Working animal

Story by DragonsBridle on SoFurry

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A simple story of a man who's made poor life choices and the transformation it results in.

Thanks ahead of time for anyone who helps with tags.

If you like my story I have a few others as well! Feel free to take a peek.


Old hinges whined as the cell door was pulled open. A dwarven guard stepped inside and glared down at the sleeping figure within.

"Wake up, human." The dwarfs boot thumped into the side of the prisoners cot.

Tav jerked awake. A curse on his lips as he sat up. His wrists and ankles were bound with shackles. An iron collar around his neck. Tattered shirt and pants his only clothing. The guard gripped Tav's unkempt blond hair and pulled his head upwards.

"This the one?" The dwarf asked.

"Yes, That's him." Came the answer from outside the cell. Flat but unmistakably female.

Tav grit his teeth in pain, "Mind the hair."

"Bah!" The dwarf spat.

Grabbed by his collar Tav was dragged from his cell. Bare feet skid on the floor as the dwarf pulled him. He looked up at the tall figure that awaited them. Clad in black robes trimmed with gold. Face hidden under a hood. Symbols of rank etched on shoulders and hung at the front.

A bit of hope crept into Tav's voice, "The guild finally paid my fine? Am I being released?"

"No, not at all." The robed figure answered.

Tav glanced between the two, "But if they haven't paid my fine then why-"

The woman cut him off, "Your guild has paid, but not for your release. It seems that your guild master has been made aware of your, Interest, In his daughter."

Tav felt a rush of fear climb into his throat, "That- that's not true! Look, there is obviously some misunderstanding. If you-"

She talked over him, "Don't bother. Everything has been settled. The only thing left now is to see you off."

Fear was turning to panic, "See me off? What? Wait!"

The woman strode down the hall and the dwarf followed. His grip tight on Tav's collar as they walked. They passed dozens of cells all filled with prisoners. The torches never gave enough light to see who they were and none responded to them passing. Tav continued to beg as he was led. His pleas ignored by his captors as they navigated the maze of corridors. After a time they entered a sizable room. The walls and floor were made of cut stone. With lamps hung for light. A set of double doors took up most of the wall on the opposite side of the room.

He yanked against the dwarfs grip, "Let me go! Let-"

The dwarf cut off his pleading with a backhand, "No more begging. It's pathetic."

Tav was shoved forward. Where he collapsed to the ground.

"I'll grab the gear." The dwarf grumbled then stepped out of the room.

This left Tav with the robed woman who stood silently watching him. He rolled to his side and looked back at her. Even in the light her face remained impossible to make out. Some magic protected her identity.

"Please." He began.

With effort he got to his knees then held his hands up towards her, "I can pay you back whatever you want. I'll work for years if I have to. I have skills. Let me use them for you."

The woman responded with a gesture. Speaking words of magic that echoed oddly in his ears. Power wrapped around him as a fist. It yanked him to his feet. Arms trapped at his sides. Legs squeezed together. With another gesture she sent Tav's shackles and collar to the ground. A sweeping motion sent them to the far corner of the room.

Her voice was sharp, "You have no skills that interest me. Nothing to bargain with. Even if you did I would be a fool to go back on my word. Make an enemy of the guild master for you? No. But don't worry. I'll make you into something useful."

She began to chant. Hands moved in a dance before her. Blue light gathered around her fingers as she wove magic. Magic that was unleashed upon him in the form of a twisting spear of dull green energy. It struck him in the chest and sank into him. A flash of fire passed through him as the spell took hold.

The invisible fist binding Tav faded. Allowed him to slump to his knees. A visible ripple moved up from his chest and outward over the rest of his body. In its passing his limbs turned to rubber even as muscles spasmed. His skin began to feel thick. Body increasingly heavy. He looked on in horror as his arms jerked upwards and began to swell. Hands bulged while digits shortened. Growing thicker as they did. He saw dark spots appear on his skin that grew rapidly larger.

"What?-" His words turned into a gag of pain as his jaws began to expand. His skin stretched along with them.

Tav's shirt tightened painfully against his body before giving way with a rending of fabric. Pieces left clinging to pulsing flesh. His torso swelled and with it his organs grew. A massive intake of breath that seemed to last forever as lungs grew in size. Muscle reshaping over growing bones and lengthening body.

A surge rushed through him to the end of his spine. A pressure felt as it began to lengthen. Pushing out over his rump along with muscle and skin to form the beginnings of a tail. More pain as his legs started to stretch. His hips reshaped with an audible pop. Balance shifted sharply causing him to lurch forward. Still contorting hands slapped to the ground to support him as he ended up crudely on hands and feet like some animal. Tav struggled to stand. To his horror he found his body no longer walked on two legs.

His pants tightened and then split as his legs ballooned. His feet shifted sharply as toes spread and feet grew wider. Somehow pushing and pulling at bones at the same time. Nails twisted as they began to reform into claws. A few pops followed as his legs began to further reshape to better accommodate his new four legged stance.

Tav called out for mercy. Words that were contorted by lengthening tongue lashing over still shifting jaws. A surge rushed upwards to his neck. New pressure pushed at his spine. Additional vertebrae formed as it lengthened. Head carried away from his shoulders. Twin spots of pain blossomed at the back of his skull as a pair of horns slid out from his skin.

In areas where the dark splotches spread, scales began to sprout. Folding one over the other as they coated pieces of his body. Mud colored and thickening as they grew. His humanity was quickly being eaten away by the changes that washed over him.

A tingle settled in his crotch. He felt his cock lengthen and hang down lewdly under him. Felt it grow thick and tapered. The tool pulled upwards as a sheath was zipped over it. Containing his remade organ. His balls spasmed with a surge of agony as they grew. Left hanging in a snug leathery sack.

Tav's new tail, sturdy and short, gave a single sway before coming to a halt. Spots of pain continued to haunt him as his body was fine tuned. A last few adjustments made. At long last, it ended. His head dropped low and eyes closed. Breathing came in sharp pants. Head still spinning.

When he opened his eyes he found himself looking over a snout. Gaze fixed on what had been his hands. Paws now in their place. Brown with black speckles along with sturdy looking digits. He lifted one and felt his weight shift naturally to his other three limbs. A flex of short digits. Tough black paw pads arrayed on the underside of his paw.

The woman's voice cut through his confusion, "A rather typical Landie. I'm sure you will do just fine hauling carriages or whatever labor you end up doing."

Tav turned his head to look back at his new form. He was similar in size and shape to a horse. A bit taller and a bit bulkier. Coated in brown scales with black speckles. The speckles turned to a solid stripe down his back. His tail hung down behind him. A few scraps of clothing still stuck to him. He felt his nostrils flex as he sucked in a deep breath. Felt the frill of his ears twitch. Tav shifted on his paws. Feeling the cool stone under them.

"Ohrr, gods. Dis is real?" His voice guttural and words slurred.

The woman walked towards him and fear caused Tav to shy back. Words of magic danced from her lips to spiral into his mind. The beautiful sounds gently plucked away at his thoughts. He planted his feet. Staring at her as she lifted her hand to him. For the life of him he couldn't remember why he was supposed to fear her. Her hand rubbed the softness of his nose and he relaxed. That felt nice. He tipped his head down to press gently against her palm.

"Good boy." She spoke.

Tav's thoughts dulled with her magic; he could find no reason to do anything other than stand here. To be a good boy.

"You're going to do what I say, right?"

A bob of his head and he muttered, "Yeah."

She walked down the length of him. A hand moved over his side and then along his back. She inspected his form as one might cattle. Fingers curled around his balls. Testing their weight and shape. Finally her hand patted the side of his tail.

"Not bad. You might fetch decent coin at the auction."

He stood in placid silence. Left with no will to speak. The dwarf returned with a bundle under his arm and offered it to the woman. She took it and set it atop Tav's back.

"Thank you. I have it from here." She never took her eyes off Tav.

The dwarf nodded, "No surprise."

The dwarf returned to the hall and closed the door behind him. Tav felt the woman going through the bundle on his back. Having found what she was looking for she stood directly in front of him. Her hand palm upwards with a dull metal ring resting atop it. The woman breathed words of magic into the ring. It slowly lifted from her palm then darted forward to snap down into Tav's nostrils. A flare of pain and the smell of blood as the ring sealed into place. A coolness flowed from the ring up into Tav's skull. Winding into the wide open doors of his mind. He felt something being taken from him. Piece by piece it was plucked away. Until he was consumed by the feeling he had forgotten something important.

Tav figured it out quickly when the woman tapped him on the head and spoke to him. He could see her lips move. Hear the sounds. But they simply didn't mean anything to him. He could remember who he was. Past conversations. Talks with friends. Yet, no matter how hard he tried he could not understand her. Even with his mind dulled this surprised him. Tav tried to speak. To ask her what was going on. The words never formed. He couldn't remember how to make the sounds. Language, at least this one, was now beyond him.

Tav made a confused noise. A mix of growl and whine. Tongue flicked out over the nose ring. Keenly aware of the metal in his flesh. The sharp pain of its application had faded to a dull ache. The woman patted the side of his neck and then pulled the bundle of leather from his back. She snapped it open into what looked like a tube. When she held it up for him to see he eased his head forward to sniff at it. The scent of leather mixing with something else he didn't know. She rubbed his nose again and he pressed into it. A soft snort against her palm. His clouded mind held no fear.

The woman slipped the leather over his snout where it began to glide upwards on its own. She watched as the hood drew up over his head to lace behind his horns. Tav blinked once as leather swam up over his eyes to steal his sight from him. The warm embrace of leather as it caged his face was eerily comfortable. It adjusted itself to fit him perfectly and then went still. The dark hood now encased his head and left only his nose and horns exposed.

For a brief moment Tav regained some clarity as the woman's influence was lifted from his mind. A stab of fear as he understood what was being done to him. The moment snuffed as the hoods magic replaced the womans. Erasing the worries from his mind once more. He felt the woman take hold of the nose ring. Felt it pull on soft flesh. He began to follow. Walking in blindness wherever she led him. He heard doors open at their approach. Felt cool earth against his paws. Heard a chain rattle before it was lashed to his nose ring. A last pat of her hand against his neck was followed by the sound of her steps as she walked away. Doors heard closing and then nothing. Silence.

The hood's influence further dulled Tav's mind. Until he fell asleep on his feet. If he was lucky he would be sold quickly. Otherwise he was going to be here for a very long time.