"Thanks for helping catch those thieves!" the shopkeeper thanked the vixen. 

"Don't worry, it was my pleasure. It's what I'm here for!" Aurora waved her hand and laughed. "All in a day's work!" 

The vixen was no stranger to helping out those in need, a hero to a small town. Many of the locals knew about her, though that fame was moderately contained within her hometown. But she didn't mind, she didn't do it for the fame, she did it to help others. 

Aurora left the merchant's store and walked outside, taking a deep breath after a job well-done of stopping another group of bad guys. However, this moment of calm was suddenly interrupted when a quick blast of water shot right in front of her muzzle, though avoided hitting her face itself. She turned to face the source of it, only to see a shadowy figure quickly move away. 

"What was that all about...?" Aurora pondered under her breath, looking towards where the shot went, eyes going wide upon seeing what happened to who the water did strike. It happened very quickly, as the badger it hit quickly shrunk down into his clothes. Was it some kind of shrinking water gun? Or something more sinister? 

The figure from earlier revealed himself in front of the pile of clothing, reaching out and pulling out the badger it had hit - well, in a way. They were still themselves but reduced to a simple glass figurine, the glare of the sun shining off of its now faux fur. All that she could see was the backside of the assailant - which was a velvet red robe and a blue tail with a fin on the back of their neck. He ran a hand down the backside of the new figurine and left as quickly as he showed up with it. 

Aurora wanted to ambush him since it seemed as though he hadn't noticed her witnessing the event. However, they could potentially put the badger in danger - it was glass after all and if Aurora attacked it could get shattered in the process. She didn't want to risk it, but the vixen wasn't going to let someone like this get away! She took to the air, high enough to not draw attention to herself from the figurine maker but low enough where she wouldn't lose him. 

It would seem as though Aurora was led to the robbed man's base of operations - one she didn't expect. It was an enormous manor, one of the largest buildings she'd ever seen in her town. She almost never went to this part of town, which would explain how she never saw it before. The man entered into the home with the figurine as Aurora descended down a bit away from the mansion, figuring out her plan of action. She figured she should focus on taking care of the man first, as he was likely the most dangerous. Aurora didn't know how he thought, so she didn't want to risk him breaking figurines that may have also been people prior to prove any kind of point or to try and deter her. 

With a deep breath, Aurora readied herself for the fight. She knew that the water he shot was how he did what he did, so as long as she avoid that she should be fine. She thought she would have to break the door down in order to get in, but to Aurora's surprise, the door was unlocked and opened without issue. 

Perhaps he was in too much of a hurry, and if Aurora was quick she would catch him off guard and be able to subdue him before he could try anything funny! She ran down the halls, eyes looking around at the interior for any signs of her target. There were large statues, lavish paintings, and of course - plenty of figurines. That was what there was the most of in the house, plastic, glass, and even stone figurines scattered throughout the many shelves. Although, some of them had missing figurines on them while other shelves were completely full. 

Aurora didn't have much time to think of them, as dealing with the person doing this was much more important. She did stop for a moment, seeing a familiar face among the shelves, the badger from earlier! 

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here soon and figure out how to turn you back to normal." she whispered down to the figurine. She wasn't sure if they were still able to hear, but if they could they could have hope that they'd be free from the prison soon. 

She looked down the hall, seeing a blast of water coming from it. She quickly dodged out of the way, careful to not bump into any of the shelves to knock the figurines down. Seemed as though the element of surprise was out the window. 

"That is simply a warning shot, it never intended to hit you. Don't get too close to those. One's breath can make them break apart faster, and I intend to keep these pristine." the man spoke with an unsettling polite accent. "If you wish to discuss, come down to my chamber." 

Aurora thought for a moment. How much truth of what the man said was there? If he had intended to strike Aurora, he had multiple chances to shoot more at her and he wasn't. But would she be walking into a trap? Ultimately, the vixen decided to walk down the hall toward the man's chamber. After all, he was the only one she could get answers from. 

"Greetings, welcome to my collection." the man sat upon a tall velvet chair, dressed in a robe loosely tied with a thin rope. His skin was light blue at his head, curved into a long snout with a blue fin with yellow membranes on it. His tail was long and thick at the base, slowly curving into a tiny pointed tip as it was less thick the further away from his body it was. On the backside, just underneath his arms, there were two thin yellow appendages that looked like they wouldn't give him full flight, but the power to glide. His torso was dark blue with a white diamond at his stomach, with his legs black. His feet had three pointed digits, not quite claws but looked very similar to them thanks to their pointed curve. 

"Who are you and why are you doing this?" Aurora shouted out to him. "Why are you turning people into figurines?" 

"Ah, a hero. Came to save the day? I assure you I mean no harm, you may stand down." the Inteleon said. "I am the Collector. And as you've seen, this is my glorious collection. It will one day be breathtaking, but first, it must be completed." 

"So that's why you're doing it? To complete this "collection" of yours? That's not right! You have to turn them back!" Aurora demanded. 

"That my dear would be a disservice. They are serving a greater purpose now. This will one day be the largest and greatest collection of specimens in the world. Every species, in every form of art. It's magnificent to think of. But it is work that is far from done." 

"I can't let you continue with this, I'm here to stop you! Tell me how to turn them back come with me easily!" Aurora got into a fighting stance. 

"A pity, I'd hope you would appreciate such a collection after seeing it firsthand. Not many can claim that." the Collector scoffed. "But no matter, not everyone can see the vision." 

"Enough talk!" Aurora went to charge at the Collector before he could ready his weapon, however, her inexperience in dealing with his species proved to be her downfall, as the Collector pointed his finger at her and water shot out from the tip, striking Aurora directly in the chest and stopping her in her tracks. 

Her hand went up to her chest, feeling the moisture that the water had caused. However, that water didn't stain, nor stay for very long. It was as if her fur itself was absorbing the water, feeling as if the entire inside of her body was filled with waves. "Wh-what are you doing to me!?" she grunted out, the sensation making it harder for her to focus. 

"Making you a part of the collection my dear." the Intelon brought his finger down and leaned back in his chair. "Do not fret, it is a great honor to be a part of it. I do have a few vixens already, but I do have a solution for that." he reached into his robe's pocket and pulled out a wood pipe, putting it in his mouth and taking a puff out of it. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Best enjoy the show before I view the encore."

Aurora went to question more and make a demand to stop what the Collector was doing, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she found herself unable to move it at all. There was a brief moment where she made a few sounds that sounded like words, but that too was stripped away as her ability to use her throat left her as well. Her eyes darted around, trying to see what was happening to her body, though those too became locked in place - and the muzzle in her line of sight showcased why. 

She saw the color of her muzzle drain away, the fur flattening as it turned a gray color - one she very quickly recognized as the very same that traditional stone structures were - including the ones she had passed earlier. Her eyes glossed over as the stone overtook them, her pupils staying permanently open and now a simple chiseled stone. Her ears ceased being emotive, staying pointed upward as her hair became but another layer of the stone, her nose and mouth not taking long to join after. 

Though her sight was stripped away, Aurora could still feel her body move, being forced into a different position. She stood up straight while one of her arms suddenly shot up in the air, her hand at the end going into a fist before the index finger and thumb finger extended fully, resembling a "finger gun" now while her other arm loosely hung on the side of her body. Aurora's body curved a bit more, a coy lean forming to it. Her tail was drooping, but she felt it lift upward at the center of it to form a curvature to it. 

Her brightly colored fur would gray out just like her head had. Though she originally had white and orange, the fur had all become a dull gray color. Similarly, the clothes harden just like her body had, slowly being sucked into the stone as it too was being converted into granite. And soon, the last of Aurora's senses were gone, and standing in her place was a petrified superhero vixen - forced into the pose and unable to do anything about it. 

Mentally, Aurora's eyes were racing. She hadn't expected the Collector's powers to come directly from him, especially with how casual he looked. She was trying to think of possible ways out of this scenario, maybe if she channeled her speed she'd be able to break out from underneath the stone. However, she failed to attempt that - as her body was completely immobile, any attempt to move it not even causing a jitter. 

"Ah, stage one is done." the Collector said, putting his pipe down and walking over to the petrified vixen. "You know, I always do wonder if there's any of you in there. It's not like you could answer me anyways." he looked the new statue up and down. "But I do know what there is in there, me~!" he said, bringing up his finger again as he shot multiple strong blasts of water at the stone superhero, crafting something entirely new out of the vixen. 

"W-what is he doing to me!?" Aurora would shout if she could, but stone couldn't talk. As the Collector blasted the water to chip away at the statue, it was getting harder and harder to think. 

He would craft the perfect stone statue with the vixen, bringing out his vision from underneath Aurora's form. Aurora's chest was destroyed, flattening as the Collector shaved off more of her curves, her wide hips and pert rear now much flatter with her body. Leaving with that were memories of her original gender - and the concept of gender itself. It was getting harder for Aurora to focus, trying her best but with how fast the Collector was moving that was becoming increasingly harder. 

Her arms became very thin, now only barely as wide as a finger. Her figure wasn't the only thing that flattened, as her body itself was much thinner from head to toe. She was quickly forgetting about her original species, she knew it wasn't right what she was becoming but...what was she supposed to be? Her thoughts were rapidly becoming more primitive as her mind was being chipped away with the stone, her very essence being erased. Her boots and leggings were no more, replaced with bare feet that were pointed just like the Collector's. 

And soon the same could be said about her head. He managed to make it so it was smaller on the top but the snout was more stretched out, converting the stone nose into simple nostrils crafted into the sculpture. Most of Aurora's hair was destroyed, leaving only a flat, thin fin behind. The Collector got rid of Aurora's ears and crafted a coy smirk out of the lips of Aurora. That would take the last of Aurora's self-awareness away. Being a vixen superhero, the reason she came here, even the Collector itself were all gone, reduced to rubble at the base of the stone. 

The Collector's focus went toward Aurora's tail, leaving the thickness at the base of it as he progressively thinned it out as it reached the end. The length actually stayed relatively similar to the vixen's old tail, though the shape of it was much different now, the tip curled up in a non-connecting circle. With an entirely new form, what little essence was left in the stone felt bliss. It was beautiful, a part of something greater than herself - only meant to be admired along with the rest of the collection. 

The last to go was Auroa's outfit. The Collector removed the stone gloves, though extended the "sleeves" of the stone while opening up the center of her outfit. There wasn't anything there anymore, any private places replaced with stone. The Collector extended the length of the robe down to her ankles, the sleeves reaching her elbows as the petrified hero didn't come close to resembling Aurora anymore - but the Collector himself, a perfect stone sculpture of the Inteleon. Any thoughts left the statue, feeling perfect before the last of the essence was gone, now indistinguishable from any other statue - or anything in the collection for that matter, the vixen reduced to a stone monument to the very Inteleon that did this to her. 

"There, perfection." the Collector cut off the stream of water and picked his pipe back up and put it in his mouth as he circled around and admired his handiwork. "It is not often someone gets to be a part of the collection to the caliber of you. I cannot make myself a piece of art for then who will curate the collection? So you will be the center of it - a statue erected in honor of the man who made this all possible. I will find space for you in the morning, you did interrupt my nightly ritual, so if you excuse me," he paused to blow out a puff of smoke. "I will get back to that. A collector's work is never done, and I have more art to obtain come tomorrow."