At the edge of the forest, a man and a woman met a man who was a wolf. He stood comfortably on his hind legs, leaning against a tree as he looked them over. Only his fur protected him against the night air, but he didn't seem to be particularly bothered by either cold wind or staring humans.
"Hi there," the wolf-man said, his voice surprisingly clear through his snout. "Are you here for a favor, or do you want to join the Court?"
"The latter, if I'm not too late," the woman replied. "I saw a job listing for a hunting hound."
"Yeah, that's been open for a while," the wolf-man replied. "We never get many applicants for those. Not sure why. Becoming the King's hound was the best thing that ever happened to me."
The woman, Cam, had been a hiker and nature-lover once upon a time. The man, Ben, had been a wildlife photographer. But putting two kids through college had taken its toll on them, and neither was as fit as they'd once been. Or as good-looking, if Ben was honest with himself. They'd had pretty good lives out in the human world, and now it was time for something new.
They stripped before they entered the forest. Tradition dictated that entrants to the Spring Court come "sky-clad." If all went well, their kids would be by in the morning to pick up their car and their things. If they couldn't get hired... Well, it would be a cold walk back.
Ben couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy for the wolf-man. Not just for warm fur, but for being tall, muscular, and inhumanly graceful. Elven magic had done more for him than a gym membership had ever done for Ben.
There wasn't a path, exactly, but fae-lights in the trees showed them the way. There were no rocks or fallen sticks to injure a bare foot, and they easily walked to the cleared space at the forest's center. The air warmed as they passed the tents for newcomers and temporary human labor. From there, the elves' treehouses sprawled across the deep part of the forest.
Where the clearing met the deep, the King of the Spring Court lounged naked on a sort of couch cushioned with moss. He was enormous, more than twice as large as a human, and almost as well-built as his hound. He was beginning to show his age, but doing so gracefully--the lines in his face spoke more of wisdom than exhaustion, and his leaf-green hair didn't yet show any signs of autumn red.
The King propped himself up and regarded them dispassionately. Then he said something in a language that sounded like ringing chimes.
"So, why do you want this job?" the wolf-man asked.
"It's been my dream all my life," Cam explained. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be a predator. To hunt with no weapons, no traps, nothing but my own strength and wits. But we had to make compromises. Ben had his job, and then there were three kids to take care of, and I couldn't chase deer all night and then make waffles in the morning. But the kids are grown now." (Here her face fell slightly.) "Grown or gone. And I want to take this chance while I still can."
"And you?" the wolf-man asked Ben. "I need to make sure you won't try to 'rescue' her. The King has had more than enough of sword duels and riddle challenges."
"She stayed with me while I lived my dream," Ben said. "So I'll stay with her. Do you have room for one more in your court?"
"Hard to say. You're definitely not a hound, and we're full up on human jobs like cooking and cleaning. But maybe..."
The King spoke out again, and the wolf-man looked slightly bemused.
"He says your aura has potential as a pleasure servant. It's buried pretty deep, though. Like it's something you've never explored."
No one said anything for a short while. In other Courts, "pleasure" might mean music or dancing, but the Spring Court had a more primal definition of the word.
"You don't have to..." Cam attempted. "We can still meet at the edge of the forest sometimes, when I'm not hunting."
"I'll think about it," Ben said. "But I promise I won't stand in Cam's way. I love her, and I want her to do what makes her happy."
"Then let's begin," the wolf-man said. To Cam, he added, "You know how this works?"
"The Spring Court is life," Cam said. "Birth and renewal. Union."
"Sex," the wolf-man added.
"I'm out of practice," Cam admitted. "It's just been me and my husband all these years. I hope you don't mind?"
"Don't worry," the wolf-man said. "It's all instinct."
Then he licked her face.
For the first minute or so, he only touched above her shoulders, as if to let her get used to the feel of a wolf's tongue and paws. Then he worked his way lower, between her breasts and across her belly button, staying there for a short time while she leaned into his touch. When he finally made his way between her legs, he gave a few rough licks, then stood again, apparently satisfied with what he'd found.
"You got ready fast," he said. "Eager for this?"
"Like you can't even imagine," she replied. "Give me my fur!"
She kissed his muzzle, and Ben thought he could see the wolf-man's tongue flick into her mouth. He wondered if she could taste herself. If she could, she didn't seem to mind.
The wolf-man lifted her effortlessly, turning her around to face away from him. Then he lowered her again and hilted deep with a single thrust. She let out a gasp, flailing wildly. Her legs were too short to reach the ground, but he didn't seem at all bothered by her weight as he used her like a toy.
The first thing Ben noticed was her shape. Her fat slowly melted away, yet at the same time, she grew larger, with longer limbs and broader shoulders. Muscles flexed, but didn't bulge like the wolf-man's. The beast she was becoming was a bit more agile, meant to circle around prey and cut off its escape, rather than pin it for the kill. Her breasts firmed and shrank, still present, but less of an obstacle in a chase. And all the while, little patches of fur broke out at random, spreading across her body in spots and lines.
When her feet finally reached the dirt, the wolf-man held her still for a moment. Slowly, they both lowered to all fours, keeping him in her the whole way.
"Now you're big enough to do this properly," the wolf-man said. He pulled back just slightly, then made love to her in the way of wolves.
She was quiet. Unusually so. Only the occasional involuntary gasp escaped from her, and she looked almost ashamed as her eyes met Ben's. But Ben knew what he had to do. He knelt down in front of her, and he kissed her newly forming snout.
It was a little wet where the wolf-man had licked her, which wasn't ideal, but Ben could live with it. He needed to show her he wasn't jealous. She was becoming something wondrous, and he couldn't possibly resent her joy in the change.
When he pulled away, she let out a long, strange noise. It began as something close to a scream of pleasure, but transformed into a howl.
It was hard to find a good angle to watch her, with the wolf-man still on top of her. That was why it took so long for Ben to notice the least expected change. Just above where the wolf-man thrust into her, there was something deep red in color, short for now, but steadily lengthening. It slapped against her belly as the magic claimed every inch of her body.
Her ears finished first. Then her paws, so she could run on four legs as well as two. Her tail burst free, fully formed in a matter of seconds. Finally, the last patch of fur ran across her changed face. At that moment, her new cock ejaculated.
Cam swayed on her paws, panting with exhaustion. When she caught her breath, she spoke in a deeper voice than before, still female, but less conclusively so. "What was... what did..."
