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It’s no secret by this point that Beef is changing. He’s in near constant pain as his body rearranges itself and becomes almost insect-like. The food he eats has changed. He’s eating cat food of all things. And it tastes good.
Doc, the man that has eaten redstone, gunpowder, and coal, gave him a weird look on that one.
It didn't make him feel good… it’s not his fault he’s changing.
So when chips and chitters start to creep into his vocabulary he’s terrified.
Just how far will this go. How much will change.
He’s not just being hybridized. He’s completely changing species. Xisuma ran the tests.
Irreversible until complete, a full shift.
Whatever had been left by the hybrid labs transporting in this world before it was sold for hermitcraft, it was the real nasty stuff. They reported it, but by the time the watchers got there to clean up the damage was done and Beef was infected.
Hands fusing into claws, hips changing shape, thick chiton like armor encasing his body, growing in height, losing his hair, and most of his weight.
He’s become a monster.
And losing his voice, that was the last straw.
So he hides, withdraws into a shell.
No one sees him for weeks. He’s gone. Basically vanished. If he wasn't on the Player list the hermits would have thought he was off world. No messages, no deaths.
So when Evil Xisuma shows up at Doc’s base and drags him, Bdubs, and Etho towards the evil emporium only saying he found Beef, they follow without complaint or question.
And there he is lying crumpled at the door of one of the shops, Xisuma sitting on the floor next to him whispering softly in his ear.
Doc runs to his friend and starts chuffing and purring softly, drawing his missing pack mate closer, “Where did you go?”
Beef shakes his head and lets out a quiet chitter as his mandibles click together. He looks towards Xisuma and shakes his head again. He nods in understanding and stays quiet.
Turning his head to the side Doc makes a rumbling sound and rubs his head on Beef’s. Letting out a surprised chirping sound when Beef somehow purrs back. Doc grinds his fangs together and bumps Beef.
“Oh thank goodness,” Bdubs pants as he crashes to his knees, ignoring how the rocks cut into his knees, “We were so worried.”
“Don't do that to us man,” Etho sighs, “We missed you.”
Beef lets out a soft whistle.
“Of course we looked for you, X told us you didn't want to be bothered so we searched manually. Doc almost got a cheat eye to look underground.” Bdubs shakes his head.
A few tears silently slip down Beef’s face as he huddles near his friends. They hadn't given up on him, his friends went looking for him, “tan-k u,” He barely maneges, it was hard, so hard to string those sounds into anything even barely resembling English, but the blinding smiles he got, were worth it.