The change

The moon was high in the night's sky, a smiling crescent surrounded by a corona of dark black clouds that took in the blue-white glow and accentuated it, wisps of cloud cover cutting through the dark and blocking out the stars above. The forest between the nearby city and the Gennex facility was deep, nearly 50 miles in every direction, tapered by farmland and a four-lane freeway connecting it all. The trees were tall, their canopy wide and thick. Whatever moonlight shone down only came through in sharp beams of white glow high above. A soft wind ruffled the leaves, bringing with it the scent of the cool night air and the horse farm down west.

Trudging through the brush and grass on the forest floor were four people having the worst night of their lives. Not three hours ago they were all working on an experiment on animal regeneration, splicing genes from key animals with those traits to be used for human medical practices. A freak accident exposed them to the retrovirus their company used to bond foreign genes to their DNA, resulting in a painful transformation into what they were now.

“Sniff, sniff... Going to have to get used to that... Can smell everything for miles...” Dr. Cal Strentum complained, leading the group of altered scientists as they made their escape and fled the facility. “Funny how I can see everything as clear as day.”

“Must be the gecko DNA, they're nocturnal hunters.” Huffing as she looked up at the night sky Dr. Rebecca Chambers pulled her long red hair out of her eyes. Covered in reddish-brown fur and nine feet tall, the woman closed her slit eyes and opened them again, for her the moon's light illuminated the landscape for her in ways she would never have appreciated when she was still human. Unlike Cal her horns swept back, curving up like hooks while her hair spilled out like a lion's mane. Standing still she frowned at the sensation of her six large breasts wobbling at her chest, having outgrown all her cloths, she and the others were now all stark naked, the only cold comfort available was that their fur covered their entire bodies. Looking down at her expanded bust she idly scratched at a patch of fur just above her cleavage.

“I wouldn't be surprised if we can see in pitch black darkness now.”

Feeling a clawed hand tap her shoulder she looked to the other two following. Dr. Tina Simmons had black fur and short hair, her horns too curved back over her head but she did not possess the radiant mane of hair Rebecca had. The largest of the three women, Tina stood nine feet tall, her many breasts full and round, matched by wide hips and a ten-foot-long tail of her own.

“I'm actually enjoying that a bit Becca, have you ever worn glasses just to navigate around the house?” True to her case Tina wore glasses just so she could see three feet in front of her, but after the accident all her senses had been amplified. The entire forest was open to her now and despite the changes, she at least enjoyed this little bit of improvement.

“Would you two just shut up, I'd swear you were enjoying this!”

Trailing behind everyone was Dr. Michelle Hilbert. Smaller than the others at just over eight feet tall, she had taken to the changes the worst. Having broken down crying after enduring the painful transformation. Her blonde fur contrasted with the others along with her long-braided hair which had survived after the mutation, just like when she was human, she stroked it absentmindedly to calm herself.

“Sniff... I mean look at us, how could you two not take this seriously?!”

Lowering their heads, Tina and Rebecca moved away from each other, just as they stopped and noticed Cal looking out over a clearing in the trees.

“We ARE taking this seriously, Michelle.” Groused Tina, her hackles rising behind her without her knowing. Crossing her arms. “It’s just… Difficult not to analyse.”

“We’re scientists after all.” She said out loud, keeping that mantra up for herself. Still walking, they found Cal had stopped in place. “What is it Cal?”

“There's a cabin up ahead, and there aren't any lights on.” Moving quickly past the bushes underfoot, the quartet stepped out of the trees and into the tall grass of the cabin's property.

It didn't look like anyone lived here in some time, or at least at this time of year. The single floor log cabin appeared rustic and weathered, its fire chimney cracked at the top with leaf litter mugging up the stonework. A dirt trail cut through the grass and bushes out into a weaving trail out through the trees and presumably to the road to the freeway. Tina peered through the dirty windows inside, the furniture looked worn and years old with a thin layer of dust. If not for her new eyes she would not have seen anything inside with no lights.

“What's that over there?”

Seeing pass where Michelle had pointed towards, stood a small barn, or shed. Its paint chipped and faded from years of rain, snow, and neglect. Pulling the double gate open, the creaking wood fought with rusted hinges as Cal pried both doors wide open. Inside the space was wide enough for a van, the ground bare and dry with a weed whacker hanging off the wall.

“I guess we can rest here for the night, I don't think we could all fit in the cabin.”

Stepping into the dark empty space, the four looked around for a comfortable place to sit down against the walls, finding a few areas bundled with aged hay and matted tarps to sit and lean back to get some sleep. Cal found himself a corner and leaned back, his spines scratching the wood behind him as he fidgeted to get comfortable, finding his long tail curling by his feet. Hugging himself close he breathed in the stale air and exhaled.

“Just two days, then this will all be over...”

***

The morning light cut through the thin cracks in the walls of the shed, the sounds of birds chirping echoed outside as they enjoyed the sunlight and clear skies. Inside the shed, Cal woke groggily, stretching his muscular arms over his horns in a strained yawn. Hearing a moan, he looked down with half lidded eyes, fluttering them wide open, he was surprised to find the other three pressed up against him. Michelle and Rebecca had taken a place at either side of him some time during the night, their heads resting on his shoulders as they clung to him possessively. Tina was resting her head on his lap, her tail slowly twitching back and forth as she continued to sleep on his stout leg. He opted to just lay there and wonder, why?

None of them had any real feelings for him in the past, nothing romantic as far as he could remember. So why were they acting like this now? Continuing to just accept the situation, his ears swivelled to what was going on outside, the faint hum of a truck motor driving up the dirt path while country music blared in the distance caught his attention.

“Ladies get up, we've got people coming!”

Shaking the two at his sides awake, he shifted Tina off his lap. The trio moaning and pouting as they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, their own ears suddenly picking up the activity outside as they heard the vehicle come to a stop just outside the shed. The music cut off just as the driver and passenger doors opened. The crunch of the dirt and gravel telling them there were only two people outside.

“I'm telling you Bob this place is great, out in the open, middle of nowhere. This is the perfect spot for deer hunting.” Called out one voice as the sound of his footsteps shifted to the back of the truck, pulling what sounded like gear and bags over the side to drop them heavily on the ground.

“Hey, watch the beer, Steve! Shit you want us to hunt sober the next couple days?”

“The beer case is padded Bob, lighten up. Come on let’s get this shit stowed away and we can start this weekend up.”

Listening to them carefully the four creatures stayed quite as they kept still and waited.

“They're just outside the shed, what do we do?” Whispered Michelle, her hackles rising as she heard the two hunter's movements, their footsteps going to the cabin nearby.

“If we play it right, we can escape before they know we're here.” Pressing his ear to the shed doors Cal tried to listen in on what the two men were doing. The sounds of their footsteps returning, getting closer as both men walked back to the truck.

“What are they doing?” Whispered Tina as she was shushed by Cal, trying to jar open the doors a crack to get a look see. Just as they were flung open by the one named Steve stepping into the shed.

“Let me check the shed and see if there's any spare...” The man's sentence cut off as he looked forward to stare into the slit eyes of Cal staring back at him, his frame overshadowing the man as his eyes darted to the others standing behind him. Turning chalk white, he gulped before talking a slow step back. “Bullets...”

Raising his clawed hands in a calming gesture Cal tried to speak, the act sent the man into a panic. “Now… Just calm down, we’re not going to…”

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT! BOB! BOB!!!”

As he collapsed on his back, kicking the air as he landed, Steve crawled over to his bags at the truck. Frantically digging through the duffle bag, he desperately pulled free and cocked a loaded revolver before swinging it forward and aiming it at the approaching monster.

“DIE YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!” Firing straight into the beast's chest he kept pulling the trigger as the air filled with deafening booms. Each shot meant to drop a bear pierced into the monster's flesh, spraying blood everywhere as it dropped to its knees, just as the click in the gun told the man he had emptied every round into the thing.

Breathing hard and in a panic, he had little time to get up and run as two more of the creatures barged out of the shed and tore at him, razor-sharp teeth dug into his flesh as he screamed in pain. His last conscious sight was of a huge, clawed hand skewering straight into his bowels before pulling back with his guts and gore in the raging creature's grip.

“CAL!” Screamed Michelle as she checked on the scientist on the ground, the large male creature clutching his chest and wincing in pain just as the metal slugs popped out and rolled onto the gravel beneath the two of them. Looking past to the others, she watched as Rebecca and Tina tore at the man who shot their friend, biting into his flesh as they were lost in some kind of blood rage. A strange… Drive was pulling her to join them, something she closed her eyes and looked away to resist. Until she heard the door from the cabin kick open.

“STEVE! YOU FUCKERS!”

A blast from a double-barrel rifle sent Rebecca reeling as buck pellets dug into her arm and side, sending her to the ground and yelling in pain. Michelle's world went red as she stared at the hunter at the cabin porch, pulling the barrel down to pry the spent shells out and reload another shot. Michelle snarled as she fell to all fours and charged towards the man, colliding with him just as he brought his rifle to bear. The impact sending them both into the cabin as her full weight slammed into him, shattering his ribcage as she clawed and bit into him. His screams and please went ignored as she was awash with blind, savage rage. By the time she had calmed down, panting with gritting teeth, she had torn the man apart.

Regaining her bearings Dr. Hilbert turned to look outside, Cal was just getting up, his wounds healing already as Rebecca cursed out loud. Getting to her feet and rolling her now fully healed shoulder, finding all the buckshot wounds virtually gone.

Pulling himself back to his feet and joining the others as they looked down at what they had done, Cal was speechless. As were the rest of them. Tina was beside herself as she stared down at her bloody hands like she didn’t recognise her own fingers. Michelle stepped out of the cabin door and wretched, vomiting what she had bitten into after she snapped out of killing the other hunter at the cabin.

They all remained silent, in shock over what they had done. It was like a trance or a dream. The minute they were threatened, they had tunnel vision. No one knew what to do until Cal picked up the other victim by the truck in his claw and brought him and his remains in through the cabin door, along with their shared gear and weapons.

Tearing a strip of cloth from the truck, Cal lit it after dousing it in liquor from one of the bottles the two hunters had in their case and threw it into the cabin. The building took time to burn, but within an hour the wooden structure was engulfed with flames. A fiery myriad of colours danced over the wood-chip tiled roof, just before it all collapsed in on itself and smouldered under its own heat. Black smoke pluming high into the sky as the cabin burned away.

“Let’s go…” Cal stated, heading away from the cabin with the others following him. With no other reason to stay and with the damage already done, the four made their way back into the woods. To hide and wait for their affliction to end. Wincing, Rebecca rolled her shoulder again.

“For Fuck’s Sake! I am getting sick and tired of being shot at!”

***

Walking through the forest in the daytime was a different experience than it was during the night. Birds chirped and called overhead in the canopy of the trees, while small animals scurried out of sight from the four massive beings trudging through. Walking a bit faster to walk by his side, Rebecca coughed to gain Cal's attention.

“I think I understand what you went through at the lab, when that guard shot me.” Stopping to talk as Tina and Michelle slowed down to listen, Cal tilted his head in confusion. “When that guy shot you... Back at that shed, I just... Lost it.”

Nodding in agreement, Tina stepped up to feel the spot where Cal had been shot, tracing her claws over the now smooth barrel chest.

“Yeah, me too, when that first shot rang out, I just wanted to tear him apart.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Cal worried about their behaviour. The sudden rage they all went through was uncontrollable, it terrified him to think what would happen if they stumbled on more people in their self-appointed banishment until they would revert to human.

“It… Must be because of the gecko and venison DNA in our system. Both animals have hardwired responses to fight or flight. That means even the slightest start could set us off like a bear trap!”

His thoughts were cut off by a low growl not too far from him, looking to its source, Michelle stood nearby rubbing her flat stomach with her claws, stroking her braided hair as she felt embarrassed.

“I guess I'm a little hungry.” Soon the others felt the same hungry growls from their stomachs as they looked to each other for a solution. “Well... Those two back at the cabin DID say it was deer season.”

***

Hiding under the shrubs and shade of the forest edge the four monstrous beings hid from sight as they watched a field out in the open. About 50 feet away, a deer nibbled on the glass at its feet, with its head down, it didn't notice it was being observed. They all smelt a scent come from the grazing animal as the wind blew in their direction, closing her eyes Michelle could still tell where the deer was in front of her just from its... Scent. Other deer stood nearby, picking at the grass together as the hot sun shined down through the gapes in the cloud cover.

“Are you sure we're close enough? It looks like it'll get away if we jump out.” Worried Rebecca as she and the others ducked when the deer lifted its head, turning to look in their direction for a few seconds before going back to nibbling at the grass.

“Better try now while we still have a chance.”

Finding the right moment, Cal ran from his hiding spot, jumping out into the open as he made a bee line for the deer. Just as quickly the animal darted away, fleeing as fast as it could while the rest of the deer scattered. Something clicked in Cal's mind, switching to all fours, he ran faster, his heart pounding in his chest as he caught up with the large buck trying to escape him. Grabbing onto the terrified animal he wrapped his arms around its body and clamped his jaws down on its neck, a sickening crunch of bone soon followed with his prey going limp in his arms. With the deer's neck still firmly in his jaws, Cal strolled back to the others on all fours, the tip of his tail flicking with every step as the others came out of their hiding place to join him.

Dropping the kill onto the grass, the four mutated scientists stared down at the 200-pound buck, its neck mangled and torn from Cal's teeth and fangs, lifeless eyes rolled up as its head was propped at a skewed angle. Staring down at the dead animal, they were at a loss on what to do next, despite the growling in their stomachs.

“Shouldn't we... I don't know... Make a fire or something?”

Sniffing the air Tina growled, the scent of blood was affecting her in a strange way. Licking her lips, she knelt down and bit into the deer's thigh, tearing a bloody slab of meat and hide off the kill before chewing it in her mouth. Her moans of satisfaction drove the others to dive in along with her, biting and tearing at the meal like lions to a carcass. Within an hour the animal had been picked clean, leaving bloody bones scattered on the grass while the others relaxed under the shade of the trees. Michelle and Rebecca leaned against each other as they rested out their meal. Cal meanwhile had walked away for some privacy, standing in front of a tree as he relieved his bladder. He almost didn't fight the impulse to simply stand on all fours and lift his leg, but he still wanted to hold onto whatever humanity he still had left.

Just as he had finished, a body pressed up against him from behind, the feeling of six heavy breasts mashed against his back startled him as a pair of hands came up to rub his chest, one of which roamed down to stroke his shaft.

“Mmmm... Marking your territory Cal?” Husked Tina as she nuzzled into his shoulder and neck from behind, whispering into his ear as she licked his sweeping horns. Turning around to face her, Cal was pressed up against the tree as Tina ground herself against him, her claw still rubbing his hardening shaft as she stared into his eyes.

“Tina! Wha-what are you mph-”

His questioning was cut short as she leaned up for a smouldering kiss, their muzzles pressed against each other as their long tongues explored each other’s mouths. Losing his resolve to fight her, Cal wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing his claws down to squeeze at the globes of her round ass and tail. Turning around he pressed her back against the tree. she laughed as he pressed up against her, mashing her breasts against his chest as her spines cut deep into the bark behind her. Pressing harder she wrapped her stout legs around his waist, her tail wrapped around the tree behind her as they both growled into the kiss they shared before Tina pulled away.

“I WANT you Cal, now!”

Growling now, he tried to position is throbbing member, aiming it for her moistened pussy and slide into her. Slamming into her with full she cried out before staring back into his eyes, a feral grin on her fanged lips as she ground her wide hips against his.

Instinct had taken over again, the air was heavy with musk as Cal pounded into Tina, her moans driving him onward as she held onto his shoulders, arching her back as he pierced into her core. There was no passion or foreplay, just a rutting pair of animals deep in the throes of heat. Widening his stance Cal grunted as he felt close to the edge, drool escaping his lips as he panted through his nose. Without thinking it he hefted one of Tina's plump breasts and brought it to his lips, clamping down on the stiff nipple as his tongue swirled the pointed nub. Tina cried out as her insides clamped down, wrapping her arms and legs around him just as they both found release. Grunting into her tit Cal jerked his hips as he pumped his cum into her again and again. Tina had buried her head into his shoulder gasping as he filled her, regaining her composure the former scientist looked up, trying to catch her breath as she unwrapped her legs around her colleague.

“That... That was...” Neither said anything after they separated, walking back to the others side by side Tina turned her head back to balk at the scratch marks left behind on the tree, a spark of pride filling her chest at the image.

***

The rest of the day and night had followed quickly as the four ventured through the woods, trying to avoid people as best they could. All the while they got used to their size and bodies, becoming easier to move around and adjust to the heightened senses they now had. One amusing discovery was when Michelle chased a squirrel after it bolted seeing the eight-foot-tall predators come in view. Running on all fours she chased it straight up the tree before she lost it halfway. Looking down at the others 50 feet down, Michelle froze, clinging onto the bark for dear life as she cried out “GET ME DOWN!”

wrapping her limbs and tail around a tree branch she hung upside down from and shivering as she kept her eyes closed.

“How are you doing that Michelle?” Wondered Tina as she called for the woman to come down. Seeing the blonde shake her head violently, Cal shrugged before going up after her. As he climbed, he felt his clawed hands and feet feeling strange as they contacted the trunk of the tree. It was like pulling Velcro off wool as his hands pulled away to grip a higher point. The act was surprisingly easy because of it, climbing higher until he was right beside a whimpering Michelle.

“I'm here Dr. Hilbert.” Stretching out his arm to her he nearly gasped as she lunged out and wrapped around his back, her tail coiled around his waist like a belt as she shivered in his grip.

“GET! ME! DOWN!”

Grimacing under her clawed grip, the man slowly made his way down, wincing as her claws dug into his sides and shoulder. Dropping down to the ground, Michelle let go of Cal to plant her toes firmly on the ground, hugging the man as the claw marks in his back healed up.

“So... Michelle, no more chasing squirrels?”

Nodding with a frown on her black lips she moved away to hold herself as she regained her composure. “Looks like the gecko DNA gave us all adhesive fibres in our hands and feet, felt like I had glue on my hands the whole climb up.”

Surprised by the revelation Tina and Rebecca looked to their hands before finding a tree of their own, climbing its surface easily as their hands and feet clung to the rough bark.

“I'm sick of this, I want to be human again!” Cried Michelle, sobbing as the day's events caught up with her. “I mean I killed a guy today, I tore him to bits, and how do I live with myself?!”

Jumping off the tree, Rebecca walked over to sit next to the sobbing she beast, wrapping her arm around her shoulder to calm her.

“Michelle those two men attacked us first, and you killed him because on some instinctive level you tried to protect us from harm.” Hugging her closer Michelle buried her head into Rebecca's chest, her cries muffled by the fur she cried against.

“It’s almost been two days, the phage should run its course later tonight, OK?” Feeling the blonde woman nod against her fur she helped her up to keep moving, the prospect of changing back giving them all a sense of hope at ending this nightmare.

Hours into their travel they exited the limits of the forest after another shared meal, the four having eaten another deer to mark their dinner.

Daylight had already fallen but it had little effect on the four as they could see just as well in the dark. Passing through a grassy field they came across a barbed wire fence, held up by thick wooden poles nearly 5 feet tall. Looking over the fence they noticed a farmhouse and two barns, the fenced area had what looked like a trough for horses along with a watering hole. From the farmhouse they could hear music playing as the scent of dinner was cooking through an open window. A roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables. Ignoring the delicious scent, the four beast-people sneaked past the fencing, keeping low in the darkness as they made their way to the second barn, the one that didn't smell of horse manure. Opening the door, Cal led them all in before closing the door behind him. Inside the barn stored a tractor and various tools and equipment, pitchforks hung from the rafters along with spare saddles for horseback riding.

“OK if I'm right, the phage will expire in the next couple hours, I say we steal some cloths from the house and just wait until we change back. Then we can make our way back to the Gennex and explain what happened to us.” Explained Rebecca as she looked out the barn window to the house nearby.

“What about the guard Cal killed?” Asked Michelle, the acknowledgement of that making everyone pause. “And the two hunters at that cabin?”

“We'll... Just say that the whole experience was a blank to us, that we didn't remember anything until after we changed back.”

“Doesn’t sound right…” Michelle muttered to herself silently. But weighing in what they’ve done and their lack of self control, what alternatives were there?

Agreeing to the plan with a heavy heart, Michelle chose to sneak out and steal what she could. Creeping over to the pickup truck out front, she risked looking over the dashboard through the window to see the digital clock, reading 12:55 am. She smiled before lowering herself back down to the ground and made her way to the house itself. Seeing cloths and blankets drying in a basket at the door after being picked on the line, she picked it up and ran back to the barn, keeping quite so as not to be heard. As soon as she closed the gate behind her, they all began sifting through the cloths, choosing what would fit them after reverting. Tina whistled to herself as she compared herself to the dress in her hands, the dainty thing looking like a small t-shirt to her than a sundress. To think she and the others had grown so large.

Sitting around the pile of cloths at the back of the barn they waited for the moment to come when the retrovirus would break down and revert their DNA back to its original template before the accident. Sitting with his legs crossed Cal leaned forward, breathing slowly to calm himself, the transformation was agonizing before, and there was no indication changing back would be any less painful. Breathing slowly and keeping relaxed they waited, and waited...

“I don't understand, we should have reverted back by now.” Worried Rebecca, scratching her hair and horns as she looked down at herself. “It's been 48 hours so why haven't we changed back?”

“We're stuck like this...” Hissed Michelle, her tail swinging violently behind her as her breathing pitched. “I'm stuck being a giant fucking monster for the rest of my LIFE!!!”

Tears running down her eyes, she stood up and slammed her clawed fists into the wheel guard of the tractor behind her, denting the metal with the . “WHY?! WHY CAN'T I GO BACK TO NORMAL?!!!”

Screaming, the blonde she-beast tore the guard clean off the vehicle, just as Tina came from behind and pulled her back. “Quite Michelle, you'll let the people outside know we're h-”

“What's going on in there? Who's on my property?” Yelled a scratchy voice outside the barn, smelling the man even through the barn door they knew he was armed as they heard the telltale click of a rifle being cocked. “You better not be thieves, or I'll blast you straight to hell!” Kicking the gate wide open the old farmer raised his shotgun up and aimed, just as his face gawked in shock.