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
Follow Her
She returned to a cave where she had been working on something--an old ray gun that she was trying to repair. There was scrap metal littered all around the cave, and upon closer inspection you spotted many tools that had been crafted from it.
You stalked inside the cave, like a predator cunningly following its prey, trying to determine if this Persian was friend or foe. However, she noticed you when you tried to hide behind a nearby boulder.
"YOU! Who are you? You with Tanya?"
You came out of hiding and explained everything to her. You wanted to leave, you begged to leave. Your voice frightened you; it was not the voice you remembered, but the voice of a strong alpha female.
"Really now? Well then. My name's Priscilla, like to be called Percy. Jerks here call me Purse... and those idiot scientists thought it'd be FUNNY to make me a Persian. HA! ...Got captured too. Was a slave before that...and then those psychos found me, and made me into THIS! But I'm not staying here. I don't know what I'm gonna do with this screwy cat-body, but I sure as hell ain't rotting here! The others you probably met... the drugs fried their brain. Most of the 'ascended ones' lose their marbles when they...change. But some of us remember, some of us know WHO are ARE... This ain't a new life. This is hell."
You spent a long time talking to Percy, and she explained her plan to escape. She said that the 'big shots' from The Arcadia Facility rarely ever came to these Fields, but when they did it was usually to leave some food. The 'kiss-ups' as she called them sometimes were let out of the facility to do work for them, like lure in potential candidates for ascension.
Percy had found out that there was a garbage dump well-hidden in the Fields, and that was where she found all that scrap metal and even the broken ray gun. She was close to repairing it though, and that's how she hatched a plan. "Before I got captured by a slave driver, I was a tinkerer. Knew a lot about science and gadgets, but it didn't do me no good once I was in chains. Once I found THIS baby," she flashed the ray gun. "I knew I could get out eventually."
"Almost got it repaired. It'll be done within the week, but I can't run. You see how my legs are," Percy pointed to her legs. "I need help, so that's why I was askin' the others. They're kiss-ups, but they ain't bad people. They're sad. Their brains got fried." You weren't sure how to feel about Tanya--she was another victim, just like you.
"The plan is this: when they come to release prey into the Fields, we storm the exit with this ray gun. They are never armed other than maybe a tranq gun, but by the size of you...they'll need at least three to take you down. I'm tiny and slow, so I'm just an easy target. I'll make us some armor out of this metal, and..." She went on explaining.
Written by Merieth on 13 May 2018
Escape
The two of you went over the plan over and over and over until it was all you thought about.
Freedom.
Freedom was coming, and it couldn't come soon enough.
At long last, it was time to put the plan into motion.
Percy was smart--a genius, one could easily say--and you were confident that the two of you could escape this hell together. She had crafted two suits of metal armor that would protect you against the tranq shots and gave you the ray gun. It was your job to clear the way while she hacked into the systems to open the path to the outside world.
The forest you had been staying in for the last several days was nothing more than a fancy terrarium, and that became even clearer to you when you saw the door to the facility open. As soon as two anthropomorphic dog-men came through the room, you lunged at them with a growl. You knocked one unconscious with a metal-armored fist and zapped the other with a ray gun.
You didn't want to kill anyone, but you would if it meant securing freedom for yourself and for Percy.
You ran through the door and attacked anyone who happened to be in your path, sometimes waiting up for Percy, who hobbled behind. Most of the people in the facility were unarmed scientists, so they were easy enough to knock out and move forward. You often stayed behind to guard Percy as she hacked door after door, wondering how she knew the facility so well.
But that didn't matter right now.
The fighting continued for a long time, and once you reached the last gate, alarms were blaring everywhere. You heard an announcement that the two of you were to be captured or killed, and armed guards began to flood the halls.
Percy, though, had a trick up her sleeve. She tossed a smoke bomb and blinded everyone--including you--as she opened the final gate. "Come on! We only have a few seconds! If we can get out of here now, we'll be scot-free!" She pulled you along and you picked her up, tossing her on your back before you dashed out of the facility.
You ran and ran and ran and ran, feeling as though you could run forever if it meant never having to see Arcadia Facility again.
Finally.
You were free.
Written by Merieth on 16 May 2018
Run for Hours
After escaping the nightmare that was ARCADIA, you ran for your life, carrying Percy the Persian on your back. You ran as fast and as far as your legs would take you, amazed by the speed and agility your new half-feline form gave you. You ran for what seemed like hours, until finally you collapsed, exhausted, in a wooded marsh. It was dark outside and a chilly rain began to fall as soon as you stopped to take your breath, much to Percy's discomfort. You sighed and propped your back up against a dampened tree trunk and immediately your eyes fell shut.
Written by Merieth on 19 May 2018
Memories
A dark, endless hallway stretched on for what seemed like forever in front of you... There was no turning back, so you were moved by some unknown force to step forward. You looked at your hands and they were just how you remembered them--human skin, no claws or fur, and your nails weren't claws like how you remembered them. Where were you? You tried so hard to remember as you stepped forward, the sound echoing eerily around you. Everything was black and white, even when you blinked or rubbed your eyes you could see nothing but differing shades.
You thought you might be dreaming, but it all seemed so real. You didn't know where you were going, but you felt driven forward. At first, it was like a sense of curiosity, but soon that curiosity turned to fear. The hallway began to twist and turn, becoming something disoriented and horrific. You heard cries and screeches behind you, the sound of bones gnashing and animals squealing in their death throes. You ran faster and faster, noticing that your each step left bloody footprints behind.
The red clashed with the colorless surroundings and your heart raced. You heard loud stomping behind you; you were being chased, but you could not look back. If you looked back now, it would all be over...
The stomping grew nearer, and you heard a fierce roar that made your whole body tremble. Ahead, you saw a door ajar and quickly ran into the unknown room beyond, locking the deadbolt just seconds before the beast that had been chasing you came crashing into the iron door. You heard the beast snarling and pacing about, but after some time it gave up the chase and disappeared.
Then, you turned around to discover yourself in a room that sent a chill down your spine...
Written by Merieth on 22 May 2018
Surgery Room
It was a small, dark, dilapidated room with a cold, metal hospital bed in the center; overhead was a round, wheel-like structure that made your skin feel prickly. Just being in this room made you feel sick to your stomach, but when you turned to check on the door, it was gone. Then, you heard a voice as the room became even more dim...
"Welcome, Saber 01. You were eager to get started, were you? Please...take a seat."
The wheel-like structure creaked and turned, spitting out several icy cold metallic tentacles that wrapped around your wrists and ankles, dragging you onto the metal hospital bed. Your voice was caught in your throat and your body felt weak as the tentacles grew spikes that pricked your skin, pumping drugs into your veins that rendered you paralyzed. Your eyes were wide as you stared up at the metal wheel above you, a drop of blood dribbling from the ceiling onto your cheek.
You wanted to struggle, but you could not feel your body anymore as a bright light flashed on, almost blinding you. "It is much less scary when you understand what is happening. You see, these metal limbs are meant to keep you safe, not hurt you. They're equipped with five dozen needles that will fill your body with the STT drugs needed to begin our first phase of surgical alteration. Once those drugs are properly administered and your vitals are stable, we will begin. We have decided to start with the legs. Unfortunately, your current legs are not suitable for your new form, but I promise, you won't feel a thing."
The light was so bright that you couldn't see anything, but you could feel the metallic limbs let go of your legs. You wanted to move them, your brain screamed for them to move, but it was as though they were not there at all. The next thing you heard was something like a chainsaw, but you didn't want to believe it. Then, you saw a large, gleaming silver saw descend from a hatch in the ceiling, hovering towards your leg.
You wanted to cry out, to struggle--to do anything to get this madness to stop, but you were helpless. The saw hovered lower and your eyes became sore as you stared, unblinking, at the blade that neared your leg. "You won't feel anything, but I do recommend that you close your eyes for this part of the procedure. It might be a little...gruesome." The voice was cold and uncaring, and a moment later the blade came in contact with your skin, and your vision was obscured by a splatter of blood that splashed into your eye.
But you heard it. You heard the sound of the blade mashing through flesh and bone and you felt the warm, oozing blood pooling around your lower body. The leftover blood dripped through the holes in the bottom of the chain-linked bed. You felt that your body was sweating, your mind was blank, and you forced your eyes shut, trying to forget, trying to escape to some empty corner of your mind...
Written by merieth on 24 May 2018
Wake Up
"HEY! Hey you, WAKE UP!" A voice shook you from your sleep, and in your blurred vision, you saw a pair of blue cat eyes staring at you in the darkness. In an instant, you were jolted back to reality and you realized what had happened. You were having a nightmare about what had been done to you in ARCADIA. The memories themselves were fuzzy and vague, but your brain was happy enough to fill in the blanks with horrible images. "You were screaming like a hyena in your dream! Keep it down, will ya?"
You blinked slowly, your heart-rate gradually slowing down as you looked around. You were in the familiar marsh; the rain had stopped and Percy built a makeshift shelter out of logs and giant leaves overhead. You could barely hear the pitter patter of raindrops drizzling against the roof of your new 'home'. A dream...it was a dream.
Only a dream.
You sighed as your body shook. The adrenaline rush you felt from the nightmare was taking a long time to subside, and when it did, your stomach growled. Percy sat quietly in the darkness, though you could sometimes hear her shallow breaths--she was exhausted, too. "We'll have to get food when it's light out. Who knows what kinda creepy critters crawl around in this muck at night... But we should be safe. I got the ray gun, and I'll shoot anything that tries to harass us. My trigger finger's real twitchy after gettin' out of ARCADIA..." she sighed, tired.
It wasn't long before Percy nodded off, but you couldn't sleep. Not after that nightmare.
And you were hungry. So hungry that your thoughts were hazy. When was the last time you had eaten anything? You barely remembered eating a bowl of slop sometime during your imprisonment in ARCADIA, but that was days ago. You wanted to eat.
Hungry. Hungry. Hungry.
Written by Merieth on 27 May 2018
Hunt
You stood up and blinked slowly, feeling as though everything around was outlined in red. You narrowed your eyes and realized that you could see relatively well in the darkness, and your instincts led you to venture out into the marsh. The wet ground squelched under your claws and you felt your thoughts become linear and...primal.
You wanted food. You wanted to hunt.
Your instincts led you deeper into the woods, and you felt a satisfaction when your paws touched a patch of dry grass. You took a moment to knead your paws in the grass and unconsciously growled softly. Then, you heard a sound in the brush; your ears pricked up in alert and your eyes fixed on the sound. You leaned down and began to stalk what sounded like a small animal, but were soon annoyed by the new additions on your body: your breasts.
The way they bounced whenever you moved was bothersome, and they were quite large so they proved to be a burden. You cupped them in your hands, trying to think of a way to solve that problem, but then your prey moved again. You were overtaken by a primal instinct and stalked the creature for some minutes before finally seeing an opening. You pounced and grasped the creature in your claws--a small possum.
It struggled and snarled in your claws and you let out a low, bestial roar. You were almost surprised by your own sound, but you were too hungry--too feral--to care. You opened your mouth, large sabertooth fangs dripping with saliva, and sank your fangs into the creature's soft body.
The sensation was strange, but somehow addicting and pleasurable. The taste of warm blood, the feeling of flesh being crushed by your fangs.
In that instant, you were like a beast. You tore the possum to shreds with the claws of your hands and ripped off chunks of meat with your fangs, enjoying a scrumptious meal of raw meat--your first successful hunt.
You ate until you were satisfied, but your rational thoughts were still battling with your primal ones even after your belly was full. Still, at the very least, you remembered where your shelter was and began to make your way back to it, dragging the carcass of the possum with you in case Percy was hungry.
When you reached the shelter, you curled up in a pile of leaves and wrapped your tail around yourself before closing your eyes to sleep.
Written by Merieth on 29 May 2018
Real Sabertooth
You were face-to-face with a legendary sabertooth tiger. It roared at you threateningly, but oddly enough you did not feel afraid. You stood tall, lashing your tail about in your new half-human half-sabertooth form and let out a quaking roar that sent the sabertooth running. When it was gone, you looked around and realized you were in a desert.
As soon as you took a step, you fell into a pool of quicksand that gobbled you up almost instantaneously. Everything went dark around you and you felt as though you were being choked to death. You closed your eyes and felt like you lost consciousness, but a second later you woke up again.
Written by Merieth on 31 May 2018
Another Surgery
...And you found yourself in the same bloody hospital room as before. Again you were chained to the blood-stained bed and chained down by cold, metal limbs. This time, though, your body was covered in fur--it seemed to be a continuation of the last time. "Welcome back for the second procedure, Saber 01. We have many new ascendants all eager to reach new heights with this fantastic transformation. As such, we will be speeding up your procedure somewhat, since your body is adjusting so well to the STT drugs."
"You may have forgotten, but in this new form, you will be reborn as a beautiful female sabertooth, a wonder anthropomorphic predator. There are a few extra hunks of flesh your body currently possesses, but do not worry. They shall be removed today. It seems that your vision is not improving even with higher doses of STT..." The voice droned on. "...we have deduced that the best course of action will be replacing them with proper Sabertooth eyes."
Your eyes. They wanted to...replace your eyes.
The voice faded out and two, smaller metallic limbs extended from the metal wheel hanging above you and placed a blindfold over your eyes. You felt your skin being pricked all over, followed by the loss of feeling in your nerves. You heard the sound of a saw, much like last time, but this time it was a smaller, finer hum.
Your body was completely numbed, but you felt some kind of sensation between your legs, and combined with the buzzing of the blade, you realized what was happening. You screamed in your mind, struggling to hold onto what little sanity you had left. The thinnest thread of feeling returned when the buzzing stopped and you felt pain. Horrible, unimaginable pain.
But that soon ended when you were pricked again, injected with some unknown drug that made your mind misty and numbed your nerves.
And then you saw something red, followed by a dulled warmth in your right eye. Suddenly, the blackness of the blindfold seemed even darker than before...
...and soon you felt the warmth in your left eye, followed by total blindness.
"We'll need to put you under for the replacement surgery. When you next open your eyes, you'll only need one more procedure before..."
The voice became twisted and evil-sounding, repeating the same word: "...before...before...before..." The voice was screaming in your ear, like a demon. Your body shook and sweat, your mind tried to break itself to end this suffering, but the suffering continued as the voice hissed in your ear: "...BEFORE...YOU ARE...REBORN..."
Written by Merieth on 02 June 2018
Waking Up Again
Again you woke in the dark woods. Your eyes darted around in the darkness. Was this the dream? Or was this reality?
Your mind felt like it was jumping through fiery hoops, trying to avoid the flames of insanity that licked dangerously close. Percy was still fast asleep beside you, and somehow seeing her gave you some sense of relief. She was the only one who knew what you felt; the only one you could talk to. You decided that you would protect her and use that goal as your anchor to reality, to your sanity.
You couldn't sleep anymore, so you left the shelter to forage around the woods. Your bouncing breasts became too much of an annoyance to handle anymore, however, and so you decided to first find something to use as a makeshift brassiere. You found some thick, tough grass and wove several strands together; then, you found several large leaves which you placed over your breasts, then tied the grass-rope around your chest tightly to hold them into place. You hopped forward and the bounce was finally gone.
Continuing on, you unconsciously prowled through the forest as though you were stalking prey. You felt your mind shifting, changing, and you allowed your thoughts to slip away and focus on feeling rather than thinking. The way you felt the ground beneath your claws and the wind against your fur. For now, accepting this more primal side of you allowed you to escape the torment of ARCADIA.
You tried your best to get used to this new form, skulking through the darkness as if this was your own territory. In the back of your mind, though, there was always a thought nagging you:
Can you ever return to your true, human form?
If not, perhaps you could grow accustomed to this new form after all...and perhaps one day you could even exact vengeance on the ones who subjected you to this fate. The future remained to be seen, but you knew that, at least, you'd always have Percy to count on and keep you grounded.
You continued to map out the areas of the marsh in your mind in hopes that this information would be of use to Percy, and once you grew tired of that, you began to hunt again. Hunting and stalking prey gave you a rush, a sense of pleasure that you never could have imagined; you felt light on your feet and powerful whenever you gave chase to a fleeing animal.
These were your woods now, and everything that lived there was your prey.
Written by Merieth on 08 June 2018
Response to the Hunt
You continued your prowl until a hint of morning light filtered through the treetops and dragged the remains of a few small kills you made during the night with you, thinking of Percy. Over the course of your hunt, it became normal--natural--to hunt, to kill, to devour your prey, but you would soon learn that Percy would not feel the same.
She woke up when the sun rose above the forest, streaking and yawning and groaning before sniffing the air and hacking. "Ugh! What is that SMELL?" She turned her head and saw a small pile of mangled corpses beside her and her fur pricked up. "What the hell?! D-Did you... Did you HUNT?" She stared at you in disbelief, horror and concern.
You nodded, your tail swaying back and forth in the air. You hoped that she would praise you for your efforts.
But she smacked her forehead and sighed. "You're worse than I thought." She mumbled to herself for a while and started fidgeting with one of her many gadgets that she'd stuffed in her jacket before escaping. "Got a buncha prototype stuff with me. Worked on it a bit, but I dunno if it'll work..." she turned one of the knobs and you narrowed your eyes--it looked like she was holding a very crude radio.
"Listen. There's a way to help you, but that means you can't give into those...urges. Don't hunt anymore. You're NOT a beast! Don't forget WHO YOU ARE!" She growled at you, still focused on the radio.
Who you are? You're you. Even in this new form, you're still you...
...or are you already beginning to forget?
You blinked slowly and lowered your head, feeling ashamed at the rush you felt with every animal you crushed with your claws and apologized.
Written by Merieth on 08 June 2018
Radio
A moment later, there was static coming out of the radio's speakers, followed by a very muffled broadcast.
"HIDEOUT...ARCADIA SURVIVORS...COORDINATES..." The broadcast went on to list a long number, though it was extremely hard to hear. Percy looked ecstatic, and was crazily writing down the numbers in the dirt before the signal went out.
"DAMN IT!" She cursed, looking over the coordinates. "There's a hideout for survivors... It could be a trap, but we've gotta check it out! They might be able to help you. There's a drug you can take, and..."
Percy went on to explain a drug to clear the mind-altering effects of the 'Ascension' surgery. You didn't quite understand all the technical mumbo-jumbo, but it would be nice to have a place you could call home. She spend the entire morning plotting out a map out of mud, trying to wrack her brain as to where exactly the hideout was located. "Gonna be tough without the exact coordinates... but 'ol Percy is smarter than you'd think!"
You decided to cook the meat you had brought for her because she refused to eat it raw and shared it together for lunch. By mid-afternoon, Percy came up with a few approximate locations, but they were all relatively far away. She explained it all to you, but you didn't really get it--your mind was foggy at best. You promised to protect her and follow her and she seemed amused to have a bodyguard.
The two of you spent the next several days scouting out several different locations, but to no avail. Your journey was becoming more and more difficult; your nightmares became worse every night, and you found yourself sleepless and predatory every time you woke from a nightmare. Percy tried to keep you grounded, but you felt your human consciousness slipping with each day.
One afternoon, the two of you were trekking across a small stream to the next possible hideout location, but were spotted by a human. The human screamed and your instincts told you that the human was a threat. You didn't think or speak, but instead dashed off to attack the human, despite Percy's warnings for you to get away.
Written by Merieth on 11 June 2018
Kill
It happened so fast.
You pinned the human to the ground, snarling. The human was screaming so loud. So loud. It was annoying. You hated it.
You wanted it to stop.
Before you knew it, your claws were sinking into his neck as you sliced through his jugular and the screaming was replaced by a horrible gurgling sound as the victim choked on his own blood. Percy was crying behind you and jumped on your back, trying to stop you, but you hardly even noticed her tiny body.
Once the human stopped struggling, you sat up and blinked, your consciousness trying to break through the fog. You could barely even hear Percy's voice anymore...
...and then you collapsed on the bloodstained ground.
Written by Merieth on 13 June 2018
Back to the room
You stood on a dark, foggy road. When you tried to look at your hands, you saw only a blur. The wind blew at your back, urging you to take a step forward...and you did. Before long, you came to a crossroads. At the end of one path, you saw a human...and at the end of the other, you saw a giant sabertooth tiger.
You ran towards the human, but the wind rushed at your face; harder and harder and harder until you were lifted into the air and pushed away. You felt your determination faltering as the wind needled your skin, and you were thrown backwards, into the darkness.
Your back smacked into a cold, hard wall and you opened your eyes...and again you found yourself in that room.
You could neither feel nor speak as you looked at the blood-stained hospital bed. There was no escaping this Hell; this was your life now, and you must accept it.
...Was there even a reason to hope about going back?
You stepped away from the bed, towards a broken-down door at the back of the room and saw a mirror. You saw yourself...not quite human, not quite animal, but something in-between.
You placed your paw on the glass and felt something wet on the fur of your face.
Tears?
The tears wouldn't stop flowing.
You pressed your paw hard into the glass until it cracked and the shards pierced your flesh. Blood did not drip from the wound, but rather from the cracks in the mirror.
Blood, blood and more blood...
It dripped and oozed and soaked the floor, but no matter how hard you tried, you could not look away from the bloodstained face in the mirror.
Was that really you?
Written by Merieth on 15 June 2018
