What better way to study animals than to become one?

That was the logic I’d been forced to swallow prior to accepting the research grant. Yes, it
was nice that the science funding council wanted to get involved. And, in truth, I
begrudgingly agreed that there might be no other way to observe a secretive group of
roaming canines. After years of trying, I’d finally be able to study coyotes in their natural
habitat...even if it was dressed up in a rubberised, quadrupedal suit.

The opportunity the G-labs project promised, being able to integrate into a wild coyote pack
and study the animals, was almost worth the humiliation of being stripped naked and
wrapped inside a latex costume. Almost. This was a sign of how desperate I was to get
closer to a pack of coyotes I’d only seen at a distance.

To be frank, I was feeling a little nervous about the whole thing. Sure, I was the expert when
it came to field data collection of wild canine populations...but this time was different. There
was no risk as such. Or, nothing like my hardcore survival in the wilds of Siberia with just
your camera for company. No. It seemed too soft. Even if I would technically be using
military technology.

"Ha, you want me to scare you with the list of possible side effects from yesterday’s
meeting...especially if you wear this thing for too long?" Jessica teased, sticking her hands
into her pockets.

I huffed, shivering a little as we entered the lab. As a person used to working outdoors, the
whole situation was rather nerve-wracking. Alright, remember I’m only doing this because of
the funding. It was a stern reminder as I studied the two metallic wristbands that I’d been
wearing since the briefing yesterday, monitoring heart rate and other vitals in preparation for
integration.

I quivered at the word.

Gah, why did I think this was a good idea?! Okay. Just focus on how much data I could
collect. How I’d be able to study coyotes without human interaction for the first time.
"You know, some people have a kink for this stuff." The woman chuckled, eyeing the inside
of the G-labs test-room three. The branding was plastered above the glass into a viewing
room, separating observers from the lab. It seemed necessary, given the white room was
filled with a confusing assortment of metallic arms and unidentifiable stacks of computers,
wiring, and hydraulic pumps.

Jessica was my field assistant, a hard woman who had more experience than I could ever
get on managing field teams and operating the myriad of kit that modern expeditions
needed. And the pinnacle of this? The CY-1 prototype. A rubberised suit based on military
tech that would hopefully allow me to get closer than ever before to a group of wild coyotes. I
was nervous and very embarrassed about the whole thing, given the suit was supposed to
support the wearer for up to three days; feeding me, watering me, and disposing of any
waste too. Yuk!

And Jessica seemed more than happy to rub my nose in the fact, even as she eyed the
machinery and the bored corporate engineers waiting to try out their new prototype. It was
the first example of the rubberized suit outside of military usage, or so I’d been told. The only
thing I’d been told to prepare for was discomfort in turning my bipedal walk into a
quadrupedal one.

"So, excited about shitting your pants for the weekend and pretending to be like a dog?"
"Yeah very funny." I grunted, tugging at the collar of my shirt. "And here I was thinking you
were going to ease my nerves."

Jessica giggled, going as far to ruffle at my hair. It was an unsettling foreshadow of both the
next three days...and the lifetime of teasing afterwards for dressing up in a rubbery fursuit.
"Hey, I’ll be watching from the viewing room. Can’t wait to see you in a big waggy tail! Hehe!"
I gave her a flat look.

"Let’s just hope this isn’t a waste of my time."

The process was a simple if rather humiliating one. I’d been told the whole procedure in the
briefing yesterday. Though, that only seemed to make the concept worse as I stripped down
to my underwear, and then wriggled those off too. The only modesty came in the form of the
two tight wristbands which clunked together as I protected my modesty.
Not that it lasted for long.

I’d been told that the red rubber harness was an attachment point for the suit...but It didn’t
make the attire any less embarrassing. A triangular metal buckle rested over my chest,
running glistening latex straps over both my shoulders. My skin goose-pimpled as I tried to
act cool about lifting my legs into the full-body harness.

"Hey, you’re going to have a problem tightening that one." The only remaining assistant in
the room, a man with glasses, showed no shame in coming up behind me and tugging at the
grey buckle. I grunted, cheeks red at the tightness of the red harness across my chest. I’d
never felt so awkward. Ugh, why did I sign up for this!? A weird lab with metal limbs and
pulley systems, a bored engineer, and now my own nudity! I was supposed to be a field
researcher...not a guinea pig! My back was to the viewing window, though I could feel their
eyes on me. I quivered, trying not to snap at the technician as they casually fastened more
technical gear across my body. Was a collar really necessary?

"Ok, Suit integration procedure beginning." The spectacled man risked a grin. I flushed,
struggling to breathe under the tight metallic clasp under my chin. "Can you stand on
the...yeah, there. Perfect."

That was the only warning I got before a mechanical arm swung down and suddenly
grabbed me around the waist.

I tried not to swear, amazed at how fast the G-labs machine moved….and how unnecessary
it felt! I was an adult! I could dress myself and oh...ok. Maybe it’s not..aaahhhhh!
My breathy pants turned into a moan, heart beating hard at the numbing touch of rubber.
I twitched, staring down at the brown and beige latex that would turn me into a walking,
talking coyote. The outfit wasn’t like a classic ‘suit’ which one might have slid their legs into.
The latex exterior was more like a film of sticky, almost gooey rubber. I struggled a little, all
too aware of the machine’s grip around my hips as it lifted me a foot off the ground. Waaa
nnyaaa!

"Please stay still." The engineer replied from somewhere behind me. I wanted to snap back
with something snide, but the words wouldn’t come.

I gulped, trying not to wiggle my toes at the first touch of the latex suit around the base of my
feet. It was sticky, slimy even as the second mechanical arm lifted the rubber to snap into
place around my feet. I groaned, shivering at the sensation of being shrink-wrapped into an
impossibly tight layer of thick latex.

But it was more than that. I shivered, gritting my teeth to avoid the dulling pains from creating
a groan in my throat. The latex seemed to snap into shape, oozing a little like viscous gel to
plump up my feet into big, oversized paws. Brown on top and a beige colour below, the
typical colouration of a coyote seemed somehow wrong when formed out of latex.

The tail was the most confusing thing. Another mechanical arm swung around to assist with
the addition of the glossy latex appendage. Brown with a black tip, the glistening rubber
hovered just above my tailbone. My collar and metallic wristbands grew hot as the synthetic
tail was linked into my nervous system...and created a dizzying flood of sensations up my
spine. I tensed, feeling the slight tingle in my metallic collar as all the functional control of the
appendage swept through my brain. Uuhhh waaa!? I could feel it wagging. Not simply from
the tension in my rump...but all the way down to the squeaky tip. Woaaaaa...

"Hey, arms up." The tech noted boredly. I realised I was bending down to grab at the large
shiny protrusion, wanting to know what the glistening latex tail felt like.

"S-sorry." Muttering, I blushed at how my curiosity had suddenly got the better of me.
My heart pumped under the red latex harness. I wiggled my toes...only finding that the
motion was limited into three large squeaky digits which refused to budge. My legs shifted
and creaked, thighs pulling in a strange fashion as the first film of latex snapped closed
around my waist. My crotch grew hot, skin binding with the sticky rubber that left my entire
groin flat and shiny. My body was soon supported completely by the rind of inch-thick latex
tightly enveloping my form, covering any indication of my masculinity. I gritted my teeth at
the thought of not needing such basic biological function.

Then came the second stage of the suiting process. I squirmed as the mechanical arm
tipped me forwards, dragging the remainder of the shiny latex up around my middle,
shoulders, and clamping shut around my neck.

I twitched, feeling my arms sinking into the shrink-wrap. For a moment I struggled, but the
gooey shrink-wrap film was paralysing. I felt like an object, being sealed away inside the
synthetic plastic. My balled fists were immediately squished into big brown, coyote paws.
They couldn’t even move! I fumbled, gasping at the loss of my dexterity...only for the
sensation to grow much, much worse.

The latex head of the coyote suit was pulled down over my head before I even had a chance
to suck in a breath. Not that it mattered as latex pressed against my cheeks and nose. I
gagged. Rubber pushed at my lips as the mouthless headpiece squeezed around my ears,
latex pushing lit a tepid goo against my eyelids. Wwaa nno! This was too weird! M-make
it...make it stop! I tried to gasp…but not air arrived.
I couldn't breathe.

My mouth won't open...no, my muzzle? STOP! I can’t...I can’t BREATHE!
I frantically wriggled in the hold of the metallic arm but it held me firmly, canine legs failing as
the range of motion prevented me from pawing at my nose. No! My legs! Tail drooping, all I
could do is struggle as my lengthened arms...no, front legs, forward. Not that my paws can
do anything but pat at my nose. The lack of oxygen swirls through my head, body screaming
to breathe...but it’s simply impossible.

No. I-It’s...It’s unnecessary.

"Integration complete."
At first, the logic seemed sound, even if my body refused to listen. I was...I was integrated
into the suit now and it had begun the process of supporting my body of everything it
required...oxygen included. As disturbing as it was, I wouldn’t be filling my lungs again now
until the latex was removed three days later.

With the suiting complete, the mechanical arms slowly lowered me onto the ground...only for
my four paws to slip and squeal across the floor. The brown rubber glides to my side as I
topple forward, my sealed nose letting out an adorable squeak as it squished into the tiles. It
should have hurt...but there's no pain. Only the sensation of my crumbled rubbery nose
springing back into shape.

I try to blink...but the motion no longer exists. Attempting to close my eyes pulled a blank, it’s
like my brain simply didn’t know how to do it anymore.

My shiny body squeaked as I stumbled back onto my legs, rubber squealing from the friction
of latex against the files. My plush paws supported my weight, glistening rubber reflecting
the lights in the lab with a bright sheen.

I sagged, slowly trying to calm the myriad of biological alerts that fade into a dull throb. I
shook my head, feeling my ears pulled back to display my discomfort.
The motion felt oddly normal. Natural even, as my tail wagged left and then right. Stood on
four limbs like this and I can barely remember how I used to walk. The memory is hazy,
disguised along with the sensation of my hands and feet. Worryingly, I don’t feel like a man
tightly wrapped inside a latex suit. It’s as if the rubber is my skin.

It takes a long time to remember that the purpose of the suit is to meet some wild coyotes
and collect data on their behaviour...nothing more. I was a scientist and a researcher, not
some guinea pig to test kit. G-lab was just funding you. Don’t get distracted.

And yet...I couldn't help but feel like I might get used to this...

Part 1 of a story/art collab with the awesomezen! I drew the art, he crafted the story!