"Fuck, I swear these mosquitos are only getting worse" Chad complained as he paused to slap his arm "God I hate bugs."
It had been an hour since the two had first found each other, and left with few other options, they'd set out from their landing point in the jungle to see if they could find a way back home or at least, some sort of sign of civilization.
Unfortunately, they found neither. The jungle was thick and without proper elevation they couldn't see beyond a few feet of their direct surroundings. The best they could do, it seemed, was trudge on and home somthing...anything...changed.
Looking up from the now numerous bites on his arm Chad saw that Rob had paused, a look of excitement crossing his face
"Awesome! A Tauroniro tree!" Rob exclaimed, his voice uncharacteristically cracking a bit.
"A what tree?" Chad replied.
"You know... a Tauroniro tree!" Rob continued, as he grabbed a handful of leaves from a branch. Without losing a beat he crumpled the leaves and grabbed a nearby stick and loose piece of bark. Plopping down, he crossed his legs and on his lap he placed the leaves on the bark. With the stick, he began to muddle them. A look of intense concentration crossed his face as he worked, his tonge poking idly out of one side of his mouth as he worked. The process was quick, almost like clockwork and had an almost practiced aire about it.
Chad stood for a moment, unsure what his friend was doing or why he was doing it with such uncharacteristic enthusiasm. Such behavior was very much unlike the Rob he knew. Rob was usually pretty dense, hardly the type to know how to distinguish various jungle trees. The energy was also strange, while Rob was a force to be reckoned with on the feild, off of it he was was quite toned down. The man enjoyed the simple things, beer, sports, and slow-paced conversation. The Rob he saw before him, however, was energized, focused and excited. He had an enthusiasm that was almost...youthful, childlike.
The enthusiasm wasn't the only new thing. Since they'd set out rob continued to change. Once a towering 6'7" and thick with muscle, he had gradually shrunk, now standing roughly 5'11." His musculature too had changed. The bear of a man could hardly be characterized as such. Almost all of the fat had melted from his body, leaving a frame that was as yet somewhat muscular but missing the imposing masculine girth that mad Rob...Rob. Despite his changes, however, the Tarzan outfit seemed to adjust, shrinking with his changing form.
"Ta da!" Rob exclaimed jumping to his feet with the leafy paste in hands. "I present to you...tauropaste!"
"Tauro-what?" Chad replied
"Duh, Tauropaste...from the taurotree...." Rob replied, his face beaming with pride "Ya-know, to repel those mosquitos. Taurotrees make a great repellent. You were complaining about the mosquitos so I thought I'd help"
Chad paused; something was off. Rob....shouldn't know how to do that.
"Dude. Chill. Think this through a minute. How do you know how to make this paste? When did you learn this?"
"I -uh-I-" Rob thought for a moment "I'm not sure....I just...know..."
A look of concern crossed his face.
"Dude this jungle isn't just changing how you look; it is changing your mind too. It's like you are adapting to the jungle. You know things you shouldn't. You're shorter, skinnier. More energetic. And your face, I could swear you were younger..."
Rob stared at Chad as he listened, his eyes studying his friend with hints of both confusion and fear.
"I'm not the only one dude" he replied "Have you seen yourself lately?"