The Prize



THE PRIZE

“Hello, and welcome to the afternoon news. I’m Michael Rogstead.”
“Today marks the one year anniversary of TranzGenetics first release of their cosmetic injections, The Anthro line. Their discovery of genetic manipulating agents led to the mass production of their serum, Anthro series 1 and 2.” A grey wolf anthro wearing a lab coat appeared on the screen.
“We’re very excited,” The wolf (who was introduced as Dr. Magnus) spoke. “The popularity for becoming a fur is growing, we can’t keep up!”
The anchorman reappeared. “Rumours of an Antrho series 3 have been confirmed, and is being released for their one year celebration.”

____ ____ ____

The T.V. turned off.
“Have you looked outside?” Jenney asked me. I glanced to the window and jumped as I saw the snow outside. And it wasn’t snowing little flakes either; it was snowing flakes that made you go “holy shit! Those are huge!” Yeah. Those kinds of flakes. In November.
“I see it,” I replied. Jenny turned from the window, fur bristling.
“I just took your laundry out of the dryer,” She said icily, her ears folded back.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said uneasily, but clearly that wasn’t the issue.
“You have three t-shirts, one sweater, thee pairs of socks and ONE PAIR OF PANTS!” Jenny extended her claws and swiped the pole beside her. Sometimes, when she felt stressed, she would claw at it for hours. She said it made her feel better. I didn’t argue.
“So?” I asked uneasily.
“So! It’s winter! There’s three feet of snow on the ground and that’s just from today!” Jenny snarled. “You cannot get by with one pair of pants!”
“Lots of people do,” I protested. “Tons of people get by without them.”
“Do you even have a winter jacket?”
“You don’t have one.”
“I have FUR!” Jenny shouted. “This IS my winter jacket!” She sat on the couch, letting out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know how I ended up living with you.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said sarcastically. “How about when your parents kicked you out of the house when you came home as a cat person? Or when I let you live here, rent free, while you settled down? Or maybe that job I got you at the newspaper?”
“I was being rhetorical!” Jenny cried, and she turned away, but now before I saw the tears in her eyes. Sighing, I got out of my chair and sat next to her on the couch.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “You didn’t deserve that.” I paused a moment, then said, “We could go shopping this afternoon. ‘Cause you’re right, I do need a jacket. It’s only November, how am I-“ I was interrupted when Jenny turned and gave me a hug that squeezed the air out of me.
“I know you didn’t mean it,” She said, her muzzle pressing into my ear. “And we’ll have fun at the mall!” Jenny pulled away and wiped the remaining tears from her face. “You need a new wardrobe. If we go ASAP, we’ll make it before the rush hour traffic gets there!” With that, she leapt up and was out of the room.
Wondering as there was such thing as rush hour traffic in the mall, I glanced at the calendar and mentally kicked myself.
Today was the one year anniversary of when her parents kicked her out.
FML.

____ ____ ____

That was the same thought that was running through my head, two hours later, as I carried thirty shopping bags of clothes. And as it turns out, there is such thing as rush hour traffic in the mall.
“Which ones are mine again?” I asked.
“The ones on your right arm,” Jenny replied without looking back.
“I can’t even feel my arm,” I complained. “Let alone tell the difference between my right and my left!”
“Stop moaning,” She snapped. “Besides, we’ve only got one stop left.”
“Oh goody,” I muttered. “Where is it?”
“TranzGen clothing,” Jenny replied cheerfully.
“What? Don’t you have enough clothes?”
“Well, none of the clothes in there-“ She pointed to the bags. “-Are as comfortable or as fitting as TranzGen’s. Thank God they made a clothing line when they made Anthro series 2!”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Good for them.”

TranzGen’s clothing store looked like your typical clothing warehouse; clothes scattered on tables and shelves, everything for guys, girls, heavy, small. The only difference was the setup. Different parts of the store were dedicated to the different types of serums TranzGen made. There was a feline section, a canine section, an equine section; everything, for all ages, for all species. It boggled my mind just thinking of all the different pairs of pants they had to design for EVERY MAMMAL IN THE WORLD.

“Can we at least get a shopping cart?” I asked as we neared the store. “For clothes? No way,” Jenny said as she entered the store. “You’re carrying them just fine.”
“My posture is ruined,” I groaned and stepped over the threshold. Two steps into the store an alarm goes off, and lights flash. Jenny leaps, fur bristling and claws extended, into a 20% off bin. I just fall down, gracefully landing on my face. I was grateful for one thing though; the ridiculous amount of clothes broke my fall.
“Didn’t do it!” I yelled into the clothes. “I didn’t do it!” As I struggled to my feet I noticed a crowd of people and furries around us, cheering as balloons and streamers fell from the entrance. I looked around as a well-endowed vixen sauntered up to me and announced, “You are our 100,000th customer! Congratulations! You’re a winner!”

____ ____ ____

A few minutes later, the crowd had dissipated, and a janitor was cleaning up the mess. Jenny wouldn’t let go of me as the vixen told us what we’d won.
“There are two parts to the prize,” She said. “One is a five hundred dollar ft certificate to our store-“ Jenny froze “-And the second,”  The vixen smiled. “Is a secret.”
“Five hundred dollars,” Jenny whispered. “Five hundred dollars worth of clothes…”
“We already have tons of clothes,” I said. “We don’t need more!”
“We can return all of mine!” Jenny exclaimed. I turned to the vixen.
“When do we get the second part?” I asked.
“Well, you’ll have to come with me,” The vixen said. “To sign a release form.”
“What? What for?” I exclaimed. “Can’t you just give her the certificate now?” The vixen smiled.
“You seem to misunderstand me, sir. She didn’t win the prize, you did.”
“What?”
“We have sensors on the doors, counting the people who enter. We have video evidence that clearly shows you as the hundred thousandth person today.”
“Can’t I just give it to Jenny?” I asked. I really didn’t want to spend another three hours holding another fifty pounds of clothes. The vixen shook her head.
“Union rules,” She stated. “We have to give it to the one hundred thousandth person.” She pointed to Jenny. “She was 99,999. You were 100,000.”
“All right,” I sighed. “And then we get the $500?”
“Correct,” She replied. “And we can get someone to take your clothes back to your car.” Jenny grasped my arm.
“Do it!” She hissed, her eyes wide in excitement. “Please!” I shook my head, trying to push Jenny off me.
“I’ll do it, fine! Fine!” I stood p, facing the fox. “Where do we go?” She smiled.
“Follow me,” She said.

____ ____ ____

We left Jenny behind outside, in the small hallway. I signed a form, stating that I was, in fact, the 100,000th person to walk in, and entered a small room with the vixen and some other guy. The room was not unlike an interrogation room. The walls were stark white and florescent bulbs caused my eyes to water from the contrast. There was a mirror on one wall, which I automatically assumed was a two-way mirror. Wondering who would want to watch someone be given $500 in free money, I turned to the table. One chair on each side, with a stack of papers in the middle.
“What’s your favourite animal?” The vixen asked. I turned, startled.
“Uhh… wolf,” I said after a moment. “But what-“
“Sit down,” She said as the other man exited. I sat down, facing the “mirror”. Then, she sat down as well and handed me a form. “I need you to sign here,” She said, pointing to a line. “And here,” She continued, pointing to another. “Also here. And here. Here as well.” I signed so many slips of paper and waivers that I didn’t bother reading what I was signing anymore, I was so tired. My hand started cramping up. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she stopped.
“Congratulations, Michael,” She said.
“Mike, please,” I replied automatically, wondering how she learned my name. Then I realized that she must have gotten it from the thousands of forms I just signed. As the man re-entered the room, the vixen pulled an envelope towards her and pulled out a wad of cash.
“This is $500 compensation,” She said as the man walked behind me. I could sense him, pausing.
“Compensation?” I asked. “What for?” The vixen, quickly, almost unreceptively, glanced the man behind me. By the time I realized it was a signal, it was too late, and the man had already injected a small needle into my vein.
“Son of a bitch!” I shouted as the man pulled back. “What the-?”
“I’m sorry,” The vixen said. “But this was part of the deal.”
“What deal?” I yelled.
“This one,” She said, pulling out a piece of paper. “The one that says ‘I, Michael Darfin, accept that any harm coming to my being as a result of TranzGen’s testing of Anthro Series 3 is not their responsibility. I agree to the terms of testing and receiving of the $500 (five hundred dollars) gift card and $500 (five hundred dollars) compensation.”
“I didn’t sign that!” I replied. The vixen wove the form in my face.
“That’s your signature, isn’t it?” I faltered as I saw that yes, it was. I sighed.
“Well, since I can’t sue you for anything,” I said as I calmed myself down, “What, in God’s name, does Anthro Series 3 do?”
“Let me put it this way,” The vixen said. “My name was Ted.”

____ ____ ____

I rubbed my arm as I felt something tingle. I looked and saw soft grey fur slowly expanding from the injection site.
“What the fu-!” I shouted.
“Please, calm down,” Ted pleaded. “It’ll only hurt worse if you resist. Believe me, I know.” The fur traveled down my arm, reshaping my hand into a paw. Staring at it, it seemed smaller, more petite compared to my normal hand.
The fur traveled up my arm and over my shoulder, spreading across my neck. I groaned as the serum worked its way up my head, reshaping my jaw and face. It didn’t hurt, but it felt like it should. Like when your teeth are being drilled at the dentist’s but your mouth is full of novocaine to feel it. I closed my eyes as the serum changed my face, one side to the other. I felt my ears change as migrate to the top of my head, and my nose and mouth merged to form a muzzle. I opened my eyes to see a grey snout obscuring some of my vision, but that was okay, because now almost all my senses were on overload. I could hear the heartbeats of Ted and the guy who injected me; I could hear murmurs from behind the two-way glass. So I was right, they were watching me.
“What’s happening?” I asked, then stopped in shock. My voice! It sounded like… like a woman’s! “What the hell?” I said.
“The serum’s affected your vocal cords,” Ted explained, her tail swishing as she watched me change. “You sound female now.”
“But… but I don’t want to be a woman!” I exclaimed.
“The waiver you signed says you do,” The man said. I groaned as the serum travelled downwards, changing my body. As grey fur replaced pink skin, my body began curving, giving me a more womanly shape. My clothes ripped as I grew a few inches, the shredded remains of my T-shirt and pants falling to the ground. I moaned as the serum changed my chest, expanding and giving me two breasts, or at least a C-cup.
“You should be grateful,” The man said. “We could’ve given you multiple pairs.”
“Shut up Tom,” Ted hissed. “He… uh, she’s going through a lot right now!” The fur continued down, covering my abdomen and traveling down my legs. I felt pain this time, real pain, as my “equipment” changed along with the rest of me. I reached down, hoping that I would be spared from losing my testes, but sighed in disappointment as all I found was my newly equipped vagina.
There was a sharp pain in my tailbone, and I knew what that meant. I just felt glad that my pants had already been torn; it would have been painful for my tail to grow in such a small space. My ass expanded and a tail formed as the serum traveled down my legs. My knees cracked as they shifted backwards. Finally, my feet changed into canine paws, and I fell. I guess I wasn’t used to walking on them yet. Panting, I waited for my pulse to slow down. After a few moments, Tom started walking towards the door.
“I’ll get the girlfriend,” He said.
“No!” I shouted. “Leave her out! She can’t… she can’t see me like this!” I felt my breasts move as I stood up quickly. Apparently Tom noticed to, because he stared at them for a moment, then said, “Too bad.” As he left, I tried to walk on my new paws, and found it was more difficult than Jenny had let on. Trying to use my tail as a counterweight, I walked about two feet before falling. I heard Ted giggle.
“This isn’t funny,” I hissed.
“I’m sorry,” She said (I still couldn’t think of her as a “he”, no matter how hard I tried), “But it is really funny.” As I stood up, I asked, “What the hell am I, anyways?”
“You’re a wolf,” She said, matter-of-factly. “It’s what you wanted.” I shrugged. I didn’t feel like arguing anymore. Which was fine, because at that point, Jenny decided to enter. She froze as she saw me.
“Jenny,” I said softly as I tried to get up. “I can explain everything-!” I was interrupted when Jenny burst into laughter.
“Michael!” She laughed. “You’re… you’re!” She couldn’t even say it without laughing so loud.
“Spit it out!” I snapped.
“You’re hot!” Jenny exclaimed. “You’re a bombshell! I would kill to have a figure like that!” Confused, I stumbled to the mirror and stopped sharp.
“Holy crap!” I whispered.
Jenny was right, I was hot! Staring back at me was a female anthro wolf, with wavy dirty blonde hair that went past her shoulders. Her body was something other girls would be jealous of, and other guys would want in bed. I reached up to my face and watched as the wolf in the mirror did the same. Looking down at my breasts, I poked one, feeling a pleasant sensation from doing so. Ted grabbed my arm.
“This isn’t really the best place to… explore,” She said. I realized I had forgotten about the people behind the mirror. Embarrassed, I turned away, as Jenny slowly calmed down and grabbed my arm.
“Come on!” She said. “We’re going shopping!”
“Wait, what now?” I asked, this time a little scared. Jenny laughed.
“You forgot about our $500 shopping spree!” She exclaimed. “We’ve got to get new clothes for you!”

____ ____ ____

As the two left, Tom looked from the scraps of clothes lying on the ground to Ted.
“Should we tell them that the serum lasts 24 hours?” He asked. Ted thought for a moment.
“No,” She said. “They’ll find out.”

____ ____ ____

“First, we’ve got to find you some comfortable underwear,” Jenny said, pulling me along the aisle of the store. “Then we’ve got to get you a cute shirt and some shoes and – ooh! A sale and over here we’ve got to get… you need some kapris, they’ll look really good…” Dazed, her ramblings just ran together until I realized that this was me she was talking about. Bracing myself, I pulled back, causing her to stop.
“Jenny,” I pleaded. “I can’t do this, I’m a guy!” Jenny laughed at that.
“Right now, you’re a woman, and if you’re a woman, you need to play the part!” With that, she dragged me to the changing room, pushing me into a stall. “You stay here, I’ll find you some outfits.”

____ ____ ____

Quite honestly, I don’t want to talk about the next five hours. Needless to say, it consisted of me trying on different combinations of clothes. Knowing Jenny, it would take two hours just to make a “yes” and a “no” pile.

____ ____ ____

“Ma’mm,” The clerk said. “We’re closing in twenty minutes.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Jenny spoke. “We’re finished anyways.” As the clerk left, Jenny spoke to me through the stall door. “Come out, let’s see how you look!” Dejectedly, I opened the stall door and stepped out. Jenny gasped and her tail waved happily. “You look so cute!” She squealed. I was wearing a tank top that went to my midriff, and kapris that felt very tight against my ass and thighs. It was a simple outfit, granted, but very effective in enhancing my figure and breasts. Even I was turned on, and it was my body!
“How does the underwear feel?” Jenny asked. The bra and panties were one of the first things she bought me. “Lightweight? Sexy?”
“Really uncomfortable,” I replied.
“That means it’s working,” Jenny giggled.
“It’s November and I’m wearing a tank top,” I said. “Don’t you think I need something wormer?” Jenny paused for a moment.
“You’re right. There,” She said, pulling a bunny hug out of the pile. “This will do.”
“But-“
“Your fur is your winter jacket! It’s like you’re wearing two extra layers! If anything, you’ll feel overdressed!” Grumbling, I put it on, disappointed as it added to my looks.
At the till, we spent the remaining fifteen minutes we had buying the clothes, which came to a total of $459.05. Jenny was ecstatic that we had fifty dollars left over, and I had to convince her not to go looking for something to make up the difference.
We managed to get help moving all our stuff to the car, which was a relief, because we had way too much stuff! Jenny agreed that we had to take some of the stuff back.
“The clothes that we bought for you earlier today,” She said. “We’ll return tomorrow.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “But this-“
“Could be permanent,” Jenny stated. “It’s unlikely, seeing as TranzGen probably doesn’t want a lawsuit, regardless of what you signed, but we have to prepare for that possibility. She smiled and almost skipped the rest of the way. It was all I could do not to faint. Forever? I don’t think I could last that ling, especially as a woman! I had nothing against them, I just didn’t want to beone!
After all our clothes were packed, we drove off into the snowy sunset, Jenny driving as the picture on her driver’s license actually matched her face. As we drove, I tried to imagine the rest of my life as a girl. The clothes, the social circles, the harassments from guys. The periods, the risks of sex… I shuddered. The world was already starting to fade in front of me, one more shock to my system and I think I would collapse!
“Let’s go to a night club. We can meet some cute guys!” Jenny exclaimed.

I fainted.

____ ____ ____

I woke up the next morning, still furry, still female. Jenny was watching.
“I was wondering when you’d wake,” She said. “C’mon! We’ve got a busy day!”
“What… what happened?” I asked.
“Well, after you passed out, I drove straight here, put you down on that bed, and went to sleep. Then I woke up, waited for you to wake up, and now we’re going to return some clothes!”
“Didn’t we do enoughshopping?” I asked, feeling my breasts move as I sat up.
“I didn’t say shopping,” Jenny sighed. “I said returning.”
“I fail to see the difference,”
“C’mon!” She yelled again. “Let’s go!”

____ ____ ____

Dressed in a purple skirt and T-shirt, we wandered down the mall with the fifteen bags of clothes I no longer “needed”. Slowly, painfully, we went into each store that we hit yesterday and showed them the receipts, the proof of purchase, and handed them back the clothes. I could see the clerks thinking, “That was a guy yesterday…”. It was in their eyes. Every time I returned one more bag, I could feel myself slipping away, the fact I would never be a man again rooting itself into my head. I wanted to do nothing but sleep, just curl up into a ball and stay there.
The last store we  went to was where it happened.

We just returned the last item of clothing and were about to leave the store when Jenny spotted an outfit being displayed and exclaimed, “Michelle!” (That’s what she was calling me in public). “You have got to try this!” She babbled on about how cute it would look against my fur, while I just took it out of her hands and headed to the back of the store, where the change rooms were.
Laying my outfit on the bench, I undressed, staring at my naked form for a few moments before turning away. It was as I turned that I felt a sharp “crack!” in my feet, and I stumbled. My knees and toes also cracked, and I stared as they reshaped themselves into a more human form. Hair started falling off my body, and my legs grew to accommodate a larger mass and size. Judging by how I was changing, my relief slowly gave way to horror.

I was in the woman’s change room. Naked. With woman’s clothes. And I was turning back into a man.

I didn’t have time to think about that as my hips and shoulders snapped, becoming wider and more spread apart. It seemed as if I was shedding as fine hairs fell off my body, revealing pink skin underneath. My feet looked fairly human, and my legs were almost there. I could feel a slight twisting in my groin as my manhood began to return. My muzzle felt constricted as it pushed back into my face, nose and mouth reforming to two separate entities. My ears began shifting downwards, where they would normally be, and my breasts began flattening out as my chest became wider. My curves disappeared, my legs finally changed back into my own, fully male and human. My package was coming back, almost normal, and from the waist down, I looked like a human male. Popping noises could be heard and felt as my arms became more muscular and my body fought its way back into its normal form. My head felt like it was in a vice as it reshaped into my own, and I passed out a little from the pain. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, human, and myself once again. I stood, shakily, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Everything is just fine,” I said, pleased to hear my own voice. “I am.. I’m back!”

There was a knock on the stall door.
“Miss, are you alright?” It was the clerk. “Do you need any assistance?”
Shit, I thought, and looked around for something to cover myself with. Realizing that I was alone, naked, and in the women’s change room, surrounded by other women and women’s clothes, I realized that no matter what I did, I was screwed. I need more time! I thought. Unfortunately, that was decided for me as the clerk unlocked the stall door and began to open it. I realized I was trapped.
Seconds before she saw me and called the police, I remember just one thought going through me head, one that was the understatement of my life.

“Fuck my life,” I muttered, and closed my eyes as the clerk screamed.