Mary made it up to her apartment with no one noticing her oddly-shaped feet, which were beginning to grow dark pads. The clicking of her claw-like nails on the concrete outside the apartment had her a bit worried, but luckily no one was around to notice. She hurried inside her apartment, wondering just how far the changes had gone.
When she made it to the mirror, she was relieved that she had hurried back home when she did. The peach fuzz fur patches on her body had spread and begun to lengthen, and had taken on a definite auburn tinge, and even her hair was beginning to shorten and appeared to have the same sheen. Due to the color change in her hair, at first Mary did not realize how much her ears had grown. At some point they had begun migrating upwards, but because they were from a floppy-eared breed, they hung along the same angle as her hair, and with the reddish tint and slight curl her hair now had, the ears blended in rather well. However, they now hung past her jawline, and were apparently still growing. Mary shook her head, and giggled slightly as her ears whipped around loosely.
Her jawline and nose were also beginning to change, her nose being slightly flatter and darker, but her chin pushing forward in a slightly narrowed manner. Mary opened her mouth, and ran her now much-longer tongue over her teeth, which were definitely pointier and more separated, her canines becoming more prominent. Even her hands were altering, her fingers shortening but the nails lengthening and curving. Looking closely, pads had begun to form there as well. Reaching behind her, she felt a small nub at the base of her spine, and grinned at the thought of her tail finally coming in.
"It's a real shame I can't go out like this," Mary thought. After all, the changes were becoming more obvious, and if someone caught sight of her, she might be shipped off to a lab somewhere. Still, thinking about her earlier experiences, she couldn't help but envy Max his speed and air of freedom, not to mention his time with John. She really didn't want to be cooped up in the apartment. That was when Mary had a brilliant idea.
"Well, he did say I could come over whenever," Mary smirked. Pulling on some long pants that covered her changing feet and hiding the rest of her changes as much as she could, Mary headed over to John's apartment and knocked on the door.
"Didn't expect to see you so soon," John smiled as he answered the door. Max, curious, tried to nose his way around John, but after a strong "sit" command, Max finally planted himself a bit away from the door.
"Yeah, I actually might have to call you on that favor a lot sooner than I thought," Mary responded, trying to seem natural. "I'm actually really glad I ran into you today. A friend of mine asked me to dog-sit this weekend, but an emergency just came up, and I have to be out of town all day tomorrow. My friend is coming by late tonight, but I was wondering if you could pick up the dog at my apartment in the morning and keep an eye on her. You can just put her back in the apartment in the evening, since I should be back that night. I just don't want her to be bored and alone all day."
"Hmm, I'm not sure," John frowned uncertainly. "I usually don't take in multiple dogs when I'm training, they tend to distract each other."
"Please?" Mary pleaded. "She's really sweet, and I swear she won't be any trouble It's just for one day."
John looked at the young woman in front of her. There was something off about her features, but something oddly familiar and comforting too. He really did appreciate what she had done for Max that morning, and wanted to pay her back. Making a decision, John nodded.
"Thank you so much!" Mary yipped happily. "Here's my spare key, you can just give it back the next time we see each other." Handing John the key, Mary, elated, hurried back to her apartment to make some preparations.
Pulling out the "human" vial, Mary grabbed a bowl and poured in the entire contents, putting the vial back in the box to refill. She then placed the bowl in her refrigerator, feeling confident that she could get inside with minimal trouble. She removed some various leftovers from the fridge, putting them out in another bowl for her evening meal. Grabbing and old choker, Mary also put together a makeshift dog collar.
"Hmm, what name should I use?" Mary pondered. It would be too strange for the dog to also be named "Mary." She decided to go with "Missy," as it was different enough from her own name, but close enough she wouldn't forget it. Completing the collar and putting it on, lastly, Mary wrote a note to John, thanking him again and informing him as to the name of the dog, as well as leaving her cell number, although she first made sure her phone was on silent and well-hidden.
Mary felt like she had taken care of every eventuality. Finally, stripping off her clothes, Mary pulled out the "dog" vial. She only hesitated a moment before downing the entire vial. She then hurriedly hid the box of vials in the back of her closet, and waited for the potion to take effect.