Troy heard a loud knock on his front door. "Shit!" he called out trying to make himself as small as possible. But in his massive lion form, that would be anything but possible. "YO! Troy! I need you to open up man! Now!"
"Dustin?" Troy recognized the voice. "Shit. I can't look like this." He grabbed the book. "Sh-shape" the word stumbled out of his mouth as he tried to think of his human form. It took a little bit of thought but he could feel the muscles, fur, claws and fangs disappearing. "There..." he angerly glared at his reflection. Even though it'd just been a few moments, he was still missing that lion form. Part of him still was upset that he couldn't keep it. But he needed to test some things first. And until he knew what this book was capable of, he needed to make sure that he kept it a secret.
He opened up his door and Dustin barged in. "Dude. You have to hide me. Amy's pissed off again."
"And you came here?" Troy asked. He knew Dustin and Amy's relationship were a bit on the rocks. Normally he had to be a had to be a hiding spot for Dustin. However, Amy quickly caught on. "She's going to come straight here." Troy crossed his arms, even more annoyed that he had to change back into his human form.
"That's why you have to hide me," Dustin said. He was already looking for hiding spots. Somehow thinking that putting himself into a closet or in between the couch and coffee table would be enough to hide his adult body.
"Your car's in the driveway!" Troy shouted.
"Shit! You're right! Damn it!" Dustin looked out the window. "Mother fucker! She's here! Hide me man! Hide me!"
Troy felt his anger boiling over. He grabbed the book. "SHAPE!" he shouted as he pointed at his friend.
Dustin looked over at him. "Huh? What was that woof?" Confusion hit him quickly. "Whaoof woof!" a long tongue lolled out of his mouth. He kept barking, but his tongue kept flying all over the place as slobber dripped from it. He tried to take a step forward but tripped, dropping down onto all fours. His feet had already started shifting into paws. The bones shrank in size and his toes shifted and molded into thinner ligaments. All the while his nails turned pitch black and jutted further out than they had before. His big toe shifted up his leg.
Looking down, Dustin couldn't believe what was happening. Seeing the brown and black fur erupt from his legs or seeing them thin out and the muscles shifter and mold into something completely different. He felt his shoes slip off his feet and shorts drop down under his paws. The fur continued to rid up his body and a tail pushed out of his spine. "WOOF WOFF!" he barked as his hands followed in a similar way to his feet. It was weird watching his thumb pull into his palm and then his palm stretch further and further back as his bicep shrank in size. The elbow joint was just barely a few inches away from his rib cage which had been changing to that of a dog's.
Dustin shook his head as the muzzle pushed out in front of his face. He could feel his nose grow wet and licked at it a few times. His ears had migrated to the top of his head turning into large points. For a second, he paused. Looking up at Troy he didn't know what happened. But looking back down at himself, he knew he was a dog, specifically a German Shepard. Brown and black fur covered his body.
"Listen," Troy panted. He suddenly looked a bit more tired than he had before. "You need to calm down. Okay? Listen to me."
"WOOF! WOOF!" Dustin continued to bark. He jumped up onto Troy.
"Get down!" Troy shouted back. He grabbed Dustin by the shirt he was still wearing. It hadn't come off from the transformation. "You have to pre--" That's when there was another knock on the door.
"TROY! DUSTIN! GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE! NOW!" The two looked at the closed door, knowing full well Amy was on the other side of it.
Tory hissed at Dustin. "You have to be good. Okay?"
"Woof," Dustin almost looked like he nodded after the bark. He went to the other side of the couch and stood there.
Troy nodded. He reached for the door and opened it. "Hey Amy," he tried to sound casual, but was a bit out of breath.
"Hey..." Amy's eyes narrowed. She looked a bit more worried than angry. But quickly flipped that switch. "Where's Dustin?"
"Huh?" Troy continued to try to act innocent.
"His car's in your driveway. Where is he?" Amy pushed past Troy. "You know what? Fuck it. Dustin get your fucking ass out here!" Dustin hid below the coffee table. The big dog couldn't quite fit properly and banged his head. Amy looked down. "OH MY GOD! Look how cute he is! I didn't know you got a dog..."
"Uhh.. Yeah. It's really recent," Troy said.
"Is that why you look so tired?" Amy asked. "Has this little guy been keeping you up all night?" She spoke in a higher pitch as she looked down at Dustin. Dustin's tail began to wag. Even he seemed confused by it. "Is he a good boy? Hmm? Are you a good boy?" Dustin barked but kept his distance on the other side of the couch. Amy looked back at Troy. "Is it alright if I pet him?"
Troy made eye contact with Dustin. "I think so. He's still getting used to the place, but I think it should be fine." His eyes narrowed and Dustin seemed to calm down a bit. When Amy sat down on the couch, he went and sat down next to her, allowing her to pet him.
"I see Dustin likes playing pranks..." she glared as she touched the shirt the dog was wearing. "What's his name?"
Troy felt himself choke a bit. "His name? Ummm... Rosco," he answered. "Yeah. His name's Rosco." Dustin barked at the answer.
However, Amy misinterpreted it. "Well Rosco, are you a good boy? Hmmm? You're a good Rosco? Bet you don't go find other dogs around the block to get knocked up? Hmmm? Do you Rosco? Hmm?"
Dustin's ears folded back. His tail wagging slowed to an almost stop. "Is that what he did?" Troy glared at 'his' German Shepard.
"Apparently. Got the call this morning from a Susan. Once I said the name, he sprinted out the door. Figured he'd come here. Just tell him to come home when he comes back. Alright?" Amy said. "We've got a lot to talk about."
"Su-sure," Troy answered. "When I find him, I'll tell him to head home."
"Thanks," Amy said. She gave 'Rosco' a few more head pats and then headed out.
Once the door was closed, and Amy clearly gone, he turned his attention back to Dustin. "Really!? You really got Susan knocked up!? I thought you were leaving right after me. But you stayed and waited for her. Didn't you? Damn it! You know what, I think you should stay a dog. At least for a little while." Dustin started barking wildly. He put his front paws on the couch and barred his teeth. "Down," Troy answered. But Dustin didn't listen. Troy grabbed the book of the beast. "Con-control," he stammered. His body swayed a bit. "Be a... Good boy." Then fell forward onto the couch. Troy had exceeded his amount of energy and fell unconscious.
For a second Dustin paused. The command took a bit to register. But he went to check on his master, licking him to make sure he was okay. Then laid down next to him.