The chair rises up to meet you, even as you legs pull up off the floor. The process just as rapid as when Marissa made you a girl, though even more disorienting. Your whole body twists and contorts under the pressure, but it doesn't hurt. You barely even manage a squeal before your clothes expand around you, and you can see nothing but cloth.
You feel your mouth and nose stretch out in front of you, with teeth growing small and sharp. You flop to one side, with arms and legs no longer large enough to hold you in your previous sitting position.
Your ears twitch, and you realize with disdain that they're now atop your head, and far larger. You feel something swish behind you, whipping urgently back and forth in your agitation. It's a tail!
Finally you feel the ground shaking in slow, rhythmic motions. Your world shifts, and the oppressive mountain of cloth atop you vanishes. But she's too fast—with her other hand, Marissa scoops you into her arms. You squirm and contort for a few seconds, but her grip tightens, and you feel yourself going suddenly limp.
"Careful, David. It would be a shame if I crushed you by accident, and all that magic went to waste." You look up along her body, which looms over you like a building. You whine, and the sound isn't even remotely human. "Why? Why did you..."
"I hired you," she said. "Then I invested you with magic. I intend to get value for that investment, one way or another. Maybe after a few days as my familiar, you'll feel better about being my apprentice. And if not, well... I could use a familiar."
She settles you down onto the counter, directly opposite a little mirror. Well, little to her. It towers over you, but at least you can get a good look at your reflection. You're covered in downy white fur, though there's black on your tail and paws. You scurry over to the mirror, and somehow manage not to trip over yourself. It doesn't matter that your legs and arms are little stubs, ending in tiny pink paws. Somehow you're still able to move.
"It's wrong," you say, pressing one paw up against the glass. It still sounds like words, though a real animal shouldn't be able to make any of those sounds. "Aren't you going to feel even a little guilty?"
She gathers up your clothes, tossing it all into a garbage bag behind the counter. You hurry along the counter, keeping pace with her, but unable to stop her. She could easily scoop you into the trash with those clothes, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
She only laughs in response to your question. "You volunteered to be here, David. And I don't know a witch anywhere who would feel guilty about taking a familiar. It's not kidnapping, it's mutually beneficial."
She holds one arm near the counter, and without knowing exactly why, you feel compelled to hop into it. It's something about being near her. The warmth under your paws is far better than the counter, And besides, being near something huge that won't hurt you is far superior to standing on the counter without shelter, just waiting for something to swoop down.
"Doesn't feel beneficial," you mutter, not even sure if she can make out your tiny voice. "I'm not even human anymore. Did you at least make me a boy animal?" You squirm around, lifting your tail to look. While what you find there is unfamiliar to you, the smell is distinct. That isn't a male smell.
"Nope," she answers, in case you had any remaining doubt. "I told you, this is a trial run. It's possible I could make you male if it was permanent. But making familiars is more an art than most magic. You didn't end up an ermine because of you, you ended up an ermine because that's what I am. If I had a boy familiar, I figure you'd be one already. Now, stop complaining. I'm going to leave you with one of my trainers. If you behave yourself, then a week from now we can talk about making you human again. Assuming you change your mind."
You find yourself growing more confident the longer you're small. True, Marissa is far larger than you are—but all you have to do is jump once to catch her clothes, and you can scramble up to her shoulder. The view from up there is better, even if you have to rest three of your paws to hold yourself while she walks.
She walks through more of the shop you've never seen before, filled with huge objects you can't identify, before finally opening a door made of wire mesh. It smells like animals inside, and indeed you can see cages lining the walls. They're bigger and far more comfortable than the kind of thing you'd see in a pet store, with random bits of tiny furniture in each one. Most are empty, but one isn't.
Marisa introduces you to a...