50. Depression and Bargaining
Saturday Evening
Dana slowly awakened, shivering and cold, and looked around in confusion. Cassie and Miguel had both rolled away from her at some point, leaving all three of them spaced apart on the floor. She suddenly bolted upright and looked at her hands, relieved to see that they had returned to normal. She felt her ears and face, which seemed to have reverted as well. She grimaced when she noticed that her legs looked like they had never been shaved, and her bush was still overgrown, but at least neither resembled fur anymore.
Afraid to waken the dominant redhead, Dana grabbed the leash that was still attached to her collar and tiptoed to the bathroom, wanting visual confirmation that she was back to herself, at least mostly. She carefully scrutinized every part of her reflection that she could see, but other than body hair that seemed maybe a little thicker than she remembered, and possibly a slight improvement to her muscle tone, she appeared to be back to normal, at least physically. Seeing the way the collar and leash looked on her made her core heat up again, but not supernaturally so.
Dana crept back into the living area, still lit only by one lamp, and searched for the remote control, but it was nowhere to be found. A lingering odor made Dana realize that her sense of smell might also be enhanced by her transformation, because she was quite sure that the girl named Madelyn had been in the room not too long before, and probably had fucked Cassie. She shivered with mild disgust to imagine what tiny particles were invading her nose to give her such insight, then shivered harder when she guessed that the brunette must have taken the device back while they slept.
Dana quailed, crouching close to the floor and hugging herself in fear. The idea that she was now doubly cursed occupied most of her thoughts, and she concluded that running away was the only thing she could do. Madelyn had confessed to being addicted to using the remote, and it seemed likely that Cassie would be an enabler of that dark impulse. It was horrifying to imagine what else the two girls might do to her when they woke up. Miguel wasn't safe, either, but Dana wasn't sure if trying to save him would wind up being her doom, if it roused anyone else.
Finally coming to the conclusion that she owed it to her boyfriend to at least try to rescue him, Dana moved as quietly as possible and put her hand over the young man's mouth to muffle any outcry he might make. She put her lips to his ear and whispered, "Miguel? Miguel, you need to wake up. Wake up,
amante
!"
Her boyfriend seemed groggy and slow to get started, which was something of a relief to Dana. He didn't seem alarmed when he noticed her hand blocking his mouth, just confused and slightly annoyed. She held a finger to her lips until he nodded his head, then allowed him to sit up and look around. After a moment to take stock of the situation, Miguel gave her a quizzical look and quietly asked, "What's going on? What time is it?"
"I don't know; evening, I think, but the windows are still blocked. We need to get out of here, right now, and very quietly," Dana answered.
"You don't want to wake up Cassie to say goodnight? That seems a little rude," Miguel reproached her gently. "I wouldn't want her to think we ran off."
Dana realized that Miguel wasn't thinking very critically yet, or else he just didn't realize how distraught she was, and there wasn't time to explain. "We can apologize later, but I really need to leave and I want you to come with me. Please."
Miguel's expression finally showed a little concern, but he shrugged and said, "Okay, if you insist. Let me just grab my stuff."
"Quietly!" Dana reminded him as they both got to their feet. It was a little difficult to navigate the dimly lit apartment, but they emptied the pockets of their clothes and left them on the floor, tip-toeing to the front door and letting themselves out of the apartment.
Once they were outside Dana finally sighed in relief, but she knew that they weren't out of the woods yet. At her urging, they hurried to Miguel's car and drove away. It wasn't until she tried to put on her seatbelt that she realized they were both nude in public, that no one had said anything despite there being several people in the general vicinity, and that she was still wearing the collar and leash.
~~
The four women were seated around Jenny's table enjoying a light meal and making conversation while watching the sun set through the large windows in the dining room. Allie and Hoshi were both naked and talking loudly about some band Jenny didn't recognize, which left her and Kara talking quietly about marriage troubles at the other end of the table. The cow-woman was wearing her bikini again, and not wanting to feel totally overdressed while still projecting a sense of respectability, Jenny had put on a sports bra. She found it uncomfortable to sit on her tail plug, so she was squatting on her chair instead, giving her guest a good look between her legs.
"I don't know what to do about Bill," Kara lamented. "I guess we've both just gotten used to each other and making love once a week or so seemed to suit us well enough. But that's just not good enough anymore."
"I know what you mean," confided Jenny. "I haven't been married for almost 20 years now, and I had gotten used to long dry spells. I had a few friends with benefits up north, but I was making do with four or five times a year for a long time. Now, if I don't get off several times a day I start feeling antsy."
"Four or five times a year?" Kara chuckled ruefully. "And I thought I had it bad." She took a sip of her drink and then asked, "Do you think it's the animal stuff that's making us both horny, or just getting old and needing to still feel desired?"
Jenny smiled wanly and shrugged, saying, "Maybe a bit of both? I can't deny I was starting to feel kind of over the hill, but in way, discovering petplay was kind of like falling in love for the first time again. It was fresh and new and exciting. I said, 'was,' but I really meant 'is,' since I keep finding new facets to it." Jenny took a sip of her drink and continued, "Or finding new pet friends," smiling warmly at the slightly older woman.
Kara smiled back and the two women clasped hands for a little while.
From the other end of the table, Allie suddenly spoke up. "Hey, Kara! I couldn't help but overhear a little bit about your marital troubles. I'm obviously not a wellspring of good advice on marriage, so I won't spout off about it, but if you're still feeling lonely tomorrow you'd be more than welcome to join us for a little party we're having."
"Ooh, yeah, that slipped my mind!" said Jenny, turning to Kara and confirming, "You'd probably really enjoy it!"