Catherine braced herself, anticipating a painful transformation. She imagined herself bulking up, bursting out of her clothes like the Hulk or something. And of course she needed to stay close to the water. It was a long swim back to the research station. But it would be an even longer trip if she was stuck on the shore and had to try to roll her body into the water.
But after waiting several minutes with no sign of change, Catherine was disappointed. True, it had taken several hours for the cells to complete the process in the lab. But she had expected some visible sign of change. It looked like the procedure was a failure.
Oh, well. At least it didn't kill me, thought Catherine.
But Catherine knew she would be dead if she didn't act soon. The temperature was beginning to drop again. She would need to gather her supplies and reinforce her shelter if she wanted to survive. She cannibalized the remains of her now useless sled, bringing anything useful inside her small makeshift shelter, including the meager food she had caught during her trek.
Catherine regretted not bringing more ammunition. But she doubted it would have been very helpful anyway. The tundra was virtually devoid of any sign of life, much less anything she could hunt. That was probably what drove the desperate orca to attack her small camp.
Catherine made quick work of the dogs, skinning them and butchering the meat. She utilized all the dead dogs had to offer, wasting nothing. In the wilderness, you couldn't afford to be sentimental. She had loved her furry companions dearly but eating their meat would allow her to live a few more weeks and their fur might keep her from freezing to death.
Catherine looked over at the body of the dead orca. It offered quite a bit more sustenance. But it also required a lot more work to prepare. Catherine was satisfied with her current food supply. She knew she might regret it later, especially if it fell back into the water and disappeared, but Catherine decided to leave the orca's body alone for now. She just felt too tired to work anymore and retired to the warmth of her small shelter.
Once safely inside, Catherine drifted off to a fitful sleep, disturbed by strange dreams.