Protector of the Forest

A beaver TF

"Crap!" Kyle yelled out as his head painfully met the ceiling of the truck as it bounced. "I must be hitting every rock and pothole on the road. This had better be worth it, or I will kill them." He continued to grumble to himself as the truck bounced its way along the dirt road deeper into the woods. After several hours of more driving and cursing, Kyle came upon a rusted and slightly bent metal signpost:

Warning!

No Hunting

No Cutting Trees

No Swimming without permission

Violators will be punished accordingly!

You have been warned!

"About time I finally got here!" He exclaimed. "They said it was twenty minutes from the signpost, and then I could find the good stuff!" Kyle continued right past the sign.

After twenty more minutes, the young would-be lumberjack seemed to find the spot he was looking for. The reddish truck came to a stop, and stopped rumbling. Kyle climbed out of the cab and looked around. It was a beautiful spot: There were plenty of trees everywhere, ranging from all kinds of deciduous to evergreen and spruce. A small river wound its way just a short distance from where Kyle stood, and an eagle cried out as it flew from its eerie.

"Now I can show everyone back at base that nothing bad will happen here!" He then walked around to the back of the truck, and, after pulling down the tailgate, began to pull out his equipment. "It almost seems a shame to cut anything down," he chuckled to himself as he put on the safety goggles and work gloves. Grabbing the chainsaw, Kyle walked into the thick trees, never knowing that he was being watched. Stopping at a rather large pine close to the river, he made the chainsaw roar to life, began to cut into the tree.

As he did, Kyle suddenly got the feeling that someone or something was watching, and wasn't happy with what he was doing. Pausing from the work, he looked around to see if there was anyone behind him. Not seeing anyone or anything around him, he turned around and went back to cutting the tree.

"Must just be my imagination," Kyle muttered as he did. Completing the first cut, he began working on the second to complete the wedge that would help bring the tree down. As the saw bit into the wood, the wind picked up, sending a chill that made Kyle shiver. Intent on his work, though, Kyle paid no attention and never noticed the changes his body had begun to go through.......

First, his ears had begun to shift, moving to the top of his head to be hidden by his shaggy, unruly brown hair. Inching up the side of his head, they became smaller and rounder. His incisors had also begun to change, slowly becoming larger and a more brownish-orange color. With these first few changes, his senses became more sensitive as well. Suddenly, the roaring of the chainsaw seemed louder than usual. Quickly, he brought it out of the tree and turned it off, rubbing his head where his ears used to be with one gloved hand.

"Ah, crap, I forgot to grab the ear protectors," Kyle rebuked himself as he turned to go back to his truck, leaving the chainsaw on the ground by the tree. Absentmindedly, he began scratching his chest with his other hand. Before he took two steps, it hit him: his ears weren't where they were supposed to be. "What'th happened to my ear'th?" Bringing both hands to his head, he began exploring the sides, trying to find it. It wasn't long before he found them hidden in his hair at the top of his head.

"How'd they get up there," Kyle wondered before it hit him as to how strange his voice had sounded. Quickly tearing off both gloves, he brought his hands to his mouth. His whole face seemed to stretch forward to meet them. The itch he had been scratching on his chest quickly spread over his entire body. Taking off his shirt brought immediate relief, which was short lived when he looked down. His entire body seemed to be covered in brown hair. Kyle watched in horror as his hands changed, becoming black and leathery. The fingers shifted, becoming much different in shape and function.

Kyle's attention was brought to the fact that he was now shrinking by the fact that his pants had begun to slip from his waist. Quickly, he managed to grab hold of them with his changed hands that were now more paws than anything. Feeling something behind him trying to push the enlarging pants down, Kyle brought a hand to feel the area, only to be shocked when he felt a tail covered in what felt like scales growing.

"I need to get help," he managed to get the words out of his changed mouth, his voice now higher pitched and beast-like. Turning, Kyle tried to get back to his truck, but tripped on his baggy pants and boots that now completely engulfed his legs and feet, falling to meet the ground with his face. Catching himself with his new front paws, his body rounded out as it continued to shrink down. Kyle was terrified, yet strangely interested as his limbs proportioned themselves accordingly for his new body.

Finally, after minutes that seemed more like an eternity, the changing stopped. Slowly, Kyle crawled out of his now enormous pants on all four paws. Standing up on his hind paws, he instinctually used his tail to help prop himself up, and began exploring his new body. After all, he wanted to find out what he had become.

His new front paws, he discovered, worked in a somewhat similar fashion that his hands had previously done. They were now mostly only good for grasping and holding food and wood. Moving downward, Kyle was amazed at the sight of his feet- hind paws. They were no longer feet. They were long and flat, especially the toes. They seemed more triangular in shape. Kyle was also a little startled to see that there was webbing between the toes. Whatever I am now, I'm definitely built for swimming, he thought to himself.

Kyle then brought his attention to the new appendage growing behind him. Turning around as much as he could, Kyle started examining his tail. It was large and flat, covered in small, black scales. Kyle had never held any interest in learning about wild life, but even he couldn't miss what his tail told his eyes. Somehow, he had been turned into a beaver.

Kyle started at a sudden noise. He began to panic-after all, he was a human turned into an animal. He had no idea how beavers acted, or survived for that matter. Looking to where he had heard the noise, he sniffed the air. A strange figure stepped out of the forest, and walked up to the new beaver. Not knowing who or what it was, Kyle was ready to run as fast as his short new legs could carry him. The only problems with that idea were that he neither knew where to go, or how to walk on all fours, let alone run. Paralyzed with fear and uncertainty, Kyle just stood there, waiting to see what else could happen.

Walking up to the former human, the figure just stood there, arms folded, staring down at the beaver. Kyle looked up at the looming figure. As a human, he would have only come up to Kyle's knees. The strange, short man wore a deep green jacket, with what looked like a floppy felt cap. He had bright red hair that stuck out everywhere, with a big bushy mustache the exact same shade of red. The scowl on his face was enough to let Kyle know he was in bigger trouble than he thought-if that were even possible.

"So you're the one trying to cut down our trees, huh?" The dwarf asked to the rodent. The only sound Kyle made was a small, scared squeak. "Well, maybe next time, you'll think twice before trying to desecrate a sacred forest." Before Kyle could do anything, the dwarf reached down and picked up the beaver. The large rodent squirmed to get away before a strange wave of magic hit him, this time mentally. It felt like the dwarf was shifting through Kyle's memories to get a picture of who he had been before.

"So, Kyle, you used to be a lumberjack," The dwarf stated as he finished looking through Kyle's mind. "This is a fitting punishment for you, then. Since you made your living cutting trees as a human, as a beast you will need to in order to survive. Don't worry, though," he continued. "You may eventually return to your original form, once you serve your time. That will be entirely up to the Lady who resides and protects this forest. If you do, make sure to pay heed to the warnings signs posted. Now, just one more thing to do......." With that, the dwarf placed a finger on Kyle's forehead, and a small spark of magic flowed once again through Kyle's mind. Everything that made him human-his memories, his thoughts, his very humanity-were being taken from him. Soon, the only thing Kyle remembered from his past life was his name. Everything else was gone, replaced by the instincts and thoughts of a simple animal.

Placing the beaver on the ground, the dwarf stood over it and smiled as it began grooming itself. "You probably can't understand me anymore, but I would feel better telling you this anyway. You no longer have the mental capacity of a human. The only thing you have left is your name. The memories aren't gone; they're only sealed away where you can't reach them. If the good Lady decides the time has come, they will be returned. Until then, you will live a long life here in the woods." The beaver, not comprehending what it was being told, finished grooming. Sniffing the air, the beaver went over to the tree that he had begun cutting as a human, and got to work finishing the job. He had a lot of work to do, after all, in order to build a dam and lodge to survive.

The dwarf stood and watched for a few minutes before turning around and disappearing into the woods. The Lady would want a full report on the incident. Deep down, he hoped everything would work out for the beaver. Not that the Lady would let any harm come to him, but it was just how the dwarf was.

Bouncing along the path, the Jeep splashed into a puddle, splattering the Forest Service emblem on the side with mud. The driver followed the track through the rain and up past the warning sign into the woods. While Peter wasn't entirely sure what was in that area of the forest, he'd had enough experience to know that there was some truth to the stories he'd heard. He'd been the one to post the warning sign he'd just passed, hoping that would help keep people out. And it did, for the most part. There were always those few that were determined to prove something.

Peter slowed the vehicle down as he approached the clearing. Normally, he avoided coming to this part of the forest. It always felt like there was something there, a presence or a power, watching his every action. This time, however, he had no choice. A young lumberjack named Kyle had come into this section on a dare, and had never come back out. It had been almost three weeks, and there was still no sign of him. So Peter was being sent to find out anything he could.

The Jeep came to a stop as Peter came out into the clearing. Through the downpour, the red truck that apparently belonged to the missing lumberjack was still there. This meant that Kyle had either gotten lost, or met with some accident. Either was possible, given the stories about the area.

Parking the jeep, Peter got out and started investigating the truck. The tail gate was still down, and it was unlocked. The windows were down just a crack, but Peter was able to roll them up all the way. Looking through the cab only showed that Kyle only intended to come right back. The keys were missing, though.

Shutting the door, Peter began looking around the area. It wouldn't be easy to find anything, since Kyle had been missing for weeks already. The rain wasn't helping at all, either. By sheer luck, Peter began heading the same direction Kyle had that fateful day.

Slipping and sliding on the mud, Peter eventually made his way to the riverbank. He came to the river much sooner than expected, plunging one foot into the cold water. Lifting his now soaking foot from the water, Peter first thought that it was flooding, due to all the rain. After a quick glance around, however, showed it was because of a beaver in the area. Walking along the bank, Peter continued looking for signs of the lumberjack.

The ranger found what he was searching for, in an unexpected way. As he walked along the pond, his foot came in contact with one of Kyle's abandoned steel-toed boots. Looking down, Peter noticed what his hiking boot had dislodged from the mud. Bending down, he dug into the mud so he could pull it out and get a better look at it. After getting the mud off the boot, Peter pulled it out and was surprised to find the pile of clothes. Pulling the wallet out of the back pocket, Peter confirmed what he'd already suspected; the clothes were Kyle's. Still bending down, he looked around. It was then that Peter noticed the chainsaw, abandoned by a tree stump.

Going over to the stump, Peter found the rest of the lumberjack's equipment. None of it would likely work again. Looking at the stump, Peter noticed a strange thing: It looked like part of the tree had been originally cut by the chainsaw, but it had definitely been finished by a beaver. A chill ran over Peter that had nothing to do with the rain pouring down all around him.

Gathering everything he had found, Peter made his way back to his Jeep. He needed to make a report on what he'd found. And if what he suspected was true, it was all the more reason to get out of there as quick as possible. Placing the items in the trunk, Peter made his way to the front of the Jeep and made a quick exit. The whole time, he never noticed the beaver that had been curiously watching him from the safety of its dam.