Like the animals they are derived from, Animalians go through a few changes during the winter months. The most common was them growing winter coats which would be shed at spring. Some went through more noticeable changes, like stoats and ermines getting white coats. And there are some Animalians who lose something when winter comes.
"It's not that big a deal," said Betti, who was holding a pair of antlers.
"Easy for you to say," said Daddy Deerest who was rubbing his scalp as he looked at his reflection, "You don't have antlers to lose."
"True, we're not reindeer," said Betti, "And even reindeer shed their antlers, just at different times. But like I said, they'll grow back in the spring. It's probably going to be a relief for you to not have to work around your antlers for a while."
"Well, now that you say it, I guess that's not so bad," said Daddy Deerest, "I just had a bad experience with...sudden anatomical loss."
"You didn't lose a finger or anything before you converted, did you?" asked Betti.
"No, nothing really vital," said Daddy, "Just embarrassing."
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It's no secret that anabolic steroid abuse comes with negative side effects. It can often cause erectile dysfunction and reduction of genitals. But some side effects are more visible. They include acne breakouts, stretch mark, and most significant for some people, hair loss.Strictly speaking, hair loss isn't always a guaranteed side effect, but it's much more common for people who have male pattern baldness in their families.
Daddy Deerest, or as he was known then as Darin, had valued his lustrous locks as much as he valued his muscles. But he didn't have quite enough of an edge over the other bodybuilders. He fingered one little dose would be enough to get him up to their level. And then another, then another. However, the urge to juice up vanished when his hair starting falling out. The emotional need, at least. His body still had a physical craving for steroids and his scalp follicles won't come back to life even if he stopped.
Darin had held back from being an Animalian because of its purported use as a cure for homosexuality. But after hearing a less-biased account of what conversion really meant, he decided he may as well go for it. It seemed like the only way he could get clean and get his hair back anyways.
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"While I do understand you wanting to purge the steroids in your system, I'm not I understand the significance of your hair loss," said Dr. Banjo as he led Darin to the changing room, "Then again, you humans have so little fur, I guess you put a lot of value into the hair you have on your scalp."
"I wouldn't expect you to understand," said Darin, "Apes don't go bald."
"Not for the same reason as humans," said Banjo, "I understand baldness is a sign of old age among men, though I've seen pictures of younger men who are also bald."
"Those men most likely shaved their hair off," said Darin, "It's a complicated thing, but some people have the head structure to pull off the shaved look, I don't."
"And your choice as a deer?" asked Banjo.
"Few things are more unquestionably masculine than a stag," said Darin.
Banjo just shook his head in befuddlement. He'll never understand male human's masculine posturing. It may be part of the reason his cheek flaps never got too big. Still, he gave Darin the two doses and said the customary "Welcome to Animalia" before leaving the room.
Darin quickly took off his socks and shoes. Everything he heard told him that footwear would quickly become too uncomfortable. And the hooves they will soon become will be unable to wear shoes anyways. He soon felt a tingling all over his body as body hair started to thicken into the beginnings of fur.
When he felt the tingling on his scalp, Darin quickly headed over to the mirror to watch. He hadn't completely lost his old hair and now it was starting to grow back. It didn't grow too long, which left him a rather patchy covering over his head, but he had hair distinguishable from his fur. Then he felt a sharp pain in two spots on his head. Bumps formed before growing into lumps. The soft covering of these lumps soon split open to reveal hard cartilage. Darin watched as a pair of antlers grew out of his head like a fast-forward of a tree's growth. He wondered if Actaeon of myth felt like this. Of course, Actaeon became a full stag and was soon torn apart by his own hounds. Darin was happy that wasn't going to happen to him.
Darin was already a large man, so there wasn't much to change his body asides from reshaping it into a cervine shape. His muscles certainly felt stronger and more real now that they weren't built up by steroid. He would eventually find out that some of his human body hair still remained. He wasn't sure why as he assumed it would get consumed by his new fur. Perhaps it was because of his previous steroid use? Anyways, he became a rather fine buck and in time he'll find an attraction to does as well as other stags.