Heiya Island was relatively safe from things related to the global pandemic, largely due to limiting the access to the island and gave them the easier means to handle the issues that came up as a result of the partnerships with Interpol and serving as a means to help those that had been captured by the various smuggling and sexual slavery issues that had been had. The biggest challenge there was often in breaking the brainwashing that had been attempted and consoling those who'd lost family to the criminals that had kidnapped them. The trials had worked in getting legal punishments, but there was a lot that simply took time. Most of those that were healed and could return to their countries of origin often did, and Heiya Island's leadership was happy see people get better and be able to go home.
Though not all did go home, some stayed as part of the necessary therapy that was needed. Some stayed because they didn't have a home to go back to, and among some of the older ones, some stayed because they became interested in Heiya Island and its Animalian population while they'd been staying there. A young woman named Mai was among the latter part of that group. She'd long been a fan of comics, animie, manga, and related media. The Animalians all seemed to fit that mold and when the Five Elements got their own comic series that only further. Mai loved the first issue and was heavily drawn to Tuxing and Jinxing and their feline grace, even if both were based on big cats and not the domestic felines that Mai had known the best.
"And this is?" the Horizon doctor on Heiya Island said slowly as he looked to the two photos that were presented to him. One was of a brown and black tabby, which was pretty easy to acquire. Horizon had plenty DNA from Domestic House Cats to do that, and thus there was no problem there. The other, however, was an old photo from before when Mai had been kidnapped that showed her cosplaying as an anime heroine that happened to be a cat-girl dressed in what looked like some kind of waitress's outfit. It was likely the outfit that Mai wanted from what the Horizon doctor could guess, but he wasn't sure much of that made sense.
"It's the outfit I'd wear when done," Mai answered, "I'd then be set up to be Heiya Island's resident heroine!"
"Well..." the Horizon doctor responded as he took that as confirmation of what he suspected, "the conversion we can handle easily. The costume, however, we cannot provide. Most of what we would have that would go to newly converted Animalians would be rather simple and for those that would be too big for what they'd worn before. As for being a heroine... that's something I cannot control."
Mai seemed to sigh for a moment, but then shrugged, "well... just the conversion then. Then I'll show I can be a heroine!"
The Horizon doctor nodded, but made a note that while Mai hadn't shown signs of poor mental health as a result of her ordeal, it might be wise that she get some additional counseling or help in terms of self discipline regarding the idea of playing heroine. For one thing, Animalia and its colony cities had rather low incidents of crime, which was something that just about all superhero related comics and shows tended to play to, and why they were often in big cities. They did have Law Enforcement agencies that handled crime that came in or occurred in Animalia or the colony cities, but the sorts of things that would require a super hero were not present. But since Mai was in no position to be a threat to herself or others, the doctor couldn't deny the conversion.
Thus he lead her to one of the conversion rooms and instructed Mai to wait inside while he collected the necessary shots needed for her conversion. Mai nodded and sat politely twiddling her thumbs as the door shut. The lighting was soft and relatively pleasant, though it was also extremely Spartan with regard to the decoration of the room. Some of it made sense, as the Horizon office on Heiya Island was directly connected to the main hospital there, but there was also the part of her that liked things that came out in some of her favorite comics and stories, where the hospital had some kind of computerized wall that would display everything the doctor would need to know, and it was often connected to what powers the heroine would need to take down the bad guy. It wasn't too long before the Horizon doctor returned with two ready syringes.
"Okay... here we go," the Horizon doctor spoke calmly, "and you're sure you want this?"
Mai eagerly nodded, "Yes. Very much so..."
The doctor nodded and then proceeded to apply the alcohol swab that prepared Mai's shoulder. From there he then readied the two syringes and delivered the shots and then made his way out. "Welcome to Animalia." Mai smiled at that as the doctor then left the room and rubbed at her shoulder absentmindedly. She was feeling a bit warm, but wasn't paying too much attention to that. It was only when she felt fur beginning to grow out on her shoulder that she actually noticed it. She then looked to that shoulder to see brown and black fur growing there, and on her other hand. Small claws pushed out from her fingertips as her hands became more paw-like and that made her smile.
"Now to become like the heroes I'd always loved," Mai said to herself, though was unable to get up as her shoes began to feel rather tight.
In this, she knew that her feet were starting to lengthen into the digitigrade length that most Animalians had. She wouldn't be as big as the larger Animalians, but she would have longer feet than she did as a Human. With that she began working to get her shoes and socks. Her growing claws actually helped undo the laces fairly quickly and Mai was pleased to get her feet free of her socks and shoes and finding them to be lengthening into brown and black furred paws as well. Mai smiled and looked on her now digitigrade feet as her eyes changed. Her irises retained their Human color, but the pupils changed and stretched into a vertical slits.
From there, her changes began to rapidly progress. Mai's ears shifted up to the top of her head and becoming triangular in shape. At the same time her face began to push forward into a rounded feline muzzle, and as Mai ran her tongue over her sharpening teeth, she also got the sensation that her tongue was also getting rougher as the barbs that were present on the tongues of all cats grew in. It let her give a happy "mew" as her whiskers grew out as well. However, her progressing transformation was also reaching points where her clothing was being strained by her body's changes. Her breasts were rapidly filling and exceeding the size that her A cub bra could contain. Her hips were also growing wider and her rear was gaining some added cushion.
"Ow... ow..." Mai mewed out in discomfort as she reached back behind her and managed to unhook the clasps on her bra, breathing a sigh of relief as they came undone. It too a little more effort to slide one arm out of her shirt's sleeve, slide the bra's shoulder strap down and then butting her arm back through the sleeve and then repeating the process with her other arm. Once free, the pressure on her chest was a bit lower. Her swelling chest did feel a bit "under pressure," but her shirt actually had more room for Mai to grow into than her bra did, and thus she felt a bit more comfortable and tossed the bra off. Her pants and underwear were a different story. The material had enough room to handle her widening hips and growing rear, but it wasn't made for her growing tail. It actually pinned her tail down, and that was most uncomfortable as her tail grew longer.
Mai got to her feet to handle that last problem. It forced her to unbutton her jeans to pull them down bit so that they and her panties would fit in underneath her tail. Once freed, her tail was happily moving about its full range of motion and Mai was refastening her jeans. They were a bit tight on her and she might need either a larger pair or at least a redesigned pair to better work with her new form, but for the moment they covered everything and she did feel better. It let Mai smile and then lick her muzzle before heading toward the door. She knocked on it to let the doctor know that her transformation finished. Her mind felt sharp, and in some ways sharper than before, but it was the way she'd been told to let the Horizon doctor know on how things had progressed.
"Hello! I'm done!" Mai called out through the door.
From there the door opened and the Horizon doctor appeared in the doorway.
"And how do you fee, Mai?" the Horizon doctor asked.
"A bit cramped," Mai answered, "but that's just I don't think my cloths were completely big enough for me now... as I'm a bit curvier now than I was. But that can be fixed."
"Of course," the Horizon doctor nodded, "and your plans beyond that?"
"I'd still like to be a hero," Mai answered, "if not in actuality... then at least on stage or television. Who wouldn't read a story... or watch a movie... where a beautiful female Animalian or a strong male Animalian rescues a princess or prince in a fantasy kingdom and gains acclaim for their bravery."
"You're still big on that heroine thing," the Horizon doctor said slowly.
"Everyone needs a hero of some kind," was Mai's answer with a smile.