"Ok. Time to come back to the keep." Jessica voiced over the radio. "You’re running an
extra thirty hours over-budget and the guys at G-labs are getting nervous."

Thanks to the integration within the CY-1 prototype suit, I heard my assistants words as
if they were thoughts floating through my awareness. My ears twitched anyhow. The
slight squeak of rubber was a pleasurable one, as was feeling my skin wrinkle and creak.
I’d grown to love how my four legs moved together, paws squishing into the ground with
adorable squeals of rubbery friction.

My tail wagged happily as I sat at the edge clearing, observing the pack.

The group of coyotes had become used to my scent over the past three days...and I’d grown
accustomed to theirs. Sure, I visually could tell the difference between them but their scent
was the distinguishing factor. I tried to sniff...although the twitch of my brown snout was
completely artificial. Silly even, given that the rubber encasing my form didn’t need air! Every
one of my biological functions was replaced by latex.

And as an academic workaholic...I kinda liked that.

There was an efficiency to my actions I’d previously only dreamed of. As a hardworking
scientist, I frowned upon every minute frustration that stole hours from my studies...but now
there were no distractions. I no longer needed to eat, sleep, poop, nor even breathe. I had
the perfect body within which to collect data...within which to exist.

"Hey, you mind responding?"

The female voice kept picking at the back of my awareness like a bad itch.

"Oh yeah...uh." I tried to think of the words back to my assistant. Given that I had no voice
box, my vocal range was restricted to a mere cute squeak. "You think we can push on a few
days more? The coyotes' are completely fine with my presence and errr…"

I trailed off, standing on all four legs as the female coyote finally wandered over. She was
one of the oldest in the pack and the most interested in my large rubbery form. Her ears
perked forwards, eyeing the other members warily before slowly, almost nonchalantly,
trotting over. I watched with excitement, feeling my squishy tail wag.

Over the past few hours inside the suit I’d seen more natural behaviour amongst the canines
then as a lifetime being human.

Human. It seemed like such a silly thought when I lifted my tail, twirling around to give the
female a small sniff of my behind. Human’s didn’t do that. Their body language was primitive
and diluted amongst the needless chitter-chatter of their ape-like squawking. Canine’s
seemed much more refined. Civilised, perhaps? I shuffled on my back feet, letting her
search for scent glands I knew I didn’t have...that I didn’t need. When my whole body reeked
of latex, there was no point lamenting over a few measly glands. However, it was customary
amongst canines and I followed the ritual, letting her absorb my thick rubbery smell through
her nose. Only then did I take my turn to sniff the pack member, overjoyed to be included in
the natural greeting.

"Hey! You suddenly cut-off there. You mind saying that again...and then getting your
squeaky ass back here. I’ve got the techies on the phone getting all frustrated. Nobody
wants you turning into a pot of goo."

For a moment, I almost giggled at the thought. Wouldn’t that be great? To be all gooey. Oh,
to be free from the constrictions of organic chemistry. Hehe! I could work and work,
integrating into the pack without a worry and...and...NO! I needed to focus. I really should
head back and...and I shouldn’t let Jessica distract me from the beautiful female before me.
The pack was the most important thing. Jessica? What did a coyote need with an assistant?
My latex body was perfect on its own!

Shaking my head cleared such silly thoughts, though I gained a strange look from the
female.

She was leading me into the group slowly, tentatively leading me in a few steps at a time. My
haunches squeaked, tail creaking left and then right in a way that felt invigorating. This
body was so strong, so agile! I could bounce on my toes, tilting my head and carefully
ensuring I didn’t overstep my invitation into the pack.

I fought back an internal grumble as I flicked a few messages back to the annoying voice
itching between my fat, squishy ears. Thoughts for Jessica were secondary.
"I’ll be fine. A few more hours won’t hurt right?"

"I’ve got warnings that your life support systems are already overloaded. Seriously, the suit’s
going to start mistaking you for some kinda waste product. There’s a bug on the rubber
production that needs fixing and also something’s...blah blah blah!"

The voice droned on and on. I blocked it out, too focused on the matter at hand to worry
about excessive rubber creation and organic conversion...whatever that meant. No, I wanted
to focus on the coyote pack members clustering around me. I was so close to being
accepted!

I kept my tail low, eyes down and muzzle drooping...not that I had any teeth to accidentally
bare. Nor did I have any sort of face to smile. The coyote expression on my muzzle was
painted on...permanently. Only my eyes could move and they did so grudgingly, hovering on
the cute female who sat in front of me. She kneaded her paws into the ground a few times,
tail swishing.

A small lick of her tongue across my rubber nose was the most adorable hello I’d ever
received.

My butt waggled, tail squeaking at the little display. Another two coyote’s had wandered over
to explore the newcomer, eyes wide and ears tipped forward to proclaim their interest. I lifted
my tail a little, unsure about the sluggish reaction from the appendage. Huh? It seemed to
want to stick to my flank. I wiggled it gently as a young male canine paused by my side,
sniffing. H-hello?

I turned to watch, muzzle locked into a permanent pleasing smile as I studied the canine
pressing a paw into my flank….and then flinched back! No! I’m a friend, see? He pulled a
fluffy front paw away, along with a small tendril of goo.

Huh? I tilted my head, where had that come from? Was I...ohh!
Taking a little step back to watch the glossy sheen of my body contort, skin behaving more
like a viscous gel than anything cohesive. A gloopy rubber that felt so nice to wiggle. Hehe
look! I’m not a threat! Ooh that tickles!

The latter was said when a ruddy-furred canine paused, pressing her nose against a
flank...before jumping up to rest her front paws onto my back. I whined, a thin squeaky
sound as both of my front paws slipped forwards. Thanks to my increasingly gooey and
sticky body, there was little rigidity to brace against their playful pawing at my rump. Hehe! I
like to play too! I could feel my body flow a little, like a thick tar that seeped away from the
impact, redistributing the goo to inflate my front paws a little.

It was a warm, giggly feeling that made my tail wag harder. Little tendrils of goo flicked from
the end, dotting the pair of canines in slime.

"Hey! Respond! You’re freaking me out a...aa...tzzz….zzzZZZT"

The annoying voice cut off suddenly.

I barely noticed, eyes wide in adoration as the black-eared female inched forward. She
dropped her eyes shyly, before reaching up to cheekily boop at my nose. My gooey skin
bounced a little, making for a sensual and oddly soft motion. She tried again, before sniffing
at my neck to suck in the scent of cloying rubber. I could smell her too...though her natural
musk triggered some kind of dissatisfaction in the back of my mind. Her fur smelt good, and
yet so bad at the same time? Incoherent and incomprehensible. I let my ears slide back,
brain too foggy to contemplate why such a stunning female should elicit this response.
She licked at my cheek, tongue sliding off my shiny rubber. I nuzzled into her neck, returning
the greeting warmly.

After that, my integration into the pack was easy.

Not only from the female's affection...but because I had so much to give! Hehe, my body was
far superior to their weak organic forms.

Or it would be soon. Something about my glossy skin felt temporary and impure; as if the
glossy latex was working ensuring there were no organics to tire or fail. Warnings tickled at
the back of my brain, though I didn’t understand the odd concepts. Limited malfunction?
Heart shutdown and degradation? Organ conversion at seventy percent? I shuddered at the
dry voice that seemed to keep reminding me that I wasn’t a perfect coyote...not yet.

The pack helped. The more time I spent playing, foraging, and sleeping with them...the more
integrated I felt. The more ... real I felt.

I had a fascination with their behaviour that puzzled me. As a big gooey coyote, I knew about
all the intricacies of using my ears for communication, respecting the chain of command, and
the body language of four paws..and a big gunky tail. Hehe! And yet it all seemed so new. I
had a baffling hunger to learn more. To explore my new place in the group and, perhaps, to
catch the eye of somebody special...

Part 2 of a story/art collab with the awesomezen! I drew the art, he crafted the story!