The flight to Los Angeles was rather uneventful, all things considered. While everyone seemed a little on edge due to what was at stake, it was rather hard for them not to relax a bit. When the plane touched down, the five of them were greeted with two vans waiting for them.
Rusty was the first one to speak up.
“Hey, why are there two vans here?” The Doberman asked, looking at the satyr steward.
“Hmm?” Alexandros asked. He looked out one of the jet windows and saw the vans in question. “Oh, those! When I called the boss to let him know we were taking off, I told him that two of you were heading to a convention, and he put two and two together and sent another van to transport the boxes of sex toys you brought along. Isn’t he just so kind?”
“Yeah…kind…” Rusty said quietly, still looking at the vans.
As the five of them disembarked from the plane, they were greeted to a pair of centaurs loading the boxes of sex toys into one of the vans. Tex carried his bags over to the van, and Todd followed close behind, keeping a close eye on Alexandros. Once their bags had been loaded into their respective vans, the five of them grouped back up.
“So this is suspicious as fuck, right?” Rusty whispered, eyeing the van full of sex toys. “How did that satyr know where you two were going?”
“I’m not sure,” Tex replied, shaking his head. “I agree that all of this is very suspect, but we shouldn’t make a scene. That will only make things worse for us.”
“So what? We’re supposed to trust that this guy won’t do anything to you and Todd?” Troy asked.
“It’s the only thing we can do right now,” RK replied. “He has no reason to go after Todd. Well, maybe to give that satyr someone to play with.” Todd’s eyes widened at RK’s comment. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Alexandros standing in the doorway. The satyr proceeded to wink and blow a kiss towards him, and the wolf quickly turned away.
“Can…can we go now?” Todd asked, moving towards the van.
“Yeah, I suppose we should head out now,” Tex replied. “Vendors need to be at the convention center early so they can set up shop. We’ll see you guys later tonight. Good luck with your meeting with Sebastian.”
“Thanks,” Troy replied. “Good luck selling your sex toys.”
With that, Troy, Rusty, and RK got into one van, while Todd and Tex got into the other. As the vans pulled away, Alexandros stepped back into the plane and walked into the cockpit. He grabbed the phone and dialed his boss’ phone number before holding the phone up to his ear. It rang for a few seconds before someone on the other end picked up.
“Have you arrived?” Sebastian asked, sounding fairly impatient.
“Yes sir,” Alexandros replied. “Rusty, Troy, and RK are headed to your location now.”
“And Tex and…the other one?”
“On their way to the convention, sir.”
“Very good…see to it that they arrive in a timely manner.”
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
With that, Alexandros hung up the phone and stepped back outside of the jet. “Now how to get to that convention…” he thought out loud.
- - - - - -
The van pulled into the parking garage of the convention center, and Tex and Todd hopped out. Tex walked around to the back of the van and opened the rear doors. He reached in and grabbed two boxes of sex toys before loading them on a nearby cart that had been conveniently left not far from where they parked.
Once the cart was fully loaded, Tex shut the doors to the van and began to push the cart towards the building, with Todd following close behind.
“So remind me what all I should do?” Todd asked the muscular bull man as they walked into the convention center. In truth, the wolf knew what he would need to do. He just didn’t want to be walking in complete silence.
“You won’t be doing anything you haven’t already done with your boyfriend,” Tex explained. “You’ll be showing off our various products and providing demonstrations for anyone who wishes to see the toys in action.”
Wait, demonstrations? Was he going to have to use these things in front of people?!
“Uh…I’m not too sure I’m comfortable with the idea of giving demonstrations…” Todd admitted sheepishly. “I’m really only comfortable doing stuff like that when I’m with my boyfriend.”
“Well that’s perfectly fine, bud,” the bull replied. “We wouldn’t want you doing anything that you aren’t comfortable with, now would we?” Tex laughed and gave Todd a pat on the back. “I’m glad you decided to come along, Todd. It would’ve been a lot harder for me to sell all these products by myself.”
“It’s no problem, boss,” the wolf replied, making Tex laugh.
“You can skip the formalities, Todd,” Tex said. “Just call me Tex, okay?” Todd nodded in understanding, a smile crossing his muzzle.
The two of them arrived at their booth a few minutes later. It was a rather large and nice-looking setup. The booth had a large wall in the back with the company name and logo plastered on it in a minimalist-looking font. Various tables and shelves were placed in locations where anyone passing by could clearly see what was on display.
Tex stopped the cart in front of one of the tables and began to unload it. Todd quickly walked over and opened the box, starting to take the various toys out of them, putting them all neatly up on display.
“We need to hurry, they only gave us an hour to set up.” Tex said. “Once the convention starts, it’s full speed ahead.”
“Hey Tex?” Todd asked, stocking dildos and fuck dolls. “I have a question.”
“Alright, shoot.”
“What are people going to think when they see us?”
Tex turned to face the wolf, a confused look on his face. It didn’t take him long to realize what the wolf still meant.
“Oh, they’ll just think that we’re people in fursuits,” Tex said, chuckling slightly. “People with incredibly realistic fursuits.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Todd replied, putting some dildos up on a shelf.
The pair finished setting up their booth just in the nick of time, as the convention officially opened not long after they finished. Because the booth was so large, many people were drawn to the display of strange sex toys. Most patrons had a lot of questions about the toys and how they worked. How did the rocket popsicle dildo actually taste like a rocket popsicle? How well did the Tongue Plug perform its pre-anal cleaning? And Todd’s personal favorite, how exactly did the Never Ending Anal Beads work?
Surprisingly, quite a few patrons seemed more interested in Todd than they were in the toys. While a few gave him strange looks, a large number of them complimented how nice his “fursuit” looked. They asked him questions like “who made your fursuit” and “how much did you pay for such a realistic looking fursuit”. A few of them even asked to take pictures with him!
Todd was getting horned up. All the groping and petting and were getting to him. And then he smelled something amazing. It was like musk and incense and sun-kissed clover. His eyes darted for the source of the smell and he spotted it making the way through the crowd to him. His tail drooped.
Alexandros.
The satyr was stacked, hairy, clearly Greek, and had turned on some kind of lust pheromones because everyone had started getting horny. Even Todd had to admit that the satyr was turning him on.
“Ah, the handsome dogman, yes?” Alexandros smiled at Todd, sending a rush of blood to his cock.
“I’m engaged.” Todd lied, licking his chops. Alexandros had oiled himself up. “Sorry.”
“No, no, nothing like that.” Alexandros eyes went wide. “I respect the sanctity of your engagement.”
“So why are you…” Todd growled. “Turning your sex aura thing on?”
“It is a sex convention, no?” Alexandros shrugged. “People need to get into the spirit of things.”
Behind him, people were engaging in open fornication. Todd clenched his teeth. If this got out, they’d shut down the convention and the entire reason he had to be here would be gone!
“What can I do to make you stop that?” Todd ground his teeth. “You’re going to get us arrested.”
“I’d like you to test a product for me.” Alexandros said. “In private.”
Todd frowned. “Fine. Private. When?”
“Tonight. You will test these products. They are magical, correct?” The satyr shrugged. “I am interested in this work. I have some ideas I would like to pitch as well.”
“Deal.” Todd nodded.
“Shake on it.” The Satyr demanded. “It is an oath made to me. No matter what, destiny will see it come true.”
Todd rolled his eyes and shook the satyrs hand.
The aura around Alexandros stopped. Convention goers stopped fucking like animals on tables and the floor. Todd sighed in relief.
He had zero intention of meeting up with that satyr.
As the convention went on, the patrons became more diverse. While he had mostly been seeing humans at the start of the convention, Todd was now seeing a lot of elves, orcs, dwarves, halflings, and more. He even helped a pair of kobolds pick out the perfect toys for a night of fun to celebrate their two year anniversary together. He had just sold a red rocket dildo to a young male elf when Tex pulled him to the side.
“Todd, we need to talk,” the bull said, crouching down a bit so he could be at eye level with the wolf. He looked a little uneasy, which concerned Todd.
“What about?” Todd asked curiously. “I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?”
Tex shook his head. “No, you’re not doing anything wrong, bud,” he said, glancing over his shoulder for a brief second. “It’s just…are you seeing all these fantasy creatures, or am I just going nuts?”
“Fantasy…creatures?” Todd asked, tilting his head. “What are you talking about Tex?”
“You know, the elves and the dwarves and the kobolds and stuff!” Tex replied. Todd gave the bull a confused look. What the hell was he talking about? Elves, dwarves, and halflings had always been here, hadn’t they? That is, unless…
The wolf’s eyes widened. “Is this one of those reality shift things you were talking about?” he asked. “Was the owner of the Book of Myth nearby? Did he alter reality so fantasy and mythical creatures seemed completely normal?”
“It has to be,” Tex said, looking around. “Listen, I want you to be very careful about who you talk to. If you see anyone who rubs you the wrong way or you feel a shiver at any point, fight back. Do you understand?” The wolf nodded, feeling rather nervous.
As Tex stood back up, he caught a glimpse of a figure amongst the crowd. The figure appeared to be a tall, male elf with long red hair and pointy ears. However, that wasn’t what had drawn Tex’s attention. In the elf’s right hand was a book with a black leather cover that looked all too familiar to the bull.
“Todd…” Tex spoke quietly. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Before the wolf could ask any question, Tex made his way into the crowd, disappearing out of sight.
With Tex gone, Todd suddenly realized how vulnerable he really was. Sure, he had a fake copy of the Book of Beasts that could cast a spell or two, but it didn’t offer him the protection that any of the real books provided.
“Good day, my canine friend,” a voice said, making Todd jump slightly. He had completely forgotten that he was the only one in charge of the booth now. The wolf turned to face the voice and saw a handsome, fit Hispanic man. While there was nothing explicitly wrong with him, there was something about the man that rubbed Todd the wrong way. Still, he was a customer, and Todd didn’t want to appear uncomfortable.
“Hello sir!” The wolf said, putting on his best customer service smile from his days of working for Averzombie and Ditch. “Is there anything in particular that you’re looking for today?”
“Yes, there is,” the man said. “I’m looking for something in particular. It’s a very special book.”
Oh fuck.
“A book?” Todd asked, feigning ignorance. “I’m afraid that you’re in the wrong place, sir. We only have sex toys here.”
The man sighed and shook his head in disappointment. “And here I thought it would be simple,” he said. He pointed a finger at Todd. “Shift.”
Almost instantly, Todd’s mouth tingled and a shiver ran down his spine. His eyes widened in horror as he realized who the man was.
“Um, Half!” Todd pointed, thinking of a Binturong.
“Half?” The man smirked as black fur spread across his face, ears stretching horizontally into furry points. “That’s the spell you went with? You’re not the real Book owner, are you?”
“Ah shit!” Todd growled.
He should have went all in with Shape! In a panic, the wolf backed away from the table and bolted into the crowd. He needed to find Tex. Fast.
As he ran through the crowd, Todd felt his feet begin to cramp up. Looking down, he watched in horror as his canine paws began to change, lengthening and narrowing slightly. While he did stumble every now and then, he didn’t fall over completely. His fur began to change from gray to brown as his tail shrank to a small fluff, with white fur on the underside. Was that…a rabbit’s tail?!
As he kept running, his muscles began to lose definition and his body slimmed down, giving him a twinkish appearance. His muzzle shortened greatly as his sharp canine teeth retreated back into his gums. His teeth were replaced by new ones that were much flatter, perfect for chewing leafy greens, and his two front teeth grew much larger. As the brown fur fully covered his body, his pointed canine ears stretched, growing larger and flatter, turning into rabbit ears. However, his changes weren’t over.
The rabbit suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He reached up to clutch his head, only to feel two small bumps that were rapidly getting bigger. He needed to see what was happening. Todd looked around and bolted towards the restroom. He threw open the door and slid on the cold tile floor, stopping just in time to see a pair of antlers grow out of his head. Where there had once been a twunkish anthro wolf now stood a twinkish anthro jackalope.
“No no no no no no no! This can’t be happening! This can’t be happening!” Todd quickly held his paws under the sink and splashed some water on his face, hoping that he was just imagining things. Nope, this was real. The young jackalope was so panicked that he didn’t notice the handsome anthro Binturong entering the bathroom and closing it silently with his prehensile tail. It wasn’t until he felt something clip onto his collar that he realized the man was right next to him. Todd tried to back away, but he was quickly pulled back. That bastard had put a leash on him!
“I must say, you look rather cute as a jackalope,” Sebastian said, admiring his handiwork.
“What the fuck did you do to me?!” Todd shouted. “I’m a freak of nature! I can’t go back to my boyfriend like this! Pl-“
“Oh my God, you talk too much,” Sebastian growled. “Shift.”
Todd panicked as his body shivered again. This time, the changes were much more noticeable. The world around him was starting to get a lot bigger. No, he was getting smaller! He looked up in horror as Sebastian grinned toothily down at him. As he shrank, Todd was forced down onto all fours. He tried to stand back up, but his spine shifted and locked him in place. His paw-like hands shifted into regular paws as his body lost its human shape. He had been reduced to a feral jackalope.
At this point, Todd was panicking far more than his little body could handle. He was completely drained of energy and felt lightheaded. The jackalope’s eyes closed as he flopped onto the ground, completely exhausted.
“Huh. He even passes out after too much stress like a real rabbit.” Sebastian mused.
Sebastian smirked as he bent down and picked up the unconscious jackalope. This has worked out much better than he had ever expected! Now, to get him out of the convention center…
- - - - - -
Todd slowly opened his eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. One minute he was in the convention center selling sex toys, and the next he was…
His eyes shot open as he looked himself over in a panic, only to find that his body was once again covered in gray fur. He tried to wag his tail, and was relieved to find that it was a wolf’s tail. He was still a wolf. Now, where was he?
The wolf was sitting in a chair in the middle of a dimly lit empty room, save for a chair against the right side of the wall. The room was silent save for the hum of the small fluorescent light that sat overhead. Todd tried to stand up but he found that his ankles had been tied to the chair and his wrists were tied behind his back.
Just then, the door to the room opened, and Todd watched as Sebastian walked in. The Hispanic man closed the door behind him before turning to Todd with a smirk.
“Finally, you’re awake,” he said. He pulled up the chair that had been sitting against the right wall and put it in front of Todd before sitting backwards in it. He put his elbows on the top of the chair and rested his head in his hands, the smug smirk not leaving his face once.
“Oh, about that spell you cast on me?” Sebastian shrugged. “Had a pixie disenchant me. I must say I made a rather fetching…whatever it was.”
“Binturong.” Todd mumbled.
“Whatever. As you can see, I was kind enough to turn you back into a wolf,” Sebastian said. “You’re welcome.”
“But…what about the paradox that caused?” Todd asked, slightly panicked. “Do you realize how badly you might have fucked up the world?!”
“All of those changes were in earshot, so no reality shifts.” Sebastian laughed. “Oh, there’s no need to worry about the paradox. I got rid of it.”
“You…you can just do that?”
“Of course I can! I can do whatever the fuck I want! And that’s exactly what I intend to do once I have all the books. I’ll remake the world into a perfect one, getting rid of the freaks like you who would dare to stand in my way.”
“So with these books, you can change the world however you want with little to no consequences?” Todd asked. “With magic like that, you could cure cancer!“
“But I don’t want to cure cancer,” Sebastian replied. “I want to rule the world. And you’re going to tell me who has the books I want, or else I’ll force you to watch as I slowly and painfully kill your friends.”
“No.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry? I think I misheard you.”
“I said no, you deaf motherfucker,” Todd growled. “Besides, even if I wanted to help you, I don’t know who has what book.”
The Hispanic man frowned. “A shame,” he said, shaking his head as he stood up. “Guess I’ll have to do this the hard way.”
“So then, what are you going to do to me?” Todd asked. “Turn me back into a jackalope? Erase me from existence? Make me some obedient sex slave?”
“Unfortunately, I’m not sure what I’ll do with you just yet. Maybe I’ll give you to Alexandros for being such a loyal follower. After all, he seemed to like your ass. Until then, you will be used as leverage, my furry friend. Pray that your friends cooperate.” With that, Sebastian turned and left the room, locking the door behind him and leaving Todd alone again.
“I wish someone would come for me.” Todd whimpered.
The door opened again. In stepped the satyr from the plane, a grin across his face and his cock erect and leaking.
“I have come for you, Todd.” Alexandros grinned. “Wish granted.”
“Not him.” Todd groaned.
“Ach, poor puppy, don’t you know when you make a wish you must be specific?” Alexandros tutted and wheeled in a box full of sex toys.
Todd recognized them as products from his sex toy line.
“Now, if you wouldn’t mind, could you demonstrate these for me?” Alexandros smirked. “Let us say my willingness to free you from your predicament depends on your ability to, ah, how you say, UPSELL?”
Fucking satyrs, Todd thought.