“A lot of human humor,” D’jiin said, “is sexual in nature, and in the context of the remark ‘quality time’ was a term for—” He leered and winked at her.
S’leen wasn’t dumb, but it took her a moment to pick up on the innuendo. “But we didn’t do that!” she exclaimed indignantly. “And I bit him because of a silly comment he made, not because of…of—” This time she was the one embarrassed by the turn of the conversation.
“One thing you have to understand about our family,” Trudy Bond said, “is that Dad and Cory and I constantly set verbal traps for each other. It’s harmless fun and I guess it keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously.”
“It’s the predator in us,” D’jiin stated, smiling, “and even though I’m no longer one of that species I still enjoy it.” He looked at the two young humans, a serious expression suddenly clouding his alien features. “But that’s a remnant of a life that’s forever changed, so before you leave I’d like a few moments alone with each of you. Cory?”
The man and the male H’kaah stepped into the house and closed the heavy wooden door, leaving S’leen and Trudy Bond on the porch. “This all happened so damned fast, Son,” D’jiin said. “I…I never really got to ask you what you thought of…of S’leen. You know, no one can ever replace your mother—”
“That goes without saying, Dad, but knowing Mom the way we did, were she still alive she probably wouldn’t have been too understanding at finding her ex suddenly enamored with an overgrown female rabbit.” The young man grinned. “But I liked S’leen the first time I met her, and I like her even more now that we’ve become friends. In my book you’re damned lucky to have found someone like her, regardless of what she is. Hell, Dad, you’re ‘one of them’, now; it’s only natural that you’d marry her!”
“You’re not upset?”
“You’d have found me more than ‘upset’ if you’d dumped her after going through the change,” the young man said with a familiar edge to his voice. “Do you know she actually thought you’d do that; that’s part of what we talked about in Jane. I had to work damned hard to convince her that you weren’t that kind of person, but if you’d proved me wrong I’d have washed my hands of this whole situation.”
D’jiin smiled wryly. “I’m glad it didn’t come to that, Son, because I couldn’t have made it without you—hell, without all of you. I’m still kind of shaky about—” and he gestured to his dark-furred body, “—this, you know. As I stated on the porch, I never dreamed I’d wind up as…as a fur-covered alien. Look at all this hair, these huge ears and…and I’ve got a ridiculous TAIL for Christ’s sake! It hasn’t even been a week since, well, this happened, and I’m still spooked every time I look in a mirror and see—” What the young man saw was an unmistakable look of terror on the dark alien’s face. “Cory, s-sometimes I’m so damned scared I…I—”
“Dad,” the young man soothed, quickly gripping the H’kaah’s shoulders with powerful hands, “when I was a kid you taught me that fear can be a good thing if you use it to your advantage. You said that a person who goes through life never afraid is either not doing anything interesting or important, or he’s a damned fool.” Cory Ross smiled warmly at the person inside the alien skin, the person who raised him, the person he once called ‘Dad’—and despite the recent turn of events, still did. “I can’t picture you as either of those miserable people, Dad. Can you?”
After a few moments the terrified look faded from D’jiin’s face and he slowly shook his head, his ears swaying with the motion. “No, Son, I…I guess not. Thanks.” The two embraced, then Cory Ross walked out onto the porch and sent his sister inside.
“Hello, Kitten,” the black-furred, man-sized anthropomorphic rabbit gently said to the young woman standing, wide-eyed, just out of arms’ reach. “It’s been one helluva roller coaster ride this past week, hasn’t it?”
“Daddy?” she hesitantly ventured.
“Well, despite the homegrown fursuit and more than a few genetic differences we won’t go into right now,” he stated with a wry smile, “I guess, at least in private, I can still answer to that name.”
Trudy Ross hesitantly reached out a trembling hand, and D’jiin gently enfolded it into one of his dark-furred, non-human ones. “I keep thinking,” she slowly said, “that this is all a…a dream, and that soon I’ll wake up and find that I’m actually clutching one of my stuffed rabbit dolls.” She brought her other hand up and slowly stroked the thick, soft fur on the alien’s muscular chest. “Daddy, where did it all go wrong?”
“Sweetheart,” he replied, tears beginning to fill his large, pale gold-colored eyes, “it went wrong long before you and your brother were born. I was foolish enough to believe people I knew in my heart I should doubt, and I did things, horrible things, that have haunted my dreams ever since.” They moved closer together. “You see, ultimately…ultimately the responsibility of my actions resides on my shoulders. I bear the guilt, and now I have to deal with the consequences. What happened to me the night I was shot was, in a way, probably nothing more than…than delayed justice.” Tears were painting twin shiny stripes down the sides of his muzzle and dripping onto the floor. “I just thank God, whichever one He is, that S’leen wasn’t harmed, and that in the subsequent hospital attack nobody other than the intruder had a terminally bad day.”
The young woman had only seen her father cry one time before; the day her mother was buried. And while the creature before her in no way resembled Jack Ross, she had never doubted that everything Jack Ross was, stood locked inside the giant rabbit-like alien person whose hand she now clutched. Yet, for reasons she couldn’t put a name to at the moment, she had maintained an invisible barrier between D’jiin and herself. With a tearful, wordless sob that nevertheless spoke volumes, Trudy Bond rectified that situation.
D’jiin was rocked back on his heels by his daughter’s lunge to wrap her arms around him, but he wasted no time before returning the embrace. For a timeless moment she was twelve years old again and the family’s German shepherd dog, Wuff, had just died from a water moccasin bite. Trudy had cried the tears of a thousand frustrations then, knowing but not accepting that there was nothing that could have been done to save the beloved pet. Now that same bitter grief had returned, only this time it stemmed from losing both her mother and her father. She knew her grief was selfish, but she couldn’t hold it back, and her tears quickly soaked the thick, lush fur on D’jiin’s shoulder.
Several minutes passed while the young woman poured out her anguish, then as quickly as they had started the tears dried up.
“I…I’m s-sorry, Daddy,” she said, pushing herself away from him in embarrassment. “I don’t know w-what came over me. I’m—sorry.”
He gave her a warm smile as he released her hands. “It’s been a long time since you cried on my shoulder, Kitten. But it was all right then, and it’s perfectly all right now; that’s one thing in this crazy world that hasn’t changed. Soothing their daughters’ hurts is one of the main things daddies are good for.” His smile turned wry. “Even though a lot of years have gone by, even though I’ve been through a helluva change, I’ll always be ‘Daddy’ as long as my little girl wants me.”
She looked at him for a moment, then briefly hugged him again. “Regardless of what happens, Daddy, please don’t ever change that. Keep that the same and…and regardless of what happens, I’ll always be your little girl.” Then she grinned and wiped her eyes on her shirtsleeve.
“You know, Kitten,” he said with a strange expression on his face, “in one way we’re all really lucky.”
Trudy Bond looked at the black-furred alien, and she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.
After a good ten seconds passed and she didn’t say anything D’jiin leaned back against the wall and said, “When I lay dying in the hospital the most convenient body available to me was that of a good-looking male H’kaah. If it had been one of the other alien species we’ve discovered, things would have turned out a lot differently—and pr
obably a whole lot worse.”
“I still don’t understand what you’re talking about, Daddy.” Her expression backed up her words; she really didn’t have a clue.
“Humans get along exceptionally well with H’kaah,” he explained, “but imagine if I had wound up with a Mn’rii body. A lot of people aren’t comfortable around overgrown otters, Trudy. Regardless of how brainy or fun-loving they appear to be, they’re kin to weasels, and many people don’t like their wicked sense of humor—and don’t trust them. Also, humans don’t find them very cuddly. Or,” and he smiled slightly, “I could have wound up in the body of a Fruusk.”
She looked puzzled. “What…what is a Fruusk?” The man-sized black rabbit grinned just like her father had done countless times. Hell, she thought offhandedly, it’s time to admit that he IS my father and get on with it.
“Imagine,” he began, “a swamp rat the size of a great Dane dog—”
“I’ve never heard of such a creature. When were they discovered?” Her eyes narrowed. “Or is this one of your jokes?”
He laughed. “No joke, Kitten. We stumbled across a whole menagerie of alien species shortly after we found the H’kaah, but we felt some of them were too, well, too ‘controversial’ to showcase. The Fruusk fall into that classification due to their unsettling appearance, and their personalities pretty well mirror the way they look.”
Her confused expression told him that she had no idea what he was talking about. “If I’d wound up in the body of one of those,” he stated, grinning even wider, “you could have called me ‘Daddy Rat’ instead of ‘Daddy Rabbit’.” Her reaction wasn’t long in coming, and it was everything he’d hoped for.
She shuddered in revulsion, then squeaked, “A…a RAT rat? You mean, not a nice-looking rat-man along the lines of…of your current rabbit-man form?” He smiled, shaking his head. “Beady black eyes, naked tail, nasty yellow rat teeth—?” He nodded. “They’re not nice people like the H’kaah?” Again he shook his head, his ears wiggling with the motion.
“They flat-out stink, too,” he stated, wrinkling his pink-tipped nose. “But that’s not the worst of it,” he added. “I could have wound up with the body of a bird, or a reptile, or—”
“Enough!” she cried. “I get the message.” She looked contrite. “I’m glad that I still have you, regardless of how you look.”
“Just think,” he said with a cheerful smile, “this time next year you and Cory may be the first humans to have a baby bunny for a half-sibling. Won’t that be a hoot!”
Shortly after midnight a small Ross Chevrolet rental car containing Cory Ross and his sister droned out through the estate’s front gate, leaving D’jiin and his new bride standing alone on the front porch. The old neighborhood had quieted down for the night, and the loudest sounds nearby were the crickets and a pair of large owls hooting in the nearby trees.
“Dumb birds are probably debating on whether or not you and I are ‘fair game’,” D’jiin commented, peering into the trees in a futile attempt to spot the winged predators. “If one of them tries anything stupid, though, it’ll get one helluva surprise.” He brushed the waistband of his red satin shorts and a second later a sharp click came from his right hand, which had suddenly sprouted a small, wicked-looking knife. “I have my own ‘talon’, and if one of those hooters gets within reach I’ll lay it open from beak to butt-hole.”
S’leen looked at him in shock, but he only said, “Contrary to human belief, owls aren’t very bright. While they obviously can’t kill and eat an adult H’kaah, if they’re foolish enough to attack they can still inflict nasty wounds.” He waved the knife in their general direction, grinning evilly. “But unlike our rabbit cousins, I fight back.”
Several minutes later the two owls could be heard wisely heading toward the nearby salt marsh to find less dangerous prey. D’jiin flipped his hand and the knife, now refolded into a tidy package, disappeared back into the waistband of his shorts, then he used both of his powerful arms to enfold S’leen into a loving embrace. “Y’know,” he said wistfully, “maybe I was a little overly-critical about the human furries who yearn to live their lives as something other than what they are. Even if I hadn’t been critically wounded, I probably would have sought out the Mn’rii’s help before I’d have let you go back to the homeworld.” S’leen tickled his face with her ears and he murmured into them, “Ready for a little ‘bonding’, my love?”
She nuzzled his muscular chest, then not-so-lightly nipped one of his fur-covered nipples. “I was afraid you had forgotten,” she cooed after his scream died down.
“Damn!” he exclaimed, rubbing the offended morsel of flesh and scowling darkly at his new bride. “That’s not funny! Maybe I need to rethink this whole thing.”
S’leen blinked and stared wide-eyed at him for a long moment, then carefully said, “I…I’m sorry, D’jiin.” She hesitated, then added, “It’s just that, well, I’ve never m-made love to an H’kaah, and…and I guess I’m a little n-nervous.”
His scowl softened and he gently drew her to him. “We both already know a lot of what pleases the other,” he softly said, “and now that I’ve changed into something a lot more ‘comfortable’ for you,” he suddenly giggled at the thought, “we’ll both have some new things to learn.” He nuzzled her ears and rejoiced in their intriguing scent. “But one thing remains the same, Dear: Your teeth are very sharp, and while your ‘love nips’ don’t normally do damage to fur-covered skin I draw the line at being bitten in sensitive areas.” She looked at him and saw the steel lurking beneath his words. “Understand?”
“Yes,” S’leen replied, her expression solemn, then she nuzzled him under his chin. She sighed dreamily, then pressed herself against him, holding him tightly with her arms. Moments later she discovered that the effects of the taoe root had worn off as she felt the pressure of his rising erection against her lower belly. A moment later she felt something else.
D’jiin had slipped a hand in between his body and S’leen’s, and before she could react to it he pressed firmly against her bladder. She squealed and jumped away, chittering at him in indignation. “We’re getting ahead of the game, Dear,” he said, laughing. “We both had Champaign, punch and sodas at the reception, and I think we’d both be happier if we started this after a visit to the potty.” He nodded toward the front door of the house, then looked toward the garden. “The little girls’ room is yours, Lover. Now that we’re alone I intend to go ‘water’ some plants.”
S’leen stood on the porch and watched D’jiin bounce down the steps. Once clear of the porch he quickly shed his shorts, then grinned over his shoulder. “I don’t mind if you watch, but if you try to help it’ll only complicate things.” She laughed, then turned and went through the door. A few minutes later she rejoined her new husband, who was by this time slowly strolling along a flagstone path in the flower garden.
“You only ‘watered’ the rosebush near the porch, D’jiin,” she cooed, running her fingers through the thick golden hair around the base of his ears. “What about all the rest of your flowers?
“How did you know—?” he began, but then answered his own question with, “I forgot; we scent mark even when we don’t intend to.” He suddenly stopped walking and faced her, a concerned expression on his face. “Here I am once again in my birthday suit, yet the prettiest flower in my garden is still wrapped up in this…this clothing. Is there something wrong?”
She danced around him, saying, “I just thought you might like to undress your new bride for the first time.” She twirled in close and he captured her in his powerful arms. S’leen looked up at him, then twisted in his embrace to present her back to him. “Do you think you can manage things this time, or do you still need help?”
He laughed and nuzzled the nape of her neck, saying, “Actually, I have much more trouble with buttons and snaps now that I have these pointy little claws instead of proper, human-style flat nails. This may take a little time, and I’m warning you—I might be clumsy.�
�� To punctuate that remark he poked her in the ribs with a claw-tipped finger, which caused her to jump and squeal. Then he carefully reached a hand around and lightly pinched a satin-clad nipple, and got a louder, angrier reaction. “Oops! I forgot—the top’s fastened on the back side.” He then pinched a cheek of her firm rump, which caused her to jump out of his embrace and singe the air with invective. “All this jumping and cursing— ” he stated mock-seriously, his arms held out beseechingly. “Is this normal for H’kaah females on their wedding night? I’m so confused.”
S’leen stood facing him, carefully out of reach, and the look of indignant fury on her face was a wonder to behold. Then she realized that not only was he teasing her, he was paying her back for an ill-placed nip, and doing it in a manner that would get her attention.
Like a needle-pricked balloon, her fury instantly deflated, and she smiled. “You promised me a life together that would not be boring,” she said, “and I see now that you believe in keeping your word.” S’leen slowly approached him, then turned and again presented her back. D’jiin grasped her shoulders with both hands and gently drew her to him, and they stood spoon-fashion for a time, not speaking yet saying countless non-verbal things to each other.
In time he slowly stepped back far enough from her to reach the decorative bow on her halter top, which parted with a soft hiss of fabric. The cloth momentarily clung to her fur-covered breasts but with a flick of a wrist he whisked it away. After a smooth stroke of his hands across her erect nipples, which caused her to momentarily shiver, he reached behind her upraised tail and deftly unsnapped her shorts. S’leen remained motionless, and the shorts clung to her furry hips and rump, refusing to drop. D’jiin gently turned her around to face him, and he found a strangely alert, yet serenely calm expression on her face.
Taking her face in both hands, he gave her a long, passionate human-style kiss, which quickly had her clinging to him like a second furry skin. In time, when they both came up for air, he pulled slightly away from her and quickly dropped to his knees, then he slowly skinned the satin shorts down her legs and held the fabric while she hopped out of them. When he stood she noticed that more than his sleek, muscular body was erect. “This time,” he gently rumbled, “there’s no reason to stop.”
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