The snow was swirling down from the sky in gentle waves, coating everything in white as Matthew Evans trudged down the sidewalk, rubbing his hands together. He breathed deeply as he walked, taking in the familiar sites and sounds of his old neighborhood. Finally, he took a left turn at the old lamp post, and walked up to the entryway of a quaint looking house. He had arrived in his home state of
Matthew was a college sophomore, and he had been pursuing an engineering degree at a large university away from his hometown. While studying, he had encountered a variety of people from all over the world, including several Animalians. The culture of his school was very open-minded, and there was much discussion surrounding the Animalia virus and the effect it was having on society. Matthew had been particularly curious. That was perhaps the main reason why he wanted to convert. He knew it wasn't a decision to be made lightly, but it seemed like such a great opportunity to experience something new firsthand, a phenomenon that would have been impossible a century ago.
In any case, he had managed to survive his finals and make it to winter break, at which point he returned home to celebrate Christmas with his family. Before he left, he had applied for conversion, and had just picked up a glass vial containing a concentrated double dose of the Animalian virus.
This particular sample contained DNA from the North American Gray Wolf. It seemed a fitting choice at the time, a large, robust species of canine. "Besides," he said to himself, "Wolves are well adapted to cold weather." he shivered as a strong wind blew past him, carrying a wave of powdery snow across the sidewalk. "Shoveling should be a lot easier, after I convert." he said with a laugh. Matthew opened the door to his old house, taking off his boots and walking right into the kitchen.
Immediately, he took the vial out of his backpack and gently placed it in the refrigerator, alongside a rack of coffee flavor shots. The doctor at the clinic had told him to keep it cold until he was ready to use it, and he wanted to get a good night's sleep first. Besides, he still had to explain the whole thing to his family.
As he rounded to corner, he was immediately greeted by a middle aged woman with dark brown hair. Katherine Evans smiled at him warmly.
"Merry Christmas mom." Matthew said.
"Welcome home sweetheart!" Katherine embraced her son, holding onto him tightly. She was rather beautiful in an understated way, standing a little shorter than her son at 5'6, wearing slippers, sweatpants and a holiday sweater. They began to chat as they stepped into the living room together, talking about the plane he had taken to get back home. As Matthew sat down, Katherine started to step back into the kitchen. "I just made coffee, would you like some?" she called.
"No thanks, mom." he replied nonchalantly.
Matthew heard his mother pour a cup, and a few moments later, she emerged taking a long drink. "I got these flavor shots from a friend at work and I just love them!" she explained, sitting down next to her son.
The two of them continued to catch up, discussing the upcoming family dinner. Matthew thought it was as a good a time as any to bring up his plan to convert into an Animalian.
"So, you know Animalia right..." he trailed off. Katherine's ears were twitching slightly. Matthew's eyes widened as they extended, changing shape to become more pointed.
She cocked her head. "What is it sweetheart?" As she opened her mouth, he saw her teeth grow sharper. Katherine continued to look at him, oblivious to her changes. She sneezed as her nose began to darken slightly, before looking back at him. "Your staring off into space."
Matthew shook his head in disbelief. "I, um, I need to check something." he quickly stood up, making his way to the kitchen and opening the fridge. The vial was gone.
As he stepped back into the living room, he watched as Katherine downed the rest of her coffee and leaned back into the couch, sighing with satisfaction. His jaw dropped open as he watched her head gradually inch above the back of the sofa. She was already growing bigger. Her sweatpants were riding up her thighs, slippers creaking softly, and Matthew swore he could make out a soft patch of gray fur just below the neckline of his mother's sweater.
Katherine looked up at him, inadvertently flashing a wolfish grin. "What are you staring at?" she sounded amused, still oblivious to her changes.
Matthew stared at his mother. This was going to be a little awkward, he thought to himself. He thought of what to say to her next as Katherine's changes continued.