Molt

The low, whispering chant filled the air. Heavy, deep syllables rocked through the chamber, as he lay on his back. His eyes were heavy, and he stared into the intricate designs that were painted across the ceiling. Looking down, he saw the golden eyes glittering down at him from the far end of the chamber, where the goddess sat and smiled enigmatically.

He looked down his body. The delicate silk ropes were bound in elaborate patterns, so tight they nearly covered him entirely, like a rough second skin. As he let his eyes wander over them, he tested the bonds, but couldn't move. He tried to remember how he had gotten here. There had been a meeting, and he had been chosen, and they had said that he was blessed...

The echidna slowly slithered down from her perch, smiling. "This is quite a daring risk for you to take, you know... I am quite proud of you. Don't worry, once we're done, you'll find all the sacrifice was worth it..." The echidna's hair was as black as pitch, her skin a deep blue, on the verge of purple, as she leaned forward, black lips glowing, and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Your husband will be absolutely pleased with your sacrifice."

His eyes flickered down, as he tried to remember. What was his name? He'd had a name, M... M... Mia?

He shook his head, and let out a deep breath, inhaling slowly, some ingrained memory working him through the calming ritual. Sticks of incense burned around his body, their heavy perfume slowly drifting into his mind. He smiled, as the echidna let her fingers tighten into the cords knotted around his shoulders. She slowly began to pull downwards. "The rite of Shedding Snake Skin will soon have you feeling as good as new, my dear."

—

He smiled at his friend. "A snake cult...? You know they're forbidden, right? We could get excommunicated, or-"

"Nobody's going to find out about it." The other boy smiled. He was tall, and handsome, standing nearly a full head taller. M smiled again in response, feeling his heart flutter a little bit. "Do you have some kind of lamia fetish or something?" His friend snorted, and gave him an easy grin. "Well, there's something about those scales..."

—

M slowly opened his eyes. He watched as the ropes pulled down, over his body. They scraped and chafed as they moved, and he felt as though he was being cleaned, his whole body relaxing as he let out a deep breath. He stared, as the ropes pulled off of his ankles, and left him bare. He was slender, more slender than he had been before. He could see the way that his skin had grown smoother, taking on a dusky hue, dark and gleaming as the echidna poured more of the scented oil over his skin. He had never been particularly masculine, but every trace of hair had left his body from the throat down, and some of the curve of muscle and sinew had melted away into fat and luscious softness. At the same time, his stomach had grown more narrow, and he could see curves developing on his chest.

Most startling of all, however, were the scales. Along his legs, dappled red, black, and cream-colored scales reflected the light. He felt a little rush of excitement, his heart pounding in his chest, as the echidna began to re-tie the bindings. She smiled down at him. "Remember. Keep him in your heart. Your devotion will keep the demonic energy at bay while you are changed." He gave her a quick, furtive nod, his face flushed, as he closed his eye, and concentrated.

—

He fantasized. The endless jealousy. He saw the way his friend's eyes always went to the sinuous bodies of the snakes. The way they tempted him with their soft voices and supple bodies. He couldn't compete with them even if he were a woman, with their power, with their grace, and with their alien majesty. Then, one day, after the mass, the priestess had approached him, and had asked him about what troubled him.

—

"You have given yourself to the snake goddess. And she is not unkind. She knows that love can blossom between anyone, and that it should never be unrequited." The echidna whispered, leaned over. Her serpentine body was smooth, her scaled tail slowly wrapping around his legs. "Those who would embrace femininity, who would embrace the man that they love through any trial or tribulation, are special to her, and if they should desire to sacrifice something of themselves for what they want most, then that is something to be respected." Her tail slowly began to ease the ropes down once again. He could feel them tug, slowly, at his skin, but they were digging deeper, this time.

She let out a gasp, as the ropes slid off her oiled skin, tugging away more of her old life. She let out a sigh of relief, her body loosening, as she let her arms rest back, her eyes lazy as she stared down at her body. Her breasts had grown fuller, two apple-sized mounds on her chest, perky and firm. She looked between her legs, and felt a curious tingle there, as she found herself female. She'd thought she would feel a sense of loss, but as she ran her thighs together, the tickle of pleasure that spiked up through her spine made her gasp, and her eyes closed. Her imagination ran wild.

The echidna laughed, as she took a mirror from the wall, holding it before her face. She could see her eyes, grown larger, softer. Her ears were grown longer, more sensitive, as the echidna ran her fingers over the delicate, elven ears. Mia slowly licked her lips, and marveled at the tastes of the air, the forked muscle slowly tickling over her lips,

The scales had become broad patches across her legs. They were glimmering and beautiful, and her legs pressed together a bit, seeming to grow closer, her hips wider, and she watched in excitement as the ropes dug into her skin again, feeling the ecstasy of their embrace, the silk cords burying themselves into her skin, making her back arch with pleasure, as she smiled with excitement.

—

"What- You're going through the ritual?!" M frowned defiantly. "Of course I am! I know you've got a fetish for them! You think I'm stupid?"

His friend frowned. "It's dangerous. It could change you. I don't want you to be hurt, or to stop being the person I care about...!"

M frowned defiantly. "You think I'm going to give up on things that easily?! I don't care what shape I'm in, I don't care what gender, I'm going to make you mine, got it?"

His friend frowned. "... You know that I care about you."

M gave a grin. "Yeah, and when I'm done, you're going to be attracted to me too, got it?"

—

Mia opened her eyes again, letting out a heated breath. The ropes were pulling down again, and she could feel them tug at her. They were biting into her, now, and the sensation was intense. She closed her eyes, and focused on him. Her husband. She'd endure this.

The echidna's tail pulled, firmly, and she let out a cry, as she emerged from the cocoon of ropes, letting out deep, ragged gasps. She felt something inside of her, a blossoming of energy, and a hunger. Her tongue flicked out, desperately, as she smelled the air with it. Her body gleamed, dusky skin flowing into a long, sand-and-gold scaled tail. Her arms were gone, but she didn't care. The echidna frowned, slightly, but Mia flashed a quick, hungry smile at the priestess, and slithered upright. The muscles were strange, unfamiliar, but her hindbrain guided her, helping her pull herself upright.

She marveled down at her body, and her forked tongue ran over her lips. Her husband would be hers. She could taste him already, and grinned. She slithered off of the rocks, speeding away, the echidna watching after her, a hand over her lips. "Oh dear. I hope that he'll be okay."

—

The young man had been waiting. His eyes were closed, his body slumped forward slightly. She smiled, and flicked her tongue out at the air, tasting him. She could feel his spirit energy. She'd heard about the priestess and the lamias of the cult talking about it before, but she had never imagined she'd get to taste it herself. She leaned in, and ran her tongue along his cheek, tasting his skin.

The taste made her whole body shake with anticipation, and she coiled around him as he awoke, smiling, her body pressed against him. His eyes opened, and for a moment, he looked nervous. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. Mia grinned, and planted a series of firm kisses up and down his throat, as he tensed slightly. "Hey, come on, you're alright, aren't you...?"

Her eyes flashed, as she stared up at him with an expression of irritation. "If you don't shut up, and get your pants off, I will fuck you right through them." She hissed.

He stared for a moment, and then laughed. "Jeez, you still have a dirty mouth, don't you?" He smiled, his hands shifting, trying to edge down in the grip of the tail, wrapped around him. She could feel the curve of her breasts pressed against him, the size of a pair of small melons now, firm, plump, and sensitive. The sensation of having him press against her, feeling her body mold and deform to his frame, was a little touch of heaven.

She smiled up at him. The hunger was intense. She could smell the energy inside of him. The priestess had mentioned the toll it would take on her, and that her husband would need to replenish her. She was practically drooling, her tongue hanging out as she looked down. She watched his pants shift down, shimmying, and the shaft flipped out. She stared for a moment, entranced, her tongue hanging out. The shaft was firm, well-shaped, the uncut thing just large enough to make her hips ache slightly in anticipation. The smell of spiritual energy redoubled, and she slowly closed her eyes, the sweet scent of it making her belly rumble loudly. The scent was strange, somewhere between the most savory cut of meat she had ever tasted, the flavor of a deliciously salty, heated piece of meat, seasoned perfectly; And at the same time there was a sweet scent, just a hint of chocolate, making her shiver with excitement.

Then, a laugh cut through the air, and she looked up, her face flashing red in deep embarrassment, but she felt him lean forward, his lips catching hers in a sweet kiss. Her eyes closed, as she relaxed, leaning forward, the kiss holding for a few long seconds before he released her. "You looked incredibly cute like that, with your tongue hanging out." She opened her eyes, and flushed. "Cuter than the other lamia?" He nodded, smiling, his arms shifting up, wrapping around her, squeezing her tighter, making her mold into his body, melting warmly.

She could feel the heartbeat. Every time his heart beat, she could feel his manhood pulsing against her, and the hunger in her was growing more intense each time it did. She couldn't take it anymore, and her hips pressed down on him, hungrily, taking him inside of her.

She marveled at the sensation, even as he let out a gasp, his breathing growing ragged. She felt an intense sense of satisfaction at shutting him up, as she slowly coiled her tail. She could feel every individual muscle inside of her body, the way they could coil and tighten. She experimented, and found herself rewarded by the sound of his breathing growing faster and more ragged, as she smiled down at him, her stomach pressed up against him firmly, raising her body up. "No wonder you had such a fetish for lamia... You pervert. You're already getting excited, aren't you?" she heard herself murmur, the desire to tease him unbearable.

His expression was flushed, as he buried his face in her throat, and she let out a little purr herself. Even in the midst of the pleasure, she could keep aware of every muscle inside of her. It was like playing music, and she let out a soft little laugh as she extracted another gasp of pleasure from the man inside of her. She could feel his body growing more heated, trying to thrust against her, and her coils tightened, holding him still, as she felt him grow more heated.

She kept him going, his body arching in her coils, as he reached an orgasm. The sensation was bliss, as she felt her body respond in kind, reaching a fevered peak, her muscles going past her control as she squeezed, so tightly that he let out a groan, but she trusted him. She felt the seed fill her, every string and gush making her whole body clench, as she let out a breath, her arms wrapped tightly around her husband, as she smiled. And then, she grinned. "You're not done yet, are you...? You've still got lots left..." she murmured softly, and let out a gentle, bell-like laugh. Her husband smiled nervously, his arms squeezing around her. "Of course not, honey..."

—

The echidna watched, her hand over her lips, smiling. She could already see the energy merging. The child inside the young woman was already taking shape, the demonic and spiritual energy nurturing it, the young mother already changing her body, bosom growing more buxom, hips growing wider, her body taking on a maternal shape even as she lay against her exhausted, drained, and immensely happy looking husband. She smiled to herself. The procedure had had some complications, but nothing that seemed to have harmed the new woman, or her mind. She had been desperate and hungry, but that was only to be expected after her deprivation. She smiled at the sight of them, and slithered out. To conceive so quickly... She grinned. Perhaps there was something to the idea.

And Mia lay with her husband, feeling, for the moment, that she was about as satisfied as she possibly could be. She'd have other things to do, plans to make, and she'd need to get him ready for another round as soon as she could, but for the moment, she was content to simply lay there, her belly rounded and pulsing with the heat that she'd taken inside of her, her husband's hand slowly drifting over it as she lay her head against him. She'd gotten him. She'd won. And it was worth it. The grin spread across her face as she drifted into sleep.