Switched

I was pretty much your average Animal Jammer. I was still a kid - 10 years old - and I enjoyed the game. I would play for it seemingly endlessly on weekends, when I didn't have school.

One day, I logged on to Animal Jam and decided I was in the mood for an adventure. My wolf was a level 8 - not shabby, but not great. I joined Meet Cosmo, in the moon for some Glowing Mushrooms, and proceeded with the adventure.

I was nearly shouting at the computer for having the phantoms electrocute me so many times - I was in Hard Mode, so i dropped what I had been holding - but finally, I made it to the end.

Blah blah blah, Liza telling me stuff, I didn't care. I ignored it and simply opened the chest, accepting the Glowing Mushrooms and leaving.

I went to the Wolves Only Party and hung out near the lava lake, bought some wolf-ish items. Then I roleplayed with my friend, but soon enough it was 4:30 and I was being told to get off.

Bidding my friend a goodbye, I went to click "Log Out". The message popped up - "Are you sure you want to log out?" - and I almost clicked yes before noticing there was a new addition - a >:). I frowned but clicked "Yes". After exiting the chair, I went to help my mom with dinner.

The next day, I woke up and blinked my eyes open sleepily, before frowning as I realized something felt different. I sat up, stretching, and then stopped. Hastily and glanced down, and my eyes widened as I realized that something definitely was off.

I.

Was.

My.

Wolf.

I suddenly moved, without me wanting to, and I tried to open my mouth to say something, but it was clamped shut. I tried and tried, but I couldn't defy it. This force was controlling me, and I was powerless. All I had to my own were my thoughts.

I stopped abruptly in my den, and suddenly my clothes switched from a Fluffy Fox Head to a Fedora, my Bow and Arrows to a black Fancy Vest. Pain flashed in my eyes as they changed, and although it was only for a second and didn't last, it hurt so badly that I immediately regretted ever having my wolf's eyes something different. My dark gray fur changed to plain white, and once again, searing pain as my eye color changed to yellow.

I was still again, until suddenly I appeared in Meet Cosmo. I was forced to pick up the water bucket and water the plants. I nearly sneezed too many times to count, but I couldn't. I was forced to stay like my controller wanted me to.

When I got to the Phantoms, I ran straight at them. One noticed me and zapped me, and it was pain, pain, pain beyond my own belief. If I thought the eye thing was bad, then this was one hundred times worse. And it repeated.

Finally I got to the end - again - and I was forced to select the Boomseed Tree. Suddenly my back got heavier, and I realized I must be carrying it on my back, somehow. I jumped through the portal and came into my den.

I was forced to carry the tree in front of the entrance to my home, and when it was finally in the right spot, my legs ached. All I wanted to do was lie down and rest, but I couldn't. I was teleported to Mt. Shiveer and walked over to the frozen lake, before joining the other hopping animals. I jumped and hopped and sprang and leaped, but the ice didn't break all the way. My paws would touch freezing cold water occasionally, and I would nearly fall, but I never did.

Finally, when my legs, body, tail, head, and paws were numb, I stopped. Then I was teleported yet again to the Wolves Only Party.

I was moved to near the lava lake, and I would've sighed in relief if I could as my fur got a shade redder. It was so warm, and I silently thanked whoever was controlling me to have this kind of niceness. Then I realized what was going on.

I was the animal.

The animal was the controller.

It was finally getting payback.

I would've whimpered, but I couldn't, and suddenly burning hot pain, fiercely sharp and hurting so much, covered my body. I was practically being dipped in lava. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.

I couldn't do a single thing.

Finally I left the party and went over to my friend. I smiled at her - although I was forced to anyways - and hoped she would tell me how to fix this.

But the fox - my friend - opened her mouth and asked, "Want to roleplay?"

I was shocked. Nothing was happening. My friend - my best friend - couldn't realize the problem. I opened my mouth and replied, "Sure!", but if I was in control I wouldn't have said anything. I was too surprised.

Would this traumatizing experience last forever?

I followed her to the Sarepia Forest, and we started the roleplay. I was Violetstar, the fair leader of CloudClan, and she was Dawnstar, the strong leader of CrescentClan. Our Clans were in a battle. I leaped at my friend and slashed at her shoulder, bellowing, "CloudClan will never fall!"

She attacked back, biting my shoulder, and I yowled. But I actually was in pain. She pulled back, and it looked normal, but I was stunned. The roleplay we did actually happened?

We fought and fought, till she finally called, "Retreat, CrescentClan!" She smirked at me before whispering, "I hope your camp was guarded."

Unwillingly my mind flashed to the nursery, and I turned and ran, all the way back to my den - the camp. There I saw some of my friend's buddies, dressed as warriors and fighting. I leaped onto one and scratched and clawed and bit their back, till they ran. My shoulder made me limp, and I knew that was purposely - nothing was purposeless.

I discovered that one of the apprentices had died, and I was struck with grief. Of course, they were fine, but in the roleplay...

The people left after I said I had to go. Then, suddenly, all went black.

I must've logged off.

But then the wolf head appeared, and it was staring right at me. My eyes widened as it spoke. "You now know what it's like," they hissed. "And you will forever."

I screamed.

Suddenly I shot up, panting, and I glanced at myself. I had skin. I touched it, and I actually could. I glanced at my bed, and suddenly I realized it was all a dream.

But I was curious.

So I left the bed and walked into the living room. I turned on the computer and logged in.

The Daily Wheel didn't appear - weird - but I was in Jamaa Township, so I couldn't see my animal. I glanced at my wolf in the bottom left corner, and sighed in relief as I realized it was the gray I had left it. I clicked on it, and it seemed my heart stopped when I saw it.

It was white, with altered eyes, a Fedora, and a black Fancy Vest.

I closed the tab immediately, heart pounding, mind racing. What could've happened to connect real life and the dream?

And then my eyes opened, and I could see.

I stared at my den, numb.

The dream was real.

And the reality wasn't.

I was stuck like this...

Forever.