It was roughly a week before the anniversary of that first romantic day together. They had known each other for a long time before, and had gotten closer still after, but they both agreed that was the day their relationship changed from just a friendship, so that was the anniversary they decided to celebrate. Jake had been working hard since the last thaw of winter to make everything perfect, and keep things secret from Val. He had traded a full set of his home-made chef knives, and 2 of 3 deer he caught to the best cook in town for them to professionally prepare the 3rd as the main dish of a romantic dinner. He also had a special gift in mind. The gift was a pair of leather arm bands. One band was silver, the other was a darker red, which the town seamstress had informed him was called “carmine”. He also hired the seamstress to embroider both with a chain like pattern in a matching gold thread. He had gotten the 2 bands enchanted with 3 special abilities. The first allowed the 2 bands to know the location, and current state of each other’s wearer. The second let the two wearers communicate if they so wished. The third enhancement was the lycanbound enchant which would let the bands be useable no matter the form, whether visible or not.

The night of their anniversary arrived. Val still had to tend to the shop all day, but Jake had nothing else pressing to do. He had the matching bands in a box by the table, and the chef arrived and had set up the candle lit dinner table with the food, just in time to sneak out the back door as Val came in the front, and Jake slid into his human form. He hastily pulled on his formal blue pants and shirt over his usual brown shorts, and had sat down when Val in her usual hybrid form came in looking confused.

“Jakey? What’s all this?” she asked surprised.

“Happy Anniversary my love!” Jake replied standing and approaching her for an embrace and a kiss. “I have dinner ready for us” he added pulling out her chair for her.

“Why thank you Jakey” she replied pleasantly surprised at the romantic atmosphere, and chivalry the werehare was showing. She had to admit, she had been a little cold to him recently. It wasn’t his fault he was more in sync with his animal than she. There was a rumor that herbivores were easier to connect to than carnivores. She still couldn’t always hold back her jealousy and resentment that he had already ranked up his animal and she was nowhere close despite her years of head start. That was no reason to be withdrawn from him. She forgave him, for the action she recognized was not against her, and for the first time in almost a month, and saw him for the man she knew he was. As such, she couldn’t help but excrete a certain smell she knew his high perception could pick up on. Realizing what she had done made a red patch light up even her elven form’s cheek. Seeing her blush, as well as smelling her seductive scent, made him react ever so slightly in the way she wanted, and made him aware she had forgiven him and that it would probably be a very happy anniversary, and she didn’t even know the final surprise. After they ate the masterfully prepared deer steaks, scalloped potatoes, and red wine which made both their cheeks equally flush, it was time to present his gift.

He stood and retrieved the box from beside the table and walked around to where she sat. He unlatched it, and before her widening eyes opened the box. She looked in the box, and saw the bands laid out, and couldn’t stop the tears running down her cheeks.

“Oh, Jakey. Do you mean to say, what I think this means?” the elf just barely squeeked out.

“Yes, my love. Will you marry me?”

“Absolutely!” she said reaching out to him to kiss him before reaching into the box. To his surprise, she grabbed not the red band which would match her, but the silver which would match his rabbit hair and attached it to her right arm. Seeing his confusion, she smiled and added she wanted the piece of him to resemble him.

He had spent weeks secretly investigating the ins and outs of lycanthrope and elvish society customs and had come to one conclusion that fit his intentions in both. The connected bands were an accepted lycanthrope symbol for 2 connected people. The decorations of the golden chain were a clear representation of the golden chains elves use to show engagement. He had even combined in some of the customs of the human society in bringing this night together. Even if the elves partially accepted it, the petals around their candle lit bed room were initially a human romance gesture that he thought tonight would be the perfect time for. And as her new fiancé carried her in, Val had to agree this really completed the mood. Which is why she tightened her arms that had been around his neck and kissed him deeply as he lay her on the bed.

She wouldn’t let him pull away and just kept her tongue around his as pushed by the effect of the alcohol, they slid into their passion. She released him, smiled seductively, and continued the kiss as she started unbuttoning his shirt. He in turn stroked and groped her ample bosom, running his thumb along the top edge of her top until finally reaching the clasp in the middle. As the red grab burst releasing the globes beneath, Val in turn reached up and pulled Jake’s shirt off his back. Jake bent over his beloved and began investigating her breast and hard nipples with his tongue. As he pulled off her skirt however, she asked him to wait. His curious glance was met by a smile that changed from hybrid back to elven form.

Almost two hours later Val was happily snoring with her head on Jake’s chest and her arm giving his a mostly silent embrace. Jake on the other hand was awake, but just as happily reflecting on the events of the evening. He was pondering over one event in particular. Roughly 30 minutes in, Jake had found himself on top of Val. They were both in their basic humanoid forms. Val was panting heavily in rhythm to Jake’s pounding of her insides. He already felt like he was up against her rear wall, as he dove balls deep into her, but her body language heavily implied she wanted him to get deeper still. Jake could only think of one way to do that, and started sliding into hybrid. It started with a tail and spread down his legs letting his thrusts start slamming the head of the bed into the wall. As the transformation made its way upward, Jake felt himself getting both wider and longer, much to the thrill of his partner whose enjoyment and volume both went way up. What confused him however, was that as the fur spread over his torso changing his sagging tire into a six pack he couldn’t help notice Val’s hole got deeper. Her bush also became closer to fur and slowly spread across her own stomach. Before long, Jake found himself groping and fucking her hybrid form. However, judging by the lack of focus in her eyes, drool starting to leak from the corners of her mouth, not to mention her nipples starting to lactate, she was in no fit state to will her body to do anything, let alone change shape. How did she transform? She came around not long after, after her body had finished its third of many orgasms for the night, and they enjoyed every combination of humanoid and hybrid forms as many times as they wanted before Val finally succumbed to her exhaustion. Oh well, this wasn’t a question Jake could easily answer, and didn’t think the answer would be useful even if he could. The main thing he could do now was relax and try to get some sleep. Unfortunately, every time he tried to clear his mind, he found it occupied by the beautiful elf lying beside him. After a while of slowly rubbing her back, he finally succumbed to the darkness hoping for slumber.

But Jacob was still a long way from dreaming.

He found himself in the middle of a grassy meadow. Off to the left Jake saw what looked like the edge of a forest. Between him and the trees, was a stump that not only looked like a chair, looked like it would be soft if Jake were to sit on it. To the right was a clear pond. Looking down at his still nude form, Jake saw rather than the slight curves of his usual human form, the muscular form of his hybrid body, complete with his stronger leg muscles, and more filled out member, but lacking the silver fur that usually covered this body.

"What's going on? Where am I?" Jake wondered aloud.

Good Questions came a familiar voice from inside his head. We’ve never been here, but it seems familiar somehow. I wonder…

Without any additional warning, Jake’s stomach started churning. He truly thought he was going to be sick. However, rather than bile raising up from his stomach, ripples started forming on his stomach. Finally, with the feeling of being kicked in the stomach, a large silver rabbit leapt from Jake’s torso sending him stumbling backwards.

I thought as much said the rabbit leaping up and sitting on the stump. We’re in some sort of mindscape.

“Mindscape?”

A landscape inside of a mind. Like where we first met. Best name I could think of for it. However, unlike that one, this one doesn’t feel like you. Additionally, despite us being here we can’t change anything here. Are we in someone else’s mind? If so, who? And how?

“I don’t know how. If I did, you would too. As for who, the only conclusion that makes sense is if its”

“Jakey?” came a voice from everywhere and nowhere.

Jake looked around looking for the source of the voice of his beloved. It could only be her voice, but where was she? Almost as if in response to his confusion, Val’s nude elven form appeared from between 2 trees. That is not to say she turned a corner and emerged from where she was hiding behind a tree, she literally materialized in the gap between the trees. While she was in her elven form, there were some small changes in her. She seemed slightly taller, and slimmer, yet at the same time, her ass and breasts were closer in size to what they were as a hybrid. Infact, unless he was mistaken, they became even more like the hybrid when she saw him looking. While a selfish part of him appreciated it, the part that cares so deeply about Val couldn’t help but be concerned she changed herself to what she thought he liked.

“VAL?” Flopsy and Jake exclaimed together.

“Of course, but what are you doing here? And how are you both an animal and human at once? What’s happening?”

“You know how Master Bear wanted us to search for out inner animals? This is mine. As for what’s happening, and how we’re here, we have no idea. Do you know where this is?”

“Of course!” Val stated walking over to gently pet Flopsy between the ears. Oddly enough, Jake felt it as if he was the rabbit on the stump… although, as it was a part of him, he guessed he shouldn’t be surprised. Still the whole situation confused him. “This is where I go to try to meet mine. It, or I suppose it would be she, has never appeared though. Oh! I know! You did it correctly! You can tell me what I’m doing wrong! Right?”

Jake took a closer look around. It did indeed look like a place to meet a small woodland creature, at least that’s what Jake thought at first. After all, it looked close to what Jake himself imagined the first time with a few differences, like the longer grass and lack of vegetables. Still he thought he could point her in the right direction.

“Well, you’re close, but I think you made the same mistake I did initially. The idea isn’t to think of your ideal place to meet a fox, but the fox’s ideal environment. But wait, before we try to summon it, Flopsy can you get hurt here?”

Hmm… another good question. I don’t know. He said standing Just in case, I should return to where I belong. With that, and a great leap worthy of a dire hare, Flopsy leapt face first at Jake’s chest and disappeared in another surge of ripples across his chest. After stumbling slightly Jake regained his composure, or atleast what was left of it given he was standing naked in an open field in the mind of his fiancé and started looking around for ways to make it more animal friendly. Before long they were sharing a bench in a forest clearing. It was very similar to the space Jake and Flopsy first “met”, there were no vegetables to be seen. Since Val had pointed out the fox’s natural want for stealth there was plenty of thick grass underfoot and several protruding roots from the surrounding trees. Then, at Jake’s insistence, they sat calmly and quietly hoped and waited. After a few minutes Jake started to worry it would never happen. Val was starting to get bored and fidgety. She clearly didn’t like to just sit and wait, so the meditation wasn’t doing anything. Jake had already whispered at her to calm down and wait patiently 3 times, and was about to do so a 4th when he stopped suddenly, and grinned. He couldn’t tell where it was, but his rabbit instincts were telling him that he was being observed by more than the elf next to him. Giving Val a quick look and a shush, Jake closed his eyes to focus his prey instincts to try to determine where the fox was. Under normal circumstances, the mixed messages from his senses would have been annoying. However, given that he was technically lying in bed with Val and not in the field the fox being there, and yet not there was probably to be expected. Before long though, Jake determined the fox was creeping at them from the direction they were facing, from about 6 feet away. Calmly opening his eye, Jake managed to spot the slight difference in the shadows in the area, confirming the location of the fox. Jake whispered to Val, who nodded, manifested a fish, and kneeled in front of the bench offering the fish in the direction Jake mentioned. Before long a cautious red head poked out of the grass and nosed toward the fish. Val gladly handed it over, and the two halves of the werefox watched each other as the fox ate the fish. When it was done it sat on its hind legs and cocked its head continuing to look at Val. Following his gaze, Jake saw Val nod a few times, almost tear up at one point, and even scowl for a moment, before nodding reluctantly. Jake knew that a mental conversation was going on between the two, and that as a foreign presence he was not in the loop. Now he thought about it, Val didn’t react at all to anything Flopsy said before he vanished, so Val likely didn’t hear him either. Either way, the important thing was Foxy and Val were getting along, and eventually Val even reached out and started petting the “creatures” head as the space around them slowly faded to dark until Jake found himself back in his own body, and going to actual sleep. He was glad Val finally made contact with her animal. Almost as glad as he was at the messages in his mind.

NEW SKILLS AQUIRED:

SPIRIT BRIDGE

MENTOR

SENSORY PERCEPTION CONGRATULATIONS! A PUPIL HAS HIT SKILL LEVEL 3!

CONGRATULATIONS! A PUPIL HAS HIT LEVEL 6 IN A CLASS! CALCULATING MENTOR EXPERIENCE…

CONGRATULATIONS!

MENTOR IS NOW RANK 2!

WEREPUP IS NOW LEVEL 10! No Upgrade Qualifications Met!