It was so strange looking out at the audience, expecting to somehow expose my supposed inner animal publicly because of the Madame's spell. I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen, but I knew I was feeling weird. I must have looked pretty weird, too, because the audience started looking more and more amazed, while I felt a warm, pulsing, swelling feeling in my ears.
Some were covering their mouths in shock, others were pointing and giggling, and others were just sitting there with wide eyes. I looked behind me, looked rightward at Madame who was smiling, then I looked off to the left side... I couldn't figure it out. Just what were they seeing? I looked back at the audience and gulped. This really wasn't a good time for my stage fright to rear up. The longer I stood there, the clearer their voices got: giggling, gasping, comments about my ears--or about how sexy I'd been or how I looked like a slob when I came up on stage. There was side chatter: people talking about their plans for after the show, the sounds of their phones texting. Even in the back rows, I could make out the rustling of their clothes very distinctly. My cheeks were just getting hotter and hotter; I must have been blushing like a tomato! And there was still that strengthening, burgeoning feeling in my ears...
"Well, we're already seeing a major hint of Jerry's change, folks," said the Madame loudly, causing my right ear to swivel toward her. What?! My ear swiveled? Just what was going on up there?!
I reached up and gasped at what I was feeling up there. My hands were touching both my ears but they didn't feel like my normal ears at all! They felt broad, fuzzy, maybe a bit leathery. More than anything else, they were huge. I couldn't even feel the normal shape of my earlobe, just big round dish-shaped receivers extending high over my head and far off to the sides. And sure enough, they twitched and jerked while I fingered around on them. I mumbled something out loud, but certainly nothing coherent.
My face got even warmer as my nose was already starting to jut out in front of me along with the front part of my mouth. I reached forward and grabbed the jutting protrusion which was already covered with fine soft hair... no, fur! My hands even brushed against some long, sensitive hairs that reminded me of animal whiskers. Was all this really me now? Was this woman really, actually, changing me into a some kind of animal? I lowered my jaw and rubbed my fingers against sharp new teeth. The smells around the tent, which I had only vaguely noticed, were getting stronger and more separate as the change progressed. My own scent was now clearly distinct from the Madame's, which was wafting from beside me. The smell of so many people in front of me in the audience was rather overwhelming, as were the aromas of all their many refreshments they'd brought in: popcorn, candy, ice cream, pizza, etc. I couldn't help pointing my head around in different directions sniffing the air, trying to take stock of all this.
"Well, folks, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" said the Madame. [ear swivel]
"Something canine!" shouted a voice from one of the back rows. [ear swivel toward the audience] Their voices were strong and crisp in my big round ears, but I barely registered what they were actually saying, for I was totally absorbed in my sensory overload. I turned to face Madame Illusia and sniffed. What was that I smelt on her? Something different from the others. Sniff, sniff. My whiskers twitched. Was it her perfume? Yeah! ... Well, not exactly. The perfume was strong but there was another scent beneath the surface. Was it her cotton clothing? No, almost everybody had that. Her natural skin oils? No, there was still something else. Is this ... is this what magic smells like?
It turns out I'd nosed myself all the way over to her, and she was now giggling and leaning back under the intrusive examination of my wiggling black nose. Then I stood straight up again, ears perked up, as I got a new feeling that surprised me. Something was twitching around over my butt that I didn't recognize. I craned my neck over my back but couldn't really see much out of the ordinary through my jeans. I looked back at the Madame and groaned, realizing what an animalistic sound it seemed in my new throat. The audience started giggling again; I looked out at the spectators and perked my ears up at them. I smelled their collective surprise. They had been amused at my antics over the last few seconds but now they were noticing something else.
"What's that in his pants?" / "It's wiggling around..." / "Do you see that?" / "It looks like he's got a snake down his jeans!"
I could feel something tightly constricted in the back of my pants--something long, fluffy and warm flopping around deep down inside them. What was that? I could see the outline of it now in the denim! I quickly undid my belt and pulled them down along with my boxers enough for whatever-it-was to escape out the back. The constricted feeling was gone, but I could still feel something twisting and wobbling behind me, and I could see something long and bright waving like a white flag at my back end. It took me a second to mentally connect those two in my mind: the big white thing was part of me, and I was moving it all on my own! Almost as soon as I realized this, it stopped and flopped down to hang casually over my butt. It was a shaggy length of white fur, with a black ring around the top with a little bit of tan fur even higher than the black ring, where it was rooted deep into my back. Curious, I made it wave around a few more times, fascinated that I could do that. Getting a good firm grip on it with one hand really drove the point home; the sensation of a sharp tug surged up my spine and made me yelp through my new muzzle!
"Gotta be careful with that new tail of yours, Jerry," said the Madame. A pit formed in my stomach as it sank in what she'd said and I got an earful the laughs that were erupting out of the audience. I looked over at her, then out at the audience, then back at my shaggy new extension. I loosened my grip and watched it duck down under me; I felt my strong ears flatten down over my head. Everyone here had seen me acting like a dog with my new nose and ears, and now they were seeing me look like one even more with my long furry tail.
Before I could dwell on my embarrassment too much, a powerful itching took hold of my chest and I had to tear open my shirt to scratch at it with all the strength I could muster! I even got down on my back twisted around--tail stretched out behind me, legs in the air--scratching as hard as I could with both hands. The audience laughed and laughed. They must have thought this was some great comedy routine! I felt the fuzz and then the long shaggy hair, and I also felt my scratching get more effective as my nails got bigger and stronger. I looked down over my chest, past the end of my muzzle, and got my first really good look at the tan, black, brown and white fur sprouting all over my body, as well as the formidable claws digging down into it while it grew. The audience oohed and awed.
"The marble coat of the African wild dog is one of natures most astounding works of art, as you can see," commented Madame Illusia to her captivated throng of fans. "Who knew Jerry had such a marvelous creature waiting within his inner self?"