The Good Boy Mask
I’d lived up the street from the Williams for as long as I could remember. My parents had
always said to stay away from them, that they were weird and they weren’t good for kids. But
they seemed really cool to me and my buddy Zach said they were.
“They let me smoke pot in their fucking living room dude.” Zach said to me. “I mean,
fuck my parents would kick my ass if they saw me do that.” Mine would too. I grinned at him.
“You think they’ll mind if I come along?” I asked. Zach shook his head.
“They told me to invite anyone I know.” He said. “Hell they said they had a surprise forme if I could bring a friend over.” Obviously that’s all it took for me to agree.
Looking back on it, I probably regret it. I say probably because thinking about it makes
my tail wag even now. Yes tail, mine is big and fluffy. Obviously I didn’t have one at the time
but I’ll get to that.
Zach and I should never have been friends honestly. He was tall and thin, I was short andgenerously proportioned. Zach was the son of immigrants from Cambodia who wanted to makehim as American as possible. I was the son of two of the whitest people you’ve ever met. Zach
was high most of his life and I couldn’t stand smoke.
Yet we were friends since the first grade. And in my senior year, when my story begins,
we had a few things in common. Most notably, parents who were more controlling than shouldhave been possible.
“Jake, we’ve already said, you don’t need a car. You can walk.” I’d been trying to get a
car for ages, but I couldn’t because I had legs. Please note, I was offering to buy the damn thingwith my job money, but they didn’t want me parking it at the house.
“Jake it’s nine-thirty, you should be in your room and asleep within an hour.” Did I
mention I was seventeen at this point? I mean yeah now I sleep all the time, but when I washuman I didn’t need to.
“Jake, you need to find better friends than that Zach boy. He’s a bad influence.” Yes andhe’s my only influence, without him around my life would be less fun.
The most common warning I got from them was “Jake, stay away from the Williams’
house. Kids who hang out there go missing.” My parents were convinced they were serial killers
killing kids, or maybe eating them, I dunno.
The Williams lived in a big mansion literally three houses down from me. The house wasso old it looked like it had been sitting here since the stone age. The house was surrounded by aniron fence. I’d seen kids entering for as long as I could remember, but I saw them leave as wellso obviously they weren’t eating kids.
Now for most of my life I’d listened to my parents when they told me to stay away. I’dbeen a good little boy, but not that good of a boy. Now I’m a good boy, but I’ll get to that.
Anyway, I’d avoided the Williams’ house despite seeing kids practically pouring in and out of
there. I probably would have kept doing so if not for Zach.

As controlling as my parents were, Zach’s were even worse. Apparently they’d plannedout his entire career before he was born. And like most stressed people, Zach’s response was toget higher than a kite.
Unfortunately my parents weren’t happy with drugs, so the first time Zach lit a blunt was
the last time he was allowed in the house while they were around. Thankfully they were out forthe day when Zach came over to tell me about the Williams.
“They let you smoke pot in the living room, like they didn’t care?” I asked. Zach shookhis head. “Okay, why?”“Because they’re awesome.” Zach said with a grin. Someone once told me Zach
resembled a palm tree with black leaves that had been cut short. I could definitely see that today.
Zach was sober and standing very stiff, like he was made of wood. “I’m heading over there
today, I want you to come with me.”
“My parents are going to call if I’m missing.” I said.
“You said they were out with the Christian Mission.” Zach said. “Ain’t that goodenough?” I shrugged. “Come on, when was the last time you got outta here? I mean, besides
freaking school? Besides, they promised me a surprise if I brought a friend along.”“A surprise?” I asked. “They’re sounding more and more like kid diddlers.”“No, they’re just really awesome.” Zach said. No they’re fey, or aliens, or something likethat. I shrugged.
“I mean, I got nothing to do.” I admitted. Zach grinned even wider, he knew he waswinning. Looking back, I can see some of the jackass in him. Minus the long rope tail of course.
“If these guys kill me, I’m haunting you I swear.” Zach just patted me on the shoulder.
My parents bought me a cellphone so they could call me whenever they needed to. And
by whenever they needed to, I mean whenever I was out of the house for more than thirty
minutes. I had to have it with me at all times, including as I walked up to the Williams’ house. I
could almost feel it buzzing, but every time I checked it was turned off.
As we approached the fence it swung open on its own. Zach grinned at me. “Pretty cool,right dude?” It felt kind of like a horror movie to me, but I ignored that. We approached the big
wooden door of the two story house.
The door looked heavy and had a big metal door knocker. The knocker was polishedbrass and looked like an animal. I studied it, trying to figure out what the animal was. It’s…bigteeth? Is that a dog?
“Hey Sal, Maria, we’re here!” Zach yelled, banging on the door. “Guys, it’s Zach! I’ve
got a friend!” The door swung open.
“Hello Zach.” A woman greeted us, a woman who seemed to be made of bones and skinand nothing else. She was super angular and wearing a dress that seemed to shimmer with eachmovement. The color even seemed to be changing!

The woman had bright red hair, inhumanly bright red that went down to her waist. She
had huge eyes and a small mouth. Looking into her eyes I felt like I could vanish into them. She
grinned. “You must be Jake, right?”“Ye-yeah I’m Jake.” I mumbled. “You’re a big woman.” She just laughed.
“My name is Maria Williams.” She said, “My husband Sal and I are just so happy to havechildren in our house.” Her eye twitched a little. “You are seventeen. Still a child, if only by abit.” That was weird, but I felt like I should agree with anything she said. “Come inside.”
The house was warm and the air was heavy, almost sticky. I could smell perfume in the
air. Zach visibly relaxed as we entered. There were no pictures on the walls, just the occasional
light for this dim hallway.
Maria lead us through the winding hallway to a massive living room. In hindsight it wasprobably too big to actually fit in the house. Then again, I wasn’t too worried about that. I was
more excited by what I saw.
The living room had one of the largest entertainment systems I’d ever seen. A massive
TV with every gaming system I could think of attached to it. A huge plush couch in front of it.
Behind the couch was a long table, covered with bowls full of candy.
My parents were always criticizing me for being fat and maybe I am. But telling someone
they’re fat doesn’t make them want to lose weight, it makes them want to eat more. When you’rehuman, it’s a struggle between being thin and being happy. I’d rather be happy.
Maria was telling us something about how the room was for us, but I ignored her, instead
going straight to the candy. Zach meanwhile sat down on the couch and lit up. Maria smiled at
this.
“I can tell you two are in the right mindset.” She said to us. I looked up, my mouth full of
chocolate, and gave her a thumbs up. Maria just laughed. “I’ll be back, I need to get myhusband.”
Maria walked out, strangely without any footsteps. The floor was all wooden, my feet(and later claws) tapped constantly against it. I dunno, it just never crossed my mind that there
was a problem. Or maybe I was just full of sugar.
“How awesome is this dude?” Zach asked, giggling. I tried to grin back. The candy was
so sweet, this had to be the best chocolate I’d ever had. I don’t know why but I felt like I could
just eat for hours. Or maybe just put my face in the bowl and eat away.
You know, a bowl is frankly more sensible than a plate. I don’t know why humans don’t
recognize it.
Anyway I eventually just grabbed a bowl full of chocolate and sat down. I didn’t haveany video games at home, my parents called them digital stupidity. I’d only played video gamesa few times in my life, but I was going to have fun now.
Screw you guys…I can do what I want…I hope they don’t find out about this. I checked
my phone twice in the next ten minutes, still nothing. I put my phone away and settled in, while
Zach continued to smoke.

I’m not sure what it was, but I lost track of time. Was it the smell of the pot, my full belly,or the flickering TV screen? Either way, I was so focused on the TV that I didn’t notice time waspassing. Or on the new person standing behind us.
“Are you having fun?” A man asked.
“Crap!” I leapt out of my seat and landed on my butt on the floor. Behind the couch stooda tall man, tall like Maria. His hair was dark…blue? Yes it was a dark blue color. Again he wassuper angular and wearing a suit that seemed to shimmer.
“Hey Sal.” Zach grunted, smoke swirling around him. Notably the smoke seemed to
avoid Sal. The man just nodded. “I brought a friend, when do I get my surprise?”“Oh now actually.” Sal said. His voice was…weird. It left an oil slick on my brain. “Youtwo have been having fun for a few hours, I’m sure you have to get home soon.” A few hours? I
checked my phone to confirm it.
“Fuck.” I muttered. “My parents are going to be so pissed.”“I assure you they won’t.” Sal said. “They won’t even know you were gone.” His eyes
were just as big as his wife’s, did they come from the land of the big eyes? Sal gestured with histalon like fingers. “Let me show you your surprise, then you can leave. Come on!” His grin neverwavered.
In hindsight, maybe I should have run away. I could have escaped and only Zach would
have changed. But honestly, I dunno if that was for the best. Just thinking about the change getsmy tail wagging a mile a minute.
I followed Zach and Sal as we were led back through the winding hallways. I swear wewent down a hall that wasn’t there earlier. EVentually though we were led to a dimly lit staircase.
Aside from one light at the top, the entire thing was in shadow.
“Come on boys.” Sal whispered, “Let’s not keep Maria waiting.” Sal practically (orpossibly) flew up those stairs. Zach and I had to run to keep up.
At the top of the stairs, Sal led us to another door. This door was heavy wooden like theothers, but was painted gold. Sal stopped in front of it.
“This is the most important room in the whole house.” Sal whispered. “Maria and I invite
all the children we love in here. You should feel very lucky, few get to come in here.” Yes, I wasa lucky enough boy to see the golden room. Sal touched the door and it swung open on its own.
Inside was Maria, waiting for us. That didn’t deserve much attention. What did get myattention were the walls. The room was empty except for the walls which were covered inwooden masks.
Not one or two masks, but hundreds and hundreds of masks. Most were wooden masks,
carved in the shape of animals. Some were carved in the shape of people. They were hanging
from every wall and some even hung from the ceiling!
My stomach sank as I looked at all the masks. I swear they were following me with every
movement. Zach on the flipside was perfectly fine with it. Life’s easy when you’re high as a kite
all the time.

“I see our new friends are here to find their new faces.” Maria said. Zach nodded and I
felt compelled to do so. Trying to resist made my stomach churn. Finally I nodded. “Oh thankyou Jake, you’re so good you know?” I grinned.
“I am?” I asked. “I don’t hear that very often.” Sal took Zach away, while Maria stayedwith me. “All I ever hear is how I’m not listening, not being obedient to my parents.”“You can be obedient can’t you?” Maria asked. The perfumed air was swirling aroundme, swirling into my brain. I nodded. “Yes, but you need praise too, don’t you boy?” I nodded
again.
“I just want to hear it.” I mumbled. “My parents never praise me or compliment me. I’m
always screwing things up.”“And that’s not right.” Maria whispered. She slowly pat me on the head. I don’t know
why but I leaned into it. “Yes boy, that’s not fair. But I can make things better. I know just theface for you.”
Maria turned and reached up, somehow reaching up to the top of the wall. She pulled off
what appeared to be a dog mask. Slowly she handed it to me. “Be a good boy Jake and put it on.”I nodded slowly.
“Right…good boy.” I mumbled, before pressing the wooden mask to my face.
The mask fit like a glove and didn’t feel like wood. It was so soft on me, it felt better thanmy own face. I close my eyes as I put it on. I could almost feel myself melting into the mask.
I opened my eyes.
I was greeted by green grass that had recently been cut. My nose twitched at the scent of
it. Looking around, I could see I was in a fenced in yard. Yes it’s my yard. I can smell myself. Thisis mine.
I turned around. Behind me was a small wooden dog house with a name tag on it. JAKE,in big red letters. Seeing it made by backside wiggle. Or some new part of it wiggle, my long andfluffy tail. Tail! Wait, tail? I don’t…do I have a tail? I turned around, trying to follow my curling
fluffy tail. Tail, it’s my tail.
Why wouldn’t I have a tail? Mine was so fluffy and soft. I wagged it faster and faster.
Anytime I was happy I felt like it was going to wag off. I padded out of my dog house, sniffing
along the ground as I walked. The grass smelled amazing.
Ooh, what’s this? I dunno what it was but it smelled amazing. I rolled onto my back andrubbed against it, tail wagging, before continuing my walk.
Eventually I came to the backdoor of the house. There were two bowls laid out, both with
JAKE etched on them. I lapped up water from one of them, occasionally splashing some on mymuzzle. As I did, the door opened.
“Jake! Come in boy!” I looked up at the voice.
“Arf!” I jumped back, wagging my tail, before leaping into the houseAnd finding myself standing outside of the Williams’ house. My cellphone was in myhand and Zach was beside me. Zach was grinning from ear to ear. He was wobbling a little backand forth.

“What the hell was that?” I asked. “Those masks…I was a dog? What the hell was that?”
Zach snorted and shrugged. “What the hell was it? What mask did you wear?”“I dunno, farm animal.” Zach mumbled. “It was re-eeeally good.” His voice sounded
more nasal than usual. He grinned, I swear his teeth looked bigger too. I checked my phone, overthree hours had passed.
“Shit.” I muttered. “I have to get home.”“Yeah, let’s do this again.” Zach said with a giggle.
“How about we don’t.” I said, before running off home. I left Zach there, standing on theWilliams’ porch swaying back and forth. All I could think was that hopefully, my parents
wouldn’t be home yet.
Unfortunately I saw their cars in the garage.
“Crap.” I mumbled, “Maybe they-” The front door opened as I approached and my Mom
looked furious. I tried to smile. “Hey Mom, I was“You were with that Zach boy.” Mom snapped at me. “I can smell it from here. You’vebeen smoking the marajuana.” Yes she called it THE marajuana. Why? Not a clue. “Get inside.
You’re not allowed to leave the house for the rest of the week. I will be driving you to school.”“Are you freaking kidding me!?” I asked. “You want me to go to school in yourrrrrrr car!
I’ll be a fucking laughing stock!” My throat vibrated as I talked. My mom got angrier.
“Now it’s a month.” She snapped. “Go up to your room.” I wanted to protest more but no
doubt I’d be grounded until I was eighteen. I stomped off to my room, resisting the urge to growl
at my mother.
“Fucking bitch.” I mumbled, slamming my door. “Fucking…” Not a bitch, bitches are
good. I dunno why, but thinking that made me happy. I wiggled my butt back and forth. “Theyjust want to control my life.” I hopped onto my bed.
“The Williams were nice.” I said. “Even that mask thing wasn’t bad….” I smiled. Whatdrugs were in that mask? I was a dog! I could feel my fur on the wind and my tail wagging! It
was amazing!
I rolled onto my side. Knowing my parents I’d be allowed only to eat and then go back tobed. “Being a dog would be great. They’re always happy.” I yawned. “And everything is goodfor them…” I could always pretend I’m a dog.
The thought made my heart skip a beat. I mean, I got a huge rush from that vision. The
door’s locked. What’s stopping me from acting that way again?
“Because it’s silly and I’m not a dog.” I said.
I was there and it felt great. I bet it would feel great again. Thinking of it made me smileeven harder. And my parents can’t stop me. I’m in my room after all, not doing anything to upset
them unless dogs upset them.
“I guess that’s true.” I admitted, grinning even wider now. I looked over my bed at thefloor. “God am I really doing this? This is crazy.” Yes it was, but I found myself climbing off ofmy bed and down onto all fours.

“Okay, I am a dog.” I giggled and wiggled my butt again. “I am a dog. What does being a
dog entail? What do dogs do? What did I do…I sniffed. I sniffed everything.” Swallowing, I
lowered my nose to the floor and began to sniff.
Have you ever just gotten down and sniffed before? Humans are so worried aboutlooking silly, but they should do it. If they did, they'd discover you learn a lot from your nose.
You’d also be amazed how easy it is to get lost in the scents.
My carpet was soft, but my nose was still getting roughed up. Still I was getting lost in it.
I swear I could smell things I’d never smelled before. I could smell every footstep I’d ever made,every time my family was in here, I could smell the soda I spilled a week ago! It made my buttwag.
I should have done this sooner. I wonder what my parents would think if they saw me? I
smirked, I’d bark at them. A dog should be sniffing. The thought made me blush. Did I just callmyself a dog? Oh God.
My face felt like it was burning. I leaned my head up and stretched. I feel like a dog
though! Oh God I can almost feel my tail! Now my body felt like it was burning. I was a dog
then! I feel…I feel like I am a dog!
“I am a dog!” I whispered. My butt began to burn. “I want to bark and howl!”
I was wearing shorts that had been loose. Now though they felt tight, especially justabove my butt. I groaned. “I want to be on a leash! I want to eat out of a bowl!” My pants began
tenting, right above my butt.
From the outside it would have looked like my butt had a bubble inflating above it. My
shorts twisted around the growth as the fabric strained to keep it in. I didn’t notice though, too
lost in the ecstasy of being a dog.
“I’d be a good dog, I’d never have to go to school or worry about a job!” I groaned. The
fabric began rubbing my, making me shudder. “I’d just be worried about having fun! I could
sniff all day!” I buried my face in the carpet to sniff again.
This pushed my butt further into the air. The bubble was growing and starting to curl. My
tight pants were pinching my new tail. Muscles grew out, now I could wiggle it slightly back andforth.
I can almost see it. Being a dog, on all fours, being petted and praised! My tail pressedagainst the fabric, trying to force its way out. A thread popped, then a second and a third. My
muscles strained to push it out.
While my tail continued to wag, fur began to grow. It started as a fine soft fuzz thatrubbed against my bare butt. Quickly though it turned into a full forest of fluff. Feeling it mademe wag even faster.
Yes I am a dog! I am a dog! The sound of popping fabric rang in my ears. I am a dog!
Howl! I threw my head back.
“Awooooooooo!” I howled at the top of my lungs as the fabric in my shorts finally gave
way. My tail burst out at its full length, wagging back and forth. I collapsed onto my chest,
seeing my tail wagging out of the corner of my eye.

My tail was curled with black fur across the top and white across the bottom. It looked
like a husky tail. It thumped against the ground, loud enough I briefly wondered why my parents
weren’t coming in. It took me a second to remember I locked it.
From where I am now, I can say I can’t imagine not having a tail. Tails are great andbetter than not having one. At the time though I was freaked out. Just staring at it made my heartrace. I tried to wag it and yep it thumped at my command.
“....oh fuck.” I scrambled to my knees. “Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck!” I grabbed my tail andshuddered, feeling my fur under my fingers. My fur attached to MY tail. I pinched it and yowled
in pain.
“Jake!” My door knob rattled. “Jake, what’s going on in there?” My tail froze. I
swallowed.
“No-nothing Mom.” I stammered. “Everything’s fine!” My tail tried to wiggle. I had tohold it with both hands.
“Jake, I heard you scream.” Mom said. “It sounded like a wolf howling.” That made mytail wag faster. I was a dog but my Mom mistook me for a wolf. “What’s going on? Let me in.”Now she tried to force the door open.
“Mom, I'm naked!” I yelled. Why that came to me I don’t know. At least it got her to stopmessing with the door. I swear I could see her frown through the door.
“You’re…naked.” She said, as if the concept were foreign to her. “Why-why-why would
you be naked?”“Uh, I’m hot.” I said. Please, if I’d have been hot I’d have been panting. Still my mom
seemed to believe it.
“Just keep the noise down.” She said, before I heard her walking off. I waited until she
had gone back down stairs before I checked my tail out again.
My tail was large, proportional to a human but clearly a husky tail. It was black andwhite, I could make it wag with only a twitch. I touched it and slowly ran my finger over it. I
shuddered, all my fur stood on end.
“I’ve grown a tail.” I said, waiting for the words to become real. “I’ve got a tail. I’ve got
a dog tail.” I wagged again. All the color drained out of my face. “I’ve got a dog tail…fuck!” I
pulled out my phone to call Zach.
It took three rings for him to answer. “He-heeeeelow dude.” Zach sounded like he wasmoaning. “Heee-heee-heee-haaaaaaw is it going dude?” His breaths sounded like brays. Zach
giggled. “You got a tail too?”“How do you-wait did you grow a tail!?” I had to stop myself from screaming. Zach justgiggled again. “What?”“It’s greeeeeeat isn’t it?” Zach asked. “I can flick mine. It’s got hair on the end. I thinkit’s a jackass tail.” He laughed, “My ex always said I was an ass.” I rubbed my eyes. “What?
Dude try moving it and jerking off, it kicks ass.”“Why aren’t you upset?” I snapped. “I’ve got a dog tail!” Silence. “Zach? Talk to me.”“Why would I be upset dude? I feel great.” Zach said. “It’s greeeeee-haaaaaw!” That bray
was so loud I could imagine him dropping the phone. “Plus, fuck my parents. If I’ve gotta be anass, at least I don’t gotta listen to them.” I face-palmed. Clearly Zach would be no help.
Looking back, I should have listened to Zach. Never thought I’d say that, but I’d havebeen happier sooner. I love my tail and my fur and my owner. Being a dog is great. Being ahuman is the real problem. But I was in denial then, wanting to be a human.
“The Williams did this.” I said. “I’ve got to speak to them.”“They said we could come back tomorrow.” Zach said.
“Tomorrow is a school day, I need to speak to them today.” I said. “I’ll sneak out after
dinner.” Zach laughed again, now clearly braying as he did. “What? I can do it?”“With your parents? Please. I say just spend some time sniffing and barking. You’ll makea good dog Jake.” Just the word good made my tail spring to life and whip back and forth. I
whimpered. Zach giggled again. “You like that don’t you boy, being called a good dog?”“Stop it.” I stammered.
“Who’s a good dog Jake? Who’s a good boy?” My tail wagged a mile a minute. I bit mylip trying to keep it down. Zach continued patronizing me and it felt so good. I bit down harder. I
won’t respond. I can’t respond. I won’t give in!
The pressure built inside of my chest, like an inflating ball. “You’re such a good dog
Jake. You’re a good dog and better than a human. You want to be a good dog.” The pressure
moved into my throat. I bit down so hard I drew blood. “Who’s a good dog Jake?”
The pressure forced my mouth open.
“Arf!” I barked. I couldn’t help it. Relief washed over me and somehow brought my tailback to life. Zach just laughed. I hung up before he could do anymore.
“So Zach’s no help.” I muttered. “Fucking high idiot.” I had a mirror hanging on the backof my door. Looking at it, I could see how my tail was growing right out of my skin. I pulled onit, making myself wince again.
The fur just seemed to emerge from my skin, like there was a hard line between humanand dog. I looked over my shoulder at it, it was so big I could easily see it. I have to eat dinnerwith them tonight. What the hell do I do?
I grabbed the largest shirt and pants I had and pulled them on. Unfortunately being
generously proportioned I couldn’t hide it all that well. I could see just a little bit of fur still.
Thankfully it wouldn’t be obvious what I had growing back there.
“Okay, I just can’t show my backside.” I mumbled. “How do I get to school? Mom isgoing to be there….I’ll figure it out later.” My tail slipped out and resumed wagging. “Fucking
tail, stay ARF! Stay in!” This time the bark slipped out on its own.
I tried grabbing my tail, but this time it slipped through my fingers. I don’t know why but
I turned as I tried to grab it, in turn walking in a circle. I circled three or four times, trying to grabthat tail, before I finally caught it.
The mask, the mask had to do this. I nodded to myself, they had human masks. I’ve gotta
grab one of those. Then I can fix it.

No I couldn’t, but I was a stupid puppy. Why would I want to fix it? Being a dog is so
exciting it makes your tail wag. Plus you can eat your weight in food and have your own waterbowl with your name on it.
Since I couldn’t exactly slip out before my parents went to bed, all I could do was wait
and try to hide my tail. You try hiding a human sized husky tail and tell me how good you do.
Finally I hit on tucking my shirt into my pants, keeping my tail inside and using a belt to hold it
in place.
The first time I did this my eyes burned with tears from how much it hurt, but I justtightened it up more. Eventually I pulled it so tight my tail stopped wagging. This let me givesome attention to my poor torn shorts.
“Crap.” I mumbled, holding them up to the light. The seat of my shorts was gone, torn
clean through by my tail. Without thinking I leaned in and sniffed my shorts. They had my scent,that made me try to wag my tail again. Except that just made my tail burn with pain. I yowled
until I got it under control.
“Okay, just gotta keep it together.” I mumbled. “Just gotta focus.” Right then, my motherknocked on the door.
“Jake, dinner.” Of course. I checked my belt and headed down to eat.
My parents were both seated at the dining room table, because every night we had to eat
there on a table cloth. Diner was beef stroganoff, which I usually disliked. Today though thescent was making my mouth water.
“What are you wearing?” My mother asked upon seeing me.
“Clothes.”“Why are you wearing winter clothes?” My dad asked, “It’s eighty-five out there.” I
didn’t respond, instead forking through the food. My hand shook, the smell was driving me nuts.
Bury your face in it. Eat it all. Lick the plate.
It took all of my will to take a bite. I had to ignore my parents, any lapse in focus would
have me buried in the food. One bite, two, three, I was taking huge bites. My parents were still
speaking but I was ignoring them. I also was ignoring my desire to sniff the air.
The strangest thing about my awakening to my true nature was the increased desire tosniff. Now I look back on it like not sniffing was madness, but at the time I couldn’t figure out
why I’d want to sniff everything.
“Jake, are you listening to us?” Dad asked as I finished my dinner.
“Sorry, can’t talk, school tomorrow.” I stammered. I stood up from the dinner table,
keeping my front to both of them, before walking out backwards so they couldn’t see mybackside. Mom was calling something out but I ignored it until I was back in my room.
I locked the door, undid my belt and dropped to all fours.
“Ruff!” I barked, panting and wagging my tail. “Ruff ruff!” Keeping the dog inside hadphysically hurt. Now I wanted to let it out. I struggled to get my shirt off because dogs havepaws and not hands, but eventually I got it all off.

I panted and sniffed all across the floor, until finally the dog in me was tired out. Afterthat I collapsed onto my side. Okay not perfect, but it could have gone worse. Just gotta wait.
Wait for them to go to sleep.
That took four hours. Four hours of me in my room, trying not to act like a dog. The
problem was that acting like a dog was amazing.
Consider this. Dogs don’t really worry about things. They are happy and excited all thetime. They’re happy to just see the sun rise. Why would you want to return to being human after
feeling that? I mean, at the time I thought I did but I was wrong.
“They’ll be in bed now.” I mumbled. “Just gotta get out.” I pulled on a shirt and shoes
and crept down the stairs. My parents’ bedroom was right beside the front door, so I had to sneakout the back. Thankfully we didn’t have a fenced in yard, so it was easy to crawl around thehouse.
I crawled around the house and I do mean crawled. I’m not sure when I dropped to allfours, but I felt I had to. I felt stronger on four legs, faster too. As I crawled into the next door
yard, another instinct overcame me.
The neighbors had a big maple tree in the front yard. I crawled up to it and sniffed along
the base, before lifting my leg to pee on it. I stood there, leg cocked, until my scent was all overit and crawling along.
The Williams’ house still had the lights on. I had to stand up to get through the fence.
Before I could knock on the door, it opened to Sal and Marie standing in the entrance. They bothgrinned at me.
“You.” I growled at them, showing my non-existent fangs. Not that they remained
non-existent. The heat returned.
Slowly my teeth began shifting around. My canines grew and my other teeth changed,changed into something more appropriate for dogs. Dog’s gnaw, they tear, they can rip meat.
And with that came another change.
The muscles in my jaw were growing stronger. I could bite down much harder, perfect fortearing meat or playing a mean game of tug-of-war. I always love tug-of-war. That made theWilliams’ grin even bigger.
“We knew you’d be coming.” Sal said. “Even though you’re supposed to be inside.
You’re breaking your parents' rules Jake.” That made my tail wag faster. Amazing isn’t it?
Knowing I was breaking human rules just made me feel more excited.
“We’re so glad to have you.” Marie said. “We know you’re happy with the changes.” My
tail stood to attention.
“Happy? Happy!? I’ve got a freaking dog’s tail!”“And you’re already used to not wearing pants.” Sal said. I finally looked down toconfirm it was true. “Come on in, before anyone asks questions about our newest dog.” I didn’t
need to be told twice.
“What did you two do to me?” I barked at them. “I’ve got a dog tail you frrrrrrrrr-” I ran
my tongue over my new teeth. “I’ve got dog teeth!?”“Your appropriate teeth.” Marie said. “Come on boy, follow us.” They gestured at me andinstinctively I followed them.
“You put a mask on me and I grrrrrew a tail.” I snarled at them. They didn’t respond. The
halls now bent completely differently from the way they had before. “You’re turning Zach into adamn donkey!”“Zach is a donkey, humanity was the mask.” Marie said.
“We don’t put masks on, we take them off.” Sal said. “We merely put your correct faceon.” I growled again, which made them stop. The two turned to face me.
“Bad dog Jake!” Sal snapped. My tail froze. “Sit!” I collapsed onto my butt, hands
between my legs. Now they smiled. “Follow.” I resumed following them, now on four legs.
“Feels good, doesn’t it Jake?”“No.” I said, though I didn’t believe it. The two lead me to a big wooden door. I could
smell the outside coming through it. The door swung open.
It was eleven at night when I left my house. It was the dead of night. So there was no way
the sun could have been up.
Yet as I walked outside, it was. The sun was up and I found myself in a perfectly
manicured lawn. I crawled out, feeling the grass under my paws…hands. The heat beat down on
my back. Sal clucked his tongue.
“Someone put some human clothes on you boy.” Sal whispered, before running his finger
over my shirt. My shirt and shoes disappeared into smoke. Marie smiled at me, it made my tailwag. “Now look what we’ve got for you boy.”Looking around, I saw a big dog house with JAKE stenciled on it. There were two large
metal bowls beside it, both with my name on it. I could also see a rawhide chew, several
blankets, and a big orange and blue ball beside it.
“This is for you.” Sal said. “This is the yard of your owner.”“They’ll be waiting for you when you finish changing.” Marie said. “You just need toaccept it and it’ll be yours.” My tail wagged despite myself. I walked over to the dog house andstuck my head inside.
It was just big enough for a full grown husky (like me) and the blankets were nice. I
sniffed over them, while my human self fought for control. It didn’t matter, the dog was happyand so it was going to have some fun.
This is my house, I’m safe to sleep in here. I leaned down to rub my face against theblanket. It’s so soft.
I pulled my head out and looked over to the bowls. One was full of food and one was fullof water. I leaned down to sip some of it, only to stick my nose in. Trying a second time ended
with me sticking my face in.
“Stop fighting Jake.” Marie whispered above me. “Be a good boy and do what you know
to do.” I leaned down and began lapping up water with my tongue. “Good dog.” I wagged mytail. “You’re a bad boy but a good dog Jake. You just need to accept it.”Sal came over now and picked up the orange and blue ball. The part of me in denial
dreaded it, while the part of me that accepted this was excited. “Jake, fetch!” Sal threw the balland I was off running.
Dogs are easy to amuse and entertain, but that’s because we’re happy all the time. We
have to run because happiness drives us nuts. I saw the ball bouncing and I was off on all fours. I
actually crashed into it, flipping over as I did.
“Good boy Jake!” Sal said with a clap. I bit down as best I could with my new teeth andcrawled over. My human mouth wasn’t the best for carrying a ball but I was still trying. I
dropped it about five times before Sal took it from me.
Sitting there, closer to the Williams, something else struck me. I could smell the grass
and the ball and the blankets. I couldn’t smell anything coming off of them. Not just a light scent,they had nothing. It’s like smelling ice.
“N-N-No.” I stammered, taking control of my body. “I’m not fetching! Change meback!”“If you wanted to change back, you could have stayed home.” Marie said. I frowned. “Oh
don’t be a sad puppy, it’s true.”“The more human you act, which means following rules and doing as a human does, themore human you are.” Sal said. “But if you disobey human rules and give in to your real
instincts, the more you will change to your true form.”“So…if I’d stayed home…”“You wouldn’t have had the dog come to the surface so much.” Marie said. “Being
human is to live a life of denial and obedience. To be a dog is to live a life of excitement andpleasure.”
I wagged my tail at the thought while still trying to deny it. Marie knelt down beside me,a smile on her face. “Redemption and humanity are not for everyone. For many, their true nature
is more joyful. You can decide what you want, but I believe I know.”“You don’t know me.” I muttered. “You…I need to be alone.” The two just nodded andwalked off, somehow not bending the grass as they went. I crawled into the dog house, still onfour legs.
So I have to be a good little boy to be human, act like a human and obey rules. Or I act
like a dog and become a dog. I don’t want to be a dog. I don’t Want to be a dog. I Don’t want tobe a dog. I don’t want it.
I don’t know if it was the heat or the running but I lay down in that doghouse and soon
fell fast asleep.
Bang-Bang-Bang.
I lifted my head off the ground. Or rather, off my pillow. A quick glance confirmed I wasin my bedroom. My door was shaking off its hinges, no doubt my mother coming to wake me up.

“Jake, you’re going to be late!” My mom said, before banging again on the door. “You’ve
got to get up!” I sat up, my tail thumping against the bed. Crap…it wasn’t a dream. But wait, I
went to sleep in a freaking dog house!
“I’m up!” I said, noticing a slight whistle in my voice. My new teeth were thicker and I
sounded slightly off. “I’m up. I’ll be ready soon!” Mom sighed, as if me being slightly slow wasannoying her. I bit my tongue, which was a bad idea with dog teeth.
“You better be ready in five minutes.” Mom said. “And I have contacted your school-”
My tail froze. “You will not speak to that Zach boy.”“You did what!?” I snapped, my tail standing to attention. “Why did you call theschool!?” My ears began burning now, but I was too angry to notice. “Mom I’m freaking
seventeen, stop trying to control me!”
You know in hindsight, I should have been grateful to my mother. That anger made thechange easier after all. I couldn’t see that though, all I could see was her trying to control me.
Fun fact, if you want people or dogs to do what you say, you have to be nice and not just givecommands from on high.
“You will not speak to me that way young man!” My mom snapped back. “I am yourmother.” The urge to bark burned in my chest, while my ears slid up the sides of my head. “Youare going to do as I tell you.”
You don’t have to listen to her, the voice whispers. Your ears pull into two points now, as
the earlobes burn away. Everything unneeded in fact is burning away. Your ears are getting
thinner and wider.
“I am practically an adult.” I snarled. My growing ears flicked in irritation. “You won;’t
let me drive myself! You won’t let me talk trrrrrrrrro my friends!” Fur sprouts along the baysideof them, ink black fur. White and soft fur sprouts along the inside.
“Do not yell at me.” Mom said. “You can now consider yourself grounded for evenlonger! I expect you downstairs in five minutes!” My ears could hear her stomping down thestairs as clear as day.
I was able to hold it together long enough for my mom to get out of earshot. As soon asthat happened though, I fell to all fours.
“Arf! Ruff ruff ruff!” I barked, my tail wagging back and forth. “Ruff! Ruff ruff ruff!” I
barked until my lungs burned. By the time I was done I was left panting. Unfortunately, that leftme with two minutes to hide my tail and ears.
“I…frig.” I looked at myself in the mirror. “Ears…I’ve got dog ears…crap.” I pulled on
my oversized pants and shirt, as well as my belt to hide my tail. The ears were another problem.
They were big dog ears and my normal ears were missing.
I had a skull cap I didn’t usually wear, but for now it would do. Pulling it over mychanged ears hurt, they were pushed back against my scalp. What choice did I have? My fangs
were also obviously changed, but those weren’t noticeable unless you were studying them.
Mom was sitting in her car as I approached, backpack in hand. She frowned at the sightof my skull cap. “Why are you wearing that thing? Take it off?”“No.” I said. Mom reached for the cap and I pulled away. “Mom, I am wearing this! You
took away my friend, you’re not taking away my hat.” Mom was clearly annoyed by that but she
didn’t fight me anymore.
The car riders line at my school was for freshmen. So seeing a senior using it made all the
kids stop and watch. I blushed beet red.
“I’ll be picking you up as well.” Mom said, in full view of other kids. “If you leave
without me you can expect to spend your weekend under lock and key.”“Thanks Mom.” I growled. Mom pulled away, leaving me among a sea of laughing
students. “Fucking great.” I tried to walk off as fast as I could without drawing attention. Except,
I had a new problem.
My nose was still human. But as I mentioned previously, even with a human nose it’s
great to sniff. And few things are as great to sniff as humans or other dogs. This was my firsttime around a bunch of other humans.
A girl I knew, Jessie, was sitting by the fountain in front of the school. She was eating a
breakfast burrito. As I passed by, I looked at the food, then Jessie. She had earbuds in and didn’t
notice me. Not even as I leaned down to sniff her head.
That finally got her attention. Jessie looked up. “Jake? What are you doing?” Instead of
responding, I leaned in to sniff her face. Then I licked her nose. “What the fuck!?” Her screamsnapped me back to life.
“S-Sorry.” I stammered, running off before anyone could notice. My tail was trying to
wag through the belt. I made it into the hallway before sniffing anyone else. And I ran right into
Zach.
Zach wasn’t wearing a hat, instead he was sprouting a set of big brown donkey ears. He
grinned, showing off his big blocky teeth. “You’ve had a fun nigh-heeeeee I bet.” My jaw
dropped at the sight of his ears.
“You…you have donkey ears!”“And everyone thinks they’re fake.” Zach said, “They keep calling me a furry.” Hefolded his ears back and flicked them back up. “Can fake ears do that?” Zach looked up.
“Heeeeeee-haaaaaaaw!”“What the heck dude?” I asked. “You’re braying like a donkey!” Zach nodded, as if thiswere normal. “Zach, everyone’s going to think“Who cares?” Zach asked. “Animals don’t care what people think.” Zach’s long tail now
flicked to the side, showing he had it out as well. “Let them talk. I hope they know the truth. I’mgoing to get more of them to go to the Williams’ house.”
I stared at Zach in confusion. “You want people to turn into animals? Are you crazy?”
Zach shrugged. “That’s nuts!”“Donkeys need herds. I’d also like to have a horse with me.” Zach said. “I was always ajackass, I just had to quit pretending.” He grinned. “And I’m going to take a dump on Mr.
Roper’s desk. He flunked you too for plagiarism right?” I nodded. “I say mark your territory at
his desk.”

“No…No I’m not…going to do that.” I mumbled. “I’m…I need to get out of here.” I left
Zach standing there, with his tail swinging back and forth, making it to my first class. I sat in theback, away from the other kids.
This was actually a problem. You see, the fan was blowing back on me. And all the otherkids were in front of me, blowing all of their scents onto me. My teacher Mrs. GRaham entered,but I didn’t see her. I didn’t hear anything she had to say.
What…what is that? I began to sniff slowly. The boy in front of me, what was his name,Robert? Roddy? I don’t know, but I know he played football. He had the scent of a football
player. And something else underneath. You can smell what might be under them. You can smell
if they’re humanity is a lie.
I tried to ignore the voice, but the scents were so strong. Rob-Rod was wearing a fakehuman mask. The boy beside him, Benjamin, smelled completely human. I bet you could do thisall day, couldn’t you?
“Arf.” I barked just under my breath. My nostrils expanded as the scents drifted into
them. They began to reshape, stretching and in turn stretching my nose. All this meant was that I
could smell things clearer, so I sniffed more.
I don’t know how I ever made it without my proper nose. Human noses are so weak. You
can’t tell when you’re in your territory or another dog’s. And you can’t tell when you’ve got
humans or animals in denial around you.
My nostrils were now facing forward. A line appeared between them, running down mynose that was getting increasingly shiny. I tried to lick my nose with my human tongue. The
scents just kept coming.
Further up was my ex-girlfriend Autumn. She smelled like a bitch in denial. The thought
got my tail wagging in spite of the belt, which just pulled the belt tighter against my stomach. I
couldn’t help it though, the smells were so strong.
Life is easier if you’re a dog, the voice whispered. You don’t have to concern yourself
with anything but what smells great. You just have to eat, sleep and play. My nose began tochange color now. A wave of black rolled across the skin, flattening the face of my nose as it did
so. I was left with a black, shiny dog nose.
And I loved it. Yeah at the time I was in denial, but I loved it. The scents were all sostrong and so powerful. I just wanted to be here among them forever.
It’s amazing how long I sniffed the first time I had a dog nose. Mrs. Graham was
lecturing and I missed all of it. She was talking about American history, but can you smell
history? Well yes, but you can also smell other people.
My tail was straining against my belt. The scents were driving it nuts. Instincts urging me
to get down on all fours and sniff everyone. Go to each desk and sniff them up and down. And ifthey didn’t like it? I could just bark at them and wag my tail.
I was a good dog after all.

“No!” I forced myself to sit upright. “No no no I am not a dog, I am not going to do that.”
I shook my head, trying to shake the desires I had out. That didn’t help, but it at least got me tostop sniffing.
“Jake?” MRs. Graham asked. I quickly covered my nose and mouth before looking up.
“Yes ma’am?” I asked. I tried to sound nonchalant, which wasn’t easy when I could feel
my ice cold nose.
“Do you have any thoughts on the Haymarket riots?” Mrs. Graham asked.
“I…don’t know?” I asked. My tail wiggled faster and faster. The belt was cutting off
blood flow. It needed to escape. Mrs. Graham sighed.
“Then please, just stay quiet in my class.” Mrs. Graham turned around.
You are a dog. How can she ask you to stay quiet.
“Grrrrrrrrr….” The growl slipped out despite my best efforts. I stopped it as fast as I
could, but Mrs. Graham still heard and still turned around.
“Did you have something to say Mr. Jake?”“No ma’am.” I stammered, still hiding my nose. “I just ruff!” Now everyone was looking
at me. I didn’t think I could blush any harder, but somehow I found I could. The other students
started snickering. Mrs. Graham frowned.
“What was that?” She asked. The smart thing to do would have been to just keep mymouth shot. Don’t speak, don’t respond, just let it go. Well, no one ever accused dogs of being
too smart.
“Ruff!” I barked again. I couldn’t help it. I felt as if it had to come out. “Ruff ruff!” The
entire class burst out laughing. Mrs. Graham now looked pissed at me. She didn’t speak, she justpointed at the door. I knew what that meant, go to the office.
“Arf!” I barked again. Somehow I made it out of my seat on two (very wobbly) legs andout the door. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, watching me and I felt humiliated. I made it
into the empty hallway.
Then I collapsed onto all fours.
I didn’t just collapse, I did so while ripping my belt off. My tail sprung to life, wagging amile a minute. I stopped myself from undressing and howling right there. Instead I crawled off tothe nearest bathroom and locked the door.
Sitting on the floor, I was confronted by several scents. I walked around for a bit, sniffing
everything, before I got myself under control enough to focus.
I just barked at my teacher. I barked like a dog at my teacher. And it felt so good. I pulled
myself up to two legs and looked at myself in the mirror. I pulled off the skull cap and tossed it
aside, letting my real ears come out.
What I saw looking back was a mix of human and husky. My nose was black, my ears
were pointed and my left eye was starting to turn bright blue. I smiled. Then I started to pant. I’m
not a dog. I don’t have to be a dog. Focus on that! Say you are not a dog!

“Arf!” My tail froze. “Arf arf!” Those weren’t words. I swallowed and tried to speak
again. “Ruff! Arf arf!” No no no no no. I could see the words I wanted to say, but they turned toash in my mouth.
Focus. Focus. I grit my fangs.
“Rirrr norrrr a drrrrog!” I managed to stammer out. “Rrrri am norrrt a dog!” I swallowed.
The words were coming out mangled. Talking was leaving me tired.
For the record, it’s so much easier to bark. Barking gets your point across and without
you needing complex words. You just howl or bark when you’re upset or happy. That’s all you
need really.
“Rrrrri am norrrrrt a dog.” I repeated. “Rrrrri am not a dog.” Finally it sounded better, if
still very growly. “Rrri am not a dog. Rrri….I…I need to see Zach.” My parents could monitor
my cellphone and knew if I was talking to Zach. Of course I was turning into a dog, so I had
bigger concerns.
I texted Zach where I was and that I was in trouble. And there was no response. I tried
again. This time I got a response.
“Haaaaaw-heeeee-haaaaw!” the text message read. Well at least Zach was consistent. I
frowned and texted back that I needed him. His second message? “Heeeee-haw!” Of course.
“Zach’s no help.” I mumbled. “I just need to get through today. Go back to the Williams’
and get one of those human masks.” You know, looking back on it, that plan was doomed to
failure. But I suppose a dog in denial has to fail a lot.
“Can’t…carrrrrn’t get back to class.” I muttered. I took my shoes and pants off now. Theyboth felt confining. “Can’t…smells…every thing smells good here…no…” The problem withhumans is their determination to hold on to being human.
I grabbed the sink and focused on my face. By now my eye had turned bright blue,
leaving me with two different colored eyes. “Frrrrocus. You arrrre going to sneak out of here.”
Yes, the half-dog man is going to sneak out of the school. “Go to the Williams’ house, get thehuman mask.”
I smiled at myself. “You can do this Jake. You’rrrre a good boy! Err, wait…” A black
spot appeared on my upper lip. “No, not a good boy?” My mind was struggling. I knew that
expression was wrong to apply to me, but I couldn’t name why.
“Not a good boy? But good?” I groaned, my brain felt dumber. The black now spread
across my lip in both directions. “I’m good? But you say that to dogs!” My tail was wagging
despite that, I liked hearing good. Even if it was from me.
“I am good.” I mumbled. “Rrrrrrruff!” I grinned. And a whisker sprouted above my black
lip. Then another. Then a third. They fired off like little champagne corks. Instead of being
freaky, watching it made me wag with excitement.
Yes, you need your whiskers, the voice whispered in my pointed ears. What kind of husky
doesn’t have his whiskers? They’re so pretty aren’t they?

“Yeah yeah…” I whispered. “They let me know what…no not whiskers.” I mumbled.
“They’re wrong?” If they were wrong, why did they look so right on me? “I need to get out ofhere. Can’t let them see me.” I moved away and dropped to all fours.
“Sneak out sneak out sneak out.” I walked over to the door and didn’t move. “Can’t can’topen. Need to get up.” I had to walk against the door to get myself back on two legs, finallyallowing me to open the door.
Forcing myself out of the bathroom on two legs was an interesting experience. Every step
made my legs wiggle back and forth. My knees felt like they were going to give out. My entire
body was shaking and I swear I was about to get down and start barking again.
“Grrrrrt to Williams.” I growled. Back and forth, it felt like I was swinging my legs witheach step. Is it worth pointing out I hadn’t put my belt back on? That was bad. What was worse
is again I hadn’t put my pants back on.
You didn’t need those pants. They were just getting in the way. You just need a collar. I
nodded, that made perfect sense to my emerging mind. The human part was being overwhelmedby all the scents and the joy of being a dog.
I also hadn’t pulled the skull cap on, so my ears were constantly listening for noises. Mybare feet sounded funny on the cold tile. Left and right, left and right. My toenails clicked against
the tile, getting louder as the next change hit me.
My nails on both my hands and feet narrowed into sharp points. As soon as that finishedthey grew out, curling upward as they did. Each nail turned a deep brown, almost black color in
the process, leaving me with claws.
This wouldn’t have been noticeable, had it not been for two things. First, the bell rang at
exactly that moment. And second, dogs don’t have thumbs.
I yowled as the bell rang. It didn’t hurt, but instinctively I had to howl. I mean, if you
hear a loud and long noise, you have to howl. That’s just logic.
The kids began pouring into the hallway. Most of them were laughing or on theircellphones. I looked for a place to hide, or tried to. Because another part of me kept looking atthem and wagging my tail.
Wouldn’t it feel good to have them running their hands through your fur? I whimpered. It
would feel great wouldn’t it? Show them you’re such a good dog Jake.
“Not a good…not a dog.” I mumbled, “Am good, am very good.” Most of the kids kept
walking by, but a few stopped to look at me. Then one of them screamed.
“Dude, are you not wearing pants?” A girl asked. My ear swiveled, she was standing
behind me to the left. I spun around, nose sniffing as fast and hard as it could. “What the fuck?”“Is he wearing a tail butt plug?” Someone else asked. I wagged my tail. I tried to explain
it was mine, but I just managed to whimper. The girl looked genuinely scared and confused.
Show her you’re such a good dog.
“Rrrruff!” I launched myself at her like I was still a puppy. I knocked her on her butt andbegan to lick her face as fast and as hard as I could. She still seemed scared, so I licked her more.
That’s how you show you’re a good dog.

All the while my thumbs were beginning to give way. As I mentioned, huskies don’t havethumbs. We have dew claws. My thumbs weren’t needed, they wouldn’t help me with digging ahole.
As such my thumbs began to melt into my paws…hands. Still had hands at the time. The
bones began to grind into each other, with the bones in my thumbs being ground completely
away. Soon all that was left were two dew claws.
For some reason, the girl was still scared and upset. I mean, didn’t she know she had afriendly husky with her? Admittedly I was still in denial. Some how I forced myself off of her,
tongue hanging out.
“Nrrrro nrrro no no no.” I muttered. “Srrrory.” The girl looked terrified. “Srrrory. I’m a
good boy!”“What the fuck are you?” A boy behind me cried out.
By now the cell phones were out and everyone was filming or taking pictures. I wagged
my tail with glee. They were all watching me. I mean, the human part of me was horrified, but
the real me knew this was attention and attention is good.
Sadly all good things have to come to an end. And in my case it was marked by a loudbray and stomping hooves.
“Heeeeeeeeee-haaaaaw!” The bray was so loud that everyone was forced to look down
the hallway.
Charging towards me was a donkey. A big, brown donkey with a thick tail, big ears andwearing Zach’s shirt. I couldn’t see anything human in him. The sight though did allow myhumanity to retake control.
“Zach?” I asked. Somehow I got back on two legs without noticing I didn’t have thumbs
anymore. The donkey skidded to a stop and looked up at me. He snorted and flicked his tail. I
wagged mine.
Zach embraced it. Look how happy he is. The voice sounded familiar. You are happierwhen you embrace it Jake. You will soon be wearing your real face.
Zach resumed running and I ran after him. The kids parted like the red sea as we ran
through the halls. I tripped and flipped over, landing on four legs. After that I resumed on all
fours, which felt a lot better honestly.
We made it to the front door of the school. Zach reared back and landed, hooves first on
the door. The fresh air felt amazing running through my nose. I had to focus and stop myself
from sniffing every blade of grass.
Now I don’t know about you, but four legs are better than two legs. That’s a fact.
However it’s also a fact that human streets are rough on paws and would be worse without pads.
Thankfully I do have pads now.
I did not have them then.
I was trying to follow ZAch, but every step hurt. We had to run across pavement andsidewalks, with little rocks and heat and things that cut those stupid human legs I was still using.
Finally I had to stop and lick my aching paws, while Zach ran off.

Poor little Jake, with no paw pads. Try licking harder, see what happens. Like I needed to
be told twice? I ran my tongue harder and between each remaining finger, over my claws andover anywhere I had gravel stuck.
My hands and feet transformed simultaneously. As I licked, my little finger on my left
hand began to shrink away, with the little toe doing the same thing. Both shrank until they were
the appropriate digits for my front and back paws.
As the digits shrank, the skin under them began to swell. The texture became muchrougher, much better for protecting my soft paws from human pavement. I watched the changes
finish, before going at my other fingers with my tongue.
“Nrrro-shhhthop!” I whined as I kept licking. Amazing how I was still fighting this, I wasa stupid little puppy. Now my palms were swelling as my biggest paws grew out. Of course mypaws were still proportional to a human, but at least they were paws.
Finally I stopped licking as the final changes took place. I was left panting, looking at myset of four brand new paws. The human part of my mind, growing quieter every moment, urged
me to get on two legs. My true mind told me I’d never do that again.
Sniffing the air, I found Zach’s scent on the wind. I took off running again, now mucheasier thanks to my new paws. By the time I made it to the Williams’ house my muscles wereburning and my lungs felt like they were going to pop out.
I sat down on the sidewalk outside of the Williams’ house, my human mind struggling toregain control. I started to growl.
“Jrrrrust gotta get the mask.” I growled. “Jurrrrrst grotta do it. I’ll be human again.
Human human human.” I stood on all fours and approached the house. The gate and the front
door swung open. I ran through them.
And I found myself standing in a grassy backyard again. In front of me was my dog
house, with both of my bowls full. I started to pant at the sight, while internally I screamed.
No no no, I thought to myself. This isn’t the house! Where is the house!? Where are themasks?
My thoughts were worried, my instincts were not. I stood up and padded over to the twobowls. One was full of dry dog food and one was full of water. My throat was burning. I started
lapping at the water, which mostly just tossed it around with a human tongue.
Thankfully my tongue wasn’t human for long. Each lap made my tongue grow out a little
longer. It got a little thicker and turned a little pinker. What kind of husky doesn’t have a long
tongue, honestly? You need it to show you’re a friendly dog.
Eventually my tongue got so long it could actually touch the bottom of the bowl. New
instincts told me how to lick up the water and keep it in my mouth so it didn’t spill everywhere. I
eventually had enough to cool my throat. Though I kept sitting there panting.
Where am I? What’s going on? I forced myself to look around. The back yard was big
and the grass was almost glowing. It was fenced in and I could see a human house at the otherend. I sniffed the air, recognizing some of the scents coming from the house.

Those…I know those…human girl, Annie, my owner! Wait, no, don’t have an owner. Just
thinking of Annie made my tail wag. I couldn’t see her face, her scent was really all I needed torecognize her.
Annie though wasn’t here, I knew she was off doing human activities. Instead I stood andpadded around my yard. It had my scent in several places, that made me relax. But it also
smelled of squirrels. Just the THOUGHT made me growl.
I know humans don’t get it, so let me make it clear. Squirrels are fucking stupid little
furball bastards who exist to get in your way and touch your territory. The only reason theyshould be in your territory is if you’re planning to eat them.
And I wasn’t. Didn’t stop one of the fuzzy bastards from standing on the top of my fence,
looking down at me. Seriously, did he have a death wish? If so I was going to grant it to him. I
rushed at the squirrel.
“Arf! Ruff ruff ruff ruff!” I barked.
Why can’t I stop barking? I’m not a dog! I crashed into the fence hard enough to make itshake and cause the squirrel to jump onto a branch hanging above it. That wasn’t going to stopme though. I managed to brace against the fence and tried to jump at it.
The squirrel stood just out of the way. It was taunting me. And taunting was not what I
was going to take. I was going to kill the little furball.
At least until I heard something behind me. I ran across my yard, nose trembling. And I
smelled it. A bunny had hopped through my yard. That made me go ballistic. I started runningaround, barking as loud as I could to alert the other dogs that a rabbit had been here.
I know that seems extreme but squirrels are bad and rabbits are little hellions who exist todie. Plus I knew by routine that was being implanted in my brain that the humans weren’t going
to be home for a while.
All of that barking left me exhausted, thankfully my water bowl never seemed to empty. I
lapped up more water and climbed into my dog house, panting away. My shirt though was
making me even hotter. Why was I even wearing that human rag?
It’s really not easy to remove a shirt with no hands. Especially when your body doesn’twant to bend that way. I began rubbing my paws against it, until I was able to hook a claw andpull myself out.
As my head came free, something else appeared on me. Looking down, I saw a brightblue collar around my neck with a bone shaped tag. My collar, because that’s all a dog had towear. I barked in glee and wagged my tail. I then grabbed my shirt and began to swing it backand forth.
Chewing things and tearing them up is one of the most fun things ever, on par withsniffing and digging a hole. And that human shirt tore real good. The more I shook it, the better I
felt.
My next change hit as I tore that shirt to ribbons. This one was so noticeable even I
spotted it. As I swung that stupid shirt back and forth, my jaw was cracking. Literally cracking
under the skin. The bones were being pushed out and the skin and fur along with them.

My teeth were pushed apart and my nose further away as part of my growing snout. My
tongue was being stretched along with it, a long pink piece of taffy. By the time my shirt lay inruins, I had a full (if furless) muzzle.
Yeah I don’t need that. I need…shirt…shirt? Why shirt? What’s that? Now obviously
huskies are the best dogs ever, speaking from experience of course. But even I must admit, if
only slightly, that we can be distracted by things sometimes.
In my case I was distracted by a noise coming from the human house. I ran over as fast as
my awkward legs could carry me. I made it to the door right as it opened and my owner Annie
emerged.
It her! It her! The fractured human part of my brain saw right away, this is the girl I had
been licking in the hallway. The whole dog part of my brain saw her as my owner. Annie leaned
down to stroke my head as I nuzzled against her.
“How are we doing boy?” Annie whispered to me. I whined and leaned harder, my tailthumping against the ground. This may sound like hyperbole, but whenever my human isn’t
around I’m the loneliest I’ve been in my entire life.
I rolled onto my belly so Annie could rub there. She just laughed and began to pet me.
Fur sprouted at her touch, unnoticed by both of us. I just wanted her to keep rubbing me. Her
hands felt so good and my fur was so soft? Who doesn’t love a nice fluffy coat?
It was white fur along my belly and very fluffy fur at that. Some streaks of black
appeared through out it, but the real black fur began to sprout along my back. It raced down tomeet the fur on my tail, soon covering me in the majestic coat of a husky. My human hairmeanwhile just fell away and landed on the ground.
“You are the most dramatic dog I swear.” Annie said with a laugh. I wasn’t being
dramatic, I really was the loneliest I’d ever been ever! Plus I thought she was never coming backand that was the end of the world. Annie stood up, “Let’s make sure you haven’t been digging ahole again.
Digging hole good! I thought to myself. Not so much in words but out of instinct. I didn’t
understand what she was talking about but I do know about digging. I can dig a really good hole.
I trotted beside Annie, who didn’t seem concerned that she had a human sized husky withher. Occasionally she leaned down to scratch my ears, which sent me into ecstasy. It’s the best
feeling in the world.
Annie would look at things and I would sniff the ground and mark occasionally I was
hoping Annie would take me for a walk but I suspected that would come later. Every so often I
would whine so Annie would give me more attention.
To all humans who are listening to me, let me make one thing clear. You are here toprovide food, pets and walks to us. If you can’t do that constantly, maybe try to figure out justwhat you’re doing wrong.
“It looks pretty good.” Annie said. “You didn’t dig any holes!” I wagged my tail. “Gooddog Jake!” I barked and hopped a little, jumping in a circle. Annie laughed. “I’m sorry boy, I’dlove to take you out but I’ve got homework to do.”I whined but Annie walked back to her house. I tried to follow but she closed the door in
my face. I barked, that didn’t do anything. I leapt up against the door, trying to paw at it and openit.
My arms began to shift now. The bones reformed into the propper bones of forelegs. My
ankles meanwhile snapped and stretched into the proper form for a grown dog. My hindlegs
changed more so that I was less awkward on four legs.
Also what was between my legs changed. If any bitches are listening, give me a howl.
Sadly there was nothing that could be done, the door wasn’t opening. Still I kept howling
for a little bit, trying to get Annie to let me in. No luck, she kept the door shut. With nothing leftto do, I walked back to my house.
Humans worry too much about things like games and books and stuff. I had a big
rawhide to chew on. I sat down and worked on it. It was going to take a while but thankfully I
was a mighty husky who could turn it into dust.
As I chewed, I didn’t notice Sal and Maria entering my yard. I didn’t hear anything, I
suspect they floated in. I only looked up when they stood over me, blocking out my sun.
“So you’re not so scared now, are you Jake?” Sal asked me. I wagged my tail. “I didn’t
think so. Most people take a week or two to accept the truth. You accepted it just a single day.
You must have loved it.”“Arf!” I panted and thumped my tail. Maria leaned down to scratch my airs, while Sal
reached into his suit pocket.
“I think we can add this one to our collection.” Sal said, removing a wooden mask. It wasa human mask, with a face I recognized. I barked twice. “Yes, this is your mask Jake. I told you,
we didn’t put a mask on you, we helped you find your true face.”
Sal sat the mask down in front of me. I sniffed it. “If you want, we can put it on you. We
can undo all of this. What do you want Jake?”
What do I want? I want…I… I pushed the mask away, I am a good dog.
Sal and Maria both laughed. They began to pet me, one on the left and one on the right.
As they did, my body began shrinking. I knew what was happening. I was finishing my transition
into my true form.
Instead of fleeing, I leaned into it. All of the joy, all of the excitement that comes withbeing a husky, how could I not love it? Finally the two stopped stroking me, both standing backup and smiling at me.
“We’ll make sure that Zach finds a good farm.” Maria said. “He’s obviously happy.” I
barked. It’s good Zach was happy. He always was a jackass. “You, I assume, are happy with yourowner?” I fell onto my side and wagged my tail.
“We’ve got other children to work with.” Sal said. “Have fun Jake.” I barked. And before
I could do anything, the two vanished. Completely gone, not even leaving a scent. It’s kind ofamazing isn’t it?

So that’s my story. The really amazing thing is just how much in denial I was over mytrue self and yet I gave in so quickly. On some level I accepted it. I do wonder what my humanparents think, but I doubt they remember me.
I’d love to talk more but I can hear Annie coming, it’s time for my walk! I’ll just say this.
If your parents tell you to stay away from a couple, you probably should. If it’s the Williams’,
we'll think about it. You may find your real face.