The Formula

Chapter 3

Felix snapped awake, but didn't dare to move. Everything felt wrong. Instantly, he remembered what had just happened; came flooding back to him, no less confusion than when it had actually occurred.

His breath sounded too heavy in his own ears-deep and laborious, an immense whooshing that actually frightened him. As he stirred, a sound escaped from his throat, altogether foreign. A growl?

He moved, only somewhat, and stiffened. His body... There was something wrong with his body.

He pulled in his legs tighter, feeling rough skin rub together. When he lifted his head, he found it heavier than usual, suspended on a long neck. Felix opened his eye and hardly daring to, looked over himself.

What he saw caused him to scream.

The cry started off long and baleful, but reduced to a pitiful whimper.

His body was different! He was no longer human! Thick limbs, positioned under his body, replaced what were otherwise arms and legs. His torso was elongated and naked, tapering down to a slender stomach and hips. Far beyond his waist, he saw a shape moved through the underbrush and interpreted it as a tail.

New muscles worked in his back, accompanied by the sound of rustling leather and he craned his long neck to see a new pair of limbs affixed to his shoulders.

Instead of clothes and peachy skin, he was covered in a thick, scale-covered hide. Seeing it all was too much for him and he simply fell limp, lying on his side and feeling overwhelmingly lost.

He was a stranger in his own body, and he knew not what to do. No theories passed through his mind, only suffocating despair and immense confusion.

After remaining still an undeterminable time, he found a sliver of willpower and lifted his head once again. He needed to see himself-as a whole-to determine what had become of him.

He placed his front limbs out in front of his chest, flexing each one experimentally. He cringed at the sight of what had become of his hands. Each one was a huge paw, garbed with terrifying black claws. He took some satisfaction seeing blood staining the claws on one paw, realizing it belonged to the scientist who had removed his sunglasses.

With a gasp, he placed one of his paws over his right eye. His Boxtons were gone.

With a growl-a sound foreign coming from himself-he braced his forelegs against the ground. Slowly, he lifted his front end off the ground and was surprised by his own strength. It was nearly effortless for him to do so.

He held his balance there for a moment, familiarizing himself with the new way in which his shoulders were aligned. They were more vertical than horizontal, as to support his weight.

Felix snapped his jaws experimentally, surprised by how long they now were. He ran his tongue through the inside of his mouth, feeling rows of teeth interlocking perfectly together. His ears twitched, swivelling in a range of motion otherwise impossible.

He thought about giving up and resting back on the soft earth of the forest floor-perhaps he was enduring some livid nightmare-but a curiosity deep inside him kept him going. Dream or no, he needed to know what he looked like.

His rear legs he had a more difficult time with. They still held the same joints, but each section was proportioned differently. Walking on his toes, instead of his heel, was now more comfortable. He marvelled at the feeling of standing in this new, strange form. His back felt flexible and strong enough to support the weight hanging between either set of limbs; his spine arched instead of drooping.

He flexed the new muscles in his tail, and was rewarded by seeing the huge thing swing from side to side behind him. Next the ones at the tops of his shoulders and crawling down his back-and was surprised to see a great blanket-like shape stretch across his vision.