A horrible grumbling sound wakes me up, judging by how tired I still feel, much too early. But I heed my stomach’s demands, for I love food almost as much as the noisy organ. Even if that food is horrid prison food. I crack my eyes open, shocked to find sunlight hitting my retinas. I squint through the first sunshine I’ve seen in years, and look around. 

…Well, this isn’t the prison. Unless this is some New Age free roam prison, but the docs I’ve seen don’t really have a New Age vibe. Leaves rustle as a gentle breeze blows through the trees surrounding me. It seems like I’ve somehow ended up inside a forest. A very old growth forest at that. It would take six me’s touching fingertips to circle one of these monster plants. 

Maybe this is a survival test of some sort? The docs spend years zapping us with whatever they were zapping us with, and then release us into the woods to see what happens? I guess that's possible, but I don’t see any cameras anywhere. Not that that means anything, since there weren’t any in my cell either, and they still caught me every time I tried to off myself. 

Even if this is a test, the fresh air feels wonderful. The sunlight is so warm against my bare skin… Bare? I look down and feel my face heat up. I’m totally nude, and my leg is back? I grab it, to make sure it's real. I feel the touch of my rough hands against the skin, just like years ago. After moving a bit, I decide it is in fact real. With my newly restored mobility, I stand up. Shakily.

A part I really wish weren’t exposed hangs free, the cold air blowing against it. Don’t think about it, just don’t think about it. I glance around, seeing nothing but thick undergrowth and massive trunks. I wish I had some trunks right now.

I guess I should start heading… where? Every direction is just plants, there’s no real difference. I look around again, and pick a direction that feels right. This one is just as good as any, I suppose. I push through the bushes and almost scream as a branch brushes against my… trunk. 

Losing my balance, I fall face first into another small clearing. I tumble a ways, feeling as small scratches quickly accumulate on my skin. After doing a few unintentional somersaults, I land face first into something soft. How the hell did I even build up that much speed? 

The something soft I landed on groans, causing me to scamper backwards. The ground hurts my butt, but I ignore it to get away from the groaning menace. In front of me, lying face up, is another naked guy. A… very pretty… naked guy. 

I blink a few times, trying to get myself to focus. The guy has creamy skin, and is toned as hell. His hair is long, and a platinum blonde which shines in the direct sunlight. He also seems quite tall, at least a few inches taller than me. My eyes wander his body a little. Speaking of a few inches more than me…

No! Bad Lenn, stop perving on the unconscious person. I rip my eyes away from the dude’s nethers, and focus on his pretty face instead. His face is very angular and stern, and he’s frowning in his sleep. Maybe he’s having a nightmare? I look at his practically glowing hair, and notice something. Two long, pointed ears, sticking out the back of the thick tresses. He’s… he’s an elf?!

Cautiously I inch forward, reaching out a hand. Very slowly I stretch my arm out, and gently pinch the tip of his ear. I give it a very slight tug, and it do—

I go tumbling as something hard slams into the side of my face. Tears well up in my eyes, and I grab my cheek. Sitting up, I look to find my assailant.

The elf is standing, fist up and ready to continue the fight. He takes an angry step forward, causing me to throw my arms out.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m friendly!” I say as tears run down my face. I suck dealing with pain.

The guy grinds his teeth. “Like hell you are, pervert! You, touching me while I sleep, stripping me too!?” He starts to move towards me again.

I push myself further back. “N-no! I woke up like this too!” The guy keeps marching, the muscle under one of his eyes twitching erratically. “I was just seeing if your ears were real!” I squeak, just as I back up into a tree, trapped. 

He hesitates in his pursuit. “My ears? What the fuck does that mean?” 

I point up at his head. “You’re an elf.” 

“What the fuck are you…” He touches his own ears, his eyes going wide. “What the fuck?” He goes silent.

“I’m sorry I t-touched you!” I say. It is pretty gross of me to have touched him while he was unconscious, and naked.

The guy falls onto his butt, still facing me. “Did the quacks finally completely lose it? Why would they…” He stares at the ground, dumbfounded. 

“Uh… it’s not just your ears.” I tug on my own dark brown hair.

He pulls some of his platinum strands into his view. He quickly drops them in a panic.

“W-what?” He says barely louder than a whisper. He seems to remember I’m here, and looks at my face. “Who ar—”

He cuts himself off, looking slightly to my left. I glance where he’s looking, but only find the bark of the tree behind me. 

“Lenn Badowski, twenty-four, error. Says you have low temperance, but otherwise normal stats… Blessing of the Queen, minor Blessing of Status?” He looks at my face again. “Is any of that right?”

I blink, totally dumbfounded. “Y-yeah… well I didn’t know I’m twenty-four now, and I have no idea what temperance or the blessings mean, but that’s my name.” I rub the back of my head nervously. “How’d you know that?” 

He points at the air next to my head. “There’s a little blue square next to your head, like an old Final Fantasy game or something.”

I check where he’s pointing again, but find nothing.

“You can’t see it, can you?” he asks. I shake my head. “Weird…” He suddenly shifts topics. “I guess I forgive you for touching me like that. Seeing a naked elf would probably make me poke their ears too…” He rubs his chin, his scowl enhancing his looks. He throws me a quick glance. “I wasn’t an elf last I knew, by the way.” 

I give him a sheepish smile. “Last I knew I only had one leg.” I pat my newly acquired limb. He gives me an odd look, one I can’t read. I, nervous from his gaze, try to redirect the conversation. “Can you read yourself like that?” 

His eyes go wide. “Huh, shoulda thought about that.” He looks down at his hand, and scrunches up his face in effort. After a few seconds, his eyes slide to look at the air next to his palm. 

“Hmm…” he mutters. “This is weird.”

“What is it?”

“This says I have the Blessing of Status, and a minor Blessing of the Queen.” He rubs his forehead. “What is a blessing anyways?” 

I shrug. “No idea, I also don’t know why we’re in the woods, or why we’re naked.” 

“True…” he grumbles. “I guess I should just be glad I’m not being zapped anymore.” 

I laugh without an iota of humor. “Yeah, right?” 

He gives me an odd look. “You were there too?” 

“Oh… yeah,” I say awkwardly. “Got kidnapped… I don’t even know how long ago,” I say with a sigh.

His emerald eyes glitter fiercely at me. “Damn… I couldn’t been there longer than a month… Sorry I punched you.” 

“Oh!” I touch my face, which isn’t hurting anymore. “It actually doesn’t hurt any…” Something tickles my palm, so I look down at my hand. A long strand of silk trails away from my face, attached to my fingers. “Did I sit in a spiderweb?” I try to shake the threads off, but they hold fast. “What the fuck?” 

“Dude, it’s not just your face.” The guy points at my torso. I glance down and feel my heart jump from my chest.

A thin layer of silk is laying against my body, from head to toe. I grab a fistful and try to pull it off, but I just yell in pain as the skin under it gets jerked. Where I was yanking the silk, more replaces it, while the wadded handful is now stuck to my palm.

I look at the elf, panic quickly taking over my mind. “Wha—” I try to yell, but the silk slides off my lips and into my mouth, effectively gagging me. The elf stands next to me, clearly lost as to what to do. I just look up at him pleadingly, until I blink.

The threads cover my vision, plunging me into darkness.

 

────────────

 

For a second time in a row, I’m woken up by my rumbling stomach. Except this time, it’s a much more demanding, angry rumble. My eyes snap open, and all I see is a deep darkness. Where am… Right, the silk. I push my hand forward, not even hoping tha— it tore, that easily? Pushing my body forward, the silk snaps apart with little resistance. Sun floods my vision, but I don’t notice any discomfort. 

Then my eyes lock on a large pile of fruits on the ground in front of me. Something very primal inside my brain takes over, throwing me forward. I grab something that looks vaguely like a pear, and rip it apart with my thick mandibles. As I quickly swallow the fruit flesh, I crush another with my mouthparts. Like this, I finish the pile of forty fruits in only a few short minutes. 

My mind rattles in my brain as reality smacks me in the face. Mandibles?! I try to look down and see them, but only see my tits. TITS?! My vision goes dim around the edges as panic sets in. After wobbling in place for a moment, I start to fall backwards.

“Jesus!” someone yells. I feel warm arms catch me and press something unfamiliar against my shoulders. Unfamiliar and weirdly pleasant. 

I open my eyes, and see a familiar face. The elf looks down at me, his face twisted into worry. His gaze runs up and down my body, and his expression twists even further. With a gentle strength, he sets me upright, and sits down next to me. He keeps his arm around my shoulder to keep me steady.

“God damn, Lenn, I knew you’d need food, but not that much.” He says with a chuckle, pointing at the remains of the fruit pile. Nothing but scraps of skin and stems remain. Besides the splattering of juice everywhere. 

I look over at him, for some reason not needing to move my head. Feeling embarrassed, I try to thank him for catching me. 

“Tsk tk tk tk tsssk.” 

His eyes go wide in shock, which matches how I feel quite well. What the fuck was that? Those weren't words! I touch my face, and get roughly reminded of the massive crushing utensils wrapped around my head. I try to open them, and find they respond very easily, just like opening my mouth. Experimenting, I clack them together a few times. 

“SCREEEEEEEEEE!” I let loose an inhuman scream. The elf covers his ears in the corner of my vision, but I can’t pay attention. It takes everything I have to just grab my head and curl up into a ball. As I move, my body feels strange and unfamiliar around me, appendages I can’t even identify flexing as I change positions. Laying myself sideways, I start to sob. 

As tears stream over the odd new contours of my face, I just feel thankful I can still cry.

I feel the elf wrap himself around me. “Lenn, it's okay! Lenn! Calm down, alright?” 

What is he fucking talking about? I’m some kind of weird bug! Is this a joke, is god messing with me for being fond of insects? How will I talk to people now? How am I supposed to calm down?!

“I dunno Lenn, but you hafta. Otherwise we’re going to be stuck in these woods forever!” he yells for some reason. I don’t know why he’s yelling, I’m crying silently thanks to this shitty new body.

He sighs. “Because your thoughts are really loud okay? I can hardly hear my own voice!” he yells again.

Wait… I’m not talking.

“Nope, glad you finally noticed.” He says in a slightly quieter tone.

I feel myself calm a bit, and push myself up. I meet the elf’s green eyes. God, why’d he get pretty eyes when I have to be a monster? 

The elf blushes. “Geeze, Lenn, not my fault, okay?” He looks away from me bashfully. “Hey, I’m not bashful!” he says, red faced.

He scowls at me. “Stop thinking so loud, dammit! I don’t wanna hear this stuff!” He won’t meet my gaze as he complains. 

I’m thinking too loud? 

“Yes!” he hisses.

Does it really feel like thoughts? Am I speaking telepathically or something? 

“Well… there’s also a smell,” the elf says quietly. “And stop calling me ‘the elf’ in your head, my name is Jack!” He says, amping up his volume.

So, there’s a smell? Maybe like ant pheromones? But how do I make tho— 

A small image appears in my mind, an unrolled scroll. It quickly enlarges, until its contents are clear. Sketched on the rough surface is an image of a small organ, apparently the one making my pheromones. It’s strangely labeled in scribbled English. The diagram says that the organ is on the underside of my head, below my mouth. I focus on that spot, and imagine shutting a small door.

“Is that better?” I test. The el— Jack just stares at me with a worried expression, but doesn’t respond. I guess that’s a yes. But shutting it off means I can’t talk at all, so I don’t want that. What if I just… cracked the door open a little? 

“Can you hear me, Jack?”

“Yeah?” he says. “You’re way quieter,” he says happily, his anger gone. “Plus I don’t hear your internal thoughts anymore.” His face goes wide with a smile. I guess he really didn’t like hearing me compliment him. I guess that would be weird, hearing another guy checking you out. 

Again, the bitch named reality slaps me upside my oddly shaped head. My suddenly body feels weird, alien, again, and I don’t know how to deal with it. I mean, I have breasts! And like huge fucking crushing jaw— 

Jack grabs my shoulders, turning me to face him. “Hey, relax. I can feel you freaking out, literally.” He rubs my hair with a rou— hair? He smirks. “See? Things aren’t so bad.” 

I reach up, pulling some of the hair into my vision. It’s long, and silky, a deep black. Much darker than my old hair, and way prettier. As I let the soft strands trickle through my fingers, I notice said appendages. I wiggle them in front of me, for some reason unbothered by the changes this time. 

They look armored, like a gauntlet a knight would wear, made of dark green chitin instead of steel. Thankfully I can feel things with them, just like before. There’s no nails, instead the fingertips just narrow to sharp points. I could probably do some damage with these. I lost my pinky fingers, but that isn’t the biggest deal. I mean, what do you really use them for anyways? 

I try to take a deep breath, but find I can’t. Actually, I haven’t been breathing since I busted out of my cocoon, I realize. I guess I get air some other way now? Through my skin, like an insect? That would fit, going off my new face. Whatever, another thing that doesn’t really bother me. Feeling calm after my musings, I look down.

The first thing I notice is again my new tits. They’re sizable, I think? I never really looked at boobs before, they always made me feel… weird. Unlike this time. Looking down at my own pair, I feel a thrill rush through me. A strange happiness that isn’t exactly happiness? More of a… comforting feeling? It’s very odd, especially when I get the sensation from looking at my own boobs. 

Looking down a little further, I see… arms? But I already have the… oh, right, insect. I try to move the arms wrapped around my stomach, and find it quite easy. I wave up at myself, and giggle. Well I try to giggle, but I just make some odd internal clicking sounds. My second pair of arms are obviously human, besides their odd placement. They are a bit smaller than my upper pair, but I guess that’s to be expected. 

Squishing my boobs a bit with my new arms, which is very uncomfortable by the way, I look down further. Where my waist pinches in are two pointed pieces of dark green carapace. They encroach onto my human skin only a few inches. They look almost like triangle tattoos on either side of my body. 

Even lower than that is… Well I guess I’m a ‘complete’ girl now. I get another round of that odd feeling from earlier, but it fades much quicker this time, since I move my gaze away. Looking down my legs, I see that at around my knees the skin is cut off by carapace. The hard shell is a green so dark it’s almost black. The chitin extends the rest of the way down my legs, where my feet are replaced by an insect equivalent. I still have a foot that's mostly normal, but coming out of the center front of it is one huge toe that ends with a dark black claw. My dual digits flex as I look down at them. 

Honestly… none of this is very upsetting, which is weird in of itself. Being turned into a woman is insane, but that doesn’t bother me too much. Even the bug parts are only strange, not really upsetting. Except my mouth, that’s still quite unnerving, and somewhat debilitating. My mandibles click together nervously as I think about them. At least they’re good for stimming I guess. 

I look over at Jack, and realize he’s also changed. Two thick, black, antennae poke through his blonde bangs, standing straight into the air. From my position next to him, I also see dark black translucent wings resting against his back. 

“So, you changed too?” I think at him.

He jumps, startled out of his own thoughts. “Yeah, way less than you, though.” He chuckles, grabbing one of his antennae. 

I shrug. “Could be just as upsetting, though,” I think. 

He nods. “It wasn’t too bad. The wings are pretty cool. I’m just worried about the stupid sticks getting caught on branches,” he says with a smile. 

Wait! Did I get wings? I try to look behind me, which obviously doesn’t work, despite my strangely increased field of view. Luckily, thinking about my own possible wings seems to wake them up. Huge felt-like moth wings open with a snap. They’re covered in a pattern of browns and greens that are—

“Beautiful…” Jack whispers. He catches me looking at him, and looks away. I feel heat rise to my cheeks at the elf’s compliment. 

I close my wings and feel them settle onto my back gently. Moving onto the other change Jack got, I reach up above my head and search for… I make a squeaking sound as my hand wraps around a very fluffy, and very sensitive, new organ. I immediately release it, feeling somewhat indecent touching that in public. 

Jack smiles over at me. “That was a funny sound.” I punch his shoulder, which just makes him laugh. 

Suddenly, in the short moment of normalcy, everything that’s happened catches up with me. I feel heat rise to my cheeks and… antennae? In the telltale sign of being overstimulated. 

Jack seems to pick up on my distress, either through pheromones or body language, and stands up. My eyes go wide, metaphorically, as I see that his junk is covered up by a light green banana hammock of chitin. 

I quickly slam my mental door shut, not wanting him to hear any of that. Thankfully he doesn’t react, so I think I got it closed in time. Guess there’s a small lag time. Jack walks a little way away, where a tent is set up. Where’d he get a tent?

He looks back at me with a smirk. With a wave he says, “Welcome to my home, made from my very own cocoon! I’m sorry it’s not much, but mi casa es su casa.” 

I let my pheromones out again to think, “Thanks, kind gentleman.” The elf’s eyes crinkle up in amusement at my grandiose wording. Finished with offering his ‘casa’ he leisurely sits next to the shelter.

Scampering across the clearing, I quickly crawl under the tent. Snuggling underneath the thick organic fabric, I feel an intense wave of fatigue wash over me. 

Not long after, and I slip into a deep sleep.