The war in Ukraine had presented many challenges for the world and not even Horizon as a company and Animalia as a "culture" could avoid all of them. Horizon had been in loose cooperation with some Russian companies that had been looking at trying to restore parts of the old "Mammoth Steppe" as part of a de-extinction project. The scientific and moral questions on how to "clone" a mundane Wolly Mammoth without turning it into an Animalian had slowed a lot of that project down, and changing political climates soon moved a lot of that project into cooperation with groups in Canada that had similar interests. The present war had killed those projects in Russia and posed other problems as well, mostly coming from how some felt on how the Russian government had behaved, such as Elly Nozdrin who originally came to Lyre/Animalia as part of a student exchange program and had moving stay in Animalia with her family, who managed to immigrate later. The Russian invasion hadn't made them think any better of Russia's government.
For the actions had set of a chain reaction of protests and refugee crisis. The refugees started as Ukrainians fleeing the war and fleeing the bombings, such as Lana Sierkorsky who had become a Couger Animalian and was going through acclimation classes and adjusting to being an Animalian, as well as reconnecting with a fellow survivor of the Chernobyl meltdown in Hunni Bunni. But as the war progressed and began to go bad for Russia, its government took actions that only enflamed the protests against the government and the flight of people who didn't want to be part of the war, and this was the case for Yashka Smitlana.
She had lived on a small plot of land outside of Yekaterinburg with woods on all sides of her homestead. To a degree, she had long used that as an opportunity to show that she was more than a simple woman and lived a rather independent life. She had worked as a trapper and professional hunter in the region, much to the annoyance of the men who wanted her to "settle down" and let them handle things, but she'd found that they'd also been careless and unskilled. She also found that many didn't care about the ecological damage done, which made little sense. Hunting and trapping were critical for the fur trade, but if all the rabbits, deer, and other furbearing animals were killed, the trade would die as well, so Yashka often gave lectures on how to manage the practices and often did this with an albino Red Fox as part of her discussions and presentations.
The fox, named Bystrouska, was female and was an albino Red Fox, and as such, her fur was entirely white with pink eyes and a pink nose. Her fur was also short enough not to be confused with an Artic Fox in its winter coat. Yashka had come across Bystrouska while on a different expedition to find that some other hunter had trapped Bystrouska's mother and effectively left the kits to die, and Bystrouska was the only one to survive. Yashka then raised and pampered Bystrouska as a pet, complete with vaccinations and providing the warnings on how hunting and trapping could go wrong and had Bystrouska as proof. The fact that an albino Red Fox wouldn't have fared well in the wild anyway was brought up and was in part why Yashka had kept Bystrouska as a pet, but that didn't change the fact that poor hunting practices, that amounted to poaching, could also do harm as Bystrouska was the only kit that was an albino. From there, Yashka treated Bystrouska as a family pet and the two bonded together, ultimately getting to a point where Yashka could walk the fox on a leash.
But over time, Yashka also became increasingly doubtful of Putin's real intent on "protecting" the natural balance in a way that would allow for the preservation of the life that she had protected and the albino fox kit that she had adopted, and it only made for conflict, even as Bystrouska grew into an adult albino Red Fox. Things like that stayed simple and Yashka did her best to stay out of trouble, but the tension between her and the more reckless male hunters and trappers came to a head with the war. The young people were unhappy with it, as they often tended to be with most things, but Yashka had watched as the Yekaterinburg police beat a group of college age people senseless for waving signs that criticized the invasion. It was something that reminded Yashka of the days in the Soviet Union where enemies of the state just disappeared in the dark of the night. She tried to then make inquiries as to what had happened and got a very stern warning that she was already on a "watch list" over her lectures and arguments with other trappers and if she didn't stay quiet, she would be sent to a prison and Bystrouska would go to a zoo. That was enough for Yashka to decide to leave.
She filed the necessary paperwork to keep Bystrouska with her and packed things up before driving south to Kazakhstan. Once over the border, she found there were other issues and concerns over the fact that Bystrouska was a Red Fox, even with her recessive genes making her an albino and the ownership of a wild animal was not one that crossed national borders easily. The only way that the Kazakh officials would clear it was if Bystrouska was uplifted into an Animalian and the two of them were to then go to one of the various Animalian Colonies and would not remain in Kazakhstan. And this agreement was only reached because Yashka had found that she had ended up joining a fair number of young men that were fleeing being drafted into Putin's army for Putin's war, which only made her hate the Russian leader more. He and his actions had cost her everything and was costing others just as much.
It took some time to arrange for things, but she did get a sponsor and was granted asylum in one of Animalia's colonies, though it turned out be one from Europe, which wasn't what Yashka expected when she met with the sponsor and the Horizon scientist that had come with her.
"You were expecting someone from Animalia itself, I take it?" Nellie chuckled a bit with her own Scottish accent coming through rather heavily.
"I really didn't know what to expect," Yashka answered.
She had a working knowledge of English, often because international scientists had often come it before the war at times to look human/animal interactions and how hunting policies affected regulations and what was the "smart" thing to do. It led to some arguments, often because Yashka felt that these people seemed to give Putin too much of a benefit of the doubt, though with the war going on, maybe the international community would recognize the man was a liar about everything. That working knowledge of English helped her understand the Cryptoclidus Dinotopian well enough, though she also didn't expect to be meeting with Nellie.
"You'll be safe with me," Nellie promised, "MacDuff Castle has a fair amount of land. Not enough for large scale hunting and trapping... but there is room for exploring and the tourists that come to Loc Ness enjoy meeting the "real" Monster." Yashka watched as Nellie chuckled, "even if I'm not that monstrous. And your pet will be happy and safe."
"I love her," Yashka stated plainly, "these past few days have hurt... that I couldn't visit her without the guards present."
The scientist looked to Nellie and only shrugged. It was common for pet owners to love their pets, though there was also the present issues and concerns that related to what happened after a pet was uplifted. It raised the potential of various relationships. Some became romantic, some became siblings, and others had the pet see the owner as a parent, though the reports indicated that there was no set way to predict what would happen. Eventually the scientist answered.
"I can assure you, ma'am, that your fox will be fine and the two of you may remain close after her uplifting," the scientist said with some assurance.
"And I could convert?" Yashka asked.
"That's more up to you," the scientist answered, "though... under US law, and many others there are set forms to fill out if you wish to become an Animalian yourself."
"I would... if only to stay with by Bystrouska," Yashka answered.
That took some more time but proved workable and Yashka's past work as a trapper and hunter gave her all the information she knew on Red Foxes. Though, Yashka also added points in which Bystrouska was to be the one to convert her. It was something that lead to a bit of a stop and go portion of the conversion. But Yashka was more than willing to wait to fill out the paperwork and go through with the conversion. She'd get some of her youth back and she'd keep Bystrouska.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nellie was present for the conversion as well, though, she chose not to go into the medical room that both Bystrouska and Yashka's conversion would be in. She had come as a result of some of the curiosity that had come out of a request for conversion from a country in Central Asia. She found Yashka to be fairly interesting and noble in a way given her position on hunting rights and management of wildlife. That was worth the sponsorship and worth the gamble to help improve things around MacDuff Castle and would help. And so, she waited patiently outside the door. Eventually the scientist that had come with her came out.
"Well... the pet fox was surprisingly docile, given that Yashka says it was born in the wild," the scientist spoke, "but with Yashka there... it was calm enough to provide the shot for the conversion. Yashka's conversion can then be handled by Bystrouska."
"Yashka also said she raised it from a kit after some other trapper had killed the mother," Nellie commented, "I'd make sense to have it become more docile..."
"Perhaps," the scientist commented, "but given that the Red Fox is NOT a domesticated animal, while some have been kept as pets, they aren't like a dog or cat, in that the mundane animal could be quite destructive with regard to things people would want preserved. Some of that gets better, but it takes a generation or two of captivity and selective breeding. Bystrouska hasn't had that."
"Well... domestication had to start somewhere," Nellie shrugged, "and once Bystrouska is uplifted, a lot of that won't matter."
"Of course," the Horizon scientist nodded, "and will thankfully allow her and her "pet" to come to Scotland for asylum."
Nellie nodded. The asylum part of things was the biggest part of the present issue. So far as she knew, nearly all the people that had come in were male and merely seeking to avoid being sent into the war in Ukraine. Yashka was one of the few women that had fled, and from Nellie had found out while helping Yashka with Horizon's paperwork for conversion that her ultimate decision came from how she had been treated after numerous back and forth arguments over hunting and trapping practices that got to the point where the Russian government essentially made a threat to her and to Bystrouska, and the threat to Bystrouska was the biggest thing. To a degree, that kind of devotion to a pet was something that pulled at Nellie's heart.
"Which is good for our government to do," Nellie commented, "people like Yashka shouldn't be punished for someone else's crimes and aggression."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In the room, Yashka could only watch as Bystrouska seemed to go through the change from mundane albino Red Fox into an Animalian. It had started fairly quickly after the Horizon scientist had delivered the shot, which Bystrouska had responded well enough to. Yashka had made sure Bystrouska remained up to date on all the shots needed to keep her healthy. Rabies, Distemper, and other diseases that canines were vaccinated for, Bystrouska was vaccinated for. And while she had been a bit nippy as a kit, as she grew up and got these shots on a regular basis, she had adapted to it. In this, the shot to become an Animalian was treated like any other shot.
At first, Yashka had wanted to hold Bystrouska and comfort her as she changed, but then she remembered that Animalians that were based on animals smaller than Humans also tended to grow to a Human size and Yashka didn't want to crush the pet that she had loved. So, she could only watch as Bystrouska's body began changing, growing larger in short pulses. The other thing was that her forepaws began to reshape. The palms grew a little wider at the back as Bystrouska's dew claws began to lengthen into thumbs and as her other digits began to lengthen into fingers. She gave a few puzzled yips as she changed, but she didn't sound in pain and Yashka could only nervously sit while waiting, even as Bystrouska's hips began to widen out and two buds began grow on her chest. They grew larger, and as Bystrouska pivoted to get up into a kneeling position, her breasts surpassed Yashka's in size. Yashka remained nervously sitting and waiting for that transformation to finish.
"That was strange," Bystrouska said slowly and in perfect Russian, "and I feel... different... that wasn't like the shots I got before."
"Bystrouska! I'm overjoyed that you're alright!" Yashka found all her emotions bursting forward and she leaned forward in her chair to grab the albino Red Fox Animalian into a strong hug, ignoring Bystrouska's present nudity and initial puzzlement at being uplifted. She didn't feel any jealousy at Bystrouska having bigger breasts than her, at present, she just felt joy in being able to talk with Bystrouska in a way that she couldn't before.
The hug was firm, and soon Yashka felt the hug be returned as Bystrouska wrapped her arms around her. She also licked Yashka's cheek as well.
"Of course, I am all right," Bystrouska answered, "my loving auntie was here to keep me safe. First from trappers that were not as good as her and then from government men upset that their "leader" was losing his war. I've always loved you for that, Auntie Yashka."
"Auntie?" Yashka asked as she pulled back to look into Bystrouska's slit pupiled eyes. A part of her inwardly felt a bit embarrassed, partially at the fact that because Bystrouska was female, there was a part of Yashka that hoped the two of them could have something more as Animalians.
"Well... you aren't my birthmother, but you raised me with love and was always there," Bystrouska replied, "it would just feel right to see you as an aunt... or a stepmother, but many of your old stories seem to portray stepmothers as bad... so, I went with an aunt."
"And you remember..." Yashka began slowly.
"Everything, Auntie Yashka," Bystrouska answered and licked Yashka's cheek again, "and I love you all the same. I would prefer a male mate... but that doesn't mean I don't love my auntie."
"I see," Yashka said slowly.
"Don't be sad, Auntie," Bystrouska said, placing a finger underneath Yashka's chin, and her fur tickled Yashka a bit, "I'll still go where you go, and we'll be close. And I'd do anything for you."
"Then for the immediate moment, there is one thing I would ask," Yashka began slowly...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Outside, Nellie and the Horizon scientist waited patiently, though they weren't necessarily alone as pair of Kazakh officers that were part of their agencies for protecting the border came up with another person coming with a bucket and a mop.
"How long will this process last?" the first officer asked to the Horizon scientist.
"The actual transformation can be fairly quick," Nellie spoke up, remembering her own conversion to become a Cryptoclidus Dinotopian, "though... some things may take a little bit longer afterward, depending on how the pet fox responds to Yashka. And there, it would be best to give them time to have their moment before doing anything."
"And things won't be risky with cleaning?" the second officer asked and shook one head to the janitor behind them.
"We've found that basic disinfectant will kill the Animalia Virus after it's been exposed to the air," the Horizon scientist answered, "but it would still be best to WAIT until they're ready to come out and we've been able to provide Bystrouska with clothes... and potentially Yashka, depending on what happens with her tail... when it grows in as part of the conversion."
"Well... can you tell them to change faster?" the first officer asked, "it's bad enough that we have all these people fleeing Russia's recent actions, but we've had to house and feed a pet fox for days for an eccentric woman to uplift the fox..."
"I'm sure it's rough," Nellie commented, "but I'm sure things will be handled as quickly as possible. As I'm sure Yashka understands the w..."
Everyone was stopped when there was an audible knock on the door from the inside. That got Nellie to pick up the bag of clothes that she had by her feet to provide for at least Bystrouska and then approached the door. She approached it slowly and entered, making sure that didn't open enough to let the scientist or the Kazakh officers see inside. She then came in to find two white furred Fox Animalians standing there. There was no scent of sex that Nellie could pick up, though there might be a couple of drops of milk on the tiled floor. One was Yashka, who Nellie could identify by her auburn hair and that her eye color didn't change, part of the results that often happened with Human to Animalian conversions. This gave Nellie some assurances that things would clean up well, though Yashka looked like her shirt and pants were strained to their limits by her new curves.
"You're ready... I see," Nellie said slowly.
"You're big..." Bystrouska said with some awe and heavily accented English that told Nellie that Bystrouska was Russian.
"Yes," Nellie answered, "though I am a Dinotopian. A... special grouping of Animalians coming from various non-Mammal based animals from prior to the Cenozoic era in Earth's geologic history. I'm specifically a marine reptile that has a long neck... Crypto... Crypto... the Crypto-Dino, even if it isn't an actual dinosaur."
"They're animals that lived well before foxes evolved," Yashka said to Bystrouska.
"And some stories have had animal like it still living in Loc Ness, near my family's home," Nellie commented, "though, those are stories. We've never found an actual "Nessie." At least until I converted, got my youth back and could put on a good show for the tourists. But that isn't why I'm here."
"You and the man with the needle were here to help us?" Bystrouska wondered, getting a bit more used to Nellie's presence.
"Yes," Nellie nodded, "My name is Nellie and will be your sponsor to come to the UK. You should be safe there and Putin will not get to either of you."
"Good," Yashka said with bared teeth.
Nellie then held out the bag, "in the meantime, I do have spare clothes that should fit you both. Bystrouska will definitely need clothes and there are spares there for you as well, Yashka... should you want any. They're simple... but they're often the best that we can provide until proper shopping can be done for clothes you'd want."
"That'll be good for both of us," Yashka answered, "I think I snapped my bra when I converted... and well... I had to pull my pants down a little to make room for my tail."
"That'll be good," Nellie answered, "though you'll have to be quick. The local officials are a bit on edge over everything else going on... and you'll both need the shots to make sure you wouldn't be infectious with the Animalia Virus."
"So long as we can stay close," Yashka managed a small smile, feeling that a new start beginning.