While Covid-19 still remains a serious problem, though more people are getting vaccinated by the day, that doesn't mean it's the only disease that's demanded treatment. There have been plenty of chronic and serious illnesses that have been active before the pandemic started and they weren't about to go dormant because of the current health crisis. Which often compounded problems for people who haven't been able to get to hospitals as often.
One good example of this would an old soldier who'd rather go by his nickname of 'Rock'. He had been battling leukemia for years. It was really quite a feat that he has lasted this long. He often suggested that he only got it later in life because he was half-black. Leukemia is a rarer condition among African-Americans compared to other races. Unfortunately, they also took it worse when they did get it, so being half-white probably kept it from being too severe.
That said, traditional treatment has only given Rock a brief reprieve. At the very best, he's at a stalemate. And considering how hospitals are still overflowing with Covid patients, it was time to seek a more nontraditional mean of treatment. Rock had already heard that plenty of the ex-military men who converted got a bit of a hard time, though that may depend on how fervent they were. But Rock was a retired veteran and honestly didn't really have much to lose. It was certainly better than waiting for the cancer to overcome him.
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It wasn't too hard for Brock to choose what kind of Animalian he wanted to be. He wanted a species that would suit his nickname and he was inspired by the Year of the Ox competition. A bull sounded like an ideal choice. He considered becoming a rhino, but that would demand very solid furniture. A bull was more than enough.
"So, this will cure me of cancer, right?" asked Rock, "There won't be a relapse?"
"So far, the Animalian virus has proven a panacea to all physical ailments," said Dr. Stein, "Provided one does not mind becoming part animal."
"So I'll be absolutely cured of cancer for life," said Rock.
Dr. Stein paused and said, "I wouldn't say absolutely. Animalians can get sick as well. Though with a strong immune system, it usually isn't serious. There may be a chance of getting cancer again in later life, though that's very far down the road. Overall, I would say that while Animalians are resistant to diseases, they're not impervious. That's why we're developing a corona vaccine of our own."
"Oh, and how's that coming?" asked Rock.
"Overall, progressing very smoothly," said Dr. Stein, "The biggest problem will be the level of production needed. There are far more Animalians than there are Dinotopians and they're much more spread around."
"Well, hopefully with more humans getting vaccinated, it'll be less of a problem for Animalians," said Rock.
"At least you won't have many problems now," said Dr. Stein before administrating the shots, "Welcome to Animalia."
Rock could already feel his strength returning. Time and abnormal white blood cells had done a number on him. But as he flexed his arms, he could feel their old strength returning. He had the foresight to be wearing only his boxers. As such, he could see everything changing. So far, that was mostly in the form of bulking up. Not that he was complaining. It was exhilarating to feel strength return to his muscles and then some. There was some discomfort as his feet turned into hooves, but that was relatively minor. Even his horns growing in didn't bother him as much.
But then Rock started to notice something amiss. He would have assumed by now that he'd start growing fur. Sure, bulls didn't have thick fur compared to animals like cats or bears. But he was barely growing much of anything. At most, it was peach fuzz. He did notice some thicker hair on the end of his new tail, but not much else on it. Rock assumed it would be saved for last, though that sounded atypical from what he's heard of conversions. The physical changes seemed to be mostly done, so Rock waited for the fur to come in. And he waited. Was he supposed to instinctively know when the transformation was complete?
Rock took a look at himself in the mirror. All things considered, he didn't look too bad. He was definitely well-defined in muscles, plenty of bulk. His facial features looked just as handsome as any other bull. And the tightness of his boxers heavily suggested he was very well-equipped now. But the biggest question was why he barely had any hair from his head down? His skin could be very plainly seen under his sparse hair. Fortunately, being half-black meant he didn't have pasty, pale skin. But it was definitely not what he expected to look like as a bull. Maybe he should have gone with a rhino. He knocked on the door and called, "Doc, I think we have a problem here."
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It was hard to say what was the root cause of Rock's hairlessness. The most likely explanation was that the chemicals in his body from chemotherapy interfered with new hair growth. Possibly the leukemia weakened his body's follicles. Maybe it was some odd quirk of his mixed heritage. But other than the relative baldness, Rock was in excellent physical shape.
And really, it wasn't all bad. The other bulls didn't think less of Rock for being hairless. In fact, there was one cow, an uplifted Black Angus who found his appearance rather interesting. In quite a few ways, Rock looked closer to the classic depiction of the Minotaur than most popular culture depictions appeared. So there was potential for Rock in terms of advertising for RPG games as well as skin-care commercials. While it was unclear if Rock would ever grow a coat of fur later, life didn't look bad for him now.