Getting Hitched

(contains anthro dragon and wox to feral griffons TF)

Commission for Woxie

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‘It was about the journey, not the destination.’

Boy, whoever thought of that phrase must have possessed a lot of patience and free time. Decades of adventuring made Levian cynical to the point every time someone parroted that dribble she had to refrain from suplexing them through a bar table. The journey involved day’s worth of hiking through forest, swamplands, other unpleasant areas ravished with filth and ugly animals. That’s not including the haunted houses, haunted tombs, haunted... boats.

Ever notice there’s a lot of haunted stuff in this world? People really need to cope better with being dead. Point is a dragoness of Levian’s expert talents hated the journey part of adventures. Even if her belly wasn’t perpetually cursed to hold a clutch of eggs all her life, the long walks would make her clawed scalie feet just as sore. Red scales and fat muscles can only take so much abuse.

All the real fun laid with the destination. That’s where a great evil waited to test Levian’s true strength, along with fabulous rewards and piles of juicy meat to gorge on. Nothing would make her happier than to get to the good parts and be done with it.

Too bad wizards are extorting capitalists. How did society sink so low that magical fast travel became a chargeable expense?

“Hunny? You’re fuming again.”

“I do not fume!” Levian grunted, puffs of blue smoke bursting from her thick nostrils. The enormous red dragon shifted along the bench trying to get a comfortable position for her large, young barring hips. With an annoyed flutter of her leathery wings, she seemed to make do enough to resume scowling at the hay covered floor.

Woxie stood beside the armored dragoness, drumming the grip of her staff. The equally, and perpetually, pregnant canine mix couldn’t help eyeing her wife with a soft sigh, sounding more like a mother coping with a spoiled child in this moment. As a magic user herself, she had a better understanding why spells to teleport required lots of mana and regents, especially over miles worth of distance. Something that was clearly lost on the ‘loot and party’ adventure types.

The pair’s disgruntled presence served barely a footnote inside a very crowded traveling stable. When one couldn’t get magical transport, they settled for the second best thing; mounts. Some could fly, but that cost almost as much as the poofing relocation spells. A lot of times parties pinched gold pieces by renting a carriage pulled by several creatures at once.

“So,” Levian started once she eventually realized all the fussing got them nowhere. “Did you get anything?”

“All the carts are booked for the day. Sorry, Levvy.” Woxie gave a shrug under the dragon’s pleading gaze. “There’s a large queue for the single-saddle mounts too, not that I want to be bumping on those for hours.”

“So our options are to waste money on an inn or start walking and camp on the dirt. What fun.”

“Since when has sleeping under the stars together been bad?” That got a blushing smile out of the dragoness at last. Woxie wagged her red and grey mixed tail in return. It would be a further waste of time pointing out Levian’s new armor was why they needed to stretch their remaining cash. “Buuuut if you’re really impatient, there is a special circumstance going on that might get us a huge travel discount.”

Normally such words would be music to Levian’s perked pointed ears, but the way Woxie wiggled in place with a grin made her weary. She’d been with this witch long enough to know when mischief was afoot.

“I’m listening…”

With a cheerful yip, Woxie plopped on the bench, pressing close into Levian. Her flowery scent, supplied by cantrips, was almost distracting from her words. “Okay, so, one of the carts had a slight mishap with its steeds. They’re a bit ill after a bad random encounter with giant mosquitos.”

“They offer a discount if you heal them?”

“No, silly. You know I can’t cast disease removal on ferals. This is a special circumstance because, apparently, the cart is full of nobles that really need to get in the same direction we’re going, so they’re pulling out emergency laws for voluntary labor.”

“Labor?” Levian met her lover’s eyes, snorting laughter and smoke. “What? They want us to pull the carriage instead?”

“Yes! Exactly!” Woxie watched Levian’s smile drop so hard it almost crashed into the floor. “Hear me out, now, Levvy. Honey. If we fully consent to being transformed into their new steads, we’ll travel under the stables full protection benefits for free. All we pay is a small fee for the potion itself. Before you ask, yes, there’s also tons of laws sanctioned by the mayor for this, so we don’t have to worry about any tricks like being mind wiped into permanent ferals. We do our job and get where we need to go quick and practically free.”

Levian was many things, but at least she could listen to the love of her life’s proposal with silent diligence. Maybe a bit too silent with the way she continued to stare into Woxie’s eyes for several more seconds. Long enough to make their partner shift nervously in her seat.

“How much a potion fee are we talking here?”

“Really!?” Woxie’s ears and tail shot up. Last thing she expected to come out of that stubborn dragon muzzle was reluctant agreement. “Uh, I mean, not that much at all.”

She listed off a price even Levian’s remaining concerns couldn’t refuse. One thing that was always easy to sway is a dragon’s natural greed.

“Alright. If it’ll get us across the country faster, I’ll bear a little time on all fours.” Levian rolled onto her muscular legs, putting a lot of fake effort into her aching grunts. “This can’t be any worse than the mansion trap you pulled on us.”

Woxie was practically a bouncing ball of babies and fluff when she stood, failing to contain her enthusiasm. “You keep holding that against me, but I think we made great hellhounds. The church got to us eventually, anyway.”

“Eventually!” Levian parroted as she let her mage partner drag them across the lobby towards the stable entrances.

“My adorable dragon and I have decided to accept your offer,” Woxie said to the guard stationed by the doorway.

“Good call, ma’am,” replied the well-groomed half-orc. He undid the lock to open the way for the pair of bellied ladies. “They just finished brewing the potions, and we got a few others contemplating the offers. They’re in stable five. No worries, you’ll have plenty of privacy. Just pull the cord when you’re ready to be taken to the carriage.”

“How often do you have to transform random passengers to be the transport?” Levian asked with wide eyes. This sounded way too practiced to just be an emergency measure.

“A few times a week maybe?” the half-orc smiled while Levian continued to be half pulled, half dragged into the hall of beast stables beyond his post. “The local lords found it as a cheap way to cut costs. No need to feed or care for as many real animals.”

The door slammed shut with the lock clicking in place, filling Levian with a point of no return feeling in her rounded gut. Before she knew it, Woxie had her inside stable five and was sliding the door into place, sealing them from the world.

“I get the feeling you just wanted to be transformed for a while. HEY!” Levian barked as suddenly all her shiny new armor began falling off her peared figure. Clothes and undergarments quickly followed, phasing through her body to be folded by unseen hands into a neat pile on the hay-covered floor.

“Guilty!” Woxie giggled as she repeated the spell to displace her own clothes off. It was a much more fun cantrip as opposed to the traditional ways of stripping. The way it made Levian try covering up with her arms was always cute. “In a way it’s just another form of relaxing before we go risking our lives on some other world-ending adventure. Why do so many things want to destroy society or the environment, anyway? With all that power, I’d find a hobby.”

“Maybe one that doesn’t involve us getting naked?” Levian’s log of a dragon tail thunked its heavy weight against the floor. An attempt at intimidation that only made Woxie think about their sexy red behind.

“Like you haven’t seen all this wox glory plenty of times before?” Woxie struck a pose in retaliation that prompted Levian glancing away to hide her blush. “Come on! Let’s hurry so we can get airborne.”

“Ugh! Fine!”

They didn’t need to look far for their required potions. The only piece of furniture aside from troughs for food and water was a short table with six glass bottles on it. Woxie hopped over to snatch two and hand one off to Levian with an eager smile.

“Cheers!” she said, clicking their bottle necks together in a soft clink.

Levian hesitated only a second before rocking her head back to chug the brew with her wife. After a few seconds both pulled away empty bottles, letting out a soft burp in unison. “I kind of wish they’d flavor potions or something. It all tastes like mud water to me. How long do you think until-HRRK!?”

FOOF!

Levian’s shoulders hunched against the hard force seizing her wings. They gave an involuntary flap that suddenly changed the entire way they felt in motion and weight. She could clearly see why, since the leathery membranes and scales were replaced with the rich coating of bird feathers.

“Not long at all, I’d imagine.” Woxie started to giggle only to give a surprised bark herself. She fell forward onto both hands, looking back to watch her wide child bearing hips flatten and alternate. It quickly became comfortable to have her legs underneath her as they beefed up with pouncing muscles. Her butt became more angular while the tail atop it shed a bunch of fur to become long and ropey with a small tuft at the end.

“We’re going to be griffins?” Levian squawked. It was hard not to put together. The scales along Levian’s back and stomach itched terribly as the growth of many bright brown and white feathers caused them to molt. Watching Woxie’s feet inflate into large feline paws to complete her lion-shaped hindquarters made the combination obvious.

“Mmm hmm! Hell yeah!” Woxie mumbled as she shook her changing body to adjust with its changing dynamic. All the fur from her rounded belly to her tail tip shifted as if splattered by paint, becoming a bright blond. “Finally, I have a bigger butt than yours.”

“Magic transformations don’t count.” Levian couldn’t help but laugh even while the changes worked along her chest and arms. Having one’s rib bones pop outwards was considerably uncomfortable, more so to see her breasts fade into a thick mane of feathering. It somehow made her very top heavy and awkward to balance. A shifting in her shoulders forced both hands out in front, where she could see their scaling brighten from red to yellow. The worst part was feeling and watching her thumbs rotate around to heels of developing bird forelegs.

“Sure t-they do,” Woxie rebutted. Her forward body was also in the process of gaining a fine coat of feathers. Each heaving breath puffed her chest outwards while devouring her breasts at the same time. Sharpening claws dug experimentally at the wooden floor beneath them while she tried getting used to a new way of gripping things. “What? You don’t think I’m cute as a cat?”

“Half-cat, and you’re as cute as the day you were born.” Levian would have smiled except for the hard crunch that made her wobbling legs alter their stance. It was always hard to see past the girth of her belly, but judging by the larger ratio of golden fur overtaking its black scales, she could guess the cramps in her feet were because of their drastic growth spurt. Not to mention the lightening of weight in the back was a sign her dragon tail was losing a majority of its powerful muscle. “Hate to admit I have regrets. Too late anyway. Going down!”

Levin’s bird feet hit the floor, causing vibrations to tickle Woxie’s mix species paws and summon a cloud of hay into the air. Her body felt about the same as her partner’s looked; half lion, half cat, and still gravid, their baby bump hung to the point it threatened to drag against the floor. Suddenly Woxie’s eyes went cross as she arched her back in a long moan. A pair of large feathery wings erupted from her hunched shoulders, kicking up more hay with several stretching flaps.

“Orrgh!” Levian nearly gagged at the shifting sensation that slammed into her face. Control of her lips and jaw faded fast, causing streams of drool to go down her receding chin. Ears folded back even as they dwindled into the feathers covering her skull. “Ah ahoolways haath dis parthhu!”

“W-whaithu for meh Levvy!” Woxie was all smiles despite her teeth melding into bright yellow lumps and muzzle fighting the magical force trying to push it back.

With several hard crunches, both ladies teeth slipped out of their thinning lips into jutting sharp points. The curved tips becoming the weapons of a predator keen at tearing flesh. Their once large noses retreated on diminishing jaws until they rested as barely noticeable pin holes atop impressive beaks. Soon the pain ended, leaving the pair to click their newly hardened mouths a few times, trying to shake off the saliva from glands that no longer existed.

“This is totally awesome!” Woxie chirped, running in circles trying to admire her fresh griffon body.

“Yeah, it is nice to feel lighter...in most places anyway.” Levian ran a bird paw over the lion fur of her pregnant belly, giving tight feline hips a shake. She imagined they were both big as Clydesdale horses and almost looked exactly alike. About the only aspect of Woxie still resembling her former self was the rich blue ‘hair’ of feathers on her eagle head. Leavin could occasionally catch sight of a thick crown of golden feathers atop her own.

“You look as plump and energetic as a spring chicken, dear,” Woxie replied. Ignored the look Levian gave to the supposed compliment, she bounced back over to the stall door and pulled on a dangling string with one forepaw. “Hey! We’re done! Let’s get airborne already.”

“Have you ever flown under your own power before?” Levian asked with a crashing concern over new post-transformation details.

Before Woxie could utter a syllable, the door slid open with the Half-orc beaming at them from the other side. Sheesh! Even his natural stature felt minimal compared to their beastly sizes, barely coming up to their eagle heads.

“Ah! What splendid specimens you’ve become, as well. I’ll have to let the manager know how potent this alchemist’s brew is for future reference. Please follow me to your carriage quickly. We’re already heavily behind schedule. Your items will be collected into a locker with the rest of the luggage.”

“Good!” Levian huffed. She let Woxie exit first, poking at an attendant waiting to, presumably, collect said items. “Don’t you dare lose my armor. A grumpy griffon is almost as bad as an irritated dragon.”

“Don’t worry, she’s always grumpy,” Woxie called over her shoulder. “Hurry, hun!”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

Suddenly having to walk as a quadruped was both annoying and something Levian hoped would never be normalized in her adventures with Woxie, but that seemed more likely with a transformation happening almost every month. Still, quality time with the wife while getting free transport was one of the better results. The walk through the stables certainly didn’t help with how crumpled the hallways now felt. She had to focus to keep her wings folded back while trying to navigate corners.

“How you holding up, Woxie?”

“Still getting my paces right. Whoop!” Even that little break of concentration caused Woxie to stumble on her front legs before righting again. “You?”

“Trying not to slam my sides into the sharp edges. It’s like I’m trying to turn with a wagon behind me, and I swear if you make a fat joke I’m pouncing that lion butt.”

“I was just going to say it’s worth having so much of you to love.”

“... I would raspberry you if we still had lips, dork.”

There came a strange flubbing, sputtering noise from Woxie, making Levian concerned at how violently her partner’s blue head feathers shook.

“The hell was that!?”

“I.. uh… didn’t know if we could blow a raspberry so I decided to try.”

“Oh.” Levian could barely get the word out trying to contain a fit of laughter. If she started, they might not make it to the carriage in any decent time. “Never do that again, love.”

“Agreed.”

It was refreshing for both of them when their half-orc guide finally led the way outside. A team of attendants startled Levian as they swarmed the pair for flight preparations. The bridle was less than welcome, reminding the former dragon they weren’t meant to be the ones in control of this flight.

Once the reins were set up came a coating of some glittering salve across both their feathers and furry parts. Almost immediately, the gentle breeze of winds and heat from the sun numbed. The feeling wasn’t completely gone but left the griffoness feeling like she was in a thick blanket. Anti-element products were hardly a rare thing among a city of magic. That will be a godsend at high elevations.

“You know, this probably will be a little fun.” Levian felt a bit of anticipation being led by the reins to their cart.

“Glad you finally admit it,” Woxie gave a cheerful chirp as she was tied up beside her mate. “It beats sitting on our butts in a stuffy carriage the entire trip. On man. I just realized the view is going to be amazing.”

“So is the company,” Levian added, making her fellow beast flutter their wings in delight. “It’ll be a more fun ride than most, anyway. Are they going to change us back right away when we get there?”

A strange ripple washed over Woxie’s animal body, her wings and tail going stiff. When she looked at Levian, the twinkle of wonder remained, yet carried just a minor hint of anxiety behind it.

“Oh… Yeah! Of course they’re going to change us back, silly.” Woxie took a deep breath, looking away as she mumbled, “Soon as we finish all our flights.”

Levian’s breath caught in her strong avian lungs. “I’m sorry. Love? Did you just say flights? That’s a plural. Did you mean to use that?”

Woxie slowly looked back to Levian, wings folding meekly to cover her beak. Both of them were too intent on the topic to notice their driver climbing into his seat. “It’s kind of a capitalist thing they pulled with this deal. They want us to recoup all the expenses spent. You know, like keeping track of our stuff, making us safe for long distance travel, feeding us. Don;t forget we also wanted a cross-country flight, so the gold gets really steep. It’ll still all be free, we just need to do a few shorter range trips.”

“Is this carriage even going to the same place we intended?!”

“I said it was in the same direction. Don’t worry, hun. It’ll be like a brisk walk between cities.”

“Uh, huh? And how many flights are we obligated to do no-WAACK!?”

The driver gave a sharp crack of the reins across both griffons backs, snapping them into the moment. “Less gabbing, more flapping, you freeloaders.”

Woxie shot Levian a nervous smile as she stretched out her wings. Her tank of a wife snorted and mimicked the motions. “Just remember how many beautiful sights we’ll be seeing and I love you, hun.”

Their pair arched their hindquarters breaking into a simultaneous flex of pouncing and wing flapping. The carriage groaned as it was dragged behind them across the open road. They repeated the motion with increasing elevation until one last push of lion paws launched the magic imbued vehicle into the air. Special varnish glittering off the wood allowed it to assume a near weightless hold on its mounts so the griffons could continue flapping towards the bright blue sky.

“I’ll always love you, Woxie,” Levian squawked harshly to be heard over the wind blasting both their bodies. That salve really minimized the effects, but not the noise. “I just wish the cheap options would stop sucking so much!”