Shadow Work (vignette) (Patreon)

Dave felt foolish.  He was alone in the clearing, and his heart thundered in his chest, but there was nothing about the picturesque afternoon that should have been remotely anxiety-inducing.  The sun was bright, the early autumn air was warm yet unoppressive, the sky was a cloudless cerulean overhead, and birds cheerfully chirped as they flitted through the tall grasses and wildflowers that lined the rugged, rolling path in a rainbow patchwork.  The wiry young man’s heart raced and his lungs burned from a pleasant trail run, not from any sort of chase or terrified flight.

Yet Dave couldn’t shake the feeling that something had gone wrong.  As he stood in the broad meadow, his bare, toned chest glistening with sweat, the lean brunette had the sensation of unseen eyes on him.  He was certain that he was alone, he hardly ever encountered anyone else on the isolated trail, but when he closed his eyes it was as if someone stood directly behind him.  He’d felt it as soon as the trail had split from its usual course.  A series of downed trees and what appeared to be a landslide at the base of the ridge had forced him on a detour, carrying him through the swamp that he normally trotted above.

Dave had been surprised to see that there was a trail at all.  He’d never noticed it on any of his previous runs, but considering the overgrown, root-cluttered state it was easy to see how he’d missed it.  The narrow, winding path was little more than a game trail, carrying him over countless, moss-draped logs and weaving between the murky pools that peppered the small valley.  Skeletal trees erupted from the inky waters, their branches stretching like weathered limbs that seemed to reach for Dave as he hurried by.  Unlike the meadow, or even the rest of the bustling forest, it had been cold and quiet, the dappled sunlight stripped of its comforting warmth long before it reached his smooth, goose-bumped skin.

He didn’t know exactly when the pursuit began, only that, at some point, his pace had quickened considerably.  His racing heart had added fear as a fuel source, and it occurred to Dave that he was too scared to even look back.  He’d told himself in the moment that it was due to the treacherous footing, the path was slippery and uneven, not because something was hot on his heels.  There hadn’t been any sound other than his own frantic breath and equally frantic footfalls, but there also hadn’t been any recent storms or seismic events that would cause a stand of healthy trees to fall, or a stable hillside to collapse.  Dave had run the trail two days before, and nothing in the intervening forty eight hours suggested catastrophe on that scale.

He’d forced the thoughts from his mind and ran as fast as he could, his long, nimble legs pushed to their impressive limits.  He’d been a runner since high school, his tall, thin frame making him a natural at the sport.  Rock climbing had entered the picture during his college years, and while Dave was nowhere near “bulky”, nor was he “spindly”, his whipcord frame covered in ample definition.  He was sharp and solid, the angular features of his razor jaw and prominent cheekbones softened by a set of pouty lips and a head of wavy, mahogany hair.  Countless hours spent under the sun in nothing but a pair of small nylon shorts had left him with a bronze hue, a trait that was frequently on display as Dave hardly ever wore anything else unless he absolutely had to.  Now at twenty-five, he’d long since gotten over the embarrassment of his perky bubble and hefty cock being relatively exposed by the tissue-thin shorts, the minor exhibitionism actually giving him a thrill.  He liked it when guys checked him out.  He liked it when they stole a glance at the bulge between his muscled thighs, or when he’d look back over his shoulder to see a man staring at his bouncing rear as he bounded away.

But the eyes he’d felt in the swamp were different.  There was nothing arousing or exciting about the invisible, inescapable predator that easily kept pace, giving Dave the odd thought that he was being toyed with.  He’d never felt anything like it, so he had nothing to compare the experience to, but something deep in his bones, a primal instinct long forgotten amidst modern comforts, told him to run.  There was no fight, only flight, and now, well beyond the tree-line and back on the familiar trail, Dave couldn’t help but think it had all been in vain.  An icy dread lingered, a head-to-toe tingling as if the countless spider webs he’d run through still not only clung to him, but were weaving tighter around his panting frame.  He didn’t think he’d outrun his pursuer after all.  Now, it was attached to him.

Dave knew it was a ridiculous thought.  Like the unexpected rush of nerves at merely running through a different stretch of forest, he felt foolish for even thinking there could be something wrong with his shadow.  And yet, he couldn’t shake the sensation.  What should have been a weightless patch of darkness now seemed to drag.  Like stepping in gum on hot pavement, Dave’s feet stuck whenever they made contact.  But, most alarmingly, the shape was wrong.  Despite the angle of the sun, his shadow didn’t stretch like the plants and grasses around him, nor did it contort or compress when he moved.  Instead, it lay like a perfect outline of a prone figure, though to whom the outline belonged, Dave had no idea.

It certainly didn’t look like him.  Instead of being long and lean, the figure was wide and curvy.  Their shoulders were broad, their arms thick, and instead of tapering at their waist, the person’s midsection bulged outward.  The same went for their thighs, with the meaty trunks pressing together where Dave’s stood apart, and while it was impossible to make out any fine details in the silhouette, the figure’s head was too smooth and round to have his wavy mop.  A blurring at the edges was visible if Dave really stared, though it took several minutes of squinting before it occurred to the stunned young man that the fuzzy borders represented hair.

Not having any other option, Dave continued with his run.  Or at least he attempted to.  He darted through the meadow, but even when he was back in the forest on the other side, when his shadow was largely obscured by the canopy overhead, the subtle sticking sensation whenever his foot made contact with his inky counterpart was just prominent enough to throw off his technique.  He attributed the feeling to the fact that he’d likely emptied his tanks during the frantic flight through the swamp, though even maintaining a steady trot for any length of time was beyond him.

“What the fuck is with this day,” he panted to himself, stopping once again to catch his breath.  His lungs were on fire and his whole body ached as if he’d been running a marathon in a weighted vest.  “Maybe I should find a new trail?  Doesn’t seem like that hill’s going to clear up any time soon, and I definitely DO NOT want to go through that swamp again,” he said, shivering at the sudden chill that came with the memory.  He absently reached up to rub some warmth back into his chest, his jaw dropping and his fingers freezing at what they felt.  “What…what is this…” he sputtered, noticing for the first time the light dusting of mahogany hair that had begun to sprout across his body.  The silky strands weren’t limited to his toned pecs, either,  seeming to coat his wiry frame in equal measure.  They spread up and over his shoulders, down his arms, and around his legs like a bodysuit.  “Where did this even come from…” the stunned brunette stammered, another shiver pulsing through him as he stroked the soft new layer.  Dave had never been anything close to hairy, but even if he had, even if he manscaped on a regular basis, it didn’t change the fundamental fact that his tanned skin had been smooth at the start of the trail.  “Did I…did I just fall and hit my head or some…thing…wait…no…no no no no…!” he gasped, feeling the horrifying alteration before actually watching the mahogany clumps fall in front of his wide eyes.  “Fuck!  Fuck!” he cried, his hands shaking as he slipped his phone from the armband and turned the camera on himself.  “This…this can’t be happening,” he said, the color draining from his flushed face as he watched the remains of his formerly wavy hair fall away.  The smooth scalp, now merely ringed by a sparse semi-circle of hair, accentuated the harshness of his sharp features, though the layer of scruffy stubble now coating them served to slightly soften the edges.

Refusing to acknowledge the obvious inevitability of the impossible circumstances, Dave started running again.  Each step grew steadily heavier than the one before it, but the terrified young man pushed himself to the limit for the second time that afternoon.  Unfortunately, this new limit was nowhere near the previous, and it wasn’t long before Dave was huffing along at a slow trot, desperately trying to convince himself that his body wasn’t actually growing larger.  He tried in vain to ignore the increasing ripples that ran through him with each heavy footfall, the way his body had begun to rub against itself in unfamiliar ways, and the dreadful sensation of things starting to bounce.

And those were just the physical sensations.  They didn’t even take into account Dave’s horrified gaze, how the once-ample definition had vanished entirely beneath the increasingly dense layer of fur.  Modest pecs had begun to loom large and heavy above a midsection that seemed determined to expand, while the toned arms on either side steadily inflated to match the widening legs below.

“This can’t be happening…this can’t be happening…” Dave grunted as he trotted, the most he could manage at the moment.  “This…this can’t be mine…can’t be me…” he spat, forcing his hands to clutch his cresting new gut while he stumbled along.  He could feel the jarring impact of his feet on the rocky trail rippling up through the softened layer that had swallowed his flat stomach, and while there was still some firmness underneath, it was still being steadily buried.  Each step seemed to bring with it more bulk, and by the time the trailhead finally came into view, Dave knew he’d become a stranger.  His hefty thighs rubbed together, his arms were heavy pistons framing in his plump slab of a chest, and the prominent, gravity defying gut he’d developed now obscured his view of everything below.  Even in his frantic state, Dave was impressed that his shorts had held, though the straining garments were now plastered to him like a pair of small briefs.  Reaching around, his stomach sank further as he felt the exposed, yielding mass of his furry new globes, the sight of his altered reflection hitting him like a fist when he stumbled up to his car.  Dave was more grateful than ever for the trail’s isolation as he gawked at the pointless shorts, and the way his equally thickened package was clearly visible through the vacuum seal they formed.  He’d never been overly endowed, but now the bald bear’s cock looked like a soda can as it wedged off to the side and fought for space, though any joy Dave would have felt at the discovery was mitigated by the realization that he’d need a mirror to actually see it.

“Oh god…I’m…I’m huge,” he cried, his now-meaty hands gripping his fuzzy, cannonball shoulders as he clutched himself in a desperate hug.  Dave regretted the decision as the motion only emphasized how big he’d become, his inescapable, hairy meat rubbing against itself, but beneath the dread was a tingle of excitement.  His inflated cock twitched at the sensation, and even as Dave looked back and forth between the reflection of his round, full new features reflected in the window, and the now-horrifyingly appropriate shadow on the ground, he felt a seed of desire growing within him.

Dave ignored the confusing lust, the horrifying new reality of squeezing into his small car taking priority.  Sitting was far worse than standing, as was the constant sight of his shiny scalp in the rearview mirror.  The phantom reflections were inescapable as he adjusted his seat as best he could and tried to make a plan.  Dave knew he needed help, but he also knew he couldn’t just show up at a hospital screaming about how he’d become heavy and hairy while out on a run.  He’d never been a big believer in the supernatural, but, no matter how hard it was to believe, whatever was happening to him clearly wasn’t medical in nature.

Doing his best to steady himself, a car accident wouldn’t help the situation, Dave headed for Taylor’s house.  The fit blonde was his closest friend, serving as confidant, workout buddy, wingman, and occasional hookup if neither of them had any other options.  They’d never been in an official, exclusive relationship, but they were the first layer of support for each other whenever there was a need, without question.

A part of Dave dreaded his friend’s reaction.  He’d always known how attractive the abdominally gifted Adonis was, but he’d also held his own in that regard, keeping them on a peer level.  Dave had never thought of himself as vain or arrogant about his looks before, but now that they’d been drastically altered, it was occurring to him just how much he’d taken his socially-accepted attractiveness for granted.  As he felt his broad, bulky new body fighting with itself for space, as he looked at his bald head and full features, as he felt the cool air from the AC wafting through each and every hair of his new pelt, the formerly lean young man felt hideous in a way he’d never experienced.  He felt huge and ugly and insecure.

He also felt horny.  Just thinking about Taylor sent a painful pulse through his painfully confined cock, the bloated beast demanding release as soon as possible.  Dave was actually grateful for the distraction as it pulled his thoughts away from self pity, though it made the hesitant stumble from his car to his friend’s front door all the more awkward.  It wasn’t until after he’d done his customary knock and let himself in that Dave realized he hadn’t texted, and that Taylor might not recognize him, but it was already too late.

“Oh, hey man,” his friend called from the other room, knowing who it was by the knock alone.  “What brings you…uh…who the fuck are you and why are you in my house?”  Dave’s stomach sank when he saw Taylor’s expression go from friendly to alarmed, even as his aching need grew at the sight of the fit blonde in nothing but a pair of gym shorts.  “Can I help you with something before I call the…the…wait…Dave?”  Taylor’s eyes went wide, his jaw dropping when he realized who he was looking at.

The now-bigger man swallowed and nodded, his heart once again thundering in his chest.  “Sorry to freak you out…I just…I didn’t know where else to go…”

Taylor shook his head and forced his stunned expression into one of surprised sympathy.  He slowly stepped forward and reached out a shaking hand, running his fingers along one of the hairy logs that had replaced Dave’s arms.  “What…I mean how is…are you okay?!  What happened to you?!”  The spell of shock seemed to break all at once, the blonde’s forced expression becoming one of genuine concern as he held his friend at arm’s length.  He looked the inflated man up and down as if he could spot some kind of injury, the hesitation gone from his hands as he ran them along Dave’s burly frame.

“I don’t know!  I don’t know!  I went out for a run like always but something…there was something out there!  It…I don’t know how, or why, but it…it…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Taylor said, wrapping his arms around the now-hairy hulk and pulling him in for a tight hug.

The proximity to his friend had already been dangerously close to overwhelming for Dave, and the hug officially pushed things over the edge.  He found himself returning it, his hands running up and down Taylor’s still-smooth, still-tapering back, before slipping into the blonde’s shorts.  “Fuck…Taylor…I’m…I’m sorry…I just…I need…”

The sculpted stud didn’t say anything, he simply leaned in and pressed his mouth against Dave’s trembling lips.  The other man’s arousal had been obvious, and he knew his friend well enough to know that such desperate whimpering was entirely out of character.  If Dave was practically begging, that meant things were serious indeed.  “It’s okay,” Taylor said again, his voice a whisper as his hands struggled with the hairy man’s shorts.  “We’ll talk after.”

“Fuuuuuuck that’s better,” Dave groaned, a wave of relief washing over him when the blonde had finally fished his fattened cock free.  He could just see the widened tip over the crest of his stomach, but he only got a momentary glimpse before the view was obscured by Taylor’s broad shoulders.  The blonde was eagerly licking his way across Dave’s hairy new shelf of a chest on his way down, his hands joining his tongue on the bigger man’s plump belly as he dropped to his knees.

“Someone had a growth spurt all over,” Taylor whistled, his fingers just barely wrapping around his friend’s widened member.  “Let me see what I’m working with…”

Dave let out a hissing gasp as the blonde’s tongue began running along and around his aching cock.  His friend’s nimble fingers began kneading and massaging his churning new orbs at the same time, making his knees go weak well before Taylor finally swallowed him.  “Oh…oh fuck…oh fuuuuuuck,” Dave moaned, falling back against the wall for support.  Between the foreign sensations and the foreign sight of his altered body, it was like their first time all over again.  And to his friend’s credit, Dave hadn’t seen a single shred of pity or regret in Taylor’s eyes, only the same, genuine hunger that always blazed in the blonde’s bright eyes.  If anything, his friend seemed to be growing more excited.

“Don’t know what the fuck’s going on, and I know you’re freaked out right now, but…all this hair is fucking hot, man,” Taylor said, as if reading Dave’s thoughts.  He paused his tongue bath to nuzzle his handsome face against a hairy thigh, his fingers biting into his friend’s inflated rear.  “And, just warning you now, I’m, uh, about to do some stuff to this ass, dude.”

Dave laughed despite himself, his head spinning.  “You’re just…saying that to make me…feel better…” he panted.

Knowing that his actions would speak louder than words, Taylor grabbed Dave by his widened hips and spun him around, parting the hairy globes and burying his face between them.  The sensation pushed the bigger man beyond words, leaving him a hairy, writhing mass as the kneeling blonde took his blissful, agonizing time working the aching hole.  And to further prove his point, when it came time to finally enter the enlarged furball, Taylor pulled him down to the ground instead of standing and penetrating him from behind.  “Get those big boys up here,” he said, hefting Dave’s meaty new thighs onto his shoulders.  “Fuuuuuuuck you are hot like this,” he chuckled as his friend blushed, refusing to let the other man feel even a shred of self pity.  He reached down and stroked Dave’s plump pecs and full belly, his hands eventually drifting up to glide along his friend’s smooth scalp.  “We should’ve shaved your head ages ago, man,” he grinned, leaning in for a kiss as he plunged inside.

For his part, Dave wanted to be mortified.  His current position emphasized everything he thought he’d feel bad about, but Taylor’s exuberant attitude was keeping the insecurity at bay.  The soul-shaking ecstasy his altered body brought him was also helping, with the extra weight and extra hair adding extra bliss to the proceedings.  Dave could feel himself bouncing and rippling again as Taylor picked up steam, but this time there was no dread or fear, only pure, unfiltered pleasure.

When the prone hunk’s fat log finally erupted, they both laughed at the way the exaggerated explosion glistened and trickled through his copious new fur.  As with the blowjob earlier, Dave felt like he was being fucked for the first time all over again, and just like the actual first time with Taylor, the blonde’s easy charm was infectious.  His friend hadn’t looked away from him once.  He hadn’t closed his eyes or shifted his attention in the slightest, his bright gaze just as penetrating as the long, thick organ plunging in and out of the bigger man’s hairy cheeks.  It was a look that told Dave there was nothing to dread or feel bad about, and not just when Taylor was around.  His body may have changed shape and size, he may have gone bald and put on a few hairy pounds, but none of that changed who he was.  None of that had to change how he felt about himself.  None of it had to hold him back.

It certainly didn’t limit Taylor’s explosive release.  The blonde howled as he jammed in and exploded, sending a fresh series of ripples through Dave’s new bulk as he tensed and spasmed.  Their lips met again before he’d finished, and they stayed that way until long after.  “This is nice,” the blonde finally sighed when they came up for air, his fit frame draped across Dave’s hairy bulk.  He reached over and playfully tweaked an enlarged nipple, nestling deeper into the other man’s embrace.  “Another silver lining…you’re, like, super comfortable now.”

Dave laughed, shivering at the odd sensation of his cum-matted hair when Taylor squirmed against him.  “You do love to cuddle.”

“That was before all…this…” the blonde said, making it clear he wasn’t going to let the other man up any time soon.  “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”  They fell into a contented silence, with Taylor’s hands absently exploring Dave’s altered frame.  “Soooo…should we actually talk about what happened?  I’m not at all complaining, but what the fuck, man?”

Dave grinned and shrugged, surprised to find his answer changing.  He’d arrived at Taylor’s desperate and afraid, feeling like he’d been cursed.  Now he wasn’t so sure.  He gave his friend another squeeze and settled in to tell the tale, already loving their new size discrepancy.  “Search me, man.  Like I said, I was at the park for my usual run, right?  But when I got to the part where the trail starts to climb the ridge, the whole thing had caved in.  It was crazy.  So it forked through the swamp instead, and…”