Warmup Scene: Kit’s Birthday Story

“Happy Birthday Kit! I wanted to get you something a little special this year. Something I was pretty sure you wouldn’t already have,” Alkali said, holding out a small box in both hands. Kit looked at it incredulously, wrapped in plain red paper with no bow or tag. Alkali wasn’t the sort of kangaroo to give a gift without some strings attached to it. Not literal strings of course; metaphorical strings that usually led to shenanigans.

Still, Kit took the box and unwrapped it. “Aww, thanks roo. It’s a… necklace?” he said, holding the small pendant up by the chain. It looked like a small meerkat carved in wood, painted with browns and yellows. Whoever made it clearly put in a lot of time and effort to the details. Kit could practically make out strands of fur and claws at the end of its paws. It took him a second to notice one other detail somewhat out of place on the pendant. The meerkat looked like it had something around its neck. A tiny rectangle hanging there, painted in a distinctive grey. With red buttons? That sure looked a whole lot like an NES controller.

Oh. So that’s what Alkali had planned.

Kit’s hand began to change, looking less like a fox paw by the second. It wasn’t immediate but seemed to be speeding up once Kit noticed the change. His claws receded and fur color shifted, tan fur shooting across his arm like wildfire. And everywhere it passed his arm seemed to get thinner, more gangly. Once it reached his chest his blue shirt felt looser across his torso, like it was a size too big. It was all happening so fast that Kit didn’t have time to ask Alkali to stop it. His pointed muzzle rounded off, and his nose began to take up more real estate at the end of it. He shook his head, staring down at the new muzz while working his tongue across the new shape of his teeth. Weird.

Even weirder was the feeling of his legs getting stumpier. Meerkats weren’t known for having long gangly legs after all. Kit could feel his perspective shift downward by a good foot or so. His feet struggled to keep up with the change, going from a full fox paw to long, three-toed meerkat stompers. Good thing he wasn’t in the habit of wearing shoes or those toes would have burst right out the front. The fluff on his tail shrank away back toward his skin, shorter meerkat hair taking its place. And to top it all off, the base of his tail thickened. Getting heavier and heavier, until it couldn’t stay up in the air. It dragged across the floor as it lengthened out further and further, coming to a tip at the end.

Looking over his body Kit quirked an eyebrow. He’d gone from fox to meerkat in less than a minute, but he couldn’t help but feel like something was… missing.

“Aww. What the heck, you’re still the same height? The guy that sold me that said you’d become a meerkat. I just assumed you’d shrink too,” Alkali said, furrowing his brows. Ahh, that was what was wrong. Kit looked himself over and saw his blue, flame-patterned shirt still fitting just fine on his shoulders. Maybe a little looser than normal but it didn’t seem like all that much had changed. His pants didn’t fit properly anymore now, what with the change in leg length and shape. But he wasn’t caught in a pile of his own clothes, swimming around in fabric.

He readjusted his NES necklace on his neck now that it was a little looser. “Well, thanks for the gift anyway Alkali. Even if it wasn’t everything you wanted to do. I guess,” Kit chuckled.

But Alkali simply pulled out a Nintendo Zapper from behind his back. Wait, that was his zapper, not Alkali’s. The meerkat patted down his pocket looking for his gadget only to find it missing. Kit’s new fur stood on end. “Nah, I intend to see your birthday gift all the way through. So, big or small?” the kangaroo asked with a devious grin.