It took some time for Lana Sierkorsky to finish filling out the paperwork. A little part of that was that she weakened by her relapsing cancer, but mostly it was because she could only speak and write in Ukrainian. She could manage enough Russian to get by. Ukrainian and Russian are closely related Slavic languages, about as closely related as Spanish and Italian. But learning the English language was going to be a challenge for her. The doctors promised her she may be able to pick up the language sooner than she thought. Part of the rejuvenation process reinvigorates the brain cells, including the ones associated with language-learning.
"So, are you ready to convert now?" asked Hunni Bunni, "I've got plenty of milk to help with that. Or Jessica if you'd prefer." She waited for Christopher Spike to translate her offer. The Ukrainian language sounded so foreign and yet so familiar. The cancer she had gotten from the Chernobyl radiation leak had hit her brain hard, drastically reducing her ability to think. After her conversion, her brain had healed, but so much knowledge was lost. She had been slowly restoring her intelligence, thanks to Jessica's family, but there were some things they couldn't teach her. And Hunni Bunni was feeling an ache for the loss of her mother tongue.
Lana gave Hunni Bunni an affectionate smile before speaking to Christopher. When she was done, he said, "She thanks you for the offer, but she declines it. She means no offense to either you or Ms. Mariana, but she's tried of running like rabbits."
"None taken," said Jessica, "Rabbits aren't really known to stand their ground." When you're a prey species that's a target for everything bigger than you, your only options are to run or defend yourself in some way. Rabbits evolved to run from trouble instead of defending themselves like the skunk or the armadillo.
"She also says she'd prefer to become like Mrs. Clara," said Christopher, "If that is acceptable."
"I have no problem with that," said Clara, "But I would like to know her reasons."
"Because I do not want to be weak," said Lana through Christopher, "I have lost my husband, I do not know if my sons still live. If they are still alive and are able to search for me, I want them to know that their mother is a strong lioness, not a frightened rabbit."
"You are aware that the rejuvenation could have an effect on your personality," said Clara, "Predatory instincts might complicate things."
"So I've been told," said Lana, "But I know there are people here in Animalia who can help me control myself."
Clara turned to Hunni Bunni and Jessica and said, "It's her choice. If she wants to be a mountain lion, we can't make her choose something else."
"Um, there is one other thing," said Hunni Bunni, "Even if she doesn't want my milk, I'd still like to talk with her. I want to relearn how to speak Ukrainian and maybe I can help her learn English."
"And I can help the two of you at least as far as the basics for both languages," said Christopher, speaking to them both.
==========
After the rest of the formalities were taken care of, Lana was left alone. Clara provided her with two cups of milk that she left on the bedside table. A small part of her hesitated on taking them at first. But she was a widow now, her only family her sons who might already be dead. What else did she have to lose? Before she could lose her nerve, she drank one cup down.
Almost as soon as the milk settled in her stomach, Lana felt like fire had entered her veins. It wasn't a burning pain, but more like a comforting warmth. She could practically feel the cancerous cells being burned away by the virus. And new cells were beginning to form. Lana looked at her shaking arms to see that hairs were starting to sprout from them. She felt a tingle in her cheeks as whiskers were starting to grow. Her fingernails were getting sharper as sheathes started to form around them, making her new claws retractable. She squirmed a bit in her bed as she felt her spine starting to extend out into a new tail.
When the warmth inside started to dim, Lana remembered she hadn't taken her second dose yet. She quickly grabbed the other cup and drank it down. The warmth inside flared up into a blazing heat. Lana moaned as she felt more energy coursing through her. Her transformation sped up, a thick coat of fur appearing over her skin. Her moans became more guttural as her mouth pushed out into a muzzle. Her old, worn teeth, quite a few missing, fell out as sharper teeth came out of her gums. Her feet clenched as they reformed into paws and her ears moved up the sides of her head.
But Lana wasn't simply becoming a cougar. Youthful energy flowed through her body, making her frail limbs feel strong again. Actually, stronger than before. Lana watched as her arm got much bigger and thicker with muscles than she ever was before. If the rest of her body wasn't keeping up with it, she'd feel like a freak. Her stockings were already ripped up by her claws, but they shredded further as her legs became longer and thicker.
Lana sat up straight as her torso was catching up with her. Her old, grey blouse was quickly tearing apart, especially across her chest. Lana moaned louder as her bra grew increasingly tighter across her growing breasts. Her panties were also digging in an arousing yet uncomfortable way as her hips and rear grew wider. Fortunately, her discomfort was short-lived as her clothes were soon destroyed by her growing body. But the tightness has reignited an arousal that she hadn't felt so strongly in years. With little thought of where she was, she plunged one hand between her legs, only pausing to make sure her claws were sheathed. The other hand was aggressively groping her swelling tit. Lana's body shook as she stimulated herself, her growing hair bouncing as she moved, color coming back in. Then Lana hit her peak and let out a scream as savage as any puma's.
It took about three orgasms for Lana to finally calm down her inner fire. She became the hospital bed was quite a mess. Not just because of her juices, but because of how shredded the sheets and the remains of her clothes were because of her claws. Lana lifted herself out of the remains of her bedclothes and stood up. Her first impression was how much smaller everything seemed now. She found herself standing rather easily on her new paws. She quickly went to the mirror to see what she had become.
Clara was by no means a small mountain lioness. She claimed she was a little bigger before her second dose, though some people found that hard to imagine. Lana wasn't absolutely sure yet, but she felt pretty certain that she was considerably bigger than Clara in just about every way. Her muscles were displayed far more prominently, making her look like a bodybuilder. She felt her thick arms, pillar-like legs, and chiseled abs, marveling in the tense strength she felt beneath the skin. Her curves were by no means diminished. Her breasts were easily comparable to Hunni Bunni's huge rack, possibly even Jessica's proportionally large pair. Her ass was possibly thicker than Clara's as it had more mass in her glutes. And Lana couldn't be sure since she had been lying in bed earlier, but she thought she might be a head taller than Clara as well. Another thing that differentiated her from Clara was her comparatively paler fur and her long platinum-blonde hair. Which was a bit odd as Lana's hair had been a dark blonde before.
Lana had heard rumors that radiation victims converted into larger Animalians than normal. She had thought that was just exaggeration, but she seemed like strong evidence for that now. She wasn't complaining about her new body. In fact, she felt far more vigorous than she would have thought possible. But it may be a hassle to keep her giantess body clothed. A small part of her worried her sons wouldn't be able to recognize her now if she went online. She hoped they were still alive and she'd tear apart any Russian who would try to harm them. Lana reeled back at the sudden violent thought. This must be part of the predator instinct Clara warned her about. She was going to need to watch her temper. She'll also need to watch her restored libido. She may no longer have a husband, but it would be unseemly to try to pick up a new mate so soon.