Large red numbers wavered before Abigail's eyes. She blinked several times and then yawned, hiding her mouth behind her small hand. The room was utterly still and the only sound a faint dripping noise somewhere in the distance.
Blinking again, the young woman sat up, idly scratching at the light fur along her midriff. Her hidden claws left tiny red lines against her tanned, flat stomach. The stark numbers informed her that she was suddenly wide awake at 4:12 am.
Across the room, Sally snorted and turned to her side, muttering something about a 'Mr. Pumpkin'. The other woman's light snores soon filled the silence.
Abigail's stomach growled. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and stretched, raising her arms. Her body creaked as it adjusted to its new length and she twisted her longer neck, luxuriating in each tiny cracking sound.
Well,
she thought as she grabbed her glasses from the nightstand.
I guess I'm awake. And hungry. Something smells good.
The young woman licked the back of her hand and then rubbed it against her temples to settle a few stray hairs. She repeated the routine, unaware of what she was doing, as she worked through a mental list for the day. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Raising her small nose, she sniffed and stood, following the scent of bread and old eggs. Still lost in her own thoughts and her body on autopilot, she bent down over her roommate's trash can. Pushing aside a wrapper, she found a half-eaten breakfast bagel sandwich from the day before.
I could spend some time on my laptop until the library opens, I suppose.
Abigail took a bite of her roommate's old sandwich, tearing the stale bread with her front teeth. New instincts drove her to the corner of the room where she sat, taking small chunks out the sandwich. The room was colder in the middle of the night but she felt surprisingly warm. She rocked slowly back and forth against the rough wall, scratching along her spine.
First class isn't until ten,
she continued.
Then the second at 2 pm for two hours. Plenty of time to work on any projects before the weekend. And then the soup kitchen tomorrow.
Finishing the last bite of the sandwich, she stood, padding along the cold room. Her roommate thrashed suddenly, crying out for her mother in a sad voice before settling with a whimper. Abigail frowned at the poor girl, feeling her own homesickness well up. She sat carefully at the edge of her roommate's bed and lightly stroked the girl's hair.
Abigail's home was three hours away in the middle of nowhere. A small town where everyone knew everyone else but your nearest neighbor might be half a mile away. She closed her eyes. She could almost smell her mother's home baked bread or the sour smell of the ancient pews in their little church. She'd recently tried to go to a nearby Catholic service but the hymns and prayers and passages were almost all different. Softer. Watered down. She'd felt unsettled by the differences.
Sally shifted again. Abigail chirped in annoyance, gripping the woman in place. Didn't the other girl know she was trying to calm her? Bending low, Abigail ran her tongue along Sally's short hair, just under her ear.
At least she has someone to help when she's feeling lost,
Abigail thought angrily.
The church... my anchor isn't here. I have nobody.
Holding her roommate with one hand on her shoulder and one against her head, Abigail groomed the other girl.
And the confessional!
she fumed.
A small box where you're hidden away. You can't see the shame and anger in the pastor's eyes like that. And the penance? Some prayers and a promise to do better? No rod against the thighs or back? No-
"Wha-" Sally stirred under her.
Abigail stepped up and back, her head buzzing with anger, frustration and new subconscious urges. She hugged her body nervously, her teeth grating against each other.
"You... you're having a nightmare, Sally. Go back to sleep."
"M'kay, 'M..." Sally sighed, hunching against herself under her blankets.
Pressing a hand against her forehead, Abigail shook her head slowly. Her teeth ached. She found herself slowly scraping her front teeth back and forth against each other as a headache began to build behind her eyes.
"A shower will help," she whispered, rubbing her temples. She made her way to the small shared bathroom, locking the door and struggling out of clothes that no longer fit just the way they should. A sudden memory of her night in bed brought red to her face. Her hand twitched in remembrance but the young woman quickly turned the shower water on. She hugged herself tightly again, thinking of anything other than what she'd done.
As steam slowly began to fill the small room, Abigail scratched along her sides. Her belly felt tender and sore - as it had before when she'd spent all day working hard at her parent's farm. Muscles shifted nearly imperceptibly too allow for new glands to grow. Rubbing her stomach seemed to help but the humid air was even better. Abigail stretched in the moist air.
Small drops of water collected on the fur along her spine. The water droplets grew fat and fell, coursing along skin and sparse fur, trailing a line down to her ass before slipping between her lightly furred sex.
Abigail stepped into the shower with a happy squeak. The hot water soothed her and she could feel all of the new little aches and pains draining away. She leaned into the spray, letting the water drill into her back, unknowingly scratching the itch of her new fur.
Her ears twitched in pleasure as the water caressed her swollen sex. Abigail lowered herself slowly to her knees. Tiny holes appeared in the skin above her upper lip. A single translucent whisker barely poked through the skin. A second whisker, even shorter than the first, grew from the other side of her face. She rubbed at them briefly with the back of her hand.