sex: 2/10
violence: 3/10
profanity: 2/10

Categories: Male to Hermaphrodite, Hybrid, PSI

Timeline: 2064

Author's Note: This is a kinda MORFS/Chakat crossover story. It was written to be canon to the MORFS universe, and treats the Chakat universe as fiction.

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Chapter Five: To the Mall!

It's one thing to notice a few stares, and another thing entirely to feel everyone's curiosity, attraction, or all too often, distaste. Catniss must have felt my discomfort. She looked at me sympathetically and said, "Yeah, I know how you feel. You'll get used to it. Sort of."

The shopping went the way you would pretty much expect. We totally skipped the skirts and pants. I tried on a couple of different dresses, but they really didn't look good. They bunched up at the back and fell down to my knees in the front. And they looked silly.

The bras were bras. I argued that I didn't need them since my wonderful new chakat body has special muscles and ligaments to support my admittedly large breasts.

I was never a big fan of large breasts, but my chakat body saddled me with a double-dang pair. Oh well.

But I can't complain. 34DD boobs would have been a problem if I didn't have the chakat musculature, but they really caused no inconvenience at all. Catniss gleefully said, "Join the club!" She grabbed me and danced me around, singing something about the double dang furry boob club.

"Catniss! We're making a scene!"

"And your point is?"

Sigh.

Actually, it was fun. Fortunately, nobody could see how much I was blushing. Furry face, doncha know.

I ended up wearing a halter top out of the store. It was more comfortable than regular shirts because it covers less. Regular tops rub my fur the wrong way when I move around. Halters pretty much stay in place.

I still think that going nude is a whole lot more comfortable. I'll have to think of a way to get away with doing that. This whole nudity taboo thing is such a pain.

Catniss just smirked as I grumbled about it under my breath. Mom said, "A chakat for less than a day, and you have already gone native. I shudder to think what you'll be like in a year."

I maturely stuck my kitty tongue out at both of them.

We Finally went to Wings and Tails, which is where we should have gone in the first place.

They had some panniers just for taurs. Mom found one that fit well, but it was shocking pink.

Oh well. I had never had problems with trying to prove my manliness or anything like that. Dad always told me that worrying about things like that only means that you're insecure in who you are. And anyhow, I'm as much girl as I am boy. And loving every second of it.

It was a bit of a trick to strap it to my lower torso without matting my fur the wrong way. It was comfortable enough once we got everything right.

Mom pulled the tags off and stuffed it full with all of our previous purchases. "You make quite a good pack horse," Catniss teased. I stuck my tongue out at hir.

Actually, I can carry quite a bit with the panniers. They hold about four times what my old school backpack held.

We went to the shoe section and got some digitigrade sandals and boots for my back feet. Then, we had to have some special gloves designed for my hand-paws. One set was like a pair of sandals, and useful to keep my handpaws clean as I walk around. The other pair was like heavy gauntlets.

Catniss was trying on a set of digitigrade boots when Mom received a call. Apparently, there was a cancellation at the clinic. They can fit me in if we can get there in half an hour.

Catniss bought the boots, and Mom paid for our purchases and the special orders.

Chapter Six: The Clinic

We made it to the clinic with a few minutes to spare. Mom went to the front desk, and Catniss and I sat down among the new morfies. Even among freaks, I was looked upon as a freak. I seemed to be the happiest with my new shape, though.

"Wow! Are you a real chakat?"

I turned and saw a really cute golden absolute fox hybrid that looked to be about twelve or thirteen. A precociously endowed twelve or thirteen years old, that is. I could tell that she wanted to hug the kitty, so I gave her her wish. "Hi! I'm Chakat Graycloud, daughter of Anita and Darren Miller." I set her on my back and told her, "And that's what we're here to find out, but I think I'm about as real as you'll find in this world."

Catniss came over, so I introduced them. Sort of. "This is my companion Catniss Stein." I turned to Catniss and said, "Catniss, this is my new friend, umm, uhhh..."

"Vickie! Vickie O'Kelley! My new name is Vickie O'Kelley!"

Catniss wrapped us both in a hug, and whispered to her, "Welcome to the changeling double-dang furry boob club!"

I could tell that she was a bit disappointed that I already had a companion, so I whispered to her, "When have you ever known a chakat to have only one companion? We have to start by being friends, first. Is that OK with you?"

She smiled and nodded vigorously.

It's a lot easier to connect with people when you can tell what they are feeling. I think I'm going to really love this empathy stuff.

"Kittyyyyy!"

I felt a thump. Ever get tackle hugged by a pre-schooler?

Vickie ruffled his hair. "Hi, squirt!"

"I notta squirt, Charlie!"

"Not Charlie no more. It's Vickie now, and you're most definitely a squirt! And a brat!"

I picked him and plopped him on my back in front of his sister. He wrapped his little arms around my torso and snuggled into my fur.

Vickie tickled him, gave him an evil laugh, squeezed him between the two of us and said, "Now you are trapped in a furry trap!"

He giggled and wiggled, but made no attempt to get away.

A woman of perhaps my mom's age came over. "My two aren't bothering you, are they?"

"Not at all. We chakats love making new friends! Seriously, though, you have some great kids. Thanks for letting them keep me company."

Vicky huffed. "I'm not a kid! I'll bet I'm as old as you are."

Her mom said, "She's actually fifteen. She seems to have regressed a few years."

"Did not! I'm as smart as I always was. Smarter, even. I'm just happier now! And littler!" She cupped her furry breasts. "In most places, anyway!"

"She's right," her mom said. "She did all that piled up homework faster than I have ever seen her do it before. And I'll take the happy new Vicky over the sad boy she used to be any day."

"I was never a boy!"

She sighed. "You know what I mean, Vicky. I just wish you had come out to us sooner.'

Vicky jumped off my back and grabbed her mom in a hug. "It's OK now, mom! I'm a BBV now!"

Vicky's mom just sighed and rolled her eyes. Catniss and I snickered up our sleeves. We don't have sleeves, but you know what we mean.

"What's a BBV?" asked the little brother.

"You don't need to know!" said his mom.

"Big boobied vixen!" Vicky said loud enough for the whole room to hear. "People think we're dumb, but we ain't!"

"Big boobied vixen! Big boobied vixen!" said the little brother.

The mom gave out a much put-upon sigh and said, "It's 'big breasted vixen,' Jimmy, and please stop saying it."

Vickie grabbed her brother off of my back, wrapped her arms around him, and swung him around. "Big boobied vixen! Big boobied vixen!"

The mom put her hands on her hips and said, "Victoria Marie O'Kelley!"

"It's Vickie, Mom! That's what I want on my birth certificate addendum!"

I could sense Mom over by the magazine rack doing her best to hold in her laughter. She walked over and gave Vicky's mom a sympathetic look. Solidarity amongst moms, I guess.

"Hi. I'm Anita Miller, the mother of this large quadruped who seems to have acquired a talent for riling up her new friends."

"I'm Wanda O'Kelley, and believe me, my two don't need any help in the riling up department. In fact, Graycloud and Catniss are calming them down, if anything."

The person at the desk rang a bell and said, "Vicky O'Kelley."

"Mom, I want my new friends to come in with me."

"I'm sorry, Vicky. I'm sure that they have their own appointments."

The desk clerk smiled at us. "We can put you all in the large exam room. That is, if nobody objects."

We all nodded. "I'm OK with it, and I'm the only other one getting an exam."

My empathic sensitivity let me know that the desk clerk had an ulterior motive for putting us all together, but it was not to our detriment.

So the whole lot of us, all six of us, were led through the door. Vicky and I took turns standing on the scanner, then we went to the room.

It didn't take long before we heard a knock on the door. A partial rabbit hybrid came into the room and introduced herself as Doctor McGuire. She examined Vicky and me, but actually spent more time looking over the results of our scans.

"You two are fortunate that we got the new scanner. It saves you from some less than pleasant examinations."

"Yeah! No fair!" said Catniss.

"Some days you step in it, and some days you don't," I replied with a smirk.

"Going barefoot most of the time, I would rather not step in it," added Vicky.

"Step in what?" asked Jimmy.

"Nothing," said the mommy.

"Poop!" said Vicky

Wanda gave a long suffering sigh.

"Ewwwwww!" said Jimmy, shaking his foot.

Chuckling, Doctor McGuire said, "If you are all quite through, I would like to see what powers these two might have."

"I thought you had a specialist for that," Mom said.

"Well, since I have the AMORFS2 medical suite of powers, the one with full telepathy, I decided to increase my repertoire and learn how to check. The clinic is happy with that because it makes it easier for them to schedule everyone."

She checked me first and found my empathic talent, both receptive and projective. She warned me to be careful with the projective talent, since it's easy to activate it without realizing it.

Vicky surprised us all. She had managed to become a technopath and a cyberpath.

"Oh, poop! And I always wanted to shoot laser beams out of my eyes!"

"Don't be sad, dear. You did get a brain upgrade. Maybe you can build your own lasers," said her mom.

Vicky jumped up and down. "Yay! I shmot now!"

Doctor McGuire cleared her throat and put a serious look on her face. Once she had our attention, she asked us, "You all know about doctor-patient confidentiality and the exceptions, right?"

At our nods, she added, "The same goes for telepaths. If we pick up something that is a clear and present danger, we are to notify the appropriate authorities."

Not knowing where this was all going, we all nodded.

"One of the patients is in danger due to her parents being pures. If you all agree, we could use your help. You all have to agree to keep things confidential."

We all nodded, and she made a point of individually getting agreement from each of us. Even Jimmy nodded seriously.

"OK, I have to see another patient. I'll come back with the girl that needs your help."

A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door. A partial cat hybrid entered.

"Doctor Kitty Futa!" Catniss said.

"I'm Doctor Katherine Futami," she said, rolling her eyes at Catniss. "I'm the clinical psychologist assigned to assess... " she looked at her tablet, "Chakat Graycloud Miller and Vicky O'Kelley."

Catniss ran and gave me a tackle hug. "This is my companion, Chakat Graycloud!"

Doctor Kat raised an eyebrow, giving me an assessing look. "Formerly James Miller?"

"Yep!," shi said, hugging me tighter.

"In that case, I think I'll talk to miss O'Kelley first. Meanwhile," she said, looking pointedly at Catniss, "I think you have someone to tell miss Miller."

"I already told you that shi's my companion."

Doctor Kat just gave her a look and led Vicky out.

Catniss looked at me, never releasing her hug. "You know that I love you, right?"

I nodded warily.

"We've been friends forever. We did everything together. But, when I morfed, and you started seeing me as physically attractive, I kind of freaked out."

"I know. That's why I was letting you take your time."

She continued, "I know. And I was trying hard to see you as more than a friend. But..." She sighed. "But, despite all of modern humanity's attempts to be otherwise, physical attraction is still a big part of a romantic relationship. Doctor Kat and I must have spent hours discussing it."

I nodded, not sure where this was going. I desperately hoped that she wasn't going to give me the 'let's be friends' speech.

"No! I'm not going to friend zone you! Not now! How could you even think that?"

I just looked at her.

"You see, I kept feeling you getting closer to me, and I kept getting closer to you. It still felt funny, though, because I always saw the lifelong buddy when I looked at you. Not a lover. Just someone I cared about like a brother. More than a brother."

"And now?"

"The first time I saw the new you? Can you even doubt how I felt? It was like the last piece of the puzzle just fell into place. I couldn't have stopped myself from wrapping myself around you if I tried. And I didn't try. It's like my prayers were suddenly answered."

"My prayers, too," I said with a big smile, hugging her even tighter.

"Get a room, you too!" Wanda said. Then she looked embarrassed and put her hands over her mouth. "Oops!"

Mom just snickered. "At least we know where Vicky gets it."

Wanda blushed.

We blushed, too.

"Get a woom! Get a woom!" said the little brother.

Mom snickered.

Wanda just sighed.

I wrapped my tail around him and deposited him between Catniss and me.

"I already have a womb," I said. "Catniss has a womb. In fact, everyone here except for you has a womb."

"But I want a womb, too!"

"Maybe after you morf, Jimmy," I said. "But only if you turn into a girl, because only girls get to have wombs. And you'd have to change your name. I used to be called Jimmy, too, but I had to change my name when I got my girl parts."

"I dunno if I want to be a girl. Maybe I can turn into a boy kitty."

"Maybe," Wanda said. "Or maybe you can be a boy fox. Or a dog."

"Or a mouse! Then I can eat you. nom nom nom." Catniss grabbed him and nibbled on his neck, causing him to giggle.

"Hey! Who's picking on my little brother? That's my job," Vicky said as she came into the room with Doctor Kat.

"You mean you won't share? Would it help if I gave him a big kiss?" Catniss gave him a big smooch, which caused him to wipe his lips.

"Ewwwwww! Yuck!" said the little brother.

Catniss handed him over to his sister. "Here! You pick on him, then."

"Hmmmmm... What to do... What to do... I know!" Vicky held him up and gave him a zerbert on the belly.

"Vicky doesn't seem to have any issues with her change." Doctor Kat turned to me. "OK, your turn."

I followed her to a small treatment room. "Where's the couch? I thought I was supposed to be on a couch when you sift through my brain cells."

"I thought you would rather have a taur pad. Come to think of it, let's move to a room that does have a couch. That ought to work in a pinch."

The couch was definitely more comfortable than sitting on the floor.

"So, what are your thoughts on your change?"

"Don't you mean, 'How does that make me feel?'"

"Smart alek," she replied. "I will infer from your attitude that you are fine with being a chakat. I want to know more, though. For instance, did you have a nice chat with Catniss?"

I smiled. "Everything is great with Catniss. She leveled with me about her early lack of physical attraction, and assured me that she was getting emotionally closer to me at the same time. Of course, the way she tackle-hugged me the first time she saw the new me erased all doubts. I really love that kitty!"

"And she loves you. I can tell. Of course, so can you. Empathy is a great gift."

I just smiled and hugged myself. "My prayers have been answered. I think we're gonna be lifemates soon."

I paused a bit. "I'm kinda surprised to see so many chakat universe fans. I thought Catniss and I were about the only ones around here. Besides our families, anyhow."

"I never heard of chakats until Catniss started talking about them. I started reading the series out of curiosity, and so that I could understand what shi was talking about. I have to admit to getting addicted to that universe. I never thought I would run into a real chakat, though."

I smirked. "You got to meet a BBV, too."

"That one is going to be a handful. It's a good thing she has you and Catniss to kinda keep her grounded and out of trouble. But don't let her personality fool you. She's practically a genius. I feel sorry for any guy that tries to treat her like an airhead and take advantage of her."

"It could be entertaining to watch, though," I said.

She just nodded, then changed the subject. "Doctor McGuire was called away before she could give you her assessment, so I'll pass it on. The short answer is that you are in perfect health, and have some some interesting additions."

"Two stomachs, two hearts, four lungs..." I interrupted.

"Not just two hearts and four lungs. You have two totally independent circulation systems. If you get a cut, you'll bleed from both because the capillaries are intertwined. On the other hand, if you empty one out, the other will remain full of blood and keep you alive until the other heals. Also both hearts use all four lungs to oxygenate your blood."

I nodded. "How about my digestive system and resistance to poison?"

"You have two stomachs, one in your upper torso, and one in your lower torso. The rest of your digestive system is in your lower torso. As far as we can tell from the scan, your digestive system is good at blocking poisons. That's not something that I really want to test right now, though. Also, you have carbon nanotube reinforced bones and high output muscles, just like Catniss."

"Were you able to find any difference between me and a chakat as described in fiction?"

"No, not really. We will be studying your scans more closely, since you received such an unusual and unexpected morf. The University of Sun City may even take notice. Right now, though, we need to finish with the real reason that I am seeing you. With your permission, I need to read you and assess how you are doing psychologically."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead and sift through my brain cells. I hope I don't frighten you too much."

Doctor Kat smirked. "I doubt I'll see anything I haven't seen before."

I leaned on the couch back and relaxed. I really didn't feel much. It was kind of like whispering, but with all senses.

When she finished up, she smiled. "Sir Stubford Cuddlepurr?" she asked.

I blushed.

"You don't have any dangerous abnormalities, but neither are you boringly normal. That's pretty common for one of such high intelligence. Wear your nerdiness proudly, and give lots of love to your loved ones. That's my official doctor's orders."

She smiled and gave me a hug. "And make sure to love that kitty girl companion of yours. She's very special. As are you."

She made a few notes on her tablet, then looked up at me. "How would you and Catniss like to take a free trip to Sun City? It seems that the Doctors Martin find it interesting that two people morfed into fictional creatures."

I smiled. "It sounds like fun. Tell them that we have a BBV, too. I'm sure that Vicky would love it."

"I'll send them a note. Maybe they'll start reading chakat stories, too."

"If they're interested because we match the archetype, they will need to read some of it. If they contact me, I'll send some suggestions. There actually is a bipedal chakat that was born due to a strange hyperfertility that allowed a chakat to successfully breed with a biped."

"I'm sure that they will be contacting you and your parents, along with the others."

Her tablet dinged.

"Well, time to go back with the others."

Catniss glomped me again when we entered. This will never get old.

I noticed that Catniss's mom was also in the room. At my questioning look, she shrugged and said, "They called and told me that they needed my help with a slight emergency. They assured me that you all were OK, so I'm just waiting."

"It must be that pures kid that morfed," I said. "My impression is that she'll need some help staying safe and sane."

"I wonder if she'll need a place to stay," said Catniss.

"She can have my old room, if it's OK with mom and dad," I said.

"We'll see," said Mom. "If she doesn't cause any danger to the family, we should be able to put her up for a few days. We'll need some way to ensure that the pures don't attack our house to get at her."

"I'll be able to detect anyone approaching with ill intentions, but I can't stay up all the time," I said.

Doctor Kat spoke up. "You won't be alone. The IATE will keep watch. This isn't the first time we had to take care of these messes.

"We?" I asked.

"Ever since the Doctors Martin and their friends found that graveyard full of murdered morfed pures kids, the International Association of Telepaths and Empaths have taken it upon ourselves to protect kids that are at risk. The Martins spearheaded the project, and gathered resources from other parts of the morfs community. You will find that we are quite prepared to deal with the situation. What we need most from you is emotional support and a family-like place to stay. In essence, she needs new friends and, hopefully, a foster family."

I shuddered. I have heard stories of kids that morfed under bad circumstances. I thanked God again for the wonderful family that I was blessed to be born into. I could hardly imagine what it would be like if my family considered me to be a freak, or even worse, wanted to kill me.

Catniss shuddered, too. We squeezed each other tighter, fully understanding each other.

Some of our projective empathy must have leaked, because we found ourselves swallowed into a big group hug. Jimmy crawled up on my lower back and gave me a hug. "It's OK. We all wuvs you!"

Out of the mouths of babes. I couldn't help but smile and hug him back. Even Vicky was serious for the first time I have seen since I met her. She snuggled up to me and gave me a lick kiss.

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