"I've had them for a long time. "
"How do you know they work?"
"I know. "
"Guess it can't hurt to try. " Irena grabbed the remaining vials. She handed one to Weston, and one to David. She also held one out for Phyllis.
"But I'm not a therianthrope," Phyllis said. "I'm just a furry. "
"You're one of us," Irena told her.
Phyllis nodded, and took the vial.
"Are you taking one?" Scott asked Ryan.
Ryan shook his head.
Scott shrugged. "Okay. Here goes nothing. "
He downed the liquid. Everyone watched.
At first, nothing happened. Then Scott twitched. The twitching became faster, and faster, until he looked like a blurry photograph. Scott made a small sound, like a sigh, dropped his gun, and fell to all fours.
He'd changed into a turtle. A giant turtle, with vaguely human features. His face, now green and scaled, looked similar to his human face. And his body retained a roughly humanoid shape; so much so that he was able to push off the ground and stand on two stubby legs.
"I'll be damned. " Scott reached up and tapped the top of his shell. "And I can still think. Hell, I can even talk. "
Irena had already drunk her vial, and her clothes ripped, exposing the spots underneath. While in final werecheetah form she retained her long blond hair, and - Weston could appreciate this - her breasts. He could suddenly understand the appeal furries saw in anthropomorphic costumes.
"You look great," Weston told her.
Her whiskers twitched, and she licked her arm and rubbed it over her face.
An oink, from behind, and Andy the wereboar was standing next to the overturned table, chewing on the cardboard donut box.
"What?" he said. "There's still some frosting inside. "
"This sucks. "
Weston turned to David, who had become a greenish, roundish ball of coral. Weston could make out his face underneath a row of tiny, undulating tentacles.
"I think you're adorable," Irena told him. "Like Humpty Dumpty. "
"I don't have arms or legs! How am I supposed to fight Santa?"
"Try rolling on him," Andy said, his snout stuck in the garbage can.
"I guess it's my turn. " Phyllis drank the potion.
Everyone waited.
Nothing happened.
"Well, shit," Phyllis said. "And I don't even have my hippo suit here. At least give me the damn gun. "
Weston handed it to her, then looked at his vial.
"You'll be fine," Irena said.