Joy opened her green eyes. They were almost shining under the stage lights. "I don't see you as human. I don't even see you as what you think you are."
Julie blinked. "W...what do you mean?"
"All the features Lupo's been adding to you. I see even more. I... I don't know how."
"What?!" Julie almost roared. This even seemed to shock Professor Lupo, who was still standing closer to the edge of the stage, frozen in place, staring at the pair of them.
Joy reached up to touch the soft white fur on Julie's cheek. "I see the face of a beautiful tigress. You have fangs. Claws. Whiskers. Right here. I can feel them."
Julie's heart raced. She could feel them, too. Dozens of fine white hairs fanned out from her cheeks, and a few grew above her eyes. They seemed to almost taste the air around her for the slightest of movements. She unconsciously flicked her ears.
"Stop. P-plrease..." Julie said through growing teeth. She watched her nose swell and push outward. Her hands flexed around Joy's shoulders and she knew her nails were changing into claws.
"I can't. I... I won't." Joy's admiration gained a flavor of cold determination. "I want this for you. You used to be so unsure. So careful. A real buzzkill." She giggled. "But I know you love me and I saw all the ways you tried to keep me out of trouble. Now you can let go. You're fearless. Wild. Strong. Sexy."
"Joy..."
"Joy," Lupo echoed. He looked genuinely concerned. He still wasn't moving. His showman's bravado had disappeared. "That's enough for the moment, don't you think? We still have a few more acts to get to..."
Joy ignored him and looked down at Julie's sneakers. "You're light on your big, tough paws. They let you run fast and jump two stories."
Joy was speaking faster than the changes could keep up with. Julie felt a warmth sweep through her muscles. Her body surged with power as she became just slightly more toned. It was enough to make her shirt, already itchy thanks to the fur, downright uncomfortable. She popped her new claws and tore the thing right off herself, revealing a white bra sitting atop a matching white fur chest and even more black stripes lining her sides, which tightened up somewhat, making her more lithe. With only a brief flash of pain, her feet swelled and tore her sneaks and socks into shreds. She was forced up onto the balls of her feet and widened her stance to keep steady on her new, clawed tiger paws.
Her tail snaked wildly through the air as her anxieties vanished, replaced by incredible confidence. She inhaled deep, centering her being. Through her wide nose, she could smell fear. It was coming from Lupo. She grinned, and everyone saw her top row of razor-sharp fangs. It was about time.
Joy watched excitedly as Julie's demeanor shifted. She hadn't seen any of these transformations. To her, they'd already happened a while ago. But she saw how her sister hunched her back aggressively. How her jaw set and her brow narrowed at their captor. "That's my sister."