🐺✒️📚: Note
I, may not have the inspiration concept fully accurate, but i still like what i have here.
Inspired by a conversation on Discord.

🔷️Illusion Of Free Thinking
✒️Story🔹️♂️&♀️V1
✒️Style🔹️Genetic Manipulation
•Oblivious
•Painless
•Hybrids: Cheetah & Lizard
•Clothed
⚫
Trained to think
Over
Free to think

Alarms go off and life springs forth, the morning has come and it is time to get up for work.
Whistles steam and babbling gurgles ends, calling over all for a drink.
Buzzers sound and yet again swarms gather for food.

A very happy environment, a lab where Scientists raise animals and train them to respond to varying stimulus.

Chim rings, the animals gather.
Bell rings, they get a treat.
Chirping sound signals their special drink is ready for them.

The workers here are experimenting with a new gene that will trigger a transformation in the host and so far the changes have been extremely small, from color differences to a slite size difference.

*NeRRRR*!
The staff drop what they're doing, leaving their animal locked up safe, and head to lunch.
The cafeteria is a very nice place consisting of three floors. It has a few trees and shrubs as well of murals of forests, savannas, coral reefs, and breathtaking sky shot of a forest covered mountain by the ocean. Everyone usually has *their* spot to go to and chat it up with their friends, other times they'd gather with coworkers to talk about any progress.

Two good friends, Chi and Kai, sit down to discuss a mixture of things. From home life to work.

Chi:"Let's sit over here."
Kai:"Ok." Around the middle of the place "...So, how was your night Chi?"
Chi:"I took a run around the park yesterday. I just love running around the place. What did you do?"
Kai:"I needed to recharge my batteries after a rough day with my subject, so i just layed on the floor. She was so wily yesterday, ran me ragged."
She chuckles at him, then Chi seys "Yeah, i can just see you being dragged behind that dog of yours! Hahaha!" He sighs, Kai:"yeah, yeah. You got it easy since all you've got is a mouse."
Chi:"Hey! All the mice got out once, though they may love us, once they were out they didn't want to go back to their homes." He nods "Yeah i remember hearing about that, but that was once, my dog is much bigger and is far stronger than your mice."
Chi:"Awe, it just sucks having something big enough to hug and wants to love you back with slobbery kisses." She laughs
Kai:"Hm, whatever." He chuckles.

Chi:"So have you gotten any results yet?"
Kai:"Just odd color changes."
Chi:"I ment, new, results."
Kai:"No, nothing new. You?" She shakes her head & sighs.
Chi:"No, just some size differences. My mouse has grown a tail that could be mistaken as a gardner snake!"
Kai:"Hm, that's long."
Chi:"He doesn't pay much attention to it. He's done one thing though, it makes sense, but he just isn't acting like *my tail shouldn't be this long*."
Kai:"What does he do?"
Chi:"Curls his tail like a chameleon."
Kai:"Really?"
Chi:"yep."
Kai:"Huh...I wonder what i would do with a tail regardless of its length. Would i even know how to move it to begin with?...If it was too annoying to have i could just get rid of it i guess."
Chi:"But would you be able to acknowledge it like you didn't have it before to think that?"
Kai:"Hmm?" He leans back & crosses his arms.

Kai:"There are rumors that some labs are getting more results than we are. Their test subjects don't acknowledge the wings they never had, or legs they were born without. They just use them without a second thought." She points and nods as she swallows.
Chi:"That's it, it's like we've trained them to the point they don't have the will to question it. They only act upon our stimulus. They only think how want them to, act like how we want them to. They don't think on their own because they want us to tell them how to act. -! Mh. Should i really be questioning free thinking? If i do i might start questioning what we're doing!"
Kai:"Tell me about it! How do you think they would react if they were to think freely and started to question their changes? Would they revolt?"

*Rapid Three Clicks*
Simultaneously everyone looks up to the third floor where their boss stands. In his hand is a clicker which he clicked rapidly to draw their attention.
*PING*!
Everyone takes in a deep breath, their pupils expand.
🔹️
Chi's and Kai's pupils become slits as Chi's green eyes become goldenrod and Kai's amber eyes become turquoise. Everyone's eyes were the 1st to change.

Chi's earlobes fuse to her head as her ears move up the sides some, they stretch out into round feline ears with yellow fur growing on them and a tuft of long pink fur at their ends. Kai's nails on his hands flake off as black scales grow along with the sprouting claws. His claws look odd and so does the palmside of his digits. On the knuckle side, the scales growing are thicker.
Chi's ears twitch a bit as they turn to face their boss, Kai's claws scratch the table top.

Kai's hips begin to widen as the seat of his pants pushes out. Chi's shoes begin to stretch, being pushed out in back & front. Her brunette hair starts to fall out as new pink hair grows out. Black lines form on her skin from her eyes to the edges of her lips which turn black as other black spots form in various locations of her body. Kai's tongue starts to slide out of his mouth.

Whiskers starts to grow above Chi's lips. Chi's shoes click and open up in front. Kai's pants opens in back as a thick tail starts to come out. Kai's teeth start to loosen as his nose moves out some, the tops of his nostrils push up and curl down some as the bridge of his nose thickens, widening. Lines start to form on his throat and lower arms, they also form above his eyes, bridge of nose, round nostrils, chin.

Yellow and black fur. Red and black scales. Is covering their exposed skin slowly.
Yellow fur spreads from her pink hair that has an odd gap in the middle, the black spots carry into the fur. The markings with the yellow and black are making her into a cheetah, with what appears to be lynx ears. Fur is also growing on the backs of her hands.
The scales on his digits growing across his hands are black, but those on the palm side continue to look odd while red scales grow on the sides and back of his neck. The black bar scales on the front are broken up by the lines that are expanding some.

Kai's teeth start to fall out as his face pushes out, the bridge of his nose widens more as his nostrils slowly close up into slits. His lips get covered by scales as they move to line up with the tip of his nose. His teeth falling out are pushed out of his mouth by his tongue, the end of which is splitting.
Kai's beltline remains intact while the crotch clicks and separates with the expanding of his hips. His tail is thick enough to reach the front with the smooth slope from belly to tail. Scales cover the now exposed area. His tail is growing longer and is looping up on the floor. It springs to life and lifts up to wrap around the bench.

Chi's nose starts to lift up, moving forward just a little as it turns black at the center of its front. Her lip changes, creating the li'l point to give the classic cat grin. Her tongue gets just long enough to stick out, "blepping" style.
Her shirt begins to move in back, slowly coming apart as out from flaps comes masses of boney limbs. They gain mass as they get longer then a bend forms and they curve up wards. They move and fold up onto her back. Li'l needles by the plenty grow on these new limbs, after they get to a certain size they start to grow numerous soft growths that take on the shape of feathers.

Kai's ears stretch out to points while their lobes are pulled up and disappear as they grow out onto stalks, his ears are teardrop shaped now with lines etching the backs of them as their insides look as odd as his palms. Chi's wings continue to grow as the seat of her pants moves, unlike him, a slinder tail comes out of a flap of her pants. It is furless right now, much like her feet coming out the front of her shoes. Her toes are finishing their shifting and the ends of her feet become paws. Pads start to form as the areas turn black as their texture changes while claws come out.

The nails on Chi's hands flake off as claws start to push out. Her fingers shift position to place them where they'd be on a paw. Her tail grows full length with a pink tuft of fur at the end. Kai's shirt starts moving in back too, numerous points are pressing against it. After a bit the sides open up like hers and out comes more limbs. They are growing differently, the elbow is already there and what appears to be a hand growing on their ends, three digits each. The draconic appendages reach for his shoulders and grab hold of them gently.

Kai's shoes begin to bulge now, the toe end pushes out on all three sides, slowly they click apart. His face pushes out more as the bridge of his nose thickens enough to start moving the placement of his eyes. This is also pulling his head, flattening his skull. Regardless of his ears his reforming head is very lizard like. His nostrils become slits. The odd lines on his body and his claws, palms, tongue start to turn a pale blue.

Chi's wings reach the second bend, the forming segment at first looks to be a webbed hand then becomes more flipper like as feathers reach the bend. Her chest flattens out. The feathers growing on her wings now start to grow elsewhere on her. Her collarbone grows small feathers. Tiny feathers grow behind her knuckles on her hands and paws. Wrists and ankles. Down back of lower arms. At the same time feathers grow in the middle and top only of her tail, fur grew on it, yellow fur with spots that soon become bands around the tail to a solid black end.

The color of the smaller feathers are pink speckled with tiny black dots. The color of bigger feathers on her wings are; mainly or mixed of iridescent lime green, baby blue, orange and lavender with pink raindrop ends. Speckled with tiny black dots. With a black dot at its end.

One set of Kai's scales are getting brighter and brighter, luminous blue scales, the line scales, claws, palms and palm side of his fingers, the inside of his ears are all glowing blue. His forked tongue is also a glow blue. There is a blue glow under his clothes; upper arms, hips and legs, back and belly. But it is his chest that has the biggest area glowing.

Kai's feet elongate, his long slender spread out toes are coming out. Clawed, scaled, lizard feet. His claws and the soles of his feet are luminous blue as well. Black scales cover his arms from above his elbow down. From his split pants his belly line is black while the rest of the area is red. His tail and the opened back of his shirt and his throat adds to this.

Feathers grow below her eyes, underlining them. They also grow at the back of her lower jaw. Lastly, they grow between her once eyebrows, and goes up to fill in the gap in her hair. This stretch of feathers are like the bigger ones of her wings. They don't get that long, but are a little longer than the small feathers. Her wings are about half way full size.

Kai's hair falls out as red scales grow rapidly while his head narrows, his muzzle grows longer as his head flattens and his eyes shift further to the sides. New lizardy fangs grow in his finalizing maw. His neck gets longer. Kai's back-arms, arms and legs change similarly. A tick shaft grows out with thinner ones, webbing grows between them. The arms out of his back are becoming bat wings with hands and collapsible frills grow on the back of his lower arms- aimed up, and back sides of his lower legs- aimed down. Scales are black and webbing is luminous blue. One collapsible frill grows on top his head too, and down the back to the base of his neck. It doesn't have a big spike start. His wings' second set of fingers are past the half way point.

The end of his tail also grows spikes along the top and bottom. They grow long and can lay down. Luminous blue webbing grows between them. There's more spikes and webbing on top.

Chi's mouth starts moving forward as her nostril lift and push forwards, the front of her nose blackens as the texture alters, taking on an upside down triangle around the nostrils. Her teeth fall out as her head collapses some. Her neck gets a tad longer. As if going to lap up water, she lowers while looking at their boss still and licks out her teeth. She licks her lips as sharp fangs grow out. Her finger prints start to vanish into black blobs as their texture changes. At the same time the edge of her hand, the base of her fingers, does the same, the rounded triangle area alters in texture as it turns black.

Exposed skin of both gets covered by either fur or scales. Kai's bellyline, limbs, under his battom jaw are all black while the rest is red, cept for the luminous blue scales.
Their frames only change a little with Chi getting thinner, more streamlined and Kai becoming a little longer and flexible in body. Their wings fully form with Chi's feathers full length and ready for flying while Kai's is ready for flight and to grab things with some dexterity.
🔹️
Everyone has become some kind of Chimera. The boss triple clicks the clicker again and the tables open up with cup holders rising up. Everyone whips their attention to the rising drinks, showing their eagerness for the beverage.

Their ractions range from:
Kneading the table and/or the floor.
Standing up and padding the floor along with the table.
Tails flick up into the air and wave about.
Tails wagging like crazy.
Wings open a little, shake, then close, then repeat.
Panting.
Tongues hang out.
Licking their lips.
Whimpering.
Chortling.
Drooling.
Snapping their heads one way then the other, tilting it, looking at them rise up.

Once the drinks rise fully up they reach for them like they won't get one before sitting back down and drinking it calmly, returning to their calm states.

Chi:"So do you think we will ever have any promising results?" He shakes his head as he uses a wing hand to wipe his mouth then hold the drink as he grabs his meal.
Kai:"Who knows." Chi's tail flicks about as she drinks then turns for her food.
Chi:"I certainly hope we will. I'd hate to think we're doing this for nothing." She grabs her 1st drink and laps it up with her tongue.
Kai:"Well, if the rumors are true then one branch is doing something right. Wish i could watch it happen though, at least once. I bet it'd be so cool." Sticks his tongue out, wraps it around a piece of food on his fork then pulls it in.
Chi:"yeaaah, what i would give to see it, just once."

Their boss, grinning, watches them.
Valin:"Hm, free thinking? To think or act upon one's own thoughts instead of when their, *Boss*, wants them to via a prompt. Or to egnor pre programming of instinct or drilled in behavior reinfored by careful selective breeding. The training and conditioning over time to egnor things, like how their bodys have steadily changed more and more every week till they finally became how they are now. Hm, while not stable or permanent yet, they do not question beyond what their *God* wants them to think. As long as their needs are met, they haven't the will for why...Hmph, yeah right. Free thinking is an illusion."

After the lunch period comes to an end Valin clickers again, drawing everyone's attention once more. *PING*! Everyone returns to their human form *again* then take off together.
Once they are gone, cloaked staff comes in to meticulously collect the shedded nails, teeth, hair, claws, fur, scales, feathers, few dropped tails. Detailing who they came from.

Valin:"One needs to treat their pets with tender love and care. Making sure their living space clean and that they remain healthy."

He pushes off the railing and takes off down the hall behind him. Walking through the place shows Valin's Wolf children watching the various Pets through glass ceilings or monitors. Others having got done serving food are cleaning up. Some are getting beds cleaned up and set, only to leave the room and have some Pets enter and mess it up.

As Valin leaves the place he hums a tune.
A luscious forest, a gentle breeze moves the leafs about. Lights of houses and flickering fires are ahead of him. In the night sky are several nebulas along with several full moons dotting the sky.


Clotheless version