He remembered… there was a golden retriever that walked past him yesterday. The sensation in his ears increased. He lifted a hand and touched his ears, the right, then the left, feeling that they had become more pointed, with a light coating of fuzz now covering them. It was real!
" Shit!" He exclaimed. " How can…?"
The fur poked through his skin along the sides of his face and neck, a brushing feeling that was almost…pleasant. A slight sting entered his eyes, very briefly, as the fur started to cover his face. A black smudge touched his nose. He wondered where the smudge could have come from. No, Michael thought frantically, his nose itself was turning black! Cracks and jolts rocked his face as his mouth pushed outward into a dog’s muzzle, quickly becoming covered in soft golden fur. His teeth sharpened, into fangs, as his tongue lengthened further and further out with his muzzle. The human hair he had began to fall out, falling gradually to the floor, to be replaced by the same fur that was invading the rest of his head.
" No, stop. Nogghhh." A lump formed in Michael’s throat. His vocal chords were changing. " Ngghhh, Grrrrfff."
Michael shook his head, and with a huge effort, tried once more to speak.
"Grrrrfff… Grrrr" Was the best he could manage.
Michael moved a hand up -a paw? They weren’t hands, Michael thought desperately. Not anymore. His hands, paws, had changed, his fingers shortened and his thumbs now a long way up his wrist, with short black claws protruding out. Leathery pads had developed on his palms. My-help me! He tried to call out, but could only make a high-pitched whine. Michael slashed his right paw down his shirt, ripping the buttons apart, tearing the garment off his body. He was horrified to find thick golden fur covering almost all of his chest and back. Pressure built up at the base of his spine, an uncomfortable pulling sensation. No, not that, he thought urgently, not a tail! He fell to the floor, crawling hysterically out of his jeans as the pressure of his changing hips and legs became too much to bear, using his newly formed forepaws to drag himself along. He watched, panting, as his new tail grew at an astonishing rate, snaking out until it lay on his backside. God, he could feel the thing sitting there. Embarrassment flushed his mind as the fur grew across his hips, reaching his manhood, which altered unpleasantly and soon became engulfed in what he knew must be a furry sheath. Bone cracked across his legs as they became thinner, differently jointed, suited to the rest of his body. His feet cricked and Michael was pushed up on to his toes, on to all fours like the animal he knew he was becoming. Leathery pads invaded the bottom of his altering feet, while fur grew on the few patches of skin that still remained bare. Michael tried to stand, strained to get up, but clumsily fell back on to his four legs.
A plethora of new smells started to invade his canine nose. The sounds outside became crisper, clearer, the birds around his parent’s home now seeming much closer than they ever had before.
Then the changes stopped. Michael looked over his golden-furred body, at his tail, his four paws, at his black nose, which was always in his vision. A golden retriever. That was what he was. Not human anymore, not physically at least. Let me out! Let me out of this, please! I don’t want to be an animal!
" Grrrr ahoooo." He howled, vainly attempting to call out for help.
Calm down, just calm down, Michael told himself. I’m still me, just in a dog’s skin. It’s still me. He remembered the note. He had set it to last only a day or two. Michael started to relax a little. He could still think okay. It wouldn’t be so bad, so long as it wasn’t permanent. His ears perked up. It might even be some fun.
If I’m stuck like this until tomorrow, he considered, I may as well enjoy it.
The Office Worker
It had been another long day, sorting through infinite piles of rubbish data to earn another paycheck. But, he was at the front door of his home now. His wife, Kaitlin, would be there. Gladly, he walked through the door. There she was, he thought, smiling, looking at Kaitlin, her dark eyes and flowing blonde hair.
" Hey Jeff." She said softly. " How was your day?"
" You know… long. What about you?" He replied, still feeling exhausted.
" Not bad. I found this in the living room." She said, showing him a strange pendant, worked in silver and gold with a paw on the front.
" In the living room?"
" That’s right." She said, smiling gently. " Want me to try it on?"
She’d found it in the living room so…where had it come from? " Sure, put it on if you want."