Chapter 13 – Changes

The next morning Dylan had to leave for an appointment with Dr. Reinhold. He hated to be parted from Zoe and she him, but life had to go on. They said their goodbye's at the front door as Amanda and Desiree watched. Dylan was shirtless which made them giggle because Zoe had asked for it since it "smells like you". Said shirt was now clutched in her right paw as they shared a passionate kiss.

Finally breaking the kiss, Dylan snatched another quick peck on her lips before he turned and left. He received a few funny looks as he reached his Jeep and climbed in, but he was too happy to care.

Zoe sadly shut the door then turned around and leaned back against it as she brought Dylans donated shirt up to her nose and took in a deep whiff. It helped a little.

"We saw tongue didn't we Desiree?"

"That we did Amanda, we saw lots of tongue!"

"Girls" Zoe sighed.

"So," Amanda continued "did any clothes come off last night?"

"Girls..."

"Some?"

"Girls..."

"All?"

"Girls!"

This caused both Amanda and Desiree to start laughing. They loved teasing their friend. They could see how bad Zoe had it for Dylan. And from what they could see, Dylan had it just as bad for Zoe.

"So when's the wedding?"

Zoe mocked growled and jogged the short distance to the couch, grabbing a small, decorative pillow off of it. She then proceeded to throw it at Amanda, the author of the last comment. It missed, but it caused her to friends to explode into a fit of giggles and split up, running for cover.

"I call dibs on Maid of Honor!" Desiree yelled out shrieking in giggles again as another pillow narrowly missed her head.

"Bridesmaid!" Amanda called out, followed closely by an "Ah!" as she was tagged in the small of the back by another pillow. "Mammal down! Mammal down! Medic! Medic!"

Soon all three were sitting on the couch, leaning against each other and breathing hard. More than roommates, more than friends, they were sisters in spirit and they basked in the joy they had with each other. Neither Amanda nor Desiree brought up the fact that, the entire time they were playing around, Zoe had only used her left paw to throw pillows. Even now Zoe clutched Dylan's shirt in her right paw.

oooOOOooo

"Come in, come in my boy!" Oscar exclaimed when he opened the door and found Dylan standing there.

"Hey Doc!" Dylan greeted the doctor as he walked in and plopped down into one of the chairs designed for a mammal his size, then, recognizing the smell of "Earl Gray", leaned forward and made himself a cup while his friend climbed into his own chair.

"So, tell an old beaver how you've been doing!"

Dylan smiled "Doc, you're not old"

"I know, but you seem to understand my brand of humor while my colleagues... eh!" he shrugged.

"Well, I have a new girlfriend."

"What happened to the old one, the one on the TV?"

"Didn't work out, let's leave it at that."

Dylan then explained about how his business was going. How Horizon's lawsuit had hit a brick wall. That his band was coming along really well and that they should start playing some venues soon. Then he explained about meeting Zoe, how they became friends, and then how it deepened into a relationship. He had to explain the concept of soul mates to his friend after Oscar had remarked about how quickly they got together. "But," he said, "it's not unheard of either. I've just never heard that term applied, no matter how appropriate it seems."

"So, what do you want to talk about this time?" Dylan asked.

Dylan saw his friend become serious before addressing him again.

"Dylan, have you noticed anything unusual about yourself lately?"

Dylan's brow furrowed at the question. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Have you noticed anything like maybe your eyesight having improved? Or your hearing sharpened? Maybe being able to smell things you couldn't before?"

Confused at the line of questioning Dylan shook his head and answered "No, not really. Why? What's going on?"

Oscar nodded and sighed "You know how we take a blood sample from you after each visit? We don't have an original sample of your DNA prior to you coming through the portal. We were hoping to approximate how it was before but..."

Dylan was getting nervous and not the good kind like he was with Zoe.

"But what Doc?"

"We've noticed... changes... happening in your DNA. Remember how we hypothesized that the portal changed you mentally so that you could understand the language and be better able to assimilate socially into our culture?"

Dylan nodded numbly, his body seemingly to go cold all over.

"I believe the same thing is happening to you physically now. You told me how you have a sub-culture involving something called "Furries" And that there is a belief that everyone has an 'inner animal', correct?"

Dylan nodded again.

"The changes we've been noticing deal with physical aspects. Not the color of your eyes or fur, but, for example, one change seems to be increasing the number of rods in your eyes, which should make it easier to see in the dark. Others seem to be increasing the number of scent receptors you have. Do you understand?"

"I'm mutating..."

"Yes, but not in a bad way. All the changes seem to be adapting you to live better in your new life here."

Dylan's eyes lit up as he looked at his friend and said "Yeah! One thing I can think of is that several months ago I tried a Bugga Burger and enjoyed it. When I first got here, it was extremely unappealing to me."

Oscar smiled "Exactly!" he said. "We've been comparing your DNA to others in our database and it seems to be shifting, away from some but closer to others. Tell me, did you ever try and find out what kind of inner animal you felt you were?"

Dylan looked a little taken aback but nodded "I did at a party I went to once. We were all having fun and we got onto the topic of Furries. The hostess admitted to being a vixen. So, we all sat down and were asked a series of questions. Mine came out to be Wolf."

Oscar looked down at the packet of papers he had and nodded. "Well, to give you a comparison, you have a 37% compatibility with rabbit DNA. You have an 87.9% compatibility to wolf DNA. That is currently the most compatible with the next closest being fox at 74.2 %. Those numbers will continue to change until your DNA settles down."

Dylan's mind was processing all of the implications of Dr. Reinhold's statement. At the forefront was what it would mean for his and Zoe's relationship. Would she even want to be with him now that he was mutating into who knew what.

"Any idea how long that's going to be Doc?"

"No my boy, I'm sorry. I will keep you informed if I find out anything new."

"I appreciate it Doc. Now I just have to find a way to tell Zoe."

oooOOOooo

Dylan had been trimming his beard in front of his bathroom mirror when he stopped and looked closely at his image. His hair didn't seem any thicker and his beard didn't look any fuller. Peering closer he checked out his ears... nope, not getting pointy. Opening his mouth he looked at his teeth. Well, he had his canines, but none of his other teeth appeared to be any pointier. The hair on his arms seemed to be the same as always. He sighed heavily in relief. At least it didn't appear he'd be turning into a werewolf anytime soon.

He still couldn't believe this was happening to him. He'd accepted the fact that he'd been changed in order to facilitate him being able to communicate. But, just when he'd began to feel like he was settling into Zootopian life on his own terms, here comes something to blindside him.

Wolf. He'd always liked wolves. He'd always considered them to be noble creatures, looking out for one another, part of a pack. When he'd found out his inner animal was supposed to be a wolf, he was elated. At the time he tried to play it off as if it wasn't that big of a deal, but inside? An entirely different story.

But what did this mean for him and Zoe? He knew he loved her. As far as he could tell his feelings were real and not something set into his new DNA. Even if it had been would that make it any less real? He didn't feel the same way with Stacy. Friends, yes. But he wasn't attracted to her the way he was with Zoe, he didn't feel the need to be with Stacy the way he felt with Zoe.

And what would Zoe think of this? Would she want to continue to see him? Would she still be open to wanting a relationship with him? The only thing he could do was talk to her and hope for the best.

oooOOOooo

"Dylan! Hey Dylan! I got you a gig!" Wade shouted as he entered the auditorium where Dylan's band practiced. Wade looked around when there was no answer. He saw all the rest of the band, but no Dylan.

"He had to leave two days ago, said it was an emergency. Called this morning to say he'd be in this afternoon for practice." Rachel said as she walked up to him.

Wade gave a sheet of paper to her and said "Here, you guys look it over and see what you think. If everyone agrees, I'll contact the manager of the club and set up a time and date."

Rachel looked at the paper. It was a handbill that clubs gave out to bring in customers. This particular one was to a club in Savana Central called Clodhoppers. They were known to cater to all size mammals including the dance floors. Svelte had been there before, they had a huge center dance floor for large mammals. Two on the sides, one for medium and one for small mammals. And finally, a small one attached right to the front of the stage for tiny mammals.

Rachel looked up and said "Okay." Wade nodded and then left. As soon as the door shut behind him all the band members began talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"A gig! Finally!"

"You guys think we're ready?"

"Of course we are!"

"Wait! If we're going to play we need a name!"

"Tumbleweeds?" Beth suggested.

Several members grimaced.

"Dusty Roads?"

Gagging sounds

"Guys. We need a name that will make us stand out. One that hints at who we are and where we're going with our music, that we want to take country music mainstream, where everyone is going to be listening to and singing along without music." said Beth passionately. She was a friend and fellow classmate of Wades and an ardent fan of country style music.

"Crossroads" The soft voice of Edgar chimed in. He normally was content to sit in the back and just play his drums. The other members looked at him with an expression akin to awe.

"Crossroads. Yeah, like in taking our music in different directions, having choices."

"Yeah!"

"I like it!"

Rachel looked at Edgar and said "Edgar, you're a genius!" For the first time ever, they saw Edgar smile.

"All in favor?" Rachel said as she raised her hoof high. Three other paws were quick to join her.

"Crossroads it is!"

oooOOOooo

The three friends were having lunch at Zach's Place. It was a little diner right around the corner from their apartment. Zoe was having the chicken soup which the diner was known for. It was the same soup that Zoe and Dylan had as a first meal together. Desiree and Amanda were amused that Zoe was wearing Dylan's shirt.

Both friends looked at each other before Amanda cleared her throat. "Zoe, we need to talk."

Zoe looked up, worried at the serious tone Amanda used. "Uh, what?"

"With Layla gone we need another roommate."

"Why not just put up a notice in the Student Commons. It's how we found each other when we first started Med School." Zoe stated.

"But it's also how we found Layla. Now that she's gone, Amanda and I can't understand how we tolerated her for so long."

Amanda nodded her agreement "We want to pick our next roommate, someone who can get along with us and we can enjoy being around."

Zoe looked at them both. Something was going on here. "You already have an idea of who you want for a roommate, don't you?"

Both of them grinned widely and nodded, in sync.

"Who?" She asked, afraid she already knew the answer.

"Dylan." They both answered, still in sync.

"Girls no," Zoe said "It's too soon! Dylan and I just started going out. We haven't even had an official date yet. Moving in together is just taking it too fast!"

Desiree waved that off "Do you love him?"

"Well, yeah, I love him."

Amanda spoke up "I think I should point out that, since Dylan gave you that shirt" here she pointed to the one Zoe was wearing "you've yet to be separated from it. Even when you go to the bathroom it goes with you."

Zoe tried to defend herself "Uh, it's just, just that having it with me makes me feel happy."

Amanda and Desiree nodded their understanding.

"And?" Desiree prompted.

Zoe sighed. She had admitted it to herself days ago and these two mammals were like sisters to her. "I miss him. I miss knowing that he was there. Maybe not in the same room, but that he would be nearby. I miss hearing his voice, his warmth when he lays next to me. Did you know he growls? Not like in anger, but softly, like he's happy. I can hear it sometimes when I lay my head on his chest."

"You've got it bad girl." Amanda said.

"Real bad" Desiree agreed.

Zoe's shoulders slumped "Yeah, I do."

"Can you imagine yourself with anyone else?"

Zoe looked scared at the thought. "NO!"

Desiree scooted closer to Zoe, grabbed Zoe's paw, looked her in the eyes, and said "It shouldn't matter how long you've known each other, but how much you love each other. You, out of all of us here, should know how things can change in an instant. Don't have regrets because you are trying to do things the way everyone else does them. Do what feels right for you."

That hit home with Zoe. She started crying and pulled her friend in for a tight hug. Amanda moved over to join them and all three pulled each other close. She had the best friends ever.

Pulling away from the hug finally, Zoe sniffed and agreed "Okay, I'll call Dylan and I'll ask him. If he says 'yes' then we'll do it." All three friends grinned and went back to their lunch.

oooOOOooo

Stan sat back against the booth and tossed another roast beetle into his mouth. Biting down, he enjoyed the crunch and then the meaty flavor hitting his tastebuds.

He was still keeping a half an ear on the conversation the three mammals were having behind him. Dylan. It was a bit of a long shot but following this Loper girl paid off. Now to let The Boss know and see what he wants to do. Finishing the last of his Beetle Poppers he slid out of the booth and, walking right past the still talking mammals, exited the diner.

oooOOOooo

Practice had gone well. Dylan had approved the name of the band with gusto, slapping Edgar on the back for a job well done. They made out a set list of what they'd like to play. Dylan made sure that Rachel had at least two songs to sing so she could showcase her talent. He was eager to begin playing in front of an audience again, fondly remembering the high he'd get from people enjoying his music.

But just as soon as they stopped for the day, all of the worry from his conversation with Dr. Reinhold came back. His heart felt so heavy, afraid that Zoe wouldn't want to be with him anymore when she found out. So, with a great deal of trepidation he pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed the key that would speed dial Zoe's number.

oooOOOooo

Amanda was in the kitchen cooking supper since it was her turn to do so. Eggplant Parmesan was her favorite thing to cook and her friends loved it. She was wondering how much Dylan would like it when Zoe came walking out of her bedroom with her phone against her ear.

Zoe had been putting off calling Dylan until later in the evening because she knew he had band practice. Just as she picked up the phone to call him, it rang. She looked at the number and grinned, it was Dylan. She answered as she began walking into the living room.

"Hey Dylan!"

"Hey Zoe, how's my beautiful girlfriend?"

"Better now that I can hear your voice."

"Same here Baby."

"Um, I need to talk to you about something, nothing bad I promise."

"Yeah... I need to talk to you too."

The way he said it made Zoe's heart clench. Something was wrong and she gave voice to the thing she feared the most currently "You're not breaking up with me already are you?" she asked plaintively.

"NO! No, no, no. Although... you might want to break up with me when you find out what I have to tell you."

Relief flooded through Zoe when she heard his answer, but then concern replaced it at his second sentence.

"Dylan, you're scaring me. If it's that important you get your fuzzy butt over here. Amanda's making her famous eggplant parmesan. We can talk and then eat okay?"

"Okay."

Zoe felt bad. He sounded so forlorn. Zoe hung up and found Amanda looking at her.

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know yet and I'm worried."

About thirty minutes later their buzzer rang letting them know someone was at the entrance. After confirming that it was Dylan, they buzzed him through and had the door open, letting him right into the apartment.

Amanda saw Dylan's expression and thought 'He'd better not be breaking up with her or I'll show him exactly how evil and nasty a sheep can get!

Zoe grabbed Dylan's hand and gently pulled the unresisting mammal into her bedroom. As soon as they were in, she pulled the door closed, turned to Dylan, and said "Now, tell me what you're so upset about."

Dylan sat down on the bed for a minute to collect his thoughts. Zoe sat down beside him and leaned into his side. Then he began.

"You've seen my interview, but there are things that were kept secret since it was deemed that they were too controversial. This is what they aren't telling everyone..."

Dylan then explained everything. His life before coming to Zootopia, the portal, waking up in the hospital, Dr. Reinhold, everything.

"... so then he told me why they'd been taking blood samples and checking my DNA so much. I'm mutating Baby and I don't know when it'll stop. I don't know what I'm going to end up looking like."

Zoe had been alternatively stunned, surprised, horrified, and amazed during Dylan's recitation.

"You said Wolf was what you were closest to." She said trying to comfort him.

"Closest yes, but they have no idea what's going to happen. I mean, no one has ever had this situation before. I just needed you to know in case... you know... something happened. I didn't want you to be stuck with some freak of nature."

Anger flared through Zoe "Dylan Ambrose! I don't ever want to hear you refer to yourself in that way ever again! Do you understand me?"

An angry Zoe wasn't anything Dylan wanted to see, especially when it was directed at him. Seeing it directed at Layla was bad enough. And having that anger directed at him broke through all of the negative emotions he'd been feeling. He could see that Zoe was waiting for an answer, so he just nodded numbly.

"Good! I don't know why you thought I wouldn't want to be with you. So what if you're changing? As long as you are the mammal I fell in love with here" she gently poked him on his forehead "and here" she poked him over his heart "I will love you. I don't care if you lost all of your fur and looked like a naked mole rat, I will love you. You are mine Dylan, and don't you ever forget it!"

Dylan's body shook as all of the tension he'd been holding in suddenly fled. He took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out explosively. He put his arm around his girlfriend and pulled her close.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" He asked, his heart in his words.

Zoe smiled as she answered him "I don't know, but it must have been on a 'save the multiverse' level!"

Dylan chuckled "Yeah, I'd have to agree on that!"

Zoe smiled and snuggled closer. She jerked slightly as she remembered her and her friend's conversation from lunch.

"Hey. We needed to ask you something."

"We?"

"Yeah, Amanda, Desiree, and I. We were talking at lunch, and they suggested something to me."

"And what was that?"

"Well, since Layla left, we don't have a fourth roommate..."

Dylan was able to connect the dots. "Y'all want me to be the fourth roommate."

"What do you think?"

Dylan was quiet for a moment before answering. "I thought we were going to try and take it slow. I mean, this has happened pretty fast. And you said you wanted to take it 'not too fast'. We haven't even been on a first date yet."

Zoe nodded "I pointed that out to them. But then Desiree told me something and I couldn't disagree with her. Basically, she said that we don't have to meet anyone's expectations except for ours. That we should do what feels right for us, not for everyone else. We still don't have to rush things, but we did spend two nights in bed together." Dylan started to open his mouth to protest but Zoe put her paw up to his mouth and continued. "I know, we were fully clothed. But even if we weren't it's up to us to determine how fast our relationship develops. If we end up... having sex... in two weeks, two months, or two years, it doesn't matter as long as we both feel like we're ready."

Zoe dropped her paw and waited for Dylan to respond to her. He held her eyes as he swallowed.

"I love you Zoe. I can't really explain how strongly I love you. It's like, whenever I'm around you I find myself, my soul, drawn to you, like I was falling into you. Being away from you hurts. It's almost a physical pain. I know that we can't be right next to each other all the time, but just knowing that I'd be able to see you each day would make it okay. And we will become intimate at the pace we set for ourselves."

'It's strange' Dylan thought as he gazed into Zoe's perfect blue eyes, 'I had to travel the Multiverse to find love.'

"So, is that a yes?" Zoe asked hopefully.

"Oh absolutely!" Dylan confirmed as he cupped Zoe's muzzle and kissed her. When Zoe started kissing him back, he slid his hand around to the back of her head. With a deep 'mmmmmm' Zoe opened her mouth. Not needing any further invitation, Dylan dove his tongue into Zoe's mouth.

After a few minutes of kissing interspersed with quick gasps for breath, they finally pulled away from each other. It was both regret and happiness as they lay their cheeks together, Zoe's arms around his waist while his left was still gripping her neck fur and his right was around her waist. And if his right hand was a little too close to her tail, neither one was going to mention it.

Zoe and Dylan walked out of their bedroom holding each other, eerily similar to how they had days ago.

They were talking softly to each other when a distinct accent asked "Well, it looks like everything worked out. Did you ask him?"

Zoe looked surprised at first before her face fell and she said, sadly, "Yeah, I asked him."

Dylan choked his laughter back as he saw the sadness wash over the sheep and koala. "Damn" Amanda muttered.

"He said 'Yes'!" Zoe crowed a second later.

This time Dylan couldn't keep the laughter from erupting. Zoe had pranked her friends perfectly. Their expressions ran from sadness to shock, to indignation, to happiness.

Recovering, Amanda said "Awesome! This calls for wine to celebrate!"

Tea glasses were replaced with wine glasses and all sat down to eat. The pleasurable sounds Dylan made during his first bites made Amanda swell with pride. Layla would always find something to complain about. Dylan, on the other hand, saluted Amanda with his wine glass while he chewed.

oooOOOooo

The Boss steepled his paws as he sat back and thought about what Stan had just told him. This had possibilities. It would take some planning, but it was workable.

The Boss smiled. Stan hated that smile. That smile usually meant that some mammal was going to be walking around without it's hide and Stan was going to ensure that said mammal wasn't going to be him. "Stan, my fine furred friend. It's time to continue the plan. First, we're going to need additional resources."

A/N: I admit I have been waffling about Dylan mutating. Keep him human or bring him closer to the Zootopian norm? After much thought (about thirty seconds worth)... Just kidding, the idea has been in my head since I started writing this fic. No, I won't be turning him into a werewolf (although that would be kind of cool). And I won't be bringing him to the apex of human fitness (ala Batman).

I also was concerned about bringing Zoe and Dylan together so quickly. After some thought (yes, more than thirty seconds), I felt that it was justified since I looked up whirlwind romances on my friend Google and found out that the time between meeting and marriage can last from a few weeks to a few months.

As always, any questions or suggestions are not only welcome, but encouraged. You guys have been great and I am over the moon that y'all are enjoying my fic.

Thanks,

Speaks with Spirits

"What? Cesar? You're on the wrong line."

"NO! You are not The Boss!"

"No, I'm not going to write a fic just so you can be in it. Keep it up and I will write one. I'll make it one page and kill you off in the first paragraph! Now go back through the veil and be patient!"

Sorry, spirits get so bossy sometimes.