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It was around 11:59 PM on a full moon night.

Luke was prepared. He stood outside his tent, fully nude, and waited for the process to begin. He felt churning in his torso and suddenly two pairs of arms sprung out of his back. His entire face melted like wax, his mouth split and expanded into mandibles with venomous fangs. Luke’s bones dissolved and he briefly collapsed on the cold grass, but a hard hairy exoskeleton restored order to the chaotic heap of flesh.

He was shrinking. Or was the universe growing. Blades of grass became as tall as houses. But when Luke turned his still-human eyes towards the moon, it was much the same size, just as brilliant, just as beautiful.

Then at last, his eyes transformed and multiplied. He was a wolf-spider.