Despite her earlier fear, Mary found herself actually enjoying the game. Although Kelly had claimed an advantage, it was Mary that had the real advantage. Because she had taken more of the animal vial, she actually had faster reflexes than Kelly. And her smaller and more nimble body allowed her to easily dodge Kelly's larger and bulkier body. Kelly didn't seem as comfortable in her body, and her tail caused quite a bit of damage. Still, Kelly had cornered and caught her a few times. Kelly tickled Mary with her long forked tongue, then released her for another game.
But after a few hours, they both decided it was time for a rest. For one thing, they were both getting tired. But another more urgent concern was her neighbors. She had heard them banging on the floor and walls more than once. Mary reasoned that their game must be making an ungodly noise to her neighbors above and beside her.
"I don't know about you, but I could use a drink, " said Mary, as she walked into the kitchen. This had been fun, but she was ready to be human again. She walked towards the kitchen counter on which the box of vials sat.
"Yeah. Me, too, " said Kelly. She was laying on the couch, her tail draped over the armrest and onto the floor. Before her were the three cups she had used earlier - human, snake, and growth. She had planned on using the human vial to reverse her changes, but because she had not labeled the cups she was not sure which one it was. She decided it was best to be safe, and just drink from the human vial back in the box.
"Hey, a little help here for the pipsqueak, " said Mary, trying to reach the box of vials on the kitchen counter. At 12 inches tall, she was now much too short to reach it.
"Sure, no problem, " said Kelly, as she dropped her body to the floor. The weight of her tail caused the floor to shake, tipping over the snake cup and spilling some of the contents on her tail. It was not all of the snake vial, but more than she would have liked had she been aware of it. Her tail felt a little cold, but Mary interrupted her investigation.
"Hey, easy! My neighbors are already probably pretty pissed," said Mary.
"Sorry, " said Kelly, as she continued to slide forward. The tip of her tail slid under the couch and got caught. She turned and tugged it free, wincing with pain as it thumped awkwardly.
"You okay?" asked Mary.
"Sure. Just stubbed my .... tail, I guess," said Kelly, as she slid forward. The pain in her tail masked the strange tingling as the snake solution was absorbed into her tail.
Mary chuckled a little as Kelly entered the kitchen. But as other painful changes began to manifest in Kelly's body she didn't find it as amusing. She grimaced as she neared Mary.
"Sheesh. Are you okay?" asked Mary, looking at the pained expression on Kelly's face.
"It's just my back. It itches a lot," said Kelly, as the scales began to spread up her back beneath her shirt.
Mary reached up to feel it and comfort her but Kelly slapped her small hand away. "Just leave it alone," said Kelly angrily.
"Sorry. I was just trying to help," said Mary.
"Whatever, " said Kelly angrily. Mary claimed to want to help, but the look on her face said otherwise. The game had not gone as planned. The whole night Mary had avoided her grasp, teasing her for her failures. It wasn't fair. Mary had taken more of the animal vial, so she had an unfair advantage. If only she had used more of the snake it would have been a different story. But instead she had to put up with smug condescending Mary winning time and time gain. Mary was always acting superior to her, and she thought the game might be a fun chance to finally put Mary in her place. A time for Kelly to be the dominant one with all the power. But instead, Mary had turned it around again and humiliated her.
Mary was looking up at the vials expectantly. "Okay, so how about we return to normal now?"
"In a second, in a second, " said Kelly angrily. The itchy sensation now encompassed her whole back. To make matters worse, she now had a pounding headache. And did this little mouse care? No, she just wanted to boss her around again.
As Kelly neared the kitchen counter, she suddenly doubled over in pain. Her head really hurt now, and her jaw ached.
Her thoughts were getting muddy, confused.
"Kelly are you okay?" asked Mary, as she reached forward to help her.
"Stay away! " hissed Kelly, lashing out with her hands. Mary saw with a shock that Kelly's hands were covered in thick scales, and that her nails were growing into thick sharp claws. Mary backed away, her fear suddenly rising.
Kelly hissed again. The smell of Mary's fear was confusing her already twisted mind. Although she didn't know it, her brain was changing. The more primitive reptilian portion of her brain - the brainstem - was rapidly expanding and growing, while the more complex human portion of her brain - the neocortex - was shrinking and receding. Primal instincts were beginning to take precedence over rational thoughts. Instinctual behaviors like those involved in aggression, dominance, and territoriality.
"Mary .... something is wrong ....wrong with me .... you need to run," whispered Kelly as she continued to change.
Mary could see that something was wrong with her friend. The scales had now covered her arms and were beginning to spread across her chest. But she wasn't about to abandon a friend. "It's okay, I'll help you. Just give me a boost, and I'll get the human vial for you."
Kelly hissed again loudly. Once again the fool was making demands instead of listening. There was no time for that. Already she was having difficulty controlling her thoughts. Survival was rapidly becoming the main focus of her brain as it continued to develop ...... the drive to establish and defend territory, fight-or-flight, deception.........as well as basic life support functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and ........digestion. As the scales covered her face, her thoughts become simpler and more focused.
If the fool won't listen, then anything that happens to her is her own fault, thought Kelly with cold logic.
She winced as her jaw cracked and expanded, allowing her a wider access to swallow food. She opened her mouth wide as two large sharp fangs slowly extended into her open maw. She felt venomous sacs develop and fill with potent toxins, and delighted as she saw some of the venom drip from the tips of her fangs.
Yes, yes, she thought. This is good. This will make it much easier to capture prey and defend myself.
She reached up and felt the dry wispy remains of her hair clinging to her scalp. She chuckled as she pulled it away in clumps.
Yes, what need do I have for this useless fur, she thought, as she tore away the last remnants of her hair and her humanity.
Finally, the changes were over. Very little of her human form remained. She still had a narrow waist and wide hips. She still had small breasts, although they were completely covered in scales, hiding her nipples. And she still had two arms ending in hands with sharp talon-like nails. But everything else - from her snake head to her long thick snake tail - was completely animal.
She looked at Mary with cold reptilian eyes. Part of her recognized Mary as her friend. A very small part. The rest of her mind regarded Mary as snack.
Mary is human. It's cannibalism, part of her mind protested weakly. Kelly looked at the tiny creature, barely a foot tall and covered in fur.
She is not human anymore, her dominant reptilian brain thought coldly. Now she is prey.
"You should have run when you had the chance, little mouse, " said Kelly, as she sprang forward to attack Mary.