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Em didn't want to be the frantic freak who ripped through the bag to search her journals for water damage. ...Not in front of Lucas, anyway. She stacked the bowls one atop the other- grateful that Reuben had finished off all but the residual moisture in his water bowl- and added them to her pile of things that were headed out with her.

"I'm sure they're fine. And, at the risk of being a broken record, thank you so much." Reuben looked up at Lucas as if he, too, were saying thank you- when in reality he was just wondering what would happen next.

Emelyn laughed, not picking up that Lucas might actually miss the mutt, figuring he must have been so troublesome the past few weeks. It was her penultimate fear of inconveniencing others that glossed over her normally fine perception: Lucas enjoyed the company, and would likely miss the crazy beast when they were gone.

"Say goodbye to Lucas," Em said, then looked up herself as she held the door open and watched Reu run out into the open air. "Bye- I'll see you later, I'm sure." And with that, she left, a bag in hand containing all the treasures she had in the world.

It was days after Lucas' change and over that time he was slowly building up his courage. It was already clear that whatever he was coming was a predator, as well as some kind of canine. What, exactly, he wasn't sure. Wolf? Fox? He had no clue. About the only thing he felt he could remove from the list was some kind of domesticated dog. With the instincts he was feeling, he was sure it had to be some wild dog.

For a while he figured just knowing that he was becoming a dog was enough, but he slowly began to feel the need to know more about what kind of dog. He found himself glancing over at the intercom more now. Finally he gave in, pushing away any apprehension, and dialed the labs.

After a few moments, a click and a buzz, a nasally woman's voice carried through the intercom. "Labratories... how can I direct your call?"

The woman sounded bored, not even bothering to give her name or an explanation of the call directory system.

"Can I-" he paused. There was a few seconds of quiet before Lucas spoke again. "I'd like to talk to Dr. Duvert."

"Dr. Duvert?" It was difficult to tell, but there was almost a note of incredulity in the woman's voice. But before Lucas had the opportunity to justify or change his mind, she continued. "Very well."

There was then a click and the line went silent.

The silence stretched for nearly a full minute without any sort of hold music or beeping to indicate that the line was even still in use until another beep sounded.

"This is Dr. Duvert." There was the sound of fingernails clicking on a keyboard for a moment before he responded again with a dawning enlightenment. "Ahhhh, Lucas! It has been a while, has it not? How are you enjoying your ... unique opportunity to study some beings that until now were reserved to myth and folklore?"

He almost regretted requesting the doctor. The woman on the other end might have been able to tell him what he wanted to know. Why on earth did he want to talk to that man?

Again there was a pause before Lucas' voice suddenly came up on the other end. "Yeah, a while. Enjoying?" His tone was flat and, if Sabin were watching on the monitors, his face unreadable. "I admit that the whole thing is fascinating, but not enjoyable."

Sabin clucked his tongue in a scolding disappointment. "No? Come now... such a unique opportunity as this? I know that were I not given the priviledge of working here behind the scenes and being able to flex my creative muscles, that I would have given a good leg to be in your position. Especially with as generous of a serum as I gave you."

"What I'm upset about is the manor in which you pick your subjects. Ambrose? Emelyn? Gaius? Emerwyn? All of them had lives back on the mainland and... Well, I'm sure you've heard this all before." He sighed. After a year, it was more than likely that another Islander had already said what he wanted to say and it was clear it made no difference. "But that's what I don't enjoy. Though, I can't say that growing a tail and a muzzle was much fun." He rubbed his muzzle.

"Really? Somehow I doubt that." His tail twitched.

"Speaking of serums, I'm sure you had a good laugh when you dropped me out in the jungle to run into Ambrose. Funny." There was a pause. "A wolf-serum of some kind, right?"

"Well, you cannot blame me for that, although I can understand your frustration. I do not select the subjects of the experimentation, merely lend a hand in the development of the serums and choosing the fates of some of those whom I introduce to the island."

There was a small chuckle. "And I have heard and seen that the process is far from pleasant... although at least the pain is transient. I suppose it gives you a unique vantage on the werewolf stories of yore."

Sabin deigned to comment on Lucas's scepticism of what his own preferences might be. Most of the islanders and the staff alike considered him crazy, and what he found fascinating others might not be so polite.

"I figured it would be a welcome introduction. Again, a folklorist's or cryptozoologist or whatever you wish to call yourself's dream come true, yes? At least until the curtain was pulled back and the mechanism revealed. And while I couldn't allow you to share Ambrose's fate due to the lack of any wolf serums in stock, I did my closest approximation."

The man's mind flashed back to the different werewolf movies he had watched over his lifetime and the different transformations depicted. "I dare you to try growing a tail."

When he had run across Ambrose he had been excited. Ecstatic. "Yes, I was thrilled when I watched Ambrose change..." He couldn't believe he was actually admitting this to Sabin. "I'd dreamed of seeing something like that. I really really wish it had really been what I had originally thought and not what everything actually was."

He hesitated. "Close approximation being?"

"Well.... " Sabin commented wryly at the challenge. "Mayhaps some day. It would be interesting to have a tail, I think."

"And I am glad to have given that to you." The voice took a very serious, solemn tone at this. "As strange as it might sound, I understand your interest in those things that are not meant to be. To actually see something, to prove its existence not even necessarily to others, but to justify your own beliefs... it is priceless. I only apologise that it was not truly 'the real deal'. But it is amazing what science can accomplish. Some have said that magic is merely science so advanced that it seems inexplicable. Though I am not so sure what I think of that."

"And the closest I had available is what is called a Dhole. Not many have heard of them, but perhaps you have?"

"Interesting? Maybe. Uncomfortable? Yes. I can't even drink properly anymore with a muzzle." He didn't keep him from doing it. There was no way he'd drink from a bowl. He couldn't...

He was silent as Sabin spoke. Any bit of feeling that remained from that night had been completely soured the moment the truth of the Island was revealed. He could no longer be excited by Ambrose the werewolf after hearing the story of Ambrose the former human-turned-experiment. "Yeah... amazing. I just wish I knew why you people were doing this?"

"Dhole?" He had never heard of it. "No, I don't think I have. So they are like wolves? Wild? ...hunters?"

"Properly? Are you truly that concerned with your image here, Lucas? If there were any colony more understanding, you won't find it. Properly is a social construct. Do what comes naturally and works as opposed to keeping some illustrious dignity that no one else even cares about."

"Why? I cannot answer this. For as much as it interests me, I cannot call this my project. Not really. I can explain my fascination with it, but that won't really answer your question."

"There are a few books in the reference section on wild dogs that will have more information., But yes, they are a wild dog, vaguely lupine in shape but with the russet fur that you now sport. They're known as the "whistling dogs." And they're from Eastern Asia."

"It's not that... I may appear an animal, but I'm still a human being. I... can't bring myself to be a dog. To act or behave as one." Images of himself on all-fours, lapping at a bowl of water like Reuben had been one of many that made him cringe. Even though he had enjoyed the dog's company, it was difficult to watch the animal and not visualize himself doing the same.

"That explains that," he murmured. It had confused him when he had whistled in front of Emelyn, then in other instances. "So I'm turning into a dhole? ...nothing weird will happen?"

"Weird? I mean... if you don't consider turning into a dhole weird, then I suppose not. Though that seems an odd question to ask considering the circumstances. But I'm not granting you horns, wings, or some other sort of feature if that is what you mean."

"It's weird enough." He scratched his neck. "What I mean is... Ambrose said that one person completely turned into an animal, on all fours. And I saw some guy in the cafeteria and he... I think it was a guy. He, he grew...breasts."

"Ahhh, yes." Sabin said, the grin evident in his voice. "Well, with the latter, that was Dr. Lockheart's personal... reasoning. You will be spared the 'female bits'. As far as Pyroth, whom I presume Ambrose was referring to... he was... an unfortunate repercussion of the serum going further than we expected. This is not an exact science quite yet. And some individuals seem to respond more readily to the serums than others. And... I will admit, the canine serums seem to be particularly eager to bond to human hosts for some reason. Ambrose even is an example of the serum going further than our predictions, though not quite as drastically as Pyroth displayed."

There was relief when he was reassured that whatever happened to the man in the cafeteria would not somehow happen to him. He did make a mental note to get on Dr. Lockheart's badside. It must have been bad if that was his punishment.

What Sabin said about the serums filled him with dread. "Eager to bond?" he echoed. "How did Ambrose go further?"

"Well, you have seen him. His build is very lupine, moreso than the humanesque build that we anticipated the subjects to end with. However, he is not bad off. He has the capacity to walk on two legs, albeit our studies have shown he is more suited to quadrupedal locomotion. He still has the use of his hands, though perhaps not with quite the manual dexterity as before, and of course he can still speak."

Lucas nodded slowly, forgetting no one was there to see it, at the same time forgetting there were cameras hidden across his duplex to see him anyway.

He had worried that by "further" the doctor had meant mentally. One of the biggest worries of Lucas' was the one he could not bring himself to come right out and ask about. Instinct. Urge to hunt. To attack. Joliette had lost herself and attacked Emelyn. Could it happen to him? Was there a way to prevent those urges? He wanted to know more, but he had no idea how to voice his question.

Ambrose seemed sane and still very much human under that form. Maybe he knew a trick for holding back the wolf? Perhaps, when he was ready, he could as him instead of the doctor?

"Thank you...for answering my questions..." He wasn't exactly happy with Dr. Duvert, but it did sound like he had answered all of his questions honestly. He had figured the doctor would try to mess with him again.

"You're welcome, Lucas." Sabin responded, oblivious to the further unspoken thoughts and concerns plaguing Lucas.

"Have a good afternoon." The farewell was cheeky, but there was still an underlying genuinity to the parting despite the doctor's eccentric outlook.

And then, the connection was severed, leaving Lucas once again alone to his thoughts.

He did not even think about saying any kind of farewell to Dr. Duvert. The tone in the otherman's goodbye bothered him. His mouth remained shut long after the call had ended. It took him a moment before he realized he had begun to grind his teeth. Sighing, he moved away from the intercom and sunk down on his bed. There he stayed, alone with his thoughts, until he let his head sink to his pillow and eventually fell asleep.

~Reserved for Zach RP~ http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=6655827

*post reserved*

On Christmas Morning, you think you hear a scratching at the front of your door.

When you do go to check, you find tethered to your door handle a happy, squirming Australian Shepherd dog.



It looks young, but definitely not a puppy, and has not been fixed. It is wearing a collar and an ear tag. On the collar is a metal tag engraved with the name Dasher.

In the clip holder besides your door, there is a manila envelope with a photocopied page inside:





Lineart by Sabin Duvert, coloring by Sabin Duvert

It was Christmas, a holiday he enjoyed very much. At least that's how he felt about it past years. There was no reason to get up now. There was no desire to. There would be no Christmas homemade breakfast waiting for him. There would be no Nonie there to greet him and sing carols off-key. There wouldn't even be the traditional party with the other tenants. No exchange of gifts, no games, not even a tree. He could not even visit his father's grave.

Curled up under his sheets, Lucas tried to push the day out of his head. He tried to forget what day it really was so he could no miss what he could not have. Or ever again. There were many times since his arrived on the Island that he thought of Nonie, but now, more than ever, he longed from Nonie's company. He longed for home.

When he realized he would not be able to return to sleep, Lucas rolled out of bed. He noticed the sounds of scratching at the door, but he wrote it off as one of the normal animals of the Island doing something outside his door. He proceeded into the bathroom and silently showered, brushed, then clothed himself. Once his morning ritual was completed he stood quietly in the middle of his room, trying to decide what to do next. He considered heading to the cafeteria for some food, but tossed that idea out. With the mood he was in, he worried he would come across an Islander that was actually having a good Christmas and would only put a damper on their day.

Swinging open his mini-fridge, he pulled out some leftover food and leaned against his bed. As he ate he noticed the scratching at his door becoming more frequent and insistent. Unable to ignore it anymore, he walked over, ready to scare away the animal if he had to, and opened the door.

When the door started to open, the animal outside perked and jumped toward it. Now able to get inside, the animal tackled Lucas, pressing his wet nose against the dhole as he sniffed and kissed, then tried to venture further into the duplex. However, being tethered to the door handle prevented him from going very far, so he turned back to the interesting smelling biped, tail wagging wildly.

Lucas only had a moment to register what was standing outside his duplex when it crashed through and startled him to the floor. Grabbing the dog, pulling the wet nose from his face, Lucas stared wide-eyed. This...wasn't Reuben. Fingering the tag on the dog's ear, his hand drifted down and lifted the tag around his neck to read what was on it.

"Dasher? Your name is Dasher?" The dog reacted to the name, and Lucas pat him on the head to get him to settle down again. Reaching another hand up to the door handle, Lucas pulled the tether free. Once the dog felt his bonds loosen, he tore into the room. Before Lucas could even stand, the dog was already devouring the food Lucas had been enjoying a moment before. "Ah, no! Dasher!"

The dog's head raised at the name, a bit of vanilla pudding still on the tip of muzzle before he licked it off.

"...nevermind."

While the dog finished off the food and investigated the rest of the duplex, Lucas continued to watch in confusion. Where on earth had the dog come from? He wasn't sure quite how to react to the energetic animal that was now sniffing at his hamper. Turning back toward the door, he caught sight of the folder and removed it from the clip holder. Reading over the page, he looked back and forth between it and the dog.

"Energetic? No kidding," he laughed lightly, then stopped. So the dog had really been placed here for him?

Unsure of what to think about the dog at that moment, he lifted the two other gifts that sat outside his door. Once both were inside he kicked the door shut behind him. He smiled at the chair, already certain who it was from. He would need to thank Gaius for that. He then turned to the other gift.


From Cody? He never heard of anyone by that name. Had he? He would need to find and thank this person, too.

After he put the shell away and positioned the chair, he sunk down into it to try it out. Comfortable. By that time Dasher had already padded his way back over to Lucas and rested his head on his lap. This was already more than Lucas had expected. Stroking the dog across the head, a soft smile appeared on his face.

The rest of the day was spent hauling and delivering the gifts he had made. Dasher followed along, running and exploring, but always sticking closeby. It wonderful to have company again and Lucas' own tail wagged at the sight. Once the deliveries were done, he gathered some food from the cafeteria, and returned to his duplex. There he shared Christmas dinner with Dasher, read a book, then curled up on his bed for sleep. Dasher joined him, curling up next to him.

Lucas had no idea what the labs meant by giving him this dog or why, but at that moment he didn't care. For once he fell asleep with a smile on his face.