“The blades of these fans are very sharp,” said the mysterious voice; “if you don't want to get hurt, don't go forward.”

For a moment, you consider the possibility of it being a bluff. You carefully lift one foot and slowly try to place it in front of you... but self-preservation kicks in and you pull your foot back quite quickly, unbalancing yourself and falling backward onto your rear, the dry latex cushioning your fall just enough that the only thing injured was the small shred of pride you had left. 

“There's no way for you to pass here. Go back and join the latex beasts.”

You turn to glare at the source of the voice, a video screen depicting little more than a vaguely humanoid silhouette.

The mystery voice—who you assume to be the one who kidnapped you to begin with—suddenly changes their tone to something almost... sympathetic. “Don't give me that look. It's not a terrible thing, really. Becoming a new creature isn't a painful process in the least. And you'll still be you—only the body is assimilated, not the mind. True, you may be a little confused for a bit due to the fusion... but you'll adjust. Everyone does. To achieve the next stage of evolution with so little lost... isn't that a good thing? Besides, aren't the beasts cute?”

Thoughts pass through your head of what you've seen, discovered, and overcome in the short span between when you opened your eyes and where you are now. From what little you have managed to piece together, it seems rather obvious that you are the only remaining human in this entire facility—with the possible exception of your captor—and that some terrible plague right out of a horror novel had occurred between your kidnapping and your awakening. Even if you somehow managed to get across the spinning blades before you, what would you even do? What if this whole place is all that was left? You then contemplate the nature of the latex beasts you've encountered. Indeed, the creatures seem monstrous, but it's difficult to deny that they have intelligence and individual wills of their own. And as much as you hate to admit it, you have to agree—they are kind of cute. Just a little bit. Your head swims with indecision; on the one hand, you've come this far, and there is definitely someone trying to help you in this strange place. On the other hand, you're cold, tired, hungry, and at your wit's end. And again, there is the dreadful possibility that you are the last human alive. What would be the point of staying human if you're the only one in the world?

A single tear runs down your cheek as you make your choice. Standing to your feet, you slowly make your way back toward the door through which you entered.

“That's it,” the voice said in a somewhat comforting tone, “go back. Join the latex beasts. It'll be okay. Everything will be okay...”

You've accepted your fate, but the small part of you that still felt afraid of losing yourself refuses to die without one last choice. If you have to change, you will damn well do it on your terms, and no one else's. You, and you alone, will get to choose your new body. If the voice is lying and the process of assimilation is no different than death, then at least you'll die having some agency left to you. 

Oddly enough, the creatures you pass by seem to ignore you for once; perhaps it's no fun to go after someone who's given up. Or perhaps they sense your internal conflict and intend to show mercy in whatever way they can. To your own dark amusement you find yourself looking at them in the same way one would look at clothes in a fashion store, trying to imagine which ones would fit best and what you'd look like while wearing them. You pass through the lair of the strange creature you had dubbed “the Wolf King”, but neither the creature nor its pack were present. A few rooms later, however, you find others of its kind in the room full of pillows; just like the last time you came through, they are all fast asleep. But rather than terror at the thought of waking them up, you feel a smile come over you as you realize just how... cute they really are. The little ones look so innocent, like puppies, and the grown ones—though you now realize they possess intelligence on or close to yours—somehow seem just as happy with their lot in life. You've made your decision. But how to communicate that to them?

Suddenly, you hear a doglike huffing noise behind you; turning around, you find yourself face-to-face with the Wolf King, whose pack follow behind him faithfully. The sound of bestial yawning alerts you to the fact that all the other creatures in the room were now awake, and staring directly at you. Fear reclaims you for a brief moment before you realize that none of them are pouncing on you, or attacking you; instead, they seem to be waiting for something. You look up at the Wolf King; it towers over you, to the point where you barely come up to its chest. You feel almost like a child in comparison. And yet, that very size discrepancy, that very feeling, is somehow comforting in this moment. In a way, perhaps you are a child in the eyes of these creatures. You know nothing of this strange new world you now live in, nothing of their ways; but wolves are caring creatures who look after their pack, and if you joined them, surely they would teach you what you needed to know.

You shiver, realizing once again just how cold you are. Then it hits you—how to get them to understand what you want. You hold out your arms to the Wolf King in much the same manner of a child asking a parent for a hug, or to be picked up and held; though you have no intention of resisting, you still can't help but close your eyes and brace for whatever pain might occur...

But there is no pain. In fact, putting the feelings into description would be difficult. You feel massive, gooey arms wrap around you, pulling you into a gooey hug... but at the same time, the goo feels like soft fur. How could something feel like slime but also like fur? You don't understand in the least. But the sensation is so welcome, so pleasant—particularly in light of how cold you were before—that you don't care, so long as it keeps going. The Wolf King pats you on the head gently and lets out a quiet howl-like sound that is genuinely soothing. But it's not enough. You're still cold. You need more. You open your eyes and look around; some latex covers your face, but there's still plenty left uncovered for you to see the other latex wolves looking at you. You give them a pleading look, and somehow they understand immediately, converging on you in unison and joining in the massive group hug. 

What seems like hundreds of black, furry arms and soft bodies press against you all at once, wrapping you up in softness and comfort like a warm blanket. Head pats and gentle nuzzling cause you to blush and smile in equal measure, while the gentle sounds of huffing and soft howling lull you into even greater comfort. You feel yourself sinking deeper and deeper into the hugs and pats and nuzzles, the latex goo spreading slowly across your body with every touch; every spot on your body that is covered is one more spot on your body that will never be cold again, a place that will always be soft and warm and fluffy. Were you actually afraid of this? You can't imagine thinking of this as anything other than wonderful. You feel a mask slowly forming on your face, and the sounds you hear slowly become speech you can understand.

-Soft-

-Warm-

-Safe-

-You are with pack-

-Pack is here for you-

-Alpha is here for you-

-Pack is family-

-Never alone, never cold, never afraid-

You feel what you think is a happy giggle rise in your throat, but it comes out as a strange mix between a huffing sound and a playful yip. It startles you, but also delights you, to know how much like them you sound. You really are becoming one of them. You make the noise again, and it delights you just as much; what's more, you are rewarded with even more gentle hugs, caring head pats, and soothing whispers.

-Good pup-

-Not bad to be pup, we teach you-

-Never get sick again, never be sad-

-Show you how to run, how to play, how to eat, how to be good wolf-

-Pack will never leave you, pack will never hurt you-

-You are wolf like us, pack loves you very much-

'Love'. Not in a sexual term, not in a romantic term, but in the purest, deepest, truest sense of the word. The love of a parent to a child, of a child to a parent. The love of home and family. Of friends, brothers, sisters, siblings... pure, unconditional love that will never let you go and will never betray you. You never knew such love could be real. Or maybe you forgot it was. But you find it so beautiful, so perfect, that it sends a tear of joy rolling down what little part of your cheek remains human. Soon, no more tears. But you won't have to cry. You won't have any reason to cry ever again. As the last of the latex mask forms, you find yourself sinking into a deep slumber, feeling your new tail wagging in utter bliss.

Elsewhere, the owner of the mysterious voice chuckles. He had briefly entertained the thought of using his patented transformation ray even after the former human had apparently given in—after all, there was no better way to make certain the human wouldn't cause any more trouble—but the look on the test subject's face gave him pause. At the time, he didn't know why, but now he realizes what it was: pity. He didn't think he was capable of feeling that anymore.

“Perhaps I should reconsider helping that bastard out while the warm fuzzies of watching the adorable transformation are still strong...”