The Original Runner

By Fern

Disclaimer: This is a gift. Please do not use or distribute this story in any way, both as the original or an altered copy, without the permission of the reciever.

Well looky here looky here ah what do we have?
Another pretty thing ready for me to grab
But little does she know that I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing
'Cause at the end of the night it is her I'll be holding

The music blares out of a pair of earbuds as Nathan sprints through the path of a large park. Since it is rather early in the morning, the only other folks around are people who are going for their early morning routine. Those people are only jogging though; Nathan is a marathoner. He's here not just for exercise, but to practice what he does best.

Nathan sprints down the path with a cocky grin on his face. He can be heard from several feet away by the thundering steps of his running shoes. His athletic socks go up to just below the knees. His shorts stretch and hug against his body with every long stride he takes. The front of his jersey has a huge "1" on it with a pound symbol to the right. It's a simple design, but it goes with his over-confident expression. His left arm has both a wristband and an arm band. The one over his arm is where his MP3 Player rests as it continues to blare his playlist of "Workout Music for Winners." His hair continues to be thrown back by his speed, although there isn't much to throw. His style is very short as if he was growing his hair back after getting a military cut.

As one can gather from his attire and face, Nathan is rather cocky and selfish. The marathoner sprints between a couple who was barely able to get out of the way in time. Needless to say, they weren't pleased.

"You don't own the park, jackass," the male shouts as he shakes his fists at him. The woman shakes her head before resuming her walk with her lover. Nathan doesn't hear or see their disapproval of course. He's stuck in his own little world while he thinks the real one revolves around him.

That lifestyle isn't going to last for much longer however. Whether the fates have decided for him has been set in motion. It is still unclear what changed him on this day, but Nathan is now affected by an unknown source that starts to dramatically change his very being.

The first set of changes happened in mid-air before he even set his next step on the ground. Scales with a triangular pattern zoom down his legs while his shorts stretch back to reveal a small tail prodding out. As he lands with his left foot, Nathan feels something is amiss. As he looks down to check, his neck stretches while it cranes downward. More of those scales and that pattern crawl up to his face. His mouth stretches outward along with his nose to form a muzzle with a single stripe on top. His cocky grin now shows a row of triangular, carnivorous teeth. While Nathan can't see why his shoes feel so ill-fitting now from above, he does see other things that baffle him. Not only does he notice his new legs, but a long and curved talon has ripped right through his shoe! His left hand is covered in scales as well with long claws replacing his fingernails. At least he hasn't noticed how thin his right arm has gotten.

'Th-The fuck!?'

Nathan doesn't get much longer to think about his perdictiment though. His head starts to throb with a small ache as his hair starts to fall out. He continues to move as he tries to come to a stop. His right shoe falls off in mid-swing, being too ripped to be any use. His feet continue to change as toes merge until there are only three with sharp claws ready to dig themselves into any body after a mighty lea--

'Wait, why would... nggh for hunt, right? No, d-don't want...'

Speaking of claws, both hands hang limply in front of his body. The once tone muscle definition he had in his biceps and forearms are a thing of the past. All those arms are good for is digging away small rocks. Despite the change in his biceps though his armband is still on his body. The most severe change happens next near his shoulders. His neck bends forward as his back arches out upward. His neck stretches outward as if someone was pulling on his head. At the other end of his spine, his tail lengthens further as the base becomes thicker. The tip of his new tail wiggles like a snake hissing out his tongue. His legs continue to readjust themselves, cracking more than anywhere on his body. His knees shift upward while its plate becomes longer and thicker to protect the joint. His ankle has fully stretched out upward, shortening the tibia and fibula in order to make room.

'Rrrrgh... who... grrr... why... nggh... gruh?'

Nathan cranes his head back up as his neck straightens. His jersey, the only piece of clothing that wasn't damaged, slips back down as it rests against his back. He can't recall what he was doing before... or anything else about his past for that matter! Even if he did recall his prior life though, another problem would rear it's ugly head. Nathan's mind has been altered just like the rest of his body; he would no longer be able to make sense of any of those memories. In fact, he's not making any sense with the music that's still blasting in his earbuds. He looks around in confusion, trying to recover his senses due to being unable to hear much beyond the earbuds.

Maybe Nathan wronged someone that he shouldn't have. Maybe Nathan was the unfortunate victim of some accidental magic. Maybe it was even just the forces of the universe that shifted right at the very spot Nathan was running through. In any case, it doesn't matter to a velociraptor like him. What does matter is the squirrel he spots running down the tree in order to get a few nuts. Nathan exclaims some noise that means 'prey' as he sprints after the rodent. Needless to say, the squirrel is terrified of this new creature and tries to run towards the nearest and safest tree. Even with a new body, Nathan is still a great runner.

If you are scared, you better run (you better run)
You better run, (you better run)
You better run, (you better run)
You better, you better, you better

The End

2018 © Fern (Pen name.)