Whoremoans Ch 01

Myrtle stood on the edge of the Shifting Forest, nervously shifting her weight from her toes to her heels, rethinking every choice that had brought her to that point.

She was a pre-everything trans woman, who wanted to transition.

That

hadn't been a choice, not even the "wanting to transition" bit. Choosing to not be trans was straight-up impossible, while choosing to not transition would be like choosing to not give an armed robber what they want; it was

possible

, but not exactly conducive to Myrtle's continued well-being. The whole thing was more like an

inciting incident

, if anything.

She didn't have the money to transition, and also didn't have insurance.

Again,

not a choice

. Myrtle hadn't

chosen

to be poor. She also hadn't chosen to be born in a country where healthcare would be inaccessible to her without unethical amounts of money. Lastly, it certainly wasn't

her

fault that her family was utterly unwilling to help her.

Even if her financial problems went away, she'd still have to jump through a thousand and one hoops before being allowed to access the healthcare she needed.

It would be ridiculous to even

think

that Myrtle had ever had any say in the existence of transphobia.

So really

, Myrtle thought to herself,

coming here wasn't much of a choice, was it?

That was a lie, and Myrtle knew it. No one had forced her to come up with such a stupid plan, and no one was forcing her to

execute

said plan. She'd come to the edge of the fey's domain entirely of her own free will. If she continued, it would be of her own volition.

But then again, what other choice did she have? What method of transitioning was available to her, other than betting on fey magic?

Ok

, she thought, taking a deep breath.

Ok. I've got this.

More afraid than she'd ever been in her entire life, Myrtle took her first step into the Shifting Forest.

~~~~~~~~

Myrtle had expected many things when she entered the Shifting Forest. She'd expected strange creatures and magical phenomena and all sorts of other weirdness. What she hadn't expected at all, was

nothing

.

She'd been in the forest for what she assumed had been about an hour - one couldn't really be sure about the passage of time in fey places, Myrtle knew that much - and nothing had happened yet. No giant spiders trying to eat her, no dryads demanding she get away from their trees. So far, the Shifting Forest had been as remarkable as a normal, albeit exceptionally lush and beautiful, forest.

Not that that had made it any less scary. The sound of a branch snapping still made Myrtle jump, and she still looked over her shoulder every time she heard rustling in the undergrowth. If anything, the apparent peace and quiet made the place

more

unnerving.

At least Myrtle knew she was about to find

something

. She'd been following the sound of water for a little while, and she seemed to be getting close to its source. She could see a clearing up ahead.

She made her way towards it through the dense vegetation; she could see the water now. Reluctantly, she stepped into the clearing.

It had to be the most beautiful place she'd ever seen. Water flowed into a glimmering pool from within a mound of earth; several leaves floated peacefully in it. The pool itself was surrounded by verdant grass, strewn with the prettiest flowers. A gentle breeze carried their fragrance to Myrtle's nostrils, and she instinctively breathed deep, forgetting all about the unease she'd been feeling a moment ago.

The most beautiful part of the spring, though, had to be the woman sitting beside it. She was... Myrtle struggled to think of words that could adequately convey the woman's beauty. Immaculate lilac hair cascaded down her back - if she stood, it would easily reach her upper thighs. Her skin was pale, blemishless. She was barefoot, and wore only an elegant pink sundress.

She sat at the edge of the water, loosely hugging her knees, her gaze lost somewhere in the water. Myrtle almost felt like she was intruding, and took a half-step back, only to step on a branch, which broke with little

crunch

.

That faint noise was apparently loud enough for the woman to hear. She jumped slightly, turning around and fixing two vibrant lilac eyes on Myrtle.

Myrtle raised her hands a little, and took another half-step back. She opened her mouth to apologise, but didn't manage to come up with a coherent string of words.

"Hello," the woman said, in the most melodious voice Myrtle had ever heard. She seemed to examine Myrtle for a few moments. "You're human, aren't you?"

The question caught Myrtle off guard. "I, um, uh," she stammered. "Yes?" There it was, her nervous habit of turning certainties into questions. She took another half-step back.

The woman extended a hand. "No, don't go," she said. "I would appreciate some company." She smiled. "Come sit with me."

God

, Myrtle thought,

she has such a pretty smile.

She took a hesitant step towards the pond, then another, and then a few more, and sat on the grass next to the woman.

A part of Myrtle insisted that was a stupid idea, but the rest of her knew that it was no more stupid than entering the forest in the first place.

"What's your name, pretty flower?" the woman asked.

Myrtle felt a blush crawling onto her cheeks. "Myrtle." After a brief pause, she sheepishly added, "You're not gonna... I don't know,

steal it

or anything?"

Probably a bit late for that.

The woman smiled again. "Oh, of course not. My name is Lilac, by the way."

Myrtle dared a tiny smile. "So, um, if you don't mind me asking, what, um, are you?" That wasn't a rude question to ask a probably-fey, was it?

Thankfully, it didn't seem to bother Lilac. "I am a nymph. This," she gestured to the water, "is my pond."

"It's beautiful," Myrtle said. She felt like she should say more, but it wasn't very easy to be articulate with someone as gorgeous as Lilac next to her.

"Why, thank you!" Lilac beamed. "So, Myrtle, tell me: what brings a pretty flower like you to a wild forest like this one?"

Myrtle didn't respond immensely. Despite having thought about her plan quite a bit, it hadn't actually occurred to her that she'd need to come out to a fey. Eventually, she settled for, "I have some, let's say,

personal problems

."

"I see," Lilac said. "Were you hoping to find a solution in our forest?"

Myrtle sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

Lilac laughed, and her laugh was like a ringing crystal. "That is a risky plan, isn't it? The forest isn't exactly

safe

, not even for fey..." She paused. "Whatever your problems are, they must be

quite

severe."

"Yeah," Myrtle said, "yeah."

"Would you perhaps like to talk about them?"

Myrtle thought about it for a moment, and the reality of her situation caught up to her. She was having a conversation about her life with a nymph.

Well, fuck it. Might as well go all the way.

"Do you... know what trans people are?"

"Enlighten me," Lilac replied, and Myrtle saw genuine curiosity in her vibrant lilac eyes.

Myrtle took a deep breath. "Sometimes... Well, sometimes male humans aren't men, and female humans aren't women."

"That must be unpleasant," Lilac said. "Gender is a rather strict concept for you humans, as I understand it."

"You have no idea." Myrtle sighed again. "I mean, we have ways of changing our bodies to match our identities, but, well, they're

ridiculously difficult to get

."

Lilac smiled in sudden understanding. "Is that what you seek in the forest?"

"Yeah," Myrtle nodded. "Look, I know it's stupid. It's just, I'm desperate. I've been in this body for twenty years, and I haven't managed a single step towards making it feel like, I don't know,

my own

." She sighed. "I'm wasting my time, aren't I?"

Lilac placed her hand on Myrtle's reassuringly, and locked eyes with her. "Not at all," she said. "In fact, I believe I can help you."

It took several seconds for Myrtle to manage a reply. When she did, her voice came out small, barely a whisper. "You can?"

Lilac smiled. "Yes, pretty flower."

Myrtle couldn't-- She didn't know what to say. She simply stared ahead, dumbfounded.

Lilac gently squeezed Myrtle's hand. "Would you like that?"

Not trusting her mouth to produce coherent speech, Myrtle nodded.

Lilac stood, and Myrtle followed. "You'll need to undress, pretty flower."

Myrtle furiously blushed. She almost considered not doing it; showing her body to people was one of the worst things she could be asked to do. Then she realised what she'd be giving up, and her clothes were off.

Her hands moved almost on their own to cover her up, but Lilac didn't seem to be looking. Her brilliant lilac eyes were fixed on Myrtle's; Myrtle found them strangely comforting.

Lilac unhooked the straps of her dress from her shoulders, letting it fall around her legs. She then took Myrtle's hand and led her to the water.

They walked to the centre of the pond, and Lilac placed her hands on Myrtle's shoulders. "Take a deep breath, pretty flower," she said. Then, she pushed Myrtle into the water.

She kept pushing, submerging Myrtle entirely. Myrtle closed her eyes, panicking for a moment, but then the sensations started.

The water seemed to be caressing Myrtle's skin - no, it seemed to be

seeping into it

, and caressing her insides. Tingles spread from wherever it went, followed by a sensation of

change

. Myrtle's entire body felt like clay, and the water was the sculptor, kneading it and giving it new shape.

It felt...

wonderful

.

Myrtle only realised how much she'd relaxed when Lilac pulled her up again. The sensations slowly subsided, and she opened her eyes. First she saw Lilac smiling at her. Then she looked down, and saw her own reflection in the water.

It was a trick, surely. An illusion. It had to be. The person in the water couldn't possibly be Myrtle.

She could easily pass for Myrtle's twin sister. She had Myrtle's face, except it was softer, prettier; full, inviting lips, and bottomless hazel eyes. Her auburn hair was long and voluminous, the kind of hair Myrtle wished she had. That woman could not

possibly

be Myrtle.

Except,

she was

. It was

her face

that Myrtle's hands found,

her hair

that fell in front of Myrtle's eyes. And it was

her body

that Myrtle's hands found as they went back down. A thin, graceful body, a

female

body, with breasts the size of large grapefruits, with an elegant waist, with hips that noticeably curved; a body like those Myrtle saw in her dreams.

Myrtle realised she was crying. Crying tears of mourning, for all the years spent in a body she detested, for all the parties she never went to, for all the clothes she never tried, for all the relationships she didn't have, for the friends and family her identity had cost her. But also tears of joy. Joy, because it was over now. Joy, because she could finally

live

.

She let Lilac lead her out of the pond. She let the nymph hold her and comfort her, and she cried, cried until her tears dried up.

They did dry up, eventually. Myrtle wiped the tears from her cheeks and stepped out of Lilac's embrace.

She felt she should express her gratitude, but she was lost for words. How could words possibly convey her feelings? In the end, it wasn't gratitude Myrtle managed to express - it was confusion. "Why?"

"Why did I help you?" Lilac replied. "Because you needed it, pretty flower." She smiled. "You're not used to kindness, are you?"

Myrtle said nothing; she only looked into Lilac's eyes, hoping that was enough to convey her feelings. When she spoke again, she said, "What now?"

"You can go," Lilac said. "Kindness is free." She smiled again. This time, her smile was not sweet - it was playfully devious. "Unless..." She moved behind Myrtle, and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Tell me when to stop," she said, and kissed Myrtle's neck.

Myrtle's first instinct was to do just that - to ask Lilac to stop. But Lilac's kisses sent such delightful shivers down her spine. Myrtle had been dreaming about being touched like that for so,

so

long. She wasn't

afraid

, she realised, but

embarrassed

, about her desire, about her

inexperience

.

She didn't ask Lilac to stop.