“How did this happen?” Dave asks fascinated, softly stroking your tail. You must admit it feels good but also bizarre, experiencing sensations humans weren’t supposed to.
“I went to the zoo and some magic tiger cursed me!” It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud but your tiger tail was all the evidence you needed to prove your story.
“So what are you going to do now?” Dave questions you as he lets go of your tail, your new appendage falling to the ground.
“I don’t know. I was hoping you could help me.” You step inside Dave’s house and close the front door, the two of you making your way to his living room.
Dave looks at your tail before looking back at you repeatedly before suddenly stopping, a smile spreading on his face. “I have an idea!”
You watch him run off to his bedroom before returning with a pair of scissors and a pair of tiger ears attached to a headband.
“Here. Put these on.” Dave hands you the tiger ears which you only look at in confusion before placing it on your head.
“Umm… why do I need these?”
“Because we’re going back to the zoo!” Dave tells you with a grin.
“That still doesn’t explain the ears,” you respond, your tail flicking against your legs as you try to comprehend what Dave was thinking.
“I got those for a costume party a few months back and never got rid of them. I’d always thought they’d come in handy,” Dave says with a chuckle. “Anyway, we can’t go back to the zoo with your tail out in full display. It’ll look super weird.”
“Then why don’t I just hide it in my pants? That’s what I did last time.”
“That’s an option, but it’ll probably be incredibly uncomfortable for you not to mention it could still draw attention.” Dave hands you the pair of scissors, his face still maintaining the same grin you’ve seen since you arrived. “So I suggest you go to the zoo in “costume” instead.”
“Wait. What do you want me to do with these?”
“Cut a hole in your underwear and pants, one big enough to put your tail through,” he says, mimicking a cutting motion with his fingers. It’s at this moment that you understand Dave’s idea. Now you had a way to put your tail out on display without drawing too much attention, the tiger ears on your head suggesting it to be a part of a costume.
“Woah! Great thinking, Dave!”
“What can I say? I’m a genius. Anyway you should hurry up. You want to get this over with, right?”
“More than anything!”
You walk into Dave’s bathroom and shut the door, taking off your underwear and pants to cut a hole in them. This time when you pull your clothes back on you find no pain as you squeeze your tail through the holes, a proper release for your new appendage.
“Ok, I’m ready!” you say as you step out of the bathroom and meet Dave back in his living room. He’s sitting on an armchair with an impatient look before becoming ecstatic, watching you excitedly as your tail hangs freely from your backside.
“This is amazing! I can’t believe magic exists!” Dave shouts as he walks over to you, staring immensely at your twitching tail. It seems to move subconsciously as a response to your emotions but also from your inexperience with it. However, you still had full control over it as you will it to stop moving.
“So what’s the plan?” you ask him.
“We should probably head back to the zoo and convince this magic tiger to change you back.”
“Then let’s get started!”
Due to the complications of driving with a tail, you let Dave drive you and your car back to your own house where you prepare a few sandwiches and stuff them into your backpack. You also make sure to grab some tickets off your coffee table, grateful your job gave you more than one free pass.
Eventually you and Dave arrive at the zoo, parking in an available spot much farther away from the entrance. Exiting your car you can’t help but feel a bit embarrassed arriving at the zoo in a costume at your age but decide removing your curse overtook any sort of public humiliation.
You have to lead Dave to the entrance, apparently he never visited the zoo before today either. The cheerful employee from before meets you at the gate, looking at you with a grin as they take your tickets and ushering you both inside, never questioning your peculiar getup.
It isn’t long before you and Dave arrive at the Feline Exhibit, entering the same cave and going through the same hallways before arriving in front of a cage. The same old tiger lazing around inside.
“So is that him?”
“Yep.” You glare at the tiger who hasn’t opened his eyes since the two of you arrived. More interested in napping than your presences.
“So what should we do?” Dave asks.