I definitely didn't drink enough to hallucinate, and the creature didn't display any symptoms of being sick. Those antlers sprouting between its ears were solid and beautifully symmetrical in a way that Shope papilloma virus couldn't manifest.
And then things got even weirder.
In front of my eyes, this magical creature began to change. Its torso straightened, its legs pushed it upright. The tawny fur turned into bronzed skin, its paws became fingers calloused from manual labor. Straw-colored hair sprouted in tufts from where the creature's antlers used to be.
Finally, familiar amber eyes full of warmth winked at me.
I gaped.
Then, as my eyes instinctively skated south, I realized he was naked.
Yup. That was Jake standing in front of me, and that was definitely Jake's cock.
I was so stunned I couldn’t utter a word. Words failed me.
“Surprise," Jake said, grinning sheepishly like his prank had been exposed.
It wasn’t the only thing he left exposed.
I forced myself to meet his eyes and not stare at the girth dangling between his legs.
“Okay," I said slowly. "What just happened?”
"I'm gonna need you to have an open mind, Professor," Jake began. "The truth is... I'm a jackalope shifter."
The words flew right over my head. I blinked hard, but Jake was still standing nude in front of me.
"I'm drunk, right? You put more alcohol in that tea than I thought because I have to be drunk. Cryptids aren't real and shifters are... physically impossible!" I sputtered.
Jake let out a humorous snort. "Wanna see me shift again? I can show ya."
Dear god, he was serious. Only somebody with complete confidence would make an offer like that. That could only mean it was true. Hecouldshift again. Hecoulddefy physics and biology and literally every branch of science in existence.
“Those things exist only in myths and urban legends," I murmured. I sounded more like I was trying to convince myself at this point.
But Jake wasn't backing down. His eyes twinkled with amusement. “You saw it happen right before your eyes.”
He was right.
"Can you... do it again?" I asked.
Jake humored me. "Sure, Frederick."
And then it happened again—but this time in reverse. His brawny human form was sucked into the small, lean form of an antlered jackrabbit.
"Wow," I breathed.
Jake changed—shifted—into his human form again. My jaw was probably dragging on the ground.
This was incredible. The evidence could be repeated, studied, proven. The human side of my brain refused to comprehend it, but the scientist side was intrigued, deeply enamored by this marvel of nature.
Excitement made me stammer. “If these things exist, then why don’t humans know about it?”
Jake smirked. “Well, firstof all, we aren’t things."
My cheeks went hot with embarrassment. "Sorry, you're right. You said... shifter?"
“That's right." Jake's praise always made my heart flutter and this time was no exception. "And to answer your question, we're good at hiding ourselves from humans. That’s why it’s not common knowledge that we exist.”
