Part 4
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For he wears long hair and his feet are bare
He says he's mad as an old march hare
But his cares are none and he owes no one
The Old Man of the Mountain
He talks with the birds when he's lonely
He sleeps with the stars for a tent
The bees spread a feast when he's hungry
And God charges no rent
He'll live as long as the old oak tree
And laugh at fools like you and me
Oh, I often sigh and wish that I
Were the Old Man of the Mountain
-Cab Calloway, The Old Man of the Mountain, 1932
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It was a lot to take in. Sasquatch was real and her name was Jennifer and she was helping them get back to their car while their bodies were radically changing. The girls talked about their options, agreeing that, for better or worse, they would go back to human society, preferring netflix, antibiotics and bread to the great outdoors. They also agreed that they would stay away from doctors and the press, because who wanted that kind of attention?
They would make their way in their new bodies. Emily didn't want to miss the next Fast and the Furious movie. Sushmita kept talking about bread, how it was humanity's greatest invention and how she even missed it on this three-day hike. Claire wondered what her little nieces in Cranbrook would think. Jennifer was getting back into the rhythm of speaking and hearing English again, enjoying their company and offering insight where she could. They promised Jennifer that they would never say a word about the existence of sasquatch.
Trailing in the shade of a ridge, they hiked down Mount Capilano. Claire and Emily both observed that their bare feet seemed invulnerable to the rocks, tree roots and pine needles on the trail. Sushmita wore Claire's old boots. Jennifer guided them, although sometimes, if they zoned out while walking or thinking, the girls found it surprisingly hard to know exactly where she was.
Emily could not stop thinking about the scale of Jennifer's body. Seeing her in comparison to the tiny Sushmita or Claire made her look incredibly powerful and truly massive. She was, after all, a beautiful woman, even if she wasn't exactly human any more. Her figure was heartstopping, and her face, behind the hair and beard, was still delicate and pleasant. Clear blue eyes, full lips, a dazzling smile. Emily stifled a flush and tried to focus on the hike. What would it be like to be that tall?
Sometimes they would come to a gully, a ditch, a cliff, an obstacle that seemed like it would require hours of going the long way around, and Jennifer would simply pick them up and carry them across, over, or down, one by one. On one such climb, up a cedar tree and onto a ledge, Claire notices that Jennifer's feet were slightly less humanlike than she had thought at first, with short, wide, but flexible big toes, set back towards the heel, like a thumb on a hand, that could easily grip the branches.
One time Sushmita had been at the grocery store and asked another shopper for help with something on the top shelf, and he'd simply walked behind her, grabbed her under her arms and lifted her up. She was so furious that when he put her down she just glared at him "uh,... you're welcome?" he said, and walked away. She had spent her whole life getting into fights with people, mostly but not exclusively men (sometimes it was drunk girls at the bar), who picked her up without asking.
This was different. She started to become excited to feel those massive hands supporting her weight, anxious to come up to the next impassable thing.
Emily asked Jennifer endless questions. Do you hibernate? What did you used to do? Do you miss the city? Are there boy sasquatches? How tall are you? Are all sasquatch women that tall? Did all sasquatches used to be humans? Is there a difference between people who became sasquatches and, like, born sasquatch? Is the yeti real? Is the loch ness monster real? How are you so good at hiding? When can we eat next?
Not really, more like several big naps.
I was a management consultant.
No, basically nothing. I haven't replied to an email or spent an hour looking for parking since 2018. There's a different kind of, like, truth out here. I used to sit in meetings and talk about synergy and live in a condo that I couldn't afford. I used to go to companies and concoct elaborate justifications for them to give their employees "alternative career opportunities" because if I didn't tell them to fire people, they'd find a consultant who would. Now I breathe the air and walk the mountains and sleep on the earth and eat what I can find, and I feel free. (pause) chai lattes, I guess.
Of course there are.
I'm not sure. No measuring tapes out here, right? Tall though.
No
Actually no. Most are around six, seven feet tall, but there's a lot of variation. As you can see. The males are about a foot taller on average but they also have a big spread.
Born sasquatch have slightly heavier ape features. Pointier heads. Bigger teeth. Thicker necks. but it's often very hard to tell.
I... Don't know. You know, I've never even thought about it. I should ask around.
What? How would I know that?
*shrug*
Oh, right! Goodness. Be right back
Somehow, all nine-odd feet of Jennifer disappeared silently into the bush. Emily's towel skirt fell away, crumpling on her feet.
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The girls rested, finished the game birds from breakfast, adjusted their clothing and generally tried to make the most of things. It wasn't so hot today and the forest was really alive with birds, squirrels and insects. Emily lay out her sleeping bag and dozed in the grass beside the trail, although her legs hung off it into the grass substantially.
"The thing is..." Claire began "the thing is, I think I'm starting to like it."
"What do you mean?" Sushmita was not ready for this conversation, but she was also desperate for it. She had to talk about it. And Claire just floated it out, like nothing bad would happen.
"What do you think I mean? I think I'm starting to like being a Bigfoot."
"A Sasquatch"
"No, a Bigfoot. I'm not growing fur like you, but you have to admit that these feet are big. But like, haven't you ever wanted your body to have something special? Like, when you see someone has, like, big lips or an eye patch or a million face tattoos and piercings and whatever and they just totally own it? Like, did you ever watch that show Own my Look on TLC with, like, a guy with no legs but he's a model? Like they're just totally their own freaky selves? I'm gonna be the girl with the big hair and the big boobs and the massive feet. I kinda think, you know, I kinda think they're sexy" she blushed. "They're so long and wide. My toes are so long. It... it kinda works for me. Not to mention this hair and this figure."
Claire's hair flowed around her body with astonishing volume. It floated and bounced when she moved. It hung just past her newly expanded butt, just onto her thighs. Emily's old bra struggled to keep her breasts contained.
Claire waited for some kind of banter from Sushmita, but it never came. Instead, Sushmita looked up at her, the brown skin of her face shining in contrast to the frame of dark hair all around it. Her beard was short but dense. At the edges, in the highlights, on her shoulders, her arms, was a tint of red, almost like a black bear. Claire slowly but unexpectedly reached out to her friend, touching the hair on her forearm. It looked bristly but it was incredibly soft to the touch. Sushmita gently closed her eyes and gasped. She pulled back.
"I think. I think I know what you mean. Like, I feel beautiful. I have an ass for the first time in my life. This beard looks feminine on me. I like how it frames my face. This hair feels right on me. I just want it to keep growing. I want to run my fingers through it. I want someone else to run their fingers through it. I want to kiss someone's body and tickle them with my moustache. God I can't believe I'm saying this"
Suddenly Claire leaned forward and kissed her deeply, taking her into a tight embrace against her swollen chest. Sushmita completely melted away in her arms. Claire pressed her hand into Sushmita's back, lost in the sensation of the thousand tiny hairs. Their lips separated and they looked into each other's eyes, breathing heavily.
"Hey Claire?" panted Sushmita
"Yeah"
"Stick out your tongue for me"
"Uh, ok"
Claire stuck out her tongue. It came out past her lips, and continued down past her chin. Claire licked under her chin momentarily before snapping her tongue back into her mouth.
