Needed a way to learn new forms. I think I have it.

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"I can only command one form, Jack." She said as I thought about it. I didn't want her to change me, I wanted to be able to change myself. "Is there any way for me to learn a new form?" I looked to the mirror again, pushing and pulling on my face. "You're not a flesh crafter, friend. That will not work." I sat down on the tub with a "harumph". I looked to my hands, focusing on them changing into anything else. Nothing. "I sense your longing for it, child, but you must train your focus." My heart did a flip in my chest. "Are you telling me I could learn to change? Myself?" I thought of all the possibilities. "Perhaps, but you are thinking much too broadly. With practice and focus, you may be able to command your shape." I was practically bouncing at the thought. "You are much too excited now, and it is late. We will resume tomorrow," she said, and I nodded in agreement.

That night I dreamed of many forms. I felt the air rushing beneath my wings as a gryphon, the soft damp morning grass against my forelegs as I ran in the body of a horse, and the pressure of water on all sites as I flitted through underwater plants as a mermaid. Yet most of all, I felt a pull toward one form. The others paled in comparison to the rush of power I felt as a sabre-toothed tiger. I felt strong, powerful and incredibly alive as I chased my prey, full of joy at the hunt.

When I woke, I didn't even laze about in bed like I usually did. I shot straight up in excitement and felt Cataena still asleep in my head. I moved to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. I gripped the sink and focused on a single thought: the feeling of being that sabre-toothed tiger. "Smilodon." I chanted in my head, feeling it throughout my body. "Smilodon, smilodon, smilodon," I thought as I stared at my reflection. I stood there for a minute, focusing and staring intently. "It won't happen THAT fast…" Cataena said with a yawn in my head. I jumped, my focus broken. "I didn't mean to startle you. It takes quite some time, though." I sighed, and took my hands from the sink.

I made my way down the stairs dejectedly, fumbling to get the front door open. I lifted the mailbox flap and saw my hand, gasping. The back of my hand was covered in a very short stubble of yellow fur! Cataena laughed at my shock. "It seems you have gotten your wish, child, but it will take more than that to completely change." I hid my hand behind my back as I ran into the house, slamming the door shut behind me. I took time to examine my hand, feeling the fine stubble of fur with my other, unchanged hand. It felt soft and definitely a part of me when I scratched to see if it would come off. "Focus, Jack." Cataena's words calmed my excitement and I focused again on the feeling of being a smilodon, sinking to the floor with my back against the door. I watched the stubble grow out slowly, the yellow fur becoming thicker and obscuring my skin. Every fiber of my being wanted this to happen more badly than anything else, and all attention was on the change. I felt my palm lengthening, grabbing it with my other hand as I felt my tendons shift and stretch.

This was nothing like when Cataena changed me. This felt more real, more powerful as it was completely under my control… until I felt something against my lower lip. I pushed off the ground with my regular hand, getting up to stand in front of the hallway mirror. I bared my teeth at the mirror and nearly shouted out in joy. My canine teeth had lengthened, growing thicker and longer as I watched. I grabbed one and shook, noting that it was firmly rooted in my mouth. "That may be a problem," Cataena said with concern. "Your mouth will not fit those for very long. Focus on your face. I will try to help." I looked myself in the eyes and imagined my face pulling out, willing it to pull into a muzzle for me. I felt my teeth continue to grow, pulling my lower lip back so they could push out above it.

My nose started to take on a darker shade, glistening as it grew wet. I raised my hand to touch it and gasped as my paw pad met my nose. My right hand had turned almost fully into a paw, finally growing claws as my face started to push out. I shivered at the sensations. I felt my face stretch, the skin pulling and growing yellow fur as I watched. Markings were forming too, spots and stripes that hadn't been seen in millions of years. I laughed as I thought about what scientists could do with the knowledge, baring my large fangs as I did so. Cataena's jealousy seeped through to me as I tried to grin with my nearly complete muzzle. "My fangs are bigger than yoooooours…" I joked in my head and she mentally scoffed. I ran my tongue along the rest of my teeth, feeling sharp points and the roughness of it against the roof of my mouth. My fangs were impressive now, running down past my chin and still growing. I focused on my other hand now.

I flexed the claws of my right hand, gasping as I felt them slide from their sheathes and saw their wicked sharp curves. I had no thumb now, but that wasn't my current concern. I focused on my right hand as I looked at my left, sheathing and unsheathing my claws, watching as it started to stretch. "This should be faster than the last" she said in my head as I watched fur sprout from the back of my hand, trailing its way down my fingers. My thumb receded into a dew claw as I watched, fingers shortening and nails folding into claws. I had two full paws now, the fur spreading up my arms and adding beautiful new black markings.

The doorbell woke me from my trance. Fuck! It was my landlord. I told him I'd be home all day for him to check out the furnace, it had stopped working that morning. I didn't want him to see me like this. I shook my paws and my face, the way I usually do to get Cataena away. "That won't work" she said urgently, "You don't control the form yet. You need as much time to change back!" My eyes went wide and I panicked. I heard him put a key in the lock loudly and looked to the mirror again, my ears pointed and much longer than before. "What do I do?" I asked her, running from the door to the bathroom upstairs. "Hide. Wait. The form is unfinished but has taken root. If you do not will yourself to human now, it will continue." I reached the bathroom, fumbling with the stupid lock in my massive paws. I slammed my paw into the wood, leaving claw gouges and pulling my paw back quickly. "Oh, shit." I heard him close the front door behind him. "Will yourself back." Cataena commanded. I thought of being human, but couldn't keep my current changes from my head. I watched as the fur crept past my elbows, slowly engulfing them and moving to my upper arms. I looked in the mirror, watching the fur spread downward from my head, gritting my sharp teeth as my neck changed to accommodate my new form. I wanted this, but not at this second. I looked in the mirror again. Who am I kidding, I totally wanted this right now. Cataena was unsettled. "You're going to confront him like this? You warn me of other humans." I had an idea planned out in my head.

I heard my landlord rustling his tools in his toolbox, humming to himself as I walked down the steps to the basement. The steps creaked and gave away my position. "Oh, hey there Jack! I didn't think you were home!" He chuckled. "Sorry about that," I said as I took one more step down, only my waist visible to him. "I got caught up in a project and forgot you were coming." I took another two steps down, my hands visible to him if he were looking. "Oh, that's fine. I'll just check out what's going on with this thing and… get… going…" His jaw dropped when he saw my head and took in my features. "It's a makeup project," I quickly added. He stood there with his mouth open for a few seconds. "I don't even know what to say. That's amazing! Get over here so I can touch it." My hackles rose (I didn't realize I HAD hackles) as I walked over to him. I was a good foot taller than him now, instead of meeting eye-to-eye like we usually did. He looked down at my feet. "Oh, you even got stilts! Wow!" I looked down too and saw my feet had grown, stretched and pulled themselves into hind paws. "Yes, it's really an elaborate costume" I laughed nervously. He put his hand on the top of my muzzle, running his hand up towards my eyes and making me cringe. "Haha, acting the part too I see," He said as he put his hand to my lips, pulling them open to see my teeth and tongue. I kept my tongue perfectly still, ignoring every part of me that told me to get out of there. He put his grimy finger on my tongue and pulled it across the surface, nearly making me gag. "That's really an amazing job, Jack. You should make a job out of this, I'm sure Hollywood would hire someone talented like you." I couldn't talk with his hands holding my mouth open so I nodded politely, pulling back. He grabbed one of my hands, turning it over and running his hands through the fur. I gasped as he pulled the fur, claws extending automatically. "You even rigged up claws? Wow." He pulled it to his face, touching their tips and making me incredibly uncomfortable. "I really have to get this finished, now. Please lock the door on your way out" I walked up the stairs and as soon as I reached the top, ran to the kitchen. I pulled the sink handle back with my paw, running water over my tongue and shaking my head at the taste. His fingers held some of the worst flavours I had ever experienced. I felt my pants growing tighter, my spine pushing out against them.

I turned off the water and tried to stand up, but being hunched was more of a natural position for me. I made my way up the stairs carefully, finding that moving on all fours was actually easier. When I reached the top I got back up unsteadily and shimmied my way out of my shirt. "I am so glad I decided to wear sweatpants today," I thought as I clawed and kicked them off. My chest and both my legs were completely covered in fur, beautifully patterned yellow fur. I laughed out loud, full of joy at commanding this form on my own. I focused on finishing the change, filling my body with a warm sensation as my back pulled tight and I lowered to all fours. I couldn't contain the excitement. I roared, feeling the power and shaking the windows with it. I heard Cataena roar in answer, feeling my joy and exultation at commanding this beautiful new body. "Now we wait until sundown," we both thought. I could wait until then.