shift.

an experimental, second-person short novel centered around therianthropy and tf.

written with ❤️, fofxox.

2018.11.26.

You wake up. The time is three in the morning, well before the others in your household are up. You have about four hours of free time before breakfast. But you can't tell what the time is, and you're beginning to lose the concept of time. You can't pick up the phone because you don't have hands anymore. In their place are paws - with soft pads and small, sharp claws. Everything is so different, but it's also strangely comforting in a way. You roll onto your back and look in the mirror on the wall opposite of you to see just how different your body has become. Your underside is covered in thick white fur. Your front and rear legs are in black, in a pattern almost like socks, and your large, fluffy tail tapers off from a deep, vibrant red-orange color to a snowy white. Looking back at you from the mirror is a bewildered, confused-looking fox with a long, whiskered snout and many sharp teeth. So this is what they meant by canine teeth. This is the form you've taken, and your mindset is slowly starting to change into that of a fox as well. The voice inside your head is going quiet. Words and human ideas are becoming more difficult to comprehend, and all you can think about is what you can do with an empty stomach and those sharp, powerful teeth and claws. Time to go outside. You're not worried about Animal Control, or whether your pet Doberman will attack you - after all, he's massive even compared to a human, and you're only half the size of your old body. All you need to do is run out and catch some prey for yourself. So, you flee out the dog door - a more-than-generous opening for your lithe body, and take a moment to appreciate this beautiful moment you've gotten yourself into. The sunrise has brilliant shades of orange, red, and pink, and you're the first one awake to watch it all happen. The loneliness doesn't get to you too much, though. Rather, you're having true freedom for the first time in your life. You hadn't even noticed it, but you've been wagging your tail. The breeze is catching your ears and sifting through your fur. You're still hungry, though, and you want to eat something. Not much in the city, though. There is that dark, densely-wooded forest nearby that you've been wanting to explore.