Tom had held onto the Ruggeri ring for the prior three months before deciding to try to pawn it. He had hoped that someone in the neighborhood would put up missing ring posters so he could return it to its rightful owner. He had no intention of putting one up himself. Tom had enough worries about robbers after he believed his beloved dog Buddy was stolen. He didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself.
Tom also scoured around the local town news sites online, hoping someone would post about a missing bug ring. That never occurred. At a certain point, Tom had had enough. He did not wish to be in possession of an ugly ring anymore. He was desperate to get rid of it and that’s what he planned to do, especially since he desperately needed the cash.
Without his trusted sidekick Buddy around. his life began to spiral down into the dumps more than it already had. Even before Freddy had escaped from his house after turning into his dog Buddy, Tom was on financially hard times. His crass personality made him difficult to work with. No one wanted to hire him for any position. Not as a garbage man, not as a police officer, not as a janitor. Not one employer would put up with his nonsense after word got around about his terrible attitude.
This lack of a full time job left him very broke and on the brink of foreclosure. Tom hadn’t even purchased the house he was currently living in. When his beloved step mother passed away a few years ago, she left the house to him in the hopes of making sure he would always have a roof over his head. Unfortunately for her, Tom was unable to support himself. The property taxes, despite being lower than most of his neighbors, were too much for him to take on with the lack of a steady income.
Tom was desperate for money. He really needed anything he could get at this point. So, going against his friend Jerry’s advice, Tom was prepared to pawn the ring for a reasonable offer. He wasn’t sure where the ring had come from, what it was made with or what it could possibly be worth. However, he was determined to find out as soon as possible, hoping it would strike him a much needed fortune.
The first pawn shop Tom planned to visit was right near where Freddy was speaking to the Alan Cullen political club. Tom knew from an acquittance, one who never saw him, that they offered the most amount of money for pawned items. If they weren’t willing to give him a good price, then he doubted that anyone else would.
After taking a little walk around the neighborhood to calm his nerves, Tom walked into the store. Once inside, he got the attention of the shop keeper.
“Hello” the shopkeeper said. “How can I help you today?”
“Hi” Tom replied. “A friend of mine told me you offer the best prices in the area for pawning items.”
“That is correct, yes.”
“See, I have this weird ring that I found a few months ago.”
Tom pulled out the Ruggeri ring and showed it to the shop keeper.
“I tried finding out if it belonged to anyone” Tom continued “but no one came to claim it.”
“Did you go to the police first?” the shop keeper asked.
“Yes” Tom lied. “They couldn’t find the owner, so they said it was mine.”
“Mind if I take a look at it?”
Tom nodded, as the shop keeper took the ring from his hand and carefully examined it.
“This thing kind of looks like costume jewelry” the shop keeper admitted. “It doesn’t look like real gold or diamonds. I really don’t know how much I can offer for something like this.”
The shop keeper noticed the inscription on the back.
“Hmm, what does this mean? L'uomo al cane, leggi l'iscrizione, camminare su quattro zampe.”
At that moment the ring began to glow, which caused the shop keeper to drop it on the counter.
“This thing gives the creeps” the shop keeper said, as he handed the ring back to Tom. “I don’t want to take it.”
“Why not?” Tom asked aggressively.
“That glowing is not a good sign. Either it’s toxic in some way or there’s some strange sort of strange energy behind it. Either way, I’m not comfortable giving you an offer on this ring.”
“Come on, dude. I’m short on cash at the moment and really need the money.”
“Do you have something else perhaps I can give you an offer on?”
“Besides my communication device, which I need, my car, which I also need, and my home, which I don’t want to sell, no. This is the only thing I can pawn. Please reconsider taking it.”
“I would suggest you take this item to another pawn shop. Perhaps they’ll be more willing to give you an offer on it.”
“Oh for fucks sake.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m not willing to buy it from you, especially since I have no idea what it is or how much it could possibly be worth.”
“Ugh, come fucking on.”
“I’m afraid that my answer is final.”
“Unbelievable.”
Tom stormed out of the pawn shop, as the shop keeper looked at him nervously.
“I better go wash my hands” the shop keeper said. “I hope whatever I touched just now wasn’t toxic or full of germs.”
While this occurred, Freddy continued with his campaign stump speech at the political function.
“For too long, our town has slid backwards, from a neighborhood with 25% of its residents being non white to just 1% today. I know that 1% because I had the privilege of meeting with them and learning about their experiences living here first hand.”
As Freddy continued to talk, Michael carefully watched him. Some may have considered it to be strange or OCD to stand behind his husband like this, but he didn’t want to take any chances. Any potential fur growth or other signs of dogging out were to be hidden quickly. This was not the place to turn into Buddy. He had to shield him in time so he’d transform in private, if it occurred.
Michael’s worst fears were confirmed half way through the speech, when Michael started noticing brown hairs growing out the back of Freddy’s neck. Gasping, Michael made his way over to Freddy and pulled him from the podium.
“For many years now—“ Freddy tried to say, before he was pulled back.
“I think they’ve heard enough” Michael replied hurriedly, as he tried to drag Freddy off the stage.
“What’s going on?” the older man asked nervously.
“Freddy’s said enough. Time to go now.”
“I’m not finished yet” Freddy said with annoyed tone.
“Yes you are, Buddy” Michael replied.
The gathering of political leaders looked on in surprise, as Michael dragged Freddy off the stage and took him to the back room.
“Ok….” the older man said nervously, as he made his way back up to the podium. “That was Freddy Benson, everyone…I guess.”
A light applause came out from those assembled, as a hushed murmur filled the hall. In a private area in the back of the venue, Freddy angrily looked at Michael.
“Michael, what the fuck was that all about? You interrupted me as I was winning over the crowd.”
“Look at yourself, you fucking idiot.”
“Hey Michael…”
Freddy looked down, as he saw his hands were covered in brown fur.
“Oh shit!” Freddy exclaimed.
“Let’s get you into the bathroom asap!” Michael replied loudly, as he pulled Freddy by his half hand, half paw and dragged him into the bathroom.
Once inside, Michael locked the door behind them, as Freddy frantically raced to take off his clothes.
“Shit shit shit” Freddy groaned, as he took off his jacket and peeled off his shoes and socks. “I hope I don’t rip my clothes this time.”
“How did this happen?” Michael asked, as he worked to take off Freddy’s tie and unbutton his dress shirt.
“I don’t know” Freddy replied, as he undid his belt and shucked off his pants. “I wasn’t turned on or anything, I just kind of started getting fuuurreee.”
“Oh great” Michael groaned, as he pulled the dress shirt off of Freddy’s now furry frame “you’re losing your speech already.”
Freddy felt embarrassed, as he quickly pulled off his underwear and got down on to his hands and knees. His body was already covered in fur, save for his head, which was largely unchanged. Resigning himself to his fate, Freddy was apt to just let the changes happen.
He could feel his feet shrink and turn into paws. His toenails became sharp claws, longer than Freddy had remembered them being last time. His legs shrunk and reformed into the back legs of a dog. His chest and stomach shrunk and reformed to fit into a shape that supported a bipedal stance. Groaning, Freddy looked down at his hands and arms, which mutated into the front legs of a dog. His hands shrunk and grew long claws. Freddy bent down and saw that his penis had turned into a dog’s sheath, with his little red rocket inside. His stomach was covered in white fur and he assumed his back was covered in black fur. He could tell that the changes were already almost over.
Freddy could feel his mouth press out and form into a dog’s muzzle. His teeth became sharp, his face became fuzzy and his nose became dark and damp. His ears lifted up and his eyes changed colors. The last change this time was his tail, which popped out from his backside and wagged back and forth as it grew. Soon, it was all over. Freddy was Buddy again.
Michael looked down nervously at the dog Freddy had become.
“We need to get you out of here” Michael said nervously.
Buddy used his doggy head to motion to his clothes, which were fortunately still in tact.
“I can try to take all of these, but I don’t know how I’m going to be able to get that and still keep you next to me, especially without a leash.”
Standing closely to Michael, Buddy watched as his husband gathered his clothes and awkwardly held them in his hands.
“We should just leave these here and come back for them later.”
Buddy growled, as Michael tried to fidget the door unlocked. As he did so, a knock came from the other side of the door.
“Is anybody in there?” the voice on the other end asked.
“Uh, just a second” Michael replied, as he nervously looked down at Buddy.
Michael looked at Buddy, with a serious expression on his face.
“We have two choices here, Freddy. We can either hide you in here or have you bolt out as soon as the door opens. Which is your preference.”
Buddy paused for a moment, unsure of how to answer.
“Tap your left paw to stay and your right paw to go.”
Unsure of which left Michael was referring to, Freddy tapped his right paw, which Michael took note of.
“Alright, go hide in the stall and…”
Buddy whined, as he tapped his other paw.
“Oh, that was your right, not mine.”
Buddy nodded, as he was happy his husband was able to figure it out.
“Hurry up in there” the voice on the other end of the door said, as they loudly banged on it. "What's going on? Who are you talking to?"
“Nobody" Michael called back. “Just give me a second."
Michael looked down at Buddy, who was looking up at him.
"Ready, Freddy?”
Buddy nodded his head.
“Run out and meet me by the car. I’ll be there in a second.”
Buddy braced himself, as Michael opened the door. When it was opened, Buddy quickly raced out of the bathroom, which caused the man, a political leader, to quickly turn his head.
“What was that?” the man asked Michael.
“It was nothing” Michael responded, as he made his way out of the bathroom.
“Was that a dog?” the political leader asked, as he watched Michael running towards it.
Michael ignored this comment, as he sprinted out of the bathroom, holding Freddy’s business clothes in his hands. Before he made his way to the front entrance, however, he could hear loud screams coming from the hall.
"Oh no" Michael thought to himself.
“Is that a dog?” one woman asked, as Buddy passed by her.
“How did that thing get in here?” another woman asked.
“This is unbelievable” a man said to a friend. “This club has really gone downhill over the years. Never seen a circus like this before.”
Michael weaved through the crowd, as he tried to make his way to the front door. What he hadn’t noticed was that one of the mayor’s advisors had been quietly watching him. On the mayor’s orders, the advisor had been watching the proceedings, hoping to give a report to his boss later in the day. The sudden end of Freddy’s speech caused the advisor to raise an eyebrow and Freddy’s disappearance soon after did so as well. Buddy running out, with Michael following behind carrying Freddy’s clothes in hand, also intrigued the advisor.
“What was that all about?” the advisor thought to himself, as he quietly followed Michael out the door.
Outside of the venue, Buddy hid in a bush, hoping that Michael would catch up with him soon. Before he could be reunited with his husband, however, he spotted someone who he didn’t want to see in that moment.
Angrily walking out of the pawn shop, Tom fumed loudly.
“How could that fucker not give me anything for it?! Unbelievable!”
A moment later, he spotted Buddy hiding in the bush.
“Buddy!!!” Tom yelled, as he ran towards him.
“Oh no” Freddy thought, as Buddy tried to run away. “Not now.”
Unfortunately for Buddy, he ran into a dead end. Tom quickly jumped on top of him and placed a collar on his neck. Attaching the leash, Tom began to drag Buddy back to his car.
“I’ve been looking all over for you, Buddy” Tom said excitedly. “I thought someone stole you, but you must have escaped somehow. I can’t believe you survived all this time on your own. This won’t happen again.”
Tom walked Buddy to his car, as Michael spotted them off in the distance. When Michael had finally managed to leave the venue, he walked to Freddy's car, hoping to find Buddy there. Putting Freddy’s clothes in the back seat, Michael looked around, wondering if Buddy hid somewhere so he wouldn’t be spotted. After a minute passed, Michael noticed Tom walking to his car, with a dog on his leash.
“Freddy!” Michael yelled, as he tried to run over to Tom’s car.
Tom managed to get a fidgety Buddy into his car, as he slammed his door shut and got into the drivers seat. When he started up the car, he noticed Michael running towards him.
“Shit” Tom said, as he shifted the car into drive and sped off down the street. “Not this asshole again.”
Before Michael could reach the vehicle, Tom had gotten away. Hoping to follow him, Michael ran to Freddy's car and started it up. Before he could leave the parking lot, however, the crowds from the political function spilled out of the venue and into their own vehicles to leave for the afternoon. Stuck behind a line of cars, Michael had to wait several minutes before he could get back onto the road.
What Michael didn’t notice was that the mayor’s advisor had purposely held him up. The advisor asked the older man at the podium to end the meeting earlier, so people would spill into their cars to slow down Michael’s exit. Getting into his own car, the advisor maneuvered his car directly behind Michael, hoping to follow him wherever he went off to next.
Groaning in the car, Michael felt a sense of panic wash over him. The only way to reunite with Freddy now was to hope that Tom was either in town or at home. If he wasn’t in one of those two places, Michael was in big trouble.
“I hope I can catch up with him before it’s too late” Michael thought to himself, as he waited to exit the parking lot.
When he finally got out, Michael….