Sonja gazed thoughtfully at the strange glass box, notepad and pen in hand. Scott needed to go to work, apparently a type of work that she could not join him in at the moment. So, she would be alone for a few hours. His suggestion to watch television and take notes seemed reasonable, as in his own words 'it might show her the truth of this world'.

She flinched back slightly when the glass box flared to life, brilliant light and sound shining forth in riotous splendor. The tiny little people who appeared before her were quite dedicated to whatever it was that they were talking about. Sonja tilted her head to the left and then back to the right. What exactly was a Kardashian, and why should she care? From what she could discern, it was some sort of popular hunting target. People brought little paintings of the Kardashian from far and wide. It all seemed rather pointless, but there must be some reason behind the wasted time.

The little man on the screen shouted, "I'm a lawyer!" and then the current crop of people disappeared. “How strange...” she said thoughtfully. What did a lawyer have to do with the hunt for the Kardashian?

Sonja blinked then leaned forward when the new crop of people disappeared and were then replaced by yet more people. “What’s this then?” she asked curiously.

“Oh hi boys, do you fail to measure up to your partner’s expectations?” asked the scantily clad woman in the talking glass box.

“Don’t worry, try Penis Envy and you’ll will be the envy of the neighborhood,” said the woman before she cooed at a strange hand-pump shaped device.

Sonja’s left eyebrow rose up. “I wonder what that was about?” Somehow, she felt dirty, and a little saddened by the sight of that strange device.

The penis envy girl disappeared and several more people popped up. Frenetic music began to play in the background, and they started to gyrate and dance in a bizarre manner. Sonja could not fathom the purpose of whatever it was that she currently saw, but the people seemed happy. That was nice. Another set of people appeared; they seemed to be some sort of giant dancing rodents who knew how to drive a car.

Sonja envied those rodents. They were legally allowed to drive a car, but she could not do so. It was the epitome of unfair in her opinion. "But... what is a Party Rock, and why do they shuffle?"

She added her questions to her notes and continued to watch television. In truth it currently provided more questions than answers.

The next thing to appear was a man in a black outfit who sat behind some sort of desk. He spoke in an earnest tone that made her want to pay attention. Little screens popped up next to him as he spoke about what seemed to be national events.

“In recent days rumors of strange animal sightings have led to a startling discovery,” said the darkly-attired man. "A photo taken hours ago in the Nevada desert has made headlines."

An image appeared onscreen, one that Sonja did not recall having seen before. It was a massive shark-like creature with legs. The image was taken mid-run as it chased after a nearby jeep.

"The photo has been deemed a hoax. The Federal Wildlife Office claims to have received no notice of such a creature, nor has any local police agency. Rumors that the photo were acquired before the fleeing victims could contact authorities, and the dire implications of such a statement, are considered to be false," said the news anchor. His grim expression suddenly morphed into a warm and friendly visage. "Now on to Wendy Dawson and the Carolina Chili Report! Take it away Wendy!"

Sonja squinted at the strange mannerisms of the man, but chose to continue to listen when Wendy began to gush on and on about how good the weather was for a chili cook-off and how Raleigh residents should come on down.

More information continued to pour in as several other people appeared. They reported on apparently important events around the state and local area. She felt as though she had learned a great deal about current events by the time his earnest voice trailed off and a woman appeared on the little glass box.

“Is there a real life superhero living in North Carolina?” asked the earnest, but younger, man.

“Superhero?” asked Sonja. What might that be?

The earnest seeming man continued to address the possibility of a superhero existing. Sonja listened carefully as he described a woman in a red outfit who seemed to be able to appear and disappear at will. They even went live on the scene of the strangely garbed woman’s most recent sighting.

“Excuse me, can you tell us about the woman in red?” asked a woman with pretty hair. Sonja liked the way that it shined in the light. How had she managed that effect? She would have to look into it later.

An older woman who wore some strange sort of cap and had her hair rolled over small cylinders spoke up, “That bitch be crazy!”

The news anchor tried her best not to react but the way the woman shouted that out was too comical to resist. However, she managed to reign in her impulse at the last moment and asked seriously. “How so?”

“Well, there were a bunch of them boys who won’t stop walkin’ through my back yard over by the sto’. You know the one got robbed just now,” said the woman.

“Yes. Go on,” said the onsite reporter.

“Now, don’t rush ma honey. Anywa’ them boys were there and then I heard a gunshot. It won’t long befo’ the police showed up, no lot long ’tal,” said the older woman. "Which, that's a miracle 'n of itself 'round here-uh."

The reporter listened attentively while her eye witness continued her story. She spoke of how the police arrived and the boys inside took the people in there hostage. They were at a standoff for a few minutes.

“Then what happened?” prompted the reporter.

“Well, wouldn’t you know it? That crazy bitch just sort of came out of nowhere and started kicking the crap out them boys,” said the woman.

“Weren’t they armed, though?” asked the reported in confusion.

“Abs’lutely they was. I couldn’t see too much cuz I didn’t wanna die, right? But, I used my binoculars that I have for keeping watch ‘roun here-uh to look through the winda down there,” she said.

“So, she took out four armed men?” asked the reporter.

“Yes ma’am she sho’ did, and did it like they were nothin’. Makes me wonder what kind of crack she was on, cuz nobody moves like that,” said the eye witness. "No lawd Jesus, they don't."

The reporter asked her more about that and the woman just shook her head. She said, “I tol’ ya that bitch be crazy.”

The reporter turned back to the camera. “You heard it live here folks. Back to you James.”

Sonja nodded. She did not know exactly what she had just heard, but apparently a superhero was someone who stopped robberies and may not be quite right in the head.

Her stomach rumbled and she looked down at it like it was a traitor. “I just fed you, a lot.”

Her tummy made a gurgling noise that sounded like it had whimpered. It was ever so hungry.

She sighed softly then stood up from the couch and headed toward the refrigerator. Sonja opened it up and then leaned forward and looked inside. She bit her lower lip then casually canted her hips to the left and then to the right. “Hmmm...?”

The hungry Valkyrie pulled out an overly large cucumber. She gazed upon it thoughtfully for a moment. Her eyes widened slightly then a soft blush crossed her cheeks. Her eyebrow arched soon after, followed by a mildly amused expression.

She returned the vegetable to its former location then sought out something else. Eventually, she took out a few slices of ham and cheese.

She set about making a sandwich not long after, and soon her mission to create a light snack had come to an end. She had a long night of learning ahead of her. Scott claimed that he was only supposed to be gone for a few hours, but he might be stuck working until closing time. He could be back late.

"He... could be late?" she asked the empty house. Slowly, her eyes drifted back towards the refrigerator. Her previous blush returned followed by a slight giggle. "Well then..."

While Sonja contemplated certain, possibilities, Scott arrived at work. The chill wind of unending despair slithered through his body like a horrific serpent. He gazed upon the Archers sign and fought down the involuntary shudder that he felt every time he came to work. This place, it was a fountain of evil. Nothing good and pure could come from such a terrible place.

Scott sighed loudly then walked into the building. Life had been so much better when he had been free of the place, even groping around in the underground darkness while fending off zombies was better than a day at work.

Erin ran over to him the moment he entered. “Scott! You’re alive.”

“Yeah, it seems so. I’d hate to think that I died and this is my eternal reward,” he said in a strangely serious tone.

She laughed loudly at what she imagined to be a joke, then grinned at him. “I know, right. Are you taking over? Please say, yes?”

“Sorry, I’m working with Ashton today,” he said.

“Huh? Why?” Erin stared at Scott suspiciously. She could have understood a cashier shift, or even cart attendant. He even pulled hardlines now and then, or worked in the backroom. He had never come in specifically to spend his entire shift working with the boss before. This had to be something good! Certain rumors could not be denied after all.

“I don’t know. She wanted me to come in, but said the front-end was covered,” said Scott.

“Yeah, by me. Bigness did not come in again today,” said Erin. Her expression shifted as soon as she finished speaking. Something about him seemed, different. Had he lost weight? He was still a bit chubby, but it seemed that there was a little muscle underneath the result of all of those happy meals.

“Why? She sick?” asked Scott.

“Nah, she found a job over at Rooster Doodles that pays fifty cent more an hour and she doesn’t have to deal with customers,” said Erin.

“Ah, good for her,” said Scott. It was nice to know that someone had made it out of this hell alive.

"So, Scott..." began Erin, "Have you been working out—"

She was cut off by the timely outcry of their boss lady, “Scott!”

The duo turned to see the store manager waving spastically at him while she wore a bright and overly cheerful smile. “Hey,” said Scott lightly in response.

Ashton practically sprinted to their location then greeted him once more, her smile even brighter than before. “Hi--yee” she said in a soft and still somehow excited tone.

“Yeah, hi again...” replied Scott in a slightly disturbed tone of voice. She was clearly far too happy to see him. Nothing good could possibly come of it.

Erin’s left eyebrow rose into the air. A slight smirk crossed her lips. Oh, there was definitely something good going on here. She could just feel it.

The store manager gripped her clipboard tight and held it to her chest. “So, you’re mine today, Huh?”

“Yep, do with me what you will,” said Scott with as much cheer as he could muster while he was at work.

Ashton’s eyes widened and her nostrils flared. She responded with a strangely throaty laugh, “Oh, I think I will.”

Erin glanced over at the dollar item shelf nearby and saw Kenna motioning for her to come over. She walked over to the pharmacy clerk and the blond girl pulled her around the corner.

“What’s going on over there?” Kenna asked curiously.

“Beats me, but it is definitely weird,” said Erin. "And possibly good."

The girls blinked then repositioned themselves so that they could look around the end of the shelf. They bore witness to Scott backing away from Ashton a little while the store manager leaned forward to invade his personal space. Their heads tilted slightly in perfect synchronization. Each of them acquired an expression of wide-eyed surprise when Ashton started to sniff at him.

An incomprehensible series of expression crossed the boss lady's face before her eyes widened and her face reddened. Her lips lightly parted and she began to breathe in a slightly heavier manner.

Scott laughed nervously then raised his hands as though he intended to fend her off. However, to the surprise of everyone but the culprit, Ashton reached up and took his hands in hers.

“Come on, Scott. Let’s get you on the clock. I have need of your services,” said Ashton, before she pulled on him with greater strength than her frame should allow.

He looked around wild-eyed for a moment as she dragged him off. What exactly had he gotten himself into now?

Kenna and Erin blinked in unison then turned their heads to look at each other. Still in perfect synch they both said, “Did I just see that?” followed by a strange mutual sigh and another perfectly synchronized statement, “I just saw that...”

“Hey, Kenna. What are you doing here anyway?” asked Erin.

The pharmacy clerk laughed a little then shook her head. “Oh, no reason. I’m just on lunch.”

Erin smirked lightly. “Right, it had nothing to do with Scott coming in to work today.”

Kenna flashed her engagement ring at Erin then snorted. “No, that’s not the reason. I’m just taking lunch.”

“He didn’t even bring you a sandwich, huh?” asked Erin. Her smug smile shifted into a knowing grin when Kenna winced a little.

Kenna frowned at her then sighed. “No, he didn’t.”

While the engaged girl continued to lament her lack of a free lunch, Scott was currently in a decidedly more interesting situation.

Ashton wiggled her posterior slightly while she reached under her desk to get the pen that she had dropped. Scott stared at her ass. It would seem either entirely appropriate or inappropriate to do so, depending on an individual's morality, but this situation had nothing to do with morality. It had everything to do with something that Scott began to notice as his boss lady dragged him along to the time-clock previously.

Just above her ass there was a weird fuzziness to the air, like a barely seen distortion. The same was true of the top of her head, but he could not see that at the moment. Was he seeing things?

After a while she sighed gently then pulled her arm back and looked up at Scott hopefully. Her back arched in a way that was almost ridiculous in its curvature she pleaded with her eyes. “I can’t reach it, Scott. Can you help me?”

“Sure...” he said in a slow, deliberate, manner. The guarded nature of his tone seemed entirely lost on her. Ashton merely moved to the side a little then looked at him expectantly, her back still carrying that ridiculously oversexualized arch.

Scott tore his eyes away from vaguely lewd position, mostly to avoid the possibility of his stupid voices speaking up, and knelt down. A soft rustling noise reached him and he looked over to her. He noted that she was far too close to him and the button-down top that she wore no longer buttoned all the way to the top.

He spared a quick professional glance at the heavenly valley that was presented. It would be rude not to look, right?

Scott felt a little uncomfortable in the position, but she seemed determined to get her pen back and he was on the clock. He had no issue with staring at boss cleavage while being paid to do it, though he did wonder at her motivation for acting like this and the surprising lack of voices in his head at the moment.

As he leaned forward a strange scent caught his attention. He blinked twice then actually had to force himself not to immediately look at her again. A quick glance might be considered polite, but openly staring would be rude.

Scott leaned down then stretched his hand under the desk. He could not quite reach the pen so he was forced to lean down further. Eventually, he had his head on the floor but his butt was up in the air like Ashton’s had been earlier. He could feel the pen, but he could not quite reach it yet.

Suddenly, he heard a loud sniffing noise and felt pressure against the crack of his ass. His eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, he pulled back then looked toward the origin of the strange sensation. He witnessed Ashton making a concerted effort to continue to nuzzle her nose into a place that no sane person would nuzzle with their nose.

Scott casually asked, “Are you digging for gold in an oil well?”

Ashton made a strange*yip* noise then pulled her head back and stared at him, mortified. “Did I really just...?”

“Yep,” said Scott. "Any deeper and you might have fallen in and got lost."

She leaned back and sat on her heels. “I’m sorry... I...” she began to say. However, that wonderful scent began to influence her once more. Her lips parted gently then her mouth opened wider. She began to pant softly, but soon swallowed hard. She glanced down at Scott’s manly posterior then shook her head to try and clear her senses.

He sat up then turned toward her. He started to ask her what was wrong, but the scent of her strange perfume entered his awareness once more. It was a tantalizing aroma that made him start to feel strange. There was also another subtle scent underneath it that he began to notice that smelled vaguely like a puppy.

Ashton looked at Scott and her lips parted. Her eyes narrowed gently and her breathing began to come in short pants. “S-sorry...”

Her eyes widened once more when she felt her body begin to change. “No, no.... not now!”

She reached for the top of her head, but it was too late. Cute little triangular ears had already risen up and fluffy tail had hopped out of the back of her pants.

“No-ooo,” she wailed loudly then wrapped her arms tightly around her body and looked away.

Scott was a bit surprised by her sudden change to say the least, but he quickly moved past it. He had a certain secret of his own anyway, and frankly if what he saw was a similar situation it explained a great deal about her behavior. He certainly had strange mannerisms of his own to deal with at times.

He reached out and placed a hand to her shoulder. “You alright, Ashton?”

She blinked softly then turned to look at him with a wide-eyed expression of surprise. “Huh?”

Scott squeezed her shoulder gently. “You seem upset, so I figured I’d ask.”

“You’re not... You’re not freaking out at all about me?” she asked. How could he not be freaking out right now? She had a tail and fox ears! Not to mention her ridiculous porn-star boobs!

“Should I be?” he asked curiously.

Her eyes began to shimmer softly then she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. Scott knelt on the floor for a while as the fox girl held him tight and cried gently. Somehow, he had asked the exact right question.

Scott blinked when he felt something soft and wet begin to caress the side of his neck. Ashton whimpered cutely then gently licked him once more before she pressed her nose against his ear and made a soft little whine. Her fluffy tail rose up slightly. The scent from before increased in intensity, so much so that he began to feel a sense of growing tension within himself.

The voices, those dread harbingers of hateful debasement began to shout inside his mind, but surprisingly the strangeness also began to drown them out. The more of that intoxicating scent that he drew in with each breath, the less of the voices that he was able to hear.

He found his hand rising up of its own will. It was as though he were possessed in that moment, but at the last second he regained a semblance of control and veered it further upward. He placed it gently on the back of her head then lightly caressed her there. She whimpered once more and he slowly began to stroke her hair, like a good puppy.

Ashton's tail shifted from side to side for a moment before she released a soft sigh and snuggled into him. She had finally found the thing she had wanted for days, a place to feel safe and warm again, someone whom she could trust, even with her ridiculous secret.

Scott continued to softly stroke her hair but his eyes darted to the left and then back to the right before they settled into a position that allowed him to gaze straight ahead. How did he get himself into situations like this?

The odd perfume that Ashton exuded continue to invade his senses. Soon, he lost control of his other hand. Unbeknownst to him, it slid along her back and down to her ass. She gasped softly against his neck, as his hand slipped down until they found the hole in her pants where her tail was allowed to pop free. Held in place by a specially made snap, the back of her pants were soon free.

She gasped loudly as his questing fingers maneuvered down between the cleft of her ass cheeks then lightly caressed her most intimate of areas.

His eyes widened to their fullest extent, but there was something odd about his eyes. The voices screamed inside his head, but it was as though he could not hear them. The iris of one eye opened its opened wide, while the other contracted to the tiniest of pinpricks.

"Scott..." whispered Ashton in a lustful tone. Her drenched maidenhood pressed hungrily toward his casually questing fingers.

He did not hear her. In that moment, he heard nothing but the rush of blood in his ears and the pounding his chest. A low growl escaped his lips as his human sensibilities began to fall away entirely.

In that moment his base instincts, ones that even a celestial dragon still held, began to awaken. His vision clouded by a haze of lust and bestial instinct he took in the sight of her golden hair and the way that she clung to him. His fingers pressed strongly against her sex then lightly invaded her sweetest of places just a little.

Ashton cried out softly and tried to climb completely on top of him, but she could get no closer. Scott saw the shimmer of gold in her hair once more then pulled her head close and growled out a warning to any who might hear, though no one was around to do so. "My gold."

The pinprick pupil widened all the way out, even as the pupil that was originally open all the way shrunk to a pinprick. The golden treasure was his, no one else could have it.

Ashton began to pant softly as she rubbed her chest against his chest. Her ears flattened back, even as her face became bright red. "T-this smell," she whispered to him before she licked the side of his neck one more. "Can't stop myself..."

Scott growled, almost angrily, while he continued to caress her drenched maidenhood. The voices screamed at the top of their non-existent lungs, but they were nothing in that moment. Only one thing mattered. His treasure. No one else could touch his treasure.

His growl intensified. He slid two fingers into her hot, wet, mound and he rumbled out an aggressive fact, "Mine."

Ashton cried out ecstatically, never knowing that she had become part of a dragon's golden treasure hoard. In that moment, she would have welcomed it. He could claim any damned thing he wanted in that moment, and she would have willingly given it.

Had a voice not warbled loudly over their walkie-talkies, they might well have stayed like that all evening. It took a moment for the spell to be broken, but the pink atmosphere alleviated just enough for Ashton to realize that she was being addressed. Someone demanded to speak with the manager.

"S-Scott—" she whimpered, as his fingers continued to lay claim to his treasure. "I have to go."

"Mine," he said hotly.

Ashton gasped a little as the speed of his moving fingers increased. "We, Scott... I... please?"

She drew back from him a little and looked into his eyes. Gone was the face of the goofy employee she knew. In place of the former Scott there was a man who held an expression of absolute intensity. Her sweetly invaded maidenhood clenched spastically from the mere sight of such an aggressive expression. Her thoughts began to cloud over once more, but the walkie-talkie warbled into life.

"I have to go!" she cried weakly, just before her tongue lolled out of her mouth and she began to pant loudly.

"Mine," said Scott in an imperious tone.

She clenched around his fingers once more, just before a spasm shot through her lower body. "Oh, god..." she cried softly.

"Yes," he said, his expression intense and his eyes narrow.

Ashton blinked slowly then looked down at him. What had he meant by that?

Scott leaned forward and stared into her eyes. "Mine."

"Yes, yours," she replied through panted breaths. "I n-need to go right now, though."

She wriggled away from him a little and then began to reapply her glamor. Scott stared at her with his ridiculously intense expression for a moment, but it soon began to fade. Her glamor in place, the scent that she exuded began to lessen.

Ashton, still resting above his thighs, looked down at him in shocked surprise. "Scott... We, I—"

He blinked at her then blithely reached up and grabbed her breasts. "Mine," he said, though with far less intensity than before. The scent of her was not out of his system.

She moaned sweetly for a brief moment, but then suddenly shook her head. She lightly placed her hands to his wrists then sighed out a soft, sweet, moan. "Why do we have to be at work right now?"

His thumbs lightly circled her nipples while he looked into her eyes, his expression becoming gentle. "Mine..."

Ashton bit her lower lip, "S-Scott... I never knew you were like this," she whispered.

"We'll talk about this soon, alright?" she whispered.

She drew back from his grasping hands then tried her best to tidy herself. Thankfully, she kept a spare pair of pants for emergencies, as the ones that she wore now were completely soaked.

He looked up at her from his seated position on the floor. "Mine."

Her nostrils flared slightly and she offered him a sweet smile. "I have to get back to work."

He watched her leave, but politely shut the door behind herself. Scott drew his hand up and began to sniff at the scent of her sex. Clearly not quite in his right mind, he continued to sit there until the automatic lights went out. He had not moved enough to cause them to consider anyone to be in the room.

A loud snuffling sound echoed through the room briefly, just before two bright red orbs appeared in the dark. Scott eyes shined brightly in their dread nature. "Mine," he said softly in the darkness.