Xaie was frantically looking for something that could cover his head and in turn, hide those massive ears that he was sporting. “Seriously Matt… what are you thinking about taking us back there.” He said as he clopped around his room looking for anything, finally settling on a red colored hoodie. “I suppose this will do.” Xaie added, throwing the shirt over his head and making sure to tuck his ears into the hood. He looked over seeing Matt struggle with his hooves. “How are you even going to drive with those things? I mean, I’ve had them longer and I don’t feel confident driving.” Matt looked up and frowned a bit. “Look it’s the only thing we got, go back to the place that started it all. 


        Xaie shook his head. “I swear… If I weren’t desperate for getting out of this mess…” He grumbled a bit as he threw Matt a grey hoodie. Matt put on the same hoodie. “Why are you giving me one of these? I don’t have those ears like yours yet.” He replied. “You might get them on the way back.” Xaie retorted getting dressed and throwing on as much deodorant that he could just to hide the natural odor that both men put out now with their changed forms. Both clopped around clumsily as they were getting ready to just leave. “And what if you’re wrong and this speeds things up?” Xaie asked. “Well it’s not like we’ll be any worse off. I mean, if we can’t find a way to stop this, we’re both going to be just two stubborn asses.” Xaie let out a bray in response to what Matt had said. 


        Matt chuckled at Xaie’s bray, “Heh sorry it was just perfectly timed.” Xaie looked at Matt with a disappointed face, and a bit of blush was just over his nose and under his eyes. “W-whatever.” The half donkey turned and started to look for the keys, almost stumbling as he was trying to move too fast with his unsuited legs. “Grr I hope you’re ready to drive with those hooves, cause I can’t even seem to run yet.” He came back with the car and house keys. “Are you ready to go or not?” He looked at Matt who was putting on some deodorant and finishing up. “Yeah just about.” He said getting up, almost falling over as he was still getting used to just standing with those legs of his.
        “Then let’s get going, klutz.” Xaie said throwing the keys at Matt. He leaned forward to catch the keys, only to fall and land on his chest, well at least he got the keys. “We better not wreck.” Xaie said clopping on out of the room and going for the front door. “I hope there’s no one outside right now, they’ll think we’re weird with having odd costumes.” Matt was soon standing up and following Xaie. He wondered what got the man in such a sour mood. Maybe it was just his idea of a solution, the risk that they were taking for going back to the island. While both were getting into the car, making sure that no one would see them, Matt would feel an odd shifting between his legs. If anything they’d look suspicious now with those hoodies just hiding almost all of their heads now. 


        “Nnng. I think another change is happening, I think I’m going to be getting a sheath too.” He said squirming in his seat as he closed the door. “Yeah? Don’t wreck then, we go there, find what you’re looking for and come back.” He replied. Matt rolled his eyes as he felt the skin bunching up under those pants, he started up the car and put a hoof down on the brake, pushing it down a bit too hard. But he really couldn’t help it, his foot was longer and he would have to adjust to how the pedals were pressed. He couldn’t feel the same pressure under the hooves now. Throwing the car into gear, he grunted as he felt his nuts swelling a bit, the dark skin taking over them, but that wasn’t seen by either male. Xaie was just looking out the window, looking at the semi reflection making sure that his large ear’s stayed hidden. 


        Slowly Matt let off the car’s brake as they backed out, but coming into the road he mashed the brake, and it was too hard causing both changing men to sink into their seats. Xaie frowned a bit, this was going to make him sick if he was going to drive like this the whole way. It wasn’t a short drive. “Please be gentle.” Xaie said, frowning back Matt nodded a bit. He slowly put his hoof over on the gas and tried so carefully to press down on the gas, but still they took off like they were in a hurry. Once again both donkeys sank into their seats. 


        The whole trip seemed to go this way, it was just too much for both of them to take, they were getting sick after a few stop lights. “Ugh… Matt please.” Xaie looked over, his ears sort of coming out of his hoodie. Matt brayed in response, bit his lip and just put his head to the steering wheel. “Look I’m sorry, it’s just… it doesn’t feel the same to drive. But do you want to change back or what?” Xaie let out a snort in response. “Yeah, but Matt, this isn’t even safe for us to even try. I mean what if we get pulled over?” He asked. Matt nodded a bit. “You have a point there… I’m trying though.” He replied.


        But as they were heading down the next street, thankfully this one had less lights, but they were going a bit fast. And almost as if on cue right after that conversation, they sped right past a hiding cop. Lights flared up and the siren screamed at them, telling them to stop right where they were. “MATT!” Xaie shouted and crossed his arms. He turned his head to the window as Matt was pulling over. Xaie was obviously upset with him now. “Sorry hun, just keep your cool and act natural.” However that was easier said than done, just as they stopped and the cop was coming out of his car, there was that uncomfortable shifting between Matt’s legs, as his member was growing to fit inside of the sheath that had been growing the whole time. 


        “Gnn…” He grunted a bit and he started to roll down his window just as the officer came up to it. “Is there a problem officer?” Matt asked. “Do you know why I pulled you over son?” The law enforcer asked in that stereotypical manner that most southern officers had. “Oh I’m sorry sir, I was speeding.” He said, Xaie suddenly burst out with a loud “HAW!” he grunted and quickly covered his lips. The cop glared a bit and bent down further to look in at the passenger. “Everything okay over there?” He slowly turned and nodded. “Y-yes sir, sorry.” He said turning his head back, another bray escaped him. Once again the officer frowned a bit. “You think you’re funny son?” He asked, starting to get irritated. “Xaie stop it… please.” Matt whispered over. 


        What could they have even told the cop? That they were turning into donkeys and that Xaie really couldn’t stop what was going on. That was not going to blow over well. “S-sorry sir… I’m having a bit of a coughing fit.” The cop rolled his eyes, that was an obvious lie. “That’s enough out of you, one more time and I’ll have to ask you to step out of the car, you ‘ere me?” He said with that accent again. “Yes sir.” He said one of his ears starting to droop out of the hood. He turned his head back to the window. 


        “I”m really sorry about my friend officer, he’s been having a hard time lately. But there’s something wrong with the car all of a sudden.” He said starting to lie to the cop once more. “The gas pedal has been acting all sorts of funny, I think the throttle is just broke or something.” The cop rolled his eyes. “Listen, I just wanna get the job done and be out of your hair okay? I’ll just let you off with a warning, and tell you to be careful. Okay?” He said. Matt nodded. “Of course… that’s just HAW!” He yelped and quickly covered his mouth. The cop grumbled. “You just earned yourself a ticket.” He said, now taking Matt’s license and information. 


        Once the officer walked off, he grumbled to himself. “Shit… sorry hun… I guess I couldn’t stop myself earlier.” Xaie just turned and nodded. While the cop was running their info, Matt felt an itching starting to take his ears, they were starting to push into the side of the hoodie he wore. He grunted and shook his head. “Nono no! Not now!” He protested against his own curse, his own changing body. He felt the fuzz starting to grow on them, catching into the fibers of the cloth that they were growing against. Slowly they were losing their human shape, the complex curves and shape becoming simple and smooth, growing out pointed at the tip. Grey and brown furs grew out along the lengths. 


        “What’s wrong?” Matt turned his head, Xaie saw the problem right away. “Dammit… do what you can to hide them. I don’t want the cop to think we’re just pulling pranks on him.” Matt nodded and stuck his hands into the hoodie, feeling them still slowly growing out as he was trying to adjust them, pulling them back like he was going to make a ponytail out of them. He managed to finish that up before the officer came back with the information and the ticket. “Stay safe and slow down.” He said before turning and leaving, letting the two drive off first. “Well there’s one bright side to this… we won’t have to pay it if we’re both donkeys.” 


        Only a bray come in response to that. “Just go, I want to see if your idea will have any effect.” Xaie said, Matt started to drive off. The rest of the trip was rather uneventful. Mostly he was just driving slower than the speed limit, speeding up and letting off the gas as he could not even hold the speed steady with those hooves. It would be a while before they had arrived, Xaie tapped his dark colored thick nails across the window that he was looking out as everything just passed by quickly from the car. “I hate that this place was so far away.” He said, feeling a bit of a dull pain in his fingers. He bit his lower lip thinking that the changes were coming once again. They had been out for about an hour now and there was still another to go.


        He looked down at his hands, feeling the pain starting to pick up a bit. Grunting a bit he gripped one hand with the other and started to rub over it, his thick finger nails were starting to thin out, save for his middle one. His fingers slowly started to shrink. “Oh no, maybe it’s a good idea that you did drive.. I think my hands are going.” Matt frowned hearing that. “Well I’m going as fast as I can, just hold in there for a little while longer. We’ll stop this.” He said focusing on the road again. Xaie brayed quietly as he felt his hands, his middle fingers were growing wider and thicker, while the rest were just slowly shrinking becoming unfeeling and uncontrollable. 


        Not matter how much he tried, he couldn’t stop the change, he even tried to just grip one of the shrinking fingers with his other hand,  though that didn’t last as both sides were going through the same change. Xaie let out a loud and deep “HAAAAAAW!” as he was getting frustrated with the loss of his hands. Still his middle finger continued to grow out even more, the nail at the end was growing thick, heavy, and turning even darker. Matt frowned, and he really couldn’t imagine what Xaie was going through right now. He could just imagine getting paws, and having some semblance of having digits, but losing them all just for one unfeeling hoof, just like his own feet. He shivered at the idea.


        Xaie was just staring at them as his digits just sank back into the side of the hoof. It slowly came to a stop, Xaie clumsily put them to the dashboard of the car. “I don’t like this!” He said following that up with a sudden bray. Matt looked over and frowned a bit. “Don’t worry we’re almost back to the island.” He added. Both stayed silent as they drove down, another itching starting just at the base off Xaie’s former hands. Dark chestnut brown fur began to grow in, pushing out throug the skin slowly it crawled up. He took the tip of a hoof and started to rub at it to deal with the sensation, the same fur that had been moving up his legs just before they left was continuing their journey now. 


        Xaie was squirming, and trying to adjust himself, occasionally sitting on his tail casing weak brays to escape his lips. Matt swallowed a bit of air, feeling the same itch, fur was starting to crawl up from his own hooves, causing him to squirm as well, accidentally pushing down on the gas by accident, they were starting to speed up again. “NNG!” Matt grunted. “We gotta pull over until this stops!” Xaie replied with. “Yeah I agree, this itching is too much.” He said thinking about how this fur would feel after it would stop itching. Then again, the feeling of the itching was probably their own skin becoming thicker and hide like. It was proper for the animals that they were becoming. 


        Matt looked for a good place to pull over, finding an unpaved road to turn down so that they could get out without fear of being seen by anyone passing by. They turned and came to a rather rough halt. The road ended at a grassy hill, one that they could hide behind. Matt was the first to get out of the car, leaving Xaie inside to struggle to even get the handle to even so much as move with those hooves. “MATT!” Xaie shouted, half scolding him for not even thinking about the situation he was in. He just hoped that Matt wouldn’t get his own hoof hands. “Oh sorry hun!” he said leaning his ears back inside of the hoodie. His tail flicked as he opened the door for his boyfriend. 


        Xaie slowly climbed out, putting a hoof up on the side of the car, slightly scratching it and taking some paint off, as he stepped out. He leaned against the car and started to rub his hooves over the areas that itched, the fur having made it up to his elbow. All the while Matt had sat down on the ground, rubbing down his legs as they were itching him more than Xaie’s arms. Unfortunately the four hoofed male couldn’t rub his legs either, he couldn’t even scratch properly. Xaie started to bray in frustration, the feeling welling up in his throat, no matter how much he tried to resist it, they still came out. Matt following suit with his own. They both couldn’t even fit words in between the brays. It was becoming harder and harder to just act human. 


        The fur wouldn’t stop this time, it kept going, moving up past Matt’s knees, and for Xaie it was almost up to his shoulders, but Xaie would cry out in pain as his whole head was taken by it. The change starting with his head, his mouth, his already thick teeth grew out thicker causing his mouth to push out further than it was already. But it didn’t stop there, his jaw and just entire skull began to push out, his nose getting wider and thicker, it was losing it’s pointed shape, becoming round and blunt, lining up with his mouth. It seemed now that he was going to have the head of an ass pretty soon. The changes were just coming faster and faster. 


Endless brays continued to come from Xaie while his face was pushing out, his eyes were growing a bit larger while his head continued to change it’s shape. They moved to the sides while his ears moved up a bit. His new muzzle was pushing out past his hoodie, there was no way that he could hide this now, even with the hoodie. Now what were they going to do if they get caught? Hell how was he even going to talk? His lips grew thicker while his teeth had evened out, becoming almost block like in shape. Fur began to grow over his almost finished head and muzzle, light brown was taking over his nose and part of his chin. It was really thin and spread out over the front, but it grew thicker and darker the further up his head it went. He put his hooves over the sides of his head. 


        Xaie’s ears were pinned back as the transformation continued. It seemed the curse knew they were coming close to a solution and it wouldn’t let that pass. Matt came over to comfort the changing male. Why was Xaie’s changes moving so much faster than his own. Was it a state of mind? Or was it something far worse? The fur hadn’t stopped growing over their forms yet, their mane’s pushed out a bit further, digging into the fabric of their hoods and shirts. Xaie was struggling forming words. “M-matt...haw… heee…. l-lets… go.” He struggled, having to manipulate his lips differently than before. The stretched out face felt weird and wrong. But that blunt nose flared and sniffed about after that plea he made to Matt.


        The other got up and started for the car waiting for Xaie to get back in, but his head was exploring this smell. It was appetizing for some reason. Finally that nose found the source of the scent. Xaie found himself throwing himself down on all fours, his former hands feeling right landing on the ground like that. Walking on all fours, this was the first step to giving into the change. But Xaie’s ass like head was leaning down, his mouth opened and he bit down into the long grass that was below him. He was suddenly hungry, and this seemed like the right stuff to sate the sudden hunger. 


        Matt turned hearing the grass being pulled up from the earth, he didn’t see Xaie from the other side of the car. He was curious now, he slowly came around, gasping realizing what Xaie was done. “Hun! The fuck are you doing? Stop that it’s nasty!” But Xaie didn’t even so much as twitch his tail after being addressed. “XAIE!” Matt shouted out noticing that he was still chewing down and even pulling up another clump of grass. “Stop it!” Matt said pushing the male over. A loud bray escaped the hungry male. “Stop it! You’re acting like an animal! We’re not animals.” He said. He didn’t waist any time, noticing him going right back for the grass, his hands gripped Xaie’s shoulders and he started to shake the male.


        He just continued to bray in response, he didn’t like being shaken like that. “Stop. It. NOW!” He shouted and slapped the side of the mostly ass’ muzzle. This caused Xaie to snap too. He looked at Matt with eyes wide, his ears drooping at the side of his head as if to apologize. “S-sorrHAWW!” he couldn’t really form full words as his body was still changing, trying to get him to act like the animal he was turning into. Still he had mostly human attributes, his chest and belly still the same size, his arms and legs, well now just all legs, were small enough. He could still fit into the car. “Come on, let’s go before it’s too late to change back.” 


        A nod is all that came from Xaie before turning and standing up like a human should. Fighting off the urges of the curse forced on him. After being on all fours, he knew it felt natural to be like that. And he actually wanted to do it, as it felt right, but Matt was right, he wasn’t an animal. He began to wonder how much of his mind would remain intact, or would he just be trapped inside of a donkey’s mind, only able to watch while instinct really only leads his life from there. Matt helped him into his seat belt and closed the door for him. He knew those hooves really weren't going to do much to help out. He just hoped that they wouldn’t need hands, and he certainly hoped he was not next. 


        Driving with hooves would be too much. “Okay hun, just hold out a little longer, we’ll get this all fixed. Xaie just nodded, feeling the fur still growing, it was over his chest, and past his hips. Matt’s was still mostly around his legs and waist. This just wasn’t good, they were turning into animals and really his only hope was that this hunch was right. He wasn’t even sure how he came across the answer. What if it was the magic putting those answers in his head, just for the sake of getting them to return for some other reason. But this was really all they had, that one solution that they found before was just too much, and had too much risk involved. 


        Matt got into the drivers seat, having gotten used to his hooves now. Xaie had his head turned down, trying his best the hide his face with the side of the door, staying lower than the window. He didn’t want anyone to see him like that. “Okay just hang in there, we’ll be there in a little bit. We’re not too far, and the itching has stopped so I can drive without squirming, hopefully.” He started up the car and carefully started to drive back out on the road. Still the car was being jumpy as those hooves were still hard to work a gas and brake pedal. 


        The fur continued to converge on Xaie’s torso and belly, until it finally met, his whole body covered in the fur, the smell of two donkeys started to fill the car, every bit of them overriding all the deodorant that they put on. Matt lowered the windows so that he could bare the scent. Xaie however didn’t really notice it. His body had adapted to what it was becoming. Thankfully he was still able to sit up and stand like a human. Just what were they going to do once they got to the island. What was leading Matt to think that the answer was there? They didn’t have a lot of time though, he just hoped Matt was right. Xaie sat there, pulling his shirt up by hooking his wrists under the shirt. He looked at his stomach, seeing light brown fur covering his chest, and the dark chestnut brown at the sides, which he assumed went to the back. He looked back up, seeing the bridge, and the island just in view. “We’re here.” Matt said. “I hope I’m right..”