#ahrt

I got up to take a shower anyways, figuring the products for whatever was growing in could wait. I noticed that my smell had changed slightly. It could have been my imagination, but everything smelled stronger and more complex as well. Although I could smell the trash from the opposite end of the kitchen.

When I got under the water, I had to make it cooler as it stung the scratches I’d left this morning. It was interesting seeing the hair and faint stripes on my body. The hair was short, soft, and fluffy, kind of like my undercut. Maybe my undercoat was growing in first?

I toweled off and the patches of fur became very fluffy, resembling the coat of a kitten after a bath. In a way that made sense. So far the patches were few, mostly in places I already had hair, but the weirdest patch was probably the one on my jaw.

I wondered if there was anything special I’d need to do to take care of it, then decided I would just keep using my regular body wash until I was told otherwise. I turned on my music to listen to as I got dressed, and immediately had to turn the volume down from where I had it. My hearing was getting more sensitive, apparently.

I scribbled down some notes on the changes so far- the fur growth and the senses getting sharper, before I forgot. As I stretched, I realized just how much my back hurt, right between my shoulder blades. I figured it was probably posture, it was way too early to be my wings, I told myself.

My stomach growled and I was reminded that I needed to eat. I was craving something, I couldn’t fully tell what, so I made up a plate of bacon. It was gone just as fast as I made it, and I ended up eating almost the entire pound before the hunger and cravings were sated. I sat down and relaxed for a bit, I still had some time before the next meeting of the therian group, and I didn’t have work today.

I spent some time admiring the stripes starting to appear on my arms and legs, and wondered how my back looked. The few patches of fur were white with black stripes, matching what I was hoping for. Matched my hair too, I thought.

When it was time to go to the meeting I realized how excited I was to show off my changes. I’ve come so far in a few short months! All the fur was new, within the last couple of days, and the stripes were within the last couple weeks, but had been very faint.

There was a group of protesters outside of the meeting when I got there. I grinned at them as they tried shoving microphones under my nose.

“I don’t know which of you it is, but one of you reeks. What is that, body odor and sewage?” I ducked into the building before anyone could respond. Unsurprisingly, only the regulars had made it in, either arriving before the protesters or having the nerve to make it through the crowd.

I excitedly showed off the stripes to Alexis, who seemed pleased with my progress. Sure, things weren’t changing in the same order, but that’s alright.

A few days later, my first follow up appointment was approaching. I was nervous for it, enough I could barely sleep. I yawned and walked outside, but didn’t realize just how late it was. It looked like dusk still, despite the sea of stars above me. Perhaps it was my imagination, but there seemed to be more stars above me than usual.

I started to walk to the nearby park, thankful for the peace that comes with walking late in the evening, even if I could see as well as I could during the late evening, when the sun was just on the horizon. I typed that into my notes, that my night vision was improving. I realized though that I couldn’t see some colors as brightly- the red of a stop sign looked muddy. I wrote that down as well.

Sure, it wasn’t something I’d planned on, but I didn’t mind it. The beauty of the night was worth the muddying of reds, at least so far.

I got ready for my appointment, noticing that the patches of fur had gown, some even connecting. I couldn’t stop running my fingers over it. The itchiness had subsided, luckily. My nails had gotten sharper, making the scratches I was leaving a lot worse than when the growth started.

The waiting room was empty when I got there, a little bit odd. I sat and waited patiently, feeling a weird sensation of flicking my tail- a tail that wasn’t physically there. After a while my name was called.

“Hello, doctor!” I said cheerfully, walking in.

“Hello, Ice.” The doctor said flatly.

“Is everything alright, doctor?”

‘Yes, yes, I’m just exhausted. The media has been hounding me, but that isn’t any of your concern.”

“I noticed some changes, doc, but I think you can see some of them.”

“Yes, yes I can. Fur growth seems normal, skin pigmentation as well, though usually those changes take longer. I will need to do a hearing test as well as an eye exam.”

“Alright. To warn you though, my hearing has gotten more sensitive. Little noises are very annoying now, when before I didn’t even notice them.”

“Noted. I’ll be careful, but it may still be too loud. How about your vision?”

“Reds are looking muddier, and my night vision has improved drastically.”

“As expected. I do wonder, have you had any issues with your eyesight yet?”

“What do you mean ‘yet’?”

“White tigers, as I’ve had to find out through one of my other patients, have issues relating to the optic nerve.”

“Can you do anything to fix it?”

“No.”

“What do I do when it happens?”

“You go to an eye doctor. Your options are limited. I happen to know that many of my patients go to a support group. You could ask around there.”

“That’s scary. Alright, doc.”

“I know part of your ideal form included wings. Have you noticed any changes there?”

“I’ve had some soreness on my back, between my shoulder blades. I figured it was just from my posture.”

“It may not have been.”