There wasn't too much that Layla missed about her old life. It wasn't a particularly bad one, but in hindsight, it wasn't really going anywhere. She was able to make a decent-enough living with her home-based marketing, but she just wasn't able to compete enough with others online. She had been proud of herself for not settling as a housewife, but she was aware how lonely that had been. Thankfully, she had made some friends in running that business.
Layla was even more thankful that her friends came to visit her after her conversion. Though the Layla they remembered was quite different from the busty cheetah she had become, they still accepted her for who she was. It had helped that Layla had already burned through most of her RHS by that point. Oh, she still enjoyed sex every now and then, but it wasn't her most dominating thought. While she did still do some adults-only streams, she was able to think of what she wanted beyond that.
One thing Layla had been doing with her time off was doing some training for the IAC. As a cheetah Animalian, she would naturally have an edge in the sprinting races. Of course, there were other cheetah Animalians who had much more experience at these races than she did. Not to mention her larger breasts slowed her down more than them, even with the sturdiest sports bra. But then, Layla held no illusions about actually winning. She was mainly in the race to show off and she had a feeling she was going to get as much attention with her bouncing boobs as the actual winners of the race. And surely there would be a single male cheetah who'd be very interested with her.
Layla kinda wished that Mary had stayed long enough to train with her. But she still had her farm in Iowa, which, contrary to some rumors, wasn't going to be another Animalian colony. Of course, Mary had become a draft horse instead of a racehorse, so there was only so much training they'd be able to do that wasn't so heavily one-sided. But at least Layla had another friend who was willing to train with her.
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Layla would have thought that Joy would have been more likely to convert next, after persuading her husband, Vince, to join her. Layla hadn't imagined Louise would go next. Louise always seemed so shy and meek, but apparently there's been a lot of hidden energy that she had wanted to burn for some time. That reflected her choice of Animalian quite well. Layla knew that whippets were Joy's favorite dog breed, so she guessed she shouldn't have been surprised that she chose to become a whippet Animalian.
Currently, Layla and Louise were stretching before they started their running. It was remarkable to Layla how her formerly-pudgy friend had gotten so limber. Layla was more limber, being a cat, but Louise was showing quite a bit of flexibility for a dog. And Layla also admitted that her friend looked good in her sports bra and jogging shorts. Louise wasn't quite as busty as Layla, but that made her more streamlined.
“I gotta say, Louise, you’re adapting faster than I would have thought,” said Layla.
Louise smiled and said, “Whippets are my favorite, so I know what to expect with them. Fighting the urge to chase things was the hardest part.”
“Not just the dog thing, the bod,” said Layla, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were always in that shape.”
“I did use to run track,” said Louise, “I wasn’t the best, but I could at least keep up with the baton pass.”
“I’d like to see you run the baton pass now,” said Layla.
“Yeah, it’s a shame I didn’t convert sooner. But it was way too late for the sign-ups,” said Louise.
“Well, there’s always next time,” said Layla, “So, you ready to race?”
Louise’s smile got a bit more cocky, “I’d like to see you keep up with me, titty cat.”
“Oh, those are fightin’ words,” said Layla with mock outrage.
The cheetah and the whippet got to their starting positions. They wriggled their hindquarters a little more than necessary to loosen up their hips. They shouted, “1-2-3!” before dashing off. While cheetahs are the fastest runners in the animal kingdom, their famous speed was usually only in short bursts necessary to run down their prey. Whippets, like other sighthounds, are built for chasing prey over longer distances. That and Louise’s smaller size gave her an eventual edge in speed. Also, she loved the thrill of running. It was almost as good as when she first converted.
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"So, exactly how much taller am I going to be?" asked Louise as she walked to the changing room.
"Well, whippets are medium-sized dogs, so you're not going to be a large as a Great Dane," said Judy, "However, we have found that conversion brings shorter people up to average height. If you prefer to be taller, we could get you a sample of greyhound DNA. There have been plenty of rescued greyhounds to help provide it."
"Well, I still prefer whippets. They don't seem quite as high-strung," said Louise.
"It's your choice," said Judy as she got out the syringe with the necessary dosage for a double-dose. Over the years, they have tried and tested the various dosages to determine how much a single syringe would need to be more than a single dose. Some people are nervous enough about needles to not want to be stuck more than once. She applied the syringe to Louise's arm and said, "Welcome to Animalia," before leaving the room.
Louise soon started feeling warm. She took off her blouse to watch herself change. Brindle-colored fur soon started appearing over her body. She watched as her nails grew darker and sharper. Those claws were more about traction for running than scratching, but she may need to trim them more often. She kicked off her shoes to allow her paws more room to grow.
Then Louise's torso started making some interesting sounds. Her middle gurgled as the fat that had clung to her for so many years started shrinking away. And her spine was making the occasional pop as it straightened up taller. Louise's posture was certainly improving, even if she wasn't becoming a giant. And her fat was being used as fuel for new additions like her growing tail and muzzle. Though not all of her roundness was disappearing. Her bottom was certainly getting slimmer, but now it was taking on a more appealing shape. Pretty soon, Louise had to hold up her pants to keep them from slipping off. Meanwhile, her breasts were becoming less flabby. Her bra was getting a bit snug as her breasts became perkier than they were designed to fit.
When the transformation finished, Louise felt so much lighter. No more weight holding her down. Well, except for the large breasts on her chest. Looking in the mirror, she saw a whippet woman with a trim but curvaceous figure. She had seen how huge Animalian women can get and she clearly was built more for speed than strength. But that suited Louise just fine. She didn't need to go back to Ohio as a hulk. But she was planning on spending some time in Nevada. She was interested in watching the IAC even if she couldn't be a part of it.
But first thing's first. Her old blouse would drape off her narrower frame and she had to keep a constant hand on her waistband to keep her pants up at all. She went to the door and called out, "I'm going to need some new clothes. Something with a slimmer fit." She noticed how much younger her voice sounded, like she was fresh out of college again. That made her tail start wagging at the thought that she was going to be living a whole new life now.