Strange Happenings
Midnight. They always came at midnight. The chimes from the old grandfather clock in the den jolted Daniel out of his restless dreams. It wasn't the chimes that woke him so much as the knowledge that They were coming. It was the same horrifying ritual, every single night.
The room was illuminated by an eerie pale green glow. Three figures in haz-mat suits stood around his bed. One of them held a large briefcase, another held a gun, and the third--the apparent leader, from the way he acted--was making entries into a large handheld computer. Daniel tried to escape, to run, to even move, but some unseen force held him in place, as immobile as the bed itself. The leader looked up from his computer and signaled to the one holding the briefcase, who set the case down and began to open it. Daniel strained to see its contents, but couldn't from his position. If only he could move...
The leader reached forward, grabbed the bedcovers and--
The shrill blast of Daniel's alarm clock filled the room. He'd had that dream again, the same one he'd been having every night for nearly a month. Except that it didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt more like a memory, but one that had been partially forgotten. Anyway, Dan had more important things to worry about, so he pushed whatever it was aside for the moment. Today was the last day of school, finally. All he had to do was survive his last few final exams, and he'd be home free. He wasn't about to let a creepy dream get him down.
***
Dr. DiCaoz glanced over his biology classroom. "Is anybody still working on the final?" he asked tiredly. He paused for a moment, then said, "If everybody is finished, you may talk quietly amongst yourselves for the remainder of the period." As the class erupted in chatter, he went back to nursing his hangover.
Daniel loved his biology class. It wasn't just that he was good at it, or that it was the last class of the day. By some bit of luck or fate, he happened to be in the same class as his four closest friends, Gassan, David, Pammy, and Jake. Gassan, David, and Pammy had become absurdly popular since coming to high school. Gassan was Lebanese and therefore "exotic," David was a star swimmer, and Pammy was a cheerleader. In retrospect, popularity was an inevitability. To the other popular kids, Jake an avid follower of the Furry subculture (he called it a craze, but nobody else did) and Daniel, the introspective writer, were social liabilities. Still, Gassan, David, and Pam never let their newfound "friends" keep them away from Jake and Dan. Privately, Daniel was grateful that he had managed to befriend the four people who appeared to be immune to high school drama.
"So, what'd you guys think?" Pammy whispered.
"I'm pretty sure Dr. Di is a nutcase," Gassan answered quickly. He was met with a chorus of approval from his companions.
"Anyway," Pam continued, "are we having our annual Thank-God-The-Schoolyear's-Over party tonight?"
"I can't go," Jake said, "I've got a convention."
"I can't go either," said David, "My dad's taking me camping. He's on a back-to-nature kick."
"I'm visiting my grandma," Gassan said. Pammy rolled her eyes.
"Alright," she sighed, "when do you guys get back?"
"Sunday"
"Sunday evening"
"Sunday, but it'll be late."
"So," Pammy continued, "is Monday night alright with everyone?"
***
The days passed quickly. By the time Monday arrived, he had gone an entire weekend without his mysterious dreams. He was mostly relieved, but part of him wished the visitors would come back so he could find out what they were up to.
The streets were charged with an eerie calm. A summer storm was coming. As Daniel reached Pam's door, he couldn't help but feel a strange foreboding. Something was decidedly wrong. He rang the bell.
"Come in," called Pammy. Dan opened the door and found friend sitting on the floor in a tidy circle. They were all staring at him, an unsettling hunger in their eyes. "We are playing Truth or Dare," Pammy intoned mechanically. "Please, join us. Truth or Dare?"
"Please choose Dare," Gassan said, in the same unearthly voice.
"The Truth is never any fun," agreed David, still in the same tone. Throughout the exchange, none of the four took their eyes off of Daniel.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "You all seem...different."
Pammy answered in the same monotone as before: "We are collectively unnerved at a series of recurring dreams we have been having. Perhaps you too are experiencing these visions?"
"Yeah," Dan said, "but I'm not acting that weird about it."
"Perhaps," Pammy said, "All will be made more clear if you answer this simple question: Truth...or Dare?"
Written by Zodiac on 31 May 2008
Truth:
What are you?” Pammy asked calmly
Dan was a little taken aback, this had happened so fast that he was already having trouble processing things and this strange question had only made it worse.
“What…what are you talking about?” he furrowed his brow slightly, there was a strange pressure in his chest, as if he wanted to release a deep breath he did not realise he was holding.
Pammy smoothed her skirt slightly and stared directly into his eyes, well, perhaps it might be more accurate to say she looked through him, at the wall behind. Those eyes were blank and he was starting to feel a little like a cornered animal.
“What are you?” came David’s voice. It almost made him jump. When had David moved behind him?
That pressure in his lungs was more intense; it was sort of like when you had something you really wanted to say but had to politely wait your turn. Daniel was starting to get really quite scared now and he shook his head violently to no one in particular.
“What are you?” asked Gassan and Jake almost in unison. It would seem he was surrounded.
Written by foxyscribe on 11 April 2017
Fox
"A Fox. No I'm a Fox. That is not right. Why can't I say what I am?" Dan says."
"Because you are a fox and that's how we know it. " said Jake.
Dan holds out his hands. "Do these look like fox paws?" he said before watching in shock as fur starts to grow on them. "I'm a human. I'm a human. Why is this happening?"
"It's the booze, man. It's the booze," says Jake.
"Shut up," says Dan as his nose starts to stretch. He looks furious. He holds out his hands again. His nails are turning black. "I'm a human," he says again. Then he screams as his teeth start to sharpen. His nose moves up his face as his mouth fills with razor-sharp teeth.
"How do you explain your tail if you are a human?" asks David.
A tail? Dan turns and looks at his butt. He feels it and looks at the others. "Terrific. Now I've gone and I'm a freak."
"You're a fox, man," says Jake. "Foxes have tails."
Pammy spoke up next "And foxes have paws instead of shoes" She grabbed his arm and turned his hands over to reveal the furry paws.
"You are an animal trapped in a humans body. Now you must embrace your true selves" "Your inner animal," says David.
The group starts chanting "Embrace your inner animal"
That chant continues as fur sprouts all over Dan's body, his legs bending as his feet turn into a proper paw. He lets out a terrified scream before his screams are silenced as a snout grows out of his face covered in fur.
David joined the conversation next "The next question for you is are you a todd or a vixen?"
Written by Ai Dungeon on 01 December 2020
Vixen
Dan struggled to say what he wanted to say before the wrong answer came out "T... T... Vixen. I am a Vixen"
"Good, Good, you are learning" David replies.
"Hey that's not fair, you told him the best choice," says Jake.
Gassan looks over at Dan before asking "And what is the difference between a todd fox and a vixen fox?"Dan frowns as the words came to his mouth "A vixen's chest is larger, while they have the equipment for the growing kit inside of them."
Already he could feel his chest expanding. While between his legs he could feel his manhood being sucked into his body.
The group claps at his answer as he feels his chest expand and is horrified to find new sensations coming from between his legs. He looks down and realizes he's now a vixen. He screams in horror and runs off to find some water to put out the fire that's run through his veins.
"What do you think David?" asks Jake.
"I think Dan is only just realizing what she is."
"Ah yes. It is too bad, he could have been a fine todd."
Pammy asks "Should we go after him?"
David thinks for a moment before replying "Yes, we have more questions for her."
The group follows Dan. The vixen now looks at the rest of the group "Why are you doing this?" she asks.
"Doing what?" asks Jake.
"Making me what I am."
"You are what you are."says David.
"I'm a person, not an animal," she replies.
"You may not be human but you are still a person" says Pammy.
"What is your point?" asks Dan.
Gassan joins in next "I think she's saying you should embrace who you are."
"You're an idiot, you know that?" says Jake who get a punch on the arm from Gassan .
"Next question" says Jake "How many kits are in a litter?"
"Five" says David.
"Four or Five" says Gassan together with Jake.
"That's not fair, you had both of us." says Gwen
"Sorry, but my answer is right."
Jake looks at Dan "Who do you think is right?"
Written by Ai Dungeon on 10 December 2020