Shifting Changes (The First Shift) by Sage Marlowe

asked.
    “Nothing.”
    “You
sure seem grouchy for nothing.”
    “Well,
nothing I have any desire to talk about with you of all people,” Shayonn
snapped.
    Faolan
shrugged. “Fine. Suit yourself. I just thought you might want to talk. I didn’t
realise there were so many people around you who are willing to listen to your
complaints.”
    Turning
his head to glare at Faolan, Shayonn tripped on a root but he covered up his
stumble and walked on, shoulder by shoulder with the big wolf shifter. He’d
promised himself not to show any signs of weakness, but that comment stung and
of course, Faolan was right. There was no one Shayonn could talk to about the
weight that crunched his heart. He didn’t have friends, had never really had
any. He’d been surrounded by servants for most of his life. His half-sisters had
left a long time ago to lead their quiet, peaceful lives as mothers of half a
dozen yellow cubs and his own mother… Well, she defended her position
vehemently.
    “I can’t do it!” he blurted out . “I can’t help it. I’m just not
attracted to women.”
    Faolan
didn’t seem surprised by the topic. His response was prompt. “Aren’t you? Not
even a little bit?”
    “Nn-nn.”
    “Not
even in shifted form?”
    Shayonn
cast a sideways glance at his companion and shook his head. “Oh, I don’t know.
I’ve never tried. Why, what difference does it make?”
    “Ah,
Shayonn.” Faolan chuckled. “You haven’t spent much time in shifted form, have
you? Your body is different, have you never noticed that?”
    “Well,
I seem to be a lot furrier, that’s for sure,” Shayonn grumbled.
    “Yes.
And you act on instincts rather than common sense.”
    “So?”
    “So,
your body is programmed to reproduce. It’s as simple as that. We all are
different when we’re in shifted form. Our primal instincts take over and we do
things we might not do when in human shape.”
    “Huh.
Right. Like what?”
    “Run
around without clothes.”
    Shayonn
couldn’t suppress his chuckle and ended up making a strange snorting sound.
    “Okay,
okay,” Faolan soothed. “Eat raw meat. Take a pee in public. Whatever. The fact
is, you’re different when shifted. So why not give it a try? See how you like
being around a female when you’re in tiger shape. You might be surprised.”
    “Is
that how it works for you?”
    “What?”
    “Mating.
Sex.”
    Faolan
pursed his lips. “Well, not really. I enjoy sex in either shape.”
    “That’s
not what I meant.” Shayonn sighed. “You said you weren’t really into men. You
said you fucked men only because you weren’t allowed around the females.”
    “ You said that, actually,” Faolan replied. “I happen to be attracted to men and
women alike. It’s right that I’m not allowed to reproduce with females of my
own kind, but there is no law against me fucking human women or the females of
any other species.”
    Shayonn
tilted his head. “I see. And you’re making use of that, right?”
    “Sure.”
Faolan sounded amused.
    “Good
for you. Is it different when you’re in shifted form?”
    Faolan
watched him for a moment. “It’s fluffier when we’re shifted but I like
it either way. As a wolf it’s more… Unrestrained, I think you could say, but as
a human you have hands. Big advantage.”
    Shayonn
was astounded. Faolan grinned at him. He flashed his teeth in return but he
wasn’t convinced. “So you’re saying that if I’m in tiger form I might actually
enjoy it?”
    “Yes.”
Faolan stopped. “What is it?”
    Shayonn
sighed. He had to get it out or it would just eat him up. “My mother will make
me attend a mating ceremony next week.”
    “I
know. So?”
    Shayonn
stopped dead. “So? Are you kidding me?”
    “Well,
it makes sense.”
    “ It
makes sense ,” Shayonn repeated with an angry snort. “I should have known
you were on her side!”
    Faolan
shrugged. “I’m not on anyone’s side but I know about the problems your species have,
so yes, it makes