Animalia has had a good record of rehabilitating criminals. Though some critics would say that they’ve had it easy and the criminals that have been through their rehabilitation program weren’t nearly irredeemable as the worst convicts who are currently in prison. Admittedly, the worst they had to deal with was Heather Green and her attempted murder. Though most of that was later attributed to her being overwhelmed by her new saurian predatory instincts. Not many in the way of hardened criminals have ever been in Animalia. Mercy was a professional thief, but she was not beyond redemption and was working with Animalia PD willingly. Some weren’t even real criminals. Morgan leaving her husband and son and then trying to angle her way back into their lives when they got attached to a rich family wasn’t really a crime. But no one argued that she didn’t deserve to have her ego knocked down to size.
In comparison, Missy and Duke barely even registered on the criminal level. Yes, they had stolen a car, though it was to stop jewel thieves from making a getaway. The fact that they turned themselves in immediately afterwards made them even less serious offenders. The couple had worried about possibly going into the witness protection program, though the authorities seriously doubted that a team of jewel thieves that let themselves get carjacked would have any serious connections. To a few people, it sounded like Missy and Duke were looking for excuses to become Animalians without having to shell out too much.
Even so, the couple weren’t leaving, and they were interested in becoming Animalians. Interestingly, they didn’t want to become Animalians of the exact same type. There are a few Animalian couples who aren’t of similar enough species to breed but remain together. Though it seems Missy and Duke weren’t prepared to be that different from each other. At most, they wanted to be different breeds from each other but still be able to have kids.
In this case, the most obvious choice for them was to become dogs. And there was quite a bit of precedence for dog couples of different breeds. In fact, unless the couple had gotten their viral exposure from the same source or one had been a pet that was uplifted and become their former owner’s mate, it was far more likely that couples would be different dog breeds. Which also included wolves since dogs were part of the same canis family as them.
Missy and Duke had taken to hanging around the Meat Market and talking with any dog couples that came there. The couples were open enough to talk about how they first met, though that didn’t quite give them the insight they needed to make up their minds.
Then they met an interesting couple. One was a husky with red and white fur. His reddish-brown locks showed that he was a converted human. His girlfriend was an uplifted dog, though Missy and Duke had trouble telling what breed she was until she told them she was a Basenji. Her name was Yolanda and Howell was her former owner and bond-mate.
“So, how did this happen?” asked Duke, “Were you exposed separately during the Outbreak?”
“Hardly,” said Yolanda, “We came here only recently. Howell had me uplifted and he got his own conversion.”
“So why is he a husky?” asked Missy.
“Well, I always wanted a husky, but my town was too hot during the summer, especially with the lousy AC problems I had with my apartment,” said Howell.
“Whereas Basenjis like me were bred in South Africa so we can handle summer heat pretty well,” said Yolanda.
“And Yolanda was quite a show dog, even though other dogs tend to finish first more often. But second and third place aren’t so bad,” said Howell.
“And when I started getting too old, he brought me here so I can have a second lease on life,” said Yolanda.
“And it’d be pretty weird if I got a husky for a replacement dog, particularly around here. So, I decided to become one instead,” said Howell.
“So, you two are really ok with each other even though you’re different breeds?” asked Missy.
“Honey, you’re overthinking the different breeds thing,” said Yolanda, “If you two are happy with each other and become Animalians that are not too distant from each other, nobody will have a problem.”
“Though if you become completely separate species, like, say, a turtle and a rabbit, then you can’t actually have kids together. You could adopt, you could get a surrogate, but you wouldn’t be allowed to produce a child of your own. But everything else Is acceptable,” said Howell.
Duke turned to Missy and said, “Maybe we have been overthinking it. It’s not like we were planning on having puppies right away.”
Yolanda and Howell nodded. Of course, they had different plans. Basenjis only go into heat once a year, but the two of them were getting plenty of practice before that. There was also another detail they didn’t mention to this young couple. They hadn’t been specific in which order they were converted and uplifted. But the truth was that Howell converted first and proceeded to uplift Yolanda.
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Howell was pretty impressed with the husky he had become. He was a little surprised by the red and white fur, but then huskies came in a variety of coat colors. He also liked the muscles he had developed. He wasn't bodybuilder class, especially compared to the actual bodybuilders in Animalia. But he was in far better shape than he ever had before.
"You know, sir," said Judy, "We can easily uplift your dog. We do this kind of thing all the time."
"Yolanda isn't good with strangers, particularly ones with needles," said Howell, "Besides, I want our first time to be special."
"Very well," said Judy, "Though both of you should get vaccinated as soon as you're done."
"Of course," said Howell as he head out of Horizon Labs. He could have brought Yolanda there to uplift her, but she wouldn't have liked all the strangers. Howell just hoped he smelled enough like himself for her to recognize him.
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Yolanda growled when the husky man entered the hotel room. She didn't bark, but then she wasn't able to. However, the husky man smelled a lot like her master. Yolanda wasn't sure why, which made it very confusing for her. "Hey girl," said the husky man, who definitely sounded just like her master. Yolanda tilted her head, even more puzzled. "Yeah, I know, you don't recognize me. But you will soon enough," said the husky man. Yolanda didn't understand all the husky man was saying, but she was curious. She stood up on her hind legs to get a better look at him, a trait her breed was known for when they were curious. The husky man knelt down and touched his nose to hers. They sniffed each other with interest before the husky man stared licking her. A little interested, she started licking back.
Then Yolanda felt a strange tingle go through her, starting from her mouth and spreading through her body. The husky man stood back and watched with interest. Suddenly, Yolanda started growing taller. Her legs became longer and much stronger. Soon it felt like less of a strain to be standing on her hind legs. In fact, it felt natural. Yolanda was aware that her legs were also changing shape, filling out with curves and some muscles. Her hips adjusted further to a bipedal stance as they started to flare out, her rear also ballooning. Her waist became more defined as her torso lost its barrel shape. Her front legs moved more to the side as her shoulders became more obvious. Her front legs didn't grow as long as her hind legs, but her paws fully developed into hands. Meanwhile, all but her top two nipples disappeared and soon there was a pressure behind them. Mounds started filling out beneath her nipples, inflating into more of a teardrop shape. Yolanda's larynx became more sophisticated, capable of speaking proper words. Her brain soon became capable of thinking and understanding words. Yolanda flexed her altered mouth and said slowly, "That...was...strange..."
"But you look great," said the husky man.
Yolanda looked at him closely. He definitely had her master's voice and now she recognized both his hair and eyes. His clothes were the same, though they looked a bit more stretched on his more muscular frame. "Howell, is that you?" she asked.
"Yes, it's me," said Howell.
"How is this possible? What are we?" asked Yolanda, looking at her new hands.
"We're Animalians now. I hope you don't mind me becoming a husky. I always wanted one and, well, as long as I was becoming an Animalian, I might as well be one," said Howell.
Yolanda felt her new body over. "This is incredible," she said.
"It can get even more incredible," said Howell, "Do you love me?"
"Of course I love you," said Yolanda, looking at her master. Though she felt a lot less like his pet now. Now that they were both dog people, she could see him as something much more now. "I think I love you even better now," she said, wagging her tail.
"I was hoping for that," said Howell. He gently held her face before kissing her again. But this wasn't a doggy kiss. This was a human kiss, full of warmth, love, and passion. Yolanda found that she liked this kind of kissing.
Then she felt another tingle through her body. She backed up, wondering if she was changing back. But she wasn't, at least not the way she thought she would. She had been middle-aged for a dog and that reflected in her humanoid form. Now age was starting to reverse itself. Her teardrop breasts became much firmer as they regained their roundness. Her stomach became trim before getting a little muscular definition. Her arms and legs also grew stronger and toned. Most of all, Yolanda could feel herself becoming younger, stronger, full of energy. When it stopped, she had the body of a woman in her prime, and a sexy and very fit woman at that. "Wow, I feel great," she said, her voice also sounding a bit younger.
"Yeah, now we're the same physical age," said Howell. He had already been double-dosed with his conversion so he didn't get younger.
Yolanda looked at him again. With her youth restored, not to mention her sex drive, Howell looked even better to her now. Her pussy flared to life, especially when saw the bulge in his pants. She went over to the bed and crouched on it. She lifted her tail and presented her rear to Howell. "Want to mate?" she asked, looking back at him.
Howell chuckled. Yolanda will need to work on her foreplay later. "I was hoping you'd be in the mood," he said. He quickly undressed, starting with taking of his pants. His cock was considerably bigger as an Animalian, not to mention bright red and having a big knot at the base. He crawled onto the bed behind Yolanda. With a bit of angling, his cock slid inside of her.
Yolanda gave an appreciative moan as her new mate entered her. She had been bred before, but this felt so much better now. So Howell humped her, he caressed her body, especially her new breasts. Yolanda's moan soon dissolved into the peculiar singing-like yodels of her breed. Howell's grunts also became the peculiar vocalizations that huskies were known for. The two of them made for a strange duet as their movements increased. Yolanda could feel Howell's knot bumping harder and harder against her until it finally forced its way in. Soon after that, they both let out a long howl as his seed was pumped deep into her.
The two collapsed on the bed, thoroughly knotted for the time being. Yolanda panted and said, "You mate like a dog really good."
"If you thought that was good, wait until we can separate," said Howell, caressing her breast and tweaking her nipple, "I'll show you how to mate like a woman."