"So, we have a deal then, Faust?" A dark voice said as a wave of fire developed a sheet of paper in the creature's grasp.

Faust couldn't believe it. There was a strange creature that was willing to help him become a creature of darkness. Halloween was fast approaching, and he wanted to be the scariest thing he could think of. All he wanted to be was just a creature of darkness. A creature with the ability to control shadows and shadow creatures that allowed him to do as he pleased. This creature, a creature Faust couldn't even describe outside of a being of pure shadow, was willing to help him. "I just have to sign on the dotted line then, huh? I don't lose my soul or anything, do I?"

"That is correct. You don't lose your soul. All I want to see from you is some entertainment with your new body and new powers." The creature explained. "Just sign and complete the deal."

The young man shrugged, but he signed just as the creature agreed. "Okay, so what kind of body do I get? Am I going to become a...thing like you?"

The shadow chuckled. "No." It placed its hands on Faust's eyes. "You're going to become something much better than I."

Faust pulled back when the shadow creature reached out to him, but it was too late. His eyes blinked rapidly, and every time they blinked, they were harder to open. He passed out a moment later.

Faust woke up a short time later; at least it felt like a short time. He was still in his home, but his surroundings felt different. He glanced around from the floor and pulled himself up. As he stood up, he noticed he wasn't nearly as tall as he once was. In fact, he was no larger than two feet in height. He opened his mouth to speak, but he let out a strange inhuman noise that sounded almost like a high-pitched 'Gaw', which alarmed him greatly. 'Mirror!' He thought.

Faust rushed to the bathroom, but he felt as if he were a toddler trying to run. He didn't feel any clothes, but his skin felt as if it were hide. As he made it to the bathroom, he turned to look at himself in the mirror, and his eyes widened.

Faust's reflection was not that of a human, but of a black-skinned hippo anthro. His body was short, but he looked more like a short stack than he did young. "What did that creature 'do' to me?" He reached out and touched the mirror with his now stubby fingers.

Faust had a small exposed cock between his legs and a slightly chubby belly to go with his new strange form. "I was supposed to become this super big creature that could control darkness and shadows!" Faust stomped his hoof angrily and crossed his arms. He quickly realized how cute such an act made him appear in the mirror, and he turned his head away.

Faust walked out into the living room and glanced at the phone on the couch. He noticed an entire day passed, almost 23 hours at that. "That explains why it's still dark out."

The shadow creature from yesterday showed up from the corner of the room, the same place they appeared last time. "I see you're awake. Well, how do you like it? You are now a creature of the night."

"I'm a stupid tiny creature of the night!" Faust quickly snapped back to the shadow. "I was expecting to be something scary like you!" Faust couldn't even comprehend the shadow's form. The shadow just had an appearance that was human, yet also inhuman at the same time. The creature was a mishmash of creatures he couldn't describe, and he envied the beast. He wanted to be just like it, or at least similar. He looked as if he could pass for the child of the creature. "I'm still over 18, aren't I?"

"I haven't adjusted your age at all." The shadow explained. "It's just...complicated to explain why you became what you became. You'll be able to change your form. It just might take you a few hundred years. Once you've learned to better manipulate yourself in the darkness."

"A few hundred years?" Faust's jaw dropped. He looked at the darkness in the corner, and then at the corner opposite of the room. "Wait, I can control darkness now, can't I?" He held up a hand and reached out while he looked at the darkness. He watched as a dark claw came out from the dark corner and mimicked his movements. He smiled in delight. "Oh, that looks so cool." He realized his voice sounded much younger too. "Ugh...was making me something like this really necessary?"

"What? You're cute as a short stack hippo anthro." The shadow creature chuckled.

Faust walked over to the corner and 'grabbed' the darkness that surrounded it. He grew in form to a menacing size with razor sharp claws and massive sharp teeth. He looked like a pitch-black werewolf with beady red eyes. "Cute? Cute? Is this cute?" He shouted as his voice deepened. He wasn't even sure how he did what he did. He just worked with the shadow as if he had his whole life.

The shadow creature grabbed a flashlight and shined it on Faust. In a matter of an instant, Faust was back to his small hippo form and fell down to the carpeted floor. The shadow chuckled at Faust. "It's like a child trying to play dress up. It's absolutely adorable."

Faust fell down the moment the light shined on him. He realized just what it meant to control shadows. He could manipulate shadows to do as he wanted, but he had a natural weakness to light, and the shadow beast knew it. It made him wonder what creature the shadow beast was, but he doubted he'd find out that easily. "Okay, fine. Can you at least train me?"

The shadow chuckled. "Oh, I suppose. If only because you're so adorable, I'll teach you. Let's begin your lessons...about darkness.