The Roar of the Night

1

It all started strangely, as if the world had decided to turn upside down from one moment to the next. **That day**, like any other, I was running through the woods near Alex's house, enjoying my freedom. I smelled the fresh air, my hind legs slapping the wet ground as I chased the sounds and smells that had always fascinated me. But that day... **something changed**.

I came across something, something that shouldn't be there. **It was black, liquid, alive**, as if it had a will of its own. The first thing I did was sniff it, but it wasn't like anything I'd ever smelled before. It was neither an animal nor a plant. I approached, intrigued, but as soon as my snout was close, **that thing lunged at me**.

"The black mass enveloped me in seconds," covering my entire body. I felt it imprisoning me, a pressure that I couldn't shake. I tried to run, I tried to shake her out of my fur, but it didn't matter how hard I tried. That thing held me down, and then... the change began.

I felt my back legs stretch and suddenly the ground didn't feel the same under my claws. My body, previously agile and flexible, lengthened and transformed. My hind legs... they weren't legs anymore. They had turned into human legs. I looked down, terrified, watching my dog ​​form disappear. My front legs lengthened, becoming hands, with fingers I had never had before.

My mind, which had always been simple and clear, began to fill with strange thoughts, human thoughts. It was as if I could suddenly understand things I didn't understand before. But I also felt something new, something I didn't understand: fear. I looked at the reflection of a nearby puddle. The creature I saw in the water was not me. It was something else.

My eyes were still the same, but the rest of my body was covered in that black, shiny mass that made me look like a beast. How was I going to introduce myself to Alex like this? I was terrified by the idea that he would see me as a monster.

Day after day, I watched him from the shadows. Every morning I saw him leave the house, calling me, looking for me. I felt his desperation, his worry, but I couldn't do anything. I couldn't allow him to see me like this, transformed, deformed. I was hiding, still trying to understand what had happened to me. He had thoughts and emotions that were not typical of a dog. I was a mix of who I used to be and what the symbiote had forced me to become.

But what hurt me the most was the thought of losing Alex. She had watched him grow, she had taken care of him, and now, with this new body, she didn't know if she could be by his side in the same way. I didn't know if he would accept me or if he would see me as a dangerous creature.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I knew I had to reveal what had happened to me. **I couldn't hide forever**. The night was dark, the moon barely illuminated the garden. From the window, I saw Alex sitting on his bed, looking lost. I knew he missed me, and that single idea was what pushed me to take the step.

I stepped out of the shadows, my body still covered by the black suit, the figure of a human. I walked slowly, fearing the worst, but knowing I couldn't run away anymore.

"Alex..." I said, my voice deep and resonant. It wasn't the voice he knew. It wasn't the usual happy bark.

I saw him jump out of his bed, scared, searching in the darkness for the source of that strange voice.

As I got closer, the moonlight illuminated part of me. I could see his eyes fill with confusion and fear.

-Who are you? —he asked, his voice trembling.

My heart, if I could still call it that, broke a little more. I knew he didn't recognize me. It was too different. I took another step closer, my huge black figure casting a shadow on the ground.

—It's me... Rex.

I watched as his face changed, first in surprise, then in denial. I couldn't believe it. How could he believe that this monster in front of him was his faithful dog? And then, I did it. I brought a hand

—no, a claw—to my face and slowly removed the mask. The black substance moved away, revealing my true face. I felt the cool air on my skin as the mask fell. **My eyes**, the only ones left of my former self, met his.

"It's me, Alex," I repeated, my voice breaking. I know I don't look the same... but it's me. Rex.Alex took a step back, as if trying to process what he was seeing. He looked at me, confused and scared. My heart was pounding, the fear of losing him was so real that it left me paralyzed. But then, I saw his eyes soften. I saw him hesitate, but something in my eyes told him that, despite everything, I was still me.

"Rex..." he murmured. What happened to you?

At that moment I couldn't contain myself anymore. All the confusion, the fear, the sadness, everything I had felt in those days came out suddenly. **I fell at his feet, crying**, like a lost puppy. My claws—my hands—clung to his legs, seeking comfort. I felt like my world was falling apart, but he was there.

Alex, although clearly scared, didn't push me away. He looked at me with a mixture of fear and compassion, and slowly knelt in front of me. He extended a hand, hesitant at first, and then gently placed it on my head, just as he did before. I felt his touch, that familiar touch that I had missed so much.

"Everything is going to be okay, Rex," he said, his voice firm but shaky. Everything is going to be fine.

His words gave me the peace I had so needed. No matter what had changed, Alex still recognized me. And in that moment, I knew that although the symbiote had changed my body, our bond was still intact.