By the time Lilac’s eyes reopened, she was unimaginably sore. Even before she had allowed herself to move she could feel the tenderness throughout every muscle, as through they had been torn and reshaped and torn again. Lifting her arm felt like a war onto herself as bones and joints audibly creaked. With a deep groan, she sat herself up. As her eyes roamed wall-to-wall, the reality hit her with the full force of the events that transpired the last time she were conscious. Her eyes snapped down to her wrists and ankles to find them no longer shackled, and the bars framing her bed had lowered. She noticed a dark bruise forming under the thinner fur from where the metal had dug into her. It faintly stung. As her heart rate increased she felt her breath quicken before a small voice chimed from across the room. 

   “You’re awake.” Teddy mumbled. Her scrunched body portrayed she’d slept in the hospital chair in an uncomfortable position. Her blue eyes opened lazily before standing up to stretch. She sauntered to the bedside before touching a slender hand over Lilac’s massive forearm. “Clench your wrist for me.”

   Hesitantly, Lilac did. She couldn’t hide the wince as she repeated the motion as asked. 

   “Fascinating.” Teddy mused.

   Lilac’s worried gaze prodded for clarity as Teddy gave her some clothes from off the counter. She popped a brief smile attempting to ease the akita woman. “It’s your healing abilities… most wouldn’t be off sedatives by now but you’re already able to walk, I assume. That’s good.”

   Lilac’s face filled with skepticism as she eyed the clothes handed to her. Surely the pain she felt couldn’t be considered an impressive recovery by any means. “How long was I out?” Her voice was hoarse and dry. 

   “Mm, About 3 days.” The smaller woman yawned. She threw a soft smile over her shoulder despite the incredulous look that spread across Lilac’s face. 

   “I’ll grab your discharge paperwork. Take a bit and figure out how to walk again.” With a wink, Teddy vanished through the sliding glass doorway.

   Figure- figure out how to…? Lilac’s mind rattled; the unfamiliarity of the situation forced her focus to the instructions given to her. 

   With what felt like the majority of her strength, she pushed herself up. The fatigue in her body weighed her down like anchors. Every muscle felt as if it were filled with loose sand. The bed seemed to have lost all buoyancy and compressed to a thin pad beneath her increased mass. Rubbing her hands up her tender legs revealed her calves to be taut and brawny. Tilting back, she allowed her hands to roam beneath her hospital gown to her stomach and down each arm. Despite the layer of plushness that she associated with herself, every inch of her body had developed a sturdy underlayer of muscle. As she moved, she found a newfound heft that weighed her down as she took several unsteady steps forward. Her weighty curled tail now lightly grazed the floor, counter balancing her upper body. If they weren't on ground level, she would almost worry she’d fall straight through the floor. In approaching the doorway, her new height left almost tall enough to graze the top of it.

   A misstep shocked a nerve that shop pain straight up her back. Her breathing was uneven and she felt tears sting in her eyes as the air was pushed from her lungs. The change left her uneasy, having gained an additional 5 or so inches in height, and a few degrees of thickness all around. Being an akita mix meant that, even as a pup, she was always on the larger size. But despite her being smaller than her brothers, she was always just as strong. 

   Then again, her family was another matter all together. What would they think? What would they say?

   Would they still love her?

   “I didn’t even know what I was going to tell them before this happened. God, what am I going to do when the lease is up? What can I even say to them?” she questioned herself.

   She shook her head roughly as the thoughts piled up, knowing worrying it would easily throw her into an anxious fit. She could already feel her hands shaking and she needed to get dressed. 

   Looking at the clothes Teddy had left made her nauseous. They were easily 3 sizes larger than the ripped ones she’d arrived in. For a long moment, she just held them up and stared at them.   

   Her hands started to tremble as she disrobed. She stole a glance at the discarded clothes the staff likely cut off her body sometime in her sleep. A snapped bra. A shredded shirt, pants torn straight down the seam.

 

   ...I’m bigger now. 

 

   She slid her arms through the sleeves. Lightly catching on several band aids from where they had repeatedly sedated her. 

 

   It almost wasn’t enough.

 

   She slipped into gray sweats, a black tee, and a sports bra she was surprised she could fill. The granted clothes were slightly baggy on her. Probably preparing for the inevitable, the sudden growth that the mutation was most synonymous with. She’d never met a werewolf, but what she heard was never kind. They were people to be avoided, they were monsters to be feared. They were the reason you lock your doors at night.

 

   They don’t know why I’m like this. 

 

   Her tears flowed freely as her gaze was transfixed on a blank spot on the wall. Her hands continued to move as her thoughts continued to eat her alive.

 

I could hurt someone.

 

   Her jaw clenched until it ached. She grabbed onto her arm like a lifeline.

 

   I could kill someone.

 

   Her grip tightened; claws digging into her arm. The pain being the only thing grounding her ever spiraling thoughts. Her body twitched as she began to fold in on herself. Arms holding tight into themselves letting her grip dig further into her biceps.  

 

   I’m a mons-

 

   The feeing of a hand on her arm jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see Teddy gazing up at her. Lilac shook her head and ran a hand over her face, momentarily shocked to feel she’d been crying. Wordlessly trembling, she grabbed for some sort of assurance to tell the smaller woman but couldn’t find the words. Instead she let her gaze drop as heavy thoughts weighed on her. 

   Teddy’s touch fell away, rummaging though a paper bag. “Nurses are a little miffed at me for leaving you in here alone. Heh, but then again when aren’t they?” She laughed before handing Lilac a large pill bottle. “Take two. They’ll help you relax.”

   Lilac grimaced before swallowing the pills dry. 

   “Ready to go? They have a few tests to run before we head out.” Teddy asked, taking a moment to pop her back.

   “N-now? Where? Shouldn’t I have like, I don’t know. Security or…” The Akita woman rubbed her wrists over the bruise from her brief imprisonment, too ashamed to speak recap the circumstances.

   “This entire facility’s staff are trained professionals including yours truly.” She leaned in and smiled as she spoke.

"I suppose...I remember something about getting a specialist for my case? Was that going to happen today?" The Akita mumbled full of jitters.

Teddy paused as automatic doors slid open, cocking her head let her bent ears sway to the side. "You're looking at her. As of today I'm officially your handler." 

With a stunned expression Lilac followed, briefly noting the horrendous pain that had wracked her body not moments prior had all but vanished.