“Another failure!” Alan complains, stepping out of the circle to lay down upon his bed venting his feeling very much within his own world.
“No...” Dale starts to say only to have the rest muffled and coming out as a whine unheard by Alan as Dale’s forming canine features effectively muzzle his voice for the moment.
“Well I’m tired of staying up all night laying under a full moon with not even a tail to show for it you guys. This time I brought some relics from my tribal shaman.” Alan replies removing a cloth bundle and bringing it over to his friends.
“Alan...” Mitch manages to say as his eyes widen with sudden horror at the idea of new magic being adding to the already in progress spell circle before the change takes his human voice as well as his nose and mouth begin pushing out into a canine muzzle.
“Huh? Guys?” Alan asks looking to his friends but not watching where he is stepping. He trips over a miss laid pile of textbooks. Falling into the spell range Alan lets go of his talismans, trying to catch himself as the spell takes him causing his nose to darken and push out into a muzzle. 'The spell is active!' he thinks with dawning horror as he watches the magic swallow the items of power he held only moments ago.
All three friends watch in helplessness, as time seems to slow down. The items from the bundle caught within the spell hover in the air then burn up as they are drained and become one with the now wild and uncontrolled spell circle. Held in place by the thickening air the young men can only hope the spell will burn itself out and not kill them.
The very room seems to spin causing everything to blur. As sight, sound and touch are taken from the three friends.
“Please forgive me!” Alan tries to say but finds himself voiceless as his friends. The dangers of uncontrolled magic, something even he knows about now as dread fills him.
Then, as quickly as the compression of air and spinning of the room begin, it stops to be replaced by nothing.
“I went blind!” Alan whines finding himself able to both move and talk much to his surprise.
“Alan try opening your eyes.” A voice like Dale’s replies. Snickering that can only be Mitch is also heard.
“Oh!” Alan replies. “Was just joking!” he is quick to add, not wishing to look foolish in front of his best friends.
“Ah guys have you looked at yourselves?” Mitch asks sounding shocked.
“Whoa!” Dale replies in disbelief. “Dibs on the mirror!” he yells.
“What are you guys talking about?” Alan questions till he sees an anthropomorphic sheepdog elbow him aside to compare its self before a full-length mirror. An anthropomorphic golden retriever stands near Mitch’s bed ears perked forward and tail wagging.
“Hey I want to see myself in the mirror too! No hogging Dale!” a voice sounding much like Mitch says but comes from the mouth of the retriever.
“Guys?” Alan questions feeling lost as his life time fantasy takes on a life of its own right before his eyes.
“But how?” Mitch asks sounding stunned.
“Magic overload would be my guess. But why anthropomorphic and not...” Dale trails off and looks to Mitch as the two share a silent look and thought as ears and tails move into different positions; the two talk without talking.
“Alan come and look at yourself in the mirror.” Mitch offers as both he and Dale let tongues hang partly out of muzzles in a canine grin.
“But guys, you're giant dogs?” Alan asks, overwhelmed by the moment and shaking slightly.
“Come.” Dale replies putting a little more command into the request as his tail lifts a little behind him to get Alan before the mirror before he freaks out.
“But....” Alan starts tail tucking between his legs unnoticed by himself as he pads over to join his friends before the mirror as they both step aside letting Alan see himself.
Just then the door opens and all three friends turn to stare at the doorway in sudden panic fearing another lecture about using disallowed magic. But jaws and tongues hang down as the three friends stare in shock.
“What? Do I have something stuck between my fangs?” an anthropomorphic collie asks as his ears perk forward tail lashing with slight annoyance behind him.
“Steve?” Alan asks softly hearing the voice of his friend from down the hall.
“We changed the entire dorm?” Mitch asks in a small voice thinking being kicked out of school is the least of their worries now.
“No the magic range was too narrow.” Dale replies turning to Mitch as if talking of a research paper.
“Hey! Are you guys been trying to turn yourselves into humans again?” Steve asks rolling his eyes as his nose wrinkles with disdain. “As you know what Professor Dunnel said would happen if he caught you three messing with spells beyond your years. You could at least pick an animal that exists like unicorn or dragon. Not some made up animal like humans. No clue why you would wish to be something without a tail.
The three friends simply stare as eyes widen and tails tuck between legs as the words of Steve sink in.
“Steve, not another of your lectures.” Alan says slowly. He was used to the human Steve ribbing him about wanting to be a dog, but a canine Steve ribbing him about wanting to be human?
“Anyway just came to remind you guys about the school dance that is about to begin. And you do not want to be the only dog without a bitch to dance with!” Steve barks in his excitement while his tail wags. “Oh and the theme is 1920 by the way.” He adds dropping down to all fours and racing down the hallway. ”See you there!” Steve howls from down the hallway.