Hours passed with nothing but the cold wind, the relatively flat, white expanse of snow, ice, and ocean, the stubbornly low Sun, her own growing hunger, and feeling less and less comfortable.
With so much winter gear - double-layer fur trousers and long coat, thick fur boots and gloves, heavy wind-blocking goggles plus face scarf - and her find focused on the twin tasks of getting herself back to Base Camp and keeping her supplies and samples with her on the sled she hauled with increasing ease. It would, in hindsight, be of little surprise (to herself at least) that Catherine failed to notice the progressing changing of herself with each passing hour, from the thickening and growing of her body with bone, muscle, and fat, to the subsequent tightening of her clothes on her swelling frame.
The hunger was however, rather more noticeable for her. All that transforming took up more than a fair deal of energy and perhaps six hours later, and fifteen miles of heavy hauling covered, she was desperate for nutrition.
Unable to keep her mind off her stomach, Catherine stopped where she was, detaching herself from the sled with some difficulty and marched to the line of dogs. At the end of this line, she ripped her face scarf off, revealing a face that had not only pushed out rather noticeably, but was covered in a fine, but thickening layer of translucent fur, and a jet-black nose.
None of which was on her mind as she dropped to her knees, and bit right into the dog, the cold keeping it safe enough for consumption. Not even trying to chew - although her new teeth wouldn’t make it possible for her to do so properly - she instead tore whole chunks clean off, swallowing said chunks with no regard for even basic manners.
Only with the whole sled dog picked clean of muscle and flesh, and her hunger sated, did Catherine finally realise what she’d done. And see her nose clearly in her line of sight.
“Wha…?” It was obvious to her that the serum’s effect on her hadn’t ceased, but to find out for sure, she’d need to set up camp again.
Less dexterous digits in her hands made setting up the tent a serious challenge, but with considerable effort, she was finally able to clamber inside and get a proper look at herself, without the upper layers to mask the sight of herself.
Translucent fur was also visible on her hands, hands that ended with long claws, and her inner garments were pinched in badly, puffing out where what had to be her fur pressed against it.
There was no denying it. The serum was proving to be rather potent on her. And while on the one hand she would no physically stand a chance of making it back in the frigid conditions, there was also the inescapable fact that as she was now - assuming it didn’t continue - trying to explain herself without getting shot or something along those lines was not going to be a trivial matter by any measure.
Which was forced to wait as her body commanded her to sleep and process her latest meal.
[+]
Which saw Catherine waking up in agony.
Struggling to even breathe, and starting to panic, she fought against her own harsh thrashings to try and make sense of her immediate crisis. Through blurry, tear-stained eyes, the answer presented itself.
Her garments tighter than ever, a gap between the top and bottom to expose her abdomen, and her fur outlining where it couldn’t escape, even as they threatened to tear.
Only one option. With her new clawed hands, she tore into the fabrics, her own massive frame aiding by widening the gashes - fur appearing to sprout now it was no longer contained - merging with each other until the torn scraps almost exploded free of her.
Heaving gulps of precious air restoring her to her full senses, Catherine was - after recovering - sitting in her tent, her head almost touching the top, and her ears doing that, having moved to the top of her head, and able to take stock of her situation.
She figured she had to be perhaps two metres tall now, when standing, and her limbs were still proportioned like a human’s, plus she at least had her mind. But the fact was she was covered in translucent fur - white against the snow and ice - with massive clawed hands and feet with paw pads, a muzzle, heavy with muscle and fat and a pair of heaving breasts on her chest.
“Pleasrr, rret thisrr, be it…” Catherine practically clamped her mouth shut at this, not even recognising her own voice, forced as it was through a throat that wasn’t really built to handle complex speech.
How would she explain this to her colleagues? Could she even explain this? Would they even let her?
No! She refused to let herself think like that! Not now! Now, she had more important things to concern herself with. Not least figuring out if anything could fit. After all, if she tried to approach them naked, they might mistake her for a wild bear from a distance, but if she had at least something on, they would pause at the very least. A delay that might prove vital if Catherine was to have any hope of salvaging the situation she faced.
The undergarments were a clear no-go, her potentially-fatal awakening proof enough, leaving only the larger outer winter garments to try. The trousers? As much as she tried to squirm and wiggle her way into them, her thick legs simply didn’t permit it. The fur-covered boots she was able to manage after a fashion, Tight, but tolerable at least, perhaps the lack of multiple layers of socks? The coat she managed with more effort to at least get her arms into the sleeves, but any attempt to close it up was impossible and after several minutes of trying, was forced to give up. That just left the face scarf which now hung around her neck. It was all that Catherine could fit into now, and then only if the serum’s course was run.
Repacking the tent was an arduous affair, though as dexterous as before, her fingers were larger, and she was forced to take it slowly to keep from damaging her only shelter. And ‘breakfast’ proved to be as messy an affair as it had been before her last rest. But now with it all packed away - and a check confirming at least her samples were in perfect health - Catherine had the sled rope around her waist and arms, and with (not really for her) alarming ease, was hauling her precious cargo again, and after a few minutes, was able to break into a jog.