Two hikers trespass on protected native lands and find out why it is still uncharted. Commission for  tuxedoedpenguin

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The only thing that can be heard is the rumbling of the old Cessna’s engine and the creaking of its joints as the plane flies over the dense forest below. Soon, an airstrip is visible and the plane makes its descent. The plane lands and taxis into an old, beat-up hangar and out of it step two people dressed like they’re in an REI commercial. One of them takes out a map and studies it for several minutes, before making some notes in a notebook. “Hey, Dave, you think we’ll be able to get to the spot before dark or should we bring a tent?”

“Bring a tent. It’s already afternoon.” Dave advises as he looks up at the sun, just below its peak. He then looks to his partner, Ian, as he unpacks a tent from the plane. They then make their way down the runway towards an old path that leads into the forest. As they approach the edge of the forest, they see a foreboding sign that reads “Warning: Protected Native Lands, NO TRESPASSING”. Ian stops and looks to Dave as he reads the sign.

“You think we should do this? I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“Relax, nobody’s gonna see us, it’s almost dark,” Dave says, rather dismissively, then continues down the path. The path itself seems to get more and more wild as the beaten down foliage fades away into wildly-growing fauna and exposed roots. Soon, they’re deep in the woods, no sight of civilization around anywhere. Dave takes out his map and a compass and studies it, turning around, trying to get his bearings. He finally finds the course he’s looking for, marks on his map, and then continues. Eventually, the two come to a small clearing in the forest. Ian and Dave both look up at the sky and can barely see the red, setting sun through the trees.

They decide now is a good time to make camp and begin pitching a tent. Soon, the tent is up and Dave starts gathering wood and tinder to build a campfire, while Ian lays in the tent after setting up the sleeping bags. The warmth of the fire draws Ian out of the tent and over to the campfire that Dave setup and they both get close to the fire and keep themselves warm. They both then feel a sharp, stinging pain in their necks and reach up to discover they both have a dart in their neck. They both pull the darts out and examine them, noticing the primitive design and foreign, oozing substance on the tips. They then begin to panic, thinking they’ve been poisoned.

Their fears of poison are fueled by the rapid burning sensation around the site the dart struck, which is followed by a rough, tingling sensation as fur quickly sprouts and then begins spreading around their necks. Dave’s neck is covered in orange and white fur, looking rather similar to that of a red fox, whereas Ian has mostly grey, with some white. The fur spreads around both of their necks as they scratch at it to relieve the odd sensation, and then they look at each other, not quite yet believing what is happening.

“You said nobody would see us, that we’d be fine!” Ian shouts at Dave, worried about what is happening more than anything else

“I thought we would be! There shouldn’t even be anyone here!” Dave shouts back in a panic just as the fur reaches up their necks and begins covering their faces. Dave and Ian’s jaws stretch forward and narrow into muzzles, with Ian’s looking a bit wider and longer than Dave’s. Dave strokes the orange fur covering the top of his new muzzle and the upper half of his face, while white fur grows in on the bottom half. His irises turn a deep amber, then pupils become longer and narrower, now veritcal slits. Both Dave and Ian’s ears become longer and then stretch to the top of their heads, becoming furred triangles and soon the two have a fox head and a wolf head where their human heads used to be.

“I’m getting outta here!” Ian gets up and runs through the forest and Dave scrambles behind him, not wanting to be left alone. As they run through the forest, the fur spreads down their neck and torso, soon covering the entire upper half of their bodies. Dave tries to take out his map and compass to find his way back but drops them as his thumbs begin to shrivel away, his fingers getting stockier and nails growing and sharpening into claws. Their palms and fingers swell as rough, leathery pads grow in. They both stop and look at their hands which are now paws, and stare at each other in panic, unsure of what to even do, too panicked to even begin to try to navigate their way out of the woods.

The fur spreads down to their legs as they feel a pressure in their pants, and they fumble with trying to get their pants off but are soon aided by their shrinking frame. The pressure is relieved and their pants slide away to reveal tails, growing long and fluffy. Dave turns around to feel his own tail, while Ian just stares at it, in shock. The fur spreads down to their legs and their heels begin to rise out of their shoes. Dave tries to take off his shoes while his feet swell with paw pads and claws grow out, beginning to tear into the fabric of his shoes. Ian, still in shock, just looks down and only takes his shoes off when the pain snaps him out of it.

“Let’s keep going! We’ll just pick a direction and keep running, we’re bound to hit the edge at some point!” Ian grabs Dave and starts running. They both begin to lose their balance as their backs pop and crick, their spine readjusts and forces them onto their paws. Dave stumbles into Ian, knocking him over and they tumble on the forest floor as they come to a stop near a tree. Their bodies continue to shrink, though Ian’s not quite as much as Dave’s, and their legs compress, shorten and are soon a pair of feral haunches. Their arms move inward and shoulders flatten out to allow for quadrupedal movement. Dave looks at Ian as he stands up, getting adjusted to standing on four legs. He tries to say something, but all that comes out is a screech and a yip, sounding just like a normal fox. His tail flicks and sways around aggressively as he panics about his situation. Ian looks back at Dave and tries the same thing, but can only manage some low barks and growls. Panic flashes across their eyes as they realize that they can no longer speak.

Ian and Dave’s ears both swivel as they can hear the crunching of leaves and snapping of branches. They both turn to look at the source of the noise and see two men approach them, holding blowguns, and dressed in native clothing that seems simple and ornate at the same time.

“You were warned about trespassing on these lands, now you must live with the consequences.”

Dave and Ian both cock their heads at the two men, unable to speak but still trying their best to convey their confusion.

“Yes, you will remain like this. The forest is your home now. This is the punishment for trespassing and desecrating our lands by starting a fire and endangering the forest unnecessarily. Do not worry, we will make sure you are protected the same as any other creature here. You will not be hunted and you will not go hungry. You will simply live among the forest and learn to respect it.”

Dave and Ian look at each other, by now the shock has worn off and the reality of their fate is setting in. They look back at the two men and nod. At least they can keep their mental faculties, or most of them. One of the men then digs into a satchel that he is carrying and pulls out some dried meat for the two, and tosses it on the ground. Dave and Ian immediately begin eating at the meat, eager to get some food but also being sure to not eat more than their share. The jerky is quickly devoured and the two men walk off, satisfied. Dave and Ian get up and begin roaming around, looking for their camp, hoping they can at least sleep by a warm fire for tonight.

After an hour of wandering, they eventually find the camp they set up earlier, fire still going, and they both sigh in relief. Dave and Ian start to go into the tent and lay down, but find it difficult to get comfortable away from the fire so they exit the tent and lay next to the campfire, curling up and keeping warm as they sleep.