Madam Illusia turned to the boys on stage and smiled. "You boys game for more, or do you want to call it a night?"
Nate looked at the other boys, seeing them cower back. But he was curious and stepped forward.
"I'm game," he replied. "But can it be something cool this time. I don't want to get turned into a donkey again"
"Something cool?" said the Madame. "Something cool. Let's take it to the audience for suggestions. Audience? What is something cool you'd like to see this boy turn into?"
The audience began to shout out suggestions.
"Satyr!" cried one.
"Minotaur!" called out another.
"Centaur!" said a third.
"Werewolf!" said a fourth. It was this one that piqued Nate's interest.
The Madam noticed Nate's response to the last one and it had piqued her interest as well.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a winner," she said. She turned to Nate and brushed her hand over his cheek.
Nate felt a tingling sensation flow over his body. He suddenly wondered what he had gotten himself into. The audience watched with rapt fascination. He started to feel hot, even feverish. Sweat droplets formed all over his body. If he wasn't naked already, he would have surely torn his clothes from his body by now.
A sudden piercing pain to his gut made him cry out and clutch it with both his hands. This was quickly followed by another. The was followed by a cramping feeling in his hands. He held one out and let out a gasp as he watched as his fingernails slowly started growing out into claws.
Another stabbing pain brought Nate to his knees. He leaned over and curled into a ball. The audience could then see soft brown fur growing from his spinal area outward. Popping and stretching sounds filled the tent.
Nate sat up again, crying out again as the painful transformation continued. The audience let out a gasp. He eyes had turned from their usual blue to a deep amber color. Sharp fangs jutted outward from his mouth.
"Please, Madam, I beg of you to stop this!" cried a woman from the audience. "Can't you see he's in pain."
Nate shook his head.
"No...No..." he said, in a deep guttural voice. "I wanted this..."
"This is the way he wanted it," replied the Madam, cryptically.
The woman sat down and watched with the rest of the audience as his changes progressed.
His muscles swelled and grew. He threw his shoulders back as his chest started to barrel out. He repeated the motion another time, letting out a deep, guttural growl.
Brown fur continued to grow across his body until it was densely covered in shaggy fur. His feet stretched and reformed, becoming digigrade paws, ending in long, sharp claws. He ears grew to points and moved to the top of his head as his face pushed out into a lupine snout.
With the transformation finished, Nate slowly rose, unsteady at first on his new feet.
"Well, what do you think?" asked Madame Illusia. Nate looked himself over, running his clawed hand through his fur. Unable to speak, he threw his head back and let out a joyful howl.
"I think we have a winner, folks!" said Stephen, coming out to check out his Mother's handiwork as well. "I've always really liked werewolves myself."
"After tonight, Nate will transform back into his old self," said Madame Illusia. Nate hung his head, genuinely disappointed to hear this. "But will be able to change back at will."
Nate let out another howl and almost seemed to be smiling.
"Now get out of here, you big lug and let me get on with my show," she replied.
Nate lept off the stage and landed right in front of the audience. He stared at them with his piercing amber eyes and let out a playful growl and then ran out of the tent to play in the cool night air. Some of the audience members followed the newly minted werewolf to get an up close and personal look.
"Now, then, who's next?" asked the Madam.