Rising Shards

My tummy felt worse over the night, and I felt woozy and warm. I hoped it was just a reaction to food or something, but I woke up very early in the morning and it was clear whatever I was going through was worse. I made it upstairs before getting stopped by Stella, who made me lie down on the couch and wrapped me in blankets.

“If you’re sick, you’re sick.” Stella said.

“But…my season premiere…” I coughed.

“What, school?” Stella said. “Guess this broadcast is delayed a bit due to a cold.”

“I think I can make it...” I said weakly. I let out a sneeze that made my whole body ache. I could sense something was different immediately, and holding my hands up confirmed as much.

“I’m all fuzzyyyyy…” I wailed.

In a flash, my entire body had changed. I looked just like I did when I got Feral Flu, with fur and claws and such, becoming much like a Kanibari. Last time I was annoyed with the whole endeavor, not liking how being fuzzy felt, but I was with Oka then, so we wrangled a good time out of it.

“Ah. Maybe a bit different than just a cold.” Stella said.

Dr. Diast looked me over as Stella called the school and told them I wouldn’t make it.

“So I got a cold and Feral Flu?” I asked.

“Not quite,” Dr. Diast said. “Looks like you got a case of common shift sickness. It’s in the same family of ailments as Feral Flu, but you probably won’t be as hungry. Or feral.”

“It isn’t like Beast Tendency, is it?” I asked, a chill running down my spine.

“Oh no, this is much more stable. Just your regular self, a fuzzier self. And maybe…” Diast winced.

“And maybe what?” I asked.

“Maybe like a full transformation to the animal you’re closest in association to.” Diast said.

“Huh. So I might go full cat here.” I said.

“Maybe. It’s not guaranteed.”

“That sounds pretty feral, Dr. Diast,” I said.

“Technically yeah, but you won’t get all wild like with Feral Flu.”

“This won’t mess with my…pills and stuff, right?” I asked. In hindsight that was probably the root of my discomfort with Feral Flu; I didn’t like my body changing in ways that were unexpected, ways I feared would mess with my transition.

“Feral Flu didn’t, and almost Beast Tendency-ing didn’t, so you’re safe,” Diast said. “And even if your body temporarily changed from a common shift sickness, you’re still you, got it?”

I nodded.

“This isn’t bite transferable either, it spreads more like a cold,” Diast said. “It’s very similar to one; it affects the parts of Cani that control our bodily shifting capabilities.”

“Sorry if I give either of you it, then.” I said.

“I wouldn’t mind, I’ve got a lot of sick days piled up.” Dr. Diast said.

“I don’t so I will…keep my distance!” Stella said.

She said that, but her guardian side wouldn’t let her get too far from me.

“It’s been forever since I’ve seen this,” Stella marveled. “It’s making me nostalgic, a little bit.”

“How come I don’t remember you getting any of these Cani flus and whatnot when I was growing up?” I asked.

“If any Cani I worked with were remotely sick, I washed my hands pretty much nonstop and stayed away from them,” Stella said. “I did get your Feral Flus and common shifts when you were a baby, but you were a baby so obviously those aren’t in the ol’ Zeta memory bank.”

Stella ended up trading a shift with a coworker (something I didn’t even know librarians could do) to stay with me. I texted Oka a picture of my fuzzed up form and told her why I wasn’t at school. I thought I looked kinda dumb, but Oka said I looked adorable and wished she could be there with me.

“What do we tell Tik if I’m not better by the time she asks us about the whole parent—” I coughed. “That thing?”

“I’m sure she’ll understand, she’s not going to force you to do this while you’re sick.” Stella said. “Let’s not worry about that today, yeah?”

It was good Stella stayed home, because about five minutes after that conversation I had a ginormous sneeze, and the world seemed to grow ten times bigger. I heard Stella scream and started running, tumbling off the couch and onto the now gigantic living room carpet. Then I realized her scream was more of a squeal. Dr. Diast’s prediction of me shifting into a cat had come true.

I didn't have a giant rush of excitement shifting into entirely another animal. Things were a bit foggy, but my cold symptoms had left me for a bit, with some sneezes here and there, but I was more sleepy than anything. I seemed to instinctively know how to work my significantly changed body, but in spite of that knowledge all I had the willpower to do was lie down. Stella took advantage of this and had me sit on her lap.

“Oh my god you’re the cutest fluffiest lil thing ever aren’t you, Zeta!” Stella asked, petting my back nonstop. “We want you back to normal but you’re soooo stinkin cuuuuuute!”

If I could talk, I’d tell her she was risking catching this too, but I don’t think she cared at this point. Plus, the pets were kind of like a massage, which was nice.

“Can I please take pictures?” Stella asked.

I wasn’t sure if I could nod, but I didn’t hate the idea of getting pictures of myself as a cat. I hoped my vacant stare followed by a slow blink would convey something. Stella took it as a yes and within an hour got approximately 632 pictures of me in cat form. She also managed to say, “Biiiiig stretch!” when I stretched at least fourteen times. I managed to retreat to the basement just in time, as another sneeze pretty much poofed me back to normal. I was glad I was in my room so I could grab clothes right away, but with my regular self coming back, so did the worst of the cold. I wasn’t sure why I dragged myself upstairs instead of just staying in my den, but I returned to my little nest, sneezing and coughing. I went through the cycle of “regular self to fuzzy self to full cat” three more times by mid-afternoon, which was not the start to the spring semester I expected at all.

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