[Cure] Leopard's the One
#9 of Cure
"June sixteen, it has been two week since first experiment. Found huge error in my methods. Vent through great pains to akquire a blank version of the virus. I plan to extract the necessary hormones und attempt a retest vith a purely animal strain on another species of animal." Jureist let go of the record button as he paused his dictating. The scientist sat in another bunker, much like his first, this one in the Arizona mountains. A monitor on his desk shows a leopard pacing in a large room before flashing over to a feed of an crocodile sunning itself in the artificial sun and then to a eagle in another huge room.
"I ask myselv, vhat vould happen iv zome of ze greatest animals in ze world were brought togezer in a single body. But who to use as ze core?"
As he speaks the feed switches back to the leopard, which is being now restrained by a pair of robotic hands. Jurgeist plays with the cover to a series of switches that would inject the feline with Cure stains based on the other two animals hormones.
"Ze leopard is by far the optimal choice but, what of the eagle?" His hands slide over the keyboard, entering a single command. The vials of virus attached to the eagle inject themselves into the bird's system. Mid flap the birds body begins to shift, almost instantly making it too heavy to fly as its beak twists into an crocodile snout. The feed cuts out and Jurgeist clicks his tongue.
"No, the eagle is not ze option." He turns to switch to the crocodile and then thinks of the wolf from before. Did he really want something that powerful breaking free again? Passing over the croc he instead refocuses on the leopard.
"Vell, my furry friend. I hope you survive." With two quick taps the vials in the arms lunge forward, pricking the big cat on each shoulder. The scientist leans forward, his eyes glued to the screen. Right away the virus begins to take effect as the felines shoulder's bulge up and out. Slowly protrusions grew from the mounds, skin and muscle knitting to the sprouting bones. The leopard is knocked to the side as one leg grows suddenly. With a roar of pain that was not heard through the feed, its ribs expanded, chest and neck bulking up to support the wings that were now almost fully grown out of it's shoulders. After a moment, the new creature shakily got back to its feet, its new legs the same length again, yet still all feline.
Pulling up a diagram of a typical leopard Jurgeist could see the reptilian influence in the thinner yet longer muzzle that was very likely lined with more than a few extra teeth. But that was it, over all the chimera looked more like a cat still than a hybrid of things. He sighed, hoping that there would have been more alteration from the sudden introduction of other genetics via the "Cure." Dejected he hit the third button, the one that would release the creature into the wild. It wasn't of any use to him now. As the gate rolled up the former leopard took paw and dashed off into the night, its instincts to flee.
A rabbit sat on the river bank, lapping at the gently flowing water water. With a sound somewhere between a purr and a growl, it vanishes in a poof of fluff, the only evidence anything having been there a single huge paw print. For the next three days, the chimera heads north. All along the river livestock and game go missing in its wake. Why it goes north it neither knows or cares, instead simply enjoying the thrill of the run and the hunt.
On the ever of the third day it stopped, its progress halted by a wall that stretched up and up for what seemed like forever. Oddly dejected by this obstacle the chimera goes around only to be confronted by the river it had been following. Splashing the water first, it stooped to take a drink and then recoiled. The water smelled like human! With squinted eyes the once-leopard again stooped to drink, trying hard to ignore the stink. With a few laps the smell grew tolerable, the cool liquid enjoyable on the tongue. There was a noise from her left. Without looking up, she nimbly sidesteps the rain of buckshot.
Leaping on reflex it lands midway across the river. The current pulls at its near useless wings, dragging the chimera under. Panicking she swallows a large amount of water. Oddly it tastes different than the water at the edge. The sensations that gave birth to it flare up again. In its mind the croc' rises up. Its feline tail stretches and hardens, taking on its benefactor's shape. The muscles in its back strengthen, its wings grow broader. The fur falls from it's hind legs, replacing the soft fluff with the scales of an eagle's talons. Its feet touch the bottom of the murky channel, spots float before its eyes as the need for air begins to take hold. Panic deepens to terror.
I don't want to die...Thinks the chimera.
On the surface, two men armed with guns peer into the depths.
"Dammit Karl!"
"Whut Earl?"
"That there kitty was goona be our dinner...ye lanky liped cod varmin"
The pair begin to fight, rolling around in the dirt until there's a huge splash and it suddenly gets very dark. The pair look around and then freeze, just to their left is an absolutely huge paw. Neither of them even dare to breathe as the impossibly huge cat thing stands over them. With a purr-growl the chimera leaps into the air, feeling the wind under its wings for the first time. Flight comes easy, the eagle's memory part of her, right down to its blood. After only a few minutes the chimera is effortlessly soaring through the sky.
It isn't running, thinks the chimera, but it'll do.
Afterthoughts:
For Kohau Chimera over on FA