[18+] Sebastian is disliked for his creepy look. One day, he spots something flashing in the distance. Taking the chance, he goes to the light.

Today’s story is “Feeling Sheepish” by Alice Clawford, who wrote short stories for Dread, a Furry Horror Zine by Sinister Stout Press and Purrgatorio by Bound Tales, and many short stories she wrote for her patreons over on her patreon page.

Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.

Today I'm reading an adult story for mature listeners.

If that's not your cup of tea,

or if there are youngsters listening,

you can skip this one and

I'll have a new story for you next time.

time.You’re listening to The Voice of Dog. I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

and Today’s story is

“Feeling Sheepish”

by Alice Clawford,

who wrote short stories for Dread,

a Furry Horror Zine by Sinister Stout Press

and Purrgatorio by Bound Tales,

and many short stories she wrote for her patreons over on her patreon page.

“Feeling Sheepish”

by Alice Clawford

Sebastian was a rather lonely fellow.

He wasn’t shocked,

he expected that given his looks,

but even in Cosmopolis he found himself rather unwelcome.

Cosmopolis was a city drowned in poverty and crime for the most part,

police officers lost control of the port town and left it to rot and handle itself.

The police were still around,

many working plain clothed for fear of being attacked,

or they were fitted into the thickest gear imaginable.

Riot police were the norm in Cosmopolis.

Neon lights were the only source of light this city ever saw anymore,

the buildings built so haphazardly and so close together

that many of the streets in the city never saw daylight.

It was fitting for Sebastian,

a spider who enjoyed the darkness the city brought.

The buildings being so close together

meant climbing from place to place was easier than walking across the ground on the pathways.

Police officers didn’t bother him,

they backed away,

uneasy around a giant spider.

He was merely meandering along, having no goal in mind

as he travelled the dark streets.

Most of the time he would climb against the walls of buildings,

getting out of the way of the crowd and avoiding as much contact that he could.

Some days were better than others,

some days he could shrug off the stares and ignore the gasps of terror.

Others, it would strike him to his core,

his heart lonely and seeking empathy, but finding none,

only judgemental stares to his many eyes.

However, he couldn’t remain couped up in his home for too long without feeling confined.

Houses in Cosmopolis were tiny,

in a city that was losing space and growing taller instead of outward.

Living space was a luxury very few could afford,

even the rich had had to make compromises

and find themselves living in a flat most other cities would consider a tiny compartment comparatively.

This was just the sad reality

of living in a city that was growing,

but could not catch up with that growth,

soon becoming entirely overpopulated with people who couldn’t leave, or didn’t want to.

Most simply couldn’t afford it,

and so violence broke out in their desperation.

“Going somewhere, spidey?”

A voice stopped him,

a voice he recognised.

With a small fanged smile, Sebastian turned around.

He was on a quieter street,

headed for the river for some peace and quiet.

Nobody liked being near the river, as it was more of a sludgy trail than a river now.

It was polluted so much it was toxic, possibly dangerous to touch and the smell was so foul

nobody could be close to it.

It ran just outside the city

and was filled with all kinds of trash imaginable.

“To the river.” Sebastian told the newcomer,

who stepped beneath a blue neon light and revealed herself.

It was an opossum,

standing in her tight leather shorts and a v neck shirt that barely covered her breasts.

She had purple and blue dreadlocks

and her blue eyes stared at the spider, completely unphased.

She seemed just as strange as he,

her rat-like tail trailing behind her and her sclera yellowed

as if she were dying.

She wasn’t, her posture certainly showed that and she looked healthy, for an opossum.

“What brings you out of your bar, Naomi?”

The opossum spat on the ground, rolling her eyes.

“Had to kick a prick out for bringing out his dick to one of my girls. Larson gave his arse a lashing when he tried squaring up to me,

thinking he was the bitches knees or something.”

Naomi seemed to shrug her shoulder as she brought out an e-cig from her pocket. With how tight her clothes were, Sebastian was amazed she could fit anything into those pockets at all.

She sucked it in,

a purple colour lighting up within the pipe, before she removed her lips from the end

and blew out smoke.

It smelt of blueberries,

the spider noticed.

“A breather, huh? Do you want me to stick around for help tonight?

So long as I get a free drink, of course.

It’s the only place I feel comfortable in.”

Which was true, Sebastian felt welcomed only at Naomi’s bar,

and that she welcomed anyone so long they followed the rules and weren’t a twat.

The moment someone went out of line, she’d toss them out.

Naomi shrugged her shoulders,

moving to lean against the wall close by

and ignored a black cat that hissed at her for invading its space.

“Nah, only if you want to.

We should be good,

Larson has got it covered.

You’re welcome for a drink though,

but you look like you got a few things on your mind.” Huh,

was it really that obvious?

He hadn’t thought it was obvious, but Naomi

was good at reading anybody's body language.

She’d been trained to, being a bartender for as long as she could remember,

even when she was under-aged.

It was a tough life,

she never drank whilst she was young, but she sure sold alcohol when she was seventeen.

She needed the money,

then inherited the place once the previous owner passed away.

Now, ten years on, she owned the place

and built her home around it.

“Yeah, I just… got some thinking to do, is all.” The opossum shrugged her shoulders, turning around and raising a hand.

“Be my guest, you know where I am if you need to get pissed.”

The spider couldn’t help a smile

as he watched his friend leave,

heading right back to her bar and back to work.

Sebastian himself worked as a janitor,

but he had the day off today,

a much needed one at that.

He just wanted to get away from the crowds and get outside.

Turns out, outside was not much better.

The clouds were black and threatening to bring down rain on the already soggy landscape.

Sebastian had to be careful and tread carefully as he made his way to the edge of the city,

the mud outside the city worked like quicksand.

It was the sole reason Cosmopolis had been unable to expand,

yet couldn’t cease growing in population.

As the population turned nasty,

murders were not unheard of anymore,

and quite often the police would turn a blind eye to not be targeted also.

The river was as polluted as Sebastian knew it would be.

The ground was like tar,

bones of beasts who had tried to cross it

littered the other side of the swamp.

The river was down a steep hill,

the only reason Cosmopolis hadn’t ended up underwater,

running somewhat smoothly towards the ocean close by.

The river ran black,

Sebastian wasn’t sure if it was because it was so polluted

or if because the area was always so dark and dreary

it simply looked that way.

He wasn’t feeling optimistic enough to go for the latter.

The stench was horrific,

enough to put any animal off and send them scurrying away.

However, the citizens of Cosmopolis were simply too used to it,

the smell soon enveloping the city

and becoming one with them.

Sebastian came here because he liked to look on the other side,

to imagine himself running away and living the life he wanted to,

living wildly, maybe to another city or going at it alone like a nomad.

The only thing holding him back?

His confidence and his looks.

If Cosmopolis couldn’t accept him for who he was,

what chance did he have for anywhere else accepting him for who he was?

He couldn’t help how he looked

and he hated that his looks held him back.

If he could transform,

be something he wasn’t, he was sure he’d have an easier time of it.

Not to mention, being a spider certainly had its downfalls when shopping for clothes became near impossible,

it was expensive to buy anything, he was rather large and found himself cramped in most places,

he really didn’t find the appeal of being a spider at all.

Alas, this was the dice he was rolled

and he was having to live with it, stuck in Cosmopolis probably for the rest of his life.

As he was wallowing in self pity,

Sebastian turned his head to see

a twinkle to the side.

It was further up the river,

away from the city,

he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to reach there without crossing the river.

Still, he would take his chances

and he moved to investigate.

It was too far away for him to get a good look as to what it was,

what that twinkle could mean from the distance he was at.

Carefully to not fall down the hill and spell doom to his life,

Sebastian moved forward.

For a while, he considered turning back.

This was further than he’d ever been

and nobody ever wanted to venture this far as the stench of decay and death almost sent him sprawling away.

His already nervous disposition was tested to the max,

his body shuddered with anxiety as he got closer,

his curiosity too great to ignore,

even as he suffered for it.

He felt he was torturing himself,

and yet he felt far too compelled to back away.

Something was calling to him,

something was beckoning him over.

It could be nothing,

it could be something life changing. He needed to know.

Luck would have that the shining object was on the side of the river he was on,

dug into the ground like it had fallen from the sky.

Bending down to investigate,

Sebastian squinted and

reached out one of his many appendages to take a look.

ZAP. He withdrew his hand quickly,

surprised by the loud noise the object made.

It sounded very similar to when a neon sign got shot down and sparked horrid noises.

When he looked down,

he found the object had disappeared.

What on earth? He was sure it had just been there!

A small object that looks like a piece of round shrapnel, or space matter.

Sebastian honestly wasn’t at all sure.

He turned around,

looking for it as he felt his body temperature begin to rise.

He ignored it, for the time being.

Until it soon became absolutely unbearable.

A very strange thing, considering that Cosmopolis and its surroundings

were always cold.

Everyone always donned winter clothes,

when even the summers didn’t warm things much

and when it did, it brought about the stink worse than before.

Many people never left the house without a mask on to protect them,

certain that one breath could be deadly and be their last.

However, right now

Sebastian felt like he was burning up,

a fire in his belly that was burning him alive!

He hurriedly threw his top off and any other piece of clothing he had without thought,

it made no difference to him that he was naked

as he looked just as horrific as he did with clothes on anyway.

He panted and waved a limb in front,

hoping to stave some of the heat off,

but it did no good.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Sebastian felt himself panic,

pondering that tiny shrapnel that sparked on him.

The fact it had disappeared sent his mind reeling.

Was he infected with something? Or had

something crawled into his body and this was the result?

He didn’t like it and his anxiety rocketed.

His breaths came out as pants,

his legs shook and his entire body vibrated with fear.

Then, something different.

He felt itchy, his entire chest area as well as his stomach.

Even as he scratched, it felt like it made no difference whatsoever.

An itch that wouldn’t go away,

his skin beginning to hurt as he continued to scratch.

He found himself whining and tears beginning to want to develop

as the itchiness began to turn into pain.

What Sebastian didn’t realise

was his form was beginning to change,

slowly but surely.

Whatever he had touched had come from space and answered his wish,

hearing his cry for help,

asking for a change in life,

a change in form.

So, when he touched the shrapnel,

it gave into his wish,

but not without pain.

Crying out, Sebastian felt prickles of pain all over him.

He felt like he was on fire and seriously considered throwing himself into the river.

He looked down, the thought almost there,

until he spotted his reflection against the black river.

It was hard to see, given that there was little light,

but he could see…

specks of cream? He watched on in fascination as his form changed,

his legs suddenly began to shrink down,

some disappearing entirely.

Four of them were left,

shortening and growing thicker.

The tips of them kept their spines, but grew

harder, resembling closer to hooves than spider feet.

His fur grew out,

changing colour and becoming a creamy colour that was suddenly bright against the black reflection of the river down below.

It grew coarse, thicker and curled as it grew,

covering his entire self.

His face was the biggest change.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing,

his face becoming less round and becoming longer.

Then, his vision was gone,

blind. He panicked internally,

almost wanting to run away or claw at his face,

but he could still feel the prickles of his skin stretching

and his face less fur and more skin.

Pins and needles conquered his senses,

with his vision gone he had only his touch to go by.

He put a hand - now a hoof - to his nose to feel he had

nostrils and also an actual soft

button nose. His sense of hearing was much more refined,

feeling floppy ears drop suddenly by the sides of his head,

and he felt oh so warm.

His hooves touched all along his body,

his much more masculine feeling body,

whilst covered in what felt like coarse wool,

was very definitely the same sex he always had been.

His hands and feet

had two hooves and a small thumb each

instead of tiny hairs acting like hundreds of fingers that could grip.

He could feel something between his legs,

something he didn’t have before,

along with a manhood he was glad to have not lost.

It was different,

but different wasn’t bad.

In touching his cock, he realised then, even blind,

how turned on he was from feeling his transformation.

His flesh was at full mast,

leaking and weeping

and he hadn’t even realised it!

He’d been too preoccupied,

too shocked and taken in by the change in his appearance that he hadn’t noticed.

Blind still, he moaned as he grasped his penis and carefully,

gently rolled the thumb of his hoof along the head.

It wasn’t spiny

and wasn’t a spike like his previous one,

making it nicer to hold and already he could feel himself getting more and more excited within minutes.

More pins and needles grew from his head,

but what it was he couldn’t see.

He could just about picture his new body,

no more long legs that scared people,

his face felt friendlier and more approachable,

he was carrying fluff

he was sure looked cute on him.

He wanted his sight back,

to gaze upon his new gorgeous body,

he felt himself desperate for it!

Running another hoof through the wool on his head that was slightly silkier,

as if styled by whatever concoction he had absorbed into his form,

he felt something else.

On both sides of his head,

he felt something

rough, his hoof clacking against it unexpectedly.

It was rigid, rough like bone

and seemed to curl back.

Horns, he identified,

growing at the base of his head.

He groaned, oh he loved this new body of his more and more,

the more he was feeling himself, the more excited he became.

Until, finally, his sight came back.

Blurry, he noticed he saw the world through only a pair of eyes,

just two! It was disorientating,

to have such a low field of vision after sporting so many eyes previously,

but he found himself able to see things a little clearer.

His night vision seemed to have dampened and gotten worse,

but his sense of smell had only heightened.

Not a positive currently, with the bog from hell beneath him,

but he didn’t care

for the time being.

He could also smell himself,

his own scent of sex as he eagerly pumped his new dick.

Looking down, he saw his wooled crotch and a black thick dick there between his hoofed fingers,

slippery and eager.

It was firm in his grasp

and the head was nice and round,

perfect. He jerked,

pumping himself several times

as he felt his legs shake and shudder.

He’d never felt it before!

With so many legs to support him,

his world had never truly rocked when one of them was bound to keep himself up.

This time, he had only two,

and both threatened to collapse on him

as he yanked on his penis.

His tongue was out,

a tongue that was long, wet and slobbery.

He looked down, to see his reflection and saw

what a beautiful creature he had become!

He had become a sheep,

a ram, two thick curled horns on his head

and thick wool that would keep him warm in the coldest of months.

He was white, spotless,

a thing of beauty that he had never before seen,

a colour he’d never thought to see again.

His black face was smooth and gorgeous,

his long ears adorable

and he could just see his cock in the reflection was

begging him to finish,

to let loose his load and love himself,

to appreciate the new life he has now been given

and to finally mingle with whomever he pleased.

Oh, to think! A new life!

People would love him!

He could attract a girl, a guy, or neither,

gender was not a barrier for him.

He loved everyone,

wanted to be loved by many if he could,

friendship wise, or something else,

he simply just required what he had been denied for so long:

companionship. His wool was a joy to touch, soft and bouncy,

he couldn’t help but fiddle with it in his other hand as he cried out in ecstasy.

His wish had come true!

He could picture it in his head,

people flocking to him,

buying him drinks at the bar,

side glances in his direction no longer filled with fear and disgust, but interest and wonder.

Oh, to imagine being touched,

he imagined another touching him,

stroking his length

and wanted to imagine what it would be like to penetrate another with this newness.

Or to be penetrated;

the ideas were endless!

He just wanted to be acknowledged,

to be hugged, to be kissed,

to be fucked, to be loved.

With a groan and a sob from his mouth, he closed his eyes as strings of white spurted from his well abused cock,

a much loved member who deserved it.

He was quick to open his eyes to see it,

to see himself come undone, to watch his seed trickle out from the slit and down his length,

covering his hoofed hand

and dripping to the floor.

His legs shook as he sat down,

his legs jelly and were ready to collapse on themselves.

He was utterly spent,

and yet he had such a wide smile on his face.

He felt beautiful!

He finally had a body he was proud of,

a build he wanted to show off!

He was completely unclothed,

but did sheep even need clothing thanks to their wool?

He’d wear pants,

but he would imagine his life topless thanks to his wool.

No longer was he a scary creature with too many eyes, thin legs that snapped or a

blank black body.

Now, he was a ram,

with impressive horns with white shining wool so comfy you could sleep on it

and a smile that he wanted to cry with joy for having.

He couldn’t stop looking at himself,

unable to believe that such a wonderful thing could happen to him.

He wanted to shout,

to yell and scream in happiness,

his life was changed for the better!

He could feel it,

he had gained confidence in himself, with a whole new form he could call his own,

he was proud. He lay there, for a minute or two, before he stood up.

Well, not everything was all well and good.

He looked back to the toxic city of Cosmopolis,

a place he had stayed in only because he had no other choice.

He had the looks of it,

would not be accepted anywhere else

and remained because at least there was fitting for a beast like him.

But he wasn’t a beast now,

he was a civilised being

who held an amazing figure and wool.

He felt too good for a place that would only ruin him,

bring him back to the level he had been at.

He needed a new life,

a new start, a new name.

Randall. His father’s choice of name,

but his mother won with Sebastian.

He would do them both proud.

With a smile on his face,

the newly born Randall

turned his back on the city he once called home

and began to make his trek down the river.

There was a way across, he just had to be very careful to not ruin or kill himself.

There was a snake who lived in a hut by the edge,

he was one of the only beasts who loved to swim through the river,

somehow not dying or being vaporised by the toxicity in the process.

He was a cobra, Sludge they called him.

He refused to give his real name, but had no care for what others called him or what others referred to him as.

Randall knocked on the door of the broken up hut,

small but for a cobra, probably cosy.

It was opened and a large head about the size of him poked out,

a hiss resounding through his new sensitive ears.

“Who is it?” Sludge hissed through his mouth,

his tongue flickering out and tasting for danger.

“Hey, it’s-” He stopped.

Already, he almost felt himself slip up and refer to his old name.

No, this was a new beginning,

a new start, starting from now.

“I’m Randall. I need to get out of here.

A new place waits for me.

I need to get to a new place.

Can you help me?” Sludge flickered his tongue, trying to detect a lie, but finding none. “Hmph,

I don’t remember you.

You’re too nice for this place.

Soft and white… you could get eaten here.”

A shudder and sudden self doubt crept into his mind,

but Randall held fast.

He was a new person,

he would protect himself and not waste this opportunity!

“I could, that’s why I need to leave.

Please.” “It would be a shame…

I like you. That’s why I’ll let you through.

Wait until I am steady,

then climb on my hood,

I’ll take you to the other side.

For ten gold, of course.”

Well… he should have expected this not to be free,

but he wouldn’t refuse.

His clothes might be done, ripped,

but he had the forethought to grab what he could from his pockets.

His wool was a handy tool of keeping things hidden,

and without too much trouble, he procured ten gold for the cobra

and dropped it into a pot nearby.

The clanging of coins indicated to Randall that he wasn’t the first to cross over.

This was probably a secret service,

he was just one using it for well means rather than smuggling out.

“It’s cheap because you smell nice.”

Translation; you’re not a bad person,

he would sense no danger and so the price came cheap for an escape to a better life.

“Recluse is your next closest city,

you might work there.

Tell them nothing of Cosmopolis.

Follow the road, through the hills and over the top,

you’ll find Recluse.”

Sludge told him as he turned around,

bringing his entire snake body out.

He was black with yellow diamond shapes

and on his hood was a

pentagram (surely he wasn’t born that way?)

also in yellow. With his whole body out,

he backed up and told Randall to hold on.

It was a simple trip for the likes of Sludge,

who had a long body,

his front standing tall as the rest of his body sunk into the mud and slime.

He didn’t seem to mind,

as if he were swimming through water.

Not a drop touched Randall,

who hung on for dear life.

life.The stench, however, was almost so bad he could pass out,

but he persisted.

He had to if you wanted to live the brand new life he had always dreamed about.

It took mere minutes for the snake to make it across,

dropping himself down and allowing Randall to slip off.

“Now go. Forget here and live on.

Good luck, Randall.”

The ram did just that,

thanking the snake with tears in his eyes

and began the trek to find his new life.

This was his new start as Randall

the ram and the death of Sebastian.

This was “Feeling Sheepish”

by Alice Clawford,

read for you by Khaki,

your faithful fireside companion.

You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,

or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Thank you for listening

to The Voice of Dog.