Two men sat on a couch playing a video game. The fighting game they played allowed them to enter their names, and as it was offline matches, they had no problems using their normal names "Dustin" and "John"

Dustin sat on one side of the couch with a controller in his hands. He pressed various buttons on the small controller as he played the fighting game with John. To Dustin, it felt like a normal every day. A few snacks sat in front of them, along with two containers of soda, one for each of them. John's dogs sat on the ground and watched them idly after they were told multiple times they could not have any of the food.

With a combination of buttons from John, his fighter unleashed a ball of energy that hit Dustin's character. The hit was just enough to knock out Dustin's fighter and declare John as the winner.
John let out a cheer, and smiled at Dustin. "Hey," John said with a grin on his face. "Do you mind if I play through the story mode? I'm almost done with it and I'd love to finish it today. I've got like one or two more bosses to beat up, and more than enough continues that I should be able to do it."

Dustin nodded. "Yeah, go for it." He set down his controller and pulled out his phone. "What kind of story mode does this thing even have?" He looked down at his phone and unlocked it. He had plenty of apps to play with in the meantime.

"I don't really pay attention to the plot. I just know there's an unlockable character once you finish the last stage." John started up the story mode and the first fight began. The battle was against a large black horse anthro with some visible white hide. He wore a farmer's outfit with a pitchfork he used to attack. "This is the guy you unlock. Not the final boss, which is a little weird."

Dustin raised his head just long enough to get a glimpse. The horse looked oddly familiar, as if it were one of the original characters a friend of his made. "Yeah, I can assume that's not the final boss based on his outfit. He looks like a low tier fighter honestly." He looked up at the name 'Jake', which also sounded very plain. Still, the familiarity of the equine, he had to ask. "Who's the final boss? Is it a female equine with a purple robe?" He asked with a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah, did you play this game before?" John turned to Dustin with a tilt of his head. He jumped, and quickly turned back to the screen when he heard the horse attack his character. "Crap. He does slow attacks, but they pack a wallop!"

Dustin raised a brow. He looked up from his phone and watched the fight. 'It can't be who I'm thinking it is.' He thought to himself. There was no way it could have been Myu. Although if it were, it would explain where someone he knew got inspiration for his or her character. "What company made this game?"

"Hm? I don't remember. It was some third party company; don't worry about it, unless you like the game that much?" John landed the finishing blow on the fighter, and bounced on the couch excitedly. "Hah! Okay, final boss time."

Dustin looked over at the shelf of games John owned. He recognized most of the games, but not the one John played. "So, is this just some indie company that made the game?" He wondered if John downloaded the game. It would explain why he couldn't find any proper case; at least a case he thought might go with the game John currently played.

John nodded. "Yeah!" He kept his eyes glued on the screen. He began to fight the final boss and he looked like he was really getting into the battle. "You may have beaten me ten times before, but none of those count if I can just beat you just this once!"

John felt a slight shock from the controller as he battled, but he didn't let that stop him. His body grew hotter, but he didn't care. He was oblivious to his body changing as light white fur grew all over his body. Even the hair on his head took on white roots. Weight also slowly packed on his body, and his height grew, but he focused too much on the fight.

Dustin swore something felt off about John. He thought maybe that it was a light cold breeze, or maybe the scent of a dog that grew stronger in the air. Before he could ask a question to John, his phone vibrated. Dustin checked his phone and saw it was a text message from Myu. The number looked off though. "Excuse me a second, I have to take this." He said to John. He got up, and walked into the kitchen.

John barely heard Dustin. Even as Dustin walked in front of the television screen, John just nodded. "Okay, don't take too long. I really want to try this new fighter out!" The character hit him on the screen, and he grunted. "Oh no you don't!"

Dustin walked into the kitchen and checked his text. The text simply read to ask if he was alone. Dustin figured maybe that Myu was going to send a picture he couldn't share publicly. He sent a text back to Myu. 'Okay, I'm alone. Now what?'
Dustin's phone rang, and curiously, he answered it. "Myu, is that really you?" He wasn't annoyed that Myu called, but it was unusual. He never knew Myu to speak physically to him before.

"Hello there, Dustin. Are you enjoying your time with John?" A deep female voice said. "I was thinking of making things more interesting for the two of you."

"What? Myu?" Dustin was confused. "I thought you were a..."

"No need to complete that sentence. Nobody needs to know any more personal details. This story isn't about me anyways. This is about John, and you. I know how much you like big strong men, so I figured I could help you make John into that."

Dustin went from confused, to slightly freaked out. His heart pounded faster with fear, but also excitement. He wondered if Myu was going to make him into Berkley. He always admired Berkley's traits. Sure, the thought of becoming something different scared him. It would scare most people, but he imagined himself so much better off for it. Then, Myu mentioned John. "I kind of get what you mean with me, but what about John?"

"Mentally, I'm sure I'm everything you want and more, but physically I know I can't do that. John however? I'm sure he could be that big dumb dog you've wanted to be with." Myu replied.

Back in the living room, John was oblivious as his body continued to grow. He already had some white hair on his body from earlier, but it began to grow all over his body at a gradual pace. "Ruff...feeling a bit hot." He said quietly. He reached back and turned on the air conditioner, but the distraction was just long enough for the final boss to beat him. 
"Oh you've GOT to be kidding me!" He used up one of his retries. "I'm going to defeat you!"

Back in the kitchen, Dustin felt more confused than ever. "I'm sure he'd love that, and I would to. Of course this is real life; this isn't one of your weird stories or anything."

"Dustin, you have to learn at some point, even if you don't realize it, that you are always in someone's story, and there must 'always' be a catalyst for your transformation." With a chuckle, Myu hung up the phone.

"Myu? Myu are you there?" Dustin heard the dial tone. With a sigh, he hung up the phone. 'What did she mean by that?' He walked back to the living room and scratched the top of his head with confusion.

John was still more human than dog, but it was clear he had some dog traits. The hair on his head grew so long it covered his eyes, yet he seemed to know exactly what buttons to press in the fight. He didn't get so fat that his clothes ripped, but a clear gut showed as his shirt pulled upwards and strained to stay together.

Dustin paused just as he stepped into the living room, and noticed John looked very strange. There was no doubt John was still John, but Dustin saw traits on John that he should not normally have. "John?"

"Can't talk, fighting." John replied. His white hair continued to block his vision, but he didn't let that stop him. He battled as if nothing blocked his view. "Man, what is up with these controllers?" He was completely oblivious to his fingers fattening up as his body grew, but he just hunched forward as the fight pulled him in.

Dustin sat down on the far end of the couch and watched John play. He felt his heart pound and he heard his deep breaths while John continued to transform. 'Is he really becoming Elwud?' He thought to himself. He wondered how it was even possible, and he remembered the conversation with Myu.

With one last button press, the screen announced 'Victory!' as John defeated the final boss. "YEAH!" He jumped up happily and raised his arms up. He heard a rip noise from his shirt as the seams over his armpits ripped. "Oh yeah! About time! Bonked her and bonked her good!"

It was just as John jumped up that Dustin noticed John had an increase in height. The height increase wasn't vast enough to rip John's clothing off entirely, but it was more than a few inches, just barely enough for Dustin to notice. His belly jutted out more too. Dustin was speechless at how different John's body looked. He was still mostly human, but John was larger than most humans Dustin knew.

John looked down at Dustin after John stood up. "Hey, you uh, shrunk down or somethun?"

"Huh?" Dustin blinked a few times. "No. I didn't shrink; you grew. You're transforming!"

John looked over himself curiously. He noticed his thicker arms and legs, as well as the fur on his body. "Huh. I do feel different. Feel stronger; feel...uh...what's the word?" He had to think a bit before continuing to speak, and that created a noticeable drawl. Fur continued to grow slowly over his skin. He looked like a very hairy man with white body hair.

"Hot?" Dustin said, and then immediately stammered. "I-I mean in the physical sense hot. Like, heat hot." He wanted to kick himself for that.

"No, like, uh... dumberrr." John scratched his head. "Things feeeeel harder to uh... say." He sat back down on the couch and grabbed the controller. "Anywaaaay, you want to play more? Or you want to try, uh... somethun else?"

Dustin could tell John spoke slower, but not that much slower. He knew John was intelligent. John was also a little emotional, but in an excitable way, like a kid getting a new toy on their birthday. "Uh, aren't you afraid about yourself transforming?"

John looked down at his body again. He scratched his belly idly, and casually shrugged. "Nah. Feels goooood." He looked over at his bookshelf. "Come on, I'm getting, uh... bored."

With a concerned look towards John, Dustin picked up a controller and selected one of the fighters. Dustin began to notice many fighters in the game looked familiar. One fighter had brown fur and resembled a bear, but with tiger like features as well. 'That almost looks like him.' He thought to himself. He wondered why he didn't notice all of this earlier, but now was not the time to worry over what he missed on a screen.

Despite John's change and slowing thoughts, he still played like an expert. His larger hands worked the buttons on the controller, and he made quick work of Dustin's character. "Hah! Bonked ya good!"

Dustin was too distracted. Both John's transformation and Myu's earlier text freaked him out. He wasn't very afraid if Myu was changing John into 'that' fursona, but at the same time, he wondered if the same thing might happen to him. The thought of becoming Berkley 'did' scare him, but it excited him at the same time. 'Will I transform into Berkley if I keep playing as him? Do I even want to find out?'

"Aw come on! You weren't even...uh, trying!" John turned to Dustin. "You feeling okay? You look...not right."

Dustin couldn't remember a time when John ever said 'bro 'at the end of a sentence. "I uh...I'm just distracted is all." His phone vibrated. "My phone keeps going off." He added. He pulled out his phone and noticed it was another text message from Myu. "Do you mind if I spend a bit texting this person? It's pretty important."

John nodded. His hair bobbed up and down in front of his eyes, but never revealed his pupils. "If you're gonna do that, ya mind if I swap to Inverted Fiction 8? Want to progress my, uh... characters." A hint of drool leaked out from John's mouth.

"Yeah, that's fine." Dustin opened up the message. He read the message Myu sent him while he zoned out from John.

'Are you enjoying this?' Myu sent in a text to Dustin's phone. An image of her equine face appeared in the profile picture, and it looked far more real than any cartoon image of her.

Dustin didn't pay any attention to the profile picture. He was more curious as to what was going on with John. There was no doubt John was transforming, and Myu was likely the culprit, somehow. He wasn't sure how to respond to Myu either. 'Would she even stop if I asked? Do I WANT it to stop?' He thought to himself. He was afraid what might happen if the transformation continued, but he was also excited if he was next. 

Myu sent another text after waiting a few minutes. 'I can tell you're enjoying it. You just need to spend some personal time with John. Maybe do some cuddling, as you liked to do with me. I'm sure he'd appreciate a hug and a nuzzle while he's gaming.'

Dustin couldn't believe what Myu sent. He looked over to John curiously. He saw the fat and muscles grow and develop slowly. He wondered how much longer the transformation would take. John didn't look like Elwud completely yet. He guessed he was more than halfway along though, but not so much mentally. He wondered about Elwud's profile, and he was curious about how much of John's life changed with his changing body. "Hey John, can I see your wallet?"

"Huh?" John closed out of the fighting game with the press of a single button and changed to the RPG game. "What fer?" He asked, with a hint of a drawl to his voice, and a hint of a southern accent.

"I just want to look at your license. I'm curious to see something." Dustin spoke honestly.

John looked at Dustin confusedly, but he shrugged. "It's in ma room on ma, uh...the thing next to the bed. Don't be taking any bills. I know I got..." he paused and put down his controller. He counted on his thickening furry fingers. "This many!" he picked up the controller again.

Dustin quickly made his way into John's bedroom. Once there, he pulled out John's wallet, and glanced at his picture. He noticed nothing changed about it, and while Dustin wasn't one to pay attention to detail about other bedrooms, he saw nothing changed about the bedroom. It was still the same John, and still the same pictures he had of the dogs he owned. 'I'm shocked the dogs haven't even done anything about this yet.' He wondered, not that he'd know what the dogs would even do. They were just sitting idly by. He wondered if Myu had anything to do with it, but he didn't think he'd get a straight answer from the horse's mouth. 'Maybe I should put them out in the yard for a bit.'

"Hey Dustin, can ya come out?" John called out from the living room.

Dustin wondered if John finally realized his transforming issue, although John didn't sound very concerned about it if that was the case. With a slight sigh of frustration, Dustin walked back out into the living room. "What's the problem John?"

"Can ya, uh... read these numbers for me?" John leaned toward the screen. Had one been able to see his eyes, they would have seen him squinting. His mouth slightly agape with a hint of clear drool left his maw, dribbling just beyond his thick lower lip.

"What do you mean read the numbers?" Dustin knew Elwud didn't wear glasses. At least, if he did he sure couldn't see them. He walked over to the back door and whistled for the dogs to go to the backyard. "If you moved the hair out of your eyes, you might be able to see the numbers better."

"I can see." John said with a sarcastic tone. He turned and watched as his dogs left. He was partially tempted to join them outside in the basking sun. He wasn't sure why he felt that way, but he didn't feel worried about it either.

"Really?" Dustin raised up four fingers, and then another three. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He knew a person that guessed was likely to pick between one and five.

John paused the game and looked over at Dustin. He quietly counted to himself before he responded. "Seven. Come on dough, seriously I told ya I'm having problems with dese big mumbahs and I need to uh..." John scratched his head as he looked at the screen briefly. "I have to move one thang to another thang so I can do bigger thangs to tha bad thangs" 

'Okay, maybe he can see. Still weird he can't figure this out for himself though.' Dustin thought and walked back to the couch. "Okay, look, if it's green then you want it, but if it's red, then you don't want it. You don't have to pay attention to what the numbers are exactly." He wondered how he was having so many problems. Then again, Dustin didn't know how intelligent Elwud was. He just knew Elwud wasn't smart.

"Uh..." John opened up the equipment list and went through the items one at a time for each character. He went through the equipment slots one by one at a very slow pace, as if he had to take time not just to read the numbers, but also the name of the item itself. "Hm. I did finna before todays. Why do's it feel hard to uh...um...it starts with ah U." John paused for a long moment. He looked up in thought before he nodded. "Under the stand this!"

"Because you're transforming." Dustin had to be blunt. "Just look at yourself. You have dog fur all over you, and it's not from your dogs. You're getting bigger and...and..." Dustin didn't want to alarm John, but he wanted him to realize he was transforming.

John looked down at his fur again, and then at Dustin. "I thank you already said dat. I know I feel, uh...not the same. It's like, in a good way dough. Whyah stop it?"

Dustin remembered how Myu often did transformations. She was sometimes very perverse, but he never remembered her being into pain when it came to transformations. She often made them feel good. 'Is she trying to make me jealous over what he's becoming? Because it's working.' He thought to himself. He couldn't help but feel envious over John. John was becoming dumber, but that was because of Elwud. "But you can't play your RPG if you're transforming into Elwud, you know? He's definitely not smart enough for that."

"Elwud isn't just dumb dumb." John said with a hint of anger to his voice. "He not smartest, but he has more stuff dan dat."
John blinked a few times. "Or, something like dat. Anyway, I can't figure this stuff out." He pressed a button and turned off the console.

"Sorry." Dustin scooted away from John on the couch. "You're right. It's like if I talked about Berkley only smoking and drinking. He's far more than that." He had to admit, for John turning into Elwud, it was a smart thing for John to say.

"He a big lovey huggy cuddy teddy bear." John let out a dopey laugh. He rubbed his forehead with his thick dog paws. "Anyway, can you get me some of that, uh...head pound go bye stuff? And some thung to drink."

Dustin sighed. "I'll head into the kitchen." He glanced at his phone, but he decided to put it down. He wanted to keep texting Myu. He had so many questions to ask her over what was going on with John, but he knew he'd be asking her many questions over it, and even let it slip that he wanted to become Berkley.

Dustin got up and walked into the kitchen to get something for John to drink. He opened up the fridge, and froze. Inside the fridge, Dustin noticed an unopened bottle of whiskey with two shot glasses placed neatly beside it. 'That has to be the work of Myu.' He thought to himself. There was no way John had a bottle of whiskey, let alone two shot glasses in the fridge. He noticed there was a red and blue soda next to it, so he grabbed that instead. He walked back to the living room with the soda in hand. "Here, see if this helps."

John grabbed the soda and popped it open. With a smile on his face that looked more like a muzzle with every passing second, he gulped down some of the soda. He set it down a moment later and sighed happily. "Yeah. That helped." He scratched his bare furry belly. "Mph. We shouldn't sit around here doing nothing though. You want to give me a belly rub?"

Dustin knew that was Elwud talking. No human would 'ever' comment about a belly rub. "Do you have a stomach ache?" He asked as he tried to change the subject. He didn't want to say yes to rub his belly, but he also didn't want to say no. Feeling that large growing body of Elwud's was very tempting.

"I do feel bl...uh...that thung where you don't feel fat, but full?" John scratched his beard. "Maybe ah should change ma pants." He stood up right on time for part of his pants to rip and reveal white underwear underneath.
After a short delay, he laughed, but each laugh came with a delay. "Time now fo shure. Ah be right back." He walked away with a hint of a sway in his step. His steps were slow, and he walked in a manner that a giant might with thunderous steps.

Dustin swore he felt thunder boom from John's feet with every step he took. He watched John walk away and noticed how much fatter he was, and how much taller he was too. No clothing John had would likely fit him anymore, and while Dustin knew it, he wasn't sure if John did.

Once John left, Dustin felt his phone vibrate again. He looked down at the phone with a frown. He knew exactly who sent him a text. He opened it up and read the message from Myu.

'It's a good thing you didn't follow him, but all that you know about John will be gone by the time he gets back.' The text read.

Dustin knew John transformed enough that he almost looked like Elwud. He was a little underweight compared to Elwud, and he wasn't sure about the height, but there was no doubt John turned into Elwud more and more. 'So, you're telling me I should follow him then.' He text Myu back.

Myu sent a reply. 'If you want, but John will be no more by then anyways. He'll be a big cuddly puppy. You should really hug and nuzzle him. I'm sure he'll return the favor to the man that will soon become Berkley.'

Dustin felt his heart skip a beat as he read the response. He looked back to the fridge and remembered the whiskey. He turned back to the phone and wondered just how much of the world around them Myu would change. He remembered what stories he had of him and Myu involved them moving to Berkley's home in a quiet cabin away from so many others. 'Maybe I should go let those dogs back in.' He thought to himself. He broke his fixation from the phone and set it down. He wasn't sure whether to toss the phone outside, smash it, or send a message to Myu about how much he just wanted to transform already.

As Dustin walked over to the large glass door to let the dogs back in, he froze when he saw the sight outside.

They were no longer in John's neighborhood, but somewhere completely different. He noticed not a clean backyard with a single tree and storage shed, but a wintery landscape of trees and shrubbery. Beyond the trees, Dustin noticed large mountains off in the distance. Dustin turned back to his phone as he heard the noise of a vibration and walked back to it to read another message from Myu.

'Don't worry about the dogs. I'm not cruel enough to hurt animals. They're safe while you two are in a better place. By that I mean Berkley's state.'

Dustin's jaw dropped. He held the phone, and then raised his head to look out the window. There was no doubt they were still in John's home. It was just that Myu relocated the entire home to a place where Berkley would live. He wondered just how much power Myu had to change things, but he had other matters at hand. He gingerly set the phone down as his hands shook from fear, and excitement.

John returned wearing a red shirt and blue shorts. His clothes did little to hide the large white fur his body developed. He wasn't wearing shoes or socks as well, and that showed off his large pawed feet. He truly looked more like Elwud. "Ah went into dat kitchen and ah found some whiskey. If any thung can help a head pound thingie, it's beer." He spoke slowly with a smile on his muzzle that pushed out from his face. "Want some?"

Dustin didn't think whiskey was beer, but he didn't want to argue with a giant dog. He guessed the dog must have weighed his full 500 pounds by now. The dog dwarfed Dustin, and Dustin wasn't a short person. "No thanks, John." Dustin noticed even more drool come out from John's mouth. He imagined it was because he was thirsty, or perhaps hungry.

"John?" John opened up the whiskey. He set down a shot glass and poured himself a drink. He set the big whiskey bottle down, grabbed the shot glass, and drank it. "Who's John? My name's, uh... Elwud." 'Elwud' chuckled. "Ya know big dog name John? Should uh...should...what's that word...uh...ya should bring him and do the thing where we first meet."

"I think you mean invite." Dustin looked up and down at Elwud. He couldn't believe it. Then again, he couldn't believe anything that happened to John ever since Myu texted him. He wanted to tell Elwud that he was John, or that he was John, but he wasn't sure how intelligent Elwud was. He knew Elwud wasn't very bright. His speech was slow, and he knew about the problem he had with numbers, but he didn't want to argue with him over what he once was.

"Yah, dat's it." Elwud grabbed the remote and turned the television to a show about bears. "Not really in da mood to play games. Wanna do that flix and chill thung I hear aboot."

Dustin looked at Elwud with a raised brow. "You know what that means, right?" He wondered if John even knew. 'Does he know what John knows? Less? I'm really curious now.'

"It mean watch show and chill, duh." Elwud leaned back against the couch and sighed. "Need big partner to do the snuggle with dough." He turned to Dustin with a grin.

Dustin stared at Elwud. He was nowhere near big enough like Berkley was, but he couldn't help himself. He inched over to Elwud until he was so close that he felt Elwud's thick white fur up against his clothing. He looked over to his phone and expected it to vibrate, but he saw nothing.

"So, what da ya thank?" Elwud asked.

Dustin assumed Elwud talked about what was on television, but he couldn't take his eyes off the huge dog anthro. He wanted to reach up and just feel his massive belly and stroke his back. He was curious what was actually underneath Elwud's hair, but he doubted Elwud would let Dustin get that far. "Huh?" He turned to the television. "Uh, it's okay. Can't focus on it."

"Not talking aboot the Tee Vee thingie; I mean body thingie." Elwud reached around Dustin's back. His massive furry hand stroked Dustin's chest. "Like? Ya wanna be big like ah is? Don't ya wanna be like dat Berkley?"

Dustin shivered as Elwud mentioned Berkley's name. His heart raced. He felt sweat pour down his body so much he was afraid he was wrecking the couch and his clothes. His body felt hot and itchy, and he wasn't sure if it was because he was transforming, or because he was just that nervous around Elwud. "I uh...that is to say." He was at a loss for words. He noticed Elwud's intelligence seemed to fluctuate a bit, but he very clearly degraded. He also had a very heavy southern accent.

"Oh come on!" Elwud paused. "I'm uh...doing da eye roll thang. Berkley is the uh... con...the con...he know what he do!"

Dustin wondered if that's how John became Elwud. He wasn't 'too' sure about all of Elwud's traits though, but he knew confidence wasn't something that just came to a person. His hand touched Elwud's own, and he felt how much bigger and thicker Elwud was. He felt so envious of his size. "So you don't...you don't remember being John?"

Elwud scratched his head with a lone finger with his free hand. "Uh...kinda? It hard ta explain. Makes ma head hurt trying."

Dustin wasn't sure what he expected from John now turned Elwud. A straightforward answer was probable, but not a complicated one. He doubted Dustin could ask how his transformation felt. He wanted to ask so many things. It felt frustrating that he knew almost none of them Elwud would be able to tell him.

"Why don't ya go through this ex... exp...Uh change yourself?" Elwud held Dustin tightly to his big furry body. "It's less hard than trying to tell you."

Dustin wasn't even sure how John became Elwud in the first place. He could guess with Myu's magic, but that barely helped explain anything. He felt Elwud's soft fur and warm body against his own body. He breathed and out slowly. 'He smells like his dogs.' Dustin thought to himself. He continued to feel a warmth flow through his body, but it wasn't his clothes. In fact, his pants began to feel tight. "Uhn..." He mumbled.

"It looks like you're uh...doing the change thang." Elwud let Dustin go. "Some whiskey and a cigar mayight help."

Dustin remembered the stories when he had his first cigar when he became Berkley. Each time he had problems with a big coughing fit. He'd prefer to avoid that, but he wasn't sure how long he could. Dustin began to blink rapidly as he looked out from his glasses. His vision was blurry in them. He took off his glasses and noticed everything was suddenly clear. "It...it's really happening, isn't it?" He looked up at Elwud with a face of fear, yet also excitement underneath.

Elwud nodded. "Ya eyes. Ya are changing."

Dustin used the adrenaline in his body to jump up and race to the bathroom. Once in there, he glanced at the mirror and noticed his new blue eyes, the same eye color that Berkley had. The change was minor, but significant enough to make him jump back. The combination of fear and excitement filled his body, as if one were trying out a roller coaster for the first time, and like the roller coaster, it was a life-changing experience, one that he wasn't sure he could go back from, nor was he sure if he would want to once it was all over.

"Hey uh...Dustin! Come out heah! I got some thung to show ya'll!" Elwud called out from the living room.

Dustin turned to the living room. Curiously, he walked back. "What is it?"

Elwud had his arm in a flexing pose. He smiled at Dustin. "Ah flex but ya can't see muscles. It uh...weird, iddn't?" His voice was deep with a continued drawl for many words.

Dustin knew Elwud's biography enough to know that Elwud was strong. He had no doubt that Elwud could bench press Dustin if given the chance. He wasn't so sure about Berkley, but he wasn't worried about that. "That uh, that looks nice." Dustin replied, unsure of what exactly to say. He didn't have Berkley's confidence or sureness that he desired.

"Ya'll uh...not pay..." Elwud scratched his head. "Ya know da thung when ya look but dun look? Dun you want to feel?"

Dustin sat down on the couch. "Sorry. If I'm becoming Berkley, I'm just a little worried about that."

"But ya'll be so much better!" Elwud lowered his arm in front of Dustin and flexed it once more. "Give it ah feel. Ah bet ya'll like it!"

Dustin was curious as to what Elwud's muscles felt like. He had seen the dog in a few pictures, even roleplayed with him a few times, but never actually felt his arm. He reached out and felt the soft warm fur he felt on Elwud's torso earlier. Now though, he felt a large layer of fat, but when he gave a gentle squeeze, he felt the muscle hidden underneath. "That...that's unreal." Then again, everything that happened to John was unreal. Dustin released Elwud's arm and felt an itchy sensation on his hands. He scratched them and noticed his arms looked furrier, not with white fur from Elwud, but with brown fur, fur that Berkley would have.

"Ya, Ah'm really uh...changed? If ya want to see how changed, ah can do the remove clothes thingie." He chuckled and gave Dustin a slight nudge.

Dustin knew Elwud was kidding. Even if Dustin rather wanted to see just how changed Elwud was from head to toe, he could live without seeing some parts of him.

Elwud stopped his flex and put his arm around Dustin's back. He gave his left arm a tap. "Well?"

"Well what?" Dustin said, distracted by so many thoughts.

"Aren't ya going to flex? It's some thung Berkley would lahve."

Dustin knew Berkley. After all, he created him. He knew Elwud and Berkley would get along so well. Nothing like how Dustin was getting along with Elwud. "You know I don't have muscle." Dustin never went to a gym. He'd try to keep himself in shape, but motivation was hard when the reward seemed so out of reach. If staying in shape were easy, everyone would be doing it. He raised up his arm and put it in front of him. He took the flexing pose, but he didn't flex the arm. "Here. How's that?"

"Aw come on." Elwud put his arm right up against Dustin's in the same pose. "Ah know ya'll not dat strong, but ya have ta least try!"

Dustin wondered if Elwud had brief spurts of intelligence. It was clear that Elwud still spoke slowly, but not so slow that it was irritating. His accent became more obvious too. He felt Elwud's thick fur against his slightly furry arms and shivered. The big giant sheepdog felt so warm up against him. He wondered what it would be like to cuddle on the couch with him all day. He knew Elwud would enjoy it. With a deep breath, he flexed his muscles and showed a slight bump on his arm from the flex. 
Dustin flexed a few times before just for fun, but he could never hold it for very long. As he held this flex though, he felt a sense of pride and enjoyment. He just couldn't compete with the sheepdog. No normal human could. However, when he became Berkley, he knew that he could compete with Elwud in strength. It felt so much nicer than he thought it would to flex.

Elwud stuck out his tongue underneath his thick black lip and panted. "Hah...there ya go." He ruffled Dustin's hair with his other hand. "Act like dat and you'll be dat!"

"I-I can't do that!" Dustin shivered. Deep down, something told him that not only 'could' he do that, he 'should' do that. The voice was deep and gruff that spoke to him, not like his own. "He's...well you know what he's like to me." Dustin looked outside at the Montana scenery. He saw the cold snow gently drift down to join the blanket of white snow that already fell.

"Ah know, but ya have to try, or somethung." Elwud scratched his head. "Uh, ya ever get dese thoughts that aren't yer thoughts but ya thunk ya thought them? Ah thank?"

"Sort of." Dustin understood what Elwud said, partially. He could tell the big dog was confused over his own thoughts. "What are you thinking?"

"It's uh, silly thoughts." Elwud tapped his lip. "Ah just uh, thoughts dat make me want to make ya want ta be more Berkley." Elwud scratched his head. "An more thoughts dat say Ah could say thangs bettah."

Dustin could see Elwud's confusion. He was still John deep down, but he wondered if Myu influenced him as well. He checked his phone, but he saw no additional messages. "I just want this transformation to either hurry up, or stop completely." He felt different in ways he couldn't describe. Mentally he felt the same. Physically he felt stronger and heavier. His clothes felt slightly tighter, but not so much that he had to change out of them.

Elwud smiled at Dustin. "Ya have to give it time. It like dat one saying aboot the uh...what it called. Journ...da travel is da des...the des...da arrive thang."

Dustin turned up to Elwud. He could almost see he gained some height, but he wasn't nearly as tall as Elwud. "That doesn't sound like something you'd say."

It was impossible to tell, but Dustin could 'sense' that Elwud blinked a few times before he shrugged. "What did Ah say?" Elwud asked. "Ah dun remembah."

"That sounds more like him." Dustin sighed. Part of him imagined Elwud even dumber than he was, but there were different kinds of dumb. He knew Elwud always meant well, even if he couldn't think quickly most of the time. He looked down at his arms and watched the hair. By a normal man's standards, he was just incredibly hairy, although the hair color was different from what a normal man would have. He poked his arm curiously for any sign of muscles, but he didn't see them grow, and they weren't visible.

Dustin glanced around the house. He felt so distracted looking over Elwud's transformation and his own that he barely had time to pay attention to their surroundings. He knew they were in Montana, but that was all he knew earlier. As he looked around, he swore the walls looked different. "Did you always have cabin walls, John? I mean er, Elwud?"

"Uh..." Elwud looked around with Dustin. His hair flew around as he quickly turned his head from left to right, but his eyes didn't reveal themselves once. "No? Dis is ya place dough, innit?"

Dustin knew for a fact they were once at John's place. The Montana scenery was different, but as he looked around the living room, he felt a bit unsure as to whose house they were at now. "Well if you don't mind, I'm going to look around."

Elwud shrugged and watched television. The show was static, but he didn't care. "Just dun do the stop thang when dat gud part come on."

'When did it turn to static?' Dustin thought as he looked at the screen briefly. He rubbed his temples and shook his head. 'Questions for later.' He turned to Elwud and watched him laugh at the static. 'Or maybe to someone more intelligent.' He grabbed his phone and walked out of the living room towards the entrance of the house. He figured the best place to start when trying to figure out if the house was different was at the very beginning.

The front door of the house was a mahogany wood, painted a very dark red with four small windows, each about a foot in length, but they were a little too high up for Dustin to see. He realized that Berkley and Elwud would have no problems looking out of these glass panels.

Dustin felt as if the door took up his entire vision. When he turned around, the entire entryway looked both alien, and familiar. He saw a stairway up, as well as a door that went into the basement built into the side of the stairway. Like the door, the stairway, and the floors and walls around him had the same wooden look. There was also a hint of pine throughout the house. He wanted to step forward, but his feet suddenly felt uncomfortable in his shoes. He pulled off his shoes and noticed his feet looked far more like paws than normal. He pulled off his socks as well and confirmed how different his feet looked. He remembered Elwud's change, but he didn't remember him complaining so much about his clothes. 'I got to see someone transform; now I get to experience it firsthand.' He raised up his hand and noticed the thick fur that covered his hand. 'Or first paw.'

He noticed a small table at the door with a used ashtray. He leaned down and smelled the remains of a recently used cigar. The scent reminded him of when he was young and in bowling alleys when smoking indoors in the US was still legal. He turned away and looked to the door that went into the basement. 'Elwud didn't have a basement, and neither did I. Did Myu make this place?' He opened up his phone to check his messages, but he found that his entire message history with Myu was gone. It was as if he never spoke with her in the first place. He checked his contacts and found Myu's number, but he wondered if it was the old Myu on his phone, or a certain equine one.

Dustin opened up a conversation with Myu. He pressed his finger up against the screen, and noticed thick fur burying his fingernails. Even his very hands grew bigger, and his pants felt uncomfortable, as did his shirt. He could feel his shirt ride up, but he had to focus. He sent a text to Myu. 'Are you still doing this?' He asked.

No response. Dustin knew Myu, even the old Myu, was often quite busy. If she didn't respond, it would likely take some time, and he couldn't sit around waiting for her to answer. He opened up the basement door and flicked on the light at the top of the stairs.

The basement was a full basement built very tall for tall people such as Berkley and Elwud. The very center of the basement was large with all sorts of gym equipment with an open doorway to the laundry room as well as a guest bedroom. The basement almost resembled a gym, complete with televisions set up to watch and speakers to listen to while working out, there was just one, or in rare cases two, sets of equipment. The basement looked very fancy, especially for Berkley's standards. He walked down the basement and grabbed the remote, which was set down on a very large piece of workout equipment. Dustin couldn't name what the equipment even was. He just saw leg weights, arm weights, everything that was needed to do a near full body workout. He turned on the television and noticed it was set to a music channel with all sorts of music. "I guess 'whoever' set up this basement doesn't know what kind of music I have taste in." Dustin said aloud, as if speaking to an invisible force. He read Myu's stories; he had been with Myu long enough to know what to expect from him, or her. He wasn't sure what gender to refer to Myu now.

Dustin walked over to the set of barbells. He noticed the barbells were scattered across the floor in front of a large mirror. He glanced in the mirror and saw a reflection of a very furry man, one that lacked fingernails and toenails. He also had some weight put on him, a combination of fat and muscle, but he knew which of those two he was getting more of during his change. He reached down and grabbed the ten-pound barbells with ease. He never worked out as a human, but from what few times he remembered lifting ten-pounds at stores on occasion, they were never a problem.

Dustin put away the ten-pound ones. He wondered what he was doing as he put the weights away. He was curious about the rest of the house, yet here he was cleaning up part of it. 'It must be what she wants. Or maybe I'm just obsessed with a clean floor.' He thought. He also thought that maybe he was curious about how heavy these weights were, as he had some muscle to his arms. He picked up a twenty-five pound weight with ease. He felt a slight difference from the ten, but it wasn't worth complaining over. 

After the twenty-five pounds, Dustin noticed fifty pounds and one hundred pound weights on the floor. "At least there aren't that many." He commented. He bent down and grabbed one fifty pound. He knew he could lift twenty-five pounds before his change, but he wasn't so sure about fifty. He lifted it up, and while it no doubt felt heavier, it felt tolerable. 'Heh, I could do a quick rep with these.' He thought to himself. He grabbed another fifty-pound barbell and began to lift the two of them up and down repeatedly.

After a good ten reps with both hands, Dustin set the bars down back where they belonged. He looked back in the mirror and noticed a hint of muscle in his arms underneath the fur. The muscles weren't nearly as big as Berkley's were, but they were definitely bigger than when he was human. 'I'm getting a transformation that involves growing muscles. I can't think of a single person that would complain about this.' He thought. He walked over to the hundred pound ones, and reached down. He grabbed the center of both hundred-pound weights, and lifted them with some difficulty. He turned to the mirror and gritted his teeth. The weights weren't intolerable, yet they were a bit on the hefty side. "Heh, if this is anything like any other transformation, lifting them will give me more muscles like Berkley. Combine that with some of those lifts from the leg weights and I'll get as big and strong as Berkley in no time." He felt afraid, but at the same time, excited. He knew changing back was unlikely, but the more he transformed, the less he wanted to change back.

After a few reps with the larger weights, he set them back where they belonged and looked at his arms in the large mirror once more. Now, Dustin's muscles had a very strong resemblance to Berkley's own, at least in his arms. He lacked the muscles in his chest and legs, but he knew it was just a matter of time before that changed. "I shouldn't be down here lifting weights and working out forever." He said to himself. "Berkley is more dimensional than that. Plus, I have to see how Elwud is holding up." The more he thought about Elwud, the more he thought about how cute of a large dog Elwud was.

Just as Dustin reached the staircase and raised a foot, he heard a ripping noise as his pants tore at the waist. He raised his arms, and his shirt ripped too. 'Well, shit.' He thought to himself. He knew that growth was part of the transformation. Unlike so many other times he recalled about himself becoming Berkley, he didn't feel dizzy when he gained height. He could only assume this change must be gradual enough that he likely didn't notice until he compared his height to something else.

Dustin walked into the guest bedroom for a change of clothes. He checked the closet and found a red and black checkered button shirt as well as a pair of jeans that were much larger than what he currently wore. He changed into his new clothes, but he didn't bother with shoes or socks. His now furry feet felt comfortable without such clothing. Besides, he knew he was still growing, so he'd likely just burst out of them again. The new clothes he put on however, were large for his body. They weren't so large it looked ridiculous, but it just looked as if he picked out clothing that were three sizes larger than he normally wore.

With his new clothes, Dustin pulled up his pant legs, as they were a little long for his current legs, and walked back upstairs. He wanted to work out his leg muscles, as well as his other muscles, but he had a strong feeling they would change in time, whether or not he exercised.

Back upstairs, Dustin looked around for other signs of the new house. He saw noticeable differences once he left the basement, but he also picked up the smell of pizza. Curiously, he made his way to the living room and noticed Elwud eating a large pizza in the newly designed room. "Where did you get that pizza?"

"It was ordered." Elwud replied with a mushroom and pepperoni slice crammed into his maw. Grease dripped on his fur and clothes.

Dustin could tell Elwud did not care about how greasy he was getting. "But you don't even know how to operate a fucking computer." Dustin didn't even think as to how Berkley he sounded. "How did you order a pizza? Also, how did you pay for it?"

"Dis guy drop by an say it was paid fer." Elwud shrugged.

'I have several questions that I know Elwud is not going to be able to answer.' Dustin thought to himself. He grabbed a seat on the couch and sighed. He glanced up to see the whiskey was still in front of him, and the pizza did smell good. "I can't believe this."

Elwud grinned. "Ah know! Free pizza, right?"

"That's not what I..." Dustin knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with Elwud. "You're lucky you're cute." Dustin looked at Elwud, and he realized the height difference wasn't nearly as vast as it was when he went to the basement. Elwud still had at least half a foot over Dustin, but he could see the gap narrowing. He grabbed a shot of whiskey and poured it into his mouth without a second thought. The whiskey touched his tongue, and he realized the taste was both alien, and familiar. The taste had a hint of vanilla in it, but it also tasted bitter with the alcohol. He swallowed it and glanced around for something else to drink. 'Come on. Berkley isn't an alcoholic that drinks whiskey all the time. Get me some water or something.' Yet he couldn't find anything near him in the altered living room. He took the time to study the new living room.

There was still an entertainment stand with video games and movies on the end of the living room. The couch was taller, but not much wider. There was also a psychiatric chair off to the side with a smaller recliner next to it, as well as a case of books. A coffee table in front of the couch held the pizza as well as whiskey. Like the front, there was an ashtray, but next to this ashtray, there were a pack of cigars, unopened.

Before Dustin had a chance to grab a cigar, he heard a notification from his phone. He rushed to grab it in hopes that Myu sent him a message he could respond to, but it was just an email from his bank about the statement of his balance. Dustin wasn't rich, but he also wasn't poor. As he checked his email, he noticed his bank account had much more in it than he remembered. "What the heck? I never had this much money before." He said aloud. He wasn't exactly a millionaire, but there were a few hundred grand just sitting in his bank. He checked for recent deposits, but he noticed nothing out of the ordinary besides a larger paycheck.

"What aboot money?" Elwud finished his pizza slice with a loud gulp. "Yer uh....yer a psy...physi...a psycho...yer job pays gud." Elwud shrugged. "Better dan my jerb."

Dustin didn't want to ask where Elwud worked. He could only imagine what kind of job would hire a slow dog. He grabbed a cigar and ran it across his nose. The scent of earth and salt was just like the taste of whiskey where it was both familiar, and completely new. 

Dustin felt a buzz from the whiskey he drank earlier. He set the cigar down and rubbed the side of his head. He swore he should have felt ears at the side, but as he raised his hand, he felt his ears now closer to the top of his head, furry and pointed like Berkley's bear/tiger ears. 'Hey, Berkley is a bear tiger hybrid, isn't he?' He looked down at his fur and noticed green stripes on his arms. He couldn't see his back, but he could only assume he had the same stripes down there as well.

"Ya okay? Ya look er...dat thang where ya don't know what's going on." Elwud tilted his head toward Dustin.

Dustin swore he tried to explain it to Elwud so many times already. He told Elwud about the dog's transformation, and now he could tell he was as well. The dog was cute, but he felt as if Elwud's mind degraded more. "So I'm a psychologist who lives in Montana drinking whiskey, eating pizza, and smoking cigars with a big dog. Do I have that right?"

Elwud tapped his chin for a moment before he nodded rapidly. His hair bobbed up and down wildly with his nod. "Uh-huh. Ya know a lot of thangs, Berkley."

Dustin sighed frustratingly. He heard Elwud call him 'Berkley' and he couldn't argue with that. He leaned down and looked at his legs. He could see the muscle growth, as well as how much bigger his body was. He had a bit of a stomach as he put on many pounds, but much of the weight he gained was muscle. He grabbed the cigar again, as well as a lighter. "I feel a damn headache coming on, I need a smoke." He paused as he held the cigar. He stared at the brown coating of the cigar with the black and gold tipped center.

Elwud kept his head turned to Dustin, his eyes still hidden. "Well, smoke den."

Dustin wanted to snap at Elwud and tell him he'd never done it before, but he knew Elwud would argue otherwise. He flipped around the cigar in his much bigger muscular hands. His fingernails were long gone, but he could feel something underneath the brown fur of his. With a sigh, he grabbed a lighter and lit up the cigar. "I guess, sooner or later." He put the unlit end into his mouth and breathed in slowly. He barely took a puff before he pulled the cigar out of his mouth and exhaled. Despite how careful he was, he still coughed a few times. He felt his voice deepen with each cough, and once he opened his eyes from the coughing, he noticed a slight muzzle. "As I thought." He felt less and less surprised by his transformation, but he began to embrace the change. The life of Berkley always felt much better than his human life, but he felt many people made sure their 'fursonas' as one might call it often had a good life.

Elwud grabbed another slice of pizza. "As you what?"

"I thought." Dustin said. He rubbed his head as he thought of himself as the name 'Dustin' didn't sound right. He gritted his teeth and felt his very teeth were different too. "I'm really becoming Berkley. Like, completely, body and mind."

"Is dat a bad thing?" Elwud asked.

Berkley shook his head. He couldn't imagine himself as Dustin now. He thought of himself as Berkley, as that's what he looked like more and more. He missed the tail, but his ears flickered as he heard the sound of cracking from his growing spine and tail. He also found it hard to pay attention to every little detail about his transformation as there were so many things happening. He took a deep breath and looked over himself again.

Berkley's clothes fit him much better than they did when he left the basement. He brushed his hand along the front of his shirt, and smoked another bit of the cigar with less coughing. "Ugh. I can't fucking believe this."

"Believe what?" Elwud ate half of the pizza in total. He grabbed another slice before he grabbed the remote and began to flip through the channels.

Berkley's blue eyes glared briefly at Elwud. He turned back to the screen and leaned forward. "All this shit. I have Berkley's tail; I got his muscles, his weight, and his height. Fuck, I really am Berkley."

"Who else er ya supposed ta be?" Elwud asked curiously. His speech was slow and drawn out.

Berkley wasn't sure how to answer that. He knew who exactly he was supposed to be before. His house, his body, and likely his entire life transformed into Berkley. He rubbed his hands on his legs and felt the new fur and muscles underneath his long jeans, which now fit him perfectly. His feet changed completely into paws, and with as much as a flex of his muscles, claws popped out from his fingers and toes before he retracted them back in.

"Beerrrrkley?" Elwud tapped Berkley.

Berkley turned to Elwud just before his large hands got to his chest. "I don't know." He responded. "Fuck it, Berkley is Berkley." He would have used the word 'guess', but he wasn't like that anymore. He had confidence, sureness, and a gentle heart, even if his face continuously looked angry towards Elwud, he didn't mean it. His snout with a black tipped nose along with his sharp teeth and glaring brows made him look vicious, however he was anything but. "Ugh, I need to look around the rest of this house though." He turned to the television and watched as Elwud flipped through the various channels. While some had static, a few had interesting shows. He rubbed his head quietly. He didn't have a headache, but he felt different.

Elwud stopped on a cartoon channel and turned to Elwud with a smile. "What da ya want to watch?"

Berkley took another shot of whiskey and helped himself to a slice of pizza. "Whatever you want to watch." He inched close to Elwud and wrapped his strong arm around Elwud's back. Their height was almost identical. He checked his phone with his other hand for any messages before he tossed it aside. He knew who he once was, but it didn't matter anymore. Now he was Berkley, now he had a new life, and with a cute dog to spend the evening with, he was not going to complain.

"Ah dun care." Elwud moved to Berkley and placed his head on Berkley's shoulder. He smiled happily while drool leaked from his mouth. A hint of pizza grease leaked down with it.

Berkley let out a deep chuckle and stroked Elwud's head slowly. He leaned down and gave the dog a gentle kiss. "Maybe we can just skip the television and get right down to cuddling."
