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.

I'm apparently on a bit of a language kick lately. I've done my best to keep the Brazilian Portuguese as accurate as possible, including informal terms and natural speaking tendencies. Apologies for any mistakes.

Any ratings, feedback, or comments are greatly appreciated. You do not need to be signed in to leave ratings or comments.

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*****

When I called Abeni the day after I hooked up with Kaya, she was beyond giddy about my news.

"Holy shit! What'd I say, stud? Go somewhere you love. The universe gave you a gift." Her braying laugh came through the headphones loud enough that I had to turn it down. "Damn. Water girl, huh? Slippery, I bet. How was it?"

I blushed as I lay on my couch, afternoon light spilling through the windows. My cock stirred in my shorts as the memory bubbled up. "Really nice."

"Nice? Pff. Try again."

"Amazing."

I heard shuffling and a grunt on the other end of the line, almost like she'd hopped onto her bed. "Fuck yeah it was. Tell me about it."

"I was just sitting there. I was gonna give up, you know. This whole thing, ten species to..."

"Fuck," she finished after I trailed off.

"Yeah, to fuck." I hated how it sounded. Cheap. Like a game. But that was old me thinking, that washumanthinking. Anthros, if Abeni and Kaya were any indicators, were far less prudish about these things. Abeni had initially suggested the quest, and Kaya insisted I continue it. "But then this seal girl... Really cute. Hot..."

I told her about the encounter in some detail. How Kaya had convinced me to go swimming, how her friends stole my towel and she invited me back to her place as an apology. Her slew of questions about humans, how one thing led to another and we'd explored each other, then fucked.

Partway through, I heard a weird noise. It took a second before I realized what was going on. "Are you masturbating?" I asked, incredulous.

"Mhm," she confirmed with no shame or hesitation. "Keep goin', this is hot shit, man."

Funny. Kaya and I had touched each other when I told her about when Abeni and I hooked up. I wondered if this would become a thing--Abeni fingering herself while I told her about my latest conquest. No. Wrong word. My latest...encounter? Also wrong word. Latest fuck. Might as well be honest about what these were.

And I couldn't deny I'd gotten quite hard recounting the story. So, while I finished, we both masturbated, which made telling the tale a bit more difficult, but I was enjoying hearing the faint squelching of Abeni's pussy and so didn't mind one bit.

"Her tits were like silk. Just...oh man, just heavenly. How she stroked them, how soft and warm and-"

"Wait, seals have fur?" Abeni asked.

"Um, yeah." I held my cock in my hand, swirling a bit of pre around the tip. "You didn't know that?"

"Just 'cause I'm anthro don't mean I know everything," she snorted. "Guess I never thought about it. And it's soft?"

"So soft."

"Your dick must've loved that."

I continued to stroke myself as I laughed. "Hell yes. And the blubber? Like her tits were molded around me. And she sucked me off while she pumped me with them."

"Jealous. I got bristly zebra hair. My titjobs are like rubbing your cock with a brush."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I chuckled.

"I've had complaints," she grumbled. "But keep talkin'. My clitty wants to hear more."

I continued to tell her about the titjob, going into heavy detail, trying to make my voice sound more sensual, a bit deeper, speaking slower and drawing out syllables. My mind fixated on every sound, critiquing in real time and frequently chastising me for how dumb it sounded. When I got to the part where I'd gone over the edge, how it had been an explosion and Kaya let herself be splattered, cleaned me, and wore it for another hour, Abeni came with a loud whinny.

My dick was soft by then, the constant self-criticisms and focus ruining the buzz. But I'd helped Abeni get off, and I was glad for it.

After a moment to collect her composure, she asked, "So, when's the next one?"

"Next one what?"

"'Next one what.'" She huffed, "Boy, when're you goin' out to find your next girl?"

Great question. I hadn't even thought about it. Most of the day after I'd left Kaya's house had been replaying it over and over, jerking off a couple times to the mental image of my cumshot, and fretting about telling Abeni about it. Not for any real reason that I could pinpoint, just general anxiety that fed itself by reminding me how dumb it was to feel anxious.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Come on, you've got a hot hand. Two sexy anthros in a week! Keep up the momentum. Inertia'll only make it harder. Strike while the iron's hot. Dumb sayings like that."

I'd almost forgotten Abeni's therapist background. While her approach was blunter than most, she wasn't wrong. I was the type of person that, given just a little bit of time, doubt, or rejection, could stop a good thing dead in its tracks. It was unnerving how attuned she was to my state of mind. Was the advice general? Sure. But it was applicable--very on the nose.

"Do you want help?" she asked after a pause, voice softer.

"Help how?" I tried to hide how grateful and relieved I was that she would offer assistance of any kind. When I'd left Kaya, I felt like I had a real shot, like maybe this ten anthros quest was achievable. Next day, not so much. Anxiety had crept back in, as usual, and the needling voices in my head continued their onslaught of esteem-eroding echoes and will-whittling whispers. Not enough to put me off completely, but enough to undermine the confidence I had gained from a successful hookup.

Which led me to Saturday, standing in front of my nemesis and re-birthplace with no small amount of trepidation.The Tipsy Tail, one of San Diego's big anthro bars, was packed, the noise spilling out through the door onto the streets of the Gaslamp.

The first time I'd gone here, I met Abeni, who'd done a great job shaking up my life with an intense, world-tilting hookup. The second time, after she'd proposed I have sex with ten different species to get a good sense of what life--and loving--with anthros could be like, I'd gotten drunk and woken up at home with a killer hangover, having been too anxious to make a move on anyone. At least that I remembered. Maybe I'd propositioned every woman there and been resoundingly rejected.

Abeni nudged me with her hoof. "Come on, Drew. It's easy. You move your feet, and then you're inside!"

I glared back at her, her muzzle sporting a healthy smirk, black-and-white mane jutting from her head. She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and nodded at the door. It was weird, the first anthro I'd had sex with was now helping me score my third.

When I didn't move, she took a step forward and gave me a firm kick to the back of my calf. "Ow!"

"I said move it, Drew," she growled.

"No wonder you're not a therapist anymore," I grumbled, stepping into the bar.

The noise ratcheted up a few notches. Low, chill music served as an undercurrent for the soaring sounds of anthros chatting, laughing--various animal noises from squawks to howls to neighs joining the soundscape.

Abeni wrapped her arm around me and led me to the bar. She plopped onto a backless stool next to me and waved down the bartender. Not the llama--or alpaca--from our first visit, but an owl with a white vest who threw a towel over his shoulder as he approached. He leaned against the counter, back partially to me. "Heya, Beni, how's tricks?"

"Nobody says that anymore, Lee." Abeni slapped the bar. "Mane Attraction for me."

Lee's head pivoted toward me, body not moving at all, neck craned past what I was used to in a human. Vaguely unsettling. "Uh, same?"

"He with you?" the bartender asked, not taking his eyes off me.

"Yep. Got me a pet hume. He does tricks, don'cha, hume?" Abeni grinned at me, flat equine teeth reflecting the warm overhead lights.

I just stared her down until both she and Lee burst out laughing. "Lemme get your drinks," he chuckled.

"Funny," I said to Abeni once the owl left. "Very funny."

"Ain't it just?" She swiveled on her stool and surveyed the bar. "Anything standing out to... Dude, you gotta look if you're gonna pick." She grabbed my shoulder and turned my stool so I was facing the sea of anthros seated throughout the bar.

I hadn't felt so out of place in a while. Even last time, when I'd come here alone, I had felt mostly unease. Now, with Abeni here to goad me, having me point out anthros to... It was clear I was out of my element.

Still, I indulged her, not wanting another hoof to the leg. There were so many people, not a single human--again, lone hume in a flock of anthros--I wasn't even sure where to start. I scanned left to right, an easy enough pattern.

At the far end ofThe Tipsy Tailwas a pack of coyotes. All guys, watching the TV and howling at the basketball game. Near them was a pride of lions, both male and female, all of them clearly paired up. Then a few spiders. Mixed group of water anthros--making me think of Kaya. More groups, a wide diversity of species, but all clearly together. Not good...targets. I flinched even thinking the word. I had never really been the guy to look at a woman and think to myself, or say to anyone else, "Damn, I'd tap that. She's hot!" Well, not thought it and actually considered acting on it, anyway.

Lee returned with our drinks, Abeni and I paid, and I went back to scouting, sipping my drink. Tequila, orange, and lime warmed my stomach and loosened my shoulders.

After surveying the main floor, I realized what a waste of time that had been. Everyone was with someone, why had I thought it would be good to look at booths and tables? So, I set my sights past Abeni, only a few stools between us and the door.

A lone raccoon sat a couple spots over, wearing a sleeveless black crop top and dark, high-waisted jeans with a small crossbody bag across her ample chest. Her cream-and-black ringed tail curled around her wide hips, her plush fur giving her a bit of a curvy, huggable, shapely figure. She had a glass of dark beer in one hand, swiping on her phone in the other, looking bored.

"Damn, dude," Abeni whispered. "Did your seal have tits like that?"

I cleared my throat, face flushing. "Kinda."

"Well? What're you waitin' for? She's not with anybody. She could use a stud." She tugged on my arm. "Hit on her."

"What do I say?" I hissed as I stood, walking very, very slowly toward the raccoon.

"Be funny? Witty? Awkward hume? Fuck should I know?"

"Helpful."

With a sigh, I strolled over to the woman, taking the seat beside her. Her gaze flicked my way for a second, dark eyes glittering within the black mask of fur on her face. "Hey there."

"'Sup, hume?" She controlled scrolling on her phone, but her tail uncoiled, flicking behind her.

"What're you drinking?" I figured it'd be a good placeholder while my brain scrambled to find some way to seem interesting and not at all anxious as all get out.

"Chocolate stout." She set down her phone and turned toward me, nose twitching as she appraised me. "So, what's up?"

"Oh, you know, just figured I'd, um, talk to you?" I kicked myself for making it a question.

"We're talkin'." She leaned forward a bit and whispered, "What're we talkin' 'bout?" Her tail caressed my leg as she leaned in, her hand briefly brushing my knee before she pulled back and tapped at her phone, seeming to lose interest.

"You, uh, I like your outfit." At least I didn't ask it as a question this time. But she was giving me majorly conflicting signals, and quite frankly, I sucked at this whole thing, so I really wasn't able to come up with much better.

"Look, hume, why don'cha just lay out where this is goin', hmm?" A note of irritation crept into her voice, but tinged with amusement as she turned back toward me, taking a sip of her beer. "You wondering if I'm DTF?"

Before I could answer, she held out a paw, waving me off. "Flirt game sucks, hume. Game over. Weo-weo-weo-whah-whah," she said, making the Pac-man death noise. "Come back when you got more quarters."

Damn. Brutal, but funny. Horrible combo to my self-esteem. "Well, it was, uh, nice meeting you."

"I bet."

I stood and went back to Abeni, who didn't even bother trying to hide her smile. "Not gonna lie, that was pretty fuckin' funny. I'll have to remember that one."

"Hilarious."

"You still got your wallet?"

"Wow. That's like... Just because she's a raccoon, she steals things? Isn't that..." I patted my jeans pocket, then let out a long breath. "One second."

I went back to the raccoon, who was at least trying to hide a huge grin as she pretended not to notice me.

"Can I have my wallet back?" I asked, jaw clenched.

With a deft flick of her wrist, she tugged my wallet from her bag and flopped it into the bar. "Too easy, hume, too easy. I was gonna give it back, FYI. Toodles," she added, waving me off again.

I checked for my phone and keys before I sat back down, just to be safe. This time, I had everything.

"You know her, don't you?" I accused Abeni.

"Not even a little." She patted my shoulder. "Proud of you for tryin', Drew. Now, let's see what else we got tonight."

I looked the other way, Abeni's muzzle hovering by my ear as I glanced down the long bar to the other side of the room.

A few seats down, a big lizard guy was chatting with a boa woman, her tail coiled under her, the spot roughly where her hip would be resting against the stool as she stirred a little umbrella in her drink, laughing softly at something he said.

"How about her?" Abeni asked, not so subtly pointing out the lamia.

"I'm not fighting a Komodo dragon," I said.

"Please. Monitor lizard, tops. He's like... Roughly the same size as you. You could totally take him," she teased. "Don'cha wanna get coiled in a sssssexy sssssnake?"

Both the monitor lizard and boa turned to look at us. I looked away, sipping my drink and feeling my face burn.

"Hey!" Abeni said brightly, waving at them. "How's it goin'?"

As they turned away, Abeni punched me in the arm. I flinched. "Ow. Stop hitting me."

"Stop bein' a lil' boy." She turned my seat around so I was forced to look down the rest of the bar. "Anything strike your fancy?"

Indulging her, I glanced beyond the scalies. A dove and a brightly colored bird girl were huddled close, staring at some papers. I could hear them talking but couldn't make out the words. After a moment, the dove scooped up the papers, slapped down a couple bills, and stormed off. The other bird sighed and sipped her drink, then looked our way. She cocked her head, then waved. I realized her arms were also her wings, a hand-like talon at the end.

"Pretty," Abeni whispered. "Go say hi."

"I dunno..."

Strong hands shoved me out of my seat. I stumbled forward and nearly bumped into the monitor lizard, who glared daggers at me.

"You lost, hume?" the snake snickered. "Forget how feet work?"

In my head, I came back with the witty retort, "At least I have feet." My filters, horrified, screamed at me not to say it, so I kept my mouth shut. I was always doing that, coming up with pithy remarks that probably would've been great zingers, but too afraid of the fallout to ever actually say them.

"At least he's got feet," Abeni called out.

Well, if I ever needed any incentive to go talk to the bird, it was getting away from the scalies about to kick Abeni's ass. As I hurried forward, both the boa and lizard burst out laughing. "Eat hay, stripes!"

"Wanna come to my barn? I got a mouse problem. You two seem perfect."

I had a feeling if I'd said that, things would've gone much, much differently. Anthro-on-anthro teasing was fine. Humans teasing anthros, very different. My kind had been teasing, oppressing, putting down, and marginalizing non-humans for God knew how long--hundreds of years, at least, probably thousands, tens of thousands even. It wasn't that long ago that an anthro who stepped out of place would find themselves strung up in the street for so much as coughing funny near a human.

Here in San Diego, it wasn't so bad, we had one of the largest anthro populations in the country--incredibly diverse, integrated, hardly anyone blinked twice if their server was a cat or their accountant a chimp. Other parts of the country, and in a lot of other countries, things were very different. Segregation, not-so-subtly veiled laws aimed at preventing equal treatment, demonization. Hell, in a few countries, it was perfectly legal to kill anthros with little to no provocation if you could claim religious affronts. God made man to rule over animals, they said, and anthros weren't any different from ferals. There were rumors, and I really hoped they were rumors, of some places that killed and ate anthros using that same justification.

Not that I had a problem with hamburgers. Although since hooking up with Abeni, meat did seem a little more...problematic. But, I mean, feral cows weren't minotaurs. They weren't conscious--not in the same way.

Why was I thinking about this now? Oh, to distract myself from the very awkward conversation I was about to have with a bird girl who was watching me approach as she sipped her drink.

"Hi," I said, taking a seat next to her. I resisted the urge to look back at Abeni. Didn't want to seem like she was the only reason I came over--for the truth to be so obvious.

"Oi," she said with a faint accent. It sounded vaguely Spanish, though not quite the type of Spanish I was accustomed to in the twelve years I'd lived here. Probably south of Mexico, but anything beyond that would have been a total guess. That, and she didn't useholaI was used to. "I didn't think you would come over, to be honest." She squinted past me. "Your friend looks pleased that you did, though."

I turned to see Abeni staring straight ahead, sipping her drink, very pointedly not looking our way.

The bird girl chirped, a high, rising sound that shifted into a series of cute, twittering laughs. "I think she is shy,né?"

"Definitely not shy," I snorted. Already, this was better than the raccoon by a mile.

When I turned back, I took stock of her. Short, vibrant, almost-neon green feathers ran from her forehead to her beak, down to her cheeks. Her throat had blue-purple feathers that shifted to a more brilliant baby blue from the top of her chest down into the depths of her floral print dress--a muted green with brightly colored flowers adorning it. The back of her dress stuck out a bit, long black tail feathers pointed toward the floor.

Her arms were covered in slightly longer feathers, black as night, the same color as the top and sides of her head, and everywhere else I could see that wasn't a brilliant splash of color. Her beak was a glossy black, short, the upper part with a gentle curve ending with a slightly sharp tip. Her eyes were yellow rings around large, dark pupils.

She had a slight figure, subtle curves, but more a lithe dancer vibe. Or, I realized, like a bird. Lightweight and sleek.

The area around her beak pulled into a slight smile, eyes crinkling. "I'm Tainá," she said, emphasizing the syllables as Tie-nah. She held out a talon facing down, like a queen of old awaiting her servants to kiss her ring.

"Enchanté," I said, taking her hand. Wow. How fucking stupid was that?

Apparently, very fucking stupid.

Abeni burst out laughing, and when I turned to glare at her, she was staring the other way, shoulders shaking, braying softly as she struggled to keep it in--one ear swiveled toward us.