The dream skidded to a halt with the pleading bleep of his alarm. At least he had the
presence of mind to arm it last night. After that last shift, Officer Williams was lucky
to have slept as well as he did.

As the light filtering into his bedroom stretched across the bed, he felt the restrictive
denim of his jeans press into his thighs and waist. Forgot the pajamas again, it seems.

Bits and pieces of last night's shift blossomed and faded with the pulse of the clock
radio's piercing cry. The policeman rolled over and stretched to slam the top of the
infernal device with...a paw.

The moment the alarm stopped, he blinked and stared. Williams wiggled a claw-bedecked
finger and instantly assumed he was still asleep, dreaming. Heh. This would be good.

He took a breath and everything just sort of...stank. The rotting meatloaf in the fridge
mingled with the sour smell from the drain in the bathtub. The dumpster down the alley
competed with the window cleaner under the kitchen sink. Huh? This wasn't making much
sense to the practical-minded policeman.

Shutting his eyes tight, he started to recall last night all over again. The call from
dispatch to assist Animal Control. The frightened beast in the dark alley. The growls
and snarls. The bite. His gun dropping to the ground as the creature skittered away on
two feet.

Two feet.

He opened his eyes in a flash and looked down past his jeans.

Paws. Where there should have been feet.

Officer Williams sprang to his feet and ran to the hallway mirror. No longer the stout,
Irish man he once was, his new Akita form suited him well, he decided.

But first: toss out that old meatloaf.