=:= Stacey =:=
"Hey sis! Guess who got herself a new job today!" Stacey grinned at her sister's image on the screen.
Katie raised an eyebrow, "I didn't think circuses were still a thing."
"Hey! Be nice." She grinned, then added, "Anyways it's only part-time, but I'll be helping people at a queer support nonprofit here in town."
"Really?" Her sister looked intrigued now. "What do you know about LGBT issues?"
Stacey shrugged, "I'm more there to offer advice and guidance about legal stuff. And to help folks who're either thinking about or who've used that transformation spell. Still, there's a lot of stuff people don't know about me. You learn to keep a lot hidden, when you're in a job that's really shitty about celebrating diversity."
Katie looked even more curious now, "Seriously? Are you coming out as gay or something? I mean, after coming out as part-fox, that's kind of anti-climactic, but still."
"I'm not really looking to label myself," Stacey replied, "But if I had to, I'd say I'm pan."
"Huh. It's kind of amazing that I'm still learning things about you after all these years." Katie was looking thoughtful again.
Stacey smiled, "This whole 'new life' thing has been liberating in a lot of ways, sis."
Katie asked, "Still worth it? Even after the mess with work and needing a new wardrobe and so on?"
"Absolutely worth it." she nodded emphatically. "And we both know more and more people are going to be trying it. It's just going to keep spreading."
Her sister rolled her eyes, "I know. It's less than a week to the next full moon. Even though there's not a lot going on at the university over the summer, we keep getting memos about it. Half of them instructing us to discourage students from trying it, the other half telling us not to discriminate against students if they do use it. And every now and then, some actual policy updates on how to handle things next time it happens, because we all know it will keep happening."
Stacey smiled, "What about you sis? Still not convinced to try it? I wish you'd actually started the prep last week, then you could catch the full moon this Sunday. Just try it for a month, then you could change back in August, and be your old self again for the start of the fall semester."
Katie sighed. "Sarah actually wanted to talk to me about it a week or two ago. I finally told her what her aunt Stacey had done, sent her a link to your video. She was worried I was planning on trying it too."
"Oh," her smile faded. "Sarah's not happy about the spell? Or that I used it?"
She wasn't that close to her niece, but the thought that the young woman might be opposed to the spell or its users was still disappointing to hear.
"It's not that," Katie replied. "She's not upset about you. Actually I got the impression she thought the ears were kind of cute." She paused to roll her eyes dramatically, then continued, "No, she was worried I was thinking of trying it, she said she wasn't sure she was prepared to have a mother who could pass for her sister."
Stacey was relieved to know her niece wasn't upset with her, as she nodded, "Ah, ok. Well, not much chance of that happening." She hesitated, "Or is there? Have you been thinking about trying it out?"
She was watching the screen intently now, studying her sister's face for any hint or tell. Katie had a pretty good poker-face though.
Finally her sister replied, "In the past two months we've had about two dozen students who've done it. Not a single member of the faculty, though. I admit I've been thinking about it. I'm still very proud of you for being brave enough to be the first, and so far the only cop in Canada to do it."
Stacey blushed, "I wasn't all that brave. I'd already applied for early retirement. I wasn't on active duty a single day after the change. Whoever's the first active serving cop after they've changed, they'll deserve the real credit."
She turned the topic back to her sister, "So you've been thinking about it then? That's great! Except I guess if Sarah's opposed. I mean, it's one thing to push the boundaries with your career and the university, it's a totally different situation with your own family."
She paused and sighed, then apologized "I'm sorry I haven't been out to visit you and Sarah for so long. I actually thought about it now that I'm retired but... The thought of squeezing my tail into a cramped little economy-class plane seat for so long... It's just not practical."
Katie shook her head, smiling. "Who knew so many aspects of human society wouldn't work for people with tails, eh? Don't worry about it Stace. We'll get together sooner or later. Anyways I'd better go, I have to get some work done."
"Ok Katie, take care. Talk to you next week or so. Maybe after I've had my first day on the job, I'll let you know how it goes."
• • • • •
Stacey groaned as she was dragged out of a nice dream by an annoying beeping noise. It took a few moments to realize it was her phone. The sun was just barely up, and it felt way too early.
She groped around and found the phone on her bedside table. According to the small screen, it was about six-thirty on Sunday morning, and the call was coming from her sister.
She groggily answered, asking "Katie? What's up?"
"Hello?"
It was a video call, and her eyes slowly focused on the young blonde woman on the screen. She frowned, blinking. The woman in the screen was too young to be her sister. It looked like her niece.
"Sarah?" she asked, confused. Stacey suddenly sat straight up, wide awake and her heart pounding. "Wait, the full moon was this morning! Katie is that you? Did you...?"
The young woman rolled her eyes, "It's Sarah, aunt Stacey. This is exactly why I told mom I was uncomfortable with this stuff."
Stacey blinked and frowned again. "Not that I'm complaining Sarah, but why are you calling me at half-past-six on a Sunday morning? It's what, three thirty there? And why are you using your mom's phone? Is everything ok?"
Her niece sighed, "Mom asked me to call you for her, while she was uh, sorting herself out. She'll be another minute or two."
Sarahs eyes were moving up and down slightly, and Stacey realized her niece was taking a closer look at her on the screen.
Stacey smiled, twitching her ears slightly. "It's pretty neat, right? It's been two months now, and I still get a little giddy now and then."
"I guess. Things are certainly getting interesting, anyways." Sarah looked away from the camera then said, "Oh she's coming now."
Stacey heard another voice in the background, "...not the most convenient, having full moon at quarter after three in the morning."
The image on the the screen swung and shook as Sarah handed the phone over to her mother, then swung around again as Stacey's sister turned it right-way-up and got it pointed at herself.
Stacey stared, wide-eyed. The woman on the tiny screen looked no older than Sarah, and was probably even a year or two younger. Stacey recognized the face of course, but her sister hadn't looked like that in thirty years. Katie's hair was lighter than she remembered, it was a bright platinum blonde now. It was hard to get a feel for her eye colour on the small phone screen in the poor lighting, but Stacey guessed her sister's eyes were probably the same blue-grey as they'd been before.
Apart from the age, the other eye-catching difference were the two white furry cat-ears ontop of her sister's head.
"Oh my God Katie! What did you do?!" Stacey stared at her sister, though she had a wide smile on her face. "You little sneak! You were planning this all along and you didn't say anything last week!"
Her sister grinned, "I didn't want to spoil the surprise." Her voice sounded younger of course, and the pitch was noticeably higher than before.
Katie angled the phone down, and Stacey saw the oversized dark nightshirt Katie was wearing, but more importantly she saw the long white cat tail that came into view, curling around her little sister's waist.
Stacey was still wearing a wide grin, "What do you think? How's it feel? And why a cat? Last minute whim, or life-long dream?"
The image returned to her sister's face and Katie replied, "It's interesting, feels weird, and I like cats. Neither last minute or life-long. I've been thinking about it for a month. Like I said, none of the faculty had done it yet, and I figured you were the first cop, I'd be the first prof."
"What if it tanks your career though?" Stacey's expression became serious. "And what's Sarah think? I thought she was opposed to you trying it?"
Stacey had to suppress a giggle when she saw her sister's ears fold back as her expression became serious.
"I had to promise Sarah that I'd look different enough that she wouldn't be mistaken for me. Part of the reason for the ears." She added with a sigh, "And of course the very first thing that happened was you mistook her for me." Finally Katie shrugged, "Anyways, I have tenure, but if there's a fuss at the university I'm prepared to fight it. Be the test case, that sort of thing."
Katie continued, "Sarah helped me video the whole process, and of course she was here with me for moral support. I don't know yet how she feels about the outcome. She's gone to bed now, we stayed up late to do this."
Stacey sighed, "I really hope she'll be ok with you like that, sis. And I hope things go ok with the university." She tilted her head to one side and asked, "Hey, is this meant to be a temporary thing? One month then you switch back at the August moon?"
Katie continued to look thoughtful as she replied "I'm going to start using the prep spell again after the new moon, just in case. When the August full moon comes around... We'll see. Let's just say I'm not ready to commit to anything just yet."
"Ugh!" Stacey suddenly frowned in frustration. "I start my new job tomorrow but I really wish I could come out and see you in person! And Sarah too." She sighed, "I wish I could learn how to teleport."
Katie's ears stood up as she laughed, "There's no such thing as teleportation."
"Says the girl who just gave herself cat ears and a tail," Stacey grinned. Then in a conspiratorial whisper she said, "Don't tell anyone, but I've met the girl who created that spell. Cindy? She can teleport. There's way more magic out there than just this one spell, sis."
"Huh," Katie frowned, looking thoughtful. Then her ears folded back again as she yawned.
Stacey saw her sister now had small fangs too, and grinned again.
Katie finally said, "Sorry Stace. I need to get some sleep. Give me a call tomorrow after work, let me know how it goes."
"Ok sis, good night. And good job, you look great."
So cute. Thanks for your chapter ?.
So it will become normal to see beast men and mythological creature more and more. Now will it pass in the genetic, it will become the beginning of a new era