"Sure, I'll play along," said Damon. "Look, you seem like a nice lady, and it actually seems to matter to you why I'm here, so if you really think I'd be willing to be somebody's pet, then I'll go ahead and admit that I wouldn't actually be opposed to that if things like that could really happen. I already told you about my step-dad, but I don't think I mentioned that I think he treats his dog better than me. He has this beauceron named Malt that he got as a puppy before he married my mom, and spends every minute with that dog when he's home. That's the only one of us he won't yell at when he's drunk. He comes home with new toys for that dog every week or two, but I didn't get anything for my birthday last year because I was too much of a failure. Every time he tells me to go back to my room because he wants to watch the game, there's that dog sitting beside him drooling on the couch. There are nights I actually wondered whether if I was a dog then my so-called dad would actually want to spend time with me. And of course, Malt doesn't have to go school, pretend everything's fine and then come home and get yelled at for having C's. So yeah, I'd rather live like a dog in a place like this than as a stepson in my own house. But if that's you're way of telling me to leave, then I'll go. Just promise me you'll keep a secret, okay?"
The witch chuckled a little bit, realizing that Damon didn't believe she could really do magic. She was also quite intrigued that she had stumbled upon a boy who had really grown up jealous of a dog.
"My dear Damon, you are actually a very nice delinquent, and I think you're going to be a very nice pet. So first, go ahead and take your clothes off and put them over here on the floor. You won't be needing them anymore."
That was when Damon wondered what he'd gotten himself into and whether he'd stumbled upon one of those creepy predators you hear about on the news. Oh well. How much danger could he be in from a little old lady with a wand? It seemed like she really was just some crazy rich women who wanted to convince herself that he was now her pet dog. He'd meant what he said, too: if walking around naked and eating dog food was what it took to get himself out of the rain and away from his step dad for a while, then that was alright with Damon.
He finished folding his wet clothes up on the floor and stepped away from them. Circe was waving her wand around in the flickering torchlight of the throne room.
"So I get my collar and leash now, I guess? And maybe a dog bowl, hehe, I'm parched."
Circe opened her eyes and smirked at him.
"Perhaps. But you're going to get something else first."
Damon felt a weird feeling go through him, like a tingling energy that coursed through his whole body, but mostly just above butt. It was starting to feel warm and flexible even out past there. He wondered what could be happening in an empty castle so close to his bare bottom, so he turned around. By the time he was in a position to look, most of the strangeness had dissipated, so he was very surprised to find the slightly curved length of black fur that now stuck a good half meter or so behind him. He had a tail just like Malt's! And he could make it move, too; muscles and joints he'd never felt before were twisting around to jerk this new tail in whatever direction caught Damon's fancy.
"It's real," he said. "You really could turn me into a dog!"
"How did you like step one?" she asked with a wide grin on her face. Damon felt his long tail wagging behind him, just like it would if he were a dog.
"Might as well finish the job," he answered with a smile of his own.