#lab experiment gone wrong

[basketcasebetty]

A snippet of the art I made for this year's @deancashorrorfest!

I had the superb luck to be paired with the ever-amazing @bleuzombie who took my cannibal-Cas prompt and went absolutely wild with it!

Go read the fic HERE to get yourselves into the Halloween spirit and bask in all the gore! You can also find the full unedited art embedded in the fic.

[up-sideand-down]

The four soldiers plus Cloud get turned into animals AU xD

For your au ask :)

It was a Materia that did it. It was developed in the labs and was initially marked as a dud because nothing happened when it was cast. They tested on a variety of people starting Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal. Someone thought perhaps they were too strong or had too high MP to be affected so Zack was brought in. Still nothing. Then one of the infantry guarding the labs was brought in and agreed to testing. Nothing happened to Cloud either.

At least not for a the first few hours. They were thanked and released. Three hours later, the materia flashed and things started happening.

Sephiroth flopped to the ground with huge wings instead of arms. He was an eagle. Genesis was a bit more graceful turning into a fox, but didn't like being even shorter now. Angeal turned into a straight up bear, making it very hard to move without crushing things. Zack turned into a labrador retriever. Cloud turned into a large direwolf.

They were brought back to the labs...only to find that the materia did not remove the spell at all. Nor did any other status remedies.

2. It took some time for everyone to figure out who was who. Sephiroth and Genesis were easy enough. People kept mistaking Zack for Cloud and just mixing up Angeal and Zack. Cloud was a little insulted that no one thought he was supposed to be a wolf.

Genesis and Sephiroth were a little jealous of Cloud. Cloud got used to his form and was decent at communicating, able to growl and bark rather than just scream. Zack could also do that, but Cloud just looks more badass. Zack loves it though. He hangs out with Cloud all the time. Angeal adopts him as well. Angeal does the best since he can be bipedal for small periods of time.

Sephiroth eventually gets tired of waiting and starts teaching himself to fly by jumping off Angeal and Cloud. It doesn't go well, but Genesis makes a game of trying to catch Seph before he falls. They keep congregating together, despite the labs trying to separate them, thinking their behavior is more aggressive than playful.

3. None of them like being in the labs. All attempt breaking out on their own. Sephiroth never really succeeds in flying out. Instead he gets himself leashed. Zack tries to be sneakier, but keeps getting lost down there and also gets leashed. Angeal tries to just break out, so he's put in a containment pod. Genesis gets the furthest, but is caught just before he makes it out. He's grabbed by the tail and it hurt like hell. Cloud only tried once. He came back willingly, trying to brush it off like he was just trying to stretch his legs.

It works to an extent. After all the others he is leashed with a chain, but just leashed. He's given a leather collar instead of a harness like Zack. He doses, feigning submission.

But he knows his fur is so thick, that they made that collar too loose.

4. Cloud's 2nd escape goes very smoothly. He knows the way out, but he knows they'll all need to escape if one is. He pads quietly over to Zack. Zack whines and thumps his tail when he sees Cloud. Cloud sits and waits for Zack to calm down. He gets left alone. Cloud then sneaks up, and snaps the leather leash. He carries Zack out by his harness. Angeal might be able to claw it open.

They go to the containment pods. Zack sniffs out the door controls and jumps up to get it open. Angeal stays quiet with Cloud, but gets Zack out of his harness. Genesis is close by in a kennel. It takes some time from all of them, but Zack is the one able to bite the lock and lever the door open. Genesis leads them to Sephiroth, blinded and leashes. Angeal gets the blinder off, but Cloud holds the leash. Sephiroth eventually gets the message that they're getting out together.

5. The escape ends up being fairly flawless. Zack and Genesis trot beneath Cloud and Angeal, while Sephiroth rides Angeal. They sneak out of the labs and into an elevator. They stop once, for a heart stopping moment, but apparently the wait was too long and there is no one there. They sprint out the front door, ignoring stares and a few yells.

They run out to the wasteland without getting stopped. Finally they are out in the sun and get to stretch their legs. Sephiroth finally manages to fly. Zack and Cloud get to play and Genesis jumps into cause more trouble. They finally feel like maybe they can talk to each other like this.

When the moon rises, they suddenly snap back to their human forms. Apparently moonlight was the key. They start their way back home no worse for wear. But with a new friendship budding between them. All four have much more respect for Cloud, their alpha wolf. They're all proud of Sephiroth, their eye in the sky. Zack is their everliving cheerleader. Genesis notices every detail. And Angeal is just their teddy bear, cuddly and mean when necessary.

"We should meet more often," Sephiroth says.