It was blood red.

The kind of red that reminded Rygone of a cherry lit in the bright sun. Juicy and dripping with potential.

But what kind of potential?

"What do you think? Is it the real deal?"

Rygone forced himself to look away from the capsulized temptation that rested on his hand and look at his questioning friend. He was younger than the older man, the lines of his face having yet to deepen into aged trenches though Rygone could already see the halo of youth beginning to fade from the other man's features. Staring at his own ruby pill, Liz swallowed a gulp of anticipation, reminding Rygone of how dry his own had become.

"Ah-hem..." the older man coughed, trying to clear his throat of the irritating feeling, "I...I'm not sure. For the price they were sold at I would really hope so..."

He grimaced, it had been a huge risk buying these pills online, especially since the website he had come across had been full of cheap, probably fake reviews, and bright colorful links meant to entice the casual browser into clicking out of animal curiosity. In fact, Rygone had been ready to move on from the clearly suspicious website when he had been stopped by something. Like most websites that promised supplemental non-FDA-approved medication, there was a selection of before and after pictures meant to demonstrate that the product worked.

Most of the sort were easy to dismiss, each selection of images clearly using modified photos or actors that had definitely not just used the touted product alone in gaining their shapely bodies. But there was something about this colorful website's before and after photos that had captured Rygone's attention.

Instead of showing images of people becoming thinner or stronger...it showed people transforming into anthropomorphic lizards.

As hard-to-believe as it was, Rygone couldn't dismiss them. The lighting was too good on the scales and the hint of the people the consumers had been too clear in the images of smiling reptilian faces. He had clicked through dozens of the images, seeing customers in varying stages of ecstatic change as they touched their growing tails or slipped out of clothing not designed for a reptile's body.

Before he knew it, he had purchased the proffered product, a single bottle of red pills titled "Solving Reptile Dysfunction" and a week later...here they were.

That one week had been the longest of Rygone's life and restlessness had driven him to confide in a friend. Liz, though understandably incredulous at Rygone's impulsive purchase, had been willing to listen to his babbling rants. A quick visit to the same website later and his own excitement had grown just large as, if not larger than, Rygone's own electric anticipation.

The older man's thoughts were interrupted as Liz spoke up again. "Hey ummm do you think maybe one of us should test the pill out first? Just in case they aren't safe?"

A silence descended between the two friends as they considered the implications of what that question meant.

Rygone had to agree. It was a sound plan. Who knew what these pills were or what they would do...but somehow that seemed unneeded.

"I think we'll be alright. We have our phones on us in case we need to call someone, right?"

Liz hesitantly nodded.

"And I guess if you feel anything weird don't be afraid to tell me and I'll try to do the same for you, okay?"

Another nod, followed by more uncertain silence.

...

This was it then. A chance to live life in a way that both of them had only dreamed of before.

...

God it would be crummy if it was all just a trick.

"Then I guess on the count of three? Uhhh one...two...three!" Tilting his head back Rygone popped the bright red pill into his mouth and swallowed.

Gasping out he could feel it running its way through his throat, a single lump carried downwards into the inner reaches of his body. Surprisingly, it had not tasted like anything. Neither of cherries or iron, but it had tingled all the same when it had rested upon his tongue. A tingling that had not gone away as he had swallowed the miniature thunderstorm.

"Did we just swallow a battery?!" asked Liz as he huffed, finally finding his voice after a few seconds.

"Ugh...I don't think so but I don't think I've ever had a pill that's done that before!"

Both men shook as they tried to forget the sensation left drifting on their tongues, a possibility made unlikely by the churning in their stomachs.

"I don't know if that was a good id- urk!" Liz stopped as he grabbed at his belly. "Shit...maybe we should call someone?"

"Y...yeah." Sweat beaded down Rygone's face as he felt a dizzy spell hit his body, the edges of the room beginning to spin.

Trying to find a way to steady himself he grabbed at the nearby table where the open bottle of red pills sat, his unsure motions spilling its contents onto the floor with a clatter.

"I think I'm seeing gulp.... things Rygone," Liz stated with a slow huff from just out of the dizzy man's sight.

"L...like what?"

"Ummm I don't know how to say this, but I can swear that I see you growing a tail."

"A what?!" Pushing past the dizziness, Rygone grasped at his behind and suddenly he could feel it! Something was pushing out of his pants, a wriggling mass that felt warm to the touch. Shocks traveled up the man's spine as he felt the muscles and bones beneath the developing limb react to his touch.

"Holy shit!? I'm growing a tail!?" Excitement pushed away the feeling of sickness pervading his senses and he grinned at his friend, then his eyes became wide. "Liz! You're growing a muzzle!"

In reaction, the younger man's eyes crossed and his hands shot up to his face to wrap around his inhuman snout. "Mmmph merph a nerf." he mumbled, unable to form words properly in his grasping excitement.

Slowly the feelings of sickness ebbed away from the two men only to be replaced by a sense of validated excitement. The pills were working! Rygone snuffled in surprise as he saw a strand of his human hair fall in front of his face, tickling his nose as it continued onwards to the ground.

Liz kicked off his shoes to reveal thick reptilian paws as he struggled to keep his growing body covered by his rapidly ill-fitting hoodie. In return, Rygone could feel his pants becoming looser as his body mass shifted towards a leaner and longer existence.

"I -" Rygone shook his head trying to properly feel out how to speak with his growing muzzle. Speaking slower, he tried again. "I...wasn't...expecting...that...to...work."

Proud of himself, he could feel his tail wiggle in happiness at his accomplishment. Gosh, that felt weird.

"I know what you mean!" Liz shouted in excitement, his own thick green tail wagging as it slipped out of his pants with an inglorious flump.

Scales marched across both changing men's skin like a cool itch as their bodies continued to shift dramatically. Rygone, for his part, was unsure what species he was turning into. What kind of reptile had blue and yellow scales?

Growls echoed from Liz's throat as his straining clothes finally started to tear apart in several small areas, giving him some much-needed relief from his unexpected growth. Verdant scales peeked out from between the rips in his clothing, leaving no doubt as to the classic nature of his transformation.

"Grrrrr how long was this supposed to last?" growled the taller reptile as his body shifted upwards another inch.

"Ah...ah! Ummm, let me check!" Rygone scrambled to clutch at the medicine bottle, his longer reptilian fingers nearly knocking it to the floor. "Ohhhh ahhhh" he whimpered as his feet cracked, spreading apart into a wide stance. "It...says 'one pill lasts one day'."

"Only one day? That's not nearly enough time to-"

"Wait wait...it also says 'to be careful of consuming more than one pill at a time as the results could be permanent'."

Both men looked at each other, inhuman eyes gleaming with the same thought.

"Bet you I can swallow mine first!"

"You're on!"

---

Have you ever wished that a single pill could solve all of your human problems? Where, with just a single dose, you could find yourself with the body you had always dreamed of...complete with a wagging tail, sharp claws, and inhuman features? Whether it lasted for a moment, an hour, a day, or forever does not matter. For you now get to experience life in a completely new way. One full of excitement as you interact with the world on a fundamentally new level and learn about who and what you are now.

Sure, there might be some pushback. It's not every day one sees a person walking about with a tail...but it's your tail all the same.

Yes, there will probably be a few hiccups, but the pill never promised perfection. Only change. Some good, and some bad.

Would you take it anyway?


Art by  animatics

Liz belongs to  LizBiz

Rygone belongs to  Rygone