Interlude 33 – A Very Small Sacrifice
=::= Kaylee's PoV =::=
"Are you going to do it now?" I asked quietly. "And um, will it hurt?"
Me and Cass were sitting together on her bed with her pillows propped up between our backs and the wall behind us. Her bedroom door was closed for a little extra privacy, but the only other person home at the moment was Sasha and she'd already promised not to disturb us.
My girlfriend grimaced, then she took a deep breath. She let it out as a slow sigh then finally replied, "Not just yet, but if you really want this we can do it soon."
"And no," she added, "It won't hurt. It might feel a little strange, but it won't be painful."
I was glad to hear that, not that some pain would have changed my mind. So I told her, "I still want it Cass. I haven't forgotten what you told me last week, if that's what you're worried about? I know my appearance could change. And I know I might not be able to use the same spells I've been using for the past few years."
Cass turned to look at me, and I noticed she didn't seem anxious or uptight anymore. She didn't look nervous, she wasn't blushing or cringing. She seemed completely calm, almost relaxed. She continued to watch me as she asked, "And you're sure you want to do this?"
I was pretty sure, but I thought it through once more. And I came up with another question or two, things I'd thought about on and off but I'd been trying to avoid.
"Nina told us she fed on nightmares," I responded quietly, "She said demons don't consume food like normal people. Will I have to do that too? Or will I still eat food the same as always?"
My girlfriend replied, "That will depend on how demonic we make you. The closer to a full demon you are, the less you'll be able to sustain yourself with normal food. And you'll need to be more demon than human in order to get access to enough demonic magic to teleport and change your appearance at will."
"I don't think we'll be able to make you fully demonic all at once," she added, "But we can get you close. And when we're done, you'll need to start feeding on other energies in addition to food. And before you ask, I can't tell in advance what kind of energy you'll need."
That was potentially worrying, but it made sense. If I wanted demonic magic I'd need demonic fuel. It left me wondering something else though.
"Do you feed like a demon?" I asked her. "Or how do you use demonic magic?"
She shook her head, "I'm unique Kaylee. My magic is fueled by chaos."
I probably should have guessed that, but I just nodded quietly. That left me with just one more question, although I was almost afraid to hear the answer.
My voice was more of a half-whisper as I asked, "What if becoming a demon makes me into something horrible? Like ugly or monstrous? Is there a chance that might happen?"
My girlfriend slowly shook her head, "I'm confident that won't happen. Cass asked me the same thing, I'll tell you exactly what I told her."
Hearing that tripped me up for a moment. Only a couple days had passed since the council crashed Nina's birthday party, and I hadn't really got my head around the whole Cass versus Cassandra thing.
It felt to me like different moods or mindsets, like she used the name Cass most of the time when she was just being her usual shy cute friendly self. Then when she was tapping into her goddess side she went with the more formal Cassandra. Either way though she was still the same person, she was still my girlfriend no matter what name she used.
Cass continued with her explanation, "My demonic half came from Nina, and you'll be getting it through me. When it comes to demons, they don't come any fluffier than that. Nina loves dogs and puppies, Cass loves bunnies and other cute cuddly things. The chances of something scary coming out of that combination is practically nonexistent."
That made me frown, "Wait am I going to turn into some kind of cute demonic bunny? Is that what you're saying?"
She smiled, "Probably not. Think of it like this: Nina's and Cass's fluffy demonic essence will be powered by my divine chaos magic, and all that will be filtered through your own expectations and desires, both conscious and unconscious. So whatever form you take, it will at least in part be determined by you."
That left me thinking for a few moments, about dogs and cats and bunnies, and the various demi-humans I'd seen over the past year. I hadn't actually seen any doggirls, but I knew a bunnygirl and couple catgirls. And for that matter I'd met a couple foxgirls too.
I'd seen Kathie a few times since last December, and I also met Alyssa and saw how happy she was after getting her foxgirl transformation. There was something about those big bushy tails that caught my eye. They looked like they'd be fun to cuddle, and I even started to wonder what it'd be like to have a floofy tail like that. Then I realized I might actually find out, especially if I was thinking about it when Cass did her magic.
"Ok," I finally responded. "Thanks Cassandra. I guess that's all my questions."
"You guess?" she asked as she watched me closely.
"Yeah," I nodded. "That's it. And yes, I still want to do this."
She responded, "Then I have some questions for you. What are you going to tell your parents? And when were you planning on moving in here?"
I couldn't help smiling as I replied, "I kind of want to tell them I've become part demon? Just to see the looks on their faces? I guess I'll have to tell them something though, especially if I look different. I'll figure it out when the time comes."
"As for moving in," I added, "I guess that depends on when you do the thing with the house. Or um, I guess if I look different and things fall apart with my parents then I'd be moving here right away."
Cassandra watched me for a couple more seconds then nodded, "All right Kaylee. And you're absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," I nodded. "I'm sure."
"Very well," she said as she got up off the bed. She moved to stand next to it and gestured, "Lay down flat and get yourself comfortable. And take off the glasses, you can leave those on the bedside table."
Just like that my heart was racing with nervous anticipation. I moved the pillows back to the head of the bed then slipped my glasses off and put them aside like she suggested. And finally I lay down atop her bed, with my head on one of the pillows.
I turned to look at her and smiled, blurry Cass was still cute Cass. Then I gulped and stated, "I'm ready."
"This is the last chance to change your mind," she responded in an almost sombre tone. "Once I begin there's no turning back, you cannot regain the humanity you're about to lose. Are you absolutely positive you want to do this?"
I closed my eyes and took a couple deep breaths. I thought through everything she just told me, all the stuff we talked about last week, and everything else I'd learned about demons in the past year.
They were strong, fast, they didn't age, they were almost indestructible, they healed quickly, they were immune to disease and illness, and they had access to magic way more powerful than anything I'd ever be able to do as a human.
On the downside, my body was probably going to change and I'd look different. I'd seen that with Cerys. After she became a werewolf she got a bit taller, she became slim and athletic, her hair and skin were a little different. And she became faster and stronger and more resilient and all that stuff. Actually none of those things seemed like a downside to me.
And if I ended up a little bit fluffy, like with say pointed red fox ears or a big bushy red tail, maybe that wouldn't be so bad either? Cerys definitely looked cute with her wolf ears and tail, and both her and Melanie seemed to prefer their wolfgirl forms over looking human. For that matter everyone who'd used one of Cass's plushies seemed really happy with the results, so maybe getting some floof for myself wouldn't be so bad.
The food versus energy thing was the other big question mark. I had no idea how that would work, or what it would feel like. All I could do was hope Cass or maybe Nina would help me through it afterwards, until I got the hang of it.
Even with that uncertainty it still seemed like a no-brainer. Giving up some or even all of my humanity felt like a very small sacrifice, compared to all the advantages.
I opened my eyes and stated, "All right. I've thought it through, and I'm positive I want to do this."
Cassandra nodded once, "Very well. Close your eyes Kaylee and try to relax. It might feel a little weird, but I promise it won't hurt."
I closed my eyes again and asked nervously, "How will I know when it's over?"
"I'll tell you," she replied. "Please relax, I'm starting now."
I barely had a chance to gulp before something felt different. I couldn't feel the bed or the pillow beneath me anymore. Then I realized I couldn't feel my body either, I couldn't wiggle my toes or squeeze my hands. I couldn't even run my tongue over the inside of my mouth. It was almost like I didn't have a body anymore, there was just floating and darkness.
It should have been scary, intellectually I knew I should have felt my heart pounding or something. There was no fear though, just floating. And as I floated I couldn't help wondering what it was going to feel like, what I was going to look like. I thought about losing weight and being smaller, about being prettier, and maybe I even wondered again what it'd feel like to have a floofy tail or fuzzy ears.
It was impossible to guess how long I floated, but I'd say it was somewhere between ten seconds and two minutes. Gradually I became aware of the pillow beneath my head, and the bed beneath my body. Something felt different about the bed underneath me, but not in a bad way. Specifically there was something off about how it felt under my backside, and there was a bit of pressure around my lower back.
I let out a little gasp as my heart started racing. There was only one thing I could think of that would cause a strange new pressure at the base of my spine, while also feeling like it was stretched down beneath my tush.
Then I felt some unfamiliar new muscles twitch on the top of my head as I heard my girlfriend say, "Welcome back. You can open your eyes now, but please try to stay calm."
"You might feel a little strange at first," she added, "But that should pass quickly."
My heart was still racing as I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing to come into focus was Cass, she was standing next to the bed watching me. I found myself staring wide-eyed at her as I realized she wasn't blurry. I didn't have my glasses on, but everything was incredibly sharp and crystal clear.
For now I kept my eyes on my girlfriend rather than look down at myself, I didn't want to spoil the surprise just yet. I hadn't even really moved much, I just lay there atop her bed as I took another deep breath. Then I anxiously asked, "How do I look? Am I very different?"
My voice didn't sound quite right, which left me frowning slightly. It was close, but the pitch seemed off, like it was a little higher than I was used to.
"You look very cute," Cassandra replied with a small smile. She was still acting completely calm and casual, although I caught her eyes moving up and down over me as I lay there. She continued, "There are some differences, but everyone will still know it's you. I confess you didn't turn out like I expected, but you look amazing Kaylee."
After a half-second pause she added, "Are you ready to get up and have a look at yourself? There's a full length mirror on the back of the closet door."
My heart was still racing as I nodded, "Yeah. I guess it's time."
My girlfriend reached out and took my hand, she easily picked me up off the bed and set me down on my feet. I could feel something swishing back and forth behind me and that got my heart racing even faster. The next thing I noticed was my clothes. My leggings were loose enough that I could feel them threatening to slip down, and there was already some extra material bunched up at my ankles. And my oversized top was totally loose and baggy, which confirmed I got my wish of being slimmer than before.
I glanced up at my girlfriend with a wide smile, but before I could say anything I did a bit of a double-take and my smile faltered. This was the first time I'd ever had to look up at my cute petite girlfriend, at least while we were standing side by side.
We were still holding hands and she gave mine a gentle squeeze, then she guided me the few steps over to the closet. Cass kept my hand in hers as she reached out with her other hand and swung the door open, so the two of us were standing in front of the long mirror.
My heart skipped a beat and my eyes widened as I gasped, "Oh wow..."
"Like I said," Cassandra responded with a small smile, "Unexpected, but very cute."
The first thing I noticed was my face. I was still recognizable as me, which was a relief. It hadn't even changed that much, apart from losing the excess chubbiness that had slowly accumulated over the last year or two. My eyes were noticeably different though, instead of their original green they were now more of an amber colour, and my pupils were vertical ovals rather than circles.
My red hair had become a little brighter and taken on more of an orange hue. It was shorter than before too, in a cute messy pixie cut. And sure enough, poking up out of my hair on the top of my head were a pair of tall triangular fox ears. They were coated in fur the same orange tone as my hair, except for the tips which darkened almost to black. And on the inside of my ears was some lighter cream-coloured fluff.
Looking downwards, I could tell my new body was definitely slim. Some of the details were obscured by my clothing which was now hanging off my smaller frame, but I had a feeling my figure was now closer to Willow's. I still had boobs and hips and a butt, but my waist was a lot smaller while my arms and legs were slender and delicate. Even my hands and feet were smaller than before.
That brought me back to the big unexpected thing, which was my height. I'd been about three and a half inches taller than Cass for as long as I'd known her. Last time I checked I was almost five-foot-six if I stood up straight. Now I was significantly shorter than my girlfriend. In fact I had a feeling I was probably about the same height as Kenzie or Kirstie, which meant I was probably around four-foot-seven, or four-eight if I was lucky. And I had no idea what to make of that.
Finally my attention was drawn to the last big change. I'd already expected it, but it was still a shock to see it with my own eyes. I stared at those big fluffy tails swishing back and forth behind me. They were coated in long soft floofy fur the same orange hue as my hair and ears. Except at the tips, where the floof was a cream colour like the fuzz inside my ears.
Then my heart skipped another beat and my eyes bulged even wider as it hit me. I wasn't just seeing one floofy fox tail swishing back and forth behind me. I was looking at three of them!
"Cass?" I asked nervously. "Why do I have so many tails?"
My girlfriend was still smiling as she watched me in the mirror, but she leaned back and glanced down at my backside as if double-checking what we'd both seen on my reflection.
Then she replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "Foxgirls just have one tail, but you're not a foxgirl Kaylee. You're a fox demon, and apparently that means you're more like a kitsune."
"Ok," I said as that sank in. "And why did I get almost a foot shorter?"
Her eyes met mine in the mirror again as she answered calmly, "Probably for the same reason you got so much slimmer? I believe you had a strong desire to be smaller, that desire was potent enough it ended up affecting you more than you may have expected."
"Oh," I replied quietly, while my cheeks turned pink again.
On the other hand my three tails were wagging even faster than before, so it was hard to pretend I wasn't pleased with the overall outcome.
And sure enough a few seconds later I was smiling at myself in the mirror. "I'm a demon. I'm a demon fox. Demonic foxgirl? That means I can start learning demonic magic right?"
"You are about three-quarters demonic," Cassandra confirmed. "That was as much as I could do today. And yes, it means you can learn demonic magic. I can teach you that, and we'll ask Nina to start teaching you what else it means to be a demon."
"I can't wait," I mumbled as I stared at myself in the mirror for a few more seconds.
Then I turned to face my girlfriend and wrapped my arms around her. I pulled her into a tight hug, then had to strain upwards while balanced on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on her lips.
And finally I smiled as I looked up into her eyes, "Thank you Cass. Thank you for doing this for me, to me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for this, but if there's anything you want, anything I can do, just ask."
"I may well take you up on that at some point," she replied as she smiled back at me. "But for now I'm just glad you're happy."
She punctuated that by leaning in and returning the kiss.