Shapeshifter's Journal - Part 1
2507 Words
2023-10-09
Day 1 - 19:30
Finished setting up camp. Hiking all the way out here was a bit challenging but I really needed that. Time away from technology and from work. I do have my phone with me but I’m not even going to turn it on unless I have to.
This has been a really nice forest trail so far. There’s a small creek near where I set up camp for the night and lots of vegetation everywhere!
I made my firepit not too far from my tent. Really looking forward to starting that up later on. I brought some marshmallows! Haven't had those in a while so I'm really looking forward to them.
Day 1 - 21:15
It’s getting pretty late. Currently sitting beside the fire and it’s so peaceful. It’s the first time in forever that I can actually see the stars in the sky. There’s way too much light pollution in the city. I know this is still just the first day of my hiking trip but so far I’m really enjoying every second of it. I do think I may have eaten a bit too many marshmallows though. I hope it doesn't end up giving me a stomach ache.
I had forgotten just how enjoyable it can be to sit next to a fire under the night's sky. And it's even better in the middle of nowhere!
For now though, time to put out that fire and head to sleep.
Day 1 - 23:50
I woke up to some noise outside. I don’t know what it is yet but it sounds like a pretty big creature if anything. I don’t believe there’s bears around here so what could it be? A deer?? No.. those steps don’t sound like hooves at all. I did still leave my food outside the tent as a safety measure just in case. It's in a supposedly bear proof container so I would be surprised if any animal manages to get to it.
Kind of wish I thought of bringing my water bottle in the tent though. I'm thirsty…
I briefly saw its shadow against the side of the tent and I am more confused than anything now. It looked like a really big bunny??? I am kind of curious about it but I also am not risking peeking outside of the tent to get a better look. I don’t know if it’s dangerous or not.
Day 1 - 23:55
Update: I heard it open my food container. Bear proof, my ass. Didn’t even sound like it struggled to open it at all. I’m hearing it eat through the entirety of my food stash as I’m writing this. I would be surprised if I had anything left at all tomorrow. This is going to be a problem if I want to continue this hike as planned..
It's been some time now. Sounds like the creature is gone. I’ll go back to sleep for now and assess the damage in the morning.
Day 2 - 06:30
Got up a bit ago. All my food is gone, my water bottle is gone too for some reason. It did leave pawprints and honestly I’m starting to think I got pranked by some weirdo in a fursuit now because the pawprints are bigger than what any animal I know of.
I also found some sort of blue goo scattered all over camp in small amounts. I don’t remember packing any blueberry jam in my stuff so I have no idea what it could be. I kind of want to taste it. I'm hungry and the color is appealing. If it was a fursuiter maybe it's some of their own food? Either way, I need to power through the day and get back to civilization so any food is good.
Day 2 - 6:35
I don’t know what that was, but it was definitely NOT jam.
It was actually disgusting. I don’t know why I even swallowed it. My throat is a bit tingly too so I may be mildly allergic to whatever that was. Doesn’t seem to be too bad right now so I should be okay if I take it easy for some time. I’ll still get my phone out and call for help though cause I do not think I can safely make it home on my own in these conditions, without any food or way to carry water.
Day 2 - 7:30
I’ve been trying for almost an hour now and no luck. It's a dead zone out here. I have told people I’d be going out here but it’ll take days before they get worried.
The itching in my throat has also gotten worse. Probably doesn’t help that I’ve been stressing out about everything in the middle of nowhere. There was that creek nearby that should be good enough to keep me going in terms of water but I think I’ll actually have to try to forage stuff if this damn allergy doesn’t stop getting worse and keeps me from getting going.
Why did I think tasting the mystery blue goo would be a good idea?? USE YOUR BRAIN, ME!!
Day 2 - 8:30
Okay what the fuck.
I just threw up, but it was more of that blue stuff. I did not ingest enough to be able to throw up that much of it back. I feel really dizzy and it feels like whatever allergic reaction I got is spreading. I’m going to try to walk to the water and drink some of it.
I really do not feel good right now.
Day 2 - 9:00
I reached the creek and after drinking some water from it, I got a glimpse of my reflection and I looked.. fuzzy? It’s probably just because of how out of it I feel. Everything has felt like a blur since I left camp. I still feel dizzy and honestly, I am really scared. There are chances that I did ingest poison after all.
For now though, I have to face this. I have no other choice.
Day 2 - 9:30
What the fuck?!
My brain is not playing tricks on me, this is really happening. I touched the areas that looked fuzzy and I am for sure growing lots of hair. Or is it fur? I honestly don't know. Other changes are also happening. My eyes changed color and are blue now.
I feel really ill, like I could pass out at any moment and I constantly feel like throwing up.
Day 2 - 10:00
I feel like my entire body is melting from inside.
Whatever this is has spread to my face. It feels like it's growing outwards. Am I growing a snout?
My mouth is what feels the weirdest of all. It feels like the entirety of it, except my teeth are way squishier than normal. Looking at my reflection again, the inside of my mouth is all blue too.
My tongue is getting longer with my.. snout.
And my teeth are shifting around to better fit the new shape. I think my teeth are also changing shape? My canines were definitely not that big before.
My entire face is covered in white fur. I can barely distinguish it from my hair anymore.
Day 2 - 11:30
I did end up passing out shortly after that last entry. Hard to believe it's already midday. Today is an absolute nightmare.
A nightmare that doesn't stop on giving, even if you're passed out.
First thing I noticed waking up is that I was unable to breathe from my nose. There is a great explanation for that: My nose is just fucking gone. There is nothing there anymore. No schnoz.
I can still smell things though somehow but my sense of smell is a lot weaker than it used to be.
Speaking of senses, I can hear EVERYTHING. My ears changed while I was out and with that, I have a pretty good idea of what I am becoming.
My ears grew long and became rabbit-like, with more of that goo inside of them. Very similar to whatever creature stole all my food, so I'm assuming I'm becoming the same thing it was. Kind of explains how it was able to get in my food so easily, if it used to be human like me.
Shit.. used to be human. Didn't even think about it when I wrote that down but I am losing my humanity, aren't I? I feel like I should be more distressed about losing everything I've ever known but I'm just not? It's weird. I don't want to lose my friends, my family, my home… But I can't go back to the middle of a busy city looking like this. I'd terrify so many people just by being there. I'll figure out what to do next later.
Day 2 - 11:30
And there goes my pants. They tore apart completely because apparently this food thief creature also has a massive thick tail with a tip made of a now very familiar goo.
I had been feeling some sort of pressure inside of my pants for some time but decided to ignore it because I was fascinated by my hands changing.
I actually saw them changing. My pinkies melted away before my eyes while my fingers became stubbier and thicker. It was like a car crash. You know it's something really disturbing, but you can't help but look anyway.
The changes to my hands also came with paw beans which are, once again, made of goo. They actually feel weirdly satisfying to apply pressure to. One thing for sure though: these paws have been making writing this journal a lot harder than it used to be.
My feet followed a similar fate to my hands. Lose a digit, grow stubbier, gooey paw beans.
My leg also took on a more animal-like shape. I don't know if I'm still going to be able to walk on two legs.
Day 2 - 12:30
I think it's over. I don't think anything happened in the last hour. I've been sitting against a tree, trying to calm down. Every time I reopen my eyes and see myself, I get hit with a sense of dread. This really happened. I'm stuck in an unfamiliar body, full of unfamiliar feelings.
These ears move around so much. Both from sounds around me and I assume from my own emotions. You have no idea how weird it is to have your ears move! Not to mention how big they are and how sensitive I am to noise I've become because of them.
In a similar vein, tails are weird.
I had wondered what it'd feel like to have one in the past but this is not that close to anything I imagined. I've been trying to move it around intentionally but no luck so far. Seems to be an entity separate from me, likely acting based on my emotions too.
Overall, it's all been really overstimulating. Seems like I'll have to get used to it though.
On a more positive note: I kind of love this fur? It's really cozy to have and I feel really soft all over. It has a simple brown and white pattern. Brown on the back/top, white on the belly/bottom.
Day 2 - 13:00
I walked around a bit, getting a feel for this body. I’m surprisingly able to still walk on two legs thanks to this big tail. Going on all four feels a lot better though. No matter how many limbs I use to move around though, I have to learn how to walk again because right now, I trip every other step.
Something standing up made me notice: I am really big. I think I gained an entire foot in height. And most of said height appears to be in my chest with very little of it being in my legs.
I've been trying to figure out what to do or where to go next. I really need to weigh my options. Can I return home like this? What will everyone think? Would I even be able to get home? This tail seems pretty hard to hide so I don’t know if that’s even possible. Maybe at night?
Okay if I do make it back home, what then? I still wouldn’t feel safe to leave the house, and then I’d be stuck inside. So, going back home isn’t a very viable option.
I could also stay here. Focus on getting used to this body and survival. Keep my cell charged for later, when I have a better grasp about what I am. Maybe tell someone I trust to come meet me out here. I'd be reported as a missing person in the meantime and search parties may be sent here.
Search parties may be an issue though. They'd likely start looking for me before I'm able to move around comfortably in this body.
I think I know what to do.
Send out a message saying I'm extending my trip. Let's say.. for a week. Focus on learning how to use this body and basic survival during that time. Food may be an issue, especially since I'm starting from nothing. There may be some fishes if I follow the creek. That'd be a good food source. There's probably some berries scattered around too. I think I should be okay to survive here for a while.
I also need to find the creature that did this to me. There's a pretty good chance they used to be human like me. Asking them about what they know would be really helpful to me. I'll keep an eye out for them.
Day 2 - 19:30
I started following the water, slowly but surely. Walking is getting a bit easier. I decided to focus on learning to walk on all four first. Seems like it'd give me the most speed and utility once I master it.
Kind of wish I had a more flat terrain to learn this. The uneven ground of the forest makes it really difficult sometimes.
I found a pretty large amount of berries along the way and they were all really tasty. Maybe food isn't going to be an issue.
It kind of makes sense that the bushes that are further removed from the trail are more plentiful with fruits.
That being said, eating with a different mouth has been very weird. I almost bit myself a couple of times because I'm not used to my mouth extending that far.
I decided to stop here for the night. Today has been a wild ride and honestly, I could use some rest. I'm exhausted.
Thankfully, this body does have another advantage: I can lay anywhere and be pretty comfortable! On top of that, my fur keeps me warm and cozy. Sleep probably won't be too much of an issue thanks to that.
While I absolutely hate what happened to me, I can not deny that it's got some good sides to it.