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Richard was on his bed fighting, struggling with some invisable beast. The sheets were soaked with so much sweat that they could be wrung out. Richard filled the empty room alternating between curses and in human growls. What ever he was fighting againist. It was clearly winning. His tentacles lashed out randomly striking anything and every thing that was within reach. They slammed into the head board with a BANG! Startling Richard out of his nightmare. He found himself crouched on his hands and knees staring at the tentacles that had adhered themselves to the headboard in their agitiation.

He licked his lips, tasting the sweat that was filtering through his mustache. He tryed to catch his breath has his entire body began to shake. He limbs vibrating like loose jello as coldness seemed to strike at the very core of his being. He fell to his side.

He mind raced like a drunken clown blinded by a cream pie. Still through that haze there was only one thing his could. "No." He mouthed silently. He thought he had prepared for his. "No." It was audible that time. He wasn't ready yet. In his fevered mind, the word: monster echoed through his head like richociting bullet. "NO!" He would be that. Never, no. He wasn't that!

Eyes snapping opened he saw his duplex, how small it was. The window was closed the curtians drawn. The place was dark, confining like a cage. He had to get out. Go some where they couldn't find him.

Logic was lost for the moment as Richard scrambled out of bed. He was sweating again, wearing a wife beater and his black pants. He didn't remember going to bed. He needed to get away from them. Somewhere the camera's couldn't see his weakness, his pain.

He flung open the door and staggered out of his duplex, not even bothering to close the door behind him. He lurched down the stares and headed directly into the jungle. Not knowning, not caring where he was going. Just away.

Only after the village was completely out of sight did he stop to lean againist a tree. Panting, sweating, shivering and slightly delierious.

Richard had one arm wrapped around the tree, clinging to a branch on the other side. His tentacles hung limply from his back. His knees buckled but he didn't let go of the branch, so he stayed upright, half standing, half dangling. His back was to Pyroth. His head rolled to the side, searching for the sound of the voice.

"Who?" It was all he could manage between wheezing breaths.

Pyroth. The name slowly worked its way through Richard's brain. A friend.

Still Richard didn't want anyone to see him in this state. It wasn't so that he was feeling weak or in pain. The bottom line was Richard was scarced shitless. He'd stare down Sabin or Moreau for forever before this, utter betrayal of his body. He was himself, nothing else and something inside him told him he might lose that today.

"Pyroth," He tried to smile but it was just a grimace. "I'll be fine. Just. I. Alone!" PAIN!! Rocketing up his spine, disrupting his thoughts, grinding them to dust. He fell to knees still clinging to the tree. There are sharp cracking noises as bones of his cocyx break apart, growing, pushing againist his pants.

The pain lessens for a moment as the tail finishes, new muscles whipping it side to side. Then it spreads, like a fire through his body, an unbarable heat. Something inside him feels like its melting, the fat forcably turned to oil as it is squeezed into his digestive track. His bulk shrinks before Pyroth's eyes. Richard feels like he's being crushed by and invisable hand wrapped around his torso. Tears stream down his cheeks, flushed red from the heat.

Then a finger of that hand and its terrible heat reach down into his crotch. Richard SCREAMS! an ear peircing shriek as sensitive nerves and flesh burn away. He felled away from the tree, hands clutching between his legs.

It stopped. The pain faded to a level below insanity shattering. For a long minute he just lay there, eyes staring blankly into space. Not a single thought even entered his head. He simply breathed.

"Nnnurrg." Richard groaned. Oh god it hurt. His eyes focused on Pyroth, following the coyote. He didn't say anything.

Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position, or tried to. He rolled back onto his tail and an inhuman hiss escaped his throat. He settled for kneeling. Leaning againist the tree he covered his face with his hands. Choking back a sob. "I.. think..." He didn't finish as all the muscles in his hands locked up, straining againist an invisable force.

Richard pulled them away from his face with a look of abject horror. Hadn't he had enough for one day? "No..." It was all he got out before the sick crackling started in both hand and feet. The nails grew black and just flaked off as the bone peirced the tips of the fingers, forming wickedly hooked claws. On his feet they pereiced the toes of his shoes while the add bulk strained againist the leather.

And yet, it wasn't finished. Richard could only stare at his hands when he felt a curious sensation, not painful. Like a sudden connection had been made, he felt his extra arms. Without touching them he knew how they were positioned. Of course now sooner had he changed his focus from his hands to them did pain blossem at their tips. It was like they were infested with rice crispies as the nubs at the end twisted into small three fingered hands.

And while Richard stared, the hairs from his mustache started to just fall from his face while thick whiskers grew from the edges.

As the little hands wriggled and flexed the structure of Richard's face began to reshape. Richard was forced to close his eyes has his ears lengthened and his nose upturned. Giving him a decidedly feline appearence.

When He opened his eyes again, they were no longer human.

He stared down at himself, his hands, the mounds on his chest, the claws. "My god. Oh my god." It was all he could say.

Richard snarled at Pyroth, an inhuman sound exiting his throat. "Exactly what he said I'd be. A <********> monster." Richard turned and slashed at the tree but his fingers we so tender he yelped as his claws hit the tree. He snatched his hand back, cradling it with his other on. He looked absolutely miserable.