The move

The end of summer was fast approaching and Kyle was really feeling down. In a couple of days he was going to be moving back to college. It wasn’t that he hated college, he had a lot of friends there and the course he was taking was enjoyable, but like every student he found the summer was much more fun. The idea of going back to having to do homework, studying and having to get up early every day had no appeal. While he knew that once he was there and things had gotten

“back to normal” he would quickly

“get used to it”, but at the moment going back had very little appeal.

It was early in the afternoon, so Kyle decided to take a walk in a wooded area by his home to take his mind off the situation, at least for a few hours.

As he drove down to the wooded area, the road was oddly deserted. At this time of day there were normally a lot of cars and people around. Continuing to drive, he saw a strange looking object at the side of the road. It was shining in the sun, and seemed to

“calling to him” somehow. Pulling over, he got out of his car and walked over to the object, it continued to shine brightly. Getting a closer look at it, he saw that it was an amulet with a long gold chain around it. Picking up the amulet he inspected it, it had engravings on it in a language he couldn’t identify on one side and a picture of a raccoon on the other side.

“Someone must have lost this while hiking. After my walk I’ll drop it off at the police station or something” he though to himself. Walking back to his car, he was about to put it in the back seat when it seemed to be glowing. He suddenly found himself having an uncontrollable urge to place it around his neck. The gold chain around it was the perfect length, and he figured that this was the best way to keep ‘track’ of it so he went ahead and put it around his neck.

Getting back into his car, he resumed driving towards the wooded area. The road was still strangely deserted, something he still could not understand. He was not about to turn back though, as if there was something wrong he would have heard about it on the radio, newspaper or TV. Eventually arriving at a parking lot that was at the beginning of the path he was going to walk on, it too was empty.

“This is really weird, I wonder what’s going on?” he thought to himself as he parked then got out of the car, with the amulet still around his neck.

As he began to walk on the trail he started feeling very strange, he found himself feeling as if this was his home. Shaking the feeling off, he continued to walk. He walked for about 20 minutes, and was well along the trail when he found himself feeling very itchy. Looking down at the amulet, he saw that it was glowing. As he watched it he suddenly felt an incredibly strong itching feeling on his arms. Looking at them, he saw a coating of fur quickly growing in.

“What the hell?” he said to himself as he continued to watch. The fur on his arms grew longer and long, eventually growing into a thick gray pelt. It was very soft and was very warm. The amulet continued to glow, and in a panic he took it off and threw in onto the ground. It landed with the raccoon picture side facing upwards and continued to glow. His chest started to itch like mad, scratching it didn’t help. Pulling his shirt off in a semi panic, he saw the same long gray fur growing in on his chest. It itched like mad as it grew, feeling it, it felt very soft. As it continued to grow, it quickly covered his entire chest, sides and back. It was impossible to see his skin under all of the fur. The itching spread to his legs, and he quickly removed his pants to see the fur growth spreading to his legs. As he watched in fascination, his hands began to feel odd. Looking at them, he saw that the top of both hands was being covered in fur. The skin of the bottom of both hands was turning black and getting very sensitive, and his nails were growing out into claws. As he watched his hands change, he heard a ripping sound. Looking down he saw that his underwear had been torn off. Looking at his rear end, he now had a long furry tail. It had 6 black rings on it. The fact he was now wearing nothing didn’t seem to bother him; his new fur kept him nice and warm. His face began to itch severely and his ears mouth and nose started feeling very strange. There was a river close by, so he ran towards it, hoping he could use it as a mirror. As he ran, he felt himself very quickly shrinking. The shape of his arms and legs was quickly changing, and he found himself able to run on ‘all fours’. This position suddenly felt much more comfortable. The feelings in his face continued, but seemed to be slowing down, continuing to shrink, he ran as fast as his new legs could carry him. As he arrived at the river, he looked at his reflection. His reflection was that of a medium sized gray raccoon, a very handsome one at that.

Standing on his new legs, he looked himself over and confirmed that the reflection truly was his. Knelling over, he took a drink from the river, and felt refreshed. Seeing some crayfish in the river, he found himself getting hungry. He grabbed for them using his paws, which seemed much more sensitive now. He managed to catch several crayfish and eat them. They tasted great. Sniffing the air, he could smell things he never could have before, his sense of smell was much stronger, and the smell of the late summer air was incredible.

Walking back over to his clothes, he looked at the amulet. Picking it up with his paws, he examined it fascinated by its appearance. The picture of the raccoon on it was now smiling. Putting the amulet back on the ground, he watched as it disappeared. Looking at the pile of clothes that were once his, he found his feelings of depression over going back to school completely gone. Looking around the forest, he realized why he had felt as if he was coming home when he got there. Climbing the nearest tree, he relaxed on a high branch, and enjoyed the view, not only of the forest, but also of his newfound freedom.