The journalist looked on in horror as they watched the snakified figure inch toward them in the dark. It crouched low on all fours, twice as large as any of the grumpuses that inhabited the island.
They were cornered against the cliff face, their eyes darting around to map out an escape. That is, until they noticed the familiar face upon the long, twisting neck of the beast that stalked before them.
The moonlight glinted on goggle lenses as what the journalist assumed was Floofty observed them, their tusks, now turned into long, protruding banoppers, brushed against their body.
"You still haven't changed any, have you?" Floofty's voice was surprisingly unchanged.
The journalist shook their head, trying to keep their calm. At least Floofty still had their mind... if that really meant anything in the first place.
"What are you doing out here so late? Aren't you usually asleep?" Floofty asked, backing away a little bit to sit down in the grass.
The fur on the back of the journalist's neck lowered a little bit. "I was actually out here looking for you. Triffany was worrying about you, and Gramble said he hasn't seen you in a few days." They opted to leave out the detail that Gramble seemed so much more relaxed now that Floofty was gone. In fact, most of the others were.
"I've merely been experimenting, as I do." Floofty snipped, observing their cocomite claws. "I've been gone for weeks at a time without a fuss, why are they worried this time?"
"You just seemed... different." The journalist tried to remember Triffany's exact words. "You've snakified a lot more than the others, before you left, and-"
"And?" Floofty's head shot up abruptly, their full attention now on the journalist.
"We're just concerned that it's changed you too much." The journalist hoped the use of the word 'we' might ease them.
Their eyes, glinting in the moonlight, seemed to roll with disgust. "You cowards and your feelings. You need to focus on the facts!" They were back on their feet, and they turned and began to climb up a tree. "Snakification has proven to be nothing but useful. It's medicinal properties are phenomenal, and will advance medical science by centuries! It could regrow missing limbs, cure cancer, extend life into immortality, and in general, greatly improve the quality of life."
They now sat on one of the tree's topmost branches, the whole thing beginning to bend at the trunk under the creature's weight. Leaves showered down as they leapt from the tree to the cliff above and prowled around. "Look at how much more agile I am, how much stronger and faster I am. Floofty before could never move like this, climb like this, jump like this..."
Floofty began climbing down the side of the cliff again, face first, their claws effortlessly gripping the rock face without sliding an inch. "The bugsnax have powerful qualities that we could take for our own. We are what we eat after all, and if you want me to turn back into a regular old grumpus, well..."
The journalist's fur stood on end and they bolted forward while the area in front of them was clear. But Floofty was too quick and darted in front of them, blocking their escape once more. They backed the journalist up against the cliff, placing a claw beneath the journalists chin and raising their gaze up to their own.
"...we have a bit of a predicament here, don't we?"
