Well, here's a new short story I've written for Selden. Enjoy.
Edited by Juubi.
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Daren stared down the mostly empty road, with grass that seems to go on endlessly. His belt with a golden A gleamed in the sunlight as his vulpine tail wagged slightly, breathing in the cool air. His digitigrade paws rested on the warm ground while his Hawaiian shirt fluttered in the breeze. His jet black ear twitched as he looked behind him and smiled.
Right behind him was an otter that was also anthro too. He was wearing what seemed to be some type of bandolier with three pouches on it. His brown fur glimmered in the light as his tail wagged very rapidly, as if he thought it might make him go faster. Daren couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were attracted to the blue marking extending from the otter’s right side of his muzzle to his right ear, which were small in size. Finally he went to Daren, panting and wheezing.
“Hello there,” Daren said, pulling out a water bottle from his pocket, clearly too big to fit inside it. “Take it easy, there. Best not to wag your tail like that on land. Your tail is to help you swim faster in the river, not run faster on land.”
“Sorry,” the otter said, pulling out a water bottle from his top pouch, which is again, too big for it, and drinks from it. “I was looking for someone to try my special potion on.”
“Oh?” Daren asked, his curiosity perking up.
“Yeah,” the otter said after drinking half the bottle. “But, well, this place rarely has travelers here. But then, I saw you there in the distance and I was trying to catch up. Oh, where are my manners? My name’s Selden. Selden the otter.”
Selden extended his paw and Daren shook it.
“Nice to meet you, Selden,” Daren responded. “The name’s Daren. Daren Crevan.”
“Nice name, Daren,” Selden said.
“Yeah. Thanks,” Daren replied, rubbing his rusty red hair behind his back.
“No problem. Anyways, I wanted to see if you’ll try my potion out.”
“Can you show it to me?”
Selden nodded and pulled out a glass bottle filled with reddish orange liquid from his middle pouch. “Here it is. I—”
Daren snagged the potion before Selden finished and examined it himself, pulling out his TF Scriúire. Its light glowed blue as it was pointed at the potion, Selden tilting his head. It emitted a buzzing sound as Daren flipped the potion around until the light turned green. He gave the potion back to Selden.
“Interesting TF potion,” Daren remarked, grinning.
“How did you—”
“My special tool tells me so. It’s fitted so that only I can use it property. Anyone else and it’ll just make noise and blink random lights,” Daren explained, waving his hand. “Anyways, I’ve never seen or heard of such of creature you wanted me to turn into. Care to explain?”
“It’s a behemoth TF potion!” Selden said proudly, as if he won a million bucks. “My boss, Kenku, didn’t think I had the skills to create such a potion, since I’m still learning from his crafts.”
“Kenku…” Daren interrupted. “Isn’t he a gray fox with a green hat and light blue feather?”
“Yup! He’s the one! So I guess you met him before?”
“We had a couple of run-ins, yes. Continue.”
“Well, anyways, a behemoth is a, well, a horned furry beast with a fin-like ears and, well, it’s sorta hard to described.”
“It’s OK,” Daren said, nodding. “So you wanted to turn me into a behemoth?”
“Yup!” Selden said, leaping up to Daren’s height, which was a head taller or so than Selden’s. “So can you drink it?”
“Hmm. . . .” Daren said.
‘Well, it does look like a cool creature, though I’m a bit tricky. My body was designed to resist unwilling transformation and it’s poisonous if it’s permanent. Though, since you’re learning from Kenku, your potions can’t be eternal since his isn’t. Also, I’ve turned from my normal form to my fox form and vice versa that I’m completely immune to TF pain. But maybe I can fake it.’
“OK, Selden,” Daren said finally. “I’ll give your potion a shot.”
“Yes!! Thank you!” Selden replied cheerfully, nearly throwing the potion at Daren as he receives it.
Daren sniffs it before drinking it and, as soon as he drank the last drop, Daren felt the effects of it starting and dropped the potion, as if in pain. The glass broke into pieces as he got onto his knees as his Selden watches in shock.
White horns grew on top of Daren’s head as he screamed, his claws growing longer and his ears becoming fin like, black on the back and white on the front. Daren felt his pants shredding from his tail as it grows thicker and his tail’s fur shrunk, except for the tip, which was still bushy, and the upper back of his tail which now had scales. Horns grew at the end of the tail just before the bushy part as his hands and paws grew thicker, with his paws toes shifting back until it reached his ankle. He gritted his teeth, as three more horns grew on his back as he gave out a scream, which was more of a roar.
Daren pants, as if in exhaustion, as he got back up to a surprised Selden.
“That felt great!” Daren said gleefully. “Thanks.”
“Er, no problem,” Selden responded. “Though I don’t understand it. My potions weren’t made to cause pain to those who drink it.”
‘Damn. I should’ve guessed. Kenku’s potions never cause pain either.’
“Well, no, it didn’t really hurt,” Daren admitted, shaking his head, and failing to hide an embarrassed grin. “I was really acting.”
“Oh?” Selden said, sounding relieved.
“Yeah. Transforming doesn’t cause me pain anymore, after doing it for so long. Just thought you might be expecting it.”
“Ah. That’s understandable,” Selden said, nodding.
“Well, shall we walk together until we reach the city?”
“Sure.”
Selden gathered up the broken glass and put them in his bottom pouch, then they walked on down the dirt road.
‘Hmm. . . . Might need to learn how to make that potion to transform a certain three tailed kitsune.’
