We sat around the table as the morning light crept in. Mom had made pancakes and bacon, yet no one seemed very interested in eating. Ashley seemed constantly on the verge of tears.

The night before, upon breaking the news to dad, he'd told us to rest, and that we'd talk about it in the morning. It seemed to me though that Ashley had not slept. Her whole face was dreary and drooped down... and were her ears drooping slightly too?

Dad looked between the two of us. "Eat," he said in an ordering tone. He understood that things were going to get rough when this conversation started. Ashley however, did not eat very eagerly.

We finished eating. Ashley and I rinsed our dishes and put them on the counter. Then we walked back to the table. The tenseness was at a fever pitch.

"Okay," Dad said, "let's get this over with. Ashley... are you sure that this is happening?”

She nodded only once. "It... it grew back. All... all the stuff that… I... “

"Yes," Dad said, "I know. Despite the situation I am personally more afraid of you having a heart attack from the stress."

Ashley sank down in her chair a little, and Mom put a hand flat against her back reassuringly.

"I know that you will cry foul," Dad said, "but from what we have so far, there really seem to be no really damaging complications. We were afraid at first that it would cause a horrible cancer from the changing, or that it would cause your cells to decay, or any number of awful results."

"Yes," Ashley said suddenly stern, "I get it. You don't want me to throw a tantrum that I'm going to be a freak."

"Now Ashley," Mom said, "that's not -"

"That's exactly what this all is! I may be alive, I may not be running a 200 degree fever, but I'm going to have to go out into that world as a monster. As something people think of in a fantasy world, not real life. There's no way that I'm going to be able to do soccer again. They're not going to let some furry onto the team."

"Now that's uncalled for," I said, "you're blowing this out of proportion. Being different, even if it is really weird, is not going to suddenly make them ostracize you."

I had more I wanted to say, and then realize that I was projecting. I was getting defensive. Thinking about Jackie. An actual furry.

"Matt's right," Dad said, "you are being judgemental of everyone out there in the world. Assuming they'll hate you. That's a terrible way to live life, and quite honestly, I thought I raised both of you to see the good in the world."

Ashley broke, collapsing her head onto her folded arms.

Dad let out an exasperated sigh. "Ashley, I...."

"I don't care," Ashley sputtered, "this crap is happening and I'll have to deal with it. You don’t have to pound it into me. I get it."

There wasn't a sound but my sister crying. I found myself both angry and full of grief for her. I also was angry at myself because I knew that when she used words like "freak" I was lashing out because it was indirectly insulting me, Jackie, and Douglas. I was frustrated that she acted like this wasn't something I wasn’t going to deal with.

"Ashley," Mom said - in a much more quiet tone.

"What," Ashley said flatly.

"Hold out your hand."

"What?"

"Just... just do it."

Ashley set her hand lying palm up on the table.

"Now," Mom said, "spit into your hand."

"Whaa.... Mom, is this some kind of weird motivational thing? This is stupid, I'm not going to -"

"Just... just please," Mom insisted.

Ashley huffed, and spat into her palm.

I felt shock come over me as I realized what was going on. Mom put her finger into Ashley's spit, and -

Dad caught Mom's wrist before she could put it in her mouth.

"No," Dad slowly lowered Mom's arm, "I am not going to let you make such a… hasty decision."

"Foolish," Mom said, her arm still resisting Dad's grip. "That's what you were going to say wasn't it? Last night I prepared myself mentally for this. I decided I wanted to do it to show unity with our children."

"And by doing so you'd force me to change as well," Dad said.

"I can go without kissing you for a few weeks," Mom said, "especially right now."

"Dear...," Dad tried to calm himself, "we don't know that the risk of transmission will ever go completely away. Perhaps Matt was still changing in some way when he left his saliva on his cup, but maybe it had ended. We don't know."

"So what is it going to be then Lucas?" Mom said to Dad, "are you going to stand in solidarity with your wife and kids, or are you going to -"

"Stop Mom please!" I exclaimed, "I don't think that Dad loves us any less just because he doesn't want to contract the virus. We're at each other's throats right now, when we should be helping each other get through this."

Mom looked down at where Dad, now not forcibly, was holding onto her arm.

"I just... I just can't stand to watch this happen to my children, and feel like I can't do anything to help them..."

“You have helped me as I've changed Mom," I said. I chuckled. "You got me Burger Works when I was really depressed. You held me close. Even though I knew it was hard to watch, you never mocked my appearance, you cared for me deeply.”

Mom looked down. In that moment I wished that I could help her somehow. Let her know that we would be alright.

"I'm sorry Meagan," Dad said, "that I haven't been able to involve you with my work on the cure. I forgot how it hurt, neglecting you when Matt had the cancer. I'm not sure what I can say. If I am not working on my piece, it will endanger the stability of the hard work of many other people. If we want to help protect all the other people in the world, other innocent kids, we'll need to make sacrifices."

Mom cried. "Why can't others make the sacrifices? We've already had so much grief."

Dad released Mom's arm - finally. Mom's finger was still stretched out. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to see another person fall to this virus... but I also hated seeing my Mom feel this way.

Dad sat there quietly next to Mom. He seemed deep in thought.

"What will this accomplish Meagan?" he posited. "We will likely live with this for the rest of our lives."

"Ashley and Matthew will not be alone," Mom said.

"I'm not alone," I said. "I have Jackie and Douglas. Even then, I have my other friends who've expressed they're here for me."

"I'm alone," Ashley said.

"You haven't reached out to your friends," I pointed out.

"They'd reject me."

"What if one of your teammates in soccer had contracted canis instead of you?" I asked. "How would you react?"

"Honestly," Ashley said, "I would not want to be around them. I know you and your friends have been getting chummy with each other, but I can't imagine being around... "

I glared at her. "You're forgetting you have a brother that has this."

"I'm not," Ashley said.

"So," I said, "you're saying you're just going to avoid looking at me or in the mirror for the rest of your life?"

Ashley grimaced, looking up at the ceiling. "Gosh I'm sorry that this is hard for me. You're making me sound like I hate you. Why am I being asked to so quickly accept all that's happening?"

"You're not being asked," Dad said. "If you don't want to accept it, you can live in denial and feel miserable. All you're doing is delaying the inevitable, because eventually, you'll have to learn to live with this."

"I just...," Ashley breathed slowly, "I don't want to have to adjust to more of all of this."

"So you don't want me to do this," Mom asked.

"Auughh," Ashley groaned, "I don't know. Do what you want. It's your life."

Mom's tears became visible. "What my life is," she said, "is caring for my children. And... and I feel... feel like now I am separated from both of you. I want to shoulder the pain with you. I want, in the future, for people who reject us to reject all of us together, not single us out."

Her tears were flowing more readily now. In contrast to restraining her earlier, Dad now held her close. It was unnerving seeing my Mom so emotional. It wasn't that she didn't express her feelings at other times - she just rarely let her troubles show on the surface. She wiped the spit off of her finger on the decorative mat in the middle of the table.

"Meagan," Dad said, "do you really want to do this? There won't be any going back."

"I don't know," she wept. "I... I don't know. Forget it. I'm... I'm just acting crazily. I'm not thinking, but just acting based on my own feelings."

Dad eased his hold around Mom's side. "Those," he said, "I think are the best kind. Matt?"

Dad extended his hand out in front of my face - and I realized that he'd decided to do it. I gave him a sorrowful look.

"We can do it," Dad smiled with teary eyes. "I started this whole mess. It's about time I paid my due."

I swallowed, and then spit onto his fingers. Slowly, Mom reached out her hand to Ashley. After hesitating for a moment, she spat into Mom's hand. It all would've felt touching, if it weren't for the gross spitting.

They shared one last look, and put their hands to their mouths. It didn't appear to taste very good. I'd realized, as people had mentioned it since I changed, that I'd started to smell like a dog. To me though, I'd weirdly found myself enjoying the dog scent that Jackie had.

Mom sighed. "So that's it then. It's done."

"It's done," Dad said.

I visualized what the future was going to be - all of us humanoid golden retrievers, shedding fur all over the house and drinking out of dog dishes. It was an uncomfortable thought. But I did, honestly, feel a bit relieved. A silent fear had been in me - that Mom and Dad would never adjust to who I'd become.

Now a new question was on my mind - would I adjust to them?



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First Part: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/43399487/



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