FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Becoming Berkley Written by Leo_Todrius Commissioned by Dustwolfe1

It had started like many other days... A drive into the doctor's office, a long wait in the waiting room, a hesitant doctor going over files. Dustin hadn't expected anything different, his life with Crohn's disease had followed a fairly standard course. He had grown up knowing what was likely in store for him since it had afflicted other members of his family and there hadn't been any surgical or pharmaceutical way to cure it, only a way to treat symptoms. His body was attacking elements of his own digestive track and it made life difficult and painful... but everything Dustin pictured for his future had come into sudden doubt with a few words uttered from the doctor.

"Now... I know that you've been wanting to hear that for some time, but I must warn you that this is still highly experimental and there are some heavy risks involved, but based on your age and vitality and your condition, the institute is eager to move on to human testing of the serum... If it works, it will be far beyond the medications that only elongate remission, it could be a true cure... but there could be any number of side effects, even death." The doctor explained slowly.

Dustin sat there in surprise, his eyes peering out from behind the oval lenses of his glasses. Dustin was not an intimidating man. He was five foot eight, a hundred and sixty five pounds with a bit of a belly on his otherwise lanky and thin frame. His dark brown hair had once been curly but after years of treatment was much wavier. A dark chinstrap beard followed the curve of his jaw line, thickest on the chin. A thinner, lighter mustache covered his upper lip and trailed down on either side to connect with the rest of his beard. The young man was dressed in a black long sleeve button up shirt, a grayish silver fleur-de-lis iris on his chest with black detailing. It was a high class shirt, calling back to heraldry. Dustin's clothes fit a theme with his black cargo pants trailing down to black Adidas sneakers.

"But... it could actually cure me?" Dustin asked, his tenor voice betraying his growing hope. He was generally quite shy but incredibly loyal.

"The possibility is high... It comes from a very advanced laboratory in New Mexico and honestly the science is still a bit beyond most of us at this point, but Doctor Julian has presented countless papers on the subject and all tests on animals have shown that the treatment prevents the immune system from attacking the intestinal tract and antigens there in. There were no side effects in those tests, but it's quite the leap to human testing." The doctor said.

"I'll do it." Dustin blurted out before he changed his mind. He knew what the future of Crohn's would hold for him; there was no way he'd go through that if there was any way to avoid it. Dustin sat up a little straighter, "So what do we do doc?" he asked.

"There's paperwork to fill out and then an injection. You'll need to come in every two days for check ups or call at the slightest sign of a problem." The doctor said.

"Then let's get on it." Dustin said, his heart fluttering at the prospect. The doctor nodded, moving to get the paperwork ready.

****

The door to the clinic opened as Dustin moved out, reaching up to rub his arm a bit. The injection had hurt like a son of a bitch, but the pain had mostly faded. Still, Dustin had been there a few hours past the normal close of business and the sun had sunk beyond the horizon. The sky was shrouded in late twilight, periwinkle and violet dominating the clouds. The air was rather crisp and cool; it must have dropped while he had been in the office. It was just his luck, really. There had been no parking when he got to the doctor's office so he'd parked his forest green Jeep Cherokee down the street. With the near by parking lots now empty, it seemed a bit funny that his vehicle was so far away.

Dustin moved along the street, his eyes gazing from store to store. He looked at the Mexican restaurant, one of the taverns, a car dealership. He crossed a side street and moved along before he came to a stop to make room for a few guys coming out of a bar. He looked up at them in a bit of awe. Both of them were over six feet tall and their bodies were thick with muscle. Dustin felt the familiar pang of envy before he pushed it away. Still, the cold Montana air was getting to him a bit. Dustin decided to step into the bar and warm up.

Moving through the door, Dustin was greeted by the expansive bar. Fine warm wood paneling covered the walls and the floor. The furniture was all darker wood and the chairs were large and comfortable. The air was warm and rich with the smell of steaks and burgers and soups and alcohol. Dustin decided to make his way to the bar itself where it wouldn't seem quite so strange to be eating alone. He pulled himself up onto one of the stools and paused, the pain in his abdomen felt weaker than ever before... and his stomach was more at peace than he had recalled in some time.

"What can I get for ya big guy?" The waiter asked as he moved over. Dustin had to smirk, he obviously wasn't that big... But he felt that he deserved a bit of a celebratory drink after taking a step into a new phase of his life... but if he was going to drink, he'd need some protein to offset it since he was driving afterwards.

"Give me your best steak and some of your best whiskey to start with." Dustin said, pulling out his ID. The waiter examined it before nodding.

"Sure thing." He said conversationally before he moved off. In a few moments a shot of whiskey had been provided while the sizzling of the steak started in the kitchen. Dustin lifted the shot glass, wished himself health and tipped it back. The amber brown colored liquid spilled over his tongue and down his throat. The bite and zing of the whiskey was there as always, but somehow it tasted better than Dustin had ever tasted. It truly had to be some of their best stuff; he'd never tasted any booze that was so good. He licked his lips, his eyebrows raised in surprise. It had certainly been the right kind of celebration.

"Another please." Dustin said as the waiter passed. Another shot was set down and Dustin tipped it back, enjoying the taste more than before. He sighed with delight as he set the glass down, feeling on top of the world.

****

Dustin's eyes fluttered open a bit as he woke up, feeling like he'd hibernated through the night... but there was no hangover, no pain from the bottle of whiskey he'd downed. One hand drifted to his stomach, rubbing back and forth over it. Dustin still couldn't believe he'd eaten three steaks. He'd never eaten that much in his life, or spent that much on food... But it had been a great night of celebration and he'd driven back to his cabin with a clear head. Dustin slid his legs out of bed, his feet landing on the wood floor. His toes curled a bit before he stood and stretched, yawning. He padded across the floor and out of the bedroom, moving into the bedroom.

He had made it part way to his toilet when he paused, looking in the mirror. He looked different somehow. Dustin turned to face his reflection, examining himself as best he could without his glasses... though the image seemed clearer than he was used to. His arms seemed a bit thicker... so did his legs. Dustin reached up and felt his arms. His biceps and triceps were easier to find, but they were still beneath a layer of fat that seemed new. Between both layers, his arms seemed noticeably bigger. Dustin grinned a bit, wondering if the serum was going to help more than just his Crohn's. Still, he had a morning routine to take start in on. He stopped admiring himself in the mirror and moved to the toilet.

****

Just as he had for the last week and a half, Dustin moved out of the clinic once more. The doctor was impressed with his improvement with the Crohn's, though he was a bit concerned about the weight that Dustin had been packing on. Dustin, however, was quite proud of his growing size. His belly was thicker than ever, rounded and distended from all the steaks and booze. He'd sampled scotch, vodka, even absinthe in the past few days and they all went down great, especially when coupled with nice juicy dripping raw steaks. Dustin didn't care about the health risks of his weight; it was a symbol of pain free eating and as far as he was concerned, bigger was better... though he was likely going to have to go clothes shopping before long to find things that would fit.

Dustin was heading towards his favorite bar when a potent, sweet and strong smell caught his nose. It moved through his nostrils and into his lungs like magic, making his whole body tingle. Dustin's eyes fluttered shut ad he wandered forward, falling the smell. It came in surges, puffs of the sweet smell... Dustin enjoyed the scent so much that blood started rushing to his manhood, giving him a bit of a hard on.

When the smell reached its peak, Dustin opened his eyes. Up the street a large Montana man stood outside a clothes shop, a long thick cigar held to his lips. The end glowed red as he drew in and held the smoke in his thickly bearded cheeks. After a moment he exhaled and the smoke drifted around him, dancing across his red and black plaid shirt before it drifted to Dustin and he inhaled the smoke like perfume, much to his own surprise.

He had never given cigars much thought before; they seemed like an extravagance... He also knew the point was not to inhale the smoke into the lungs, but to taste it. Still, the scent was intoxicating. He couldn't hold himself back from it in the slightest. Normally Dustin would have been too afraid to say anything, but he was jut too curious to hold back. He puffed his chest up a bit and moved over.

"Hey, that's a nice smelling cigar. What kind is it?" Dustin asked. The man glanced over at Dustin, a bit surprised by his formal clothes but when he saw the belly and the beard, he relaxed a bit.

"It's the Kona house blend from the Stogie Store on third." The man said.

"Smells great, I'll have to check it out." Dustin said, pausing when he realized his voice had come out a bit different. There was a strange drawl to it, almost like a Texan accent. He shook off the change and looked back at the man, realizing he was standing in front of the doorway to a clothing store he had never been in. Dustin looked back to the man, "Customer or employee?"

"Both." The man chuckled, "You interested in more than just cigars?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for some clothes that are more my style." Dustin said. The man grinned, taking a few more puffs of his cigar before he offered it to Dustin. Dustin bowed his head in appreciation before he took it and took a puff. The embers glowed like hot coals as the sweet smoke entered his mouth, tasting of fruits and spices and tobacco all at once. Dustin's mouth filled with it and his entire head buzzed in enjoyment before he exhaled it, feeling the hot smoke curl around him, caressing his skin and hair like a lover. He let out a soft moan in delight before handing the cigar back.

"Well... I think we could get you hooked up pretty well." The man said, puffing on his cigar. The two exchanged the cigar back and forth before there was little left but a stub and the employee left it to rest on a stone ash tray outside the store. Dustin looked to the remains of the good gar, mourning that it was done before the two moved into the store.

The racks were full of typical Montana wear... Warm clothes, thick clothes, variations along a theme... But Dustin knew he wanted something a bit more relaxed than he was used to. He wanted something that made him feel calmer, more in charge of his own destiny. In truth Dustin felt more relaxed and confident than ever before. He wandered through the store, moving over to the back wall. He looked at the various options before he came across some well crafted sapphire blue jeans. The denim was strong, the cut was nice... though Dustin wasn't sure what size he'd wind up. He grabbed a pair a few sizes larger than his own and a big buckle belt from the next rack over, looping them over his arms.

Dustin enjoyed moving around the store, just looking, though every so often he'd glance at the man behind the counter and think about how nice the cigar had been. Dustin came to a stop before he realized why, but slowly he turned and came face to face with the softest, most amazing ruby and topaz plaid button up shirt. He reached out and caressed it before he lifted it up. It was pretty big, it was bound to fit him... but he couldn't just wear a plaid shirt with nothing underneath. Dustin searched the store before he found a nice white wife beater and added it to his load, carrying them to the front. The employee smiled and started to ring Dustin up.

"Plastic bag alright?" he asked.

"Actually, I think I'll wear them out." Dustin said with a grin.

****

Dustin snorted a bit as he woke himself up, sprawled out on the couch. He stretched and yawned, realizing he was still in the living room. Several booze bottles lined the coffee table, mostly Captain Jack, but as his head rose he looked across the room to his liquor cabinet. In a few short weeks he'd gone from having no idea the different between the various types to having a collection to make any aficionado envious, and it was always growing. Dustin opened up the small humidor on his coffee table and pulled out a new cigar, running it along below his nose before he clipped it, brought it to his lips and lit it. He took a few puffs before he stood up and made his way back to the bathroom.

Dustin's huge belly made it into the mirror's reflection well before the rest of him. Dustin came to a stop and rubbed his hands all over it in appreciation as he did every morning before he moved to stand on the scale. The numbers spun around before coming to a stop. Dustin subtracted the weight of his cigar before he grinned.

"Three hundred and twenty pounds, not bad." He complimented himself, the strange new accent creeping out a bit again. He reached down with his left hand to cop a feel of his package. He loved being the big man, but to his surprise he'd even had a growth spurt on top of the weight and muscle gain. He'd shot up almost four inches in two weeks, hitting six feet. Dustin was a proud man, a happy man and a man without pain. He still had to laugh when the doctor talked about his affinity for alcohol and his spontaneous new fixation with tobacco as side effects, as far as he was concerned they were the best side effects ever... and Dustin knew he was going to have a great day.

He took care of his morning business and moved back to his bedroom, pulling on a comfortable pair of his jeans, then his wife beater. The white fabric stretched over his round belly and hugged his swollen pecs. Dustin pulled on his plaid shirt next, buttoning up all the buttons... though the fabric felt tight over his chest and stomach, he was getting a bit big for it. Still, it was so comfortable that he didn't want to replace it just yet, he'd figure something out. Dustin turned to head to the door, grabbing his keys out of a bowl by it before he eased the door open... and remembered he had forgotten both his glasses and his shoes. His feet felt perfectly warm and nothing seemed fuzzy. In surprise, Dustin waved his hand in front of his face, his jaw dropping as he was able to make out even the slightest details of his finger prints.

"Oh wow..." he muttered in surprise.

****

The bright light shone into Dustin's eyes, the shockingly blue irises contracting to shield him from the LED. The doctor lowered the light, shaking his head.

"Simply amazing, in every way..." The doctor whispered.

"So it isn't just a fluke, my vision is better?" Dustin grinned.

"It would seem that way, though the pigment change is something I couldn't have predicted." The doctor said, truly amazed by it all.

"See, it isn't all bad with the drinking and the smoking... I'm taller, I'm stronger, I see better... This is great." Dustin said.

"Yes, yes, but... that is an awful lot for one medication to do. It could be an indication that the serum is unstable, and if it is... then there might be many more unpredictable changes in store..." The doctor said. Dustin suppressed his grin, as far as he was concerned, that didn't sound too bad at all.

"So, did you find out anything more about the serum?" Dustin asked, moving to try and button his shirt back up, though he couldn't quite get the ends to meet and he decided to leave his plaid shirt open. The doctor paced a bit.

"We aren't sure how it works, but it seems like your strain utilizes both bear and tiger hormones and RNA to correct your immune system and boost integrity. Other strains are having the same success but have different animal compounds." The doctor said.

"Bear and tiger? That's pretty cool..." Dustin said, grinning a bit in thought of the prospect. The doctor sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You just tell me if anything strange happens, alright? And keep an eye on that weight..." The doctor said.

"I'll keep both eyes on it." Dustin said, standing up. He stretched a bit before he let out a yawn and moved for the door. The doctor watched him go, still feeling growing concern in his heart over the progress of the experiment.

****

Dustin moved into the bar, striding across the place as if he owned it. His white wife beater pushed out from the middle of his open plaid shirt, barely able to hold the large belly. Even Dustin's face seemed different. His cheeks were rounder and his hair and beard were just as bushy as wavy as one another. It also seemed as if his hair had been sun bleached, taking on a lighter tone, almost a dusty quality. The man settled down on the stool and waited for his usual waiter to show up.

"Bring me a Berk if you'd be so kind." Dustin said, a huge grin on his lips at the fact that he'd been responsible for the invention of an entirely new type of drink at the bar. The waiter smirked and nodded, moving to grab a big beer stein and fill it with some of the strongest boozes they had. Even mixed together, Dustin had been able to taste each individual ingredient and appreciate them all. His only regret was that the bar didn't allow smoking at the same time or he'd be in heaven. Dustin tilted his head, trying to think. It seemed like the only time he'd had both booze and a cigar together, he'd passed out soon after in a blissful daze. It certainly seemed like a way to enjoy a night. A heavy clank of the mug on the bar brought him out of his thoughts.

"There ya go big guy." The waiter grinned, "Your steaks will be ready soon." He added.

"You sure know me Jake." Dustin grinned.

"It's always good to know your best customer." Jake replied with a smile. Dustin bowed his head at the sentiment before he lifted his mug and tipped it back, letting the combination of drinks stimulate all his taste buds at once.

****

Dustin moved back into his house, setting his keys back in the bowl by the door before he locked it behind him. He kicked off his tattered Adidas shoes, glad to be out of them and barefoot once more. He padded around his cabin, heading to his liquor cabinet. He'd had three Berks at the bar and they hadn't made him feel more than a slight buzz, but more than anything he loved the taste. He pulled out some of his best stuff, pouring the heady chestnut brown liquid into a glass before he lifted it and sniffed it gently. His nostrils flared in glee before he moved over to the couch and settled down, setting his drink aside.

With his drink set up, Dustin opened his humidor again and withdrew another fine cigar. He sniffed along its length as part of his ritual before he clipped it, brought it to his lips and let his lips close around it. He brought his lighter up and ignited the tip, drawing in. The fire took, the tip glowed and the smoke filled his mouth. Dustin let the taste linger before he let out a long exhale. He lifted his glass of booze with his free hand, brought it to his lips as he removed the cigar and tipped it back.

A shiver moved through Dustin's spine as the two tastes combined. It felt like fire and ice, like a charge of electricity. His jeans slowly tented as he felt the experience... But feeling it once wasn't enough. Soon Dustin was alternating between puffing and sipping, filling his mouth with a bounty of flavors and his body with an undeniable buzz. Dustin was feeling better and better, spreading out his legs wider, his tent growing... but so were the sensations in his body. His lungs tingled, his entire body tingled... and that was when Dustin felt the throbbing in his abdomen.

"Oh shit..." Dustin cursed with his Texan drawl, thinking for a moment that his Crohn's had relapsed, but the pain wasn't in his stomach or his intestines... The pain was in his ribs. His chest cavity began to swell, his ribs pushing apart and growing larger. The pain he felt ebbed into pleasure as he saw his chest and stomach expand bigger... and his lungs could draw in so much more air. As soon as it had started, it stopped. Dustin panted a bit, trying to catch his breath. When he felt that he had, he took another puff of the cigar and a drink... and the feelings returned.

Dustin groaned as his hands throbbed. His fingers began swelling thicker and longer. His palms ached as they flattened out and grew wider. His fingernails turned from white to tan to brown, thickening and growing out past his finger tips, slowly curving. The fingernails sunk down into his fingers a bit too, getting a better anchor, seeming a lot like claws rather than nails. His larger hands gripped his cigar and glass with new power, filling him with a feeling of toughness, of dominance.

Dustin growled, feeling better than he had in his entire life. He repeated the process, taking a sip of his booze before he inhaled from his cigar, taking it past his mouth and filling his lungs with the smoke. He knew he should have coughed and choked but it felt like heaven.... At least until Dustin's spine ignited in pain and pleasure all at once. Dustin hunched forward, roaring in sensation. His shirt rode up as more of his back began sliding into view, his spine stretching. His legs soon burned as well, his pants growing tighter as his legs thickened and lengthened.

While he had no way of knowing it, his body was stretching at an impressive pace. Six foot two, three, four, all in a matter of seconds. Despite the pain, Dustin finished off his booze and took in two more lungs full of smoke before he lifted his head and roared. The hair on his arms and legs started getting thicker and softer, growing longer as it turned into a dusty brown. Soon even more strands grew in, making Dustin seem quite hirsute. He had so much hair on his arms that his skin was starting to disappear beneath it, but he didn't care. He just wanted to make the pleasure rise to new heights.

Dustin stumbled up from the couch, wading over toward his liquor cabinet. Every step seemed to be heavier than the last, but he seemed to be stronger with every step to compensate. The floor seemed further away than ever before as Dustin stretched to six foot five, eight, ten... His wife beater rode up, exposing his belly skin beneath, though his dusty tan bush had spread up across his belly with an incredibly thick pleasure trail. His chest had exploded with furry hair as well, curls of the brown emerging from his collar. Dustin's toes curled as his toenails turned hard and stretched into claws, each toe getting wider and puffy as he opened the cabinet.

He pulled out a bottle and bit into the lid, pulling it out before spitting it aside, tipping the booze back. The whiskey flowed down his throat and pooled in his stomach, the tingling spreading out to mix with the heat in his lungs. Dustin opened his mouth to take in a breath of air, but before he could he stuffed the cigar between his lips and took a draw. Claws nearly exploded from his toes as the fur moved down across his ankles and then his feet. Dustin soon gained another inch in height, not from his spine or legs, but from the mere fact that parts of his toe tips and the sole of his feet inflated into pillowey pads, offsetting the deadly sharpness of his claws.

Dustin let out another growl of delight as his belly swelled more, the fur spreading out across it. It covered his waist, his belly, his arms and legs, his chest. Soon his back felt fuzzy in the confines of the shirt as thick dust brown fur emerged there, covering his shoulder blades, the small of his back, even his ass... his huge, plump ass. His ass cheeks spread apart a bit, making room for his tail bone to start growing. Dustin grunted as his tail bone ached, constituting a new form of pleasure and pain. It felt too tight, too bunched up.

The changing man quickly unfastened his belt and tossed it to the floor. His pants sagged, but that sag was just what his tailbone needed. A nub pushed out above his ass cheeks, bones forming and growing, connecting to the next with muscle and tendon. Segment after segment formed, stretching out the tail like a sausage in a furry casing. It was most distinctly not a bear tail, seeming almost feline as it whipped about, thick dust brown fur growing in over it all. The tail stretched longer and longer with every passing moment... One foot, two, then almost four.

While nearly all of Dustin's body had changed, his head had been the last to shift. Dustin moaned as his jaw popped and started to stretch, his upper lip and nose moving with it. As his mouth elongated, his teeth shifted, growing sharper and larger. He clenched his mouth around the cigar hanging from the corner of his lips. He puffed away at it even in his current state. He shuddered as his lips darkened and his upper lip started to thicken on the sides and narrow in the center, almost as if it wanted to split. A line of furless skin lifted up to his nose as it began to change too.

Dustin's perfect flesh nose began to grow darker and leathery, flaring out in new and different ways. His face continued pushing into a muzzle, his nose stretching with it... but his beard was exploding outward into fur. The dusty brown fluff filled in all the gaps beneath his bottom lip until no skin remained, his cheeks filled in, his beard even looked fuller stretched out across his elongated face... but soon it was becoming more than a beard, it was becoming a fur coating. It slipped up around his eyes and spilled across his nose, going all the way to the tip as it shifted into a dark brown leathery bear nose.

He grunted suddenly as his ears popped... Then he could hear nothing but his heart beating inside his body, but as a most strange sensation came from his ears, almost as if they were slipping up to the top of his head, his hearing came back better than ever before. Dustin's ears rounded, growing quite fuzzy both inside and out. His hair, his beard, his fur... there was no distinction between it all anymore. It all grew together. The fur from his chest and back grew up his neck and met with his beard, every inch of his body had been converted. From head to toe, he was a dusty tan brown.

The pain ebbed away from Dustin, leaving him panting and puffing, though his cigar had gone out. He looked down at his body, trying to figure out what had happened. He had to be at least six foot ten and over four hundred and fifty pounds of fat covered muscle. His clothes were stretched to the limit, his feet were paws and his tail was flicking around... but as a tingling spread across his body once more, Dustin realized he wasn't done yet. At first he wasn't sure what was happening, but a shock of color caught his eyes. Slowly the changing man lifted his arms up and rolled up his sleeves. As the red plaid was moved out of the way, Dustin could see the changes.

All up and down his arms, lime green stripes had grown into his fur... They were like tiger stripes, but the pigment had fought the bear RNA, resulting in a unique color. Angled stripes spread over his huge belly and his chest and soon his tail bleached out, numerous rings and stripes coating its length as the tip grew puffy... and with that the sensations stopped. There was no more tingling, no pain, no pleasure from the change... Dustin was simply something new, though what that meant specifically was something completely different.

Dustin was now a behemoth... A huge bear tiger hybrid. He was tall, he was strong, he was furry and he loved his cigars and his booze... but none of it seemed to concern him. He had his large cabin, he had his jeep and his Crohn's was gone... If anything, he was better than ever before. He was stronger, he was tougher, he was more intimidating but just as loyal as before. Dustin knew he would be a caring kind of bear, and he knew life was going to be better than it ever had been before. Dustin walked around the room, getting used to his new height and feet, rubbing his belly before he moved to look out the back window of his cabin.

It was a new life for him, one of pleasure and certainty... But such a drastic change would need a new name. Dustin just didn't fit anymore. He thought back to the drink he had helped invent, the Berk... the name seemed to swim into his consciousness. He was Berkley... and Dustin was no more. Berkley would get the most out of life with the second chance he had, and he was going to enjoy every moment of it all. More than anything, though, he knew it was time for another great cigar and a shot of whiskey. He had a lot to celebrate after all, becoming his true self at long last. Life was going to be fantastic.