It was the right kind of temperature for a hike.
Ever since I was a young boy, I'd wander around the small wooded area behind my house, the one that was surrounded on all sides by housing. It felt wild, untamed, sure there were dirt paths, and sure we always stuck to them, but it felt like stepping into another world, where the modern world was muffled, until you reached the center, the tree house, where everything but the loudest yell from Mom was silent.
I felt at home in the forest, which was why when I could, I packed up only what I needed and left with my friends to start a life off the grid. It was quiet, peaceful, we didn't have internet or most modern niceties, relying on our ingenuity and knowledge of the wilderness to not only survive, but to thrive.
We all lived in small houses and took our meals together, sharing food from our gardens with the promise and understanding that, if one of us struggled or couldn't support ourselves, the others would be around to help them out.
Between a yearning for an idealized past and a recognition that not all modern niceties were bad, we applied what we knew to be scientifically true with our understanding of how ancient peoples lived and lived reasonably healthy lives.
So when I walked along the game trails, checking traps we'd set for rabbits and squirrels, I felt content knowing I was living my life the way I'd yearned for.
I heard the rustling of some underbrush, and was surprised and delighted to see a boar. It grunted and sniffed at the ground, wild and untamed. When it looked at me, for a moment, I was terrified. I thought for a moment, then remembered I'd brought a few carrots along with me. I slowly, carefully placed them on the ground, and equally slowly backed away. Was it the right move? I didn't know, but considering it didn't charge at me, it didn't see me as a threat.
It ambled toward me before leaning down to eat the carrots. When it was done, it seemed to look at me before turning around and walking down a game trail I hadn't noticed. I carefully followed after.
The trail was narrow and rough, but when I stepped into a small clearing, surrounded by tall and tense bushes, and saw what looked like a simple stone altar, I was intrigued. The canopy was thick enough above that the only light that could filter through was outside the ring of trees, and stepping up to the altar, it was like walking into a steadily darkening room.
I knelt and examined the altar, taking care not to touch it. It was covered in moss, with some sort of mud-covered object underneath. I carefully pulled the object open and- heart pounding, I opened it.
I breathed a sigh of relief as a glint of metal caught my eye, I reached in and pulled out what looked like an old costume. Not only that, it was a full-body suit designed after a boar. Given the age, it was likely this had been abandoned a long time, and was surprisingly sturdy for its age.
Well, I was alone, and there was something alluring to the notion of dressing up as an animal in the middle of a forest. I pulled the front zipper open and undressed, doffing my underwear with a smirk. With great care, I slid my legs in, then my arms, before lifting the head over mine. I noticed a mirror in the chest, and as I zipped the zipper, I stared at my reflection.
In the half-light, the shadows placed tricks on my face, and for a moment, it looked lifelike. I grinned, and then paused as it seemed the costume grinned as well.
Alright, enough of that. I unzipped the zipper and pulled the head off, but slowed down as I noticed my arms and body were still covered in fur, a zipper prominent on my chest. I slid the rest of the costume off, confused. I felt the face of the costume, and felt a pit open in my gut as I realized I could feel the snout, feel with it.
I unzipped the zipper again, ignoring the costume that sat on the forest floor, ignoring the fact that another zipper lay just underneath. I pulled the costume off, and looked at my furred hand, pinching it and wincing at the pain.
“This can't be real.” I grunted. I pulled the zipper down again, tearing the costume off and trying to ignore my fur.
My fur.
My hands shook as I realized I referred to it as 'my fur'. My snouth, my short tusks. I took the costume off, grunting as I struggled to undo it, struggled to return to my normal Human form.
And then I looked at my arm, noted how strong it looked, much stronger than ever before. And the wind as it blew through my fur, it felt so divine. I reached for the zipper, I pulled at it, but it didn't unzip. It hurt, like I was trying to tear open a hole in my front. I briefly considered just letting it be, but I felt compelled to pull, so I pulled.
The zipper peeled away from my body, revealing the one underneath it, but before I could grab that one, my wound seemed to liquefy, oozing together and sealing shut. I looked at the zipper in my hand, but it was gone.
I looked at my body and felt such an overwhelming sense of euphoria, and when I looked at the altar, I approached and knelt. The zipper was there, I knew if I took it, tried to use it, I could undo this, but...
“This is me.” I said softly, and the zipper seemed to melt away, dissolving into the stone.
I looked at the skins I'd shed, knew of a group of Humans who might be willing to join me. I gathered them up, and I walked undisturbed through the briar path and out of the forest.
They looked at me with wide, astonished eyes as I spoke of the gift I had received...

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A collaboration with  Kitticlub wherein a human man enters a forest and is blessed with a newer, wilder shape; as well as the ability to share this blessing with others.
The artwork is done by Kitticlub, the story is written by me.