Changing colour, camouflaging, blending into his surroundings; it all sounded rather useful for an animal that hunted on stealth alone. It might not seem like much, but Mike would surely enjoy having a special trick up his sleeve.
As Mike began to change, Jeff watched in awe as his skin seemed to take on a scaled appearance. It turned a mottled tan colour, just like the lizard's, and as it did so, the white rat's fur slowly faded away until it was completely gone. Only smooth, tan skin remained, with little bumps here and there, as if a human bodybuilder had glued pebbles to his skin. But those little bumps grew larger, more prominent, becoming larger, thicker, until they became actual scales. Mike's tail elongated and curled behind him as the new scales spread to the tip.
Then, the changes moved upwards. His paws began to shift into claws, while his feet became webbed and the skin on his belly smoothed out into a reptilian plating. As Jeff looked on, bony ridges grew along the top and sides of his head, resembling a chameleon's head casque. Jeff watched as Mikes mouth opened wide, revealing his rat-like teethand a long, sticky tongue that can shoot out to catch insects. Mikes eyes widened, bulging larger, and Jeff noticed that they had changed into the familiar 'cone-shaped' eyes of lizards and crocodiles. His rat ears had hardened into tough, horn-like ears at the side of his head.
Soon, the transformation had spread across his entire body, covering every inch in chameleon-like scales. His body was covered in thick, cord-like muscle, making him appear even larger and more imposing than before. When the transformation finally ended, Mike let out a hiss, flicking his tongue and running his claws across the ground. He was truly a terrifying sight to behold, his father a rat-chameleon hybrid the size of a giant armadillo. Jeff grinned and began taking notes.
"So, how do you feel? Any noticeable differences?" he asked.
Mike leaned onto his back legs, looked at himself and gave a odd squeak which prompted Jeff to react.
"Oh, let me just give you the ability to speak again." He clicked a few options on the computer and then pressed enter. "Okay, now you can talk again."
Mike spoke a few words in a slightly deeper voice than before.
"My skin feels strange, I feel like I can control it," he said as he looked at his hand. As Jeff watched, the tan colour began to fade away into a greenish hue. Then it turned blue, pink, red, and every colour of the rainbow, as if his skin was an artist's pallet.
Mike smiled as he looked up at Jeff.