As the house was degenerating, Dustin was back near the sewer, hunkered into an alleyway. The humanoid rat had managed to control his own body and force it to change several times now into a larger and stronger rat. Each time though, Dustin found it grew harder and harder to do so.
"Damn it, I got it so easy the first time." He thought. "Come on, bigger, bigger."
He felt his body strain as he concentrated every bit of himself. Slowly, he started to bulk, to grow. Dustin grinned as he felt his claws sharpening. Then, he felt something snap. It wasn't something tangible, but it was like some part of him had been pulled to far ... like an overstretched rubber band. In that moment, Dustin felt himself shrinking back, losing mass and muscle.
"No....no!" He squeaked, hearing his voice rise in octaves as he physically regressed back to a preteen humanoid rat. Dustin clutched his head with his long, gangly paws, waiting for the further change, but it didnt come. He didnt degenerate into a full rat. Blinking, he opened his eyes and stared at himself in a stangnant pool of water. He was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect blend of what a 12 year old would look like if they were crossed with a rat. Somehow, something told him that whatever power he once possessed to grow himself was gone, but at least he wouldn't go back to being a full rat yet.
"God damn you Ty," Dustin spat. He shivered in the cold night air. Now he was stuck, lost and alone. He didn't know where he was or how to get home, but knowing Ty, he might not have a home to go back to. For the first time in many years, Dustin felt tears sting his eyes. They streamed down his cheeks. Then he heard a voice behind him.
"What's wrong, kid?"
Turning Dustin saw