Kibibi and her party had been on the road since well before dawn, Kibibi and Asanti in their truck, Kathy Gibson the werecat dozing in the truck's cargo bed, and the al-Dabu family following close behind in their jeep. The seven of them recently crossed the Colorado state border. Kathy stirred into wakefulness and stretched. She swore she heard a muffled yawn coming from the beer crate, but she figured she was still half-asleep and imagining things.
Kibibi pulled over to the side of the road, and the al-Dabus did likewise. Kibibi stepped out of the truck. "Time for a quick break, guys. If anybody needs to take a leak, now's your chance." Kibibi glanced around the highway to make sure they were alone. Good, there were no other cars. She willed herself to shift into her werehyena form. Fur and muscle erupted from the African girl as her bones reshaped into a perfect mix between human and hyena, and hir clit expanded into a huge cock, complete with a plump nutsack. Kibibi stepped into the grass, aimed hir dick, and let out a high-pressure stream of pee.
"You really transformed just to take a piss?" Kathy laughed, helping herself to a sack of trail mix in the cargo bed.
"Hey, I wanted to use my dick!" Kibibi retorted. "It helps me aim!"
Asanti wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Could we not be having such a freaking gross conversation. Please?!"
"Sure thing, bebi," Kibibi smiled. "Now who wants a beer? It'll be warm by now, but I've got a crate full of beer cans in the truck."
"I'd love one," Isra al-Dabu said as she got out of her jeep.
"Same here!" said Basma.
"Agreed," said Najma. "I'm thirsty as hell."
"I'll take one myself," said Qamar.
"Don't leave me out!" laughed Asanti. "I haven't had so much as a glass of water since Wichita."
"Make that one for all of us," said Kathy.
"Alright, guys!" Kibibi said as shi opened the tailgate and climbed into the cargo bed. "Come on, kathy, help me pry it open. It's this crate over here."
Kathy and Kibibi pulled the lid off of the crate. To their surprise, there was no beer inside. Instead, they found themselves looking at a naked little girl with dark brown skin and a mop of curly, improbably red hair exploding from her head like a fireball. Asha Kombe!
"What the fuck?!" Kibibi spat. "ASHA?!!"
"The one and only!" laughed Asha. "Did you really think I was just gonna let you and Aunt Asanti go on an adventure without me? No way! I decided I was coming with you whether you liked it or not."
Kibibi was trembling with rage. Hir furry hackles raised as shi fumed. "You threw out my beer so you could run away from home?! Excuse me?! Do you realize what you've done, kiddo?!"
"Outsmarted you," Asha grinned smugly.
Kibibi frowned. "You disobeyed me when I said you couldn't come, you touched my stuff, you no doubt worried your mom and the alpha half to death, and you've gotten me into a huge mess. Seriously, what the hell am I gonna do with you?!"
"Could we take her back?" asked Asanti.
"All the way to Fort Hyde?" Kibibi asked skeptically. "That's an eight-hour drive, assuming light traffic and no stops."
"I guess we're taking the kid with us, then," said Kathy. She held out her hand for Asha to shake. "Hi, kid. The name's Kathy Gibson. It doesn't exactly show right now, but I'm a werecat. I joined up with Kibibi in Wichita after parting ways with my old pride. Hey, I recognize you now! Last night in Wichita, I saw the cops chasing you past a barbecue joint!"
"Ah, good times!" Asha grinned. "I swiped some ribs from the kitchen, and I was naked as a jaybird while I did it. Those cops were so mad; it was hilarious!"
"And we're the al-Dabu family," said Isra. "I'm Isra, this is my sister Najma, and these are our mates Basma and Qamar. Our Saudi Arabian pack was destroyed by radical Wahhabi monster hunters, so we're seeking out Selena's new pack. We hear its looking for new members."
"Cool," Asha said, idly tangling her fingers in her striking scarlet curls.
Kibibi clamped hir strong hand on Asha's coffee-colored shoulders. "Just understand that once we get to Stokerville tomorrow, I'm letting Alpha Selena decide your fate. If shi wants to send you back to Oklahoma, I'm gonna let hir. If shi lets you stay, then so be it. Just don't protest whatever shi says... or else!"
"Fiiiiiiiiine," Asha sighed theatrically, "whatever! Just as long as I get to go."
"Okay," Kibibi said, clenching hir sharp teeth. "Just be sure to stay in your crate until we can buy you some clothes. I'm not gonna live with people seeing a naked nine-year-old in my car and thinking I'm a pedo! Now can someone please find me some bottled water before we set off again? It seems someone left my beer in Oklahoma."