It did not take long for Smelly Rat, formerly Lisa to get accustomed to hearing her new name. That didn't mean, however, that it didn't stop tickling her greatly. Every day it made her feel happier and happier inside, it felt right to her. So much so that one day, as an innocuous teacher asking if, "Smelly Rat, are you paying attention!?" It had the momentous moment that she genuinely forgot for a period that her name used to be Lisa, it had only dawned on her as she left the class.
She both felt joy and fear in equal measure as she remembered. Joy because it made her happy, and felt so dirty but right. And fear because it continued to play into her vivid dreams.
Rather than lessen over time, her dreams of degeneracy, of sliding further into rathood had never been more regular. Every morning she woke up groaning from another vision of fur and change. Chittering swarms and mutating bodies. She fought the feeling resolutely, insisting she didn't really want to change, while acknowledging and indulging in what she already was. It was a tight rope to walk, but in Smelly Rat's mind she was managing.
The weeks since her birthday had not been without some changes at all, however. Her non-shaving policy had continued and spread to encompass her whole body, light downy blond fuzz now trailed her shins, and her pits were a mousy brown. Not changes of course, she rationalised. This was just who she was, it was human hair after all, she just wasn't shaving. She had also increased her body mass slightly, her new appetite turning her ever so slightly curvier on top. No longer scrawny as she had been when she first changed. She and Eric both thought her shape and softness suited her new size well. The hunch of her public appearances now had fully integrated itself into her bearing. She barely stood fully upright anymore. Even when only in the company of Eric.
So though she vehemently denied any intrusive dreams of degenerating, she had never been happier with her own self image as when she now, looked in the mirror.
It was, then, at the end of one of their lovemaking sessions, having used her dexterous feet to spill Eric's seed over the curvy folds of her nipples, that Eric, comfortable with the wordplay that turned her on, hit her with a lightning bolt.
"You know what, Smelly Rat. Seeing you there, hairy, panting. You've never looked more like rat. It's like you're deliberately trying to look and act more like one every day..." it wasn't accusatory, just a statement, but it sent Smelly Rat into a frantic panic in her mind.
"What no! I'm not getting a kick out of dreaming of turning into a rat or anything. I'm just... enjoying being me..." the words came so quickly and over forcefully, that she didn't have time to parse or realise what she said. Eric did, however, "Riiiight... you're not intentionally trying to become more ratty then?" He asked, with mild sarcasm.
Her response was again far too quick, "What! No! Definitely not! I don't want to be a rat. I just want to be me.". Her back was up now. But Eric wanted to press. He had his suspicions.
"And you are you... Smelly Rat..." he let her self chosen name sit there.
"That's diff... I'm not... I'm scared okay!!!" She blurted out. That revelation stopped Eric in his tracks. His stance and tone softened.
"Scared my little beast? What of?". He asked tenderly.
She held onto his outstretched arm. "I'm scared of what's inside... of... please don't make me think of it. Of what I could do..." she was barely whispering now, "what could happen, permanently to myself..."
Her eyes were wide as she admitted this to him. She was bearing her shame.
"What. Could you do?" He prodded, he was fascinated, intrigued and excited in equal measure at the apparent depth of her potential depravity.
"Eric" she begged, "don't make me say it. I'm not going to say it."
Unable and unwilling to push her further and risk hurting her Eric relented, but wanting to leave the avenue open for further talk he said. "Okay Smelly Rat, you don't have to say anything. But if you ever want to talk or admit something to me. I promise I'll be there and will listen." Smelly rat slowly responded, "Thanks Eric, I think. I think I need you to change my name back now."
There was a long pause before he answered. "Just have a rest when you're home babe. I won't do anything until you've had a rest. If you really want to. Text me in the morning and I'll change it straight away." Smelly Rat nodded, thanked him and the two embraced in silence, until she had to go home.
---
That night, standing in the bathroom, Smelly Rat stood standing, staring at herself in the mirror. In one hand she held a razor, ready to shave her hair and reset herself back.
But...
Breathing hard and hands shaking, she just couldn't begin the process. Her conversation with Eric playing again and again. Her dreams playing over and over. If she didn't do this now, and stop acting like a rat, she knew she'd skirt around in danger and would eventually trip up and give in.
"I have to... " her shaking hand came forward holding the razor over her shin. Over the hair. Over her wonderful hair. She had to do it. She was a human, this wasn't some play acting, this was permanent. It would be permanent.
"Oh fuck..." she moaned. Dropping the razor to the floor. "I'm such a coward!". She gasped. Sullen she kicked the razor away and stalked from the bathroom, naked, and into the bedroom.
She threw herself onto the bed and grabbed her phone. "I'm not giving in!" She grunted. "This... this isn't giving in..." she said meekly to herself, while bubbling with fear and excitement. She sent one quick message to Eric then she opened her browser. She knew what she was doing was weak, but she had no choice, she felt too right the way she was going.
As Smelly Rat, jilled herself to sleep to her favourite images of people transforming into rats, Eric, furiously masturbating to similar images, got a message with a single line.
[Don't change it.]
Looking at the message Eric groaned a "Yeeeesssssss" and immediately came into his wad of tissues. Moments later, panting, excited but a little guilty, he texted back
[Sure thing Smelly Rat, I think it suits you so much better.]
Looking down at his phone which showed an image of a cartoon anthro rat rubbing herself on a cock the same size as her, he thought back at how he'd gotten here.
Soon after the initial change, having gotten used to then Lisa's changes, he'd gotten curious, and, using the chronivac he'd pulled up an image of Lisa. Adding more animalistic characteristics had been a curiosity at first. But. As he sat there, looking at an anthropomorphic rat version of his girlfriend something stirred within him.
Put aside at first he tried not to think of it. Until Lisa began demanding the degrading bedroom talk. That changed how he felt and from then he often saw the rattified Lisa in his minds eye as the coupled.
By the time she asked to change her name he was openly looking at furry rat porn, and was secretly delighted at her request. Becoming obsessed with rattified porn.
Privately he'd come around to hoping that she wanted to go further, but for him, he knew it had to be her decision. Somehow, he knew, if he just used the Chronivac to make her want it, then it would be a monstrously hollow change.
That didn't mean, of course, that he couldn't give her a non Chronivac nudge or two he thought, dick hardening again at the thought.
[I will love you Smelly Rat, no matter how much you change, you'll always be perfect]
A subtle hint that she will change more...
Perfect.