CYOTF

Anthro Park -- That Night

'Marriage contract?' Lord Jeremy and Lady Leticia looked at each other in blank confusion
before they remembered that little known fact about human culture. During all this time,
among all the drama, and the abstract fear of one day leaving the park after Lady Leticia's
fawn was born, the 'practical aspect' of marriage had never once even crossed their deer
brains. Such formalities such as written agreements just didn't exist in the park, and they
didn't exist among their unevolved non-sentient cousins either!

But at the same time, the human culture part of Jeremy's brain, knew that it was needed.
Had to be needed. When his offspring had to leave this tiny place and face the infinite
world of humanity beyond, Jeremy wouldn't have any fawn of his declared an illegitimate
child. Lord Jeremy did wonder, was it because of his bringing up human culture that made
him able to care for wanting this for his children to come, or was it that deer were social
creatures that enable him to still care about it. The predators like Jackie and Keith, would
they care when their kittens were born?

Still, Jeremy realized he wanted to be acknowledged, he had been acknowledged by his
father, he had been acknowledged by his frat brothers, and his union with Leticia would be
acknowledged by the monkeys. Just a position among fellow guests at a vacation park or
not, something the park could take away from him in a moment's notice or not, he -was-
Lord of the herd here, and he would have the ties to his wife respected.

"Drake." Jeremy said calmly.

"Yes Boss-Man?" His loyal shadow replied.

"You're in charge until I get back, make sure all the fights are in good sportsmanship, and
no one gangs up on Marth." No matter what his opinion on Marth, Marth was now part of
the herd, and under Jeremy's protection the same as any other member.

"Er, actually," The other husky, who looked just like the other one, "Your bride's maid and
Best Man are required as witnesses Lord Jeremy." The husky said politely.

Lord Jeremy moaned, of all the complications he could face, why these? Would the rest of
the herd look down or even dismiss Jeremy as well as Drake if they didn't defend their
positions from Mark? Assuming Mark made it that far up the ladder of course, but there
was always that possibility.

"No." Jeremy said calmly.

The twins looked at each other distraught. Before being employed by the part, the their
friends and family had often commented on how different the two were in spite of their
status as twins. One like sunrises, the other liked sunsets, one liked rainy days, the other
sunny, one liked country music, the other classic, one like platform games, the other
strategy.

Since coming to the park however, they had grown increasingly in sync with each other,
even more so then their fellow pack mates. They had also by default always been paired
together by Naomi when given assignments and didn't have the nerve to argue with her.
Originally they detested it when people mistook them for each other, but recently they had
found amusement or even calm acceptance in it. Sometimes never bothering to correct
mistakes when people identified them, after all, the other was often right there besides
them and got the information anyway, and in general, they were mostly regularly referred
to only as 'the twins.'

This was actually due to their behavior becoming increasingly parallel as time had gone
on, and thus their pack members wanting to be polite referred to the two identical huskies
as 'the twins' to prevent accidently getting their names wrong. By this time, speaking for
each other and finishing each other's statements had become first nature to them. The
running gag had become the twins were really one husky that happened to have two
bodies.

The clincher had been when one of the twins the other day had sign some paper work
using -both- their names without a second thought and without protest from the other.

Now, just -looking- at each other, the twins spokes volumes between themselves. And
they knew, that if they failed to bring the Lord and Lady of the herd to their pack leader
when Naomi had commanded them to, Naomi would be certain to make them never forget
that failure! Naomi was never happy when a pack member didn't live up to her
expectations. The Management might have held the power, but Naomi was the face that
inspired both love and fear among the huskies.

"Please!" They implored together.

"I said no." Jeremy repeatedly calmly and the horned buck started to turn away from them.

The twins looked at each other again, silently discussing the vices and virtues of being
more insistent.

"Dearie," Lady Leticia interrupted reminding everyone she was there, "It's all right. We can
go right now. I'm not worried."

"Honey," Jeremy said, "What if Marth makes it all the way to the top and I'm not here to
defend my position? What if Drake isn't? It would... it would be -wrong!-"

Drake, felt a pang of happiness to know Jeremy cared for Drake's position in the herd.
Ironically perhaps the first person who cared about a position the corporate shark had and
didn't want to topple him from it.

Lady Leticia smiled at her husband, "Then we had better make sure that doesn't happen
right? Shouldn't Marth have a short rest between each fight so it's not really the last buck
who fought him who defeats him but it's the next one who trounces him?"

Lord Jeremy stared at his wife in amazement. Perhaps, there was time to make all parties
happy, Lord Jeremy didn't really care what the huskies wanted as long as the herd was safe
and happy, but apparently Lady Leticia wanted everyone involved to have what they
needed. If it -was- just a marriage contract, they should have no trouble with it. And if it
was more, then Jeremy's original action would stand.

"Lateisha!" Lord Jeremy called out in a powerful voice that echoed across the reception
party. Lateisha came running before she even realized what she was doing. She quickly
stood at attention in front of him and bowed, "Yes Mi'lord?"

"The huskies say they've prepared a 'marriage contract' for myself and your Lady, you and
Drake as Maid of Honor and Best Man, are to act as witnesses."

"What about Marth's placement in the herd Mi'lord?" Lateisha heard herself asking.

"We will be back in time for it." Lord Jeremy said, and it was so.

"Yes Mi'lord." Lateisha bowed again. This would, in all likelihood and possibilities be the
last thing she ever did for her Herd Leaders or the herd itself as a doe or a deer.

Lateisha looked back at John, and gave him an appraising smirk, "Don't go losing to the
new guy kiddo." She said smiling.

John dumbly nodded.

Leticia surprised everyone again by calling out in a authoritative voice no one remembered
her having before. "Hannah! Come!"

Reluctant, but no less quickly than Lateisha, Hannah came running, bowing quickly, "Yes
Mi'Lady?"

"It's time for Marth to find his place in the herd for the remainder of his stay in the park.
Move the battles to the Arena. There, as a doe, you will act as judge, as all is tradition."

Hannah's mind reeled a bit at Leticia's tone and words. 'Tradition? Heh. Yes. Tradition.
We've been creating patterns for ourselves all this time. And now the time has come to
follow them. And it is as my herd leader command.'

"As you command Mi'Lady." Hannah bowed.

Leticia looked satisfied as Hannah conveyed the herd leader's commands to the bucks,
who also realized that indeed, it was tradition, and more fitting.

After quickly explaining things to their families, Lady Jeremy and Lady Leticia were
following the twin huskies. The remainder staying near and around the bucks, determined
to make sure the near disaster with Spike did not happen again.

The bucks herded to the clearing that had been formally declared the Arena during the
tournament, Marth staying at the center with no chance to escape even if he had wanted
to. Hannah following behind.

Marth felt odd around the bucks, not excited or alarmed as Maria would have been, and he
didn't feel the disgust or revulsion when surrounded several naked members of the same
gender as before. All he felt, was the single mighty desire to see each and every one of
them eating dirt.

The mass of bucks formed their circle with Marth at the center. And Hannah, looked at the
rock throne that both she had Leticia had sat in during the tournament. So much had
changed since this, it was mind boggling trying to keep track of it all.

Beauty Queen Hannah calmly sat down in the throne, looking at the circle of bucks and
Marth himself.

"Just give us your word Beauty Queen Hannah." One of the bucks said respectfully.

Beauty Queen Hannah nodded calmly. Ironically, if she hadn't fled this throne when she did
during the tournament, would she be herd leader now along with Jeremy? Or would the
gang rape that Lateisha had warned her of come to pass? Didn't matter anymore.

Beauty Queen Hannah spoke, "Begin." And so it did.

+++++

With more courage then Keith thought he had, he approached the new male bear in the
park, who was staying near Predator Hill because his son was, and many of the evolved
bears were mostly wanders anyway and no true territory to return to.

"You're Chris' father?" Keith asked.

"I am." The large burly bear said innocently, "Is something wrong him? Has he start picking
flowers and can't stop talking?"

Keith kept his self control, "Myself and my mate are not Chris' parents, we have no right to
say how he's raised, but like it or not, you -are- his father, and you're the person he's
supposed to look up to during the hard times."

"Hard times are meant to be toughened up alone, builds character." The burly bear said
misquoting someone famous he couldn't remember the name of.

Keith unsheathed his claws but pulled them back in. "I'm only going to say this part once,
so pay attention- get your act together!!"

"Wha-?" The much larger bear stared clueless. Keith had to look up to him to talk to him.

"Chris has suffered repeatedly because you've told him being female is a CURSE! That it
somehow makes you automatically unable to defend yourself! It's men like you that made
me detest this gender!" Keith head swam... it had been.... forever since he had thought
about his life as that fifty year old woman. And he couldn't remember the last time he had
thought about her negative attitude towards men.

"What are you saying?" The bear asked confused.

"I used to be a woman, and I spent most of my life being given the lower end of the stick
by men. I chose this gender for the sake of power when I changed, it was because of all
my friends that I realized that this gender didn't automatically make me evil. It was
because of Jackie I realized I could never go back to being that woman, I loved her too
much, it would feel like death."

The bear shook his head to get his thoughts straight, "Well, congratulations on
upgrading." The bear said unwittingly using exactly the same terminology that Naomi used
for men who became women. "But what does this have to do with my son?"

Keith glared, "The point IS: that you need to be there for him. Myself and Jackie are the
ones who are being there for him though! He almost accidently KILLED someone this
afternoon because of how scared he is of losing himself to his new body!" The bear
stiffened at this. "And you didn't even know that! You're too busy getting rejected by
every female bear in the park!"

"I... I just want to find... a new mother for him... someone who can be the mother for him I
can't be."

"Which is NEVER going to happen you selfish middle aged man, as long as you continue to
treat women like they're duel baby factories and live in nanny maids! They don't exist just
to lift you, US men up on their shoulders. We're supposed to be partners in this life. I'm
NOT better because I lost my chest and gained something between my legs! I'm better
because I now have someone to walk this life with me!"

"Chris... nearly killed someone?" The bear stammered.

"YES! He did! And he's a good kid, I don't know if that was his mother's doing or
something you somehow managed to do right, but that would have destroyed him, utterly.
And you would have been oblivious to it all. You don't care what happens to him, as long
as he act macho and can beat anyone he comes across in hand to hand combat! Preening
him up to be your little karate star! Well you need to realize he needs more than just a
karate instructor for traits from his father!"

The bear was dead silent for over a minute... standing straight up, staring straight ahead,
an almost glassy look in his eyes, "I think... I need to go somewhere... good-bye." Like a
robot, the giant bear turned on paw heel, and trotted away.

Keith only stood there, wondering exactly what he had just set into motion, and where it
was all going to arrive at.

++++

The only husky still at Predator Hill, with Harry apparently using his own judgment and
stayed near the deer mini-tournament, Zack observed Chris the panther's father wander
off with the glazed look in the bear's eyes.

Barking to HQ, he flagged the bear as a possible problem, though what kind Zack couldn't
even begin to guess at, but he feared something self destructive. Being told to stay at his
post, the hidden husky settled to observe events playing with Chris herself and their
priority one panther woman carrying her ultra important cargo.

The Blue Vixen Chris reluctantly woke up from her nap, her video games dreams having
run their course for the time being. She stretched out her fantasy like figure that she'd
lose rather quickly with access to modern day junk and fast food. Of course the vixen
Chris didn't think of any of these common sense realities, she had herself molded into an
ideal, and in her mind, nothing could spoil that ideal.

Chris saw that during her power nap, a good deal of the fox tribe had already beaten it
back to their burrows.

Chris walked over to the new panther girl who shared her name, who was being comforted
by the new best friend of Hannah. Chris remembered her own time with Hannah, realizing
some of the more sublime points of being female, and how not to walking without silently
screaming 'I'm all yours' to anyone who saw her.

Chris noticed that the panther girl was crying. Chris felt concern. After all, the panther girl
had been the first person to seriously talk to her outside of her video fanatics group (who
cursed themselves for not thinking of her idea involving hedgehogs and bandicoots when
they had the chance). True, Chris didn't understand the panther girl's fixation with
breaking concrete blocks with your head, but the panther didn't understand Chris' fixation
of manipulating pixels on a screen to experience a story, so maybe they were even. Chris
and Chris, Chris knew she just HAD to have her name legally changed to that of her
character, it was going to get confusing otherwise.

"Hey, you okay?" Chris asked.

The pregnant panther woman, Jackie, looked at the blue vixen, "I just finished explaining
to Chris what happens to ladies every month." Jackie shuddered as she recalled her own
panicked filled and confused first period.

Chris Vixen was throw off kilter by that bit of information, thankfully, she had already
experienced the blind panic and terror stricken confusion of her monthly cycle before this.
So Jackie didn't have two TGed anthros on her hands that were going to be crying their
eyes out.

Chris' video game side then took over, "If it's that awful, maybe you can force the park to
make you a brown furry fox sage instead." She grinned. Her friend who had originally
wanted to assume that rule had been unable to enter the park.

Chris panther said cooly and matter of fact, her tear drying slightly, "Go, to Hell."

The vixen took a couple steps back and raised her arms defensively, "Okay okay! I was
only joking! Sheesh!" A lie. But one for the greater peace.

Jackie looked at the blue vixen, if this was an anime, she'd peg the blue vixen for the
obnoxious red head or American who'd get broken or killed before the final episode. As it
was though, she just said, "Chris, could you give Chris a little room?" Ugh. They were
going to have to verbally separate these two somehow.

Vixen Chris took another step back but said, "I was only trying to help."

"You need to try differently." Jackie explained.

The blue vixen sat down on the grass of Predator Hill. While many predators were
nocturnal, most of the hyper evolved animals had a human day/night sleep cycle. The blue
vixen idly wondered why that was, one of the few bits of wondering she had actually done
about the park. The park existed, she existed, as did her fellow game fanatics and the
other guests, and the world of humanity lay outside those closed in fences. That was
enough for Chris. She believed in enjoying things not questioning them. But in a moment
of idle curiosity, she figured the only real reason would be if they were to properly
function in human society better. Implying that the part -wanted- people to keep their
forms after leaving the park. Meh, worked out better for Chris anyway that way anyway.

"Don't you have to get back to your group's territory?" Jackie asked.

"Naw, I can wait." Vixen Chris said. "If there's one thing you get a lot of in this park, it's
time."

"I don't see how you all stand it." Said the younger panther girl distantly.

"Don't worry about it," Said the vixen, "It'll kick in sooner than later. Then you''ll realize
this place is anything but boring."

The panther Chris sighed, "I'm starting to wonder which I can trust less, the girl, or the
panther."

Jackie said, "I know this might sound strange coming from me Chris, but you're still you.
And that only changes if you let it."

"I... I need to go for a walk... I'll be back in a bit." The panther girl Chris said tears still on
her face as she walk away from the her fellow ex-males.

The female panther looked at the other Chris, "If you're really his friend you'd better follow
him." It didn't sound like a request.

The vixen gulped and nodded and followed at what she could assume was a safe distance.

+++++

"Thank you for your time Father," Su Yin bowed respectfully. Though a small part of her
wanted to flee before her perfectly scientific view of the universe imploded on itself with
only a few more kind words from the short raccoon. The worst part was, Father Tyminski
wasn't the least bit adversarial about anything they discussed, he respected Su Yin's point
of view, and calmly presented his own! Which was more than Su Yin could say about some
of her colleagues in some of her scientific debates (she having adopted the unpopular
position that Pluto indeed did not deserve to be called a full fledged planet).

"You're welcome child, it was a pleasure to speak with you." The raccoon priest replied
kindly. "Today was perhaps the most interesting wedding I've ever proceeded over."

The raccoon and doe nodded, and went their separate ways, Father Tyminski to fish, Prof.
Su Yin to observe the battles about to begin in the arena (she could smell them about to
begin).

+++++

"So how was the newbie Naomi dumped on you?" Harry asked, settling next to Katie to
observe the battles to come, taking polite note of Su Yin's arrival.

Katie said, "She's almost like a -cat- with that curiosity." Both huskies shuddered as if that
was incredibly bad thing. "But she's eager to please, that's for sure, and she sure gave it all
her all today. I think she just wanted to show me AND Naomi that she was competent and
not a burden to everyone."

"Think she's going to be a good addition to the pack then?"

"Without a doubt." Katie said firmly, "I just wonder if she's going to get her own room, or
bunking with one of us."

"Like you if the latter, after all, Naomi gave her -you- to look after, after all."

"Heh, yeah, I figured. Guess I'll be visiting your room from now on."

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words. So what do you think of this
after wedding show?"

"Inevitable I guess. Though given past experience we're going to be facing a few surprises
in one shape or another."

"And there's one now," Harry pointed, "The wolf pack had apparently shown up to observe
the show, enjoying the idea of seeing a couple more bucks bang heads into each other
again. The wolves had wits enough to stay out of the direct line of sight and smell range
from the deer to prevent a distraction or being asked to leave. The wolves were an
interesting lot, they had been the most stable group in the part since the very beginning,
assimilation of new guests into the pack handled so easily that the huskies didn't even
observe them personally anymore.

The only true bit of abrasion they really had with anyone was the fox tribe. Like Pepsi and
Coke, Cats and Dogs, Captain Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard, Sonic and Mario, the desire to
prove which species of wild dog was the better was a never ending struggle with no true
ending that could ever be achieved. Thankfully it had never resulted in blood shed in the
park, so the huskies again let the wolves and foxes happily insult each other and generally
compete with the other. Thankfully with the majority of the foxes have returned to their
burrows for the night, that was one less problem the huskies had to worry about.

++++++

Leading the Lord and Lady of the herd through the park to the designated spot with little
or no chatter along with their subordinates, the huskies said nothing when they came to
the empty spot. Huskies didn't sweat except on their noses, so Lord Jeremy and Lady
Leticia noticed nothing looking at the twins' backsides.

The twins looked at each other. Naomi was not here. The pens and practice paper were
still here, miracle beyond all miracles not stolen by guests who'd see such items as mana
from heaven! This wasn't good! Not good at all! Naomi had the contact! Shuddering
slightly the huskies turned on their heels at the same time, and said together at the park
Lord and Lady, "Please practice your signature with your new hands while one of us fetches
the contracts for the two of you."

Shuddering more, and seemingly indecisively, one of the twins, the one on deer's right,
haltingly took some steps away from her sister, then began to run like the wind before
vanishing from their sight.

It had felt like they were in molasses when they moved apart from each other, like a piece
of their own body was being pulled away from them. For the first time in many months,
the twins, were not together. It was disorienting.

Both twins as one remained with the deer and the other ran for the entrance building
where she hoped Naomi was by default, felt like a part of themselves was now missing,
something that had never felt during their time as human beings. It make them feel naked
(the irony), and vulnerable. The struggle that left their heads swimming most however,
was trying to remember which one of them was which! They had shared so many of their
secrets and experiences with each other since coming to the park, and the experiences
within the park ran parallel to each other. Both shook their heads, unwittingly at the same
time in spite of their distance, they had their duty to the park, the pack, and the guests,
the rest they could push aside, and did so, for the sake of that duty and rediscovered their
focus. Becoming calm again, they both returned to the task each had at hand.

Collecting herself the husky with the deer said politely, "Now while you wait why don't you
practice?" She gestured to the pens and paper at the stumps, looking rather alien in this
'all natural' park.

'What are those?' Jeremy thought, concentrating for a moment, 'Ah right, pen and...
paper... to... write with: to convey ideas and information via visual non-pictographic
symbols!'

The husky calmly watched, feeling a ping of amusement as Lord Jeremy, then Lady Leticia
fumbled with the pens with their clumsier armored fingers. The twin was struck with
entertaining stories of illiterate nobility as the deer finally got their fingers around the
pens and managing not to break them in half.

'Now let's see here, I'll show this husky, I don't need practice, I can just... uh... ' Jeremy,
and Leticia, stared at the sheets as blank as the paper. Drake and Lateisha said nothing,
having no intention of correcting their Lord and Lady unless absolutely necessary.

Jeremy showed self control when he resisted the urge to bang his hoof against the stump.
'This is stupid! I've read and wrote for most of my life! I can do this easy!'

Jeremy wrote out an illegible scribble across the paper sheet. Leticia was taking things one
letter at the time, digging deep past the layers of deer and woman that now laid on top of
her human experiences. 'L... yes, 'L', 'e', 't'- how do I spell my name? Hannah and I never
discussed it. Oh well, this'll be how I spell my name from now on! L-e-t-i-, yes that's
right, c-i-a! Yes! Leticia! My name is Leticia, and it's spelled L-e-t-i-c-i-a!' Truth was,
Leticia felt like she was a fawn back in grade school. Her writing was sloppy with her new
fingers, but at least she could make out the letters.

She looked at Jeremy, and saw the frustration in his eyes, his writing looking like chicken
scratch. Without saying a word, she calmly placed her hoof over his his, and gently guided
his hoof as he slowly wrote out his name. Lord Jeremy looked at Lady Leticia, and she saw
the look of gratitude in his eyes.

Lateisha and Drake looked proudly at their herd leaders, while the twin felt satisfied,
things were working out well on this end. She just hoped the rest of her got back with
pack leader Naomi soon with the wedding contract! It wouldn't do to keep the two deer
waiting long, not with Marth in the arena.

+++++

'Bury it all.' Naomi cursed. 'Can't anything ever be simple?' While deep down, Naomi felt a
thrill at the idea of her pack leader maintaining her current species, realistically, Naomi
knew this was a disaster.

In order to avoid accidents and avoid being sued for all they were worth, the park
maintained a back-up file of park guests' human template after their transformation in
case the main system failed. However, Juanita had been VERY thorough on her erasure,
TOO thorough it seemed. She had been certain to erase all records and files related to that
time during the equipment, then -overwrite- them with new dummy data! And unlike the
sentient brain, computers couldn't recall something once it was overwritten. Ironically, if
Juanita wasn't just so good at what she had done, she could have found a copy of her
human template in the cache, or simply undone the erasure command to restore the lost
information. But Juanita had wanted to make sure people like Mr. M didn't mindlessly
stumble on some information she had accidently missed and use it as proof she had
broken the sacred pact among the Management not to assume her desired form until their
stalking deer had spear headed the way for them in society.

Naomi could only watch in fear for her pack leader at the dismay on Juanita's canine
features she had sought for so long now twisted into deeper and deeper worry, then fear,
and what might soon become panic! Naomi knew if that happened, the Management would
find this out for sure, and that could very well BE the end of her pack leader.

Both dogs jumped when they heard someone coming, but calmed down once they smelled
it was another husky. One of the twins busted into the transformation chamber, huffing
and puffing, which for a husky was a very rare sight indeed.

"Oh thank dog you're here!" The twin huffed, she quickly stood at attention, ignoring
Juanita. And why not? She was just another husky. The twin didn't dare berate Naomi for
not being there, not contracting them, or anything of the sort, even if she could work up
the nerve to say such things to her pack leader, there wasn't time, "Madam Naomi! The
married deer are at the designated coordinates, and merely await the wedding contract to
sign to make their marriage legal Madam Naomi!"

Naomi groaned, she couldn't believe this! She had kept the folder containing the marriage
contract with -herself- just because she didn't trust any other member of the pack with
such an important job! Now it had nearly resulted in -another- disaster on top of the one
they were already facing!

'The guests come first. Without them, this park is meaningless, think about the guests.'
Naomi remembered the pack's mantra. Naomi sighed, like it or not, Juanita was part of the
pack, and she had to know that she'd have to put the guests above herself. Putting on her
serious face, and like gurgling acid, she spoke to her pack leader in a authoritative tone.
"J-Jessica! You will remain here unless you finnish debugging the transformation chamber
software before I return, understood newbie?"

Juanita started, completely not used to Naomi ever using that tone when speaking to her,
all the same, she played along, "Y-yes madam!"

Naomi looked at the twin, "Now let's go.... " She knew it was humiliating to ask this
question, but after this debacle, Naomi knew Naomi deserved it. "Er, which one are you?"

The husky looked at Naomi for a few moments before saying, "I'm one of the twins, both
and the same, that is all."

Naomi stared, which HAD been the last time anyone had spoken to one of the twins when
they had been separted? Right after they first arrived? While the power of authority and
suggestion had proven powerful, Naomi seriously doubted it could create telepathy
between twins, let alone turning two separate people into a single personality. But Naomi
also realized she didn't have to time to deal with this. If the twins functioned better this
way, as part of the pack, and part of the park staff, then Naomi grimly thought that for
now she wasn't about to stop them.

Jaunita merely looked on amazement.

"All right then," Naomi breathed out, "Let's go then to the deer, and your other half."

"The rest of me." The twin nodded and raced the way she came, Naomi easily keeping up
with her, and ultimately surpassing her. Leaving Jaunita alone in the transformation
chamber, to consider her very limited options.

The twin was fast, and she seemed to grow faster the closer she got to the other half of
herself. But Naomi wasn't winded from the racing TO the entrance building, and Naomi
was ultimately the best husky the pack had, and that included running speed and sprinting
distance.

The sun setting, the day becoming night, Naomi arrived at the 'Legal Office' of the park's
interior, which was really just a spot chosen for this to happen. Breathing deeply through
her nose, the other twin yelped at her superior's presence and stood at attention. To the
deer it looked like she was standing at attention to thin air, until Naomi had enough
composure slip out of her camouflage position and standing at attention herself arms
behind her back at the two 'royal deer.' She moved her arms to the front, holding the
envelope that held the wedding contract.

"Lord Jeremy, Lady Leticia, it's an honor to see you," As the first pregnant couple in the
park, they, along with the panthers, were given Special priority by the Management and by
Naomi herself. "I have the wedding contracts with me, are you ready to sign?"

Still wearing his 'marriage pattern' of body paint, and standing tall, and looking every bit
the park title 'lord of the deer,' his wife beside him, the Lord of the Deer spoke, "We are
Madam."

Leticia smirked, she was glade that having to relearn to write his name hadn't shaken her
younger husband's confidence.

The other twin finally caught up with Naomi, panting for breath her tongue hanging out.
The twins saw each other and were hit by stunningly powerful shock waves of seeing each
other. Without even thinking they nearly ran into each, hugging each other. It was like a
missing body part had come back into being! The deer blinked at the twin they saw
hugging thin air, but could guess at what was going on.

Naomi barked, and the other twin became visible, they stood at attention like two sides of
a mirror and bowed together saying in sync, "Forgive us Madam Naomi."

"It's all right." Leticia said before Naomi could bark her berate, "Everything has worked out,
everything is fine, there's no need to fret over anything."

Naomi thought of Jaunita, 'if only that were true,' all the same, she relented.

The twins breathed a sign of relief at having at least for now being spared their pack
leader's wrath.

Naomi calmly opened the folder, and removed the contracts, "There's the marriage
contract, and the legal contract for officially changing Lady Leticia's name. Feel free to
read over both as much as you'd like, our legal monkey team did their best to make it as
straight foreword as possible."

The herd leaders looked at each other, then looked at the contracts as Naomi set them
down, using a pair of small rocks as paper weights.

It took a few minutes, a bit longer for Jeremy than Leticia, but the deer haltingly, then
carefully read out the contracts. There was truly nothing extra ordinary about them, both
of them really being standard in the legal part of their union and the changing of Leticia's
name.

Drake, knowing legal mumbo jumbo when he saw it, and knowing how to create it, looked
over the contracts for his herd leaders without even being asked, and confirmed that both
were on the level.

Just to be safe, Leticia signed the name changing contract first, first with the name of her
former self, and with the name she would now use for the rest of her life.

Then came the moment of truth, without hesitation on anyone's part, Jeremy and Leticia
signed the contracts, with Drake and Lateisha having practiced also wrote in the witnesses'
slot.

Naomi calmly took the contract and placed them back in the folder, and smiled, SMILED,
Naomi the queen bitch (that's what she was, so it wasn't a slur), had just smiled, well, as
close as a muzzle could actually COME to smiling, the facial muscles did their best, Naomi
bowed her head slightly to make it not seem like she was just showing off her fangs.
"Congratulations, to the both of you, both on your union, the place you've managed to
create for yourselves within the park, and for the future you've made for each other and
for all our kinds in general."

After giving the twins orders to keep an eye on the Lord and Lady of the deer until the
Special Guests, their families, left the park, Naomi left the deer to their own devices and
fate. She had to return to her pack leaders, to Madam J.

++++++

"Ladies and gentlemen," Monty announced his fellow conspiracy enthusiasts standing
above and in front of all of them, "I have decided upon the perfect way to dig to the heart
of the truth that has obviously been kept from the guests of this park and from the people
at large."

A couple of the motley crew turned from looking at the sunset to hear Monty's latest
scheme, most did not, figuring Monty was back to normal.

"I have chosen to discover the truth from within, and any of you who wish to join me in
this endeavor would be greatly appreciated for it shall aid it greatly." Everyone looked at
each other wondering what he meant.

"I have chosen to sacrifice my current species, and seek employment in the park as a
husky!" Plus there was the good chance as one he'd be able to spend more time with
Jessica, she had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't part of this
mysterious conspiracy, and she'd be a much needed ally.

Everyone laughed. "Monty!" The badger said between gasps, "You really think they'd hire
you?"

"And didn't someone else try discovering the truth about Rosewell from the inside?" Said a
sow who had joined a short while ago herself, "It didn't work, the military didn't let him
near the place!"

Monty maintained a straight face, rather than screaming at them to be quiet as they were
sure he was going to do. Some actually began to wonder, if MONTY HIMSELF had been
replaced by a clone or reprogrammed.

"I'll have you know I am very well educated, I think with all of you I have proven my people
skills," Some giggled but realistically, Monty's weird charisma had enticed a good deal of
them from not walking out on Monty and his wild theories, "If they refuse to accept me,
they'd only be letting on that they were hiding something. And I have learned that while
the huskies are part of The System, I am beginning to suspect they are in fact as much
prisoners of it as we are. I am certain there are those among them that also wish to see
the truth."

There were some murmurs among the conspiracy club, and they began to wonder if,
maybe, just maybe, Monty might have actually been on to something.

"Well," Said one of the two tortises, (it was simply fantastic how much their patience had
increased by leaps and bounds since their change), "I guess we'll have to wait and see until
your vacation expires to see if they'll take you if you manage to convince them you're not
going to blow up the building."

This time Monty himself laughed at the joke at his expense. Now he was scaring them.
"Maybe! Maybe NOT! Our vacation contracts all state that we have to stick with the species
and genders we've chosen for the remainder of our stay, and that the minimum time that
each of us was given to stay in the park can't be shortened. -However-! The huskies never
leave the park! So that's one factor solved. And if I manage, as you said, to prove to them
I'm not going to 'blow up the building' and might actually be useful to them, they'll accept
me into their pack and might even be willing to turn a blind eye to a second species
change. And the same with any of you who might be interested in joining me in this daring
venture."

Some actually were, either because they figured this crazy idea of Monty's might actually
work, it might be an amusing distraction because it would never get off the ground, or just
moved by Monty's weird charisma.

"And!" The mongoose raised a tiny claw, "While they might be under contract, the huskies
are ultimately like any social group, and I believe will be eager to see additions to their
numbers and their influence. After all, if there are more of them, the System will direct
them to more diverse tasks. As long as we can convince them that we aren't a collect of
paranoid idiots with nothing better to do with our time, things are certain to work out!"
And Monty laughed again, at himself! It was like he was making up for lost time!

And in that laugh, a good deal of the motley looked at each other, and began to consider
the virtues of Monty's scheme, and weather sacrificing the species' that some of them had
grown quite accustom to, was indeed a sacrifice worthy of finding The Truth.

++++++

Her wonderful new body feeling heavy, Juanita went over the files again, and again, and
again. Nothing. There was no trace of it, she was just too good for her own good. And of
course, there was no standard human genetic template, one was recorded for each guest...
since the Management had never seen a reason to create one given their ultimate goal.
Each genetic template had taken at least a year to create, making sure organs would
properly function and bones would not collapse on themselves. True, humans were a tried
and true design, Juanita had to begrudging admit to that. Making one would take a
fraction of the time. But there was the simple matter that even if one could be made,
Juanita would not be able to get her old face back, and her secret would be out. After all
the years she had spent trying to get ride of her human form, she now wanted it back!

Juanita knew precisely what would happen to her, the Management had all voted on, and
agreed to, to the divine punishment for betraying the vow of not assuming their true form
until anthros had been accepted, or rather (more realistically), found a place in society.

Juanita, not trusting some of her fellows to keep their word, had actually included some of
more nasty ones! As per the agreement on the violation of the vow, Juanita would lose her
position within the management. She would be stripped of all authority and control related
to the park. Worse, all her stocks invested in the park would be confiscated, and be given
out equally to the remaining board members! And her companies to be bought out as
good old fashioned revenge (that one had been Juanita's idea!!!). The worst part of course,
was that she was be thrown out like a lamb to the wolves. She would be -tossed- into the
outside world. Made into a public spectacle for the tabloids and gossip rags to dance
about! While Hannah would be given much support from the various positions the
Management held, Juanita would receive none, the media would eat her alive! She also
knew, her family would never forgive her for keeping this part of her life secret for so
long!

Juanita had not been lying to Hannah when she had told the doe that not everyone had her
courage, or her resolve to face a world that was not ready to accept them, and that person
would have to make their own place.

The idea of being sent out defenseless, likely tonight if she was discovered, terrified
Juanita to her core. It was like seeing the grim reaper itself was marching towards her
calmly and without pity.

' 'It was just going to be for a day!' Yeah right, like anyone will believe that. And the vow
doesn't make such exceptions.'

Juanita had actually had fantasies about some of the more selfish members of the board
cheating and becoming their true form before stage two was in effect, and Juanita
watching on TV with satisfaction as they were turned into a media made carnival freak. It
seemed, that karma didn't appreciate you wishing bad things on other people...

One option she could have was to some how make all the park guests be exposed to the
world tonight and be lost in the shuffle and... now she was just creating escapist fiction for
herself.

Juanita sat down in front of the computer console, looking at her reflection. She thought
about this day, she had been so happy, so innocent, so free. It had just been a fantasy of
course, but wasn't that what she had been perusing her whole life? A way to make her
fantasies real? She considered her options, her REAL options. The one she chose wasn't the
one she had to do, it was the one that she wanted to do. Selfish choice she supposed, but
wasn't it... heh... human... to be selfish once in a while?

Calmly getting up from the machine, Juanita found her human clothes that had been so
carefully hidden, and threw them into an incineration. Feeling no regrets as she watched
them ever so quickly turn to ashes. Leaving them behind without looking back, she went
to a computer terminal and began to type in some blind transactions along with some
personal information she had to enter into the system's main computer. She also had to
enter several personal messages, and records that would need some revising. She
shivered, and had a sicking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She honestly felt like she was
signing her own death warrant, maybe she was.

The same talent for thoroughness that had gotten her into this mess now helped her
again, or maybe was just helping her dig herself in deeper. She also arranged some other
details that would be needed both long term and short term. Just to be on the same side
she sent an encrypted message to her family just in case. She also mailed some sealed
letter, along with instructions to the postal office on when and to who they were to be
delivered. All of them while Naomi was still out. 'No lose ends.' Juanita thought.

The most important parts were already done, and there was no turning back. If she was
caught now she'd be deader than dead. The part with herself and Naomi however, was
going to be very tricky.

"See you in a year or two Hannah." Juanita said breathlessly. She was sacred inside so
badly, but her other choice, sacred her even worse. Going to her office, she found a
candle, and used the mirror in the bathroom. She looked at the husky looking back.

'Naomi is Jessica's pack leader, but I am Naomi's pack leader, but I am also Jessica, so
Naomi is my pack leader also.' Indeed, this part was going to be tricky.

++++++++

Harrison news hound had stayed at Predator Hill to observe things there, keeping a safe
distance, Chris the panther of fear had become a bit of a public icon in her short stay, like
people like to know the path of a hurricane, people liked to know Chris the panther's
movements.

Rex on the other hand, was staying close to his sister, least she do something impulsive
again. He wondered, would she gain back her adult personality when she was re-aged? If
so, that would be a nasty bug that people needed to discuss. Ironically, if Monty had been
trying to hard to connect conspiracies in the park to every other conspiracy in existence,
the news hounds would have trusted him with information a lot more readily.

For right now, like the wolves, the lynxes merely observed the battles that had begun,
memorizing every detail with the photographic and EVENTgraphic memory that each every
member of the news hound core had been trained in. Would they keep these talents when
they became human again, Rex thought, well, like Lexy having an adult personality again,
there was only one way to find out.

Jenny having been silently elected the el facto nanny for the fawns watching this new
tournament. Jenny questioned if it was wise to let children seen such things, considering
how the last tournament turned out. She was also keep an eye on Spike, who while curious
about this tournament, kept looking away from it. The two guest fawns were looking
excited at these fights, actually jumping up and down and cheering! The third older guest
fawn stood looking fully entranced. She seemed to have completely forgotten about her
nudity after the dance, or that it had even mattered to her, she looked at the bucks like a
moth does flame. Jenny knew that humans just didn't age and die of being elderly as fast
as deer did, and this meant this girl between fawn and doe was going to be in that flux a
lot longer than any fawn in nature would be. She also knew where she had LAST seen that
entranced look, and make a VERY important point to keep a very firm grip on the lass'
shoulder least she do anything -stupid.-

Jenny cheered for Rob when he entered the arena against Marth, and did so for John in
Lateisha's place. Jenny also cringed and placed her muzzle in one hoof when Rob was sent
flying from the arena. John proceeded to be skidded out! Still in the locked horned
position and pushing for all he was worth as Marth proved stronger than the ground's
surface tension and forced him clean out of the circle, locking eyes with both and gaining
their submission.

"I can't BELIEVE IT! We lost to a guy who used to be a chick! AGAIN!" Robbie moaned in
total defeat and humiliation. "Like a pin loses to a bowling ball!"

"Maybe we're just the wrong gender after all." John lamented.

"Let us never bring that up again." Robbie mumbled. "Maybe we're just not cut out to be
deer."

"I think you make a positively wonderful buck." Jenny said having been right behind
Robbie's landing site from Marth's throw.

Of course, Jenny ended up comforting Rob, and Spike offered his own simple word of
sympathy.

John... found himself ashamed he had lost. Thinking of ... Lateisha's disappointment? Was
that just a buck having been degraded for being able to mate with a female... or was he
really sorry about not being able to impress Lateisha? Well, she'd be human soon enough,
he'd have his answer then.

But what started EVERYONE there, from the bucks to the does, to the hounds to the
wolves, was that Marth didn't stay the only contender in this small seed tournament for
long!

Leticia's sister, mother, and the other female special guests, after having been swept up in
the song, had clustered together to stay silent, observe, and behold the outcome of the
small tournament. Bettina actually found herself sizing up the bucks as they fought, won
and lost! She knew she was supposed to leave first thing tomorrow morning and would
never see these men in these form likely ever again. But it just seemed the proper thing to
be doing. 'It's the doe's duty for the herd to properly appraise the male stock- Okay.
Where did that thought come from? Maybe it's a GOOD thing we're all outta here tomorrow
morning... except for Larry... and her new hubby... hope they know what they're doing.'

Beauty Queen Hannah sat on her 'throne' feeling worried each time Marth staggered but
smiled each time he got back up. While the bucks now obeyed Sam degree without
question to be more polite to the doe, she couldn't but think this was the completion of
the tournament that had started originally just for the sake of winning her approval.

What she didn't expect though was, was three bucks, Marcus, another buck, and an elderly
one (deer in nature often didn't last long for old age to finnish them off), who had been
part of the circle of bucks from the very beginning, enter the arena circle as well.

Marcus had felt odd, and different ever since that dance his herd leader, ugh, his son, had
led in, he hadn't given it a second thought when he moved with all the other bucks to what
was apparently a fighting ground. Leticia's father also followed along without question,
and not once did his wife ask what he was doing nor try to stop him, merely standing
along side calmly and reserved. It was like breathing, it was just something that needed to
be done.

And Leticia's grandfather... he had felt the same as both the younger bucks, mother nature
hadn't ever counted on bucks living to old age.

Proving that the sentient mind could override instincts, Rob quickly declined the idea of
stepping back into the arena, having had his full of humiliation. Besides, the doe he
wanted was already at his side.

John on the other hand... had found himself suffering defeat -again-... at least he got the
pleasure of seeing Lance get his tail handed to him no less than four times... before John
got beaten and dominated twice more, and was left with the very dubious honor of being
the one who had successfully dominated Leticia's grandfather... but dang... did that old
man have some nasty throws... John was just lucky he had more stamina!

He didn't so much as DARE look at the old buck's doe! This was a victory he had no
intention of telling Lateisha about!

After having put the majority of the frat boys in their place, the two fathers looked at each
other grimly. Truth of the matter was, that many of the bucks were very reluctant to even
raise a hoof against the fathers of their herd leaders, it felt like violating sacred ground!
They fear insulting them even more and gave them their all though. Not that it mattered in
the end, they all eventually fell. Experience was a very deadly weapon.

"If the fighting had happened -before- the dance, the fathers wouldn't have swept house
like this. The dance completely synchronized their human minds with their new evolved
buck brains. Before the frat boys would have had the advantage of having more time used
to their bodies than these men. But after the dance rewired their psychology, that
advantage was gone."

"Eeep!" Jenny started as the doe commented right next to her. "Su Yin are you half husky?
Don't come out of the blue like that!"

"Sorry," The doe said, "I actually stayed away as long as I could, but since-" Su Yin stopped
herself before she said he was planning on ending her book's main body on the day of the
wedding day, "-today has been such a fantastic day. I simply had to observe how this
went."

"Four bucks for the price of one, who'd have thought it." Jenny said.

"I doubt they did." Su Yin observed as the two middle aged bucks did battle.

Marcus was years younger than Leticia's father, while Leticia's father didn't want to leave
with the impression he had somehow raised a girly girl boy in spite of Leticia's choices.
The two bucks had clashed so hard their antlers gained micro-fractures. They then
actually began -throwing- each other around using each other's locked horns as leverage,
leaving a many impression in the dirt. In terms of fighting skill the bucks were just about
evenly matched. Ultimately it came down to a test of endurance, in which a tired Marcus
emerged the victor. Leticia's father being looked into the eyes, and submitting to the
superior buck and inching away from him respectfully and loyally where his doe waited for
him.

With Drake, and Lord Jeremy having yet to return. That left only one other buck to fight.
Hannah narrowed her eyes, but knew she couldn't stop this anymore than she could stop
the tides.

"Marcus, Father of Lord Jeremy our herd leader," Hannah said, truly sounding like a queen,
a voice of authority and control in her every word. She stood up proudly, still having some
of the flowers from the wedding on her, adding to her regal appearance. "Marth, My
Chosen Buck and friend to Lady Leticia, our Herd Mother!" Hannah realized what she had
said only after she had spoken it. 'No regrets.'

This caused a wave through the bucks but none said anything.

"Begin!" She thundered.

Feeling the authority from the judge Marcus charged, and hearing the words of his doe,
Marth (that what She called him, so that's what his name was) did the same. They didn't
lock antlers however, Marth dived high, Marcus dived low.

The two began circling each other, resorting to good old fashioned melee attacks, which
got the huskies all on medical stand-by alert on the double! They didn't want another
Spike incident.

During all of this, unseen by all, Lord Jeremy and Lady Leticia with their seconds returned.

"What is the meaning of all this." Jeremy declared, but he couldn't be heard over the noise
of the bucks and the battle, Lance however did hear, and instantly fell to his knees and
explained everything to his herd leader.

Drake meanwhile... merely got into position, knowing it was his duty, to face whoever
became the champion of this battle.

Soon the bucks were -wrestling- with each other, creating a storm of dirt in the twilight,
the stars beginning to appear. This was no normal boxing match, or olympic judo match,
there were no rules. Marcus managed to knee Marth on the inside of one of his thighs, and
Marth much like Keith in that moment realized just how vulnerable that part of himself
was. It might have been in a protective layer right now, but that realization threw him off
his game for about three seconds, and those three seconds were all it took for Marcus to
pin him, and look into his eyes, and Marth in that instant knew he had lost. He had lost to
the father of the buck who had claimed Leticia from him.

"The winner, is Marcus." Hannah said calmly and without emotion, though her eyes were
on Marth.

Without even announcing himself, Drake entered the arena.

Marth dared climb over to Hannah's side, as without even the slightest fanfare, the battle
began, and very quickly ended. Of all of them, Drake found his heart wasn't in this fight.
Like he was an after thought to a very important event.

The corporate shark turned buck, found himself staring at the darkening sky, and the eyes
of the father of his herd leader, and quickly huddled away.

The bucks parted like a sea before Moses as Lord Jeremy ended the arena, looking at his
father, the two stared each other down intensely. The logic of the bucks dictated they fight
now. However, after everything, after all that had happened, something about it, not felt,
they felt like they had to fight, but they thought, that it just seemed pointless.

It was like an all out war was going on inside the two bucks, until, like seeing the elderly
as important rather than baggage, the two bucks came to a resolution.

"You're an excellent herd leader Jeremy, just as I was," Marcus said, thinking of his family.

"Thank you father." Jeremy breathed.

And that, was that. The tournament was over. The slightly anti-climax, leaving everyone
there very very happy and relieved. Leticia looked on, never feeling so proud of her
husband.

'Perhaps,' Thought Su Yin, 'that, is the perfect place to end it.'

++++++

Chris' father wandered the park as only a giant bear can, his mind still in a daze. He would
never recall how precisely he had ended up at the entrance building, nor where his
demented scheme had formulated inside his brain or what made him even think it could
work, but maybe deep down, after hearing of Chris nearly becoming a man slaughterer,
maybe, the bear felt this was the only way he could regain his honor.

"THEY SAY YOU CAN HEAR US WHEREVER WE ARE AND CAN SEE US NO MATTER WHERE WE
ARE!" The bear's bellow echoed for a mile and a half (still a rather small percent of the
part). "You sound like a deity or an evil government syndicate! I don't care which! I have a
deal I want to make!!"

Having been marked as a trouble maker, the huskies as a whole saw no reason not to hear
him out. Naomi, hoping for an excuse to beat this male with no respect towards the
obviously superior gender to a pulp, of course was the one to hear him out.

"You have something to say?" Naomi's face was all business, and held the slightest trace of
bitterness and large lumps of coldness. The big bear didn't even react when Naomi
seemed to pop out of thin air. He felt her disturbed the air pressure as she had moved
unseen.

"I do. I have a bargain I'd like to offer you." The bear said to the husky woman.

Naomi knew that the bear was easily larger and stronger than her, but she was still more
than fast enough to make him a eunuch in the flash of an eye. "And what could you
possibly have to offer for that deal?" Her tone remained the same. She also made sure in
advance to tell the huskies she wanted to deal with this possible trouble maker in private.
She needed this.

What the big bear was about to ask for, went against just every principle he had, both real
and imaginary. But this wouldn't be the first time he had made a deal with the preverbal
devil for the sake of the greater cause (both real and his slanted view of it). And this dog,
with a face colder than wintered, and looking like some living ice sculpture in the light of
the rising moon and pre-night, certain gave off the vibe of that devil.

His preconceptions preparing him for once, the broken clock that was right twice a day,
the martial artist who often believed any woman who acted this business like had
something against men. This was usually due to actually women who didn't have time to
let him down gently. As it was, the papa bear knew he had to offer this brand of woman
the one thing he knew she'd want more than anything.

"I'll give you what you want more me. The only thing a woman like you would want more
me."

Naomi got ready to cut him to pieces thinking this male thought she wanted some. But
when she heard his offer, his grinned, giggled, then cackled like a witch! This was too
beautiful! When she heard what he wanted in return, she sobered slightly, but yes, this
would do, this would do very much indeed. Her only regret was that he wasn't a husky or
she could try to screw with his tiny mind too!

+++++++

Three hours later, Naomi returned to the transformation chamber Juanita had been left in
feeling rather pleased with herself, happy, calm, relaxed, and peaceful. She knew things
would turn out for the best, and if those monkeys wanted to punish her pack leader for
wanting to simply upgrade herself, well, she and her entire pack would show them just
how dangerous their prize creations really were.

When she found the chamber empty, she was certain Juanita had found a file she had
skipped over, or hot wired the machine to customize another human template to a
reasonable facsimile of her old form. But she did notice a note written on the controls,
obviously in Juanita's hand writing.

'Naomi Husky, report to my office as soon as you find this message. Tell no one. This is a
direct order from your pack leader, you shall obey it. Destroy this note. Erase all records of
it. This is a direct order from your pack leader, you shall obey it.'

While confused, Naomi as a husky knew it was better to obey first and ask questions later.
Tossing the note into the local incinerator, and going over the video record, she erased
and placed dummy images of the note having ever been there. She noticed that the time
she knew Juanita had been inside the transformation chamber had already been replaced
by dummy images as well.

Not encountering so much as one member of the staff or of her pack, Naomi went to her
pack leader's office, the moment she got close it electronically unlocked. Worried about
one of the monkeys having betrayed them, Naomi sniffed the air, but only picked up her
own scent, and that of the husky form of her pack leader, which was so fantastically
different from that of her human self.

Opening and closing the door the door behind her, Naomi found a darkened room. The
only light being the stars and moon outside, and the just lit candle on top of a fireproof
mat on the center of the floor.

Behind it, Naomi saw and smelled Juanita still a husky sitting cross legged opposite her
with the candle between them.

"Come and sit down Naomi, just across from me is good," Juanita said calmly and politely.

Naomi without a second thought did as she was told, figuring it was best to humor her
pack leader at a time like this.

"Naomi," Juanita said, "You have been loyal beyond measure to me, you have served me
without question, you have sought the goals of the cause without hesitation, you have
been a husky longer than anyone, and most importantly, you have been my friend in a way
that was more than just your job or instinct."

Naomi bowed, now cross legged like her, "You do me too much honor, I done my duty
Madam J and nothing more."

"A duty many would have ditched, shorted out on, or simply or abused the wording of.
You've done none of these things Naomi, you've stuck with me thick and thin, like a true
husky should."

"Thank you Madam J." Naomi bowed again.

"Naomi, do you trust me?"

Naomi hesitated for just a moment, "Yes."

"I said do you trust me?"

"Yes." This time without delay.

"I have some orders that I need to give you, but I want your to say you'll obey them before
I tell you what they are."

Once upon a time, a human being named Naomi would have thought such a request
absurd. But for the husky sitting across from the newest addition to that pack in that
moment, to respond any other way was alien. And the event earlier that night, had left her
in a rather relaxed and unarmed mood. "Say so and I'll obey."

"I'm going to have to go to sleep for a little while Naomi, just in case I don't wake up later,
I want you to wake me up yourself, but I'm going to have to make sure you let me sleep in
the mean time."

Naomi was confused, "Madam J, I don't really understand this order."

"You will when you need to, that's what count. Now don't worry, I've taken care of all the
details already, I just need to go over them with you. Now let's look into the flame together
Husky, just the flame, just see the flame, your eyes don't need to see anything else, you
just need to see the flame. Now." Juanita's tone became very serious, intense, rather
identical to the tone Naomi used when addressing her subordinates. "You will repeat after
me Husky! You will not change the POV, you will repeat them word for word! You will not
question them, you will not hesitate to repeat them! These are by far the most important
orders you have ever been given in your life! Don't think anything else! Don't hear anything
else! Don't see anything else! Just hear what I say! And say what you hear! Do you
understand Husky?"

Naomi was startled by the tone she had never heard her pack leader use before. But if
these really were the most important orders of her life, then she wouldn't hesitate to obey
them, hesitation lead to disasters. "I repeat everything you say word for word. These are
the most important orders of my life. I will not question or hesitate, I only hear you, I only
speak what you say, I am not thinking anything else! Speak and command me."

Juanita knew there only about a thousand things that could go wrong beyond this day, but
she had already burned her bridges. She cleared her mind, and repeated the script she had
rehearsed countlessly in her mirror, letting it go on autopilot.

"Your name is Jessica Husky."

"'Your name is Jessica Husky.'"

"The person in front of me is Jessica Husky."

"'The person front of is Jessica Husky.' "

"You are NOT Juanita, am not, was not, can not, and shall not be three hundred and sixty
five days exactly."

"'You are NOT Juanita, am not, was not, can not, and shall not be three hundred and sixty
five days exactly.'"

"We remember Juanita leaving the park together."

"We remember Juanita leaving the park together."

"We remember her leaving us a message to give to the Managers about needing to go into
seclusion."

"We remember her leaving us a message to give to the Managers about needing to go into
seclusion."

"We remember her telling us she had also transfered the majority of her wealth into a
secure fund to act as support to allow anthros BORN in the park to remain within the park
until their parents existed the park as well. We remember this is the agreement she left for
the Management to agree to if they wished to continue to use her funding, we remember
being given the pin numbers just in case." The newest husky said the number codes. "We
remember meeting months ago, we remember being trained separately. We remember it
all. It is a natural memory. There is nothing odd or alien about it."

Naomi repeated, a glazed look in her eyes now. "We remember the fund she had set up for
natural born anthros, we remember the ultimatum she gave the monkeys, we remember
meeting months ago, we remember being trained separately, I remember it all as clear as
day."

"The person before me is Jessica Husky. It isn't Juanita, it could not possibly be Juanita."

"The person before me is Jessica Husky. It isn't Juanita, it could not possibly be Juanita."

"In three hundred and sixty five days, I'll wake up Juanita's memories inside Jessica for a
day, then if she wants, she can go back to sleep."

"In three hundred and sixty five days, I'll wake up Juanita's memories inside Jessica for a
day, then if she wants, she can go back to sleep."

"Until then, Juanita is away, we know how to contact her only if the lives of all the guests
are in danger, and only she could somehow save them or the cause is doomed, we don't
know how to reach her if the Management asks."

"Until then, Juanita is away, we know how to contact her only if the lives of all the guests
are in danger, and only she could somehow save them or the cause is doomed, we don't
know how to reach her if the Management asks."

"We may stop repeating each other word for word now."

"We may stop repeating each other word for word now."

"Tell me precisely who I am."

"You are Jessica, could only be Jessica, you could never be Juanita, won't be for one year.
You are the newest addition to our pack."

"Ask me who I am."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jessica Husky, your student, but ultimately, just another member of your
pack, my best friend is Katie, I started today on the wedding detail, I love how I can live
out my childhood fantasy after finding and accepting this job. This is who I am. We have
not just spent the last ten minutes speaking in the dark, we have been discussing Miss J's
departure, and how I barely knew her compared to you. Tell me what we've been doing."

"We have been discussing Miss J's departure, it saddens me greatly, but I know she'll
ultimately return, until then, I have to keep your tail out of trouble like she asked newbie.
You are Jessica newbie, you are ONLY Jessica, you never met Miss J, you do not know her,
she is a stranger. You are only a member of this pack and nothing more, that is your truth
and that is your life."

"I am Jessica, a new husky, I am ONLY Jessica, I never met Miss J, I could not have known
her, she is a stranger, I wish I could have met. My duty is the pack, the park, and the
guests and nothing else, this is my life and my truth." Miss J clapped her paws, and the
clapper switched on.

Jessica and Naomi blinked at each other, and slowly got off the floor, the hypnotized look
in their eyes fading as they stood. Finally, Jessica turned around and looked at the rising
moon. "I can't believe she's gone." Jessica said innocently. "You say she really cared for the
guests?"

"Yeah." Naomi nodded, "Stick with us for a year, you'll meet her." Naomi remembered the
hug she had given her pack leader before her sudden departure, promising to return in a
year's time or sooner if worst came to worst."

"YES MAM!" Jessica stood at attention grinning and gave a solute like she was in the army.
"The year can't go by fast enough then MAM!" Jessica wondered if Miss J was really as good
as Naomi said, heroes had a habit of being much more live size than people gave them
credit for. All the same, she couldn't be all bad if her pack leader had said so.

"Come on," Naomi said putting a paw on her shoulder, "Let's finnish putting her stuff into
storage, I'm not letting those bastard get their filthy fingers on anything of hers. Then let's
get you settled in, you can't keep sleeping on my floor forever."

"Yes Mam!" Jessica replied at once, while Naomi was a good teacher and very patient with
her student. Jessica felt Katie was more fitting to have 'girl talk' with than the pack leader.
It was funny, it felt like some giant weight she didn't know was there had been lifted off
her shoulders. 'Sorry I didn't get to meet you Miss J. But I'm sure we'll get a chance.'

Putting stuff away with her pack leader, Jessica found a note addressed to her, from Miss J!
Whao. Why'd she have a message for her? She was just another noob for the pack. The
message was short, three words. 'Jessica, Live life.'

++++++

Sunset had just started, and Chris the panther girl walked around the forest, breathing in
the serenity, doing her best to forget her temporary gender if only for a time. The whole
animal thing was supposed to be cool, something to help her learn how to be a better
fighter with some new perspective. Well, this was one perspective she wasn't going to
forget any time soon! Maybe she had learned some things, but maybe she was just
moaning about something she couldn't change, and it wasn't her right to demand things
beyond her control change just because she wanted them too.

She felt a ghost of a whisper against her fur, someone was behind her, she unsheathed her
claws on reaction and turned on her claw, and felt the powerful blow on her nerve cluster
at the base of her neck that caused her to fall into blackness.

The blue vixen Chris gasped in alarm, it looked like Chris had just fainted! She should help
her! After all, maybe if she looked like a hero she should act like. She took two steps to
walk towards her and felt a nasty blow on her neck, and could have sworn she heard a
woman's voice say harshly and coldly, "Tramp." Before she lost consciousness.

The vixen dreamed. The vixen dreamed that left the park in her new form. The moment
she stepped out side the park, like Alice in the looking glass, all the weight she had as a
male came back with a vengeance, years of pizza pockets and skipping gym to play
Dungeons and Dragons became thick layers of fat underneath her fur. She dreamed that
Nintendo sued her for all she was worth for mocking their product. She dreamed that her
friends beat her to a pulp for shaming their ideal. She dreamed none of her baggy pants fit
anymore because of her tail. She dreamed of a heart attack.

She woke up screaming, her heart going a mile a minute, threatening to rip through her
rip cage. She looked herself over. Not overweight. Not ugly. Not slow. Not male. Still blue.
Still a virgin. Still the ideal. Chris hugged herself, what had that been all about? In all the
months Chris had been her ideal, she hadn't cried once. Now like Chris too, she also cried.
'Just a nightmare. Just a nightmare.'

"Hey! Chris! You okay?"

Why did no one ever call her by her ideal's name? Was it that shallow after all? Still, she
decided she decided to look and see who noticed her being pathetic.

"Eh? Who are you?" Chris asked a bit rudely.

The young male panther said looking almost as confused as she felt, "Chris, you're not
going to believe this."

++++++++++

The young panther dreamed. She dreamed she was fighting a tournament, wearing a
dress. Then she was was fighting undressed in a bikini. Then, she was fighting in a
wedding dress. Then she was trapped inside a TV fighting a bunch of girls who all looked
exactly like her except for different hair styles. Then he was sitting in a class room with a
bear headed monkey debating with a rabbit headed turtle on the location of the toll booth
to Never Never Land.

Finally, she opened her eyes, groaning. She turned over, propping her arms up, not
wanting to squash her chest. There seemed to be a weight missing. Huh? She blinked.
Something was wrong. Where was she? She looked around, she was in the park still, or at
least a forest, she felt her chest... oh no! Those mad scientist had turned her now into a
LITTLE girl! This was worse! That was when she felt an strong breeze, and she knew
suddenly something was VERY wrong. She reached down between her legs and gasped!
What was THAT doing there? Chris was now wide awake!

She looked at herself, okay, this was just a really weird dream. She pinched herself, with
her claws, and drew blood. Okay. Check this was no dream. She, HE was male. He was
male again. He was male again! After all the freak outs, fears, panic attacks, mental break
downs, and climb out of a hole of phobias, he was male again! He had no idea how this
happened but that was okay with him! He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth!
Chris kicked his feet together and did a little dance. Okay, he admitted, maybe he wasn't
as lithe as before and not quite as graceful... SO WHAT! The gender he had spent two
decades getting used to and working out the details of was his again! And the upper body
strength wasn't such a bad thing either!

It took him a few minutes to realize he heard someone crying. Following the noise of the
water works, he spotted Chris... had the mad scientists made her male again too? Must
have been a blow to her vanity... nope... she sure looked female to him, and this park
where everyone was naked, it was pretty hard to hide such things.

"Hey! Chris! You okay?" He asked her.

She stopped crying slightly and looked up at him like she would a stranger, "Eh? Who are
you?"

Okay, how was he going to explain this? "Chris, you're not going to believe this."

+++++++++

Dusk had fallen, it was night, the wedding day had run it's course and the stars had now
begun to come out. After having gotten their bearings, the Chris' made their way back to
Predator Hill, where they found a worried and distraught pair of panthers. The moment
they saw the two shapes Jackie began speaking.

"Where have you two been?! That had to be the longest walk in the history of the park! I
swear I was going to call the huskies if you two were out much longer!"

The two looked at each other, both having flash backs to their first (and vixen Chris' case,
only), date as human beings.

The moment Chris got within night vision range of Jackie and Keith however. "You! Who
are you! You smell like Chris-but! What is this?! Chris is that-how is-! This has never
happened before in the history of the park!!!"

Chris spoke before Jackie though he was an imposter or something, "Jackie! Keith! It's me!
I promise! I always miss that twig on my left hind paw whenever I'm stalking! My dad's a
total loser! And I think video game suck!"

"Hey!" Vixen Chris shrilled.

"Well I do."

Keith said, "The park's never done anything like this... I think we're gonna have more fuel
to the fire for the forest spirit rumors. Chris... how'd this happen?"

"I don't have a clue... I got KO'ed, and when I woke up, I was me again...." Everyone looked
at him strangely, "okay.... I was male again."

"Chris!" Jackie said.

"Yes?"

"The OTHER Chris!"

"I keep telling you it would be easy if you just called me-"

"As I was saying. You were supposed to be keeping an eye on Chris so what happened?"

"Wait you were spying on me?"

"We didn't tell her to keep out of sight young woman, er, young man! Ugh! I'm sorry! I've
only SEEN you as a girl before now! I feel like NOW you've changed! Now Chris what did
you see?"

"I don't know... he, she fainted on the spot a while away from the hill and a minute later so
did I... nothing happened to me though."

"Really? You were crying when I found you."

"That was... that was personal."

"Well, okay, but you want to talk about it, don't hesitate okay?"

The vixen, stared open mouthed at Chris for several seconds. When was the last time
anyone but her parents had offered her an open ear?

"You know," Said the blue vixen Chris, "If you were a fox, I'd call you a hunk!" The fact
she'd be attracted to men in this form, she realized, was just the price she had to pay for
her ideal (any girl he talked to had called him a fat geek anyway). It also confused the
vixen, when she realized she now, for the first time since becoming her ideal, annoyed
that guests couldn't feel attraction to different species.

Chris the panther, while unable to feel anything for the vixen, was still not used to
compliments from girls (even mutated ex-male girl) and stuttered, "T-Thanks."

Keith sighed, "You know, no to sound harsh to you Chris, but it might have served your
dad right for you to stay a girl during your vacation just to teach him a lesson about what
women can and can't do."

"Honey," Said Jackie, "I'm the girl now, that's MY line!"

"Sorry dear." Keith apologized.

"Chris my boy is that you?"

Chris felt his stomach drop out from under him. It was impossible. It was impossible! She
was dead!

The panthers turned around, and saw a female bear hulking towards them. Chris had no
clue why his mentors were reacting so violently to her presence, having never met Maggie.

"M-mom?" Chris managed to croak out.

"I'm sorry honey, it's only me." Said the female bear. No one there had a clue who she was.
None of them had seen her before in their lives. But there was something infuriatingly
familiar about her to Chris. But who could this possibly be?

Keith suspected, but he didn't believe it. Jackie could smell it, but also couldn't believe it.
Chris the vixen was totally clueless. Chris the panther smelled it, and could two and two
together... and dang... his head felt like it was about to implode.

"DAD?!"

The panthers stared in shock, Chris the vixen just stared stupidity.

"Hello son. I'm glade to see you look more happy." The mama bear didn't seem the least
bit surprised at seeing her son like this.

"Dad.. how did... when did... HOW DID YOU DO THIS?"

The large female bear sighed, her large breasts heaving up and down as she did so, "Let's
just say I made a deal with the devil and leave it at that."

Zack had a good idea which devil the big bear was talking about.

"Dad.... why?"

"It's my fault you were a girl... I've never had any luck finding you a mother... I was told
what you almost ended up doing... please... consider this my way of making a tiny bit of
amends."

"Dad..... mom?" Chris said confused and scared. That was when the big bear did the last
thing Chris would have expected in a million years... she hugged him. The emotional
overload of being hugged by a female parent, though his rational mind -knew- this parent
was really his father, addled his brain, and fainted. But... it felt good... nice even... the part
of his brain that couldn't make that logical distinction, to be hugged by mom again.

Chris the vixen left the panthers, and the new mama bear to themselves, slipping away
like a ghost. Then again, hadn't she been trying to turn herself into something that wasn't
real? She found the TG Gathering rather large hill of stones that had a very good view of
nearly the entire park. She remembered to take the semi-steps that were on one side of
the stone pile rather than climbing up the nasty rock face on the other side. Her
completely random guess paid off fittingly enough, she found Beauty Queen Hannah and
Marth star gazing.

"Er, Miss Beauty Queen Hannah." Chris said in a meek voice, something else new for this
body. "I was wondering if you could, well, teach me to be more-lady like? I'm REALLY
REALLY SORRY FOR BOTHERING YOU TONIGHT ABOUT IT!"

Hannah moaned as Marth looked at his partner funny, "Chris, I already explained you don't
get magical ESP just from-"

"No, no, I meant, I mean for real." The vixen bowed to the Official, Unofficial TG support
consoler of TF Park USA. "I want you to teach me how to act like a -real- lady."

Hannah stared, was this really Chris? The one person who Hannah was sure had no clue
what being female meant even after having gone through a monthly cycle? "Chris? Why?"

"I just want... to better myself."

Hannah again wondered if this was truly Chris, but finally relented, "Okay, sit down here,
we're going to star gaze until you fall asleep, and you are not going to mention video
games OR science fiction -once- for the rest of the night."

Chris opened her mouth.

"Or fantasy." Hannah amended.

Chris shut her mouth and gulped, this -was- going to be harder than she thought. But
she'd manage it somehow, she had to, she didn't want to be where she was anymore.

Chris was with his father, or was that mother now? Sleeping near her for the first time
since entering the park. It was funny, Keith and Jackie had gotten used to her presence
after this sort time every time they slept. It was once again just Keith, Jackie, and her tiny
bundles of life inside her. It was crazy. So much had happened. To her and to so many
others, since that day she gotten that free vacation package in the mail...

What do you do now?

• Five years later O added 15 years ago

• New Mama Bear's new day
• Those who leave, those who stay
• Katie's new bunk mate
• Midnight
• Lateisha return to humanity
• Nine months, a year, and a half a decade later
• Monty the husky?
• For the sake of knowing, Naomi tests her powers of suggestion on Zack
• Su Yin's book
• Anthro Park --???
• Anthro Park Canada Grand Opening

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