The evolution of a man part 2 by: Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. This is a continuation of my last work and it not as scientifically centered as the last. Let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or criticisms. I am open to everything so please feel free to leave a me message!
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, but the ones that are most responsive to change.”
Charles Darwin
Chapter 7: Life in continuum
One would think life would have continued after the changes finally subsided. But this was not the case. Adjusting was just as difficult as the changes themselves. My voice was cracking in response to my diminished size. I was no longer able to fit in any of my old clothes. Most of them fit me as well as a putting a giant trash bag into a kitchen trash can. Transitioning to the new perspective was no less problematic. Most strange was the fact I was no longer able to eat the same things I once was. My tastes had seemingly changed with my tongue itself. My taste buds were seemingly more pronounced and I much preferred drinking using my tongue rather than the normal method of downing liquid. As time moved on it became harder and harder to remember my past. The pursuits of scientific integrity soon were replaced by more childish whimsical delights. For certain the original purpose of the whole ordeal was lost.
My brother too was suffering from an all to different conundrum. Whereas before, when I was the guardian, he was now left with the plight of caring with his now diminished caretaker. Luckily for him my savings was far from being depleted, as he was still to young to get a job without federal approval. Additionally there was the question of reporting the issue. Should he tell others? Was he prepared to take on his new role as custodian? What did all of these changes boil down to? From a glance, it had seen that I had not just changed in appearance but in age as well. The issue of clothing also presented a problem. Although it seemed that the shrinking had stopped, there was the addition of the tail as well as the omnipresence of fur all about my body. Not to mention the claws seemed to be causing issues walking. As a whole it seemed that I had much preferred walking on all four now versus whereas before, even in the process of the change, I was able to walk upright.
One thing was for certain, something needed to be done about the situation. It didn't seem to be getting any better. In fact it seemed the longer I was let be, the further I divulged into my new fursona. My brothers solution was to take a gander at my notes. But he was no scientist, could he even make light of my findings without my assistance? He discerned he had to try. So with new determination, Samaliel made for the lab with due diligence. Upon his arrival, Samaliel found my journal which was left unfinished due to my loss of memory. At first glance there wasn't anything outstanding or noticeable. In fact the only thing he found odd was the fixation of the protein shake. But it seemed only to do anything in conjunction with the modified cultures. At a loss, Samaliel didn't know what to do with this information.
The only option now was for him to turn to the internet. But who would believe his story? It sounded just as fantastic as one of those shows he watched on the sci-fi channel. But he had to do something. After turning on the computer, Samaliel punched in a number of different search terms on various search engines. With every search, his hope decreased. While nothing definite was found, Samaliel was able to an arcane case of lyncanthropy which had been treated with silver laced milk of all things. Most of Samaliels findings centered around fan fictions, that offered little real information. A more minute but promising possibility was the option of the Human growth hormone. Samaliel decided instead rather than to find a cure for the situation, he would work towards bettering it and ordered a set of HGH serums using my credentials. Only time would tell the information was right or not.
Chapter 8: The delivery
It was only a matter of 2 days til the package arrived at the doorstep. Samaliel feigned my signature for the package and received it with glee. Inside was a refrigerated container of 12 syringes complete with a small packet of instructions. Being the brother of a scientific mastermind, he felt he didn't need the instructions. I on the other hand was managing just find frolicking around the house, making messes carelessly as I went. My tail was the perpetrator a many a broken glass, however Samaliel had since moved many fragile items out of my reach. It wasn't as if I was intentionally was breaking them. The worst part of all of this was that I had recently lost my voice. Samaliel figured it was a turn for the worse and that I was gradually becoming more animal-like than human. I had even broken down more canine-like activities such as marking my territory and sniffing just about everything.
Samaliel was getting tired of having to clean up after me. It was as bad as having a poorly trained puppy. With this in mind, Samaliel armed himself with a syringe and went after me. Fortunately for him, I was curled up in a corner taking a nap. Encroaching ever nearer, Samaliel snuck in and pricked me on the side, injecting the serum into my body as he retracted the needle. Without saying a word, Samaliel discarded the syringe into the biohazard waste and returned the remaining supply into the fridge. Now only time would tell if this was the answer he was looking for. After I woke up, I did so with a throbbing pain in my side. It was causing me to be woozy, so much so that I passed out from the pain. Samaliel watched in horror as I blacked out, feeling guilty about what he had just done.
Samaliels response was quick and agile. He rushed to my side with a damp wet cloth, cool with ice and proceeded to pat it over my head. As he watched over me, my body tensed and convulsed in agony. Samaliel spectated in terror as the body in front of him tremored and flinched. Samaliel's guilt was mounting just panic overtook his person. Not knowing what to do, he stood by helplessly watching. Slowly my body gained control of itself. The erratic motions easing into more a more fluid and steady peace. Concern was soon replaced by relief as Samaliel looked on with renewed interest. As I awoke from my stupor, I did so with an immense headache. Samaliel was looking upon me with an inundated obsession as I came to.
“What happened?” I murmured softly from my fatigued snout. Samaliel responded tactfully in an effort to comfort me “I'm not really sure,” he said. “Oh well...at least it's over.” I responded panting slowly beneath my breath. I picked myself up carrying myself feebily around the house on all fours. Samaliel soon dismissed the idea of having his old life back. Samaliel was done toying around with his feeble attempt at scientific redemption. Instead he would have to become used to our new stations in life. With that behind us, the worst was over with, or so it seemed it least.
Chapter 9: Normalization
Life was becoming more regimented than it had in light of the changes. At least they hadn't gotten any worse and I wasn't becoming any more feral than I already was. Still I was relying a large variety of feral patterns such as walking, eating, and drinking. I had also grown accustomed to eating a simple more natural diet. Not that any of this was horrible, but it was problematic for Samaliel who had hoped to turn to more human customs than animal ones. To that end he decided it was time to train me, as if I was his personal pet.
After locating me, he determined to take me outside where he tried his hardest to teach me the proper places to relieve myself. The most problematic training was the walking process. I hadn't lost my leg strength, it just seemed more natural for me to walk on all fours. Helping me by holding me upwards, Samaliel helped me try to walk on two legs. Every attempt was met with failure. Frustration ensued as Samaliel's determination wavered. He then decided that further incentive was needed. A reward for success was necessary for a dog, so why not for a fox boy?
Locating some fresh fruit and raw herring, Samaliel decided to use it as the idiomatic “carrot on a stick”. For every upright step I took, Samaliel rewarded me with a small berry. Once I had achieved several complete steps, he rewarded me with a bite of the raw fish. After several hours Samaliel had finally achieved the intended result. Though I was occasionally tripping over myself, I was mostly able to walk upright. The long sought after herring was finally given to me and I chowed down with delight. Samaliel felt satisfied that he had accomplished his task but not before washing me down.
As I had become quite dirty, and had fallen down quite a bit it was time for a bath. As a fox, I had already innately bad body odor. After all this physical activity, it has only multiplied. Samaliel fetched the garden house and dog shampoo to wash me off. Dragging me to the side of the house with the promise of another fish, Samaliel proceeded to wet down my fur. Rubbing me down with a plethora of shampoo, Samaliel continue to cleanse me of my impurities. Afterwards I was a clean fox boy, ready for a new day!
Chapter 10: The Accomodations
As time moved on it became more and more normal to have a half fox, half boy in the house. After further examining and time Samaliel deduced that I had the mental capacity of an 12 year old, hardly worth comparing to what I had just a month before. Still the physical capacity of my body was better than it had been in years. I was stronger, healthier, and more active than I had been in years. Whereas before I was depressed, my new life brought levels of happiness I was unable to achieve in my previous life. Samaliel was able to acclimate fine other than having to find a way to make money, he deduced he would have to rely on our parents to get us by. He decided that there would be a time where the changes would be made public, but that this was not that time.
Our relationship more or less remained the same, except that the roles had changed. He was now the guardian, however we more or less were on equal levels. I still had some difficulty walking, often tripping over myself or reverting to my feral position. Eventually Samaliel became used to this disposition and refrained from chastising me. My diet remained far more consistent than it had in the past, Samaliel constantly had to keep a fresh supply of raw fish and berries on hand to satisfy me. I managed to relieve myself outside and eventually began to get accustomed to my new life. The final step was becoming used to wearing clothing as my new form.
This was the final barrier in the transition. Samaliel managed to cut a whole in a pair of jeans, but struggled to find a size that was able to accommodate both my stature and my fluffy fur. Eventually he managed to find a fit, with exception of shoes and just decided I'd have to go barefoot. Getting used to clothing was strange. The friction of the material against my fur created static. I much preferred not wearing clothing as it was more comfortable than wearing them however I wore them to pacify my brother.
In the end the changes seemed to work themselves out. Both my brother and myself managed just fine in our new lives. Samaliel never came clean on the changes and just told my parents that I had re-enlisted, a lie that my parents were very ready to believe. We had a large doggy door built in, so I could let myself out whenever I needed to. My brother and I became ever closer. I even began to sleep at the foot of his bed. Eventually my room became our play room and his room became the relaxation room.
So to that end life continued much as it had in the past, in peace and serenity.
Chapter 11: Tying up loose ends.
The only thing that needed to be dealt with was explaining how we got to point where we were if someone find out. There would come a time when the situation was discovered. I couldn't remain shut-in for all eternity. Having a half fox half boy didn't exactly make sense in any sense of the world. We needed a story, a believable one. One that wouldn't be easily dismissed by anyone who was told the tale. I understood the situation but my diminished mentality didn't allow to me to invent a tale so it was left for the both of us to come up with one.
Sitting down at the table, we discussed whether the reality of the events was an acceptable mode of explanation. We discerned that no one in their right mind would believe that I was the product of an experiment gone wrong. Instead we discussed a slightly more fanciful tale. One that involved a lost race of anthropomorphic foxes, and that I was the last of the race. It could be something similar to the Amazons in history. I mean a lost race of people is hardly the most unbelievable tale... The next issue was to deal with my own personal history.
I can't have regressed into my current form. It just didn't make sense. So instead we came up with a story centering around the theme of a young fox-boy who was heavily integrated with nature. One who was involved with the boy scouts and enjoyed playing hockey. We also included my love of science and math. We failed to take into account the issue of schooling, however. We would need to enroll me at school, once we overcame the hurdle of acceptance. This was something however we would deal with at a later time once we ironed out all the details.
The final hurdle was the issue of my parental issue. Eventually they would have to be told. Would they be accepting of their new son? Would they force us to move back in with them? Chances are is probably not, since they'd long since past the want for child care. The bottom line is we were clearly capable of handling ourselves despite the change in roles and the situation at hand. They would most likely have to be told the truth, since they would be at most liberty for believing it. However only time would tell if this was the case.