in the clouds, in what was the largest tree she had ever seen. She looked around confused… wait- what the heck was this? She felt suddenly scared she might fall, and used her claws to hold onto the gigantic trunk. “W-Where am I!”
“Ah, my child… one moment.” A large- very large squirrel started to climb down and reached her branch. “Anthony. So pleased to meet you.” The male squirrel was huge! It looked like a feral creature but was about fifty feet tall! Its large incisors the size of Anthony’s much smaller squirrel body.
Anthony stared in shock. “S-Stay away!” She cried out. “This is a dream-“ she gripped the large trunk of the tree trying to find an escape.
“Yes, it is.” The squirrel agreed. “I’m the Squirrel King. Nice to meet you.” The squirrel gave a gentle bow of its head, though mostly done out of politeness. “No harm will come to you here. To be honest, I am sent here to judge you, that’s all. So relax.”
“J-Judge?!” Anthony blinked. “Hey- Hold on a minute!” She flicked her tail behind her in annoyance. “What right do you have to judge me!”
“Hey I know it’s a bummer but…” The squirrel King gestured to her tail. “All Squirrel-kin are judged by me and my Lady. We like confer, make decisions… you know. Stuff.”
“Stuff…” Anthony raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah like- sometimes we decide a human makes a ‘very bad squirrel’ and make em human….” He mused a little staring into Anthony’s form… as Anthony could see reflected back her naked furry body. The huge squirrel sat down on the branch it’s tail hanging down the side. “So, why don’t you tell me what has it been like so far? Oh please don’t try to lie to me… can’t really sorry about that. I know how disconcerting it can be. Just go with the flow and chill…”
For a king this squirrel talked like a ‘surfer dude’
“… it sucked.. initially,.” Anthony stated matter of flatly. “…but I have an ability that I think will make up for everything I’ve lost a thousand times over. I’m happier now.”
“Ah…yes. I suppose it must seem so… tempting.” He gave a vague smile. “Though you must understand it’s quite wrong for you to do. Really bad vibes. Karma you know?”
“Huh? Why? You say I’m a bad squirrel? I didn’t even ‘want’ to be one! So if you think that just make me human again and we’ll never talk again. I think I can win as a human, or this body with its powers… so its win win for me!”
“Oh dear… dear dear…” He shook his had. “You really are a bad squirrel,” he sighed. “Like- under normal circumstances… yes. I would make you human.”
“Sounds good.”
“ my wife the Queen says…’You are causing terrible things to befall others, changing fates in ways that should not be. You have used your power for the benefit of yourself alone.’ That money .. the poor girl you made have an accident.., and… what is this about a trip to Las Vegas?”
Anthony fumed raising her paws in defeat as her crimes to squirreldom was read out. “Fine, so I’m a bad squirrel and a bad human. You don’t deal with humans, so you can just fix me. Change me back!”
“I would if I could but .. Uh… the thing is, someone a little ‘higher’ sees great potential in you.”
“…potential?”
“Yes. Potential… that there is kindness in your heart… and your lust for power is but a façade. Deep down… you have a good soul. Apparently. I’m not so sure. I don’t mind a radical spirit but you gotta chill my dude.”
“Uh… you don’t think I’ve .. potential?”
“…eh, who can say,” The Squirrel King shrugged. “You are using your powers in ways that I find distressing… and I sense you do not believe this to be real. What, you think I’m just a ghost of Christmas Squirrel or something?”
“…something like that,” Anthony laughed. “Look, I don’t need this. I’m going to wake up from this stupid dream, head to Las Vegas, make a ton of money… regain my company and destroy Alex. Actually I want to humiliate him like he did me!”
“Ah. Yes. You used your powers to place him in contact with the Cataliser. The uh- Metamorphic Water… as you call it. Revenge… you are no better then those water shooters. You just can’t be caught… except by me.”
Anthony quietly digested what was being said. Now that it was said ‘that’ way she did feel a bit rotten. Alex hurt her… and he found a way to cause the same pain back… but he will never know. Never… he was just a shooter using probability to get him in that situation. “… okay… I admit that was too far,” She sighed. “Look I’ll find him before it happens...”
“…oh that’s too late.” The squirrel-King responded.
“W-What?!”
“He was caught up in a Morphic shoot-out by rival gangs as he was fuelling up his car.”
Anthony suddenly felt… sick. She- she just wanted to teach him a lesson! She wasn’t even sure it ‘would’ work!
“So… I do sense your guilt about it.. so how about this. We’ll make a deal. All the money you made, I want you to give it to charity.”
“C-Charity?!”
“Yes. Charity.” The squirrel-king explained. “It means you give up everything you gained… and secondly, you will have to bare some punishment… so that you understand that these acts are not allowed. Plus… it will show you that this is no mere dream. If you fail to give your gains to charity… I will have to punish you further. The misses might decide on some of it. She’s meaner then me.”
“Punishment? What…”
“Just wake up now little Squirrel… and don’t cause any more mischief…”
Anthony woke up with a start. “Urgh…” she groaned as she placed her pawed hands on her head. “What a nightmare…” she shook her head. “pft.. Squirrel King…” the sun was up and she needed to plan… she slowly got out of bed- but something felt… odd.
“Huh…” She looked down at herself- and widened her eyes. Quickly she started to run to the bathroom, the squirrel tail swaying behind her. “Oh… no…”
In the mirror she could see… breasts. Small, only B-cup in size, topped with red nipples that showed just above her fur line. The most scary part was how she appeared to have six of them! They were small but there .. slightly moving to each motion of her body. She was also slimmer and slightly more wide eyed. Her hair had become ‘very long’ going down to her hips like a waterfall of firey red hair. Her eyes were wider and… there was no mistaking this for the face of anything other then a girl. Her fur on her front seemed to accentuate the breasts she now had with a marking of a heart on her front….
“But- it was a dream! Ow!” She winced as she felt something suddenly push from her spine.. a second squirrel tail also with a heart pattern on it!
Anthony gave another scream as she ran away from her reflection, feeling the peculiar motions of her new small body ..
