You are standing by a tree
There are 3 paths.
One appears to go to a jungle,
one appears to go to a cave,
one appears to go to a beach,
you could try and climb the tree,
there is a nearby shop you could go in,
or you could do something else.
So what's its going to be?
Written by catprog on 01 April 2003
Go Home
Today began as any other for you: you went to school and you walked home. There was no one waiting for you at home, but you were used to it by now. The days were monotonous and boring, but you couldn't complain--your life was as normal as you could hope for. You wanted to go through life without making much of a splash in the big puddle known as the world and hoped to spend your time neither happy nor sad, just existing. You were okay with that kind of life, because that was all you had ever known.
It was a rainy, dark day, and you walked home without an umbrella, pulling your hood over your head and keeping your eyes to the road, sometimes glancing upwards to be sure you were headed in the right direction. It was nice, calm--there were no cars on the street. Most would think the scene to be eerie or disheartening, but not you. This kind of weather resonated with you somehow...empty, quiet...peaceful. You wondered what you would do when you got home. Perhaps you'd do your homework or spend your time reading articles on the internet.
The happenings of the world outside sometimes interested you, though you couldn't care less about being a part of them. Living on the sidelines was the good life for you, and you'd do your best to make sure it stayed that way. As you neared the street of your home, a car sped by, sending water from the puddles splashing onto you. You sighed, even more drenched now. You weren't planning on taking a shower, but after being covered in muddy water, it was probably for the best.
You raised your head as a low rumble gurgled in the gray sky and your stomach seemed to respond in kind. Hungry. You were hungry. As you continued along your way home, you thought about what you could eat at home and your mind drifted off...
While you were lost in your thoughts, someone called out to you--a girl, holding an umbrella. Was she waiting for you? She stood near the corner of the road--an uncannily silent, empty road, smiling at you. You squinted and saw her: she looked like someone you knew, maybe. But who? She was very pretty, probably around your own age. Her hair was long and a warm, sunny shade of orange. Her eyes were dark green but somehow dazed. Her smile was genuine enough though, but you didn't really want to spend time talking. There was a nice TV dinner waiting for you at home in the freezer, after all...
"There you are," she said, smiling, looking straight through you, as if there was a ghost standing in your wake. "I've been waiting for you."
You blinked. Did you hear her correctly? Was she waiting for you? But why? You couldn't be sure; you were skeptical. You told her that you were on your way home.
"It's me," the girl spoke again, her pink lips parting in a way that made you feel uncomfortable. "It's Tanya. We were in the same class last year, remember?"
Tanya. The name rang a bell. Again, you told her that you had to be on your way and apologized. "My house is on this street too. Why don't you come over? I'll order pizza for us and we can chat. It'll be great," she smiled, but her smile seemed emotionless...and her eyes, like a void. Still, you felt drawn in. "Please, won't you come?" She sounded desperate, and the promise of pizza was appealing. Tanya was one of the few people who was nice to you in school, so what was the harm? There was the issue of your clothes, though...
But she didn't seem to notice. Just as you were going to open your mouth to speak, she stepped forward and suddenly kissed you on the lips. A moment later, your mind felt fuzzy and you fell into a daze. Your vision clouded and you thought you lost consciousness...
Written by Merieth on 01 February 2018
At her home
...but maybe you were just feeling sick from the weather. When you opened your eyes again, you were somehow dry, wearing a new set of clothes. You sat at the table in Tanya's kitchen--it was a small, meager kitchen with minimal lighting. In front of you was a large pizza with all your favorite toppings, and Tanya set a tall glass of your favorite drink in front of you. "You're awake," she said, even more monotone than before. Her eyes looked glazed over, and you were starting to feel uneasy. Your head was hurting, and you weren't sure why.
Your senses were telling you to run, but your body was heavy, so heavy. Your stomach growled as the delicious smell of pizza filled your nostrils. Just one bite wouldn't hurt...right? You decided to go against your better judgement in favor of your stomach's pleading and took a bite of pizza. "I'm so happy you came..." Tanya spoke in an almost ghastly voice, but you were sure it was just your imagination. You were a normal, boring person with a normal, boring life. You shouldn't ever expect any danger to come your way.
But why oh why was that pizza making your head spin so?
Yet, it was delicious--so delicious that you wanted another bite. Another. Another. It was strangely addicting, almost frighteningly so. You ate and ate and ate until your stomach was full, and by the time you finished your head felt like it was going to twist right off. "...I wanted you to join our family," said Tanya. "I always wanted a sister. Won't you be...my...sister...?" Her voice became deeper, almost like a growl. You lifted your heavy, aching head. Your vision was blurred, but you could see two furry ears prick up from underneath her thick, orange hair.
You gasped quietly, then noticed a long, furry, brown-and-orange striped tail snaking out from underneath her jeans to touch your hand. She made a purring sound as she pat your head, smiling, revealing sharp fangs as her eyes changed, becoming more catlike as she stared at you. "My new sister...will... be... you..."
Surely this was a nightmare. Tanya seemed to transform into a half-cat half-woman creature right before your eyes. But it was so real, so real. Yet her words were too strange to be reality--after all, you were a man. It didn't matter anymore. Your head was so heavy, and you were starting to feel tired. So, so tired. Maybe you should sleep? When you woke up, you'd probably be at home with your head asleep on the keyboard. So why not give in? You should just sleep. Sleep...
"It's time for you to sleep now..." Tanya said, patting your head, her furry tail covering your eyes. Almost immediately, you felt yourself fall forward onto the table. Your body and senses were numb. A second later, you were asleep again. Your dreams were cold, dark and empty--this wasn't unusual for you, but this time it felt...wrong. Something was definitely...wrong.
But no matter how hard you tried, you could not wake up. It'll all be okay when you do, won't it?
Somehow, you weren't so sure anymore.
Written by Merieth on 09 February 2018
A Black Awakening
You awoke in a pitch black, cold room. It was so, so cold. You couldn't see anything, but felt the cold, metal floor beneath your feet as you stood up. Your head was still heavy and your mind was fuzzy. Was it possible that this was another dream? You pinched yourself, but you didn't wake up. What could have happened? You stopped and tried to sort your thoughts; everything that happened pointed to one thing...
You were abducted.
You could barely remember what had happened. The memories were distant, buried deep. It felt like casting a fishing line into a swirling, slimy blackness and trying to reel in a ghost of a fish. Whatever you managed to catch slipped away into a vague, gray fog a moment later. You could barely remember images, flashes of what had happened. Most of all you remembered Tanya--or at least, what you thought was Tanya. Finally, you realized this was no dream. This was reality.
You had to escape. You had to get out.
You tried to reach into your pocket, but quickly realized that these clothes were not your own. Instead, you felt as though you were wearing a robe, something akin to what patients of a hospital wear. You felt your blood run cold as you thought of Tanya's catty eyes. What kind of nightmare had you fallen into? No, you reminded yourself, this was no nightmare. Something terrible was happening. You panicked, but you were too scared to cry out. You had no phone and you were in a completely dark room.
What should you do?
You asked yourself again and again before blindly reaching around, but there was nothing but emptiness. You walked and reached and reached and walked but there was nothing but cruel, cold darkness. The room was utterly silent, too. Time passed... How long? You felt like your mind was slipping--whatever was in that pizza was still making your mind sluggish and dazed. You paced and paced for a long time until your sanity felt like it was reaching its limit. Then, finally, you saw a door.
A light.
Written by Merieth on 14 February 2018
Through the Door
It opened with an ominous squeak, but this light was the only sanity you had left. There was no other option than to go forward and investigate what lie ahead for you. If there was a door, that meant there must be a way out. A way out, back to your normal, peaceful life. That's all you ever wanted...and you'd do anything to go back to it.
You crept towards the light, the white beams seeming to bend and blur as you neared. What awaited you beyond that door? You felt anxious, afraid, but you knew that you didn't have another choice. At last, you stepped into the light and the door behind you slammed shut, startling you. You looked around, but much like the last room, this one was empty. The white room seemed to go on forever and ever, and the ceiling was nothing but an endless cluster of lights.
The room was bright. So bright that your eyes began to strain. You looked around for some clues for a way out, but even the door behind you seemed to perfectly meld into the wall. There was no knob, no door hinge--nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. It was maddening. Just when you thought you were making progress, too.
What could you do but sit and wait? If one door opened, maybe another one would. Instead of trying to search for a door again, you sat down and held your head in your hands. It was spinning even more, hurting even more, and the light only made it worse. You wished and wished for an escape from this madness.
When you felt like you were reaching the end of your rope again, a cold, metallic voice echoed throughout the room. "Hello. Welcome. You have been chosen to participate in a special experiment. A project that aims to further enhance the human race." What? You raised your head but could not tell where the voice was coming from. An experiment? Enhance the human race...?
"Humans are indeed the most intelligent species on the planet, but what if certain, special members of our race possessed the speed of a cheetah? The dexterity of a chimpanzee? The wings of a bird?"
You had no idea what nonsense this voice was talking about.
But then you remembered Tanya. "You have met one of the newest members of our family, and we would like you to join us. You have what it takes. You are one of the chosen, one of the great beings among us who may ascend beyond a mere human form."
No. No, no, no. This was not what you wanted. You were not some chosen, special being. You were just a normal boy, with a normal life. What would it take to turn back time and erase all of these terrible events?
"You must have doubts. Fears. But I assure you...after your ascension, you will feel much better. Much more alert...Reborn. We will give you time. As much time as you need. Until then...we await your answer." Then, the voice was gone. You were alone again in your vast, white, empty world. Your answer was that you wanted to leave, and you said as much, but the voice did not bother to respond.
What could you do but wait and hope? You hoped that someone would notice your absence, that someone would find you here...and set you free from this madness. But hours passed, and no one came.
No one came...
Written by Merieth on 21 February 2018
Wait
How long had it been since you came to this white, white room? Your stomach growled on end as your headaches grew worse. Your mouth was dry and you felt as though you hadn't had a drop to drink in days. You were shaking, inside and out; the pizza you ate must have contained a drug, perhaps several, to have such adverse effects on you.
You rocked back and forth, anxiously glancing up at the rows of lights above you. You felt weak, and your hunger and thirst only grew.
But there was nothing in this room. Nothing but empty, silent white.
You waited...waited. There was no sense of time here. Finally, when you began to think your own hand might taste delicious, a small compartment opened in the far end of the room and a fresh, hot meal was pushed through along with a tall glass of icy water. The compartment closed immediately, but all you could think of right now was the food and drink before you. It was probably--definitely--drugged, but you had no choice. You were starving, dying.
You could not fight your own survival instinct.
You scrambled to the tray, sinking your teeth into the perfect steak that had been laid before you. You washed it down with the tall glass of water and felt satisfied, at least until your senses returned. Soon, you felt dizzy again, followed by a pleasant wave of exhaustion that forced you to sleep.
Written by Merieth on 26 February 2018
Hospital
This time, you found yourself in a normal-looking hospital room. You felt a sense of relief wash over you as you saw the rays of the setting sun filtering through the curtains.
Maybe it really was just a bad dream after all...and maybe now it was finally over.
But then you looked at your hands. You blinked and looked again, and your eyes did not deceive you; there was fur growing on your hands. Your nose felt itchy, and when you scratched it you swore you felt...whiskers. You squeezed your eyes shut and tried to forget what you had seen, but soon the door opened.
You immediately wanted to spring up and try to bolt out of the room, out of wherever you were being kept, but the normal hospital bed wasn't so normal after all. Chains burst from the sides of the bed, wrapping firmly around your waist, ankles and wrists, pinning you down to that deceptively comfortable cushion below you.
Your vision was cloudy, but you heard a "friendly" voice: "Oh dear, I'm ssso ssssorry. You mussstn't move yet, or you'll hurt yoursssself. It ssseems that your nervoussss system is reacting quite sssstrongly to the STT dosesss we've adminissssstered, so we were forced to bring you here to ssssave your life." It was a man's voice, surely, but he made strange hissing sounds whenever he spoke.
You opened your eyes wider and barely managed to move your head to the side. It was a man, but there were green scales on his face and hands and his amber eyes were that of a lizard's. Other than his reptilian features, he looked like an average, friendly doctor. "You'll be fine now. The next phassse will begin tomorrow," his voice was so kind that you almost wanted to accept that what was happening to you was...acceptable. "We wanted to wait until you gave usss your anssswer, but..." He continued speaking, but your head was spinning.
You closed your eyes and prayed that this wasn't real. If it was real...then you hoped that you would die.
You felt that your body was changing, you knew it was. Just what insanity were you about to be subjected to? What was going to happen to you? You didn't want to change. You were happy with who you were--a normal, boring boy with a normal, boring life. But this place, these "people", wanted to take that all away from you.
And there was nothing you could do.
Written by Merieth on 04 March 2018
The Days Blur
The next few days were a blur. When you did have some semblance of consciousness, you found yourself in the same room as before. The lights were always out, though, and your body was numb. You could barely hear the murmurs of your captors whenever your eyes opened in the darkness. Your body felt like it was changing, as though it wasn't quite yours anymore at all. Your skin felt prickly and itchy sometimes, and soon you realized why. You heard an unfamiliar woman's voice during your daze one day, and it seemed she was speaking directly to you.
"You're coming along nicely. You should be proud. Not only will you become our first Sabertooth, but also our first gender transition experiment. Your body, your DNA, your nervous system...even your brain all responded very well to our treatment. We have only a few more steps before your ascension to something greater is complete. Until then, my apologies, but you'll be kept in...less than desirable circumstances. Can't have you running around, otherwise the STT drugs might turn your organs to mush. Sit tight, will you? Your new life here at The Arcadia Facility is about to begin."
You were horrified, but you could neither move nor see. You were trapped in your mind, forced to wait until this 'transformation' was completed.
One day you had a bit more clarity and managed to open your eyes. The lights were off, but somehow you could see clearly in the darkness. There were belts around your wrists, ankles, torso and head that kept you from making even the slightest movements, but it felt strangely comfortable. You did not feel the material scraping against your skin, but instead you felt something soft, like a cushion, between the belts and your skin.
...Your skin?
You squinted at one of your hands. Even though it was dark, you could see the outlines of something where your skin should be; it looked like...fur. You squinted a little more and looked at your feet--your skin was covered with fur as well. Why was there fur on your body? Then you remembered what that voice from before had said: you were to be their first Sabertooth.
A Sabertooth Tiger. Was that what they were doing? Not only that...but you swore you heard the words 'gender transition' as well.
You struggled against your bonds through your weakness and delirium, and immediately a red light began to flash as an alarm sounded. A moment later, you heard a mechanical whirring, followed by a prick in your left arm. Your strength faded almost immediately as your consciousness faded once again.
Days had passed before you were finally awake again, but you felt awful. Your mind was even more scrambled now, and your body itched all over. Worse, though, was the terrible sensation you felt in a certain place between your legs. It felt like you had been stabbed, but even worse was that you felt that there was nothing there at all. What had happened over the last few days?
You wanted to speak, to call out--your sanity was mostly gone, and you were desperate. You wanted some kind of release, some kind of hope that this nightmare would end. Whenever you tried to make a sound, a low gurgling growl was all that came out. And then, a voice came over a speaker in a corner of the room.
"Are you prepared? Your transformation is nearly complete, Saber 01. Why don't you take a look at yourself now? You're quite a beautiful tigress, you know."
The lights of the dark room flashed on all at once, burning your eyes after you had become so used to living in the darkness. A mirror came down from the ceiling and it took you a long moment to realize that what you were looking at was indeed your own reflection.
You saw a humanoid face, but your features were catlike. Your face was covered in white fur with black stripes and your ears were pointed upward. You saw two fangs slightly protruding over your bottom lip and your nose was shaped like a tiger's. Your eyes were predatory, aqua blue, and sharp like a cat's.
You didn't believe it.
You blinked and tried to move your body, but you were paralyzed from the neck down.
"It seems that you're just as excited as we are. Don't worry. The next time you wake up, you'll be in the Field. You'll meet other newcats there and be able to start your new life towards greatness. We look forward to seeing you soon, Saber 01."
You growled and gurgled sadly, horrified as the lights flickered off. Again you were put in darkness and your mind was in chaos. Soon, you felt that familiar prick in your arm, and everything went black once again.
Written by Merieth on 16 March 2018
the Field
The sound of birds singing rang in your ears and your jumped to your feet. Were you dreaming?
You took a deep breath. The air was fresh and the breeze was comfortable. If only for a fleeting second, you thought that it had all been no more than a nightmare.
But then, you looked at your hands. They were shaped like a human's, but covered in fur and had claws. You ran to the nearest patch of greenish light that filtered through the trees and looked down.
You wore no clothes, but your body was covered in fur. Your feet were entirely different, now resembling a cat's paws. You touched your furry chest and felt strange humps that had never been there before. When you squeezed, you realized that these were not just humps of flesh, but breasts.
You placed your hands on your head--your ears had completely morphed as well, into two catlike ears. Your senses were much keener than before; you could pick up on the smallest sounds, sights and movements of the brush. When you felt around your lower back, you found a tail, long and white with black stripes.
You took a step forward and froze. This body was not your own... or was it? Had you really been changed into...this? Something between a human and an animal, and not a male...but a female?
You began to wander through the forest, becoming more and more aware of this strange new body. With every motion you felt the humps on your chest move slightly and it confused you. You kept walking for a long, long time. At least, perhaps, you were free...even if you were trapped in this new form.
But what would you do now? You didn't know where you were...and it was impossible to return to your own life. Where would you go?
Anywhere. Anywhere but THERE. You wanted to get away from those lunatics, but first you had to figure out where you were now.
You were smart enough to know that there was no way they had just dropped you off in some friendly forest to let you free. You were their experiment, not their friend. They did this to you, and you wanted revenge...but more than that, you just wanted freedom.
And so you ran. You ran and ran and ran until finally, you heard voices in the distance. One of them sounded like Tanya, but the others were unfamiliar. You soon found yourself in a sunny clearing and saw several cat-people standing in a circle, talking. One was Tanya the orange tabby, another was an unfamiliar black panther and the last one was a short, bow-legged Persian.
You hid in the brush and listened to their conversation--it seemed that they were arguing.
"We can't run away," said Tanya. "They take care of us. This is Arcadia. We want for nothing. How could you want to escape?"
"Tanya's right," said the black panther in a deep, male voice. "We should accept our new life."
"You're BOTH crazy!" hissed the Persian in a high-pitched female voice. "Don't you want your REAL lives back!? To hell with you both. Sit around coughing up furballs forever, but I REMEMBER who I am supposed to be!"
The Persian female stomped off.
Written by Merieth on 25 March 2018
