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 Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 8:40 pm
This new body posed several immediate issues that could not be ignored. First and foremost, Jordan learned his spinal realignment made it impossible to walk bipedal. Jordan had to swallow any pride and waken Victor the next day to let him outside like a common dog because he’d been unable to reach the door knob and simotaneously maintain any semblance of balance. Then there was the issue of being forced to walk on his arms and three of what should have been four legs. Now only was it awkward, his arms weren’t as strong as his reformed, digitgrade hindlegs and a gimpy paw that hadn’t grown when the other had left him limping like a wounded animal. The least of his issues, but inconvenient enough, was the black shorts that remained painfully on his elongated canine body. There was no need for them, his body was covered in a double-thick winter’s coating of fur, and screw modesty when it hindered an already-hindered, incomplete form.
He’d not wanted to impose upon his friend further after traumatizing him with the sight of his third change, so Jordan resigned to returning to his beach duplex. The journey felt longer and far more taxing than it ever had been. He’d taken the old dirt path that Ambrose had long ago informed him about, the one that he exclusively traveled into and from the village. He was so hot and panting like a dog to relieve that discomfort to the best of his ability. His body wasn’t sweating properly as it should, causing him to pant without thinking much about it.
Endless sand… that’s all he saw. His sore spinal column left him with little range of motion for his head, for the time being, not that Jordan won’t have to strain his neck to see beyond someone’s knee caps now… His body ached with each and every slow, clumsy step. Time and time again, his hind leg had kicked the back of his middle leg, throwing him painfully off-balance and into the ground. Recovering from that prone, fallen position was difficult and involved him grasping onto a nearby, sturdy object for support to pull himself up.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 8:56 pm
Nicky had been walking for a while now, trying to find the duplex of the one Richard called, "Jordan." According to the displacer beast, it was hard to miss...it being the only duplex all the way out here. He gave a sigh as he continued to walk across the sand...at the moment he was wearing a pair of black dress slacks, and a white dress shirt...opened up about half-way to allow his barreled chest to be unrestricted by the now-tight fabric. He stopped and glanced around, running a deformed hand through his slicked back hair while licking his canine nose. Over the past day or so, his new nose was so clogged with dried blood and snot from the change that he hadn't been able to smell anything...but now...now that it was finally clear, the scents still confounded him. He gently lifted his head and sniffed the air a few times, trying to get used to this whole...scent thing. On the breeze though...there...something different. It sure as hell wasn't more sand...and it had that musky smell that was near all the other duplexes...huh. Wait...what's that? Something crawling along the ground...Six legs? Well...no weirder than that cat thing...but...this one was canine.
Nicky grinned, pulling back his lips to show his teeth before casually padding his way over to where he now saw Jordan.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 9:26 pm
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The sand beneath his paws echoed in his even more sensitive ears. It was difficult to ignore it so close to the ground. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The beach breeze indeed carried many scents that overwhelmed Jordan as well at first. Being able to smell a brand new world that painted pictures no Man could describe was incredible. The breeze also carried a new scent to Jordan’s nose, an unfamiliar one. It seemed familiar, only not. Why? What could smell like that? His black canine nose flared as it took in all the scents around him, especially the new one. Knowing what everything smelled like had become important. Not everything could be trusted on sight or hearing alone, but identifying a scent and registering it was reliable enough.
Jordan’s ears twitched atop his head and he stopped dead in his tracks. He wasn’t alone. He could easily detect the other canine’s footsteps in the sand. That crunching of sand underneath. His eyes widened and his panting breath quickened with a racing heartbeat. He didn’t know what to expect. His eyes had been on the sand and it hurt to crane his neck upwards. He couldn’t bolt. He could barely walk. Maybe if he said nothing, whomever it was would go away and leave him alone!
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 9:42 pm
Nicky continued to walk forward, even though he knew very well that Jordan had already detected his presence...it wasn't surprising though...he was making no effort to sneak up on the crippled dog. A slight smirk touched his canine muzzle as he walked forward slowly...moreso to not topple over than to look suave. He was still having problems adapting to his odd feet. This will certainly be interesting, he thought to himself as he sized up Jordan, What kind of dog was he? Some sort of huskie or the like...of course...for that matter...just what did I get? Despite these thoughts though, the smirk stayed on his face. He made sure not to show any teeth though...not since his debute in the mirror anyway. That memory still haunted him. Though Jordan was panting...so far, Nicky hadn't started that habit...the nose licking had become annoying...but no panting, yet.
...Now there was an odd reaction...the thing seemed to want to blend into the sand...that being kind of hard considering the bright white fur and blond hair. He chuckled softly as he closed the distance, swollen hands clasped behind his back. "Mornin'" he said jovially, deciding to take the initiative.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 10:04 pm
What to do? What to do? There wasn’t much of anything he could do, but to remain where he stood, painfully hunched over on all limbs. He was scared of what may be coming towards him. He didn’t have much manipulation of this new stage of physical development, so he just stood there. He wasn’t sure how he’d manage to get back up if he somehow become ‘grounded’. Why did people come to the beach so often anyways? And why did he usually run into them when he just wanted to be left alone? People could go to a different section of the beach! It’s not like he was the welcoming committee for the kingdom of sand!
His arms shook from the strain of walking on them like legs. They weren’t meant to be used as such and they weren’t strong enough to keep this up he feared. Whomever it was was certainly taking their sweet time getting to him. The lack of scent recognition worried him, but at least it wasn’t an enemy.
Then it spoke. Someone he didn’t know. Sounded friendly, but he couldn’t be assured of that. Jordan was not in the mood to be overly nice, nor to be friendly out of the kindness of anything. “Ah heawd wu a miwel ahwah.” He attempted to speak from the canine muzzle. “Escuse me but ahm bizshee.”
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 10:17 pm
Nicky looked over the sad form in front of him, hands still clasped behind his back...though a maddening itch at one of the strange lumps on his shoulders almost made him break bearing. Those things continued to worry him...he was sure they weren't really part of his doggy traits...nor his tail for that matter. But these things practically screamed 'tumor' out to him. And from what he's heard...the word tumor usually is associated with death. Death was something he wasn't ready to face yet. Not with his soiled conscience. Of course, he wasn't taking any steps to fix that situation. Especially not in front of this pathetic thing. His grin broadened as he heard Jordan attempt to speak. It was even worse than his own. Of course...he spent more than a short while practicing in front of a mirror. He paused for a moment before replying...eyeing the shaking front arms...he'd make Jordan wait a moment before answering. Instead, he cleared his throat...making a low growling noise in the process...and shifte weight from one foot to another, feeling the sand between his swollen toes.
Finally, with a gravelly voice, he spoke. "Yer implying I was trying to sneak up on you," he said slowly, making efforts to pronunciate every word. He didn't want to sound as pathetic as the thing in front of him. Although...his voice was a little garbled due to the fact that he had yet to control the subtle growling that was included with every word. "But...yes...I see that. Very busy, what with absolutely nothing to do around here," he said with that smirk again, "I think you've got a little time to chat, eh?" All the while he tried his best to sound friendly...but no doubt there was a hint of challenge in his voice.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 10:36 pm
Ugh! What was this guy’s issue? Was it funny to him to waste time when it was so obvious that Jordan was straining to remain standing?! Of all the nerve! Whomever this person was, this was appearing less a random encounter on the beach than he first suspected. His seemingly purposeful procrastination was not appreciated in the least. Jordan wanted to just yell at him to get to the point as he watched those distorted feet shuffle in the sand. It hurt to keep this posture, to remain standing unevenly upon five legs, feeling that at any moment he’d tip onto his side.
“Ah wushn’t emplying ahneeshing..” It was humiliating to sound so stupid. And the coordination to pronounce specific vowels and syllables was difficult. “Pleashz leaf me ahlone.” Jordan would contain his pain-induced hostilities- for now- and try to resolve this peacefully, if he could. All he wanted to do was rest in his super-chilled duplex and acclimate to this body after more pain meds and sleep. “Ahm not in sha mood for chat. Ah dun wahna talk.” And with that, Jordan tried to coordinate his body to move, but found that stopping had thrown off whatever basic locomotion he’d had going. When he lifted his right arm to step, he immediately smacked it ot the ground as he felt as he’d topple over. “Woah…”
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 10:50 pm
Nicky clucked his tongue, an impressive feat considering the new formation of his mouth, and shook his head. This guy was pathetic...Nicky almost felt sorry for the guy. These feelings were just amplified as Jordan managed to topple over. Well...maybe hesitating was the wrong thing to do... he thought to himself sadly as he watched the doggy thing in front of him struggle. With a sigh, he moved himself around over and in front of Jordan. "Goddamn...you poor, poor b*****d," he muttered audibly as he crouched down on his haunches. With a wince, he fished in his pocket for something...the cuticles on his fingers still incredibly sore...and soon pulled out a bottle of pain pills. He didn't have any water on him...but it shouldn't be too hard for Jordan to dry swallow them.
"Here," he said as he attempted to open up the bottle, "sorry...Jordan, right? Yeah...name's Nicky." He finally got the bottle open and shook out two pills...his changes were minor compared to Jordan's...so he hoped it was enough. "It's just acetaminophen...should tide you over for a little while anyway." He offered the two pills to Jordan's muzzle. "But yeah... don't mean to be a d**k...still all pissy from my first change yesterday."
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:12 pm
The sound Nicky’s tongue made echoed multiple times louder in Jordan’s ears. It came with the changes. You gain something, you lose three things you took for granted. It was the law of the island and anyone who did not abide by that unnatural law was fodder for the snarly beasts that ate defenseless humans. It made him uneasy as the other canine knelt down before him. Was he going to be cruel to his face now? Jordan just knew he’d be doomed to being an ankle-biter for the rest of his life, one of those dogs so pathetic and pitiful in stature they compensate for their smaller size by barking loudly. God, it’d only be a matter of time before that- and it made him fear for the loss of his voice. Was this the first stage in being unable to speak another human word? Silenced as punishment for speaking out of turn? For causing so much trouble? Jordan had to fight the urge to growl defensively at Nicky’s comment on being a poor b*****d. It sounded so mocking of his condition and saturated with false pity. As he reached into his pocket, Jordan’s nose flared once more, registering his scent. He didn’t look into his face.. not yet. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this, but to see a look of pity for such a wretched creature- he just couldn’t deal with that emotional deal.
Jordan shirked his head away, pulling it into his body with a painful yelp. No way he was just going to trust some stranger on the sand with pills he fished from his pocket, when he had pain pills in his pock—crap! He’d forgotten his pain medication on Victor’s desk!
However… when he spoke Jordan’s name, the dogman trembled all over with a very bad feeling. Either this man was here to help him, which was unlikely, or…. dear god.. there were too many other options to take into account on the spot! He didn’t want to know how he knew, he didn’t want question and answer time. Jordan wanted away and now. His tail tucked between his legs, with a yelp of pain, as his lips pulled back ever-so-slightly. He’d offer a warning growl, as he tried to back up cautiously. He was in no shape for a fight, but some part of his brain told him to bluff him out. Make him think he could do some damage without having to act upon that. He couldn’t arch his back. His spine was on fire with pain from walking only twenty-four house after his own transformation. So. This man had changed just yesterday as well. Interesting…
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:26 pm
Nicky just sighed as Jordan growled at him and bared his teeth. Well...so much for the niceguy approach. This dog's just pissed off. Whatever, I'm not going to let him just think he can growl out and scare me away. I'm not a ******** dog...and this b*****d's not going to treat me like one. "You're not in any condition...whatsoever...to do anything at the moment. Much less try and attack me. So shut your muzzle and shut off that goddamn growling," he said with the beginnings of anger. "I'm just trying to talk to you but I swear to Christ I will make you regret any hostile actions you take against me. You hear?" That deadly calm once more spread over his features. This guy had better be worth it...so far he seemed more like a pissy ragdoll than anything useful. "Now. Look at me," he said forcefully and will wait to continue until that was done.
"The pills I have in my hand are nothing more than glorified Tylenol. It seems you're having trouble getting back to your duplex. I offered to help you and you growl at me. Who's being unreasonable here? Take the pills and let's get you to your duplex. You must be hot as hell in that fur coat of yours."
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:50 pm
That little speech got through and with the huff of a heavy breath, especially the parts of not being in any condition to back up his threats and regretting it in the first place. Jordan didn’t want trouble. He’d endured his fair share caused mostly by his own actions, but.. maybe he really had come out this far just to help him. If he was going to act with hostile intent, that would have been made evident by now. And… there were any number of ways that Nicky could have learned his name. Not everyone was out to get him. Not everyone had to be his enemy. Jordan raised his head with a twinge of pain, fearful of what he would see. Another canine?! Holy sh-t!! His eyes widened at the sight of another canine islander! To his knowledge, Jordan had been the only one. Never having known Avery, not having the opportunity to make that acquaintance, nor even hearing the name of that islander in passing, Jordan had always assumed he’d been the first.
He made sense. The man had been nothing other than friendly. The island was getting to him. In time, he’d be growling at shadows that weren’t there. “Ahm shorry..” Jordan had actually apologized for being aggressive? That was new. “Ah jusht changed yeshterday.. too… hurtsh like hell..” And it wasn’t that he entirely trusted Nicky, but that Jordan was in a compromising position and the threat of being beaten for his rude behavior that forced him to lean forward, sniffing at the pills and lick them into his mouth. “Shorry… Ah’ll fawl ef I ushe mah pawsh..” he looked a bit ashamed for having done that, trying to swallow the pills down. He could only nod to the comment of being hot.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:21 pm
Nicky quirked a brow at Jordan's reaction to his look. Do I look that bad? No...no, that was just surpris...not revulsion...get a hold off yourself, Nicky. You don't look that bad...and remember, if they can change you, they can always change you back...right? Yeah... Nicky, himself, had been only aprehensive about meeting 'another' canine. To him, it seemed only natural that dogs would be used more often than some of the more exotic things he has seen, what with their psychological bond to man over the years. But, his apprehension had soon lifted upon seeing the tortured mutt. Right now, his only apprehension would be toward meeting that wolf-man he'd seen at the construction sight. With a sigh, he straightened the waistband of his pants to make it more comfortable for the odd, hairless tail sticking out the back of it.
"No worries, Jordan," he said in response to the apology, "I can only imagine what that's gotta feel like." He nodded toward the extra set of legs...still wondering just what the hell that was all about. His sentence trailed off though as Jordan licked the pills out of his hand. A small smirk played over his canine features at that...but he quickly hid it lest Jordan gets offended. "Yeah...I can see that. Got you in a helluva sate right now, eh? But yeah, let's get you to your house over there...we're pretty close to it now." He looked over in the direction of Jordan's home, guessing that the dog-thing in front of him would have trouble seeing over there.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 5:45 pm
“Ahm shorry.. ..dudent mean ta shtare..” Speaking was hard enough, but trying to speak while his reformed body was working to cool itself through the traditional canine method was even more difficult. “Ah nevah shaw anutha caynon ahlandah.. ..escept fah Ahmbwose.. .. buhd heesh ah wuff..” If Nicky was concerned with his appearance at only one change, then Jordan could chew his ear off about self-consciousness. It was going to be difficult to face anyone looking like the gimpy pet next door that lost a fight against a junkyard dog. His tail wagged painfully, yet gently to show there were no hard feelings, as facial expressions were difficult to coordinate at the moment. His half-muzzle was sore and would take some time to acclimate to as with the rest of his unconventional body.
He forced the pills down uneasily, coughing to the point of choking, but they went down and stayed down after a few tries. “Ah hoop wu dun haf ta.. .. mah shpine.. .. hurtsh sho mush.. eet popped.. cont wauk right.. ahneemooor..” he didn’t want to look as pathetic as he actually was, but there was no way around that. “Ahr weh neh? Ah cuddn’t tell.. Tha’ks fah beeng sho nishe.. Neeky..” “Glad wu dudent run awah.. Ah musht look like ah monshter..”
Jordan had to concentrate on moving his five, unbalanced legs. He had to focus on their movement, so not to bang one leg into the back of the other or trip himself again. First the left paw moved shakily, then the middle right leg that had grown, then the back left leg. However, it didn’t go well when the back right leg smacked into the back of the knee of his middle leg and sent him face-first into the sand with a shrieked whimper.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 6:18 pm
Nicky just nodded a few times and chuckled softly as Jordan apologized again. He didn't accept it, nor deny it though...he just found it slightly humorous that he would apologize for staring considering how Jordan himself looked. He gave a dismissive wave of his swollen hand as he stood up. His knees gave an audible pop and he had to place a hand into the sand in order to stabilize himself...his feet having trouble deciding whether to walk plantigrade or digitigrade. After a moment though, he was able to stand properly without too much conscious effort. He straightened his dress shirt a bit and smoothed back his hair...he would need a new wardrobe to accommodate these changes.
"Ambrose...that's his name, eh? Yeah I met 'em the other day for a minute...didn't really get to know him or anything. But yeah...he's definitely a wolf. Still don't quite know what...breed I am." Nicky took a step forward and away from Jordan, leading the way for the crippled dog. Absently, he rubbed his muzzle, trying to rub his own soreness out. It had gone away a lot faster than he thought it would...but he still had some residual pain in his jaw. While doing this, though, he eyed Jordan's tail and silently wondered if the thing sticking out of his waistband would end up doing the same.
At the mention of the spine though, Nicky winced visibly. "Christ..." he muttered out, trying to visualize that. But then, a flash of insight came to him. He had seen what looked to be a developing centaur at the construction site...and Jordan's back three...er four legs were almost fully formed dog-legs while his arms still looked human enough. Could it be? Dog...taur? Weird... He shook his head slightly as he rubbed an elongated ear. "Er...yeah...yeah, it's only about a fifty yards off or so...'n don't mention it. I heard there was another canine around and had to come and see for myself," he said with a friendly grin...well...as friendly as he could muster. "Hmm? Hah! You're talking to the guy who seems to have walked straight out of Lon Chaney's, The Wolf Man."
He trailed off though as he saw Jordan fall once again. With a wince, he had to control himself from clutching at his ears at the whimper...he hadn't expected sound to hurt that bad. "...I see what you mean..." he muttered out before looking around for something to help Jordan. He knew he, himself couldn't pick up the guy...he probably weighed damn near double his own weight at the moment. With a sigh, he looked back down. "Christ...here ah...lemme help you up just until you get balanced, okay?" he said as he looked over Jordan, wondering just where he could help the most. With a sigh he positioned himself right next to Jordan behind the middle pair of legs so that he can try and help the guy up.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 6:54 pm
His tail wagged a bit more enthusiastically at the mention of Ambrose. He admired the guy and considered him the definition of what a male alpha dog should be, an undesired side-effect of the loyalty serum that could not have been forseen. “Ahmbwose leeves en numba wun..” Jordan offered as a show of good faith. All canids should be so privileged to know Ambrose. He was such a nice guy and understanding, so in control of himself. He stood as an inspiration to Jordan through his changes, though they were nothing alike and he wasn’t fit to walk in his shadow. That was why Jordan would always be the pack omega, the straggler, the unimpressive one of the group. “Heesh reelee ah great guy..” Jordan was talking so much when he should have been concerned with conserving his energy, but he couldn’t help it. Another canine islander! And at the mention of species, Jordan couldn’t be sure either. It wasn’t until late into his first change, almost his second change before Doctor Moreau had to actually tell him what he was turning into. “Ahm.. ah.. beecumeeng ah shamoyed..”
Jordan was grateful to hear that after his long journey he was so close to home. “Oooh good.. ah need ta lie down..” “.. Ah hope wu dun mind da cold.. ah haft a keep mah room vary cold..” Seemed to him that Nicky was curious about what could happen to him. Jordan couldn’t blame the guy. If he’d had that opportunity, he would have done the same, just to guage the possibilities. He sincerely hoped no one else would have to undergo such inconvenient and excrutiating changes, while being reduced to a quadrapedal animal. He wasn’t sure what to say to him that could make the tension on changes any less bearable or unbearable, or that matter. A movie monster. Ha. That might have made him chuckle if he wasn’t in the current situation. “Thar ahr monshters lurkeeng.. thar ahr peephole wu cont be trushted.. and othersh wu want ta ushe you like pawnsh.. friends can beecum enemiesh ef wu dun watch yer back..” Jordan shook his head, hoping this man wasn’t being played like a ten-cent fiddle.
That hurt. Boy did it ever linger a nasty pain throughout his body. Jordan gasped in time to eat a muzzle-ful of sand, whimpering as he struggled to coordinate himself. He couldn’t muster the strength to pull himself up again. He didn’t mean to yelp in pain when Nicky tried to help him up, but his spine was no longer designed for vertical. “Ah.. ahm awlroght.. jusht… exshauhted.. ..need.. ta lie.. down.. walked.. from.. tha.. village.. like this..”
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