A Shift In Attitude

Summary: A shape-shifting thief learns that stealing from a wizard might not be a good idea.

Anyone who is under the age of 18, along with anyone offended by stories of a sexual nature or containing sexual situations or offended by the idea of mind control in any fashion, please do not read this story.

Author's Note -- I just want to say, thank everyone for the kind emails! If you have any suggestions, critiques, concerns, or comments, I'd absolutely love feedback; I'm very happy to be giving back to this nice site. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for giving me a try!

*

I hated wizards.

I sighed to myself, trying to focus. Jobs involving spellcasters were always a hassle, something that I tried to refrain from involving myself in. Mages tended to be stuck up, arrogant, and self-absorbed weirdos who obsessed way too much over trinkets and artifacts. I shouldn't have even taken this job; it was proving to be way more work than I bargained for. But now that I was actually here, it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

I had to grin to myself; as much as I hated the legwork and tracking these places down, I always enjoyed the actual act of stealing. Wizards were creepy, and it always felt good to inconvenience them. I don't know what Senbar wanted this relic for, but as long as he paid me the rest of my fee, I didn't care.

I snapped back to attention as I heard footsteps below my perch. The guard was right on time. I had watched the guard schedule for a few days, learning their rotations, and, most importantly, seen their faces. Now it was time for me to use my little talent.

As the Shift began, I couldn't help but shudder. Even though I didn't really like to admit it, it always sent a tingle of pleasure through my body as I Shifted, the feeling like a light feather tickling my skin. I felt myself gain a few inches, a few pounds...too my displeasure, my breasts swelled a cup size. The stupid things already were an inconvenience; I didn't want them to get in my way anymore. As I felt my face structure change and the Shift finish, I dropped from my spot on the windowsill. Wasting no time, I quickly drew one of the sleep potions Senbar had given me. "Hey," I called lightly to the guard, tossing it as she started to turn.

My timing was perfect. The potion broke against her chest, the fumes rising to her mouth and nose. For an instant, her pretty face showed surprise and anger, then she collapsed into a limp heap.

"Good thing none of the guards here wear armor; I wouldn't want to bother with that heavy stuff," I muttered to myself, dragging the sleeping woman to a nearby closet, making sure to swap robes with her. I closed the door and locked it, thinking to myself; I needed to focus. I still had no idea where the relic was, and if the slumbering guard was discovered I might be in trouble. Still, my disguise would get me what I wanted...getting close enough to Zell so that I could force him to tell me what I wanted.

I walked up the tower, trying my best to look like a guard on patrol, and reflecting on the job I had taken. Senbar, the man who hired me...he was a wizard. Normally, I would have turned him away, but he paid me three times my normal rate, half of it up front...how could I say no to that? And all I had to get was some stupid little bell.

A few more guards walked past me, and I gave them small nods. It was hard not to frown; all of Zell's guards were women. Clearly, he was as big of a pervert as the rest of the wizards I had come across.

Finally, I reached the peak; from my time scouting outside Zell's castle, this could only be his chambers. I carefully slipped inside the dark room, closing the door behind me. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but I took in my surroundings quickly; a spacious room, filled with expensive looking furniture and portraits. A bed was off in the corner, and if the snores coming from it were any indication, Zell was fast asleep.

Creeping up next to the bed, I drew my dagger, grabbing Zell's hair as I pressed the blade to his throat. "Don't shout if you want to live. I need you to tell me a few things, mage."

I expected him to cry out. I expected his face to turn white with terror. What I didn't expect was for him to yawn, squirming under his sheets, his eyes remaining closed. "Go away, guard, I'm tired..." he murmured, apparently still half asleep.

As pleased as I was that he was caught off guard, I didn't want to dawdle. Pressing my blade tighter against his throat, giving his face a rough slap before tugging his hair back farther, baring his throat to me. "Wake up, you idiot. Do you have some kind of death wish?"

Zell let out another large yawn, slowly opening his eyes, gazing sleepily up at you. "No, but apparently you do. If you let go of me right now and explain yourself, I won't kill you. I'll just fire you."

I felt my grin widen...the fool had no idea! It made sense, after all; Zell was a young mage, and from the look of him, probably only a few years older than me. "Just tell me where the Ydrai Bell is, and you might live through this."

I saw Zell's eyes widen a bit, the gears in his head obviously working. Then he focused directly on my face, on my eyes. I felt uneasy, blinking and looking down at his chest, tugging his hair back farther still. "Careful, sorcerer," I warned. "Any tricks, and I'll cut you down to size."

I thought my words would rattle him. Strangely, though, Zell seemed to have relaxed a little, and gave me a small nod. "Whatever you say, Shifter."

I tried to hide my reaction, but he must have seen something on my face, because he let out a small chuckle. "You're not as rare as you might think. Besides, Ralynn is a good woman, and a loyal guard. Possession or shape shifting was the most likely answer." He seemed pretty proud of himself, and I let out a growl; smug jerk.

"Whatever. I think you're full of bravado, mage. You're in a tight spot and you got a lucky guess. It doesn't change anything," I sneered down at my captive.

Zell smiled back up at me, a faint glimmer in his eyes. "Well, let's see. You mentioned the Ydrai Bell? There are only a couple people who know it's fallen into my hands, and the only one stupid enough to try and steal it this brazenly would probably be Senbar. He likes to collect things of this...persuasion."

I felt myself grind my teeth, and it took all my willpower not to hurt this creep. "You talk far too much, wizard. Get out of bed, and don't try anything funny." I did take some pleasure in tugging him roughly to a sitting position, his face flashing in a brief look of discomfort. I kept pulling him forward, using his momentum to drive him to the floor. As soon as he hit the ground, I pounced on top of him, pressing his face to the ground, my dagger sliding along the underside of his chin. Not an ideal position, but Zell was too tall for me to hold him in a safe position while he stood. Maybe I should have Shifted into someone taller...

If the situation was bothering Zell, he did a good job of hiding it; he must have still been half asleep, not understanding how dangerous I was. He seemed content to ramble on more instead.

"I have to say...I'm pretty surprised to actually see a Shifter in Sembar's employ. Are you an apprentice of his?"

That was so absurd I couldn't help but laugh, digging my elbow harder into Zell's back as I moved closer to his ear. "This is just a job, sorcerer. I'm not a magical freak like you."

Zell started to shake a little bit, and for a second I felt a surge of savage pride; I had made the mage cry with a simple insult! Then I realized what he was actually doing...the jerk was shaking with laughter!

"Oh, that's rich...that's really rich....a Shifter calling me a freak?" Zell finally asked, still gasping for breath. "Don't you even know what you are?"

I felt my face heat up, and I glared down at my captive. I had him captured, and he was acting like I was on trial! "A Shifter is someone born with the innate ability to transform their body into various forms; it's a rare talent. And it's more than enough to best some small time magician loser like yourself; no better than an animal." I tugged his hair harder, forcing his head up, my blade rubbing gently under his chin. "Now, tell me where the Ydrai Bell is. Last chance."

I couldn't see his face, but Zell's patronizing tone was easy enough to pick out. "Tell you what, hun. You let me go, apologize, and give me a kiss. Then I'll be kind enough to let you live." He paused, then added, "You can pick where you want to kiss, if you're feeling adventurous."

That was it; no amount of money was worth putting up with this. "You wizards are all the same; pathetic, hopeless perverts. Lower than a mangy mutt. Absolute trash." I growled down at him, my face right next to his. "You had your chance, mage."

Zell gave a slight nod, then replied, "And you had yours, Shifter."

Then the knife exploded into green flames.

I screamed, stumbling off Zell, my mind white with terror.

Fire, fire fire fire!!!

I cried out in my head, gasping for breath...then stopped. The fire didn't actually burn, even though it was stuck in my hand. There was an intense vibrating sensation, something vaguely familiar, but...no pain, none at all. I shook my head, getting my thoughts together, and looked back at Zell-

-who was now standing above me, smirking. He made a small gesture with his hands, and the fire spread from my hand, going to my wrists, my ankles and my throat, forming small rings of emerald flame. I let out a yelp as I was pushed onto my back, the magical bonds forcing me to go spread eagle as I stared straight up. Squirming helplessly, I couldn't help but notice that the ceiling of the room was mirrored...which drew another cry from my lips. I had Shifted back to normal! My pale skin, my dark brown hair, my big brown eyes, my small nose...all mine! But...but I hadn't meant to Shift!

Zell peered down over me, smiling wide, and I shuddered in fear and anger. "What the hell did you do to me, you freak!?" I howled up at him, fighting as hard as I could against my restraints. "What is this?! What did you do to me?!"

"Just relax, Shifter," Zell replied, his eyes moving up and down my robed body. I grimaced; how perverted was this creep?!

"Hmm...your real form is quite lovely, miss....?"

"Shut up, you bastard!" I shouted back, still thrashing as hard as I could."

Zell's annoying grin widened. "An unusual name for an unusual girl. But hey, just because you aren't being forthcoming doesn't mean I can't be. Why don't I educate you..." he waved his hands, almost absentmindedly, and the flames slowly seemed to thin...it almost looked like they were sinking into my skin, but they vanished so quickly, it was hard to tell. I still couldn't move, though, as hard as I tried to. And then, faster than I could blink, my clothes were gone! No sound, no flash of light...simply gone! My pale, naked skin was bared and on display, and I let out an embarrassed little moan that I didn't think my throat could even make...I was totally, helplessly exposed!!!

"You...you..." I stammered up at Zell.

He held up a finger to his lips. "Shhhh, hun. Just shush." Instantly, my mouth shut as if my lips were glued together. I shook my head, letting out muffled moans and squeals, but I couldn't get them open!

"Now then..." Zell began to pace around me, staring down at my face, and I couldn't help but shiver. His smile was still wide on his face, and I started to realize just how much trouble I might be in.

"Shifters...for a long time, your kind was an enigma, and much about you is still unknown. However, far better wizards than I have been researching your people, and in the last few years a number of interesting discoveries have been found." He crouched down above my head, gazing down at me. "For example, your 'innate ability' to alter your body's appearance? You're simply using magic...not a natural ability at all. Just a rather complicated spell, using mana that you have stored inside you since birth." He grinned even wider. "In short...you're just a mage who knows one rather good spell, hardwired into you since the time when you were born. It's rather fascinating."

I stared up at his gloating face...was he telling the truth?! My stomach twisted in disgust...it couldn't be right! Magic twisted nature, and the people who used it were freaks like Zell and Sembar...I wasn't like them...

Zell continued on, clearly enjoying himself. "The implications of this are actually even more fascinating. For example, since your Shifting is a spell, it can be countered or nullified. Or..." he leaned in close to my ear, his voice low and heated. "It can be controlled..."

I shivered, squirming and letting out muffled cries of panic once more. What the hell was he talking about?! Zell simply waved his hands once more, and I felt a tingle move across my body, just a faint echo of what I normally felt during a Shift. I gazed up at the ceiling mirror in horror, my eyes wide and my face paling as I grasped what was happening.

Zell, however, seemed to take no notice. "Now...let's see. A thief and an assassin! I'm surprised Sembar would stoop so low, but he was always so jealous, even back when we were apprentices together. Still, sending you after me..." He gazed back down at me, and I felt the tingling slowly increase. It felt as though I was vibrating, and I couldn't help but shiver, squirming helplessly at Zell's feet.

"What to do with you, though? You were going to kill me, weren't you? It seems the smart thing to do would be simply to kill you while you're helpless..."

I shook my head violently, my eyes wide and pleading.

Zell smiled again, patting my head. "Relax, hun, I would never do something like that. I think you just need an attitude adjustment; I'm a great believer in ones' ability to change."

I blinked up at him, struggling to focus. My body was heating up...I began to sweat, writhing on the ground as I let out muffled moans of misery. The worst part was that it felt, like every Shift, humiliatingly pleasurable...just amplified, and getting worse..."Mmmmmmmmmffff! Mmmmmmmmmffffffff!!" I yelled up at him...if only I could move my stupid lips! What the hell was he doing to me?!

"Still..." Zell continued, as if he hadn't heard me. "Let's see...yes, I think this will be a nice punishment. Maybe a little severe, but you did try to kill me, and I do hope you didn't hurt Ralynn, or I may have to make this worse...but oh, why should I spoil the fun? Just see for yourself, hun!" He gestured towards the mirrored ceiling, and I followed his outstretched hand to gaze at my reflection.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMFFFFFFFFFF?!?!" The changes were already starting, progressing quickly, the heat in my body building and building.

I noticed my breasts changing first, swelling and ripening, growing into full tits. I wanted to raise my hands, to push the horrible things down, but I couldn't; I was helpless. I reached for my Shift with my mind, to try and control it, direct it...but it was too much, too much heat to focus, and I laid back, panting and exhausted, forced to watch what my body would become. I could feel the weight on my chest, jiggling as I squirmed, but I was too entranced staring at the ceiling to look down.

My hands were next. I saw my fingers morph and change, Shifting smaller and smaller...then I felt my heart flutter with fear as rich, dark brown fur started to sprout from them. It only took a few moments for the fur to spread, covering my hands and completing the transformation. I didn't have hands anymore; I had fluffy, oversized dog paws. I felt the heat build up on my feet, and I looked down, assuming the same thing was happening. What I saw was even worse, though.

My feet seemed to shimmer from view, shifting so rapidly, and I had to rely on feeling, rather than sight. For an instant, I couldn't feel my toes, and my ankles almost felt warm. Then I saw what had happened...instead of paws, Zell had given me hooves...big, black, heavy hooves. The joints in my ankles had changed to accommodate them, looking as though I had the ankles of a horse...except that I knew they must be cow hooves. After all, the short fur going up those ankles were white with black spots.

A discomfort in my back made me thrust my hips in the air, and as I stared up, I saw a long, pink cat tail curl out, black stripes adorning my new appendage. The horrible thing was, if I could feel it right, right under my spine, coming out right between my legs. I could feel it, but it almost seemed to have a mind of it's own, twitching and curling delicately on the ground.

"Mmmfff...mmmmmfff..." I whimpered out, feeling numb with shock...this couldn't be happening to me...then I felt Zell's foot gently nudge my side. The feel of him against my sensitive skin made my eyes flutter, and for a moment, I was knocked out of my numbness by a lust-filled heat. Then I realized what I was filling, and a wave of embarrassment followed...

"You know, it's nice that you're not screaming and threatening me anymore, but I kind of miss hearing you talk. So...you can speak, Shifter." I felt the pressure holding my lips together vanish at once, and I opened my mouth, eager to howl and curse at the monster that was tormenting me.

"Y-you fucking bastarf, arf, woof! Mmmmmmmmmooooooooooooo can't do this to mmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeow!!!"

I was shocked into silence for a split second, my eyes wide as I grasped what had just come out of my mouth.

"My...mmmeeow, woof...?" I narrowed my eyes, fuming, glaring up at Zell with murderous rage. "Woof did mmmooooo, mmmoooooo to mmmmeeeeow?!"

Zell managed to stare back at me for two whole seconds before he burst out laughing, holding his sides as I felt my face blush with heat.

"Well, I had to give you a vocabulary to match your new look, you silly little mutt. And since I couldn't decide what animal to makeyou, I thought I might as well make your noises just as fun. But come on, you're missing the finishing touches!" As furious as I was with the wizard, I forced my eyes back up to the ceiling. The Shift was ending...I was looking at the results.

I noticed the whiskers first. Long and silver, the fine hairs poked out from my face, tickling my nose. Zell's voice had seemed louder to me for some reason, and now I knew why; sprouting from the top of my head were two big, white, floppy rabbit ears. They were positively massive, hanging down the side of my head, and they twitched at every single sound. It took me a moment to take my eyes from them, but when I did, I wished I hadn't. The last new features on my face were the two large cow horns coming from my forehead. The huge things curled forward and down ever so slightly, so I could just see the tips at the top of my vision.

"Mmmooooo..." I murmured pathetically, the impact at what I was looking at sinking in. It wasn't until I looked down at my chest did the full impact of my new form hit me.

My breasts hadn't stopped swelling. In fact, they must have kept growing throughout the entire shift, each mammoth mammary growing into a massive orb of titflesh. My nipples were almost painfully hard, and it seemed they had only grown a bit thicker and longer, not in proportion with my new gargantuan jugs; instead, my quarter sized nipples seemed tiny in comparison. The huge things wobbled heavily on my chest, and they jiggled with my every breath. And they weren't just massive...they seemed...full, just...tight, and sore, especially around my nipples.

I was a freak; I had been Shifted into some sort of...of...weird fetish animal!

Before I could reflect too long on what had happened, I felt Zell's foot against my side, roughly pushing me over onto my aching chest. I frantically scrabbled about on my hands and legs, struggling to lift myself up. To my relief, I found out that I was finally able to move...though my attempt to stand met with me tumbling back down on my front hands...paws...it seemed like my new ankles were incapable of holding me upright. I ground my teeth; great, so I was stuck on the ground like a stupid animal. Hefting myself up of the floor, I cringed as my horribly heavy tits wobbled and slapped against each other. The damn things nearly rubbed the floor, and they were so sore! They had to be full...full of...full of...