Boxer frowned, glancing down at the spot on his chest where the glowing bullet had struck. No scorch mark. No pain. Just a faint warmth radiating through his uniform.
“Cute trick,” he muttered. “You shoot blanks?”
“Not hardly,” Sheriff Yee Haw chuckled, holstering his weapon with a flourish. “That there was a Loyalty Load. Little ol’ spell bullet. Changes how ya think. Makes ya friendly. Eager. Obedient.” He gave Blue Boxer a wink. “Turns city slickers into the goodest boys.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t fetch,” Blue Boxer growled, fists rising.
But then… the warmth spread.
It started in his chest, blooming like honeyed syrup through his ribs. His skin prickled beneath his suit, tingling down his arms, up his neck, behind his ears. He scratched his cheek—why did it itch so much all of a sudden?
“Feeling a little fuzzy, champ?” Yee Haw smirked, strolling closer. “Might be that tickle in your tummy. Or that tingle in your toes. Don’t worry. It’s normal.”
Blue Boxer staggered slightly. The ground suddenly looked... interesting. Dirty. Fascinating. His nose twitched, and he caught an intoxicating whiff of something in a nearby trash can. Spicy. Meaty.
He blinked. What the hell am I doing?
“I—I don’t—” he muttered, then suddenly let out an accidental “Arf!”
His gloved hands flew to his mouth.
“No—what was—no way,” he stammered, horrified.
Sheriff Yee Haw laughed, deep and jolly. “There it is! First bark’s always the cutest.”
Blue Boxer dropped to a knee, panting slightly. His tongue felt thick, and he couldn’t stop breathing through his nose. His thoughts were starting to slosh around like water in a bowl, slow and simple. He wanted to fight—needed to fight—but also… also, why wasn’t he chasing that rustling paper bag?
Sheriff Yee Haw crouched and whistled. “Hey, c’mon boy. C’mere.”
Blue Boxer’s muscles twitched. “No... no. I'm not—rrrff—a dog,” he said, growling, trembling.
But his boots felt wrong. He kicked them off without thinking. Then his knees hit the ground. Then his palms. The gloves scraped against the pavement as he found himself crawling.
The mask itched like mad. His ears twitched under it. His tongue lolled. He looked up at Yee Haw with wide eyes and let out a confused “Ruff?”
“That’s a good boy,” the sheriff grinned. “Atta pup. You’re doin’ just fine. Look at you—tail waggin’ and everything.”
Blue Boxer gasped. Tail?
Sure enough, his utility belt had begun to wriggle behind him, his hips twitching in time with it. Something about that movement filled him with pure, stupid joy.
“No,” he groaned, pawing at the ground. “I’m a man. I fight crime—YIP!”
He’d yipped. Actually yipped.
Sheriff Yee Haw was now dangling a rubber ball in one hand, bouncing it teasingly.
“You wanna fetch it, boy? Huh? Go on. Fetch the ball for yer sheriff.”
Blue Boxer trembled. His invisible tail whipped behind him. Saliva gathered in the corner of his mouth. He wanted—needed—that ball. Just one chase. Just one grab. Just one happy moment of approval.
“No… can’t…” he whimpered.
BOUNCE.
The ball hit the pavement.
“FETCH!”
Blue Boxer sprinted on all fours. His gloves smacked the concrete as he bounded like an eager mutt. He caught the ball in his mouth mid-roll and turned back, tongue panting.
Sheriff Yee Haw knelt and patted his head.
“There’s a good boy,” he said, ruffling the hero’s sweaty blond hair. “See? Ain’t this better than chasin’ crooks and doin’ pushups all day?”
Blue Boxer barked happily, ball still clenched between his teeth. The last of his human pride shriveled somewhere deep inside. His mind floated like a leaf on a stream, light and content. Slowly the Sheriff undressed him, removing his shirt, pants, and blue boxer briefs, until he was just a naked happy hound. He slid a collar around Boxer's neck, inspected him head to toe.
“Now,” Yee Haw said, snapping on a blue leash, “let’s take you for a little walk through downtown. Gotta show the city my new deputy.”
Blue Boxer padded beside him on all fours, tongue hanging out, cock waggling, eyes wide and sparkling. As they passed a streetlamp, his shadow no longer looked like a man—it looked like a big, loyal, obedient dog.