Three girls enter an ‘Escape The Room’ with a forest setting and find themselves changing to fit. This was a commission from internmatt on Deviantart.

Jennifer sat in an overstuffed chair, staring at the faint cracks in the white leather. She settled her glasses on her nose out of nervous habit, awkwardly ignoring the other two girls in the room. Her arm stood out in stark contrast against the chair, her skin as dark as burnt mocha.

The young woman stole a quick glance at the other two girls – Emily and Madison – and then bent back down to picking at the lines in the chair. She silently cursed her mother for making her come and then quickly apologized to her in the same mental breath.

Stanton Community College, the all girl’s school she went to, had decided to select three students as “Young Leaders”. No specific background was given for how they selected but, looking at the other two girls, it’s was obvious. Madison was the track and field star. Blonde hair, perfect complexion with long legs and a lean frame, she’d won State every year in high school. Jennifer was intelligent and, well, nerdy if she was honest with herself. Her adviser had bawled when she’d learned Jennifer had misplaced her college applications, missing the deadlines. So now she was in the local community college until next year.

And, Emily? Emily was… popular. That’s all Jennifer could figure out. Emily Tanaka was slim and pretty with an infectious smile and an easy going personality. She wasn’t particularly intelligent but also not stupid. Jennifer didn’t know her very well but she knew of her. Their spheres of social cliques had just never overlapped. Ever.

Jennifer picked at a loose piece of leather, frowning with her eyebrows furrowed. So they have the STEM group and athletics group but did they seriously just pick a popular girl, too? Is she, what? The social media darling? Or did they just need an ethnically diverse group? Oh, god, they didn’t just pick me because I’m black, did they? Jennifer sighed and then looked up as a side door opened.

A young man in a stereotypical hunter’s camouflage outfit strode in. He wore a plastic rifle (complete with orange barrel plug) slung across his back and a name tag (Alex) on his orange safety vest.

“Good evening, ladies,” Alex drawled. He seemed only slightly older than the three of them and was attractive enough to make Jennifer blush and look away. “We’re doing a final walkthrough to ensure everything is setup correctly. I brought drinks for everyone while you wait and we appreciate your patience.”

Alex placed a small try on the table in the center of the room. Three cups were arrayed on the tray, their dull copper finish seemingly absorbing the overhead light. Jennifer blinked at them – each cup was cast in the shape of an animal paw print. She reached for a cup with the other two girls.

Oh, right, Jennifer thought. In addition to recognition at their school, they were each given gift cards to the local Steak House as well as tickets to the local “Escape The Room” business that had just opened. Although, this particular one styled itself as “Escape The Forest”. And so the odd cups made a sort of strange sense.

“The door will open when everything is ready,” Alex continued. Jennifer sipped her drink (cool, clear water that tasted slightly sweet, she noticed) with the other two girls. “Everything is automated and you’ll have sixty minutes to finish. Since you’re our first group, we’d appreciate if you’d take the time afterwards to give us feedback.”

He smiled brightly at each of them before collecting the empty cups and tray. “Good luck, ladies!”

“Well, he’s cute,” Emily said as the door clicked close behind Alex. “Can’t be worse than the guys that message me online. ‘Oh, you’re just like a tiny geisha!’ and ‘Do you watch Attack on Titan?’ Ugh. Unless he’s really a hunter then, pass. Anyone that can look Bambi’s mom in the eye and still pull the trigger isn’t my type.”

“Yeah, he’s alright,” Madison yawned. “I like them-“

“Tall,” Emily answered at the same time as Madison. “I know. We all know. Giants for the Amazon queen. You’re awful quiet, Jenny. You okay over there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jennifer lied, blushing again and reflexively fixing her glasses. I just get super nervous talking to people. Especially popular attractive people that I have nothing in common with. No big deal. “Just thinking about my classes.”

The large door facing the three girls opened with a faint click.

Jennifer leaned forward to look into the room from her seat. However, despite the faint light from within, she couldn’t make anything out. She looked up at the other two girls when they stood and then she stood with them.

Madison took the lead with Emily second and Jennifer nervously taking up the rear.

The room was painted pure black, fading to gray near the ceiling where fake stars glowed with their own dim illumination. A large full moon was painted low on the wall in front of them and it seemed to be providing light in some way.

Jennifer blinked several times and then gasped as the door they’d just entered clicked shut behind her. She felt a small measure of guilty satisfaction when Emily jumped, too. As her eyes slowed adjusted to the room, she noticed dark clouds painted on the wall. To her right, a huge fake tree stood out from the wall, it’s roots twisted and gnarled before it. The ground felt spongy and uneven and the entire room looked like the entrance to a forest.

“There’s writing,” Madison said quietly. “Look, just under the moon.”

Jennifer stepped close to the other girl, squinting at the wall beneath the moon. Cursive letters shined faintly.

“‘Whoever drinks water from a wolf’s paw print’,” Jennifer read in a whisper. “‘Shall become a wolf at the first full moon. You’ve entered the forest with a hunter at your heels. The moon begins to rise and you feel the changes. You know you must escape within the hour or you’ll be lost to the wolf forever.'”

“Huh,” Emily said. “That’s weird.”

“Oh hell, I didn’t even see the door,” Madison said, walking forward. A simple door was set in the wall beneath the writing. It fit neatly into the wall with barely any visible seams. A small doorknob and keyhole were on the right of the door. Madison jiggle the doorknob and then shrugged. “Locked.”

“So, we find the key?” Emily asked. She strained her neck forward with a strange grimace. Frowning, and rolling her head, she stood up straight, scratching idly at her cheek with her long nails. “It’s too dark to see anything. I can’t even read the stupid words on the wall.”

Jennifer blinked her eyes and then shrugged uncomfortably. Overdramatic, I guess. It isn’t even that dark. The young girl tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked around slowly while rubbing the inside of her ear with her thumb.

Madison stalked around the room carefully with her arms out. “No joke, I can’t see shit in here. Is that- Is that a tree? I can’t- oh, hold on, I think I’ve got something in my shoe.”

The track star leaned against the wall to undo her shoe. She tipped her shoe upside down, shaking it in case a rock had made its way in. Satisfied, she pulled off her ankle-length sock and grabbed her small foot. Her slim fingers slid along the graceful, soft arch of her foot and before catching on the rough skin of the ball of her foot. She frowned, scratching at the the callus she felt. Ugh, guess I should buy a pumice stone after all, she thought to herself.

A small, painless spasm shot through Madison’s other foot and the young girl put her bare foot down to catch her balance.

“Oh, wow, I think they put actual grass down. It feels nice.” She ran her small, bare foot through the cool grass, thrilling at the way it felt on her skin. Tendons stood out on the backs of her toes briefly and she dug her toes into the ground. “There’s even dirt. Crazy.”

Movement caught Emily’s eye and her lips peeled back to bare her teeth. Goosebumps rose along the back of her neck and faint hairs lifted with them. “Did you guys see that?”

“See what?” Jennifer asked. She turned to where Emily was looking. There were small holes in between the roots. She could see dirt within but nothing moved. The other girl seemed incredibly focused and slightly hunched. She radiated… something. Jennifer shivered. “By the tree roots?”

“Those are roots?” Emily asked, licking her lips. “I can’t even see- something moved over there. I will scream if it’s a mouse. Someone look for me.”

Madison walked over, carrying her shoe with the sock stuffed inside. She knelt where Emily pointed, feeling around. “Oh, yeah, there are some holes here. Hold one. Yup. Here we go.”

“Is it a mouse? Maddie, please,” Emily whined. She backed away, her upper lip trembling as she showed perfect white teeth. “Please don’t pull out a mouse. I- I’ll seriously freak out.”

“No, dummy,” Madison said, standing and dusting herself off. She pulled at the bottom of her shirt and shifted her shoulders uncomfortably. In her hand was a shiny metal object. “It’s a key. Come on, let’s move on to the next room.”

The two girls followed Madison again as she unlocked and opened the door. Jennifer looked over the tall girl’s shoulder to see into the next room as they slowly filed in. Light golden flecks appeared in the black girl’s eyes and her pupils widened to collect the light. There were three doors in front of them and more writing beneath another full moon that seemed to be slightly higher than the one in the previous room. More fake trees lined the walls.

“It’s so dark,” Emily complained, holding onto Madison’s shoulder.

“No, wait!” Madison said as the door closed behind them.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asked.

“Ugh, I left my shoe in the last room,” Madison ran her hands along the door they’d just passed but there was no keyhole on this side. “Dammit.”

“I’m sure they’ll give them back at the end,” Jennifer said. She turned back to the door ahead of them and began reading. “‘The moon rises higher’-“

“What?” Emily asked.

“It’s- I’m reading the words over there,” Jennifer pointed. Emily squinted, looked at Jennifer and then walked to the wall in front of them.

“You can see this all the way from back there?” Emily asked. She scratched at the little hairs on the back of her neck while grinding her teeth.

“Y- yeah,” Jennifer said. She continued. “‘The moon rises higher. You feel the beast pulling at you and the forest comes alive with prey. Your changes continue and your growing hunger gnaws at you.'”

“I don’t get it,” Madison said. She rocked back and forth on her feet, digging her bare toes into the grass and dirt lining the room. She knuckled her toes into the ground, pawing at the dirt. Faint hairs sprouted from the back of her toes. “This is awkward. I’m just going to go barefoot.”

The tall blonde girl pulled her shoe and sock off, sighing in relief as she freed her foot. She put her sock in her shoe and set them by the wall, grumbling about getting them back later.

“There’s a box by this door,” Emily said. She reached in to pull out a set of cards. Pictures covered the top of the cards and a small black QR code was printed below each picture. She glanced through the large stack of cards. “Tree, car, pig, cow, little kid, eww, blood.”

Emily’s nose flared at the picture of the blood and she licked her lips. Her bright red lipstick slowly darkened as the pink skin beneath darkened. A dull ache formed within her stomach and she shivered, as if a lover had dragged a finger down her spine.

“There’s like a hundred of these cards,” Emily said, rifling through the stack. She swallowed a muted growl, forcing the sudden excitement away.

Jennifer looked around the room, scratching at her belly. She did feel a little hungry despite having eaten just an hour ago. Her stomach was sore and she sighed, pushing at a tiny fat roll. She wouldn’t eat again until breakfast tomorrow.

“What’s the to the left of the door, Emily?” Jennifer asked.

“It’s- hold up. Your… your eyes,” Emily said. She hunched slightly, backing into the wall and baring her teeth with dark lips. Her hackles stood on end as she stared at Jennifer. “They’re glowing. They’re fucking glowing, Jenny!”

“What? What are you talking about?” Jennifer said, stepping back, her hand going to her face.

Madison walked over on bare feet and tiny blonde hairs sprouted from between her toes, growing up to her ankle. “Holy shit, Jenny, she’s not joking. They’re golden. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Jennifer said, too loudly. She took her glasses off to rub at her eyes. “You guys are messing with me, aren’t-“

Jennifer froze. She could still clearly read the words on the far wall. If anything, they were even sharper now. She put her glasses back on and the words blurred until she took them off again. In the darkness, her hair moved ever so slightly. The curve of her ears shifted, growing out slowly to sharp tips.

“Oh my god,” Jennifer whispered. She looked over to her friend and her mouth opened in shock. “Emily, you- your-“

Emily’s canines lengthened in her mouth, scraping at the nearby teeth. Her eyes widened as she felt the pressure in her mouth. Her blackened lips bulged slightly to contain the deadly fangs. The young woman gently touched her teeth and then looked up in a panic.

“Oh my god! Oh my god!” Emily yelled, shaking her hands as she hyperventilated. Her words sounded off in her mouth, her voice thick and, Jennifer’s ears twitched, deeper – almost guttural. “I’m gonna- I’m gonna be sick.”

Jennifer turned to Madison.

“I’m fine!” Madison said as her heart began to race. “Seriously, I don’t think anything’s different about me.”

As one, Jennifer and Madison slowly looked down to Madison’s bare feet.

“I just- I just had a rock or something in my shoe,” Madison said, Still, the young woman sat in the soft grass. Jennifer knelt next to her.

Madison stared at her left foot. Carefully, in the light of the fake full moon, she ran her fingers through the soft hair now covering the top of her foot. The hair was short and sparse and nearly silver in the moonlight. As she watched, her toes cramped and bunched at the knuckle. She expected pain but was surprised to feel nothing. Still, the young woman held her foot gently and massaged the arch.

“Does it hurt?” Jennifer asked quietly.

“No,” Madison answered. She tried wiggling her scrunched toes but they felt stiff and strange and refused to straighten. The skin above her toenails split and the toenails bulged.

“Oh!” Jennifer gasped, her hand going to her mouth. Her golden eyes widened and her sharp ears vibrated.

Black glistened under the skin of Madison’s toes and sharp, deadly points grew forth, pushing the nails off.

“Fuck,” Madison growled. She kept wincing, expecting pain to hit but, instead, felt an odd thrill. “Fuck fuck fuck.”

The toes of Madison’s right foot pushed forward as the ball of her foot expanded. The arch of both feet shortened and her skin wrinkled before pulling tight. The rough skin beneath her toes began to turn black and her right toes spasmed and bunched to match her left foot.

Madison’s growing paws were nearly double the size of the cups they’d used earlier. Nearly double the size of a wolf’s paw.

Light blonde hair grew forth from the back of Madison’s hands. She hugged herself, hiding her hands under armpits and, in a quick motion, stood on thick, padded paws. With a startled cry, she tilted and Jennifer stood to catch her.

“Are you okay? Madison?” Jennifer asked. Her sharp ears shifted back in concern.

“Yeah,” the other girl answered. She seemed pale with wide, terrified eyes. Her pants felt tight on her and she the skin above her ass pressed against the band of her jeans. “Just, uhh, different. Really fucking different. You can let go, I think I have it.”

A growl from the other side of the room made both girls turn. Light black fur sprouted from the back of Jennifer’s neck and quickly stood on end. Slowly, the line of hair grew down the back of her neck and over her shoulders. It thickened over her collarbones until the top of her arms was covered in small tufts of fur. She hugged herself, rolling her shoulder blades so her sweater scratched against her skin.

Emily had her hands clamped to her mouth.

“Did you just?” Madison asked. “Did you just growl at us?”

Emily shook her head and then moaned, leaning forward. Her jaw cracked and moved, pulling her nose with it. Her tongue fell from her her half-muzzle, thick and wide. Her brow inched forward with her face. The skin along her nose darkened from pale white to dark pink and then further, slowly, into pure black. Her back bulged just below her neck.

“E- Emily?” Jennifer asked. “Are you-?” Are you still human? She wanted to ask.

Emily leaned back onto her knees. She breathed deep and then shuddered as she breathed out. When she spoke, her voice was slurred. “How do I look?”

Madison and Jennifer looked at each other. “Uh.”

“The writing!” Jennifer shouted suddenly. “In the first room! Drinking from the wolf’s paw and changing into wolves!”

“No,” Madison said. “No fucking way. There’s just no- It can’t-“

Jennifer pointed down at Madison’s huge paws. Black fur lined the back of Jennifer’s hands and she ground her teeth at them. Something twitched on her lower back and she mentally cursed, reaching around to feel a bump forming. A tail, oh god, that’s where my- the- tail would be, she told herself.

Madison growled and pounded on the walls. “Hey! Hey assholes! Let us out! You can’t do this! LET! US! OUT!”

The young girl panted, pressing her face against the wall. Bones in her fingers creaked and she rubbed her hot hands against the cool wall. Her palms grew thick while her fingers shortened.

“Oh god, this can’t be happening. It can’t,” Emily moaned. She cried out as muscles knotted within her calves, forcing her down to her ass. Growling quietly, the young girl massaged her legs over and over. SHe could feel her shoes pressing against her feet. With a loud curse, she pulled at her laces, breaking them with sudden, surprising strength. Her tiny, pale feet were covered with a down of black fur and there were large gaps between her toes. Her feet had widened slightly, forcing the toes apart.

“We have to hurry,” Jennifer said, pressing at the bulge growing at the base of her spine. “It said an hour. The guy, Alex, he said we had an hour. And the writing said we’ll be stuck if we don’t get out. Emily! Emily!”

Madison angrily wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Her cheeks and ears burned as she struggled with her fear and panic. “I just – I don’t understand. What- What’s happening. How is this happening?”

Jennifer ran to the other side of the room and the little bulge shifted uselessly, trying to balance her. She crouched, grabbing the cards Emily had dropped. Her eyes flicked to the QR code and then up to the door. The right side of the door held a large box where the cards were stored but a small box was on the left side. She stood and looked at the small box. Red lights lined the inside, as if it were a grocery store scanner. The QR codes! She thought excitedly, biting back a happy yip that threatened to escape her lips.

All three doors had the same small box on the left of the door.

“We have to find the right card and scan- Oh,” Jennifer shivered. Her nipples tightened under her bra and she arched her back with a hiss as a thick line of fur sprouted at once over her spine. She could feel the hairs sliding through her skin, tangling with each other before being pushed flat against her back. The young girl blinked her brilliant golden eyes and then cried out as she watched thick black claws slide from her fingertips. Oh no. Oh no, no no. Please, she though.

“Which card?” Emily asked, drawing Jennifer’s attention. She was standing now. A line of thin drool hang from her thick, black lips. She lapped at it with her long tongue. “There’s so many of them. What if getting it wrong locks us out?’

Madison walked over to them on her paws. She’d been tall before but standing on what was effectively the balls of her old feet, she’d gained at least half a foot. Jennifer looked down briefly to see Madison’s stomach showing between her pants and shirts with four slightly darker spots of color on her lean belly.

“So we just figure out the door and what card it needs?” Madison asked with a loud sniff. She slid her short stubby fingers over her exposed stomach, her nails tracing along the dark spots on her belly.

“But, which-” Emily stopped and her black, wide nostrils flared. She closed her eyes with her head back and her mouth open, scenting the air. Drool formed at the corners of her mouth. She turned to the door on the left and crouched, going to all fours for a moment, arching her back to breathe deeply. Her clothes strained on her body.

“Em?” Madison asked.

“The cow,” Emily said.

“I don’t understand,” Jennifer answered. Her ears slid through her thick hair, longer now and thinner. Fur grew along the edges and inside and they pushed upward along her head. The fur continued to grow down to her jaw and then along her cheeks in a soft fuzz before ending at her cheekbones.

“The cooooow,” Emily groaned, scratching at the door. She licked along her lips and her jaw creaked forward, slowly growing into a full muzzle. “I smell steak. God. Right there. Right fucking there. I’m so hungry.”

“But you’re a v-” Madison stopped when Jennifer’s elbow pushed against her side.

“Don’t make it worse!” Jennifer hissed under her breath. She sorted through the cards, tossing them left and right until she found the picture of the cow. Her stomach rumbled and she ground her teeth, feeling an ache deep in her jaw. Her tongue touched her canines and knew they were larger. “Here!”

Madison grabbed the card and ran to the other door. Jennifer’s eyes widened at the short, hairless tail wagging at the bottom of Madison’s exposed back. A thin line of blonde fur ran up from the base of the tail, disappearing under her shirt. Madison pushed the card into the slot and the door opened.

Emily bolted into the next room. A tray of bloody steaks was in the center of the room and she lowered her muzzle, tearing into one of them. Madison and Jennifer stepped into the room and stood back, watching in horror even as their own stomachs grumbled in hunger. Madison crouched when a sharp spasm pulled at her back. She cursed as she tried to straighten her back, only to find the pose unnatural now.

Blood covered the light fur along Emily’s muzzle and her eyes were crazed. Pieces of the steak hung from her fangs. She stopped suddenly and looked up at her friends.

“I- I-” She girl turned and gagged, the raw steak dropping from her jaws into the grass. She dry heaved and her shirt split, revealing a wide back, thick with black fur. “Don’t look at me!”

“Em, I-” Madison started.

“Don’t look,” Emily begged. “Please.”

Madison and Jennifer turned and pretended they couldn’t hear Emily gnawing on the steak she’d dropped.

“You- You can look,” Emily said finally. The two girls turned to find Emily in the corner of the room, her tongue lapping the blood from the fur growing along her muzzle. “I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to snap. I just- it smelled so good and, I don’t know. I just lost myself for a second. I’m sorry. I can’t- I can’t help it.”

Madison reached up to touch Jennifer’s arm and Jennifer could see the message in the girl’s eyes: Just let it go and help me get her out of here before it gets worse.

“‘Panic turns to acceptance as you finish your hunt and devour your prey’,” Jennifer read. Just like the other rooms, a full moon was painted high on the wall opposite them with words beneath. “‘Sated, you start to relax until you hear the hunter giving chase.’ What do you-“

Jennifer looked down at Madison crouched beside her and stopped. Flecks of gold appeared in the girl’s pale brown eyes and drool slid from the corner of her mouth. Lines of black coloring appeared in her pink lips and slowly traced up to outline the nostrils of her small nose in pure black. Madison was staring intently at the raw meat.

“I’m- I’m just gonna-” Madison said, as if in a daze. The girl walked on all fours, her tail long and curved above her. The band of her pants tore as she walked on her heavy paws, her head bent forward like a proper wolf. Light blonde fur begin to grow along the length of her tail. Without another word, she knelt and tried to pick up a steak, growling at her awkward paws.

Jennifer watched two of the four dark spots on Madison’s stomach darken further. The skin seemed to bubble and twist and small brown nipples formed, pushing out into teats. Her shirt ripped at the sides, exposing her bra and the gentle swell of the athlete’s breasts.

Madison bent low to eat her steak without her hands. The girl’s cheekbones bulged and shifted, growing into a small muzzle. The girl tore into her steak enthusiastically and Jennifer swallowed, feeling the sharp pain of hunger deep in her stomach.

Jennifer’s long ears twitched at a sound in the distance. Her furred back ached and she crouched, leaning forward with her eyes closed to listen. She felt drool thick in her mouth at the scent of the raw steak. The hunter? They wouldn’t send a real hunter, would they?

A high groaning, whining sound tugged at Jennifer’s ears and she glanced down to see her shoes straining. The girl unlaced her shoes and pulled them off, groaning at the pleasurable release of pressure. The tips of eight black claws had torn small holes in her socks. She slid the ruined socks off, shivering as the fabric tickled the light black fur on her feet. Jennifer touch the fur, pulling gently to watch the skin beneath dimple. Her thumb brushed rough skin and she turned her foot. The bottom of her foot was a light brown but thick black padding covered the balls of her foot and bottom of her toes. She slid her thumb along that hardened skin, feeling it catch and pull at her finger. The padding was dead to the touch and the skin around flexed when she pushed against her.

My own little wolf’s paw, the girl mused mirthlessly. Only not so little, is it?

“St… ing… ch…kens… D… wolves…” a faint voice said. Jennifer startled and strained and her back bulged, tearing her shirt. Her bra held for a moment before pinging, the clasps breaking. The girl shifted, pulling at her clothes until she was topless. Less than an hour ago, she would’ve been mortified to be half naked in front of people but now she barely noticed. A tuft of black fur stood out between her large breasts, the fur silky black against her brown skin.

Jennifer’s pure golden eyes focused on the last slab of raw meat and she groaned before baring her teeth in a growl. Her canines slid further and enamel flowed down over her molars to form new sharp fangs. She licked her thick lips with a wide tongue. The hunger distracted her and she could no longer contain herself. The young girl snatched the last steak, tearing into it. Blood coursed down the light fur of her mouth, along her neck to curve along the sides of her breasts. Eight dark black spots formed along her chubby belly in two columns. Beneath the skin, milk ducts began to form.

“… kill them…” the voice said. Jennifer looked up, growling. The voice had come far behind the door to their left. She blinked once, twice and then shoved the steak in her tiny muzzle, nearly biting into her fingers.

Jennifer tried to stand but found herself pulled down. She forced herself up, standing with her heavy back bowed. It felt wrong to stand.

“The door on the right!” Jennifer growled, her golden eyes flashing in the moonlight. The other two girls looked at her. Emily stood, pulling herself up and leaning on the wall. Madison stretched herself out on all fours. Jennifer stalked to the door on the right and turned the handle, holding her breath in fear of it being locked. Her thoughts slipped from her until she concentrated and she worried she’d lose focus if she had to hunt for the key.

The door opened. Madison dashed through in a burst of speed and her shirt split completely, causing her to stumble and roll. She barked and then cursed herself, sitting back and struggling out of her top. She pawed at her pants and then looked up at Jennifer as the girl stepped into the new room.

“Herp!” Madison barked, pawing at her jeans. Jennifer went to her without hesitation, unzipping Madison’s pants with cramping, clawed fingers. She freed the girl, even helping her pull her panties off until she sat completely nude. Madison pushed her muzzle against Jennifer’s shoulder, reaching up to lick at the girl’s neck. The girl blushed, her cheeks reddened under light blonde fur. “Shorrrry.”

A wall seemed to divide the room into two. Through small gaps in the wall Jennifer could barely see the other side. A short tunnel led from this room to the next. Jennifer rubbed at her hands. She could feel rough skin on her palm and beneath her fingers, the pads of her new paws growing into place. As she massaged her hand with her shortened fingers, she felt the bones shift, pushing against her palms, widening them.

“Theerrrrr hrntttrrrr,” Jennifer tried to say. Her teeth shifted as her muzzle formed and the words left her. Dammit. Dammit! Okay. The hunter f- foll- followed. The hunter followed. Wolves. The wolves. Crawled (she growled – I’m fierce! I don’t crawl!) thr- thr- under tree. Under the tree! Concentrate, Jennifer. Concentrate. We have to escape. Her ears flicked as she heard movement in the room behind. Movement and the metallic sound of a bolt action rifle sliding into place. The thick fur along her neck stood on end.

Emily whined as Madison bit gently into the other girl’s torn pants. Madison pulled, jerking her thick, furred neck until Emily’s pants tore completely. She huffed and bit again, helping to free her friend from her clothes. Emily was on all fours, her legs shaking. Madison nuzzled her friend and then pressed her nose against Emily’s feet.

The heel of Emily’s left slid, forcing her feet at an awkward angle. She dug her feet into the ground, pawing as her toes shortened and cramped. Madison licked at the trembling foot with her long, wet tongue again and again in encouragement. The balls of Emily’s feet widened and lengthened, pulling her toes against them. Madison’s tongue slipped between Emily’s toes, up the flattening arch and to the disappearing heel.

Bones cracked in Madison’s hips and the girl’s waist dropped, forcing her long, lean, furred body straight. Jennifer watched fur sprout along Madison’s stomach, hiding her shrinking breasts and teats.

Madison shook herself. The girl was no more and, instead, a huge blonde wolf had taken her place. Madison sniffed at the tunnel and then turned to Jennifer with a questioning look. The huge wolf gestured at the tunnel with a shake of her muzzle, her ears flicking for a moment.

Jennifer huffed. She tried to sit but her knee bent awkwardly. Her pants constrained her and she pawed at them as Madison had. No. Got. This. I’ve. I’ve got this. The young girl hooked a black claw from her hand carefully into her zipper, pulling down. She turned her hand, wincing as it refused to move properly. Her elbow seemed nearly locked in place. She hurried, slicing up through the band above the zipper.

Laying on her back, Jennifer wiggled her wide hips, her tongue hanging out of her muzzle. As she squirmed, the ground scratched the fur of her back and she groaned in excitement. Nipples formed along her stomach, tightening at the tingling pleasure racing along her spine. She kicked her legs, yipping as her knees refused to bend.

Teeth gripped the leg of her pants. Jennifer rolled her head to see Madison and Emily’s jaws clamped on her pants. They pulled as she moved and they helped free her. Jennifer rolled, going to all fours to shake herself. Her thick black fur shifted along her body. The three girls lapped happily at each other’s muzzles, their heavy tails wagging above them.

A voice. In the other room. Human. Jennifer growled at it and all three considered making a stand. No. No kill. Don’t! Don’t kill him. I know my words. I remember my words. I won’t let the wolf take over, Jennifer thought. She scented the air and saw Alex in her mind. Somehow she knew it was him, her mind remembering the man’s scent in the room.

Fire traced down Jennifer’s neck, straight to the tip of her tail and she yipped in panic. The time! No! How- How long has it been? Was that feeling telling me it’s done?! That I’m stuck like this now?

Jennifer turned and made her wall to the tunnel. She crouched on all fours and squirmed through. Madison and Emily followed shortly after.

The other side of the room had another moon painted on the ceiling. Jennifer craned her neck to look at it. She closed her eyes, raised her muzzle and howled. The young girl put every emotion into it, her voice rising higher and higher until Madison and Emily joined in. The sound was deafening in the small room and all three wolves held their long ears flat. Slowly their proud, powerful voices faded together.

There were words written on the wall and Jennifer focused her mind to read them: The forest lies behind you and the curse is broken. You pause at a stream to drink before you change back, to hide your true self. Below them were three large bowls. Jennifer padded over to the middle bowl, sniffing carefully at it. She could smell sweat water.

Oh, the still-human part of her thought. She sat on her haunches with her packmates behind her. Waiting for her. A small sadness formed deep in her powerful chest but, still, the young girl bent to the bowl and lapped at it. Her friends went to separate bowls to drink.

It took time for them to shift back and each of them changed differently.

Jennifer’s breasts swelled beneath the black fur of her chest and her hips clicked, shifted and widened. She lay on her side, panting, breathing through her moist, black nose. She could feel the fur sliding back into her body and she arched her back, shivering at the alien pleasure of it. Her proud tail slowly pulled back into her, the fur sliding against and between her ass and thighs, forcing her to bite her lips and groan.

Beside her, Emily twisted, shaking her thick neck as her jaw moved and her furred fingers lengthened. She lowered herself to her knees when the bones reshaped beneath her and her legs bent. She lapped at her nose, panting until her body began sweating as a human would. Her chest heaved and eight nipples untwisted into smooth skin on her bare belly. The young girl cursed as her words came back to her.

Madison pressed against the wall, stretching her legs back behind her. Her tail was raised, exposing the thick black, wet lips of her sex. She howled quietly when her haunches widened into human hips, a taut, muscled ass and strong thighs. The blonde fur on her chest bulged and two tiny, pink nipples appeared, pushing through the fur as her small breasts re-formed. She licked her lips and then blushed as she realized her face and mouth were entirely human.

The stood on shaky legs, nude and unembarrassed by it. They were pack now. A deep bond had formed during the brief time and, even human, they felt it. As one, they laughed and hugged each other, rubbing their faces and foreheads against each other’s cheeks and necks.

“I had no idea how stacked you were, Jenn,” Emily said. She reached forward, lifting her friend’s heavy breast without shame. Jennifer grinned in return.

“For fuck’s sake!” Madison growled. “You’re so damn tiny but still have bigger tits than me, Emily.”

“Your nipples are bigger, though,” Jennifer told the athlete. She touched Madison’s hard stomach, tracing a light finger along the lines of her muscles. “So beautiful.”

“Ladies,” a polite voice called from behind a door. “Are you decent?”

Jennifer blushed wickedly, separating from her friends. She turned to the door and noticed three robes hanging on hooks. She cocked her head, wolf-like at the hooks and they each clothed themselves.

“It doesn’t feel quite right, does it?” Jennifer asked, feeling the soft cotton against her bare, dark skin. A low ache settled within her. To be naked again. To be free.

“No,” Emily said. The girl ran her cheek against Jennifer and they pressed their heads together before hugging again. Emily laughed, running her hand along her smooth mound. “Maybe we can’t grow fur and claws again but if I don’t shave my pubes I can pretend I still have some fur left. Are you guys in with me?”

“I-” Madison swallowed. “I almost wish I hadn’t drank from the bowl.”

The girls nodded quietly together and then followed Madison as she opened the door.

An older gentlemen smiled widely. He was trim and shorter than Madison with a short grey beard. “So, ladies, if I may ask, how was it?”

The girls stared at each other, lost for words. Unable to describe how freeing it was. How powerful they’d felt. The connection they’d had.

“I miss it already,” Emily said. “Is there- Can we-“

“Can we go again?” Madison asked.

The man smiled, waving them forward as he walked to the exit.

“I think you’ll find,” the man told them. He opened the door and the cool night air made the girls shiver. “That that’s entirely unnecessary. I would ask you to spread the word but I’m afraid so few can find us. Enjoy your evening, ladies.”

The girls padded out on bare feet, moving together with Madison in the lead. The full, silver moon hung above and they stared at it, baring perfect white teeth.

“Oh, and ladies,” the man said from behind the door. They turned to him, their reverie interrupted. He smiled widely at them and Jennifer felt goosebumps rising along her body. “Happy hunting.”