Two years ago, if someone had asked Effie Wilcox if she'd want to become an anthropomorphic animal, she'd just look at them as if they lost their mind. One year ago, if she was asked if she'd want to join the fledgling Animalia, Effie might say that it would last long. Six months ago, if she had been asked if she wanted to be part of the Animalian Reinvention Program, she would probably admit that she was tempted. Though if asked what kind of animal she'd want to be converted into, the answer would have probably been something like a swallow, a sparrow, or maybe even a hen. A dinosaur would have been the last thing on her mind, let alone a Syntixisaurus rex. (A psuedo-scientific name, but a lot briefer to say than 'hybridized theoropod genetic cocktail'.)
But Effie, or rather Tyra Wrex, found herself adapting very quickly to her new body. There certainly was a lot about it to love. She had been a rather homely woman, even before she grew old. But this body was stronger and sexier than she had ever been. Her old-fashioned senses of modesty and what was appropriate were quickly eroding away. She could have just blamed her prehistoric hormones or even the looser restrictions of Animalian society. But Tyra really suspected that growing up in an earlier time where women were mostly expected to sit around and look pretty (which Effie couldn't even do), had left a lot repressed emotions that were finally bubbling out.
Fortunately, those repressed emotions mainly manifested in an exposition kink that even Tyra was a little surprised she had. But she was flowing with it pretty smoothly. It was certainly making her a lot of money at the Meat Market. A dinosaur stripper certainly drew a lot of attention, especially one with a big 'Jurassic rack' like hers. It was certainly not like anything Tyra would have imagined herself doing before, But she was really enjoying herself on the stage, shaking her saurian curves in a cavegirl costume. And she did need as much money as she could get.
Even with the large amount of money that Horizon paid Tyra for participating in their experiment and the money she'll eventually make from selling her flats back in Alabama, she was well-aware she was far from set for life. There wasn't a lot back in Alabama that she wanted, namely because she was too large to even use most of them. Mostly some mementos and photos. Otherwise, she was all but ready to move into Animalia. Though considering she was currently the tallest Animalian at 11 feet, accommodations were hard to come by, even if Animalia was already used to dealing with the likes of elephants and giraffes.
Tyra's current home was a rental log cabin that was designed for the larger Animalians. But even so, it was still a bit cramped for her, especially since she still had to share it with her granddaughter. While Heather's psychiatric evaluation was in her favor and people were starting to forgive her, she was still a criminal and mental problems didn't go away that easily. That was why Heather was in Tyra's custody while she was still on probation. Tyra hoped that Heather will be able to redeem herself in the eyes of the law, but some people were slower to forgive.
When Tyra came home, she found Heather working on her posters. It was slow work because Heather was still getting used to the oversized pencils and markers as well as the fact that she had four fingers on each hand. Tyra could see that the results were a little wobbly, but she could also tell some of Heather's artistic style coming back.
"You're gettin' better with each practice," said Tyra.
"Thanks, Effie," said Heather.
"It's Tyra now, Remember?" said Tyra pointedly.
Heather rolled her eyes and said, "Gee, of course. I just have to unlearn the name that I've been calling you by habit my entire life."
Tyra frowned and said, "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Well...to be honest, it seems like you're barely my grandma at all," said Heather, "The way you look, talk, act. I can't even call you by your name without thinking it belongs to someone else."
"Just tryin' to reinvent myself," said Tyra, flexing her arms. "Ya'll can't expect me to act like an old granny when I've got these big girls, right?" she said as she bounced her large breasts.
"No, I suppose not, but would you please not do that?" asked Heather, "That is really not what I want to think about regarding my grandmother."
"It's all about adaptation, Bon-Bon," said Tyra, "The original dinosaurs were wiped out when they couldn't adjust to the ice age."
Heather put a hand to her snout and said with embarrassment, "Effie...Tyra, if you're going to be a dinosaur, at least get your facts straight. The dinosaurs were long dead before the ice age. It was the impact of the meteor and the dust cloud cooling the Earth that wiped them out."
"Give me a break. I'm tryin' to catch up with the 21st century," said Tyra, "Speakin' of ice ages, what are we gonna do about winter? Us cold-blooded lizards won't do well in the snow."
"There's no solid evidence that dinosaurs were cold-blooded," said Heather, "Besides, we're Animalians so we're not completely cold-blooded to begin with. The other reptiles are able to adjust to the cold."
"Well, I'd rather be someplace more southern and sunny," said Tyra.
"You want to go to the Amazon Colony?" Heather asked dryly.
"Maybe not as far," said Tyra, "Ya'll heard that Animalia is tryin' to get another island, right?"
"They're also trying to establish places in Australia and Egypt," said Heather, "I'm not sure if the Egypt one counts as the African colony everyone's been wanting. Seems too...dry and sandy for those Savannah species."
"Well, they're also lookin' for an island that's closer than Miene," said Tyra, "And I hear they might have found one near Costa Rica."
The pencil Heather was using snapped in her grip. "You can't be serious," said Heather.
"Sure is. Off the southwestern coast. Some place called Isla Nublar, I think," said Tyra.
Heather groaned and said, "Now I know you're joking."
"Of course I am," said Tyra, "It's actually off the other side, in the Caribbean."
"Grandma, I can't go back to Costa Rica," said Heather, "Do you know what they would do to me there?"
"If they want to lock you up for stealin' gold, it ain't gonna be that easy for them," said Tyra.
"They're more likely shoot me on sight," said Heather bitterly.
Tyra frowned and said, "If they even point a gun at you without reason, they'll have a very angry grandma to deal with. And I can do a lot more now than just hit them with my cane."
"Speaking of which, why do you still keep that thing?" asked Heather.
Tyra gave her a wicked grin and said, "Well, I need something to relieve the stress and my claws are too sharp to-"
Heather clapped her hands over her ears, well, her earholes and yelled loudly, "I am not hearing this! I am not hearing this!"
Tyra laughed and patted Heather on the back. "You need to loosen up, Bon-Bon. All that tension's gonna mess you up." Heather yelped as Tyra briefly groped Heather's chest. "Maybe you should take a turn up on the stage," she said suggestively.
Heather quickly got up and said, "Ok, I am going to take a very, very cold shower. When I get out, I want you to act more like a grandma and less like...like..."
"A horny dinosaur?" asked Tyra.
"A sexually-liberated aunt," said Heather before heading to the bathroom.
"You want me to bake you some cookies?" called Tyra.
"That would be nice," called Heather.
Tyra chuckled to herself. It wasn't just about keeping Heather in line and make sure she does her probation and therapy lessons. Heather needed to remember how to enjoy life to. And that Caribbean island, which was a lot farther away from Costa Rica than Tyra had said, would probably be a better place for them. It'd certainly have a lot more elbow room.