Transforming for the Tanuki

Botan smiled faintly at her from his bed as she turned, the tanuki bride that he had always dreamed of. Chirping softly with vocal cords capable of new sounds and communication, Ashley cocked her head curiously as she turned back to him, tail wagging faintly, thick and full and rising above her head when she pushed it up to its highest extent.

"It isn't?"

"No..." He seemed shy to explain it to her, sitting up, still bare but for his fur. "It's...your love for me, my sweet. This is because of you. Nothing can happen here unless you want it."

His eyes shimmered and she rushed to him, arms around him, warding off the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

"Oh - don't cry!"

"It's not because I'm sad, Ash, my sweet Ash, but happy..." He swallowed hard, working out the lump in his throat. "I don't know what my life would be life without you."

She had no words for that other than a kiss, her hands on his face as he held her tightly. Yet, even then, his seed worked deep into her, the no longer young woman aware that there was only one outcome to such a liaison and it was one that warmed her through, filled up her heart with love and so very much more too. Her stomach would soon swell, if his seed took within her womb, fertilising the eggs that would be released whether she was ready for it or not. She had never considered becoming pregnant at such a young age, even though she was in her adulthood, but it seemed like the natural conclusion to newfound love, even though it was unexpected. Nothing expected in her life, to be fair, had been good and smiled as she leaned into him, his head on her shoulder as she straightened her back and pushed her shoulders back a little more, the matriarch of a new family.

She'd be a better mother, better than any that had claimed, however tentatively, to be her mother. Their young would not want for anything, not in a land and a world that had proven already to be so very plentiful to them, further changes approaching for her body. But they were all changes that she would welcome in, appreciating them all as a mark of her position in the family. She would be the head of them all, the one who organised and was looked to for comfort, the one who made sure that everyone had what they needed as she stepped softly and tenderly into the matronly persona that had been lingering for so long. It had never been allowed to fully express itself, much to her chagrin, but it was coming, slowly, but it was coming. And she was ready to welcome it out into the world with her lover by her side.

There would be no more magical transformations for her, her body settling around her like a comfortable cloak or even a robe. Leaning into the warmth of Botan's body, the tanuki woman smiled softly, her tail flicking up against his in a gentle tease.

There was still one thing left to be said.

She took a deep breath. No time like the present.

"I love you."

And so it was.