{"sf1_id":1586350,"sf2_id":"RnoqJxxe","title":"Feline Therapy Ch. 01 [story / cheetah]","author":"Lycandope","words":4315,"posted_at":"2020-06-03T18:47:00.000Z","tags":["Cat","Cheetah","Claws","Female","Transformation","Were-cheetah"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1586350-feline-therapy-ch-01-story-cheetah","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/RnoqJxxe","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/cb/57/cb573fff-fac6-43e2-805b-b316268d04e0","description":"A geneticist experiments on herself in order to restore her glory days as a gymnast\nFrom my Patreon!\nYou can find my page at: https://www.patreon.com/markgraham\nCool things:\n1. Something new I'm trying for $5+ tiers - a mini \"Choose Your Change\" style gift. Currently experimental but willing to expand under the right conditions.\n2. A CYOA (currently paused) - It's up to 9 parts so far!\n3. I have over 40 (!!!) stories posted on the Patreon but nowhere else. This includes Office Bitch chapter 3 and 4, The Gift chapter 3 and so, so much more. Backlogs are posted in Discord due to needing to wipe \u0026 restart the Patreon.\n4. I ask for polls and feedback and sometimes your input directs my writing.\n5. I sometimes commission a piece of art for the $5+ tiers\n6. The highest tier ($10) gets their own private Discord channel where I sometimes ask for writing prompts.","content":"A faulty street light pinged in the darkness above as Ariel pounded down the wide sidewalk.\u0026nbsp; The array of lights lining the nearly empty street cast an angry orange glow in the faint tendrils of smoke from a distant wildfire.\u0026nbsp; She slowed, huffing loudly with her hands at her slim hips.\u0026nbsp; Her fingers massaged her aching side while she slowed her pace.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Morning,\" a young man said as he passed her effortlessly on the left in the gloomy haze.\u0026nbsp; She nodded at the man, too out-of-breath to reply and then sighed while leaning her upper body back.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSweat lined the woman's body.\u0026nbsp; She brushed a few strands of long, black hair away from her eyes and kept walking forward.\u0026nbsp; The silent radiance of the raging fire seemed to consume the darkness surrounding it.\u0026nbsp; She eyed it and knew she'd have to start using the treadmills again.\u0026nbsp; At least until it was put out and the smoke had cleared.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnother pair of joggers, a man and woman that appeared to be near her age, passed her.\u0026nbsp; They chatted occasionally and she frowned at their backs.\u0026nbsp; Her 30th birthday approached and she felt like she was in good shape - perhaps not as good as her college years - but she was finding it harder and harder to keep the pace she'd grown used to over the years.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriel tsked as a muscle twinged in her lower back.\u0026nbsp; She reached behind to massage the already-fading pain as early morning commuters zipped past in expensive convertibles.\u0026nbsp; Blue light glowed from her wrist when she checked her fitness tracker.\u0026nbsp; It was an expensive model but she wasn't wearing the separate specialized heart rate monitor.\u0026nbsp; Despite that, she could feel her heart pounding and didn't doubt the depressingly high figure that blinked at her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith another sigh, she turned around and began jogging back to her house.\u0026nbsp; Her ears buzzed, her side ached and she could feel the arch of her feet beginning to throb but she pushed through it with a mental note to order a new pair of shoes.\u0026nbsp; She forced a smile at every passing jogger that quickly turned to a determined grimace when they passed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe first angry welts of sunlight appeared on the horizon behind her as she began a series of mental encouragements.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_Almost done,_ she thought to herself while focusing on the uneven sidewalk before her.\u0026nbsp; _Just need to get home and I can shower.\u0026nbsp; Nice, short little shower to save water like a good community member.\u0026nbsp; Grab some coffee, relax for a second and then get to work.\u0026nbsp; But first, shower.\u0026nbsp; Glorious, glorious shower.\u0026nbsp; I am **not** going to have a heart attack and die on the sidewalk.\u0026nbsp; That is absolutely not how I go out.\u0026nbsp; Just two more miles.\u0026nbsp; That's nothing.\u0026nbsp; I've got this._\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSweat dripped from the tip of her nose.\u0026nbsp; She flicked it away and repeated her mantra as the sun rose behind her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n---\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriel's black BMW pulled smoothly into her reserved parking lot.\u0026nbsp; Sparse clouds filled the gray sky and she glanced up at them as she stepped out of her car.\u0026nbsp; She inhaled and then gagged slightly while wrinkling her nose against the acrid scent hanging in the air.\u0026nbsp; Her reserved spot was close to the entrance of her work so she held her breath as she made her way to the front of the building.\u0026nbsp; As she opened the door to step into the lobby, a gentle voice rang out from the overhead speakers.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Welcome to FutureGen,\" the cultured female voice announced.\u0026nbsp; \"The future begins here, today.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe young woman rolled her eyes as she did nearly every time she came to work.\u0026nbsp; A web of cameras watched the entrance to the building and she knew they were running facial recognition in order to catalogue visitors and potentially flag any unwanted guests.\u0026nbsp; She had begged and pleaded with network security to turn the announcement off when an employee entered the building but they swore it was nearly impossible to configure.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Good morning, Dr. Hollister,\" the receptionist chirped.\u0026nbsp; The young girl was, as always, impeccably dressed and well put-together.\u0026nbsp; Ariel smiled while giving her an appreciative glance.\u0026nbsp; She'd had a slight crush on the girl since she'd started working at the company but she never let it get beyond the occasional private fantasy.\u0026nbsp; Caitlin would tease her **_mercilessly_** if she knew about it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Good morning,\" Ariel replied as she walked past.\u0026nbsp; Thinking of Caitlin brought a shy smile to her face as she made her way through the maze of offices.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer girlfriend had come home while she was out jogging and they'd been able to spend time together this morning before Caitlin had gone to sleep.\u0026nbsp; Ariel had sat on the floor between the other woman's legs and they'd talked about life and work while her girlfriend braided her hair in a tight french braid.\u0026nbsp; For a brief, happy moment, the stress of her adulthood had melted away and she'd relaxed with her eyes closed while pretending she was at a sleepover.\u0026nbsp; It was an indulgence she didn't often allow herself but it helped to center her when life weighed heavily upon her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nVarious early morning workers nodded at her with a respectful \"Doctor\" as they went about their tasks.\u0026nbsp; Although she didn't know all of them, she acknowledged each of them just the same.\u0026nbsp; At twenty-nine years old, she was the youngest director in the company's history and everyone knew who she was.\u0026nbsp; FutureGen had fought six other corporations in contract negotiations before she'd even finished her first phD six years ago.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCubicle walls vanished behind her when she approached a single white door.\u0026nbsp; She pulled her lanyard to tap it against the grey block beside the door and it pinged as her access was granted.\u0026nbsp; Pulling the heavy door open, she stepped into her lab.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAlthough the office and foyer occupied the front of the building, her laboratory consumed nearly seventy percent of the first floor.\u0026nbsp; She walked swiftly through the brightly lit hallway, pausing at intervals to pull clipboards from their hooks.\u0026nbsp; Certain experiments were at a critical stage and, despite the incredibly expensive computer network and top-of-the-line tablets, her researchers jotted down quick notes on paper for their teams.\u0026nbsp; She scribbled notes and answers on a few of the clipboards before making her way to her office.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAt times, her ludicrously large office made her feel embarrassed.\u0026nbsp; But now, as she slowly eased her sore body into her office chair, she appreciated it greatly.\u0026nbsp; A single button press caused the glass walls to darken as her overhead lights brightened to compensate.\u0026nbsp; She kicked her heels off and spun in her chair while her feet decompressed.\u0026nbsp; Various awards lined her office, mixed in with framed photos of celebrities and Nobel Laureates.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe pain from her jog frustrated her more now than it had this morning.\u0026nbsp; It gnawed at her and made her wonder if it was time to visit her physician.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_I'm too young for this, aren't I?_ She asked herself.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nBoth of her parents were alive and healthy.\u0026nbsp; In fact, they were both hiking in Japan at this very moment.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_It's funny,_ she thought.\u0026nbsp;_Surrounded by all of this technology, all of this research into eradicating disease and I'm sitting here with sore feet._\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe laughed out loud, bitterly, as she remembered Tom's side project.\u0026nbsp; She was experimenting with a version of Google's \"20% time\" and allowed her employees free time - ten percent of their day - to chase down personal projects as long as it fit snugly within the goals of FutureGen.\u0026nbsp; His side project was in hair regrowth and he was currently investigating a lead or two using gorillas.\u0026nbsp; She wasn't certain what he was planning since side projects had nearly zero oversight but maybe she could convince him to look into something for her feet.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_Hooves don't get sore, do they_? she mused.\u0026nbsp; _Maybe he could slap some horse DNA into-_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\nFrowning, Dr. Hollister tapped at the arms of her chair while staring into the distance.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_Could I-?_ She wondered.\u0026nbsp; The young woman turned to her computer, logged in and pulled up an Internet browser.\u0026nbsp; _Not a horse, though, no.\u0026nbsp; But, what?_\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLights flickered on in the lab outside her office but she barely noticed the faint movement beyond her dark, frosted windows.\u0026nbsp; Her staff knew better than to bother her when the glass wasn't clear.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAn hour later, Ariel stared at the website for St. Petersburg State University's Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics.\u0026nbsp; She glanced at the clock on her desk, did a quick mental arithmetic check and then picked up her phone.\u0026nbsp; The line chirped after she dialed the long series of numbers to reach the university.\u0026nbsp; Just as she was about to hang up, a rough voice answered.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"????????????, ??? ? ???? ???????\" the man said.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"?? ???????? ??-??????????\" Ariel asked in halting, accent-less Russian. \u0026nbsp;There was a long pause on the static-filled line but she could hear the other man breathing.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes,\" the man finally answered.\u0026nbsp; \"Who is this, please?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"This is Dr. Ariel Hollister from FutureGen,\" she answered.\u0026nbsp; \"In Los Angeles, California.\u0026nbsp; I'm sorry for calling so late but I've been doing some research and I was wondering if you had a moment or two, Doctor-?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Doctor Brukhin,\" the man answered.\u0026nbsp; His voice changed subtly.\u0026nbsp; Even over the bad connection, she could hear a warmth.\u0026nbsp; \"We've met before, Dr. Hollister.\u0026nbsp; Five years ago at the conference in Nürnberg.\u0026nbsp; You gave a very informative lecture on molecular genetic analysis in diseases.\u0026nbsp; I congratulated you afterwards.\u0026nbsp; A group of us had drinks together but I don't remember much of that evening, I'm afraid.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well,\" Ariel said, blushing slightly.\u0026nbsp; Now that he'd mentioned it, she vaguely remembered a night of drinking.\u0026nbsp; She'd left before it became too chaotic but she was amazed at how rowdy the various scientists had been.\u0026nbsp; She'd been somewhat sheltered at that point in her life.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm honored that you'd remember me, sir.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And?\" he asked.\u0026nbsp; \"What can I do for the famous Dr. Hollister?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"It's the sequencing on Chewbaaka, sir,\" she told him.\u0026nbsp; \"The cheetah?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Of course I know,\" he chastised her gently.\u0026nbsp; \"I wasn't involved but it was a big accomplishment for us and our friends in China.\u0026nbsp; But what could FutureGen possibly want with the data?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"It's for a personal project,\" she told him.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm not even certain it will yield anything useful but I have an idea or two I'd like to test.\u0026nbsp; I was hoping I could get access to the completed sequence.\u0026nbsp; I could have someone bring the appropriate amount of drives or I could set up a repository for remote transfer?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And could we not have you personally visit?\" the man asked hopefully.\u0026nbsp; \"It would be quite the coup to have someone as distinguished as yourself tour our facility.\u0026nbsp; And I would promise not so much drinking.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"That sounds lovely but I'm afraid not,\" Ariel chuckled.\u0026nbsp; \"I have a few too many projects I'm overseeing and I can't step away for any length of time.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Ah, such is life,\" Dr. Brukhin agreed with her.\u0026nbsp; \"But, please, send me the information to a secured repository and I'll have my technicians transfer the data.\u0026nbsp; Only, one request?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Of course,\" she answered.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Share with us if the information is useful,\" he told her.\u0026nbsp; \"I would be saddened to learn of a FutureGen breakthrough based upon our works without proper attribution.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You have my word, doctor,\" she replied.\u0026nbsp; \"But, really, I think I'm chasing a pipe dream here.\u0026nbsp; And, thank you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"It's been a pleasure,\" Dr. Brukhin said.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriel lay the handset down on her phone's base station and leaned back in her chair.\u0026nbsp; She could feel the idea she'd formed earlier begin to take hold.\u0026nbsp; There were several live projects her team were working on that could potentially form the basis of what she was planning.\u0026nbsp; She oversaw all of them and was directly involved in two of the projects in question.\u0026nbsp; With the data and notes on Chewbaaka as well as her own research and the work of her team, she saw the end result moving from hypothetical to viable.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs the hushed murmurs of her employees filled the offices beyond her door, Ariel went to the side of her room where she kept a few pieces of equipment.\u0026nbsp; She drew a vial of her own blood with a wince and then paused, staring at the door to the lab.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was a long shot but she'd lived her life with one simple rule: always push forward.\u0026nbsp; If the science didn't exist, she'd invent it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n---\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nFour small vials sat before Dr. Hollister on a table in her darkened lab.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe stared at them - at the results of eight months of driven research and development.\u0026nbsp; Long nights punctuated by apologetic texts and phone calls to her girlfriend for not coming home yet again.\u0026nbsp; She told Caitlin it was important to her but not why.\u0026nbsp; It was impossible to explain.\u0026nbsp; At least not until she could verify the results.\u0026nbsp; There'd been a few heated moments over those months but Caitlin was ultimately understanding.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd now she was done.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMachinery hummed around her, accompanied by the stuttered clicking of mechanical equipment.\u0026nbsp; Her face was aglow with their various lights - red and green and yellow, flashing or solid to signify different statuses.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe stared at the vials with her hands folded in her lap but her thoughts were a mile away.\u0026nbsp; Every time her brain tried to focus, she felt the thought melt away into nothingness and the void within calmed her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSeconds turned to minutes, interrupted only but the occasional blinking of her eyes.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDeath was an option.\u0026nbsp; She was fairly certain of her work but so much of gene editing was still a mystery, even to FutureGen.\u0026nbsp; It took years to test what impact each small change had on a larger scale and sometimes the errors cascaded to a horrifying degree after being seemingly stable for a period of time.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer knuckles turned white as her fingers clenched against each other and her heartbeat sounded unnaturally loud in her ears.\u0026nbsp; It was late Friday night, an evening she specifically picked due to the weekend and her schedule being relatively light.\u0026nbsp; She'd have the weekend to deal with the effects and could take extra time if needed.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThree of the vials were her own work while the fourth was built heavily on existing research.\u0026nbsp; The fourth one was to stabilize the changes the other three should enact while repairing damaged cells.\u0026nbsp; She was sure of her research.\u0026nbsp; Certain of it.\u0026nbsp; She'd poured countless hours into the areas she was targeting.\u0026nbsp; It should work.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe reached for the first vial.\u0026nbsp; Her fingers brushed the clear glass before she made a fist.\u0026nbsp; The liquid inside was as clear as the glass was viscous with thick, white streaks.\u0026nbsp; She touched the glass, nearly stroking it before making her final decision.\u0026nbsp; Once settled, she gripped the small tube, uncorked it and downed the contents in an unthinking rush.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_It's like they always say,_ she thought, grimacing at the bitter taste of the mixture suspending the heavily modified bacteria.\u0026nbsp; _Can't make an omelet without breaking a few strands of DNA._\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe second vial followed the first and then the third.\u0026nbsp; Ariel gagged and stomped her feet with her head bowed.\u0026nbsp; Sweat beaded on her temples but she took the fourth glass tube and swallowed before she changed her mind.\u0026nbsp; She lay her head down on the table and ran through a series of calculations to distract herself from the tumultuous, angry grumbling within her stomach.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhen she was sure she wouldn't vomit, she stood to collect the vials as carefully as possible.\u0026nbsp; The young scientist picked up her laptop and bag along with the vials.\u0026nbsp; With a final glance around the room, she walked to the nearest autoclave, inserted the vials and started the machine.\u0026nbsp; It beeped as she turned around to leave.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe building was eerily silent but Dr. Hollister gave a miniature salute to the security cameras while winding through the maze of cubicles.\u0026nbsp; The same cameras identified her as she left the building and the large security doors slid open as she neared them.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriel exhaled in the warm evening air.\u0026nbsp; She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath and she felt the tension leave as she breathed out.\u0026nbsp; And then she laughed.\u0026nbsp; She blushed as she realized how extraordinarily strange she must have looked but she couldn't hold back.\u0026nbsp; Collapsing against the side of the building, she laughed until she felt hot tears stream down her cheeks.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSo many things could go wrong but she'd done it and she felt drunk off the thrill of it.\u0026nbsp; Her stomach muscles burned as she devolved into chuckles while clutching her bag against her chest.\u0026nbsp; She wiped tears away while leaning her head back against the brushed aluminum that covered the building.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer step was spry as she made her way to her lonely car.\u0026nbsp; It's cabin light glowed when she neared and it unlocked as her hand brushed the door handle.\u0026nbsp; She tossed her bag into the passenger seat and started her car before buckling in.\u0026nbsp; It rumbled to life and she shifted, backing out of the parking lot.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe felt wired, as if every nerve was humming within her body.\u0026nbsp; Her car surged forward when she stomped the gas pedal and she bit back a loud 'woop' as it turned sharply and grabbed the road like a animal chasing prey.\u0026nbsp; Her eyes widened with unnatural focus as she sped.\u0026nbsp; A car appeared and she gave the slightest touch to her wheel, passing it at the last moment with the least amount of space possible.\u0026nbsp; It honked at her but it was already far behind her when she glanced at it in her rearview mirror.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she drove, she day-dreamed of the potential changes she had in store for herself.\u0026nbsp; She'd researched quite a few creatures before settling on the cheetah.\u0026nbsp; Its flexibility intrigued her, as did its enlarged heart and lungs and arteries.\u0026nbsp; But, more importantly, they were genetically monotonous and that was critical for ensuring she had the proper markers for the changes she wanted.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe city opened up to her as she prowled the streets without a care for the marked speed limits.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nFlexibility.\u0026nbsp; Her girlfriend was the gymnast and would benefit the most from the potential flexibility the changes could offer but it was the entire package that enticed her.\u0026nbsp; Increased speed, heightened cardiovascular endurance as well as an encouragement to growth of her fast-twitch muscles for explosive speed.\u0026nbsp; However, she'd also added a few of FutureGen's tweaks for cell and gene repair and those were even more exciting to her.\u0026nbsp; With her own additions, they should help her body stay younger longer while keeping her body in peak condition.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she approached the suburbs where her house was tucked quietly away against acres of trees, she slowed.\u0026nbsp; Caitlin was at work and the house was dark.\u0026nbsp; Ariel parked in front of the garage and a cold bead of sweat rolled down her back as her high wore off. \u0026nbsp;She grabbed her bag, left her car and unlocked her front door while the reality of the situation began to settle over her shoulders.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOnce inside, she dropped her things, kicked off her shoes and grabbed a bottle from the wine rack in her kitchen.\u0026nbsp; Unsettling thoughts kept trying to pierce the veil of fear beginning to surround her.\u0026nbsp; She swatted them away as she found a glass for the wine.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDark red liquid sloshed around the glass and then over the edge to spatter the counter as she carelessly filled it with trembling fingers.\u0026nbsp; Dr. Hollister downed the entire glass, thankful for something to wash away the disgusting taste that still coated her throat.\u0026nbsp; She filled the glass again and immediately drained it and her shaking hands finally calmed while a warmth filled her body.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith a shrug nobody else was around to see, she abandoned the glass to drink straight from the bottle.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA second bottle joined the first and she began to contemplate writing a note to Caitlin just in case everything went wrong.\u0026nbsp; Ariel cried when she finished the bottle as, in her mind, she saw her girlfriend coming home from work to see her corpse lying cold on the kitchen floor.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe third bottle eased her melancholy thoughts and, in fact, she thought of nothing else when she lay her head down to rest for just a moment.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n---\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDr. Hollister woke to pain and nausea and a cold puddle of drool against her cheek.\u0026nbsp; She moved slightly, raising her head while wiping her cheek and wincing at the lancing pain in her head.\u0026nbsp; Every joint and muscle throbbed and she found herself taking short breaths against a numbing pressure in her chest.\u0026nbsp; Worse, the tips of her toes and fingers felt cold and they tingled when she touched them.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe turned and stumbled and then fell to her knees to vomit on the floor.\u0026nbsp; She heaved but, miraculously, nothing came out and she was left feeling even worse.\u0026nbsp; Instead, she sat back and gasped, trying to catch her breath.\u0026nbsp; Black sparks exploded in her vision and she felt like someone was squeezing her temples in a vise.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt took an incredible amount of effort to pull herself into a standing position but she pushed until she was leaning against the counter.\u0026nbsp; She fell forward but caught herself and, in this manner, slowly made her way to her bedroom until she could crawl under the covers.\u0026nbsp; Shivering, she pulled the sweat soaked blanket tight against her body.\u0026nbsp; Her eyes flicked open every time she came close to falling asleep.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"-you hear me\" Caitlin asked.\u0026nbsp; \"How many bottles- oh.\u0026nbsp; Oh, babe.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriel turned to see her girlfriend leaning down over her with a worried frown.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"H- how l- l- long,\" Ariel wheezed, her teeth chattering.\u0026nbsp; She writhed beneath as the blankets to try and put out the fire burning deep within her bones.\u0026nbsp; \"Been home?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I've been talking to you for the last few minutes, babe,\" Caitlin said.\u0026nbsp; \"Oh gosh, you're burning up.\u0026nbsp; Wait here, I'll get a wet cloth.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm f- f- f-\" Ariel tried to say before a spasm tore the word away from her.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCaitlin returned and lay a cold, wet hand towel against Ariel's forehead.\u0026nbsp; She gasped and her vocal chords separated and vibrated into a rasping, halting purr.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Let me get you undressed,\" Caitlin said, pulling back the blanket.\u0026nbsp; \"Ugh, and I'll get a new blanket.\u0026nbsp; Hold still.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Noooo,\" Ariel said quietly.\u0026nbsp; She pushed weakly at her girlfriend's hand but found herself easily rebuffed.\u0026nbsp; She tossed and turned her head while trying to swallow past the lump at the back of her throat.\u0026nbsp; Her girlfriend's hands were cool against her hot skin as the girl carefully undid buttons and pulled on clothes.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"There, you're-\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriel screamed.\u0026nbsp; The nerves in her lower back exploded and her muscles contracted, pulling her immediately into a sitting position.\u0026nbsp; With a loud 'pop', she lost sensation in her entire lower body.\u0026nbsp; The room spun and Caitlin's voice echoed down a darkening tunnel as the young scientist passed out.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n---\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"- temperature's just over one hundred,\" Caitlin said.\u0026nbsp; She toyed anxiously with curls of her thick, red hair.\u0026nbsp; \"No, nothing else.\u0026nbsp; No vomit.\u0026nbsp; I don't know how to check that, no.\u0026nbsp; Well, she was screaming earlier.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; It freaked me out.\u0026nbsp; Just sat up, screamed and fainted.\u0026nbsp; Okay, but-\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No,\" Ariel whispered, slowly reaching a hand out to touch her girlfriend's arm.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA single bar of light peeked from the edge of the bedroom's curtain.\u0026nbsp; It lay against her face and she blinked as she turned to face her lover.\u0026nbsp; Her mouth hung open while she hyperventilated.\u0026nbsp; It felt like hands were pushing and squeezing the inside of her chest but her panting seemed to help against the fever and the pressure.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nBlack flecks appeared beneath the skin around her eyes.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"T- trust- trust me,\" Ariel begged, grabbing Caitlin's arm in a trembling grip.\u0026nbsp; \"N-n- no h- hospital.\u0026nbsp; Trust.\u0026nbsp; Trust me.\u0026nbsp; Please.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMore coal-like specks appeared in the sweat-slick skin surrounding her eyes.\u0026nbsp; They multiplied until her eyes were ringed by black.\u0026nbsp; A faint line appeared along her cheeks from the corner of her eyes, nearly invisible in the darkened room. \u0026nbsp;The line grew down her face like an old scar until it reached the edges of her lips.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Trust,\" Ariel said as the room began to darken once again.\u0026nbsp; She opened her mouth and hissed quietly through the pain wracking her body.\u0026nbsp; As her fingers dug into the bed sheets, the flesh beneath her fingernails bulged.\u0026nbsp; Her nails bent at the center and tented as a fine slit appeared at the tips of her fingers.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Trust.\u0026nbsp; Me.\u0026nbsp; Truuuussss-\" she groaned.\u0026nbsp; The young woman flexed her hands as her girlfriend fixed the towel on her forehead.\u0026nbsp; Eight clear claws pushed through the clefts in her fingertips to tear ragged little holes in the sheet while she dragged her hands along the bed.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriel twisted once and sighed when sleep finally took her.\u0026nbsp; As her body relaxed, her claws pulled back into her fingertips.\n\n  \n  \n\n"}