Chapter 68 – Instincts

It was a very hectic and eventful day for Sophia. By sheer accident, she transformed her body into that of an actual tiger-girl, and to make matters worse, this change was more or less irreversible. Because of all that, she had tired herself out and immediately fell asleep once she got comfortable on Maya's lap in the evening.

"Fuah... so tired~," Sophia yawned while lazily opening her eyes on the following day and blinked a couple of times. "Urgh, so bright... was it always this bright? And... eh? Were the direct surroundings always so... crisp and sharp?"

"Welcome to my world. Also, good morning." Maya looked at her during her greeting.

"M-Morning..." She blinked a couple more times to get adjusted to the light. "Your world?"

"Our eyes can be really sensitive."

"Hmm...?" Sophia turned around on the cat-girl's lap, and their eyes met. She stared at them for a while. "Those slitted pupils of yours... Are mine the same now? I actually didn't pay attention to my eyes when I checked out the transformation."

"Yep, I think a little more even, actually. Though, they're a bit more rounded right now. It seems like you can't fully adjust them yet. That's most likely also the reason why it's so bright for you at the moment. The bigger the pupils, the more light enters. Well, I have the same problem from time to time after waking up, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Okay... Oh, it's actually getting better already..."

"Great."

"I'm really glad that I still see all colors, though." Sophia remembered that normal cats are more or less color-blind.

"Yep, we got the good parts of the eyes but without the drawbacks. Well, most of the time."

"Being a cat-, or tiger-girl isn't all about being adorably cute, huh? Though you nailed that part, Maya."

"Wow, a-aren't you in a good mood?"

"Uhh, I just felt like saying it... Kinda happened on impulse..."

"I know that feeling. You really became one of us." Actual cats, too, can be quite impulsive. "Not that this is actually new."

"As if I didn't have enough personality quirks already!" Sophia had mixed feelings about also having feline-related traits added to her repertoire. "B-But on that note, I-I better get up from your lap now..." She sounded nervous all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?"

"W-Well... remember the other day where you said that you like marking me and how it's happening on instinct?"

"Of course."

"Uhh... I think I'm starting to understand what you meant... I'm also not sure if I want to understand... That's why-" Without finishing her sentence, Sophia was trying to fight her newly awakening instincts by getting up from the cat-girl's lap.

"Oh~?" Maya's lips formed into a grin. "You are feeling it now as well, huh? Ehehe~." Using her hand, she pushed the tiger-girl's head down into her lap again. "Go ahead, I don't mind at all." She wanted to awaken those new instincts forcefully.

"H-Huh?!"

"If you're getting the urge to mark me, that's making me really happy! It means you genuinely want me to be yours, after all! You're trying to claim me. It's a sign of affection!" She seemed excited about it.

"B-But does it really has to happen that way...? S-Somehow, this is really embarrassing! Having the extreme urge to r-rub my head all over you..."

"Nooo, I can't imagine a better way~." Maya was in a great mood right now.

"F-Fen, I could use some help over-, huh, Fen?!" She looked around but couldn't find the wolf anywhere.

"He left before you woke up, saying he wanted to hunt and train a bit."

"A-Ah." Her one escape route was gone. "He's gotten too good at running away at the right moments!"

"Well then~" Maya pushed the girl's head down on her lap once more.

"Mmnhpfhh..." She wanted to complain about something, but as her face was pressed against the cat-girl's thighs, only muffled gibberish could be heard.

"I'll let you go if you give it a try." While she said so, she began to gently pet the tiger-girl's head.

"Rrmngh~" As much as Sophia didn't want to admit to in this situation, she was enjoying it very much. "H-How does t-this kind of marking work, anyway?" She was starting to lose to her new instinct.

"Just listen to what your body tells you, and give in to the desire."

"Uuh..." She was embarrassed about the urge that was welling up inside of her.

"Ehehe~." Maya continued to pet her head with a great smile.

"..." The tiger-girl silently enjoyed being spoiled for a while, but this only increased her desire. Unable to fight back her instincts any longer, Sophia slowly began to move her head from side to side, causing her face and hair to gently rub against the other girl's legs.

"..." Maya didn't think she would actually do it and became so surprised that she stopped petting her.

"Don't stop..." Sophia turned around and looked at the cat-girl with pleading eyes as she rested the back of her lead in her lap. "More..." She already was like in a trance.

"T-This girl... She actually managed to become more adorable after transforming. H-How is that even possible?"

"Maya, more~" She had completely lost to the new feline side of hers. Grabbing Maya's hand, she placed it on her head again, urging the cat-girl to continue her petting.

"Urgh..." Her heart tightened from the sight of her girlfriend being in such a state. "F-Fine, it can't be helped." With an awkward but warm smile, she continued to stroke her hair.

"Rrhhmn~" The blonde tiger-girl had her eyes closed and looked very pleased. Whenever Maya came near her forehead, Sophia lifted her head and pushed it against her hand, seeking the contact while making a deep purr-like sound. Afterward, she plopped back on the cat-girl's lap, where she proceeded to rhythmically rub the back of her head all over her legs. "Rrmn~."

"Hnngh..." She was in pain, but the good kind, as she was currently overdosing on cuteness.

Their exchange went on for a while. Maya continued to caress her hair while enjoying Sophia's reactions and the purring sounds that somehow had much more power behind them than her own soft purring. The tiger-girl kept on showing her affection by seeking the touch of her hand and rubbing her head against the other girl's lap while being in a trance-like state.

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"I-I want to die." It took Sophia around 15 minutes before she finally snapped back to reality. She was currently hugging her knees while rocking back and forth. Her face had turned crimson, deeply embarrassed from the shameful display she showed earlier when she lost herself to her new instincts.

"D-Don't be like that. You were adorable!" Maya was basically glowing after being showered with so much affection.

"That doesn't make me happy at all!"

"Come on. You made me fall even more for you."

"Okay, that does make me happy!" Sophia's mood was all over the place. Even more than usual.

"Don't be like that. It was so obvious that you enjoyed marking me."

"That's exactly the problem!" She regretted having lost to said instincts.

"Ehehe~."

"You're so meeaan!" Her angry and desperate cry echoed through the area.

"What... is going on here?" Just at the perfect moment, Fen arrived back at the camp. Seeing Sophia hugging her knees with a bright red face and screaming out her frustration confused the wolf a bit.

"Feeen~!" The second the embarrassed tiger saw him, she sprang up and hid herself behind his massive body while pointing at Maya. "She's bullying me!"

"Maya, what did you do?"

"I'm innocent!"

"Are you?" He suspiciously eyed her.

"M-Mostly..." She lost to his pressure. "S-Sophia was awakening to some of her new feline instincts... I just gave her a little push!"

"Y-You forced me to!" The girl in question had a different opinion.

"Wait." The wolf needed a moment. "Not just looks and the properties of your body, you even assimilated feline character traits and instincts?"

"I-It appears so... I became a full, 100% tiger-girl."

"Wow, even when messing up, you go all out, huh?" Fen wasn't sure whether he should be impressed or not.

"Y-Yes, yes, I do. Especially when messing up."

"Don't you think your persona was complex enough already, girl? With the whole boost story and such?"

"It's not like I wanted to, okay?! I'm still not happy at all about any of this! Well, my new looks aside."

"I am, though!" Maya wasn't being helpful.

"Uuh... Fen's right, I already had enough going on. I don't want to be like a cat as well, on top!"

"You already were pretty cat-like even before your transformation, though. Actually, you were more cat than I am... and I'm born as one."

"In what way was I cat-like?!" This accusation was news to Sophia.

"Well, sleep is the most important thing for you. You're shy but also laid-back and easygoing, super stubborn, and moody. Not to mention how curious and unpredictable you are. Ah, and once you warmed up to me, you became super affectionate."

"Don't forget her slight S-tendencies." Fen added something to the list.

"Yeah, that."

"Uuh..." She had no way to defend herself. "Wait, what was that?!"

"Nothing!" Cat and wolf were in perfect sync.

"B-But even so-" She really couldn't say anything against most. "Actually having such distinct instincts is too much for me... T-They're super embarrassing!"

"I don't think they're embarrassing. They're perfectly natural."

"For you, they might. You were born with them, after all. You're also not shy, and don't get embarrassed by those instincts!"

"And that's what makes you twice as adorable when you give in to them, Sophia~."

"Y-You're such a bully!"

"She, too, is a cat after all." Fen saw the connection.

"Urgh..." Maya finally also took some damage.

"So, how do you stop those instincts?" Sophia wanted to get rid of them.

"Well, they're instincts. That means you don't. You can become able to deal with them better, but they'll always be there."

"Not what I wanted to hear! Becoming able to deal with them? How?"

"Getting used to it. Mostly by living them out."

"Y-You're kidding..." It was the exact thing the tiger didn't want to hear.

"Nope~. We usually do that with our parents or friends when we were really little."

"T-That's bad for me, isn't it?"

"It's really good for me, that's for sure!" The cat-girl enjoyed the situation way too much.

"W-Why...?"

"Because you can live out all those instincts on me~."

"G-Great..." She was at a complete loss.

"Soo..." Fen tried to change the subject. "How about we cover some ground today? I know it's just one thing after another with you, and the last one was quite significant-" He glanced at the tiger-girl. "Just, if it keeps on going like this, we'll never reach the capital. Not that I care that much."

"Sorry..." She apologized for being such a handful. "Y-Yeah, let's do that. I want to see it, too."

"I'm for it, as well."

"Alrigh, let's g- Ouch!" As if running away from the situation, Sophia tried to take a couple of big steps, but she didn't make it far. "Stupid tail!" Having forgotten about it already, as there was no muscle memory yet, she had lost her balance and splendidly tripped over her own feet.

"Yeah, we won't reach the capital any time soon, huh?" The wolf sighed at the hopeless sight of the girl.

"Here, let me help you." Maya got next to the tiger and offered her hand to bring Sophia back on her feet.

"T-Thank you..." She gladly took her hand and stood up again.

"Time for a second try!" Not letting go of the tiger-girl, Maya took the lead now.

Sophia was relatively soon able to walk somewhat okay again after recalling her training from the other day. Even so, their speed was severely reduced for apparent reasons. It will most likely take quite a while until she becomes able to run at her best again. As a result of all that, the group's progress wasn't all that noteworthy.