A New Approach
#6 of Transformation Stories
Based on a request for someone on FA. I wrote this one in the daytime and took a "World Half-Empty" approach. In both versions, I may have vented a little bit.
"Another rejection..." Lori sighed after she read the email. The result of her latest interview had come to her through an email, and it had been the same as many of her other recent emails. All she had was a high school diploma and no college experience. She wanted to pursue a steady career in writing, but without the funds, she wouldn't be going anywhere. It didn't help that at the moment, there was a commercial playing that encouraged people to return to college.
"How am I supposed to do that without a job, rocks-for-brains?" she yelled at the tv. Frustrated by the ad that seemed to taunt her, she stormed out of her studio and went to the boxing gym. Lori's anger soon simmered down as she unleashed her emotions on the punching bag before her, belting it with furious yet practiced punches and kicks. Everyone who wasn't already busy with their own routines was astonished to see someone strong enough to actually create tears in the only punching bag the place had.
"Um, excuse me, miss. That's for everyone to hit." Lori stopped her assault and turned to face a young man who stood at around her height. His hands were in his pockets as he smiled at her.
"Look, I'm really not in a good mood. Just leave me be."
"I can see that, but..."
"I get it, I get it." She sighed in disappointment as she stepped away from the bag. "Whoa, I really did some damage there. I was just mad." To her surprise, the boy's smile faded. "You're right. I shouldn't be bothering anyone with my issues." Lori packed her things and left the gym and a bewildered set of onlookers.
Lori wanted to continue to hit the punching bag, but had no interest in getting in a fight with anyone, physical or otherwise. Her outrage at the demand shown by the commercial still remained, however, and she chose the next best thing: meditation in the park. No one was in the park due to the overcast skies, which suited her just fine.
"Glad to see the bench by the fountain is still here," she mused. Lori took a seat and relaxed. Her anger slowly turned into sadness as she gazed at the coins in the water in melancholy. "It just sucks that I can't seem to find a decent job that doesn't require me to sacrifice my dignity. I can't even gain any experience for other small jobs, and I can't afford to take up an unpaid internship." She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the boy from earlier until he sat on the same bench.
"Hello there."
"Hey..." she saluted half-heartedly. "I'm worried about my future, so excuse me if I don't respond at times."
"Hmm... you're surprisingly humble for one with such a physique. I actually thought you would end up getting a curse." he said. There was an odd hint of playfulness in his voice, but she dismissed it without a second thought.
"Curse, huh?" Lori recalled the rumors of some notably arrogant people suddenly disappearing, but wasn't too concerned with them. "I'm already cursed. I lost my job a while ago and my phones are broken, so I'm cut off from some of my family members. I'm forced to wait for the eventual rejection letter from every job I applied to, and I have next to no control over my life, which is slowly getting worse."
"..."
"Damn it, I ranted again. I'm sorry, young man. You just came to say hi, and here I am, treating you like a diary. That isn't fair."
"...Oh, my. You beat yourself up way too much. What you did to that punching bag is nothing compared to the beating you're giving yourself over the powers that be."
"They're controlling my future. I can't help it. At this point I'm starting to think it's all pointless..." The boy crossed his arms, thinking to himself.
"...What you need is a break. In fact, I have a job that just might get you on your feet, but there's a catch."
"Let me guess, I have to put my self-respect on the line? No! It's all I've got left!"
"It's only temporary, at least until you feel ready to further your education anyway. What's your path, anyway?"
"Four-year college, degree in creative writing, English teacher, that sort of thing."
"I want you to think about it. Here." He dug into a pocket and pulled out a golden coin. It had a wolf's head embossed onto its surface. "If you decide you're ready to put everything aside temporarily, tap this coin three times. I don't normally do things like this, so consider yourself fortunate." He soon left the scene, leaving Lori puzzled as to what he meant.
That night, Lori eyed the coin on the table as she thought things over. She had a feeling the boy was the one responsible for the recent disappearances. Even if they did have it coming, she couldn't help but wonder where they were.
"I don't trust that boy in the slightest," she said to herself, "but he has a point. The more I think about his offer, the more appealing it sounds. The world is slowly falling apart thanks to people who can't understand that we have to work together. I won't be getting anywhere without some serious cash... Screw it, I don't care. I have an opportunity, and I'm not about to let anyone keep me down. Jobs aren't gotten as easily as they used to be." Shrugging, she tapped the coin three times. In an instant, the young man she met earlier materialized in front of her.
"You rang?" he asked, grinning.
"It's just like I thought. You're the one behind the missing people!"
"Guilty as charged, but do you really miss them?"
"Well, one of them was a good friend of mine who helped me get my studio to begin with. His name was Audrey."
"Hmm... I remember now. He was a witness to one of my earlier acts, so I had to... silence him. Worry not, he is still alive under my care."
"Okay... So, what did you have in mind?"
"Well, I thought about two paths you could take. You're a competent fighter, and you get heads turning your way from the looks of things." Lori couldn't help but blush from his statement. "You could be a boxer, or you could be a mod-"
"Boxer. No way am I going to strip for someone else's pleasure."
"I knew you'd choose that. Now, before you touch that coin again, are you sure you-" He didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence as she touched it once more. Immediately, a light blue light surged around her and she levitated a few feet from the floor. Before she had a chance to shout, some of the light went through her head, knocking her unconscious. "Impatient, aren't we?"
Her hands were the first to change, gaining cloud white fur and pink pads. The light swirled into her clothes and modified them slightly, paving the way for white and light blue fur and a tail that erupted from her backside. Her toes swelled slightly as her lower body changed to match that of a wolf's.
Next were her ears, which moved to the top of her white-furred wolf head and became triangular in shape. A muzzle pushed out from her face as most of her teeth sharpened to a point. Surprisingly, her eyes remained a solid brown color. The light field that surrounded her slowly dissipated as she returned to the ground.
"Lori, are you still there?" No response. "My, this place could use some cleaning. I might be getting in trouble for not fulfilling my duty just this once, but you know what? I don't care."
Lori awoke the next day to find the boy from before making pancakes and bacon. The new wolf drooled a little from the smell, but quickly caught herself. She rose from her bed and walked to him. He turned around and smiled at her.
"Ah, Lori, you're awake. Are you ready to begin your temporary life?" he asked her. She yawned and shook herself.
"Who are you exactly?"
"The one behind the disappearances, of course. I travel the world in the form of a child and seek out individuals who have a rather... unrealistic view of themselves and... deal with them. I have no name," he revealed.
"Why me?"
"You are better than you think you are. You were dealt a bad hand, so I thought I'd make it fair for you. All that's changed is your species."
"What about Audrey? Where is he? I have to know." As soon as she said that, there was a knock at the door.
"Why don't you go answer it?" The wolf glanced at him for a moment before doing as he requested. On the other side stood an anthropomorphic fennec fox who was shorter than her by two feet. He had light beige fur and wore only a pair of shorts. He seemed unnerved by the wolf's size and looked away shyly.
"Audrey? Is that you?" she wondered. The fennec's ears perked up at this.
"That voice... Lori? What happened to you?" She smiled and pulled him into a hug, unintentionally pushing him into her soft chest.
"It is you! We have a lot of catching up to do, but first... Sybil!"
"Ah, my new name, I presume? I take it you're ready to begin?"
Lori fell in love with her new life quickly. Her appearance in the boxing circuit garnered a few followers that quickly exploded into the thousands as she moved up the ranks. She took a few losses every now and then at Sybil's request, but her new boyfriend was always there to keep her morale strong. Thanks to their help, she eventually earned more than enough money to pursue her dream of becoming an editor, but when Sybil returned to offer her a chance to be human again, she refused.
"I understand. You're very happy with how your life turned out," he had said. "What about Audrey?" Audrey had, in a strange twist of fate, taken up becoming a writer in Lori's stead.
"I think we'll be fine together," the fennec had responded. He bid them farewell, but left his coin behind in case they had second thoughts. As Lori lied in her bed with her love in her arms, she briefly wondered how the human world was doing without her.
"Eh, whatever."