Once You Go Anthro

AN:

This story, and most of my stories, takes place in a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals have lived side by side for thousands—maybe even tens of thousands—of years. There are also normal feral and domesticated animals as well.

****

It had been nearly a week since my life-tilting encounter with Abeni. My first hookup. My first non-human fuck. Nearly a week since she'd issued me the challenge to bed ten different species before she would consider dating me.

Saturday, I'd just gone about my life as normal—kinda. Video games. Gym. Reading. Hours staring at the ceiling processing that the night before I'd had sex with a gorgeous zebra woman. And then watching tons of POV anthro porn videos to get a sense of what potential encounters with other species would be like. I baselined it with a zebra teen taking it up the ass and realized just how useless these videos would be. Watching was one thing, but had I not actually experienced Abeni, I couldn't have come close to guessing the sheer intensity of it. Still, I probably blew through twenty or so species—wolf, cow, horse, fox, most of the more "normal" species people tended to picture when the term anthro came up.

On Sunday, I'd slept in, having tossed and turned all night as anxiety squirmed in my ribcage. Lots of, "You got lucky, Abeni was a one-off," "You dirty freak," "They'll think you're disgusting," "Who would say yes to you, a pathetic hume?" And the one that blared prominently under all of them, "Abeni will never talk to you again, dumbass, she was fucking with you."

When I woke, I went for an hour-long run and burned through podcasts I'd meant to catch up on—retaining absolutely nothing from any of them. I realized that by the time I got back and checked to see what I was listening to and wondered what the first half of theHidden Brainepisode had been about. Great. I'd have to re-add all of those for later.

After I'd showered, I tried to take my mind off things by playingDoom Eternal—the perfect balance of mindless rampage and requiring intense focus so as not to die.

I died a lot more than usual.

After probably the fifteenth death I gave up. Nothing would stop my brain from perseverating about this. Only one thing for it. I'd have to go out.

So I went back toThe Tipsy Tail, where I'd met Abeni, and surveyed the scene. It was one thing to go to a bar with no expectations beyond total failure. Another to be on the prowl for a partner for the night. The fact I was even framing it that way probably said a lot about my approach. Like I was some predator in the savannah. Abeni hadn't been that. She'd just seen something she wanted and took the shot. I needed to recalibrate my thinking to match that—loosen up. A drink would help.

I only remember the first ten or so minutes. I was nervous, ordering first one drink, then another, then another, marveling at how fast they seemed to disappear down my throat. That rabbit at the other end of the bar looked cute. Or maybe that cat girl with the nice ass and twitchy tail? Or maybe the parrot, squawking and having the time of her life with her friends? Or...

Then I woke up on my couch, drool sticky on my face, damp pillow beneath me. Head pounding, stomach furious, brain slowly piecing together why I was there in the first place.

Monday I called in sick. I'd accrued near the maximum amount of PTO anyway. Not like I went anywhere, did anything, or had for years. Use it or lose it. So I used it. Same with Tuesday. Both days the same—wake up, mindless tasks, perseverate, chicken out and stay in. Had I been thinking clearly when Abeni told me to have sex with ten different women, I'd have shaken her hand and told her it had been nice and never talked to her again.

Wednesday broke that cycle. I'd been trying to figure out what to eat for dinner when the text from Abeni came in—my first contact with her since she'd wished me godspeed.

Hey hume! Hows it going?

How was it going, indeed. Miserably. I wasn't cut out for hookups. I hadn't been in college, or my twenties, or even in high school. Too much thinking, not enough impulse. Born with an overactive brain and a cautious demeanor. Far too analytical for my own good half the time—probably more than that. Prone to long-winded internal monologues and catastrophizing.

So I ignored the text. Or, more accurately, I stared at it for a long, long time and couldn't work up the courage to even respond with a flippant,Good. You?I knew it would lead to her asking, and then me being mocked for failing so miserably. I couldn't take that. I needed to make some progress—any progress, before I replied.

And then at around eleven that night, she followed up with her unnerving mind-reading,That bad huh

Well, at least she hadn't done any laughing emojis or gifs poking fun at me. Might as well come clean.

Yeah, it's not great, I replied.

Fair. Too much in ur head huh?

Good guess

U got this. Dont think. Do. I know u can do this

I tossed my phone aside and rubbed my face. It made one of us. Unfortunately, not the one that actually needed to go through with the plan. It felt nice that she had some faith in me—at first. And then it felt worse, like I was letting her down when she thought I actually had the balls to initiate a one-night stand. Maybe that was the point. Who knew with her? She was stealthy in her guidance, a deft hand pushing you forward by your ass until you arrived at the thought she wanted you to.

My phone lit up again. I picked it back up—another message from Abeni.Go somewhere u love. Outside with ppl. Sit and watch. No pressure, just be around anthros

Which led me to now. I'd loved the beach before I'd started pulling back from everything. Before I'd dropped off social and realized how few people cared enough to keep in touch. Which, obviously, had shown how many of my followers were actually my friends—very few. And then pulled back further and further over the years as those who remained had kids and spouses and moved, until I was more or less alone trying to convince myself I was okay with that. Just work, home, gym, occasional terrible dates with human women.

It broke my heart when I realized I hadn't been to the beach in almost four years. It was a beautiful San Diego afternoon—78, sunny but for a few clouds, light wind, small surf. The kind of day I used to pray for and gleefully surf when they showed up. Except I'd sold my surfboard a long time ago. So I slapped on sunscreen, donned my swim trunks, tossed on a tank top, and set out.

When I got out of the Uber and took my first breath of sea air, I immediately felt lighter, like my old self had awoken from a coma and opened sleep-crusted eyes. Per Abeni's instructions, I found a beach more commonly frequented by anthros. I wasn't expecting a ton of people since it was the middle of a workday, but there were still maybe 70 to 80. A few families, groups of friends, some surfers, water-based species raucously laughing farther out, and not a single human. The lone hume in a sea of anthros.

I was hoping retracing my life back to when I had been living it would be a way to push myself to where I wanted to be. Maybe it would help to pull in something to remind me why I'd gone out on a limb on Friday. New me, old me.

So I put in my headphones and searched YouTube forVelvyric Syrens, the band Abeni had recommended, and started with "Velvet Hands, Violent Hearts." I hoped it would be the one-two punch I needed—music I hadn't listened to before and old favorite haunt. Could work.

Except it didn't. I just ended up listening to hardcore metal on the beach, looking at everyone having fun and feeling just as out of place as anywhere else I'd tried my luck lately. There's something horribly disheartening about feeling out of place somewhere you used to love. The past me was lying in his grave, and this phantom pretender had taken over and was driving his life into the ground.

Jesus Christ. Fucking morbid.

On the plus side, I was really digging the band. Symphonic elements, brutal instrumentation, and a woman sliding between breathy cleans, unholy growls, and opera was not something I realized I would ever like. It was brutal, beautiful, and made me miss the certainty of Abeni.

The chorus was killer. The whole band chiming in with shouts and the lead singer slipping effortlessly between energetic cleans and gutturals.

Hard nights, soft beds —

Velvet hands, violent hearts.

Dance in silver,prowl in blood

Trace the line back to the start

We're tender,we're teeth,

We're hunger dressed in art.

Hard nights, soft beds —

Velvet hands, violent h-

Someone blocked the sun. I craned my neck to look up.

A seal woman in a yellow-and-white striped bikini grinned down at me, hands on her hips, whiskers twitching around the curl of her lips. Her fur was silver, bleeding into a more muted creamy white from her breasts down to her thighs with brown spots on her arms and legs. She was a bit on the shorter side, maybe 5'4", and beautifully curvy—not quite chubby, but definitely benefiting from blubber in all the right places. A short tail with a pair of flippers, each with five long digits ending in short, blunt claws dropped down to the sand behind her.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone look so miserable on such a nice day," she said brightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You look like you found out the world was ending, when really it's a slightly-above-average Thursday."

I pulled out my headphones and tucked them and my phone into my trunks' waterproof pocket. "Just thinking. Is a guy not allowed to think on the beach?"

The seal tapped the end of her muzzle thoughtfully. I noticed her fingers were webbed, and a quick glance down confirmed her toes were as well. "Depends. What're you thinkin' about?"

"Kaya!"

A dolphin, a little taller than the seal, and a tiger shark taller than me bounded up and joined their friend to loom over me. The dolphin woman's light gray skin shone with ocean droplets. Bright blue eyes looked me over with mild curiosity and some annoyance. She was slimmer with a sleek silhouette, dressed in a modest pink one-piece.

The shark was...not that. She was wearing black bikini bottoms and nothing else. I quickly looked away when I realized she was topless, but from the brief look I'd gotten before averting my eyes, I noticed she was lean muscle with a large, firm set of breasts. Her skin was a darker gray than her friend's, with a similar creamy underside. Her arms, legs, and flanks sported tan stripes and spots, making me pine a bit for Abeni. Her gills flared, and she grinned at me like she'd just found lunch.

"C'mon, Kay," the dolphin whined. "Me'n Raya are gonna have a rematch."

"Flipper wants best two out of three," the shark growled, flashing rows of pointed teeth at me. "How about you, pinkie? Who's faster? Silly mammal, or apex predator?"

"We're apex predators, too," the dolphin said, snorting from her blowhole.

"Yeah, in an aquarium, maybe."

The dolphin shoved the shark, who shoved her back, both laughing.

The seal looked from her friends, to me, back to her friends. "I'll catch up. Nalani, babe, you got this! Mammal power!" She held up a fist, and the shark rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Kaya. Come on, Lani, let the seal play with her new toy, I'm gonna fuckin' thrash you."

The pair ran off out of my sight, and the seal girl plopped down next to me. "I hope Nalani wins. Reeeeeally don't wanna hear Raya go on about how mammals are evolutionary babies for the next week."

"Boo!"

Rough hands grabbed me from behind and lifted me up until my legs were kicking uselessly in the air. I froze when a loud snap went off by my ear. "Chomp, chomp, pinkie!"

The dolphin's chittering laugh broke through. I squirmed in the shark woman's grasp, but she kept me pinned to her considerable chest, nipples poking my back. She hissed in my ear, "Apex predator. You'rein my waters now, ape."

Once I realized I couldn't get out of her powerful grip, I stopped struggling. "I'll bring a bigger boat next time."

She dropped me and laughed—a loud, booming laugh. Then she slapped me on the back, staggering me a step. "Landlubber's got balls!" She turned to the seal. "Sure you don't wanna watch me kick Nalani's ass?"

"As if!" the dolphin, Nalani, spat. She jumped on the shark's back and rested her head on the larger woman's shoulder, glancing my way. "You can bring your hume. Raya won't bite."

"Bitch, no promises."

"Rayamightnot bite," Nalani corrected.

The seal cocked her head at me. She must've seen how unenthused I was at the idea of being further teased and shook her head. "Nah, I'm good."

"Suit yourself," Raya said. She chomped next to my ear again, chuckled, and then sprinted off toward the ocean with Nalani still on her back.

I sat back down on my towel. "You can go on. I'm fine."

"Oh please, you look so far from fine." She turned on her side, tail thumping behind her. "You got a name?"

"Drew," I said, reaching out a hand.

She shook it and smiled at me, flashing a pair of larger incisors along rows of smaller, blunt pointed teeth. "Kaya. So, Drew, what brings you out to pout on this beautiful day?"

I could hear Abeni telling me to go for it—hit on her, radical honesty—I had nothing to lose. Perfect stranger, all she could do was say no. But much as I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to say it. I tried for a moment to think of some other excuse, some other reason why I wasn't at work, on the beach, looking dour. Instead, I just looked at Kaya.

She was cute. Her dark nose twitched when she smiled, whiskers poking out from her snout. Gorgeous ocean-blue eyes that reminded me a bit of Abeni's, but with less teasing and more warmth. She didn'thave ears, but instead small earholes on the sides of her head. Her fur was damp and slick, clinging to her body. When she shifted her tail, she stretched out her flippers into wide fans before letting them fold back in.

Her scent wafted over to me. A mix of salt, musk, and wet dog in a pleasant way. Wholly distinct from Abeni's more grounded, earthy vibes. It was the smell of summers past, of dogs coming in from the surf, shaking off and spraying ocean water over everyone. It made me pine even harder for the old days.

A slow grin broke over her face. "You gonna talk, or just ogle me all day?"

I snapped my head away and stared at my feet. "Sorry."

She laughed, then barked—a short, deep, slightly echoing sound. "What for?"

"Staring."

Kaya flicked a bit of sand at me with her tail and laughed when I shielded myself from it. "I'll live. Come on, tell me what's up. I'm nosy." For emphasis, she twitched her nose, grinning with her fangs.

"Just..." What to say? The truth was out of the question. Something adjacent to it maybe. "Trying to figure some things out."

"Fun things?" she asked, voice sing-songy, bright.

"Uh...kinda..."

She rolled onto her back, tail flopped between her legs. She put her hands behind her head and looked up at me. "If it's so fun, how come you look like a broody little statue? 'Sourpuss stares into beauty,' that's what I'd call it." She winked at me. "So, sourpuss, spill—indulge a cow."

I frowned at her. "Cow?"

"Harbor seal, baby!" She barked, then giggled. "Females're called cows. Don't ask me why, silly hume names. I think it's funny."

"O...kay..." I dug my feet into the warm sand, burying them. The coarse grains and the slight chill of deeper layers grounded me. Like I'd anchored myself to keep from being blown off course. "So, I, um, had my first time with a, you know, anthro."

Kaya's eyes lit up. She turned onto her side, planted her elbow in the sand, and propped her head in her hands. "Oh shit. This is so much more interesting than Raya versus Nalani for the hundredth time. So? How were they? What species? No, lemme guess!" She hummed to herself, looking me up and down. "Wolf? No. Lion! No, hang on. Something that'd be down for mopey human. Hmm... Crow! Crow for sure."

"Zebra."

She tutted at herself. "Damn. So you went galloping down inter-species fun-times. Popped your cherry. Then, what, she hoofed it?" She barked at her own joke and slapped her tail against the sand. When I didn't smile, she coughed and cleared her throat. "Sorry. So now...what? You feel guilty for fucking a non-human? Or... Oh! I got it. One-time thing, but you want more."

I nodded and dug my feet deeper in. "Close enough. There's more, but yeah—one-time thing."

"So what's the ish? Did'ja have fun?"

I sighed. "Yeah. I did."

"Oh, it's that human thing. Can't just enjoy something. Gotta overthink it." She dropped her voice low and crossed her eyes. "'Me ape, me big brain. So smart. Derp derp. I have fun, then shit in mouth. Bad, bad monkey.'" She barked and slapped her tail again, giggling. "How's my hume impression? Spot on, right?"

I really didn't want to laugh—I was in a mood. But damn if she didn't drag a chuckle out of me despite myself. "Like I'm talkin' to one."

She giggled like crazy and pumped her fist. "Hehehe! I made you laugh! Took that frown and chucked it into the surf! Boom! Kaya shoots, she soars!"

"Scores," I corrected.

"Pretty sure it's 'soars.' I'm a hume, remember? I know these things," she laughed, fluttering her eyes at me.

God damn this woman. I huffed, tried to hide a grin. "Okay."

"Oooooh! I saw that!" Kaya sat up and scooted to my side, her face right up in mine, close enough her whiskers brushed my cheek. "Can't hide nuffin' from these eyes, bro. Born killer. Slightest sign of weakness..." She snapped her jaws and giggled again. "Whamo!"

"Whamo?"

"Whamo!" She gave me a shove. "Come on, Drew. In the water."

"I don't-"

She spun to her feet and grabbed my hands, tugging at me until I stood. I did, reluctantly, and she jogged off. When I didn't follow, she turned and barked. "I thought humes were supposed to be fast on land!"

Her enthusiasm was contagious. I kicked off my sandals next to my towel and sprinted after her. She squealed when I passed her and splashed into the surf. She was right behind, diving into the water once it was deep enough—a flash of silver under the small waves. She surfaced a lot farther away than I expected—fast swimmer obviously.

"Oh my God, you're still standing?!" Said like me not swimming was a personal affront. She popped back under, and a second later something grabbed my leg and yanked it out from under me.

I tottered, trying to keep my balance, then fell when her tail smacked my other leg. I went under, back quickly hitting the bottom. Barely two feet of water but already soaked. When I managed to get back up, she was floating on her back, grinning like a maniac. "Wet ape!"

"You're a menace," I laughed.

"Oh dude, you ain't got no idea," she giggled, splashing a huge spray at me with her flippers. "Come on, we're still basically on land. More, more!"

Before I could remind her how bad humans were at swimming compared to aquatic anthros, she disappeared and popped back up almost a hundred feet from shore. Her bark cut across the surf, and she flashed under again.

"This is gonna go well," I muttered to myself. I wasn't a terrible swimmer, but I was well out of practice. Still, if I was going out farther than usual, having a water-based acquaintance to bail me out wasn't the worst idea.

I could feel my mood starting to lift. It almost felt like the old days—my friends and I, bonfires at night, bodysurfing, tossing around the football. Drinks, meals, sand and spray. Except I was still more or less alone; I'd just happened to have been briefly adopted by a very friendly seal.