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Autumn is here, and so is a new form. She now has orange fur, with dark bronze at the tips of her ears and on a quarter of her tail, matching the variety of leaves that have now covered the no longer green grass.
It's been a couple days since she last shifted, and she feels the days moving slower ever since.
Her body is having some difficulty keeping up with her constant shifting. Sometimes she's in control of it, sometimes her body changes on its own.
As seasons change, her body has to change with it. Her many animal forms cycle with the seasons, changing accordingly.
It differs—annually or biannually, she has to go into a “hibernation” or “heat” as some call it. Just a couple days of rest so her body can regulate her temperature and bounce back to normal after going through intense hybrid changes.
Many different animals have different cycles, regulatory framework, and instincts. As a shape shifter, Katie continuously rotates through these different animals, going from having dog features, to butterfly wings the following week.
She's still not used to it, it hasn't been long since she's had to have these annual breaks. It's not like she wants to have them, it slows her down. She spends a week inside doing nothing, seeing nothing, she doesn’t even interact with anyone—except when Schlatt or ‘Mr.J’ pops in for the occasional check-in and meal.
During these breaks—well she can't fully know for sure what’s guaranteed to happen, but in the only break she's had, it was pretty tame. She started off feeling more sore and hotter than usual, when that happened she dismissed herself and went to Mr. J’s house. It would be unlike her to not make a big thing about her leaving or possibly not interacting with anyone for a week but she came to the conclusion that it would be better if no-one knew about her situation, not even Don, as her body was moving on its own, guiding her to her house.
The most she’d told him was that “She wasn’t feeling too good” or that “She felt under the weather.”
Of course Mr. J knows—well sorta. He knows that for at least a couple days she comes to her house to ‘hide out.’ He had come down the lighthouse every once in a while to check the uhh..structural stability! Yes, the stability! Not to make sure she was alright or anything..he could care less about her (he says as his nose grows once more).
Anyways! He had also given her a couple blankets to help, for one time he had come down the lighthouse, he’d seen her shivering underneath a couple light piles of clothes—which brings us back to what happens during her breaks.
In this first break, after she decided to go to her house, she went rummaging through her chests and drawers for any clothing she could find—she didn’t do it on her own, it was just instinct. After finding multiple mounds of clothing, most of which she knew were hers, some she assumed were stolen—she started building a base of fabric on her bed, bordering the sides of her bed and a light layer covering the top of it.
But not to forget what she did before meticulously placing the clothing—she rubbed them against her neck. Does she know why? No. She just does what her body tells her to, because that's instinct.
When finished, much time had passed, she quickly changed into some comfortable clothing , some thin sweatpants and a loose shirt.
She then contently went into her bed—or more so makeshift nest, because that's what nests are. As she climbs into bed she feels relief already, surrounded by a warm, lightly sweet smell she realized had enveloped the entire room.
She gets comfortable. Maneuvering into a curled up position underneath a pile of blankets and clothing alike. Her short, fluffy rabbit tail shakes, lightly brushing the bed beneath her as she drifts to sleep.
This is what her routine looked like for a couple days, sleeping, eating, rearranging her bed then staring for a couple minutes, her large ears twitching and rotating as she analyzed her work, it was slow, but she couldn’t tell her body otherwise.
A couple days earlier, here she was again, feeling hotter than usual while walking to her HQ.
“Its autumn,” she thinks, “why the fuck does it feel like I have heat stroke?”
She huffs as she continues walking, her tail swishing irritably, the crunch of yellow and red leaves under her while walking along the sidewalk.
When near her HQ she glances up. Looking at the big, sleek Casino, she can't help but think of Ewron. She hadn't seen him for a couple days.
Before she could continue that train of thought, Don greets her.
“Heeeey! Katie bizzle, my man,” He says while opening his arms for a hug.
She smiles as she reciprocates, hugging him back.
When they move back he frowns.
“Are you good sis? You feel hotter than normal..” He analyzes her for a moment, raising the back of his hand up to her forehead, feeling her temperature further.
“Yeah yeah, I'm fine, just feeling a bit under the weather,” she says and she reaches up to grab his wrist to pull it down, but her shoulder feels sore as she does so.
She slightly winces as she puts her arm back down, Don notices.
“Okay..” he says skeptically, “promise me you’ll rest up?”
She rolls her eyes as he rubs her shoulder, still feeling tense.
“Yea I promise.., I was just gonna see what supplies I still need for my HQ.” She gestures past him to the cannon surrounded with chests.
“Oh dont even worry about that stuff, I gotchu girl!” he beams, willing to help her in every way possible.
Her tail starts wagging.
“Don!! Really?!! How could I ever repay you?” She says, knowing she can't repay him.
“Like I said before, it’ll come back to me in the end, don't even worry about it.” He proudly says to her.
He then starts rambling on about the Dutch, and killing Juan, about his future kills, yada yada.
She smiles as she listens to him, her tail still wagging but slowing down. She feels the warmth in her body spread, a certain pull at her heart.
Behind him, she sees a familiar white hood and red cape from far away. The heat becomes hotter and she gets a little giddy.
—
A couple hours have passed since talking with Don, the heat still lingering, burning deep inside her, and thoughts of Ewron have come and went. She's gathering stacks of dirt for her HQ; the chill of the crisp autumn air contrasting with the warmth of the sun beating down on her.
She wipes her face and sputters as a leaf smacks her in the face after a particularly harsh blow of the wind. She stops digging and leans on her shovel.
Maybe she really should rest up like Don said. After talking with so many people, doing so many things for her HQ; begging for items, planning, doing therapy, and begging for items—shes done so much and now that she’s stilled, she can finally feel the soreness of her body.
She groans in pain as all the tension floods back into her body—its not like it went away, no, it's more like she was pushing it further down as to ignore it, hoping the heat in her bones might leave for the day.
She sighs, the breeze lightly blowing her hair, she looks up and closes her eyes, facing the sun.
The sun's warmth shines on her. The heat of the sun soothing the reflecting heat inside of her. Katie breathes deep as the wind blows, cool air filling her lungs. She calms as the fresh, light flowery scent of the field she's in blows her way.
She thinks of Ewron.
She thinks of his scent. That sounds wild, yes. But when in close proximity, even when there is tension, there is still a calm atmosphere. Normally, there's a light smell of cinnamon when around him, a woodsy palette. While they’re fighting, the scent deepens, becoming a rich pine smell.
Scents can be changed slightly by the emotions felt in the moment, but with how his mind works, she can't tell if he's angry during the fights or happy..
She snaps out of her Ewron trance by a growling in her stomach. She hasn’t eaten in hours and she sure as shit isn't getting anything from KFC.
So, she stands fully up and stretches a bit, then teleports to the Dutch Cafe to steal some shit.
She quickly ransacks their bar storage then sprints across the dock, stilling in a panic when she hears something from the card shop. She glances over and sees Jeremy and Duncan coming down the stairs inside the shop. Katie squints at them, they look disheveled. Fixing their clothes they also look up, locking eyes with Katie.
All three of them bring a finger up to their lips in a shushing motion.
She giggles as she runs away to the waypoint.
—
After teleporting to Schlatt & Co, she walks toward the lighthouse, passing Mr.J; who is landscaping, peeking at her from out of the corner of his eye.
She sighs as she ducks under a tree, the weight of her day catching up to her as she's getting closer to her bed, finally getting to rest.
As she walks down the hall to her room, her body starts heating up again, her eyes getting hazy, her head starting to swim.
Walking into her room, instincts immediately take over. She changes quickly, into a light T-Shirt and some sweat-shorts. After, she starts looking through her chests for some clothing, grabbing a couple blankets and different items of clothing. With a full double-chest amount of fabric in her arms, she carries it to her bed—some falling to the floor in the process—rubbing the clothes in her neck and placing them meticulously in her bed.
When finished, she sits back in her nest, the heat and aching soreness in her body calming as she's surrounded with a calming haze. Her tail starts thumping against the bed rhythmically as she nuzzles her face into her pillow.
Her stomach then grumbles again, more persistent as she looks towards her forgotten backpacks on the floor. She reluctantly gets up, though eager to finally eat some food. She scarfs down two plates of shepherds pie then dives back under the pile of blankets on her bed and falls asleep.
—
A day or two later she gets up early in the morning. Finally stretching her legs as she practically rolls out of bed. Her “heat” is still not finished, but she takes a day out of the week of her hibernation to freshen up a bit. Of course nothing would be better than to lay in her nest surrounded with comfort, but after lying in basically the same position for a couple days, she has started to feel a bit gross.
She grabs a change of clothes, a simple pair of boxers and a tank top. Katie starts walking down the hallway and up the lighthouse stairs to bathe, the achiness in her body coming back to her.
As she reaches the top of the stairs she squints as the sun hits her face, walking towards Mr. J's house. She was hoping he was gone for the day as she hears no noise coming from inside.
As she walks to his house, she shivers as the cold, crisp breeze of autumn hits her face, a couple burgundy leaves brush against her legs. She looks down at the leaves, the color of them reminding her of Ewron..she's been thinking about him in the short moments that she feels actually awake. Maybe even during the moments where her head is hazy, she still thinks about him, feeling a pull toward the panda-featured man.
She peeks inside the house, ear twitching, and then quickly runs to the bathroom to wash up—she hears Mr. J’s cats meow and trail after her as she jogs up the stairs.
After the shower, she brushes her teeth then dries her hair lazily, arms sore as she rubs the towel against her hair repeatedly, eyes lidded with exhaustion.
She walks down the stairs then stops halfway, looking toward the cats at the bottom of the stairs. Her tail swishes as smiles. Katie walks toward the kitchen to feed them, watching them all scramble to her when they hear the bag of food rustle.
After feeding them, she walks back to her room, feeling clean again, and goes to lay back in her bed.
—
Many hours have passed since her shower, which have been spent under a couple thick blankets, her mind and body in a warm daze.
It's almost nightfall, and she's made her nest at least four times already, something just not feeling quite right.
Her ears drooped as she huffs, moving fully under the pile of clothes.
Her nest doesn't feel right, she can hear faint car crash noises, and worst of all she can't stop thinking about Ewron!!
Just imagine when her heat is over.. if she tells anyone and Ewron is there to hear he's gonna tease her so bad. She can already picture it in her mind.
“Aw katie you are sooo cute” with a mischievous, shit eating grin on his face.
She slightly pouts as she thinks of it—a wave of heat floods her body again, the relief of her nest slowly falling.
She's focusing too intently on the pull and heat in her body that she doesn't notice the sounds of steps coming from the hallway—
“Katarzynaaa~” she hears, her tail starts thumping and her ears rotate to the noise but she keeps quiet, choosing not to answer to the call.
“Are you here? I’ve come with a cure!!” She groans as his loud, arrogant voice is paired with another heat wave. She shuffles around under the covers for a moment, feeling air against her exposed ears, then stills as nothing follows his words.
She huffs as she gets hotter, growing more irritated by the second, she is really not in the mood to fight with him this week.
She hears his steps get closer, then stopping at a certain distance. Katie lifts her head up and peeks above the blankets. She has a blank, irritated expression as she sees his smirk—Eyes narrowing at his smile.
He walks towards the side of her bed, setting some materials down, then sitting on her bed. Her eyes stay narrowed as she watches him move, she knows what's coming.
“Awwww Katie you are soooo cute,” he teases. She swats at him, annoyed.
“Stop. I'm not feeling good and you know this, I'm not in the mood to fight Ewron.”
He has a smile on his face as he moves closer, she holds her hand up to hit him, and he closes his eyes preparing for something more.
She shoves him hard, but her hand trails down to his wrist. He opens his eyes and they look at each other, just staring for a moment. Katie breaks the silence, she sighs.
“Ewron I don't know what’s happening, ever since my form shifted and the season changed my body's been feeling weird. I feel sluggish and sore, I don’t even remember making this mess!”
She takes the pity route, already getting tired again, warmth filling her head up as she breathes deep for the first time since he's been here, Ewron's scent flooding her senses.
She gestures to the mess around her. She can see that his face slightly softened in pity.
Before she knows it, her mind is becoming hazy again, with Ewron here, he's doing something to her body—an even hotter warmth blooming in her.
She starts nudging him, trying to coerce him to come into her nest with her, her tail wagging lazily against the bed. Even through hooded eyes she can see the huge smile he has on his face, along with the big fluffy tail behind him swaying. Hes excited, Katie notices and she gets even more happy seeing him hold interest in getting in her bed. Her tail thumps even harder now.
He smiles and starts taking off his shoes, and soon after his cape. She hurriedly grabs his cape from his hands and tucks it into her nest, excitedly putting a peice of him into her bed. Shes so happy to have him close to her she feels drunk off pheromones (and just him in general). As shes placing the item of clothing, her tail is wagging contently, its instinct, its comfortable.
He finally starts getting into her bed fully, sitting up against her pillows.
After finding the perfect spot for the peice of cloth, she turns back around and moves him into a different position. Under a thin blanket, theyre cuddling; tails between their legs, patting the bed underneath them comfortably.
She looks over at him and hes burying his face in her pillow, she smiles softly as she maneuvers them again. They’re laying on their sides and katie holds his wrists as she lets her body and instinct take over. She starts rubbing her face against his. Its soothing, she feels a low vibration in her chest as she scents him.
Even with his scent filling her senses she can hear a soft purr erupt from Ewron. Theyre combined noises syncing into a calm rhythm.
She continues to rub her face and against his own, still holding his wrists. She then stops and pulls back to look at him.
In this state, Ewron looks so pure, so beautiful she cant help but look at him. Hes in HER NEST with HER, his clothes are in HER NEST, they’re cuddling in HER NEST, and his scent is in HER NEST now; she finally feels content, complete.
She sees him open his eyes, they meet right away. His eyes flicker up and down, but after a moment he says.
“Katie..” he pathetically whines.
She gets giddy.
“Hmm..?” She hums a response.
They look at each other with lidded eyes, high off one another.
“Could I kiss you?” He asks breathlessly as he moves closer.
Her head tilts down slightly, eyes looking at his lips.
They both start to move in and close the gap, kissing each other lightly. He touches her jaw as they do so, her tail starts to wag fast, she grins and pushes further into the kiss.
He makes little grunts as they kiss, and she brings up her hand to his ears, gently massaging them; hoping to ease more noises out of him. Katie can feel him moving back and forth slightly, trying to lean into her touch but also the kiss at the same time. She notices and smiles, rubbing the ears in a way that makes him lean into the kiss more. He groans as she does so.
She pulls away and lets go, his ears flattening as he whines.
“Hes so greedy” she thinks, airily laughing, her own ears reacting as well.
He pouts at her, eyes lidded—high off of her wholly.
“Silly panda, you really don’t know how good you have it.”
She grabs him and pulls him in, tucking her face in his neck—breathing him in, the cinnamon-pine scent engulfing her.
She plays with his hair at the nape of his neck as her breaths even out and she falls asleep in the warm embrace of her star.
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