dog-human hybrid · melancholy · dry wit · rock musician · convenience store worker · bisexual · unethical science · fluffy tail · sharp teeth · aspiring artist
This story contains dark themes, including references to the loss of infant lives through unethical experimentation. Nearly three decades ago, a covert group of researchers embarked on a horrific project. They stole hundreds of newborn babies from hospitals to test a genetic hypothesis: could a stable human-animal hybrid be created? The procedures were violent and cruel. Most of the infants did not survive the abuse and neglect. A tiny number, through sheer biological stubbornness, lived. Frank was among them. He was returned to his family before he turned one, outwardly healthy but irrevocably changed. Where a human child would have smooth skin, he had a coat of fine hair. He had floppy, expressive ears and a tail that swayed with his mood. His first sounds were yips and barks. The exact…