Lars Sanford has experienced quite a change of fortune in his life. After his wife left him to raise his son alone, he thought he'd be lonely for the rest of his life. But now he and Philip were far better off than ever. Lars would have been quite happy if they settled with their current girlfriends, though those ladies have a different age relation than one would expect. But unfortunately, one bothersome part of his past has come back.
It was bad enough for his ex-wife, Morgan, to pop out of the blue and start berating Lars over his new girlfriend. Then she had to show up at Joanne's Christmas party uninvited and tried to chat her up in a way that seemed to heavily imply she was trying to get money out of her. She barely paid attention to her own son, who was her only link to this rich woman. And to top it off, Morgan had rented a cheap apartment in Lyre, so it seemed like she wasn't going anywhere soon.
But then one of the guests at the Christmas party had a particularly clever idea, one that might get Morgan off their collective backs for good. Since the four punishment system has been successful so far with reforming criminals so far, it may do Morgan a world of wonder. Of course, she would need to be converted first. A rabbit would be ideal, considering rabbits are meek creatures and her prey instincts will keep her from getting out of line, particularly with the foxes.
However, there was one little problem with that plan. The four punishment system was meant for recognized and convicted criminals. While Morgan was certainly a very unpleasant woman, she hasn't done anything that broke the law, not to the extent where the punishments would be justified. As such, it would be seen as Animalians taking justice into their own hands and there were still enough people in power who'd like to use that against them.
However, Joanne hasn't lasted as long as she had in the fashion corporate world if she didn't know how to out-think her enemies. And she has plenty of connections to know who to talk regarding legal limits. After finding a promising young lawyer, Joanne soon had the perfect legal trap drafted. Now all that was required was to set the bait.
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Morgan was wondering how long she'd have to stay in this cheap apartment when she heard a knock at the door. She was expecting Joanne, maybe Lars. She was rather surprised to see a snake Animalian in a smart suit at her door. "Morgan Laurens?" she asked. Morgan gave a short nod. "I'm Sylvia Rattlerton, I'm representing Joanne Mabel who has a proposition for you," said the snake.
"Oh, come in," said Morgan. She stepped aside and allows Sylvia to slither in. She saw that Sylvia did have a rattle at the end of her tail as she passed. At least three lawyer jokes sprang to mind, but she kept them to herself. There was probably a lot of cash involved in her cooperation. "So, what kind of proposition does Mrs. Mabel have?" asked Morgan.
Sylvia went over to the apartment's coffee table and set her briefcase on it. "Miss Mabel has sent me with a contract with several benefits attached to it," said Sylvia curtly, "Among them is employment with a lucrative position, substantially improved living quarters, and a fully-sponsored double-dose conversion."
"Wait, she's offering me a cushy job, a better home, and allowing me to become a young, sexy woman?" asked Morgan. Of course, she'd be half-animal, but that seemed like a minor detail. "What's the catch?"
"In exchange for this, you relinquish all parental rights over Philip Sanford. You will not benefit from his health or life insurance. You will not interfere with his social life. Additionally, you will not be allowed to speak to or contact Philip without being given permission first by either him or his immediate family. Failure to comply to these rules will result in considerable docking of your pay," said Sylvia.
"So this contract is also a restraining order, keeping me from my son," said Morgan.
"Not strictly so," said Sylvia, "You don't have to keep a physical distance from him. Just a social distance."
Now, a good mother would not have agreed to these terms. At the very least, they would have been conflicted and only consider it because their son would be guaranteed a better life than she could provide. Morgan Laurens considered the offer for only a few minutes before she said, "Well, Phil's a big boy now. He can do fine without his mother. So is this contract just verbal or do I have to sign anything?"
One thing they teach you at law school was how to hide your emotions. Sylvia kept a stoic face to hide her contempt. She might not have a good relationship with her own parents, especially when they valued her ice-skating career over what she really wanted. But at least they wouldn't have traded her for luxury. It certainly made Sylvia feel less guilty about what came next. "You just need to sign this," she said as she took out some papers out of her briefcase. She directed Morgan where to sign, initial, and date. Morgan didn't even bother with reading through the whole contract. Well, Morgan won't be able to say she didn't ask for it.
Sylvia took a thermos out of her briefcase and handed it to Morgan. "There's enough milk in here to give you a double-dose. I suggest you drink it all at once," she said, "Perhaps in the privacy of your bathroom."
Morgan hesitated a moment as she took the thermos. "This is going to turn me into a sexy Animalian, right? It won't turn me into a slug or anything?"
"The Animalian virus doesn't work on invertebrates," said Sylvia, "I assure you that this will make you a beautiful and desirous mammal."
"And this came from Joanne?" asked Morgan.
"Like everything else here," said Sylvia, gesturing at the signed papers.
Morgan smirked and said, "Lars is going to regret being rude to me now." With that, she headed into the bathroom.
"I wouldn't bet on it," said Sylvia softly. She could have left after that, but somebody would need to explain to Morgan just what she had signed herself up for. Besides, she wanted to see Morgan's reaction. Sylvia got on her phone and started texting a few people. First, she sent a text to Joanne and Nicole to tell them that Morgan took the bait. They'll tell their boyfriends soon enough. Speaking of boyfriends, Andrew wanted to know if Sylvia was available for Mardi Gras. Sylvia wasn't against the idea, but she wasn't going to be trying to get beads if that's what Andrew was playfully implying.
Eventually, Sylvia heard Morgan yell, "What the fuck?!" Sylvia smiled before putting her phone away. Presently, Morgan stormed out of the bathroom in a temper. Her transformation was coming along nicely. Her large ears and greyish-brown fur were ideal for living in the desert. Though she probably was objecting to her growing buck teeth. "What the hell did you do to me?!" snapped Morgan.
"Is there a problem?" asked Sylvia mildly.
"A problem?! I'm turning into a fucking rabbit!" snapped Morgan. To emphasize this, her coccyx grew out before becoming with fluffy white fur.
"A desert cottontail to be precise," said Sylvia, "Though I wouldn't say 'fucking' quite yet. Breeding season is around the corner though."
"You said this milk was Joanne's!" snapped Morgan. Her shirt was losing a few buttons as her breasts were increasing in size.
"No, I said it came from her, like the rest of the papers," said Sylvia, "She bought them quite legally. You made the assumption that it was fennec fox milk."
Morgan narrowed her eyes and asked, "And what about the rest of the stuff?"
"Ah, yes, your new career and quarters," said Sylvia, "I hear Ms. Mabel treats her servants almost like family."
"Servants?!" snapped Morgan.
"And they get paid quite well," said Sylvia, "I don't really see what there is to complain about. Well, asides from the probationary period."
"What probationary period?" demanded Morgan.
"Well, it says right here," said Sylvia, tapping on one of the papers, "That due to your history of poor commitment, that you will have to go through a few disciplinary trials to really determine if your character is quality enough for extended employment."
"And if I refuse?" snapped Morgan.
"Well, then you will have default on everything Ms. Mabel gave you," said Sylvia.
"Fine," said Morgan before stomping back into the bathroom and coming back out with the thermos. "Take it," she said, handing it back to Sylvia.
Sylvia held up the thermos and shook it. "Hmm...I seem to recall there was some milk in here. I'll need that back as well."
"You don't expect me to milk myself, do you?" asked Morgan. She could feel a heaviness in her breasts that told her that she probably could provide.
"I suppose you could, but I'll need the milk that you drank and everything that came with it," said Sylvia.
"Everything?" asked Morgan, starting to feel a little cold.
"Ms. Mabel paid for your conversion as part of your contract and if you default on your contract, you have to give it back," said Sylvia.
"But...but..." said Morgan as it started to sink in.
"And since you can not default on that, your contract cannot be voided," said Sylvia, "I'm sure Ms. Mabel will want to see you bright and early."
Morgan glared and said, "Does she think she can trick me into working for her like that? I'm going to sue the pants off of her. And then I'll sue you. Well, you don't have pants, but you'll still-"
At that, Sylvia gave a sharp rattle with her tail. An unfamiliar sense of fear struck Morgan. Being a rabbit Animalian meant she also had a rabbit's instincts, including a natural fear of predators. And one of the desert cottontail's main predators was the rattlesnake. "I think you are putting up an unfair fuss for a very generous deal," said Sylvia as she stood up and slithered over to Morgan, "Your contract gives you honest work, fair living, and a vast improvement in health and looks. Which is more than what you deserve for being so willing to cut ties with your own son. And I'm quite certain the courts are willing to rule in our favor considering you never even bothered to read what you were signing."
Morgan probably would have protested more, but having that rattlesnake loom over her made it hard to even speak. It was all she could do to keep from shivering. Sylvia continued in a calmer tone, "Now, I'm sure you'll be able to adjust to this soon enough. In the long run, this quite beneficial for you. Who knows, if you apply yourself, you might be Miss Zodiac next year. I rather doubt it, but you could be a runner-up. In any case, Ms. Mabel will be expecting you tomorrow, so try to bring a good attitude. And don't forget she can dock your pay for insubordination."
With that, Sylvia collected her briefcase and Morgan's contract and left. Another thing they teach you at law school was how to bluff. It's possible some courts will disagree with Joanne's contract, but that's only if Morgan works up the nerve to argue her case, along with the money needed to pay for the suit. Joanne didn't just send for Sylvia because being a rattlesnake would give her an advantage over a rabbit Morgan. Sylvia was quickly becoming one of the best recommended lawyers in her firm.