For AO and because I needed practice at writing off the top of my head. Written in 25 minutes.
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David's route to and from school rarely deviated more than five feet in one direction or the other. For years he had walked to his little private school through the same park, the same direction, and with the same lack of attention to anything but the road in front of him. Like so many other things, this part of his life had fallen into an unchanging loop. It wasn't exciting, but he didn't exactly think of it as boring either. It was merely the way he let the years slip by. Throughout these years he waited for something to change. He didn't know what, but he knew that, when it did change, he would finally have some sort of adventure in his life.
He was seventeen now, just one year from the great change that was college. There was no expectancy of adventure there, just a change from one routine to the next. He was of a slim build, neither too fat nor too thin. His height was stuck just over five feet, and had been that way for a year and a half, waiting for his last big growth spurt. He could run well enough to stay out of trouble, but not well enough to make the track team. His grades fluctuated between B's and C's, which was just enough to keep his parents and his teachers happy. His brown hair never took him more than five minutes to comb, but it always had the same disheveled look as always by his second class period, probably from his bobbing in and out of consciousness in class. In every way and in everything he did, David was simply average.
Possibly the only thing not average about him was a nagging feeling that told him that he was someday going to have some great adventure. He awaited this coming event with some anticipation when the mood hit him, but otherwise made no attempt to prepare for it. When it came, he was sure that he would be ready.
This feeling was probably the thing least on his mind as he cut across the park on his daily walk to school for the fiftieth time that semester. The school year was almost up, and he knew that he only had to walk this path a few more times before he left for college. Far from feeling any sense of regret, or backtracking just so he could walk the familiar steps again, he quickened his pace with each day he came closer to leaving. He now trudged across the stretch of grassy terrain silently as always, but with a purpose in his stride that he rarely matched in anything he did. David allowed himself to hope that he might have some profitable change at college once he got there, and any change whatsoever seemed preferable to his current predicament.
Today, however, something about his walk changed. It was not rare for him to stumble across something on this trail; he had done it many times in the past, and even with a few weeks until he was done with it he was sure he would do it again many times. Still, as his eyes caught the glint of something sitting in the grass before him, he felt a thrill run through him. He stopped. The item he had seen was only a stone's throw away from him. Surely this deviation would not break his silly, monotonous life.
And yet, there is always hope...
David picked the object up in his hands and turned it over. It was an old style pocket watch, with a faux gold chain running about a foot from the top. He had never seen these things outside of movies before, but quickly discovered how to operate it. He pressed the top and watched the catch release, showing the face inside.
The inside was, oddly, of more note than the outside. Both of the hands that showed the time were intricately crafted to appear as swimming otters, and the background of the watch seemed to be made of a fine blue gem, which reflected the light in a very faithful imitation of water.
The only flaw to the piece was the time it showed. David checked his watch and carefully reset the pocket watch, using only his experience with other people's watches to guide him. It only took him a minute, though, and he clicked the watch back into place as he finished.
The hands of the watch began to move, and he smiled. It was quite a fine timepiece. He clasped it and tucked it into the pocket of his blue vest.
But... he had not been wearing a vest before...
That realization must have triggered something within him. As he looked down to see what vest he was suddenly wearing, he became aware of his body changing. He began to breathe faster; he couldn't believe this was happening! His skin was beginning to sprout brown fur! He could see it coming down from his neck, quickly overtaking everything in its path. As it went, it left nothing but the vest behind, instead leaving a stripe of tan fur down his chest and belly. His hands shifted, becoming webbed and stubbier. Claws appeared at the ends, looking at once wild by their appearance, and civilized by their neat trim. His leg shortened, and his feet changed much like his hands.
He could not see as the final changes overtook his face, but a moment later he saw a row of black whiskers sticking out on either side of his face, which now sported a short muzzle! He gave a surprised bark, and then felt something twitch behind him. As he used his increased flexibility to watch, a tail grew out behind him, complementing and finishing the other changes perfectly.
