FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The hustle and bustle of the city was unending. Cars honked day and night, people shouting that they have places to be. Traffic was a nightmare, and it would quickly become apparent to anyone that walking was likely the quickest mode of transportation. But none of that bothered Caleb, the young man being born in and growing up in the city. He spent most of his time in his books, fiction being his favorite. His favorite topic was mythology, and everything that came with it. Gods and demigods were one thing, but the most intriguing aspects of these worlds were the creatures. Minotaurs and dragons, krakens and trolls and wargs. These were what drew Caleb into these worlds, and the reason he had arranged to meet his friend on this particular day.

Caleb had enjoyed the museums that he had visited over the years, seeing many depictions of former world leaders and the great battles they fought. He had been fortunate enough to visit museums across the country by the time he reached his current age of 23. The one thing that Caleb had never been able to find in the other museums was the creature exhibit. There were only brief mentions, but never full displays. Naturally, when he heard about the Museum of Mythological History, and their extensive exhibits on the "Monsters of Myth", as the brochure listed, he immediately arranged to meet his friend Jay. He checked his watch. 11:45 am. Jay was late, but Caleb had started a little early anyway. As he looked up from his watch, he brushed his black hair out of his shining blue eyes. He looked very out of place in his jeans and dark hoodie, compared to all the "business casual" outfits around him.

As the tour guide finished talking about Odysseus, whose model was right behind her, she asked if anyone had any questions before continuing the tour. None were posed, and so the group moved on. As the group continued,they entered a large, open area with a large bronze statue in the center. Upon entering, Caleb saw a man in his peripheral that was not a part of any tour group. Turning to look, he noticed that he wasn't in a security guard's uniform, but in plain clothes. The man confidently walked to a door marked "Restricted Access" followed by "Authorized Personnel Only". He raised his hand and turned a key, unlocking the door before entering, shutting it after him. Caleb blew it off, thinking his imagination had gotten the better of him. Surely the man was allowed inside, otherwise, how would he have a key to enter?

The tour continued to a model of a Minotaur and Caleb's jaw dropped in awe. There was incredible detail throughout the entire piece. Its face was twisted into a snarl, with horns tipped bright red, hands balled into fists as it charged. Caleb was intrigued as he turned his attention back to the tour guide. She was talking on about the physique of the mythical creatures, and how it was amazingly powerful. Caleb was trying to listen, but he was distracted by a small clicking noise. Looking around, he realized it was coming from the restricted area. As Caleb wondered what mechanism could be so loud to unlock, he heard a distinct * __PING_ *_. Then...

Chaos.

A huge explosion came from the restricted area doorway, knocking out the wall. Everyone in the tour group was sent flying backwards. Caleb hit the wall, smacking his head against the concrete and falling unconscious.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!"

Caleb was awoken by screaming and panic. He looked around, standing up to move toward the street. Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the street and from inside the museum. A monster destroyed the front wall, making short work of the structure. It was a gryphon! It was carrying a security guard in its beak, who was flailing, trying to stay on the ground. The gryphon lifted him in the air and bit down. The man split in half, his torso falling limply to the ground and painting it a deep red. Caleb almost puked as he looked away.

*SKREE!*

He turned again, seeing the gryphon fully enter the museum and begin snatching up other people. Caleb ran to the side entrance and opened the door. Outside, everything was worse than he could have ever imagined.

Fire. Fire everywhere. Death and fire and chaos, there was no comparison. He scanned the area, seeing gryphons tearing people to pieces or flying off with them to do things that Caleb didn't like to think about. He looked and saw the beast he had just been admiring as a myth, a Minotaur, destroying walls and throwing people around. He even saw werewolves tearing through people and dragging away their corpses into back alleys. A minotaur skewered a car with its horns, the occupants screaming in terror. With a mighty bellow, the minotaur whipped its head to the side, launching the car into oncoming vehicles and crushing the car.

Werewolves were pouring over the civilians running in terror like a flood. Limbs flew to and fro as people let loose blood-curdling screams. As Caleb ran, a man passed him, also running through the street. As he passed an alley, a werewolf leapt from it and tackled the man. Its jaws engulfed his neck and a fourth of his head, its teeth easily digging through his flesh. His gurgled scream a final word as he was dragged back into the alley to be torn.

Caleb thought he was going to be sick, but he knew he had to keep moving. He ran, others running close behind and in front of him. As he ran, he saw a dead police officer and, in a quick motion, he grabbed the gun from his hand and kept going. He ran and ran and ran until his lungs were burning. He made it a few blocks, the sounds of death and destruction fading as he got further away. Word must have been spreading because, as he ran with the crowd, others began getting out of their cars and running the same direction. Caleb and many people in the crowd were shouting about monsters and that everyone needed to get back and find a way out of the city.

As people exited their cars and joined the ever-growing crowd, a loud screech was heard. Looking up, Caleb saw a group of gryphons circling and beginning to descend. He realized that the carnage had spread farther than he or anyone else could have guessed in such a short amount of time. He made his way to one side of the crowd, shouting about splitting into smaller groups to divert the beasts. As they spread, Caleb was in a group of about twenty people. There were businessman and women, as well as some students and artists. Caleb was the only one that was armed, and as the creatures descended from the sky, he raised his weapon and opened fire.

A few shots hit true, but it was as if he were throwing stones. Without faltering, the gryphons swooped down and began plucking people from the groups. Screams erupted all around. Caleb and his group were not hit on the first attack, but the gryphons were seemingly unsatisfied with their catches and began a second attack.

This time, his group was hit. One of the artists was snatched up by a beast, and other members of the group fell from the impact. Caleb watched as the girl was flown away, destined to die. Suddenly, He was soaring through the air, a rough and painful grip applied to his midsection. He screamed, flailing as the ground began to get farther and farther away. Looking down, he saw the other groups had scattered, but were now being picked off by werewolves. Dozens of the bipedal creatures were taking down the remaining members of the groups, as well as those stuck in the midday traffic.

Caleb struggled, managing to pull his gun arm free. He twisted, pointing the weapon where he assumed the gryphon's heart was located. He took only a moment before pulling the trigger. He spent the remainder of his ammo, only four measly shots.

The creature shrieked in pain, his attack having given the desired result. It began descending roughly as it slowly lost its strength to fly. They neared the ground, only about three stories above the street, and Caleb could see the horrified faces of the other pedestrians. Caleb was certain he was to die, and that those in the street would share the same fate. What had they done to deserve this?

Time seemed to slow as the gryphon held him closer to the street, about two-and-a-half stories up. Caleb thought about what he had still wanted to do in life. He had wanted to see Jay one last time. His parents and some of his other friends. His biggest regret, though, was that he always wanted to help people, be a "hero" like in the mythology he was, at least until today, so infatuated with. But now he was destined to die by the hand of one of his favorite mythical beasts. He closed his eyes, welcoming the end.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The end never came though. Instead, Caleb felt the gryphon tumble to one side as a snarl pierced the air. Opening his eyes, Caleb looked up to see a werewolf latched onto his would-be killer's wing. It seemed like they weren't all on the same side after all. Its claws were tearing into the flesh, blood spraying as the gryphon screeched and veered to the side. It crashed through the side of one building on the street corner, releasing Caleb. Caleb flew through the air for what seemed like an eternity before crashing through a cubicle in the office building. The crash looked worse than it was, but he hit his head pretty hard, and consciousness left him.

When Caleb awoke, he was underneath of the destroyed cubicle wall. Surrounding him were the once-important documents as well as binders and sticky notes. The computer had been knocked off the desk, and was now hanging by its cord while the keys from the keyboard had scattered along the floor. Caleb pushed the papers and the wall off of him, sitting up as he rubbed his head. Looking around, he saw the dead and mostly eaten corpse of the gryphon that had carried him away. He quickly realized that the werewolf could still be nearby, and cautiously rose to his feet. He made his way to the window, peering out to see if the coast was clear.

It was, but he wasn't super happy with why. Most of the cars in the street had been destroyed, overturned and thrown about. Thankfully, most of them seemed empty, but Caleb could see a few where he was certain it was occupied. He was terrified now, the adrenaline from before not allowing him to fully register the mortality of the situation. He backed away from the window, beginning to move toward the stairwell.

He slowly made his way across the office space. He strained his ears, intently listening for any abnormal noise. It was silent, save for the wind. Looking down, he saw blood streaks, as if something had been dragged along the floor. It lead to the stairwell...

Caleb took a deep breath, steeling himself as he approached the door. He peeked through the small window, seeing more blood on the other side. He paused, listening for any sounds. Still nothing. He opened the door, wincing as the silence was pierced unceremoniously. He began making his way down the stairs, but as he began his descent, he was able to distinguish a new sound. A whimper.

Turning, he began making his way upstairs. He resisted the urge to run up the steps, fearing danger may still be close by. He made his way to the top level, the roof. The door was busted open, and he approached it carefully. Looking through the crack, he couldn't see who was crying, but his ears told him this was the place it was originating from. He opened the door and stepped onto the roof.

"D-Don't come any closer!" A female voice shouted to him. He turned the corner of the stairway entrance, spotting a girl. She looked roughly his age, give or take a year, with black, shoulder-length hair. She was topless, her breasts exposed to the world, and she was barefoot. Her pants weren't much better off either. They were torn on her left leg, only reaching halfway down her calf, while the other reached to just above her knee. She had goosebumps all over her skin, and her tears rolled freely from her face. Most notably, however, was the fact that she had a lot of blood on her. But none of it seemed to be hers...

"Hey, I -" Caleb began.

"Stay back! I don't w-want to hurt you!" She was shaky, barely managing to get the words in through her sobs. Caleb was understandably confused.

"Hey. Hey, it's alright" He got closer, but she scrambled away. She began to stand up, but she fell quickly. She was breathing heavily. "Don't worry, it will be alright. What's your name?"

She rolled and sat up.

"Please. Please, just go away. I can't hurt anyone else. I won't!" She began toward the edge of the building, but Caleb quickly closed the distance. He grabbed her by the shoulder, keeping her in place. She struggled, but seemed exhausted.

"Hey! You aren't going to hurt anyone. You need to calm down." She stopped struggling, but he still held tight. "Shh...It's going to be alright." He brought his arm around her and she cried into his shoulder. After a few moments of this, Caleb broke the sound of sobs.

"See? You haven't hurt me. You haven't hurt anyone. Everything is alright." He was trying to be confident, though he was sure it didn't quite sound like he was. He released her from their embrace, and she looked into his eyes with her amber irises. "So, what's your name?"

"*sniff* I...I don't know." Caleb noted that she seemed to be calming down a bit, but the fact that she didn't remember her name was a little concerning. Had she been attacked and hit in the head? She didn't have any cuts or bruises or anything. "Alright...Well, do you remember anything that happened in the last few hours?"

"It's all a bit blurry. I remember a bunch of people, screaming and running. I remember a flying beast. Like something out of mythology. A gryphon? I remember being in the air with one of those, but only bits and pieces." She thought for a moment, her eyes flicking back and forth as if she was reading her memory on a piece of paper. "And...there was a guy and a building. I just remember hitting a building and then I woke up here." She shivered against the cold.

So she had the same experience as I did, Caleb thought. He pulled off his hoodie, draping it around the girl. She put it on, and he stood. He offered her a hand and she took it thankfully, him pulling her to her feet. She was exhausted, though, and she nearly fell over. Caleb caught her before she collapsed.

"Whoa! You alright?"

"Yeah...yeah. I'm just...so tired." She yawned. Caleb looked at his watch, and it was getting late. They needed to find somewhere safe for the night. He draped her arm over his shoulder.

"Alright. We just need to find somewhere safe for the night. Or at least, safe-ish." She nodded and they began down the stairs to the street.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Fortunately for Caleb, the building wasn't very tall. Only four stories high. As he reached the bottom of the stairwell, the girl's arm still over his shoulder, he paused to take a breather. She was truly exhausted, and seemed unable to even hold herself up on her feet. He set her down on the stairs to take a break and get his breathing under control. She was pretty much asleep.

After a few minutes, he picked her up again, this time just fully carrying her. She groaned as he lifted her, seemingly enjoying her dream. He chuckled as he lifted her, moving toward the door. He opened it and scanned his surroundings. Across the street, on the opposite corner, was an apartment complex. He adjusted his shoulders so as not to put too much weight on one or the other, then set off. Crossing the street, he was oblivious to the pair of eyes watching him through binoculars.

They made it to the other side of the street, and he entered the lobby. The place was deserted, everyone else seemed to have skipped town. Most people had left their apartment doors open or unlocked, many seeming to have been broken into before. Whether by "opportunists" or beast was unknown.

He carried her to the elevator, going up several floors just to be safe. They exited the elevator and he moved into the first apartment he saw with an open door. The inside was nice, not crazy expensive, but comfortable. Despite the mess of the previous owners clearly leaving in a panic, there was nothing overtly bad about the place. Caleb found the master bedroom and laid the girl down. She instantly rolled to one side and resumed her snooze. While she rested, Caleb moved into the living room. He turned on the TV to see if the news had anything to say, but the signal was out.

"Dammit" he said. He turned it off and moved to the kitchen. Normally he wouldn't eat from another person's fridge, but he was sure "the apocalypse" would be an acceptable excuse. There were some leftovers, some pasta and some meat. He grabbed the pasta and heated it up, enjoying the peace and quiet. His mind immediately turned to the topic of his friend, Jay. He was worried that he was dead, or trapped. His apartment was still a decent ways away, though, so getting there was a time issue. If the city did evacuate, he wouldn't be there.

He reached into his pocket for his phone, but it wasn't there. He must have lost it in all the commotion. He stood up, and tried the phone that was on the counter. All the other side said was that there was an emergency evacuation order, but there was no way to turn it off to make a call. Great, now he didn't have any way of communicating with the outside world. On top of that, he was taking care of a strange girl who doesn't know who she is or what happened to her. He chuckled to himself, moving back to his dinner.

"What the fuck do I do now?"

He finished it quickly, more hungry than he realized. He decided to clean up, washing his dish and laying it in the dish rack to dry. Old habits. Once he was done, he moved to the couch to get some rest. He was out before his head hit the cushions.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Caleb awoke as the sun shone through the window, directly into his eyes. Squinting, he groaned as he sat up. He stretched, his joints popping as they relieved the stiff feeling in his arms and legs. He stood up and moved to the window to make sure that there were no monsters wandering close by. Seeing none, and not even another person in the streets, he moved to check on the girl.

He knocked first, and when there was no response, he knocked a second time. Still no response. Was she still sleeping? He had been up for an extra hour after he put her into bed, and she had been asleep even before then. He slowly opened the door, peering through the crack as it swung. She was still in bed, and still asleep. He could hear her soft snoring from the doorway, so he backed up and closed the door.

He was trying to think of a way to make it out of the city. But he still wanted to drop by Jay's and see if he was still there. His first step was to find some weapons. He searched the apartment, but they only had the kitchen knives and one fixed-blade boot knife. Caleb sighed, taking the boot knife with him. Something was better than nothing, right?

The next thing he needed was supplies, but the previous owners had had enough time to pack up a good bit of supplies. There was almost nothing left in terms of food or water. Caleb was downtrodden. He knew he and the girl wouldn't last long staying put, but they likely wouldn't make it far on meager supplies. He made a choice.

He grabbed a water bottle from the cupboard and filled it with water. He attached it to his belt, made sure his knife was in an easy to reach spot, and he set out to look for a better place to get supplies.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

She awoke in a bed. She quickly sat up, scanning for anything in the room. It was empty. She lay her head back down and let out a sigh. She lay listening for any sound of movement, but there were none. Was that guy still here? She moved to get up, rolling off the bed. She loosened the hoodie, unzipping the front. She was sweaty from sleeping in it, and she took it off as she stood and stretched. Not caring that she was topless once more, she moved into the living room.

"Hello?" She called out. She got no response. "Guess you aren't here, then..."

She looked around the apartment, searching for anyone. But no one was there. She moved to the kitchen and opened it. There was cooked meat leftover, and raw meat left behind as well. Her stomach grumbled loudly at her, urging her to just eat anything. She reached for the cooked meat, before hesitating. She could smell the raw meat through its package, and it smelled delicious. She reached for it, tearing the package apart before digging into the flesh. It tasted great, and she wanted more. She devoured the first piece in moments, reaching for another package. After devouring the second, she tore into the leftover cooked meat. Her hunger was sated, but as she finished, she looked at herself. She had totally lost control over fresh meat. Just because she was hungry, it was like she was in a daze. She knew she was dangerous to others. Maybe she should just leave before the guy came back. Would it be better that way, just bailing on someone who helped her so selflessly?

She decided to at least wait until he came back. She would tell him then, and leave alone. She had to at least thank him for his help. She returned to the bedroom to rest while she awaited his return.

Several hours passed, and it was starting to get dark. He hadn't come back yet, and she was beginning to worry. Did he leave her behind, like baggage? Or did he get hurt and need help? She stood from the bed and began pacing the room. Should she go out looking for him? Where would she even begin? She moved out into the living room, still pacing. Her heartbeat was increasing along with her worry. She began to think of all the various horrible things that could have happened, and she lost her grip.

She began to feel hot. She began sweating again, despite being topless in the living room. As she heated up, she began to feel another heat building between her legs. She was confused at first, but as her control slipped, she began to question it less and less. She removed her pants and undergarments as the heat built higher and higher, before she couldn't take it anymore.

She let out a long moan as she fell forward onto the floor. She landed on all fours, balancing herself as she landed. She braced herself with one arm, bring her other to her already dripping sex. It had stained her pants, and she couldn't hold back anymore. With another wild moan, she dug two fingers into her wet snatch. As she did, her body began to change.

Her toes dug into the carpet as claws began to grow. They stopped growing at an inch, her toes gaining a little length before the change moved on to the rest of her feet. The arch lengthened a bit, the soles widening. She rolled onto her side as she went at herself. Her arms bulked up, as did her thighs and calves, and her chest. Her facial features changed, her eyes glowing gold as her face stretched into a short muzzle. Her teeth sharpened, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as it gained length. She brought herself to the edge of climax, but as her ears stretched into points to complete the partial change, she came. Howling out, her pussy clenched her fingers in orgasm. Her toes curled as she rode it out, left panting in the aftermath.

After a few moments, she got her breathing under control. Her panic and instincts kicked in, and she quickly got up. The human side of her won out enough to put her pants back on before she ran back to the room to get the hoodie. She grabbed it, lifting it to her short muzzle and inhaling deeply. She held the breath for a moment, savoring the scent, before slowly letting it out. She put the hoodie on and pulled the hood over her head.

Along with her changes, she had gained more than some heightened senses and instincts. Some of her memory had been restored as well. She ran her tongue over her newly sharpened teeth as she grinned. She remembered how to hunt.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Caleb was in big trouble. His first mistake had been, in his haste, not taking in any identifiable landmarks. He hadn't left a trail either. His second mistake was staying out for such a long time without backtracking. Now he was backtracking, and he was lost.

He looked up to the sky, and the moon was rising. His heart started beating a little quicker as he started getting nervous. He had seen minotaurs and werewolves as he had been searching for supplies. As far as he knew, they hadn't caught his scent despite him getting a little too close for comfort. He made his way along the street, looking for any familiar street signs or anything to lead him back to the apartment. The only landmark he could think of was the gryphon corpse in the office building, but he couldn't see any office buildings from where he was at. Being as terrified as he was, Caleb was jumping at the slightest sounds. He was gripping his boot knife tightly. So tight that his knuckles turned white.

As he moved along in what he hoped was the right direction, he heard a small bit of rustling. Chalking it up (mostly) to paranoia, he quickened his pace but didn't anticipate immediate danger. It was only when he heard the same rustling again that he turned to look for the source of the noise.

He turned to see two glowing yellow dots across the road. Caleb was certain it was a werewolf, and his panic caused his adrenaline to start pumping. He turned and started sprinting down the road. He heard a terrifying growl as the werewolf burst from its hiding place and gave chase. Caleb realized he needed a plan. There was no way he was going to outrun the thing. Thinking quickly, he cut to his left.

With his heart pounding in his ears, Caleb charged toward the cars in the street, hoping to buy some time by using his smaller stature to weave between obstacles. He could hear the beast getting closer, its claws scraping the pavement as it ran. He made it to the cars and began weaving through them, keeping his head low as he did. He heard a crunch as the werewolf jumped onto one of the cars, smashing the windshield. It let out a growl before continuing its pursuit. Caleb looked behind him to see how far it was. It was only five car-lengths away, and getting closer. He began to formulate a new plan, looking into the car windows for the right one.

He managed to find a the perfect car, an SUV, with just what he needed to put his plan into motion. An unlocked door. He slowed down, turning to see the werewolf only meters away. It bore down on him, leaping through the air with mouth wide open and claws ready to tear into him. With a cry, Caleb wrenched the door open and jumped back just before the werewolf got to him. With a yelp, the werewolf crashed into the door. Its head went through the window, the glass leaving several deep cuts. The body had hit the door, but the force was enough to tear the door off the car as well as crumple it. Its head was squashed between the bent metal, one of its clawed hands was stuck in the door. Caleb couldn't help but laugh as he turned and began sprinting again. His laughter quickly died and his heart sank when he heard the sound of metal bending. Turning his head, he saw as it tore the door into two pieces and continued on after him with renewed vigor.

Caleb's plan had failed. He hadn't bought himself enough time to escape, or even begin to escape. His heart was still pounding, his breaths heavy, and he was still running. But he was getting tired. He had been sprinting for about a half-mile and he was out of gas. The werewolf had seemingly endless stamina, and it wasn't slowing down. Realizing his situation, he made a decision.

Caleb had reached an intersection with several cars stopped in the middle. He slid across the hood of one and crouched behind it. He pulled out his boot knife, gripping it with the blade facing up. If he was going out, he was damn sure to go out fighting. He faced the car, the direction the werewolf was charging from, and he braced himself for his final fight. Peeking over the door and through the window, he was just in time to see the werewolf leap over the car. He jumped up, bringing his knife with full force as he did. His blade hit true and sank into the werewolf's gut. He lost his grip on the knife, and it stayed in the werewolf as it tumbled to the ground. It rolled out of its crash, quickly standing and shaking away the stunning effect of the fall. It charged Caleb once more, and this time he had nothing to defend himself with. In a feeble attempt, he raised his fists in a boxing stance. He knew that this time, there was no one to save him.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

But Caleb was so caught up in running for his life that one could forgive him for failing to notice the other figure that had been following both he and the werewolf throughout their encounter. Only this figure was a mix of human and animal, showcasing traits of each. She was six feet tall, had black hair, torn pants, a hoodie, and a whole lot of fury. It was the girl, and she had fully embraced her half-changed form.

She ran on all fours as fast as she could. She was fueled by desperation at first, but upon seeing her former savior being chased by a werewolf, that desperation transformed into wrath. Her heart was beating quickly as she ran, but she relished the feeling of sprinting through the city. She was catching up to them when the young man stopped behind a car. Seeing the ensuing action, she put all she had into her run. Caleb had raised his fists to fight back, despite knowing it would do nothing. The werewolf charged and, once within a few meters of Caleb, pounced at him.

The two never collided, as she blindsided the werewolf in mid-air. She tackled it to the ground, claws and teeth gnashing and tearing at the flesh. She got a few good hits in, but took a few herself. The werewolf raked its claws along her stomach, leaving several cuts. It threw her off, but she landed on her feet, skidding a few inches as she caught herself. There was a momentary pause as they faced each other down before she charged it once more, teeth bared. It charged as well, the two colliding in a mass of teeth, claws, and blood.

She managed to use one of her clawed hands to all but tear an arm off the werewolf, but it sank its teeth into her shoulder and threw her in Caleb's direction. She hit the car he was behind, and he started. He scrambled back and out into the open. The werewolf locked eyes on its prey, but hesitated as the girl had recovered quicker than it expected. She darted in front of Caleb, blocking the werewolf's direct path to him. Her shoulder and stomach were bleeding badly, but she was still standing, and she still looked really pissed. The werewolf contemplated for a moment, seemingly weighing its options. Deciding it wasn't worth the trouble, it turned and half-limped, half-ran into the distance. When the girl was sure it was a safe distance away, she turned to Caleb.

Caleb was at a loss for words. At first, he didn't recognize the girl as she turned to face him. But as the moonlight illuminated her face and her clothes, realization hit him like a train. That was his hoodie, which meant that this was the girl he had taken care of earlier. His mind was spinning as he took it in. He stood quickly, stammering as his brain tried to think of something to say.

"Y-you...b-but...what is...how is this even...?" He was shaking.

She took a step forward, but he took a few steps back. She growled softly, seemingly annoyed at his hesitation. He opened his mouth to speak again, but she dashed forward and pounced on him. He called out as she pinned him to the ground. Her teeth were bared close to his face as she let out a low growl. Caleb had squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of death. Still growling, the girl lowered her face to his neck, opened her mouth, and...

...gave him a lick. Caleb, confused, opened his eyes as she licked his neck again. Her grip loosened as she affectionately licked him on his neck before moving to his face. She was acting like a pet dog, and Caleb started laughing as he tried to stop her playful kissing.

"Ack! Stop! Sto-hahaha! No, seriously, stop! Ahaha!" He managed to sit up and push her away. She looked disappointed at first, before he saw her human mind gain control, and she covered her mouth. She blushed and turned her head away in shame, offering a small "Sorry!" as she did. It didn't quite sound right when she said it with her changed face, but Caleb thought it was kind of cute. She got off of him and helped him to his feet. He dusted himself off before speaking.

"So, you're a...?" He began, not quite sure how to finish the question.

"A werewolf, I guess. A real one..." She looked at her blood-covered hands, wiggling her clawed fingers. Her pointed ears twitched at every sound, and her nose at every scent. Her heart began to sink as she took in her semi-monstrous form. Before, she had simply accepted the changes out of concern for her new friend, but she now had a moment as well as the clarity to take it in in full. She ran her tongue over her teeth, noting how sharp they were. She looked at her long claws on her fingers before moving them aside and seeing her bare, clawed feet. Reaching up, she felt her pointed ears, noting how none of her changes had come with fur. She turned away from Caleb, her face downtrodden.

"We should probably get going..." He said to break the awkward pause as she had examined herself. He stepped toward her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey...what's wrong?"

"I'm a monster..." She said under her breath.

"What?" Caleb asked, genuinely unable to hear what she had said. She shrugged his hand off of her shoulder.

"I'm a monster!" She shouted. She took a step to run away, but Caleb grabbed her by one of her clawed hands and pulled her back. She could have easily broken away, but she hesitated.

"No...you aren't a monster. You saved me tonight. And I think you saved me before as well. Has any of your memory returned?" He held her hand tight, afraid she would try to run again. She shook her head.

"No memories of events. But when I changed, it was like muscle memory became regular memory. I remembered how to use my senses and instincts to track and hunt. And how to fight with tooth and claw!" She said that last bit with a hint of pride. She suddenly turned to face him. "Wait, what do you mean 'saved you before'?"

He started pulling her along in what he thought was the right direction. She stumbled after him as he pulled.

"Well, I've been thinking...Did I ever tell you how I found you?"

"No...what does that have to do with anything?"

"I found you on the roof, that much you probably remember. But! Before I was in that building, I was carried away by a gryphon. As it was carrying me away, a werewolf jumped on it an started tearing into it." He slowly released her hand as she listened. "That werewolf caused all of us to crash into the building. I got knocked out, but the werewolf didn't eat me. It ate the gryphon instead."

"You aren't suggesting that...?" She asked, beginning to understand where this story was heading.

"I am. There were blood trails on the floor, and they led to you. Plus, it would explain the torn pants with no shoes or shirt."

"But...but it didn't look like me, right? Like I do now?"

"No...no it was like the one that attacked me. The one that you saved me from. Only it had black fur, not brown like this one."

Her eyes started moving rapidly, her train of thought speeding up.

"Which would mean that..." She looked down at her hands once more. "I can change further than this? I can go full-on werewolf..." She opened and closed her palms slowly, contemplating. She opened her mouth to speak, but her ears caught some movement nearby. She whipped her head in its direction and lowered into a fighting stance, instinctively placing herself between Caleb and the sound. She began growling as they continued on.

"Should we continue this conversation elsewhere, then?" Caleb suggested, seeing her on alert.

"Yeah...I'll get us back to the apartment." She said, turning down a side street. "Let's hurry before more company shows up." She began walking briskly, suppressing her animalistic urge to run freely. Caleb followed close behind, still trying to process what was happening.

With the girl leading the way, they quickly found the apartment complex from the previous night. He waited just inside while she went up to make sure it was safe. After a few minutes, she gave the all clear and they both headed back to the apartment. Once inside, Caleb locked the door before flopping down on the couch. He was hoping to catch some rest, his whole body was already getting sore from his escape. He heard a *thump*, and looked over to see the girl had fallen to her knees. He sprang to his feet, ignoring the pain in his legs, and rushed over to her. He caught her before she fell on her face.

"Easy...easy there..." He had her by the shoulders, one arm across her chest while the other had the nearer shoulder. "What's wrong? You alright?"

Her eyelids were heavy, Caleb could tell she was exhausted. She had been on alert since they began their walk back, and he figured she had probably been running off of adrenaline for most of it. She was breathing slow, deep breaths. As Caleb watched, her form began to return to normal before his eyes.

Her short muzzle, if it could even be called that, shrank back into her face. Her sharp teeth returning to their original, omnivorous shape as her ears lost their points. Her eyes faded from an intense, glowing glowing amber to her original hazel colored eyes. Her muscle mass decreased, returning her to the original runner's body she had before. Feet and hands shrank, while the claws disappeared from her fingers and toes. Rapidly, the girl Caleb had originally found reappeared before his eyes. Her eyes, though still heavy, managed to open fully as her reversion completed.

"Welcome back" Caleb said with a smile. He meant it more as a joke, but she didn't seem to take it as one. "You hungry? Or is sleep the better meal choice for now?"

"Sleep. Definitely...sleep" She barely managed to say, before passing out and collapsing onto his chest. He lifted her up and brought her to the bedroom. Removing the hoodie, he placed her on the bed. As he covered her sleeping form with the blanket, she unconsciously grabbed him over his shoulder. He tried to pull away, but she held tight. He sighed, resigning to simply sleep there for the night. He kicked off his shoes and lay down fully. She inched closer, hugging him tighter, and he smiled a bit before falling asleep.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

She was lucid in an empty void, black as far as the eye could see. She looked down at herself, seeing her body illuminated from an unknown light source. She was nude, but fully human. She looked around, trying to spot anything in the darkness. Seeing nothing, she set off into the darkness. She continued for what seemed like a few minutes with her breathing the only thing breaking the silence, when the "ground" beneath her bare feet felt different. Originally, it had felt as if she was walking on soft grass, but now she felt gravel, as if she were walking on a road. She stopped and looked down, seeing the ground appear underneath her feet. It looked like asphalt, and she realized it was as more of it appeared before her. Looking up, she found that an entire city had appeared before her. And it was on fire.

Looking around, she could see that there was a raging inferno that engulfed almost every building in sight. There were people screaming as they ran aflame through the streets. She stood watching the flames as they engulfed the cars in the street. She gasped and turned to cover her face as a fireball erupted in front of her, bathing her in flames.

She opened her eyes, but there was no fireball. Lowering her arm from her face, she watched as the city in front of her changed, her vision blurring it into mush before it reformed into a different sight. She was still in the city, but a different part. The buildings in this area had all been burnt out, except for the bottom floors of some, which still raged on and illuminated the street. The cries for help were farther away, and all blurred together into a collective echo of gibberish. She began walking forward down the road, exploring her dream.

She passed a building as it exploded, glass and brick flying in all directions. It all passed harmlessly by her, and she watched on as several figures emerged from the flames. One was a large bull, part man and part animal, standing on two legs. The Minotaur. Following behind it and crouched low was a large werewolf that growled as it saw her. Behind them, a screech was heard as two large wings unfolded and sent sparks flying. A large beak emerged from the flames first, followed by the rest of the gryphon's mighty form. All three of the figures were made up entirely of flame. She stared them down as, one by one, they advanced on her.

The Minotaur approached first, flames bursting from its nostrils as it snorted at her. She readied herself for a fight, raising her fists in a fighting stance. The beast got closer before a booming voice declared:

" Amelia! Amelia...come now. This is the right way, the just way, the natural** way**." The voice surrounded her and penetrated her mind, as if someone was saying it from a loudspeaker as well as telepathically in her head. She turned her head left and right, searching for the source of the voice.

"Show yourself!" She shouted. The Minotaur took another step forward, the werewolf and gryphon close behind. She fixed her eyes back on them as the voice spoke again.

" My dear, you are looking at me. I am these creatures, they embody my essence. The city you see before you is what is to come. These creatures, these beasts, their souls are protected by me, and they follow my will as holy writ. Your soul is vulnerable, but you can change that. Embrace your form, join the beasts of myth, and you shall forever be under my protection!"

There was a pause as her fists un-clenched.

"What if I refuse? The fire, the carnage...What if it isn't what I want?" The deep voice chuckled.

" Allow me to show you what will come if you choose defiance."

The Minotaur and gryphon disappeared into smoke, but werewolf stayed behind. It turned and began walking down the road, nodding its head that she was meant to follow. She jogged to catch up. Soon, her vision blurred once more, warping her world. When it cleared, she was in the road with the werewolf next to her. It turned toward a lone figure in the distance and began advancing.

She followed behind, trying to identify who was in the distance. She realized too late, as the flaming beast began to charge, that it was the young man she had been staying with. She started to run to catch up, but she was stopped when she was within a few meters. It felt as if she were stuck behind thick glass, and she pounded on it as the werewolf fell upon her only friend. She banged helplessly on the invisible wall, tears streaming down her face as she watched him being torn apart.

After moments of pounding, the wall finally disappeared. She ran forward as quickly as she could, but the faster she ran, the farther away he got. She was crying, and she stumbled forward, determined to get to him. Eventually, she could no longer see him, and was immersed in darkness once again. She slumped to her knees, sobbing grossly. As she closed her eyes, she felt a jolt. Opening them, she found she was in the bedroom. She sat up quickly in the bed, before realizing where she was. With a relieved sigh, she flopped back down, breathing heavily and heart pounding. She calmed down and stood from the bed.

She rubbed her eyes as she opened the door.

"Hey, are you here?" She asked. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her foot kicked something. She stopped, opening her eyes and screaming in horror. It was the young man's head and it looked partially eaten. She shrieked, looking over to see his eviscerated corpse on the living room floor. A pool of blood around his spilled guts; a bloody stump where his neck should have been. She fell to her hands and knees in horror. Tears began welling up in her eyes. She tasted blood.

Looking down, she could see a muzzle. She blinked, and suddenly she was leaning over his corpse, blood leaking from her lips. She reached up with her hands, only to see them covered in matted fur, soaked through with blood under the claws. Looking down at herself, she was met with a large, muscular chest stained red with blood. She tried to scream, to apologize, but the only noise released from her throat was a triumphant howl. Her mind faded as red consumed her sight.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"NO! I'M SORRY!" She bolted upright in the bed. She was pouring with sweat, and she was sore. The guy wasn't in the bed with her anymore. She scrambled from the bed, all but tearing the sheets away as she did. She grabbed the door handle, opening it as quickly as she could. Entering the living room, she didn't see him anywhere. Relieved that his body wasn't lying on the floor, she let out her breath. She still feared the worst, however, and went to the door. She threw it open, ready to run around in search of him once more. She was instead met with relief as he had been reaching to open the door. He was stunned for a moment, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Ha ha. Nice to see you too!" He said, returning the gesture. After a moment, he pulled away and looked at her face. He cleared his throat as he noticed she was without a top, and averted his eyes. Blushing, she covered her chest. He turned to face her again. "You sleep alright?"

"I...uh...not exactly..." She said. Caleb could tell she was nervous about something, no doubt it had to do with her "condition". He brought her inside before inquiring further, setting down a backpack near the couch.

"What's up? Did something happen?" He put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't respond immediately. Her mouth was moving like she was trying to speak but no words were coming out. "Come on, it's alright. It's just me, you can tell me what's wrong."

"I think...we should part ways." She said, beginning to get teary-eyed. Caleb was wondering why she was so attached to him in such a short amount of time, but she was obviously distraught. "I don't think...think that I can...control myself." She sniffled a bit, reaching to wipe her tears.

"You controlled it well last night. You saved me! Again, technically. And you got us back here. I understand why you're worried, but I trust you. Completely." He retorted. She still wasn't looking at him. "There's something you aren't telling me...something did happen, didn't it? What happened?"

"I had a dream..." She began. "More of a nightmare, but I was lucid. I could feel, hear, and see everything. And...t-taste everything too." Caleb was beginning to understand.

"You dreamt you killed someone, didn't you?"

"I killed you!" She was fully in tears now. Her breaths were becoming ragged as well. "I changed completely and tore you to pieces!" Caleb embraced her once more.

"You didn't kill me. I'm right here." He reassured her, petting her head. "A dream isn't necessarily a vision. Sometimes, your mind plays tricks on you using your own fears." She sniffled again, removing her hands from her face. Her partial relief quickly turned into panic as she pushed him away.

"Shit. Shit!" She looked at her hands, her fingers stretching longer. Her fingernails turned black before stretching into points. Unlike her first change, though, this was accompanied with pain instead of pleasure. She cried out in pain as her spine began to pop and snap, doubling over as new vertebrae grew in, a tail bursting through her pants. She tried to push him toward the door. "Ah! Get...Get away!"

Caleb considered running. His fight-or-flight kicked in, flight winning out at first. He took a step back, before he reconsidered. Did he really think she was going to hurt him? She fought tooth and nail, literally, to save him the previous night. In addition, she hadn't exactly made it out unscathed. Her wounds may have healed by now, but Caleb was sure she was hurt bad during the fight. Could he really leave her here to deal with this by herself?

While Caleb was thinking, the girl's arms bulked up with muscle, slurping and popping filling the silence of the room as the muscles swelled and her arms stretched. She grit her teeth as her torso changed. Her breasts swelled outward as her muscles grew. A loud snapping was heard as her ribs cracked and reformed, her internal organs shifting to accommodate her larger body. Her face stretched and her teeth sharpened. A muzzle formed as her ears stretched into points. Seeing her muzzle form, Caleb made his choice.

He took a step closer, putting his hand on her musclebound shoulder. She was in too much pain to register it at first. As her lower body rushed to catch up, she began to feel a hint of arousal. Similar to the first change, she started getting wet. As her vagina grew deeper to accommodate larger packages, her arousal intensified and surfaced through the pain. She started welcoming the remainder of her changes.

Her legs stretched and contorted as they swelled. Her already shredded pants coming completely apart as her thighs packed on muscle. Her feet stretched longer, her big toes moving up her ankles to form digitigrade paws. The soles grew calloused as they developed paw pads for any terrain. Her eyes opened as her irises changed from hazel to a glowing amber. The final change came rapidly, her form quickly being covered in fur as dark as midnight. She held back her climax, trying to focus on staying in control.

Caleb was stunned to say the least, and terrified beyond comprehension, but he had stuck with her. His hand still on her shoulder, she turned to look him in the eye with her new face as her fur grew in. She stared into his eyes and gave a soft growl.

"H-hey..." She pushed her face closer to his, growling a little louder. He fell backwards onto the floor, terrified. Had she been right to push him away? He looked up at the tower of fur, muscle, and teeth as she leaned down over him. Her teeth were bared, her chest rumbling. "I-it's me! Your friend! Remember?"

He reached his hand out slowly, her growl getting louder as it got closer to her face.

"Easy...easy...It's just me...your friend." His hand close to her face, he brought it to her nose and rubbed her muzzle. Her growl ceased as her human mind surfaced, recognition sweeping over her face. "Your friend!"

Her tail started wagging furiously as she embraced him. She showered him with licks and kisses as he fell onto his back. Caleb started struggling, not immediately realizing her intentions. She continued her relentless "attack" as he recognized her playful behavior. He laughed, bringing his hands to scratch behind her ears.

"There you are!" He smiled and laughed as her tongue lolled out of her mouth at his scratching. He pushed her back with one hand, the other continuing to scratch. Once her immense form was no longer pinning him to the ground, he stood up. His scratching stopped as she did the same. Caleb was grinning, coming down off of the adrenaline high. He took in the large creature in front of him. Black fur, a muzzle, large breasts, and more muscular than anyone he had ever seen. He hugged her as much as he could, his arms too short to encompass her form.

"You did it! I told you it was just a dream!" He looked up, and she was smiling. He took a step back, releasing her from the hug. "Can you talk?"

She opened her mouth and tried to speak. All that came out were some garbled growls and scattered syllables. She tried again, with similar results. She whined in frustration.

"Perhaps a bit much to hope for. But you are in control, which is the important part." He said. There was a short silence as the situation passed. "Well...anyway, we should probably get moving. Those beasts out there will likely pick up our scent soon. I'm honestly surprised that they haven't come for us sooner." He walked over to the couch and grabbed the bag. "I grabbed some supplies from the other apartments. No weapons, but got a bunch of food; raw meat and canned stuff. You have anything you need to get?"

She looked down, seeing the final scraps of her pants clinging to her massive thighs. She tore it off and dropped it, watching it float to the floor. Her ears perked up, and she turned, quickly retreating from the living room. After a moment, she reemerged from the bedroom with Caleb's hoodie. It had blood on it and there were huge holes in it from her fight. She whined, holding up his hoodie. She opened her mouth.

"I grrrrm sorrrryyyyy" She managed. Caleb grinned.

"Between a hoodie or my life, I choose my life. Don't worry about it." He moved into the room next, grabbing another backpack from the closet and putting a bunch of clothes in it. He came back out, shouldering the backpack. "There. Got some clothes for us and some food is in that bag over there. Ready?"

"Grrress" She tried.

"You'll get it with practice." He walked toward the door, reaching for the second bag. She moved and grabbed it instead. She extended the straps as far as they could go, and slung the bag over one shoulder. Caleb just smiled as they started out the door, beginning their long journey to escape the city.

_____________________________________________________________________________________