The Bewitching Hour

Groans hissed out of the cat-like humanoid as she struggled to stand up, her awareness shoddy. Her slit pupils adjusted in the darkness, taking in the room to find herself naked, save for a deactivated choker that doubled as an explosive, her form rested atop a cold metal slab.

When she tried recalling her name, all she did was make her headache worse. As with all the test subjects, scientists had stolen her memories, with nothing left to anchor her to the world.

The only thing she could identify with was her given code name, ‘Wispy Willow.’ She, alongside other similar Animorphs, would be used as scouts for special covert missions.

The tigress managed to stumbled on clawed feet in the laboratory, then flicked her pointed ears at the subdued hum of machinery around her. Turning back to the cool slab, Wispy gazed at her reflection. She could tell she was human once, so many features that remained unaltered by scientific engineering. A black fringe of hair hung around her face, her eyes a violent shade of crimson. Yet, despite her worn down condition, she was beautiful, evidenced by tiger stripes that decorated exposed flesh. Yellow fur gave way to white on her ample breasts, down her belly, and over her crotch, emphasizing her figure further.

"Course they’d keep my sweet looks intact. Perverts," she quipped to herself with a tail flick.

Wispy doubted she was supposed to be awake. Or maybe this was part of an experiment, and she was observed by hidden cameras. Perhaps a one-way mirror somewhere? Either way, it didn’t help her figure out what organization was behind this nefarious endeavor. It was likely in pursuit of power and money, the often nightmarish world she found herself in dedicated to its worship.

"Damn bastards," she mumbled aloud and stroked the choker. “Turning us into freaks. Weapons…wait! Sister… I-I have a sister!”

The feline hurried over to her fellow prisoner, also similarly placed on a slab and nude. Like Wispy, this woman had been changed, with everything about her previous life erased. 'Kitsune’ was her codename, given her shape was that of a nine-tailed fox. A rusty red-colored mane framed golden fur draped around her. Her toned, feminine arms were crossed over her breast.

"H-hey! Wake up, sleepyhead," Wispy teased, nudging her sibling awake.

Bright blue eyes shot wide open, and her hand seized Wispy by the wrist. "Imoto?" She murmured warily before loosening her hold.

"Ouch! Easy on the squeezing," the feline whined, rubbing her sore skin. "That’s on me, though! I forgot how sensitive you are."

"Sorry," whispered the fox woman in a shy manner as she looked away. Kitsune shot to her feet and immediately started to take in her surroundings amidst a wave of her nine bushy tails. Unlike her sister, she took the moniker of a 'living weapon' to heart, designed to seek out and execute at the behest of whoever was responsible for this organization. And after the deed was done, the pair were returned to 'storage,' their memories routinely wiped clean for what was essential to their purpose.

Yet despite that, the two sisters forged a bond that couldn't be broken. Even if they weren’t related by blood, they’d still called themselves sisters, partially due to their genetic makeup.

"Ugh. Fuck, remembering shit’s a pain,” Wispy groaned. “Hate how these creeps keep us on ice until it's time for the next mission."

From what she could tell, they weren't drugged like usual. The bomb chokers were kaput. So did she dare test if her powers could be called on...?

"Something is wrong," stated Kitsune, whose eyes narrowed as she drew her lips into a line, visibly on edge as she tapped her neutralized choker.

"Well, duh~! Like I said-"

"No, Imoto. This is different."

The kunoichi's muscles tensed when she stalked ahead toward the sliding doors that sealed them in the enclosure. The complex was some military base from what they could tell, secreted away from civilization, where their owners could work on the pair and others like them in secret.

At Kitsune's will, her hand visibly melted to liquid silver. Reshaped into a blade, she stabbed into the door and sheared into it. Metal creaked and sparked while it was cut away. Alarms immediately hit their ears once the sisters realized the room was sound-proofed, and a battle had ensued in the cramped corridors.

The blare of noise was surrounded by scarlet flashes when she hacked her way out. "Stay close," she insisted. "I'll protect you." The fox women exited into the hallway, spotted masked and armor-clad bodies that filled the tunnel.

"Nu-uh! Like hell I’m staying behind while you take all the glory," Wispy purred, summoning orbs of plasma from her palms. Its shimmer cast its shadows over the walls, drenched in the splash of the dead's innards after they had been swiftly cut down. "Eegh! Must have sucked to be these guys, whoever they were! I wonder what fucked up specimen did this..." She shuddered while following at her sister's side.

"It matters not," answered Kitsune, who pushed ahead. "I'm the designated warrior. Therefore, it is my target to execute."

"I know, I know," Wispy groaned, rolling her eyes. Somehow, her sister always recalled that, and would frequently remind the cat woman of her place. But it was fine, as she loved her. And she knew Kitsune only wanted to defend the only person she loved. As long as they had each other, the siblings didn’t need to trust anyone else.

This was their chance to finally escape this synthetic nightmare. But where would they head once they succeeded...?

Wispy would worry about that later, since they needed to be on their toes in hostile territory. Gunfire in staccato bursts and the hiss of lasers sounded ahead, with the occasional explosion rocking the compound. An acrid stench and dark smoke in inky clouds filled the atmosphere.

The sisters weren't aware of this at the time, but the lab had been hit by B.A.B.S., a notorious mercenary squad that would undertake any mission its leader believed in, no matter how suicidal. Thanks to the fox woman's enhanced senses, they were able to evade most of the complex as they made their escape, most of the security already engaged or slain by intruders.

"Take this!" Cried Wispy, whose summoned sphere burst and blinded the scientists they encountered.

Screams came from the lab-coated men who stumbled about and covered their faces. Wispy popped her claws, ready to slash them apart with a sneer when her sister blocked her path.

"Stand down, Imoto,” Kitsune demanded. “No need to shed more blood here. Even if they deserve to die."

"They didn’t just hurt us, Kitsune!” Wispy snarled and hissed, ready to pay them back one-thousand fold for what they had endured. “They fucked us up, physically and mentally! What about all the other failed specimens they disposed of? If we let them live, they’ll just kidnap more innocent people!"

"I know, but please! For me," asked Kitsune, who touched her shoulder, the fox woman's eyes moist. "Don’t let them take your humanity too..."

"... eergh! Fine. But only for your sake," Wispy held her hand, reminded that despite her often stoic and cold appearance, her sister was a sensitive, emotional soul at heart. This place had hurt her more than anyone, yet had failed to crush her spirit.

They resumed their navigation of the labyrinthine compound, and on the rare occasions they were forced to confront soldiers, they were swift to neutralize them non-lethally.

Finally, after an hour of exploration, the pair of sisters made their way out into the open.

Both escaped into the wilderness and paused to look back. They slipped into clothes taken from the dead, form-fitted black attire far more durable and malleable than it appeared, and the sisters held hands while they watched the building smoke, burn, and crumble in a violent pyre that lit the night. The smoldering ruin was lost, and with it, the faint hope of more answers.

"We're alive. That's what matters," assured Wispy with a firm grasp.

"Yes," whispered back Kitsune, unable to hold back her silent tears. A breeze swept over them and rustled the surrounding forest when she said, "Let's leave this place and start anew."

At her mental command, the kunoichi transformed her entirety, as the fox woman shifted like mercury and, once her mass settled and congealed, reformed herself into a motorcycle built for speed and precision.

"Ooh! Nice ride," teased Wispy, patting the bike’s seat before she swung her leg and mounted the machine. It rattled below her and set off into the dark, towards the neon-lit city of skyscrapers that loomed far in the distance, as if to welcome the lost strangers...

*****

"...and that's our story! Well, at least the fun bits~."

Wispy slunk down onto a couch in the foyer, dressed in a red leather catsuit covered in studs. A fire crackled in the hearth, and a chandelier overhead lit the group who settled into the mansion. "Ah, thank you!" She accepted a drink and snack foods from a tray that the twins offered as they made their way around the room.

"You're welcome," Wet Nurse said, lifting her skirt with one hand to curtsy. The twins wore their usual maid attire. A glow illuminated the chamber and enveloped them, their crystalline curves left to shimmer in the dimness as a crackle sounded.

"No, thank you," politely declined Kitsune, who sat by her sister, dressed in black with her hood drawn back, and her blue eyes stared ahead without a blink when she explained, "I do not require sustenance. I’ve become more of a machine than a woman..."

"That's a shame," frowned Foal-Bearer and placed her tray on the table, the hostess determined to serve and make everyone who entered their home feel welcome. "I can't imagine what it's like to lose a part of one's nature..."

"You sisters aren't so different," the fox woman noted, observing the twins with sympathetic eyes. "Are you not confined to this manor? Unable to leave the radius it emits, or else you'll cease to exist?"

"Yeah, I suppose that's true. But it feels different," admitted Wet Nurse, who passed around more snacks.

Wispy twitched an ear and asked, "Why not settle in? You don't have to be dutiful all the time! It must be tiresome serving so many people!" She patted a space next to them. "I'm sure you two could squeeze in easily! C’mon, lay off a little until Beatrix comes back!"

"A-as you wish," said Foal-Bearer when she and Wet Nurse took their places on the couch.

"Figured we get to know each other better as soon as we can," said Wispy, who playfully placed a hand on the elder sister's coral pink thigh and traced the soft, supple flesh. "I mean, we’re all gonna have one hell of an orgy later, right~?"

"So long as it helps the creature that houses us," nodded Kitsune. "Unfortunately, this new body has little interest in sexual recreation. I may have most of the biological organs necessary for the act, but I doubt I’m capable of pregnancy."

"Oh, that's terrible!" said Wet Nurse. "Can you at least feel pleasure, or...?”

"Last time I had any sexual contact, I found it somewhat appealing." Like her feline sister, the fox woman had been momentarily removed from their futuristic dimension by Beatrix. The latter was on the hunt to collect several allies she had encountered on her travels.

They had quickly been welcomed in and left to explore at their leisure while Beatrix was away. Wispy had taken a moment to study paintings and murals that depicted Beatrix's adventures that adorned the walls, alongside the nude statues and busts, and the suits of armor that shined in the thin light, all of which added to the gothic mansion's spooky, classic ambiance.

One painting that caught the cat’s interest was the one that depicted Beatrix and her mentor, Lady Oona Ewe, defending their world from the Vice Lord, Varys. The cybernetic figure adorned in plague doctor’s garb made Wispy shudder in disgust. A low growl escaped her throat, her irises needle-thin. “This guy… I think he knew something about the facility that caged us!”

“From what we were told, he was a dangerous adversary,” Wet Nurse offered. “Able to manipulate people through a mechanized disease to further his goals. Beatrix and Lady Ewe may have banished him, but the Vice Lord remains at large. Who knows when he’ll show up again…”

“Well, the next time he does, give my sister and I a call,” Kitsune offered, glaring at the steel visage of the cyber demon. “Perhaps this ‘Varys’ is responsible for more than just that bionicle plague.”

“Oh, I’m betting he is,” Wispy said, retracting her sharp claws and shaking off her anger. "Say, how about a swim? You have a pool here, don't you?"

"That we do," Foal-Bearer confirmed, who stood and smoothed down her skirt. "This way." She and her twin led them further in.

Shortly the foursome arrived at the pool, which could easily support over a hundred people as its pristine waters sparkled under faint luminescence. The twins casually removed their costumes, followed by their underwear, their shapely bodies bared before they stepped in.

"Join us," called Wet Nurse with a coy wink. The twins slunk down, heart-shaped bottoms raised to the surface and shook before they dove below.

"You don't have to ask me twice~!" Said Wispy, pulling down her zipper to shed her costume.

"I thought cats hated water," deadpanned Kitsune while also slipping out of her attire, carefully setting it aside, and slipped in beside her with a muted splash. "A shame that Eclipsed Heart could not come. I want her to see this."

"One day..." Assured Wispy, aware that the pop star and leader of their band, B.A.B.E., continued to solo tour to support their fans, the Heartbreakers...and also because she wanted to spend more time with that cute boy band, Sixth Measure. When the twins resurfaced, she asked, "How about a little game? Ever tried volleyball?"

"Not in ages!" Admitted Foal-Bearer as the twins recalled their time in the Crystal Empire.

"Here! I'll supply the ball!" Wispy summoned an orb and bounced it on her palm as the yellow light solidified. "Don't worry. It's perfectly safe! Though it would be a lot better if we had more than four players! I know we can scrounge up more playmates if we take a look around!"

"Give us a moment," said Foal-Bearer, who closed her eyes when she and Wet Nurse focused on their home. After a moment, Bellatrix sensed their attempt to reach her, and a silent communication passed between the threesome. "Yes," she said once they came out of their reverie. "Bellatrix will shortly be with us, alongside others who are staying here."

"Ooh! I can’t wait," Wet Nurse beamed as she drifted on the water's surface in a lazy backstroke, her nipples perky in the cool air.

"I heard Sir Dion waking up as well," dreamily mused Foal-Bearer, who settled belly-first on a float left in the pool. She dipped an arm into the water, splashed a handful onto her back and plush pink posterior, which made her assets further sparkle in the dim illumination. “Must have enjoyed his short nap~.”

Wispy leaned over the pool's side and felt her breasts sway and land with a bounce on the wet surface. "Haha! 'Sir Dion,' huh? Sis and I heard a bit about him from Bea and that sheep shaman.”

“Did they tell you that he’s a beast in the sack~?” Wet Nurse purred, already feeling herself moisten up with anticipation. “Despite his roughness and brash mannerisms, he’s a tender lover. Really knows how to make a woman feel wanted and appreciated~!”

“Pft! Sounds like any other typical red-blooded male! He'll have to earn the chance to spend some private time with me!" Wispy stated, swirling the waters with her tail, lost in thought.

In truth, she couldn't wait to meet the warrior ram and see whether he lived up to his reputation. Alongside the counterpart of her close friend Eclipsed Heart, known as Cerise Silhouette here, Midnight Blitzer, Moonlight River, Moxxi, and whoever else might make a surprise appearance. Strange as she and Kitsune were to these strangers, she too felt out of place here.

At least they had warmly welcomed them here.

A reminder that, whatever horrific experiments she and her sister had endured, there were still kind people in the world. Ones like Eclipsed Heart, who had taken them in to form B.A.B.E., and shown them love and kindness.

Plus, it was a chance to make some new memories, and hopefully help her poor sister open up some more...