A pounding head ache assaulted me, making my fore head and temples throb with pain. A strange Whirling noise that crescendoes and decrescendoes seemed to emanate from inside me, feeling similar to as though I had just heard something very loud and my ears were now ringing, only they weren't ringing at all. I couldn't move at all, but slowly, as my head ache dissipated I regained feeling in my body, starting at the tips of my fingers, toes, and nose. My entirety felt unnaturally warm, although it didn't feel like a fever. I soon realized I was covered in something soft from head to toe. I couldn't really move yet though or even open my eyes, so I couldn't see or touch whatever it was. All I could do was wait, so I sat in an imagined body in an imaginary white room in my mind.

After what seemed like an eternity, the numbing warmness that engulfed me began to ebb away, or...at least the numb feeling did. What was it that I was covered in?

"Deven! Time to wake up my dear boy!", yelled a voice directly into my ear.

The abrupt and deafening voice jarred me awake, my eyes snapping open and my entire body quivered violently, making it feel like I just fell off a cliff onto my back. I relaxed when I saw Dr. Helix looming over me, falling back against the table with a long sigh. His face was again expressionless, his goggles hiding his eyes.

"Excellent, you're awake. Tell me, what is your name?", asked Dr. Helix.

I opened my eyes again, looking at him like there were centipedes crawling out his ears.

"Uh, Deven? I already told you my name!", I exclaimed, my face contort with confusion.

"Oh, well I know that! I just needed to make sure there wasn't any brain damage. Although you do seem to be quite unaware of anything really."

"Unaware? What the heck are you talking about? I'm fully awake thanks to you yelling in my ear.", I explained, my hand drifting to my ear and rubbing the inside that was still ringing a little.

"Then how come you haven't noticed the change in your voice an body yet?", he said with a grin.

Still, I looked at him confused like an idiot, but my eyes suddenly widened as I realized what he meant. My eyes went cross eyed when I looked down at the short snout the protruded from my face, covered in a thin layer of golden fur and topped with a black and pink nose embedded in the front. I reach up feeling my snout, which tickles as my small fingers run along my fur. I breath in deeply, smelling everything with a much stronger sense than before. The odors of bitter iron from blood, a slightly decaying corpse, and... deodorant. Thank God for the deodorant, which I assume is coming from Dr. Helix. I look down at my new body, admiring myself. My feet are clawed paws now, attached to very stumpy legs and topped with huge hips that bulge out from my waist, but this is simply because of how muscular they are...at least for a chipmunk, they're muscular. My entire chest and stomach is covered in soft, golden fur, just like my face, while the rest of my fur is dark brown. Between my legs gently sways a short, bushy tail. The new appendage is very awkward, like my brain sees it as a parasite that doesn't belong there, but at the same time feels perfectly suited for me. Concentrating, I manage to wag my tail back and forth a bit. Controlling it is just as awkward, but I don't care. I wouldn't be complete without it. I look up at Dr. Helix, eager to hear my voice again, but don't exactly want to say something stupid like 'testing one two three'.

"Uhhh, hi...", I say, triggering the biggest smile I'd ever had my whole life.

I began to bust out laughing, too overwhelmed by what has happened to me. My cheeks were starting to burn as the muscles were strained from my massive smile and uncontrollable laughter. Dr. Helix patiently watches me, waiting for me to recollect myself and calm down, which I manage to do after a minute or two.

"I see you are very pleased with my work! Would you like to see your old body before it is dumped into the incinerator?", asked Dr. Helix.

"An incinerator?! Uhhh, no thanks. I'd...rather just move on.", I said, my mind flooding with questions as to how this was possible "wait, where are my clothes and belongings?"

"That was already taken care of. You will find them in the return box up at the top of the main elevator. I even took the liberty of reshaping and condensing your clothes for you. You're gonna need them, since you are, in fact indecent right now."

I didn't need to look down to know what he meant. I was suddenly flushed with embarrassment again.

"Um, anyways! H-how exactly did you manage to do this to me?", I asked, covering myself up with my paws.

Dr. Helix sighed."Most of it is a secret I do not ever plan on revealing to the public. I have possession of the most dangerous thing in existence I-I have to say thing because it has only one name, no category existing element, or anything. I'll only say that it's what allows me to make living, intelligent tissue without growing it. Besides that, the brain transplant was possible with the use of a molecular condenser, which is a machine I designed that can compact an object or expand it at my will. That's how your brain even fits inside your new body. Oh, I won't bore you with the details, so how do you feel so far?"

I pondered his question for a moment, knowing a straight up 'fine' wouldn't satisfy him.

"Well, I can hear, feel, talk, and see normally so far. I don't know about taste though. Um, do animal tongues taste differently than humans?", I asked.

"Actually, that is a human tongue! It's just smaller. Same as your eyes and organs while your muscles are condensed. It's just placed in a different body with a different bone structure and skin. So, everything will taste the same. Well, food might taste stronger though due to your animistic senses."

"So...I have denser muscles?"

"Yep. In fact, you at this moment are just as strong as an average human. I could whip up some condensed weights for you if you'd like so they aren't to big if you plan to work out!"

We both laughed, him in his human voice, while mine could have broken a glass window. Although, it was a little less squeaky and high pitched than I had expected. But then again, it could have never been like that at all! That whole high pitched voice idea could have been irrelevant to reality from the start, but it turns out it isn't after all.

Soon after, he escorted me out of the room, through the barrier of shadows, which I have yet to figure out what is, and through the code activated sliding doors. We shook hand and paw before parting ways, him back into his lab, and me bounding up the steel stairwell, two steps at a time. I was greatly surprised by how energetic I was. I never ran out of breath as I ran back into the power room and into the corridor I'd neglected to follow the tour group into before.

I couldn't wait to see the look on my parents' faces when they got a load of the new me.