There are some things that people don't know about themselves until later into their lives. Andrew had a good marriage for several years and a fine son. However, he never had more than one child. In fact, after the first time he had sex with his wife, he never did so again. He had never felt a strong attraction to girls before, even though he did love his wife as much as he could. It wasn't until that first time with sex that he realized he didn't like it that much. Not long afterwards, he came to the conclusion that he was gay. Often, that revelation ruins a marriage. But Andrew's wife had been a surprisingly understanding woman and was able to accept that. Also, that first, last, and only round of sex had also conceived their son, Jeff. So they were able to be a relatively normal family, even if Andrew was the only gay member.
But then his wife died, an unexpected allergic reaction to penicillin. The loss hit Andrew a lot harder than he expected. Yes he wasn't sexually attracted to his wife, but that didn't mean he didn't love her. It soon sent Andrew in a depressive spiral that soon had Jeff concerned. Psychiatry and anti-depressants didn't seem to be helping. Eventually, the therapist suggested a more radical treatment.
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Dr. Jones spoke with Jeff as his father wasn't very responsive at the moment. "While the Animalian virus has treated several mental problems before, it's not been tried with clinical depression before," said Dr. Jones, "I'm not even sure if it would work completely. He may still need extensive therapy afterwards."
"As long as it will help him," said Jeff, "I don't know what else to do. If he doesn't get better, I think he'll just waste away."
Dr. Jones sighed and said, "Well, I think this might be enough to qualify for a Project Phoenix discount. But I expect him to report for psychotherapy. He may also develop Regressive Hypersexuality Syndrome."
"Fine," said Jeff, "And I know what kind of Animalians we should be. Lions have always been our favorite animal."
Dr. Jones lifted an eyebrow. "We?"
"You don't think I'm letting Dad go through this alone. If he's going Animalian, I'm going with him," said Jeff, "Anyways, he'll need as much support as he can get."
"I suppose that's fair enough," said Dr. Jones, "Though your father will need to give his consent."
"I think I might be able to convince Dad this time," said Jeff.
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Andrew actually was more open to the idea of starting life over again as an anthro lion. Not quite enough to dispel his depression, but it was a big improvement. He was also willing to allow Jeff to have his own conversion, but only a single dose. Andrew was going to have his two doses via dermal patch and he wanted privacy for it. He was aware that the transformation would make him very horny and that in the long run, it'll make him bisexual as well. But he was okay with that. While he was interested in a relationship with another male, he was also open to a proper marriage with a wife he could completely love.
As soon as Andrew was alone in the changing room, he stripped off his clothes and applied the patches. If he was going to turned while turning lion, he might as well take advantage of it. Before long, he could feel the changes starting, a deep tingle in his muscles as they started to bulk up. The hair on his body was starting to grow thicker, becoming distinctively tawny. Before long, Andrew's cock stood up. He grasped with a slight moan before stroking it. He could feel his palms getting a little rougher as they grew pads. His fingernails grew longer and sharper before withdrawing into new sheathes.
Speaking of sheathes, the skin at the base of his cock became looser. His cock extended further from it, starting to turn pink. His balls swelled as small nubs started appearing down his cock's length. His legs quickly shifted from average human legs to thick, muscular lion legs. His growing tail swished as he got more driven. In Andrew's mind, he had been picturing naked lion men. But he started thinking of naked lioness women as well, which seemed to turn him on more. He gritted his sharper teeth as his face pushed out into a muzzle. His blonde hair had expanded into a thick mane that covered a lot of his broader shoulders. Eventually, a threshold was crossed and Andrew roared as he released several ropes of thick leonine cum.
After coming of his orgasmic high, Andrew tried to take stock of his mental state. He felt...restless. Like he really need to do something more physical. He wasn't sure what, but exercising sprang to mind. Or maybe sex, he could certainly go for another round. And looking at the buff anthro lion in the mirror, he didn't think many people would turn him down. Andrew wasn't a small man, but he wasn't much more than average. But now he was built like a bodybuilder, sculpted muscles beneath tawny fur. Andrew recalled seeing other Animalians who were definitely bigger than him, but he was definitely not considered small. Andrew smiled at his reflection, looking at his sharper teeth. "Looking good," said Andrew, "Looking real good."
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RHS symptoms soon made themselves known. If Andrew's increased interest in pumping iron wasn't a big sign, dancing in the Meat Market under the moniker 'King Andrew I' was. But Dr. Jones has gotten a lot of experience with male RHS by this point. Andrew would be seeing treatment for this as well as any lingering depression until he was stable. Aslan, the major lion patriarch in Animalia, helped by offering some of his lionesses to help Andrew start his own pride. Unlike many Animalians, lions were more open to polygamy. A good example of such is how Julius never really decided whether he want Blanca or Candida more, so he just settled with both.
Jeff was settling well as a lion Animalian, even if he wasn't fully grown yet. He was going to be sixteen soon and that still made him look impressive for his age. He has even caught the interest of Zoe, though it didn't seem likely much will come of it considering Zoe would be graduating at the end of the year. Of course, there were more complex matters to pride structure, but Andrew and Jeff would be taught more about that in their remedial classes.