Within the first few days, the students were getting more comfortable Animalians being among them. In fact, a very common topic for discussion was what kind of animal would one be spliced with if they had the opportunity. Naturally, quite a few students went for the cooler animals that came from the zoo, though there were some who considered becoming a bull or stallion, partially because they were both so impressively muscular and partially to get the attention of some of the cows and mares.
Among those who were wondering about upgrading themselves was Jessica Mariana. It had been very freaky to see her little hamster grow into a humanoid that was considerably taller than her. But after the shock, it seemed like Samuel was still a friendly guy, even if he had a little trouble with speaking at first. The first two visits she had with him were rather awkward. Jessica was still adjusting to the fact that her former pet was not a sentient being with rights of his own. And she realized her own discomfort was really unfair to Sammy who only wanted to be friends with her. Of course, her parents would worry he'd accidentally infect her, but if she was already infected, that wouldn't be a problem.
Jessica had to admit that another reason she was considering becoming an Animalian was because of her friends. Abigail Brown was becoming quite a bit of a celebrity as the first human to become an Animalian. She was also quite a success story with a prospering farm, accepting parents, and the finest stallion for her boyfriend. Everyone at school loved her, except the uplifted mares who were still rather rude to her.
Sarah Wesley was also becoming rather famous. She might not have been the second human to become an Animalian, there were other people in town who had also been infected. But her family was the first one to fully convert, not to mention the currently only ones who were all double-dosers. It was kind of weird that the four of them looked so similar in age. Malice had been joking that she felt more like calling Mrs. Wesley 'sister' than 'mother'. But it seemed their restored youth and their heightened libido was making Sarah's parents more romantic than usual. They were even talking about going on a second honeymoon. Their daughters were enjoying plenty of attention as well. Malice had taken to hanging around the police station. She jokes that she's been a bad girl, but anyone could see she wanted to catch the attention of one of the officers. She was even planning on doing an internship when winter came around. And while Sarah wasn't trying to get the attention of one boy, she was getting quite a few male admirers who found her amazonian build very attractive.
Jessica had to admit that another reason she was considering an upgrade was because of her friends' double-dosed bodies. She felt so puny next to them and has been frequently wondering what it'd be like to be so tall and muscular and having large breasts. Jessica wasn't sure if she could pass the extra paperwork needed for a double dose, but just being a stage one Animalian would be good enough for her to see Sammy again. She was hopeful she might be able to talk her parents around to letting her change species, though it might take a little time to do so. And she should also be using that time to consider what kind of animal she could become. She had heard that Sammy was still instinctively scared of rodent-eating predators, so that crossed off quite a few selection. It might show some solidarity with her former pet if she became a rodent herself, but not a hamster. Jessica knew that Abby and Samson had a special bond before they became mates, but she just couldn't imagine the same thing happening with her and Samuel. But there were still more than a few possibilities left.