Squelching through the woods Kyrio cursed the weather. It had been a beautiful summer’s day when he set off. Bright sun, fluffy clouds, not humid, just pleasantly hot. It had looked like the perfect day for a walk, so he'd grabbed some decent shoes and left. Replacing the stuffy interior of the  house  and computer screens with nature and sunshine.


Helioaerotherapy, that what he'd needed, fresh air and sunshine to blow away the cobwebs. It had all been great, he'd wandered through the woods behind his house into the next valley. He'd crossed streams via wooden logs, traipsed up forested hills watching squirrels and birds frolicking. Then he'd passed into the valley and started winding his way down the hill toward the lake.


The rocky shore offered easy access to the water and the summer sun had warmed it to just the right temperature. So blushing somewhat at being so daring Kyrio had stripped off everything and gone for a swim. The water was cool, the sun was warm and he'd had the whole lake to himself. After swimming around in several circles Kyrio had rolled onto his back and just floated in the water. 


He felt great, his thick, black hair fanned out behind his head, his somewhat rotund body gave him great buoyancy in the water. It was relaxing and so nice to be away from his desk and to revel in the warm welcome of nature. He'd lost track of how long he allowed himself to just float there in the water. He failed to notice the clouds blowing in from the west, the water retained its warmth quite well. He only noticed anything was amiss when droplets of cool water splattered across his upturned face.


Opening his eyes he'd been disoriented by the lack of blue sky. Sunlight still streamed through gaps in the cloud cover, warm light playing across his face. But those gaps were rapidly closing and a sheet of fine drizzle was washing across the lake. The outer drops now splattering Kyrio’s face as he'd struck out for shore.


It had been a mad scramble to grab his clothes as the rain thickened. The light warm drizzle swiftly giving way to a heavy, humid shower. There had been no chance to get dry, the young human had been forced to pull his clothes onto his wet body and squelch hurriedly off into the woods. That's where he was now, hurrying back up the trail toward the ridge at the top of the valley.


It wasn't going well, his feet kept slipping in the now wet loam and patches of slick mud. Twilight was falling beneath the canopy of trees, the gloom thickening as cold rain hit the sunbaked earth. The humidity level was soaring as the opposing temperatures mixed and mingled beneath the trees and the ground was starting to get saturated. As the rain was grew heavier, the leaves, loam and dirt of the slope was rapidly turning into mud. He slowed down, taking care now to place each foot carefully as the detritus of the forest floor shifted and slipped against the new layer of muck running down the hill due to the heavy rain.


He was doing ok until a hidden rock made him stumble, his left foot slipped and he toppled forward. Yelping he threw his hands out to catch himself and managed to clutch two handfuls of mulch that squelched between his fingers as he slid down the slope. Mud and mulched leaves squished against his legs, oozing up inside his shorts and coating his legs in a slick layer of mud as he bounced and slithered back down the slope. It was ridiculous, he couldn’t stop himself, his t-shirt was forced up around his armpits, bunching up to let mud slick his already wet chest as he careened down the slope.


To add to the ignoble manner of transport Kyrio bumped over the edge of a rocky drop and fell about four feet into a hollow in the hillside where he landed with a splat in a small pool of forest muck. Lying still for a moment the young human slowly levered himself up and onto his knees and tried futilely to brush some of the muck and bits of leaves off his stomach as he tugged his t-shirt back down. A sudden flash of light made him jump and look up into the sky as in the distance a rumble broached the sky, letting all know that the storm was only going to get worse.


Clambering back to his feet Kyrio looked around despondently, it was a good hour back home from here. Which meant climbing back up the hill which was now a veritable river of mud and slime as the heavy rainfall washed everything down toward the lack. Pushing back some of his lank, soaked black hair so it clung to the side of his neck Kyrio sighed despondently and turned to regard the gully he’d tumbled into. He’d circled around it on the way up earlier because it was just a hollow full of leaves and tumbled branches. His tumble over the edge however had dislodged the vines and branches covering the back wall and had revealed a small opening into a shallow cave. Glancing back at the now grey lake, its surface rippling under an onslaught of rain Kyrio shook his head and ducked into the cavern, pushing several straggling vines out of his way so he could slip inside. 


It was dry, it wasn’t raining and he was out of the mud as his trainers squelched against the stone floor. Kicking his shoes off the human moved deeper into the cave and crouched down. Outside the rain was growing heavier, lightning and thunder were becoming more frequent as the storm front travelled closer. The pleasant summer afternoon had been washed away in torrential rain but at least he was dry now. Sighing heavily and settling down on the floor Kyrio leant back against the stone wall and squirmed as the rough surface dug through the fabric of his soaking wet t-shirt and made him squirm. Sitting up Kyrio twisted around then frowned, in the gloom it looked like the rear wall of the cavern was covered in writing.


Leaning forward for a closer look he pressed his hand to the rough surface and trailed his fingers across the rock, following the curving lines and jagged accents. A flash of lightning illuminated the wall, giving Kyrio a momentary glimpse of what was there. It was writing, a strange mix of runes and hieroglyphs. It was badly worn, but beneath his fingers in the dark he could trace the shapes of the words. They were arranged in circular groupings connected by triangular frames. Running his hands across them Kyrio traced them to the centre and jumped as the rock moved beneath his fingers. Leaning forwards, squinting in the gloom of the cave the human tried to make out what he’d found. Probing it with his fingers just made the stone shift and wobble and then he pressed a little bit too hard and it sank into the wall. 

There was a deep earthy grinding sound, a rumble that made the stone floor beneath his knees tremble. Then the whole thing dropped away, screaming Kyrio pitched forwards, falling flat on his belly as the wall swung open and he plunged head first down an ancient stone chute. Screaming Kyrio struggled, squirmed and shifted about trying to slow his plunge but his wet, mud smeared body made it almost impossible to slow himself. The stone was surprisingly smooth, it felt polished against his fingertips as he scrabbled against the walls and floor to try and stop himself. All he managed to do was flip himself onto his back as he dropped screaming into the darkness.


-0-


Opening his eyes slowly Kyrio groaned and lifted a hand to his head, he’d hit the ground really hard and blacked out. He wasn’t sure for how long but his skin was cold and clammy so it had been long enough for him to cool down a bit. Though the mud coating his legs still felt slick and sticky as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. His legs scraped across a rock floor and as he looked around and staggered to his feet.


The hole he’d fallen out was out of reach, a blank black hole ten feet above his head in the ceiling. He was lucky he hadn’t broken anything when he fell out of it. His eyes were soon drawn back to the room he’d landed in, it was a long corridor, waist high stanchions lined the path, each one carved into a reptilian head, the open mouth and eyes glowing with a flickering, pale green flame. Slowly moving forward Kyrio stared at the carvings illuminated by light, the walls showed some sort of jungle scene with mountains in the distance. Stepping forward, trainers squelching Kyrio walked slowly forward, he didn’t have anywhere else to go but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the fresco.


Looming out of the jungle were dinosaurs of all sorts, big brontosaurus looming above the canopy, smaller raptors and medium sized dinosaurs like the triceratops. The bass reliefs were amazingly well kept, old but not weathered or worn, sheltered in this underground space. Drawing close to the end of the corridor Kyrio tilted his head back and stared from side to side as the fresco changed, the stone carving of jungle petered out, replaced by tall, blocky buildings. They transitioned into elegant curving towers and domes, city populated by smaller dinosaur like creatures walking on their hind legs across towers and along streets and then the corridor ended at a large set of double doors.


The stone had been carved into a magnificent fresco, the steps of some fabled, land before time city. Columned walks and windows rising up into the sky whilst a beautiful relief of two of the dinosaur creatures stood on the steps, looking out, stone carved eyes staring directly into his face, hands raised as if in greeting. Shaking his head in disbelief Kyrio reached out a hand to touch the door, letting his fingers walk across the stone. It was impossibly old yet also it couldn’t exist. The suggestions of this mural were implausible and ridiculous, it must have been built as some sort of joke or fantasy for some rich guy. 


The young human jumped as the door shifted under his touch, a crack appeared down the centre as they swung backwards, revealing a dark cavernous room beyond. They were silent, swinging all the way back without a scrape or rumble just a gentle swish of displaced air. Taking a deep breath Kyrio nervously moved forwards, winching at the way his feet squelched and left muddy footprints in his wake. It felt sacrilegious to be walking in such a place whilst he was such a mess of mud and muck. He couldn’t stop himself though, he wanted to see what was beyond, where it led and he wasn’t disappointed.


Almost as soon as he was inside lights started to flicker on, green gas mantles set inside fantastic wall sconces carved in the shape of reptilian heads. What they revealed however took Kyrio’s breath away; the floor was stone, smooth and polished albeit covered in a layer of dust. There were workbenches of stone with metal surfaces around the edge of the room and rack with peculiar tools, metal and rubber against one wall. It looked like something you’d seen in a modern laboratory. The centre of the room however was dominated by a massive metal mushroom shaped dome from which rose a column of rock and crystal.


“What is this place,” Kyrio whispered to himself, walking in a half daze toward the centre. A soft purple haze started flooding the interior of the column, coiling up behind the crystal, adding to the overall illumination of the chamber.


“সংবেদী সত্ত্বা সনাক্ত”


The voice was deep, gravelly and came without warning from nowhere making Kyrio jump. He looked around wildly but there was no one there and he yelled as a strange pink hued light stabbed out of the central column and started to sweep up and down across his body.


“স্ক্যানিং শুরু, ডিএনএ, ভিত্তিক পোড়ো - সামঞ্জস্যপূর্ণ”


The words were nonsense but worrying and the strange light made Kyrio’s flesh tingle in an uncomfortable way. Turning away he bolted for the door, and got three steps before something yanked his feet off the ground. The light had changed, becoming thick, like treacle that pulled and tugged on his body, lifting him into the air and dragging him back across the chamber.


“লক্ষ্য ধরা, ধারণকারী”


“Let me go,” Kyrio shouted, squirming as the weird light pulled him deeper into the room, swinging him around the central column, “Stop it, please,” he squirmed, wriggling back and forth in an attempt to wriggle free. The light wasn’t quite solid but somehow pressed back against his limbs, stretching, constricting, pushing back and lifting him. It felt so strange, peculiar, unnatural and nothing Kyrio could do would let him shift free.


The light dimmed suddenly, the human dropped through the air and thumped into place atop a large metal circle built into the floor. Kyrio immediately scrambled to try and get off the circle. He was too slow however, a wall of crystal shot up out of the floor at alarming speeds. It formed a clear walled cylindrical prison, four feet wide with no gaps or openings as the crystal melded to the ceiling.

Hammering on the glass Kyrio tried to smash free but all he managed to do was bruise his hand. The crystalline glass didn’t even vibrate or move under his blows, it just made a dull thumping sound. 


“সংবেদনশীল নমুনা পরিষ্কার করা”


The voice rumbled again, muffled now by the glass walls of his prison. Kyrio knelt up and shouted, “Stop, hey listen to me… what are you doing?”


Kyrio’s protests came to an abrupt halt as a torrent of water suddenly cascaded out of vents in the ceiling. It was cold, perishingly so and the human’s shocked gasp turned into a spluttering coughing fit as he inhaled some of the water. Awkwardly climbing to his feet Kyrio raised one arm to hammer on the crystal walls of his prison but froze as he saw a change coming over the water. It was no longer clear, darkening with a peculiar green tint that left a slimy residue over his clothes, skin and hair. Running his hands through his thick black hair he grimaced at the slimy sensation filling it then froze as he noticed his t-shirt was unravelling.


The green slime was eating the fabric, causing it to break down into a thick sticky slime that was then washed off his skin. The same was happening to his shorts and as he shuffled about and shouted in alarm for it to stop his trainers squelched one last time and broke apart. Slime oozed between his toes, squished unpleasantly along the underside of his foot and then started to wash away as the torrent of water increased.


Rubbing his hands over his suddenly bare torso and then down along his legs Kyrio stood frozen in disbelief as the slimy remnants of his clothes were absorbed through the metal plate that covered the floor of his prison. Crouching down he pressed his fingers against it, probing for a way through but to his hands it was solid, cold metal. Yet water, the strange slime it sank through the floor, draining away so nothing was left behind.


Once the last of his clothing was gone and he was now quite, quite naked the voice outside said something else. He couldn’t hear it properly over the torrential downpour of cold water. Kyrio soon felt the change however as the temperature of the water increased along with the pressure. It was like being pounded by a sander, the raindrops were now so fine, hot and rapid it felt like they were scouring his skin. Closing his eyes and huddling at the bottom of the tube Kyrio cried out in fear as the weird, ancient technological device scoured his body.


When the water cut off it came as a shock, into the eerie silence came a low hum as the last of the water drained away around his feet. Falling backwards onto his rump the young human stared at his arms and legs. His skin was perfectly smooth, all of his body hair was gone, scoured away by the strange chemicals and the scouring flood. His skin was soft and smooth and perfectly hairless, reaching up with one hand he rubbed his fingers across his now bald scalp, feeling the peculiar and unnatural sensation of bare skin under his fingers.


This was so wrong, he had to get out, but for now all he could do was sit there and let his wet skin dry as the tube hummed and was flooded with warm air. Over several long minutes water evaporated from his skin leaving him perfectly dry yet strangely no condensation gathered. The warm air blowing over him was being sucked out through the vents in the stone ceiling that had previously let the water in. It drained out all the humidity, leaving the air crisp, sterile and and perfectly regulated. 
“সংগৃহীত নমুনা - ডিএনএ রেমোডুলেশন কম্পাইল”


The voice boomed out and Kyrio shivered and dropped his head so it was resting on his knees. Hunched up and shaking from his ordeal the human didn’t want to see what would happen next. Screwing his eyes shut tightly he rocked back and forth and waited for whatever was about to happen next.


For a long time nothing did seem to happen, there was just silence and the occasional hum or odd tone that made him lift his head and look around. Whatever the machine was doing however it didn’t speak again and after awhile Kyrio started to move around his prison again. Not that there was much space, he tapped on the glass, shouted at the ceiling, none of it garnered a response. Until without warning the machine suddenly boomed out a single phrase, Kyrio started, scrambling to his feet then screamed as the metal floor stabbed him in the base of both feet.


“রূপান্তর শুরু”


Jumping away from the spikes the human bounced off the crystal walls of his prison and collapsed into a sitting position as his legs went numb. The metal floor rippled and stabbed him in the arse and with a yell Kyrio struggled back to his feet, hopping from foot to foot in an attempt to avoid the new assault. Nothing else happened however after that second sharp needle prick to his rear. For a moment things were quiet again but then Kyrio noticed he was starting to sweat heavily, a patina formed across his beautiful, smooth skin as his body temperature shot up and he found himself panting. He really need a drink, he was so warm and his skin was starting to feel tight.


Lifting his arms Kyrio peered at his skin, he was covered in goosebumps that were growing wider, tighter… a strange mottling effect that spreading rapidly. His feet were already engulfed entirely and the patches of weird interlocking mottling were spreading across his legs and abdomen. It was uncomfortable and Kyrio was unable to stop himself as he started to scratch at his arms then his chest and stomach. It was horrible, his skin was growing tighter, harder, it felt like it was squishing, crushing, pressing down against his muscles and bones. Scratching harder he moved up to claw at his scalp and his ears and froze, the discomfort forgotten as his fingers played across his ear lobes.


They were shrinking, the skin was actually receding, his fingers scrabbled against them as his scalp crawled at the weird popping sensation of cartilage and skin just being pulled back into his toughening hide. Tugging at his earlobes Kyrio tried to pull them out like a maniac but the changes continued and he had to stop as suddenly his finger joints cramped up. 


Cursing at the pain Kyrio cried out as his fingers started to buck and warp, his toughening skin was spreading, shift, changing, forcing his fingers together, melding his four fingers into a set of three large flexible but bulky fingers as his thumb swelled in size. Kyrio screamed as his fingernails flexed and grew, he could feel them growing, shifting, twisting, becoming short, sharp white claws. The same painful growth was happening to his toes, claws pushing out but other changes to his feet were much more distracting.


The entire shape of his foot was changing, his ankles slithering, shifting, encouraging him to balance on the ball of his foot and his claws, to keep his heel up and use the stance of his knees and his new, thick tail to balance. Tail… tail he had a …. Twisting around Kyrio stared at the thickening, still growing appendage and staggered, falling to his knees as he lost his balance and cried out in alarm.


Lowering his head Kyrio stared at his chest and stomach, his skin had stopped stretching and was splitting into thousands upon thousands of smooth blue scales. A rich royal blue along his arms and legs and a lighter, paler cornflower shade across his underbelly. It spread down across his navel and the inside of his thighs, smooth human skin was gone, replaced by rough, rugged reptilian scales. It no longer felt tight and peculiar, it fit like a glove and felt as natural and normal as his skin once had. He was changing and whatever was doing this was also making sure his mind was adapting, accepting of the new shape and composition of his body. His clawed hands and feet no longer felt weird, they felt natural, normal, his brain was telling him this was how his hands, feet, scales should feel.


It actually felt weird to have his cock and balls hanging between his thighs. Tilting his head forward he stared at them. His new scales hadn't covered them, though his skin getting tight had forced him to get rock hard against his will. Kyrio was trying to work out what to do about them when suddenly his balls and the base of his cock were tugged inward. Kyrio squealed in shock as it felt like a hand had gripped them in a place no hand should be and was dragging them backwards into his body.


Falling sideways Kyrio writhed and squirmed as his balls were squeezed together and pulled inside his body. He gasped and went wide eyed as his cock followed, filling the smooth interior space his new body had created for them. He could feel his nuts settling into their new home. Reaching down to feel over he found his cock protruding from a slit that now filled the space between his legs.


Wrapping one hand about his cock he shivered, it was thick with purple skin like the new stripes in his scales. It still felt the same, if anything it was more tender than before. For just a moment Kyrio was sorely tempted to try it out, to see what it'd be like to cum like this. Leaning back against the crystal glass Kyrio moaned softly, fingers massaging the length of his new dick. It was twice the size he was used to and as it throbbed beneath his tough his hips bucked with an involuntary motion. This made the slit his genitals now lived in shift, the slick, moist lips of his new vent squeezed around his cock and Kyrio whined in delight.


It was so sensitive, leaning his head back against the glass, scaled body squirming, shifting he dug his shoulder blades in against the glass and stretched out his legs. Flexing and curling his new clawed toes the transforming human for a moment forgot his troubles and lost himself in the pleasure of what he was doing. Using his free hand he slipped his fingers into his vent, teasing his claws along the hidden base of his shaft. It felt good and as he slid his claw around inside he stroked the smooth bulges that where his nuts. All the the while he slid his hand up and down across the length of his cock, driving himself onward.


A new taugt feeling was spreading across his body, a tingling sensation of tightening anticipation centred on his crotch. Whining in delight Kyrio squirmed up onto his knees and leant forward, aiming his dick at the metal floor of the tube. With his fingers deep inside his new anatomy and new clawed hand pounding up and down the length of his shaft he couldn’t last long. The sensations were too new, too startling and with a sudden moan, a gasp Kyrio’s cock pulsed to life and spilt his seed all across the floor. It shot out of his dick, thick, slick, translucent with a pearl white sheen to it. It kept on coming, making him gasp and buck and twitch in delight. 
Eventually his new anatomy was spent, his cock started to soften and draw back inside its protective new home. Smiling dopily the human slumped down onto his elbows, chest heaving as he gulped down lungfuls of air to try and stil his beating heart. He watched with curious fascination as the sticky strands of his seed sank into the floor. He was quite sure the machine was  collecting the sample which made him blush.


Drawing down another shuddering breath Kyrio tried to steady himself. He needed a moment to rest, to recover but the changes were not done with him. Whatever process was orchestrating his change had paused to let new instincts and hormones drive him to orgasm. Now however it resumed shedding his humanity and simian instincts. Kyrio gasped as he felt his body starting to morph in a new way. 


Writhing and squirming Kyrio clapped his hands to his face as the weird changes engulfing his body hit him there. Beneath his newly scaled hands he felt his nose spreading out, flattening, melding into his upper lip as his face pushed forward. His skull was changing, it should have hurt like hell but it just felt… weird. Staring at his reflection in the crystal walls of his prison Kyrio watched as his familiar features melted away. He was left with a bulbous blue snout, two narrow slits for nostrils and no lips just a wide muzzle, long tapering pink tongue and brand new sharp fangs. 


Swaying gently, mind feeling overwhelmed by the confusing signals zinging along his nerves Kyrio watched his eyes change. Soft brown human eyes were replaced by piercing red irises and slitted, reptilian pupils. The way the world looked shifted with them, colours grew sharper, he could focus at different lengths. For a moment it was wrong, everything looked peculiar and then the world snapped back into focus and his brain told him that was normal, this was after all how his eyes worked. 


Shifting one of his legs; shivering at the way his scales felt against the smooth metal floor of the tube, Kyrio was preparing to try and stand back up when a prickly sensation sweeping across his scalp made him pause. He was growing hair… no not hair, lifting one hand, clawed fingers sliding through the new growth Kyrio smiled, a toothy reptilian smile. They were feathers, a soft, flexible inner core covered in fluffy black fronds. In moments they had grown thick enough and long enough to fall down around his shoulders. Raven black fronds with a blue tint that gleamed and curled in against the curve of his neck. From a distance it would look very much like long, luxurious black hair but as befitted a dinosaur of such magnificent lineage they were full, thick, beautiful feathers.


“Dinosaur…” Kyrio whispered the name, lifting himself up to his feet and running his hands down his scaled body. The word just sprang from his lips as he shifted and swayed on his feet, “I’m a Dinosaur, yes of course I am…”


Turning in a slow circle, tail swishing, shifting Kyrio tested his balance, bouncing lightly on his knees. He had the lithe, shifting balance of a raptor, combined with the stocky, solid build of one of the larger, slower breeds. It was a good body, solid, dependable, natural. Pausing for a moment to stare at his reflection, eyes focussing on it, blocking out the room beyond he ran a paw across his muzzle.


“Was… did I always look like… there was something else,” frowning Kyrio tried to hold onto the memories floating around his mind. Pink… with… hair and… shaking his head at the elusive memory he lost himself in looking over his body. It felt familiar and yet at the same time… his train of thought was interrupted by the facilities voice.


“রূপান্তর সম্পূর্ণ, অভিযোজন প্রস্তুত”


“What?”


“Depপরিদর্শন সিentaস্টেম syসtem…”


Thumping the side of his head and his ear holes the dinosaur turned and stared as a hatch opened in the ceiling and a visor dropped through it, attached to long wires.


“Please attach visor for orientation, welcome sir.”


The voice was clear, strong and familiar, without hesitating Kyrio took the visor and strapped it over his eyes, “Ok ready.”


“The light will flash three times, after the third pulse please keep your eyes open.”


Kyrio obeyed, silently counting the pulses and on the third one held his eyes open and stared into the dazzling light that pulsed down his optic nerves. Information flowed into his mind, sights, sound, memories, instructions on how to use Saurian technology. Relaxing his stance, tension flowed out of Kyrio’s mind as the confusion, elusive, half remembered notions of an ape body, of different muscle memory was overwritten. By the time the bases guardian operator told him to remove the visor Kyrio was feeling good.


Stretching he stepped off the metal platform that formed the base of the medical tube. Looking around at the dusty nature of the lab he stroked his chin then moved over to one of the control panels. First things first he needed some suitable saurian clothing, then he had to have a good think about what to do next. He couldn’t stay down here forever, but he had to approach the world cautiously, the apes who had evolved during the saurian’s absence were likely to be a problem. He’d most likely have to snatch some of them and see if the medical bay could do anything with them. If he gave enough of them saurian form and thoughts then they would be much better off.