To the Wild
Billy willingly goes to the wild
With nothing much else to do and in a rather cheery mood, Antony decided to visit Billy. She decided to visit him with a brand new pack of smokes for her to suck on in his small duplex. It was a small satisfaction she hoped to garner.
A quick couple of knocks were performed before she simply opened the door and walked in, "It's me Billy."
The place stank of rotten fish even worse than usual, his tank filled with things he had pulled inside. There were ink stains everywhere, and his crutches lay forgotten in the corner where Aubrey had left them. The octopus man himself, though, was no where to be seen. At least untill she caught a glimpse of movement through the clear sides of te tank.
Antony coughed violently as the smell hit her, and she had to surpress a gag. Jesus she had cleaned it not to long ago, what the ******** had he been doing? The ink stains reminded her of the ones she had to wash from her fur and she frowned deeply. That b***h.
A cigarette was lit within moments. "Billy?" She questioned at the sight of the movement, moving closer to the tank. Why was all that stuff in there?
She couldn't spot him under the water at first, a tangle of sunken pillows and blankets and sheets all intertwound and white under the slightly dirtied water. That was untill she was able to post two round, purple, inhuman eyes staring up at her in silent horror.
Her eyes were wide as she looked over the tank. To put it lightly, it looked disgusting. It wasn't until she had looked into the tank more critically did she notice the eyes, and the emotion, and then, it all clicked. "Oh ********."
Her cigarette was left forgotten to burn between her fingers.
There was a flurry of white limbed movement befor he was gone again, hiding under the debris in the tank like skiddish octopus he was becoming.
She was scared. She couldn't see him and she wasn't prepared to stick her arm in the tank to fish him out. Instead, she swallowed and cleared her throat, "Come on out Billy..."
He stayed perfectly still, as though he was never there. but despite his closed eyes and white skin, his nervious tick betrayed him under the water.
Antony looked around, and found a bit of sheet that was close to the edge and cautiously took a grip of it, tugging it out slowly until she judged her hand to be out of biting distance. "I know you're in there... And I swear I'll find a way to pee in it if you don't come out." Where the confidence was coming from, she didn't know.
He couldn't hear her through the water, but his only half formed gill system needed a break. Finally, he inched his head up, keeping his back to her as his color started to return and he gasped for air, "Leave... me... alone!"
She frowned, and narrowed her eyes, taking a preventative step backwards. "You changed," the squirrel woman said stupidly.
He grunted, tentacles shifting in the tank as he still worked to catch his breath. Above or below the water, it seemed his body wasn't happy with the amount of oxygen it was getting. His skin slowly returned to it's normal lavender, but his hair remained white.
She wasn't brave enough to reach out and touch him, or even to step closer. The cig burned still between her fingers. "When?"
"A... couple days ago..." He weased. With another deep breath, he hcanced turning to face her, clicking his psudo-beak nerviously.*
Unable to stop herself, she gasped and put a hand to her mouth, but not in time to cover her shout, "Holy s**t!" When she was able to calm herself down, she offered him an apologetic glance. She really didn't know what to say.
"I s'pose... octopusses aint... as cute as ... squirrles," He growled bitterly, sinking lower into the water self conciously.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, obviously telling the truth. After an awkward pause, she took a hesitant step forward, "Anything I can help with?"
He lifted a tentacle to brush his sodden limp hair out of his face, the fin between his shoulders and down the back of his head twitching opright befor flattening again, "There shoul' be some fish left in me fridge... if y'coul'... get it fer me..." He managed quietly.
While her tails were busy behind her, she stood still for a moment before nodding and turning to fetch the said fish. She made a face at the smell, but managed to pick up whatever packaging they were in and carry it to the tank.
The man's inner octopus snapped to attention at the growing smell of food, tentacles sliding up to reach out for it wobblingly like an excited animal.
The woman held it out for him, keeping his limbs out of the way as much as possible so that they too wouldn't get snatched.
While her tails were busy behind her, she stood still for a moment before nodding and turning to fetch the said fish. She made a face at the smell, but managed to pick up whatever packaging they were in and carry it to the tank.
The man's inner octopus snapped to attention at the growing smell of food, tentacles sliding up to reach out for it wobblingly like an excited animal.
The woman held it out for him, keeping his limbs out of the way as much as possible so that they too wouldn't get snatched.
He grabbed the fish from the styrofoam, dipping back into the water up to his eyes to rip at it out of sight with his half-formed beak. After he had devoured his "prey", he watched her intently, "Wha' d'ye' want?" He huffed bitterly.
"I came to visit," she said after an intense look of concentration. It took all she had not to gag.
"I aint good fer much," He grunted. "So don' bother askin'."
"I didn't come for a ********," she hissed, grinding her teeth for a moment before continuing, "You have the Doc for that, aye."
At that, he gave a sharp, bitter laugh, turning his back to her, his spines standing on end.
"Should I just leave then?" She really didn't want to have to play this depressing game again.
He was quiet, mulling things over in his head. The octopus wanted to be left alone. Billy himself was not a loner. It really had been the creature growing inside him, but how many people had actually known him well enough to make that distinction? No one. Not even Antony. They just knew who they had met on teh island. "I don' want y't'leave," he finally managed quietly.
Antony sighed and ran her cigarette free hand over her face for a moment before nodding, "Okay then... What can I do?"
He shook his head, "I don' know," He took another few breaths of water befor sitting up again, "Help me out? We can... sit on th'couch if it's more comfortable fer ye..." He was sick of the tank. It was such a difficult task to relocate, and he was bored of being in the same place. He needed a change of scenery badly. Truthfully, he needed out of the house. His rock by the lake was looking more and more homey than this. Maybe he'd have Antony help him get there... just live in the lake from now on. It would be easier and more comfortable...
She swallowed too, and nodded again. Taking a step towards the tank, she opened her arms out as if offering to hug him, but was very well prepared to carry him as he had requested. "I'll try my best."
Keeping his head bowed so she didn't ahve to looka t his face, he shifted, wrapping his tentacles and tentacle arms around her arms so she could help lift him out. After loosing so many bones, he was a lot lighter than he should have been.
Lifting him, she managed to discard the smoke into the tank before his tentacles got burned. With a grunt, she lifted, and was unpleasantly surprised at his weight change.
Instead of his previously weak legs, she was greeted by his four lower tentacles that pushed at thesides of the tank in a lame attempt to help.
Antony didn't have too much trouble thanks to the added balance her tails gave her, and with a sturdy grip, she managed to carry him over to the couch. It was slow going, but they made it and she set him down carefully.
He said nothing as he was placed down, limbs worming over the cusions as he laid back, still unable to hold himself upright.
The squirrel woman sat down next to him, and after a moment, she patted her lap as an invitation for comfort. It would only be offered once.
He glanced over, wondering what she meant by the pat. Lay hsi head down? Sit on her lap like a child?
"C'mere," she said softly, motioning for him again by opening her arms in a 'want a hug?' gesture.
Tentacles fidgeting, he flattened his fin, dragging himself closer to her. He remembered her face when it had still been fairly human. Beofr the mask of furr and squirrelish features had overtaken it, turned her hair white and burried her tatoos in a blanket of furr. At least she was something relitively cute. At least Moreau had granted her that.
Antony swallowed back the fish smell and carefully pulled him into a hug much as one would comfort a child who just lost its first pet. She didn't say everything would be okay, in fact, she said nothing, and simply hugged him to her, carefully resting her chin on his wet hair.
It was a few moments befor Billy meekly slipped his four tentacle arms around her, the four tentacle legs worming about trying to find something to cling to, settling at least for a couple of her tails gently. After a long while of silence, he finally managed to speak up, "I t'ink wha' e'er was goin' on b'tween her an' me's over."
She nodded against the damp hair silently, "Should I be sorry?" Hopefully, he didn't want too much pity on that subject. For some reason Antony was rather cheered by that news.
"I s'pose tha's th'end o' me chances a' anyt'in on this feckin' shitehole, aint it?" He shook his head, burrying his face in her chest. There was nothing like a woman's chest to help distract from the worries fo the world. "Tha' b*****d saw t'tha'. He did it on purpose, I know he did."
"Well, did you expect him to just bend over and take it?" She asked softly, not trying to be mean, but she couldn't help being blunt. "I don't know if it is Billy..." That topic rather made her uneasy, but she put that emotion aside for now.
"Th'nigh' I changed," He glanced up, needing to talk about it to someone. Someone who wasn't Aubrey. Someone who- well, was involved. "There was two injection marks."
"Two?" She leaned back, looking rather terrified. This had to be added revenge.
He raised a specific tentacle, drawing in a shallow, shuddering breath, "I aint... human no more. Waiste down, I mean. At all."
Antony fell silent, and simply eyed the tentacle with a blank sort of expression. "Holy. s**t. Please tell me
that's not ...IT."
"Nothin' bu' suckers down below me skirts," He gave a manic sort of laugh that seemed out of place compaired to her preivously meloncolly demenor. "So's I understand if'n y'aren't turnin' t'me no more as yer emergency backup. No' tha' me drive's any different. Feckin' b*****d."
"It's um..." She trailed off, unable to find the words, before finally making a rather strange comment. "For certain... No more head..." Frowning for a moment, Antony soon sighed and shook her head some before pressing a tenative kiss to his forehead. Nothing sexual in the least, but it had cheered him up at least once before...
At the touch, his spines tensed again, standing upright and quivering as he gave a frustrated sigh, "Don' go' e'en a bloody pelvis no more, let alone legs... Wha'm I gonna
do?"*
She jerked back as the spines moved in what she took to be a disapproving gesture. "I... I honestly don't know Billy," she whispered.
"Go t'th'lake, I s'pose. I coul' a'least swim there. Go'... sort o' gills now, I t'ink. These holes in me head where me ears were, anyway... Bu' don' know how I'd get there."
"I couldn't carry you that far myself," she admitted with a frown, tails twitching per usual behind her, even the 'captured' ones.
"Feckin' hell," He shook his head, 'I actually
want t'go t'tha' bloody lake."
She didn't look very pleased, but she stayed silent, simply hugging him to her a little more tightly.
"Somehow I doubt th'labs'll help me out. Ye'd t'ink they woul' ha' sent a wheelchair o' somethin'."
"Not if the man in charge wishes to cause you as much pain as possible."
He gave a bitter grunt, "Well he feckin' won. He shoul' be happy. Know o' anyone who'd help out? No' tha' anyone on this feckin' island actually would volunteer t'help
me or nothin'."
She thought on it for a bit. "Yeah... Rex possibly..."
"Rex..." He knew a rex, didn't he? It had been ages- "He's mates wit' tha' blonde lad wha' looks like a gel, aye?"
"Um... I think so? Anyways, he's strong and a do gooder, really."
"Don' know wha' I coul' do fer him," He grunted, "Bu' I'm sick o' this same bloody tank."
"He's a nice guy who likes to help," she stated, shrugging her shoulders.
"I'm goin' mad, Antony. I can't think straight."
"Let me help," she said after a long silence.
"Ye'll get me me legs back?" He grumbled miserably. "I cannae e'en sit up on me own."
"If I could..." She shook her head, "But you know I can't."
"Then wha' d'ye propose?"
"That you think of something I can actually -do- to help."
"I coul' bu' I don' think ye'd be interested. Le's keep it a' help me get t'the lake, and we'll go from there, eh?" He gave her a bitter, half-beaked grin.
Again, she frowned and would have moved to rub her face with her hand had they not been tied up. "I could... Try? If it'd cheer you up..." Ew ew EW.
He caught her look, his smile never fading although he did look away from her face, "I want a feckin' cigarette."
"I'm not letting you get buzzed down."
"It woul'n' e'en make it to me mouth."
"I know. You showed us remember?" She frowned, and leaned back on the couch to be a bit more comfortable, carefully pulling him against her should he allow it.
He let her, happy for her warmth and feminan softness.
Antony sighed, once again troubled with various thoughts.
Billy didn't move, although his weasing was getting worse. He gulped for air from his mouth and the holes on either side of his head, tiny, pin-point nostrils flairing as his cheak spasmed in his nervious twitch.
Her tails swished and curled around his limbs, and she gave him a worried look, "Do you want me to help you back to your tank?"
"Jes... A few... more minutes..." He panted, "I'll be... fine..."
It was obvious that she was concerned, and she fidgetted a bit, glancing over to his tank. "Okay."
"Still... go'... some lungs left..."
She shushed him softly, absently relaxing a little bit more underneath him.
His specific tentacle brushed against her and he gave a mournfull noise in the back of his throat, "Fine. Fine... back... in th'... in th'tank..." He panted.
The noise caused her to arch an eyebrow, trying to hid a rather disturbed expression at the brushing. "Alright," she murmured, once again lifting him up and transporting him over to the tank.
He slid in with a relieved noise, dropping under the water to satisfy his gills untill his lungs began to complain again and he was forced to resurface.
She leaned against the tank's edge, simply watching him for the time being.
"So ye'll see aboo'... findin' me help, then? Gettin' me t'th'lake?"
"Yeah, I will... Do you want me to do that right this instant?"
"Wha'... li'... ge' me there now?" He arched an eyebrow.
"I don't know, maybe?"
Antony ignored him, not seeing his mood swing, but instead pressed the number for Rex's duplex.
With a grunt and a moan Rex pulled himself from his bed after an afternoon catnap. He fumbled yawning to the buzzer on the wall and pushed the button, answering with a drowsy "Hello?"
"Hey Rex?" She said cheerily, or at least, as cheery as she could muster, "I need your help."
The voice of the squirrel on the other side of the line pulled Rex from his sleepy haze, "Oh, whats up Ant? What do you need help for?" He released the button and yawned once more, trying to fully wake up.
Antony smiled, even though he couldn't see her, "Could you come to duplex 33 for me?"
"Um, sure! I'll be right over." Rex slipped on a shirt, washed his face and wandered over to the bottom floor of the Duplex next door.
The number rang a bell distantly in his mind, but he couldn't place it. He opened the door and prodded a head inside, "Helloo?" He called, making sure it was the right duplex.
Since she was the only mobile one in the room, she opened the door further for Rex.
Rex walked in further, "Heh, thanks..ohh..." his eyes fell on the tank with the assorted sheets and other things inside. "Uh, what did you need help with?" He said, giving the tank another quizzical galnce.
"Well... Billy changed and I need to get him to the lake, but..." She gestured to herself before reaching out and giving Rex's bicep a healthy squeeze and then a pat. "I'm not -that- strong."
Rex listened to her little explanation and smiled humbly when he squeezed him. "Ahh, alright." Rex approached the tank, peering inside, "And I'm guessing Billy is in here..."
He hadn't seen the man since his first change, so Rex was curious as to what an octopus would look like at this new stage.
Billy shifted in his tank, the octopus once again taking a hold of the man, his skin having gone white to blend in with the sheets again. He peered up at the potential preditor fearfully, tentacles dug deep under the debris.
Antony simply watched for a moment, staying silent until she joined Rex next to the tank, "Billy, this is Rex and he's going to help you with me."
Rex looked down into the tank, the sudden realization that Billy was there before his eyes caused a silent gasp to slip his lips.
Rough change, poor guy. Rex waved friendily down to the octopus and smiled, "Hey Billy, I don't know if you remember me..."
Through the water, though, all he could hear were the dim sounds of foreign words, and the wavering, water-distorted view of their faces peering down on him. The octopus slipped back further under the blankets and pillows, looking terrified that the big cat was going to scoop a paw down and try to see what his tentacles tasted like.
She sighed, motioning for Rex to stand back for a bit before beckoning Billy while mouthing, "It's okay." This was so strange.
Rex stepped back obediantly, he'd heard loads of stories about post-change aggression. He knew he'd certainly felt it before.
Hesitantly, carefully, the octopus man surfaced just enough for his sopping white hair and trembling spiny fin to poke out of the water, his mantle cavity still sucking at the liquid for oxygen while it could. "..."
"We're going to need something to keep him wet during the trip I think..." She spoke to Rex, but kept her attention on Billy, offering him an encouraging smile.
"I'll get a towel." Rex walked quickly into the bathroom, still slightly dumbfounded by the sight he just saw. He grabbed the nearest bath towel, figuring that the man wouldn't ever have to use one of these again.
He threw it into the bathtub and soaked it with water then brought it back to the tank. "Anything else?"
With a few blinks, Billy seemed as though he were starting to come back to himself, his nervious twitch returning as he slowly lifted his head out of the water enough to switch to his lungs rather than his internal gills, "Aint seen y'... in a long while, lad. Nice hair." He panted gruffly.
A thankful look passed from Antony to Rex before she turned back to Billy.
The squirrel woman looked generally relieved that they didn't have to do something that involved being inked. "Do you think a wet towel will due for the trip?"
Rex smiled deeply when the man spoke from his little watery tank. He ws glad to see that there was still some humanity left in the slippery body.
Rex chuckled and ran his hand through his bedhead, "Heh, thanks" Unfortunately Rex couldn't say the same to Billy.
The octopus man gave a gurgling noise, dipping down into the water again, his tentacles fidgeting anxiously around him. His color returned in splotches and they could see his suckers clinging to the sides of the tank. It was difficult to remind the octopus that he was on his way to a much bigger amount of water, the cepholopod in his head refusing to go out on dry land where his body was practically useless.
"Fine, fine, it'll be fine!" he snarled, looking anxious.
Her tongue clicked against the back of her teeth, but she gestured for Rex to do his manly hefting. "Then let us get on with this."
Rex swallowed his lurking anxeity of being strangled by Billy, he had to trust him as his hands dipped down into the water to scoop up the splotched man in his grip.
"Get comfortable bud," Rex strained to say, "Thankfully the lake isn't far."
Billy spasmed, looking frantic and paniced for a moemnt, tentacles wrapping around Rex's limbs in a frantic gesture, his cepholopodian eyes widening.
Antony waited until Rex had a good grip on Billy before laying the towel over the octoman.
"Good stuff, let's get t'moving." Rex gently made a move for the door, ignoring the suckers pulling at the fur on his arms and shoulders. He kicked the door open with his foot and headed out the door. "How're you doin', Billy?"
The octopus man was hyperventilating, eyes locked on his vanishing tank. He mad an odd noise, tentacles shfiting and trying to break free of the bundle of the towel, slapping at and squeezing at Rex's limbs like a frightened, wild animal.
She had the sense to grab and pocket Billy's keys before following suite and shutting the duplex door behind her. Catching up to them, she offered a hand to one of Billy's arm tentacles. "Just talk to me Billy.
Do you want me to light myself a smoke?" The second comment was an afterthought, but she was sure Billy would appreciate a bit of second hand smoke right now.
Deep down, Rex rumbled about smoking. He had a sort of grudge against cigarettes from his childhood. Even though the woman they took didn't love him, she was still his mom.
But he just ignored it, maybe it'd soothe the flailing Billy at least a little bit. In the meantime, the least he could do was keep walking and avoid being smacked in the face with a tentacle.
The word "Cigarette" seemed to snap the octopus man back into his own head, the flailing stopping as he blinked at her. He gave a groan, "I want a feckin' cigarette... tha'.... go' damn
b*****d..."
She gave an apologetic look to Rex before she managed to light herself one. Taking a long, healthy drag, she exhaled as off to the side as she could to keep it from looking like she was blowing it in Billy's face.
"Better than nothing?" She asked quietly.
Rex nodded back to Antony and exhaled from his nostrils to keep the smell as dilluded as possible. He could deal. Rex was just happy that Billy calmed down.
He hoisted the slippery body up farther like a baby and sighed, his muscles slowly wearing down. "We're gettin' there soon!"
"Jes'... jes' a puff... maybe he aint watchin'... maybe he aint... " Billy stretched a tentacle, trying to grab the smoke desperatly.
She kept it out of reach, "I'm sure he's watching like a hawk." Experimentally, she exhaled the next drag directly at Billy. "They buzz him down if he touches anything... Smokes, alcohol, etc."
The explanation was for Rex, obviously.
Rex was appreciative of the explanation, though his eyes widened at the consequences. "Yeesh, that's no good."
Especially because I'm holding him. "Sorry Billy, looks like you've got to keep it down to enjoying the smoke."
Rex sighed, filtering out as much of the smoke as he could and readjusting his grip on the octopus.
Billy's expression trembled befor his chemically imbalanced emotions took hold and his mood swang for the worst, tears sliding down his slimy face to wet his beard, "It aint FAIR! It aint FAIR tha' god damn feckin' b*****d SHE CHOSE YOU, Y'bloody man-c**t!!" He screamed as though Moreau could hear him.
Antony jumped back, squirrel instincts taking over for a bit as she stood utterly still, as if that would keep the predators from her.
Rex's head jerked to the side as Billy wailed wildly in his ear like an obnoxious parrot. He was obviously missing some past drama.
The octopus fell silent, busying himself gasping for air. Water. He needed fresh water. Water befor smokes. Water his new addiction. Lovely. ******** lovely.
"How close are we?" She managed to squeak out moments later as she caught up to the pair again.
"I don't think its far, just a few more duplexes away." It was good that the lake was literally right next to the village. Rex could smell the distant scent of water slowly approaching as they continued their dirge.
Billy was weasing harder, desperatly gasping at the air, his skin going greyer in his exhaustion. The distant, feral look had returned to him and he nibbled at the towel as though he could suck the water straight from it.
"Best hurry," she commented, frowning at Billy's appearance.
"Good idea," Rex said nervously, picking the pace up to a gentle jog. He tried his hardest not to jostle Billy in the process, but the guy was going to suffocate if he stayed outside much longer.
The lake was in view through the trees. "Almost there." Rex panted.
The closer they got to the sounds of water, Billy wormed and wriggled more desperatly, his tentacles tiwtching where they were wrapped around Rex's limbs, some sliding around to try to reach for it, attempting to squirm away from the offending lion man.
Antony kept up with the two of them, jogging as well.
There, the lake was but 100 feet away and now Rex was practically running to get the fragile frantic man into the cool water. He felt constricted by the man he was excorting, but also didn't want him flopping onto the ground.
"Here we go!" Rex yelled, feigning cheer over the writhing mass in his clutch. Rex ran into the shallow waters and released Billy into the murk.
THe octopus promptly turned, half-formed beak widened to squirt a jet of ink into the lion's face befor he dipped under the water, quickly slipping from view. It seemed as useless and clumsy as his body had been above water, underwater, it was far more functional.
Luckily, Antony had decided not to run and arrived at the lake less than a minute later, so she had no part of the inking on her nice, white fur. "Ew," she commented as she tried not to laugh at Rex.
Rex was relieved to left Billy go before SHPLAT in the face, all he could see was a nasty mixture of black and the smell of fish. "Yeuughhhh!" He yelled before leaning into the water to wash off as much of the ink as possible.
He knew he needed a shower, but that was just rediculous. Rex coughed and spit up some ink that had gotten into his mouth. "Ugh, gosh. You're welcome, Billy."
Rex said ruefully, trudging back to the shore and pointing at Antony, "Not a word."
She covered her muzzle with a hand so that he couldn't see her snickering, "Don't worry, I'm sure he's thankful... He's just cranky." Clearing her throat, she simply grinned moments later before gesturing him to follow her. "I know how to get his ink out of fur," she offered.
"Yeah, I bet you're right. I would be too." He said, turning back to the lake to wave off Billy, "Have fun out here, bud."
"And do you think you could help me with this then?" He chuckled and pulled as the ink left in his beard. "This is pretty disgusting..."
"Imagine it on white fur," she grumbled, tails swishing behind her as she made her way back on the small path in the jungle. It was best left unsaid the nature she had gotten said ink stains.
Rex turned to start his way into the village. "Well, did it all come out?" He sure hoped it didn't stain.
"Eventually, I had gray splotches for a while though... But that's probably because I'm pale as hell."
"Could be... ahh well.." Rex sighed, arms falling to his sides. "Do you have the stuff you need at your place?"
"Yeah, but sadly... I have no towels, so you'll just have to air dry naked on the couch," she teased, chuckling before offering an equally playful smirk. For the most part, she was joking.
Rex laughed nervously, trying to supress the lion inside from getting too excited. Rex had expelled him from his mind, it was too difficult to let him run rampant.
But he couldn't just tell Ant 'Hey! Don't talk about sexual stuff. I can't handle with that right now.' It just didn't work that way.
"Dude, don't worry... I have towels," she raised an eyebrow at him, but soon turned to face foreward once more and continue to the village quietly.
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