The next morning, Marshall woke up feeling strangely… different. He couldn't quite place his paw on it, but there was a subtle shift in his senses. The world seemed a bit sharper, the smells more distinct. He looked down at his paws, a jolt of fear shooting through him. His once white paws were now a dark, charcoal gray, and his claws, the ones that had grown and sharpened the day before, now gleamed with an unnatural, obsidian sheen. They looked exactly like the claws in the image you sent.
Panic rising in his chest, Marshall whimpered and scrambled back into his pup-house. He hid under his fluffy bed, burying his face in the familiar scent of his plush toys. Tears welled up in his eyes. He wasn't a normal pup anymore. He was a freak, a monster.
Just then, Everest nudged her way into his pup-house. She nudged him gently with her wet nose.
"Marshall? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Marshall whimpered again, unable to speak. He didn't want to scare her. He didn't want to scare anyone.
Everest nudged him again, this time nudging his paw out from under the bed. She gasped softly when she saw his claws.
"Marshall… your paws," she stammered.
Marshall flinched, pulling his paw back under the bed. "I'm a monster, Everest," he whimpered. "I'm not a pup anymore."
Everest nuzzled him closer. "No, Marshall," she said firmly. "You're still Marshall. These… these are just changes. We'll figure them out together."
Her words offered little comfort, but Marshall clung to them anyway. Everest stayed by his side, radiating warmth and comfort.
Later that day, Ryder returned to the Lookout, a team of medical experts in tow. They carefully examined Marshall, running tests and scans. But to their surprise, they found nothing out of the ordinary. His vitals were normal, his blood work showed nothing unusual. The only anomaly was the strange, obsidian claws.
"It's very perplexing," one of the doctors admitted. "There are no traces of any foreign substances in his system. The claws… they seem to be a natural mutation."
Ryder frowned. "A mutation? But how?"
The doctor shrugged. "It's possible it was triggered by the injection from those men. But without knowing what was in that vial, it's impossible to say for sure. Honestly, Marshall seems perfectly healthy otherwise. These claws might just be a… phase."
Marshall perked up at that. A phase? Did that mean this wasn't permanent? A flicker of hope ignited in his chest.
Ryder knelt down beside Marshall. "Marshall, the doctors say you're okay. These claws… they might be weird, but they're a part of you now. And whatever happens, we'll figure it out together."
Marshall looked at his paws, the obsidian claws glinting in the sunlight. He was still scared. He didn't know what the future held, what other changes might come. But Ryder's words, and Everest's unwavering support, offered a tiny spark of courage. Maybe being different wasn't so bad. Maybe it could even be something… cool.
