### Lunar Transformation

As the night began to embrace the small, serene town of Ridgewood, the park at its heart lay still and quiet. The trees whispered softly in the cool breeze, and the full moon hung like a celestial guardian in the ink-black sky, casting everything in a silver-blue glow. A lone figure navigated the winding pathways of the park, his silhouette bathed in the moonlight's ethereal touch. This figure was Alex, a 13-year-old boy just shy of turning into a teenager, donning his favorite thick yellow hoodie with a crisp white undershirt peeking from underneath. He wore slightly worn blue jeans and black and white sneakers that had seen many adventures. Alex often escaped to the park at night to seek solace from the pressures of school and the complicated maze of adolescence. Little did he know that this night would offer him an escape of an entirely different nature. As he walked, the silence rang in his ears, only interrupted by the occasional rustle of leaves. He tried to shake off an uncomfortable feeling that seemed to gnaw at him, something insidious threading through the empty park. His footsteps started to slow as an inexplicable shiver slithered down his spine. A sensation as ancient as time itself compelled him to stop in his tracks and turn around. His eyes locked onto the full moon, which now seemed even more luminous, an almost hypnotic orb in the sky that demanded his full attention. Alex’s breath became shallow, his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears as he gazed upward, losing himself in the moon’s magnetic pull. The cold blue light was searing yet soothing, an unspoken promise of change. Suddenly, Alex felt a strange heat coursing through his veins. His body began to shudder uncontrollably, his mind fogging up with a mixture of fear and wonder. His hands flew to his hoodie as he felt his body begin to swell. His fingers trembled as they tugged at the thick fabric that suddenly seemed oppressively tight. His bones began to creak and pop, elongating in a grotesque symphony of transformation. His shoulders broadened, muscles bulging and stretching the yellow hoodie until it split with a snapping sound. The white undershirt followed suit, tearing down the seams as his back arched and expanded, developing layers of powerful muscle. His height surged upward; Alex felt his perspective of the world around him shift drastically as his legs lengthened, causing his blue jeans to rip open from the seams, unable to accommodate the rapid growth. Alex's sneakers groaned under the strain of his enlarging feet before finally bursting open, black and white fragments scattering across the grass. His toes curled and splayed out, larger and stronger than they had ever been. Each additional inch his feet grew sent stabbing pains up his legs, but the trance-like state kept him rooted, awed, and horrified by the metamorphosis consuming him. His hands thickened, and his nails grew into sharp, curved claws, shining like dark crystals in the moonlight. Alex's neck elongated as his jaw and skull began to transform, his face contorting and reshaping into something feral. His teeth sharpened like ivory knives, a guttural growl erupting from deep within him. A primal sensation took over, blotting out coherent thoughts. Alex’s mind was slipping away, yielding to the raw beast that was now him. His once lucid eyes glowed a wild, incandescent blue. His entire body was colossal, rippling with power and primal energy—a stark contrast to the boy he had been mere moments ago. The park, once a sanctuary of tranquility, now housed a howling, muscle-bound beast blazing with raw power. The ruined fragments of Alex’s clothes fluttered gently to the ground, leaving no trace of the boy he used to be. Tremors passed through his now beastly form as senses sharpened like never before. Every scent, sound, and motion became acutely amplified, as Alex— or what had once been Alex—stood hyper-aware of the night around him, a living embodiment of feral instinct. The park had become an unwitting stage for an ancient, mythical transformation, and the full moon looked down, its light coldly indifferent to the chaos it had wrought.