The bus shook with every turn, climbing the mountain road as if it were tired of its own existence. The afternoon sun streamed through the windows in golden rays, and the smell of convenience store snacks mingled with cheap deodorant.

  Meanwhile, I was just reading one of Tolkien’s classics, The Hobbit, while listening to an anime opening I didn’t even know the name of, my friend with his face buried in a Nintendo Switch, admiring his party that any doubtful Pokémon fan would appreciate.

  -Hey, Mark, you have to see this, my Gardevoir just took down a Garchomp with Charm.

  -Congrats, Ryo, you’re the reason Fairy-type exists. -I murmured, not taking my eyes off the book.

  -Don’t judge, okay? I play for the character design.”

  -Design. Right. Sure.-I rolled my eyes while turning the page at that obvious lie.

  The bus swayed again, and the teacher at the front began that typical excursion speech nobody listens to, full of phrases like “learning from nature” and “creating memories that last a lifetime,” claiming that this trip to the mountaintop would be perfect for a technology-free experience.

  Then, everything changed in an instant.

  A massive tree, probably knocked down by the wind or the unstable jungle itself, fell directly in front of the vehicle. The driver screamed, jerking the wheel to avoid a collision.

  Time seemed to slow as I realized the sudden turn was taking us straight toward a cliff.

  I was never particularly religious, but let’s just say that in my situation—or similar ones—anyone would start praying desperately to survive, even if they had been a devout atheist before.

  I don’t know if the floating figure was real or just a hallucination, but it was the last thing I saw when I glanced out the window before closing my eyes in fear of the impact. For clarity, I completely ignored my friend, probably never to see his Pokémon again.

  …

  …

  …

  Emptiness… People have always searched for meaning beyond death, but experiencing firsthand what really happens afterward is, well… boring.

  I’m not sure if a few seconds passed after the crash, but time here felt like an eternity.

  There was no ground, no sky, no sound, no smell. No Ryo. No Gardevoir. No bus.

  But then, something moved.

  Suddenly, an amber glow streaked across the void. As if the emptiness had blinked. From the light, a figure appeared, walking with both majesty and grace, tall, with a body covered in golden and black spots that shifted like smoke under invisible light.

  It was a humanoid ocelot, with elegant features, golden eyes, and pupils that adjusted as they observed me. Every step she took seemed to transform the void around her, ground, trees, wind, the distant sound of birds, all appearing as she approached, as if the jungle had decided to accompany her.

  -When I decided to take a stroll through the void, I didn’t expect to find a soul that hadn’t yet been claimed by the others. -She spoke in a slightly disdainful voice, yet there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, as if she had just found something entertaining.

  -A talking big cat?

  -Correction. I am an ocelot, human, who seems to have drifted too long in the void. Normally, gods quickly choose their "blessed", or as I like to call them, their toys. But you… you’ve lingered too long unnoticed.

  She seemed slightly annoyed by my slip regarding her feline species, but eventually tilted her head with an amused smile.

  -Ah, great. Rejected by the gods. My self-esteem thanks you.

  -But not all is lost! -The ocelot clapped her hands, producing a sound that reverberated through the jungle forming around us. In an instant, I felt the ground vanish beneath my feet, and the wind wrapped around me. In the blink of an eye, we were atop a pyramid, seated on ancient stone steps covered in moss and small wild plants.

  The view was breathtaking: the jungle stretched endlessly, ruins overgrown with vegetation appearing around us, and the distant sound of a river completed the feeling of a sacred, untouched place.

  -Even after meeting, I haven’t properly introduced myself, have I? Sorry for the rudeness. I am the Goddess of the Hunt, also known as Yaruna. But I suppose you’ll probably just think of me as the one giving you a second chance in the same world as your peers. -She sat a few steps above me, crossing her legs with natural feline grace, winking playfully as she spoke her name.

  -Second chance… great. Nothing suspicious about that. -I murmured, half-dazed at the sight I was witnessing, as if seeing the ruins of an Aztec-like civilization firsthand.

  –You will keep everything that makes you who you are. Your memories, your consciousness, your essence. Nothing will be lost. –She raised each finger as she enumerated what I wouldn’t lose if I accepted the opportunity.

  –All intact… perfect. I’m accepting already. –I thought, without questioning anything beyond what she said. After all, surviving absolute nothingness was reason enough to accept anything, as long as I didn’t return to that void.

  -Well... you have no reason to trust me... huh? You accepted so easily? Oh! And of course, I knew you would! In any case, this forest will be your new home. Even if you didn't ask about the history, this land was once home to a people who revered me, but they were eradicated long ago. -Yaruna seemed momentarily taken aback by my easy acceptance, but quickly composed herself and tilted her head, extending her arm to show me the entire area, with a feline smile on her face that, honestly, made me want to pet her, because she looked so cute at that moment.

  –For what reason were they eradicated? –Snapping out of that brief trance, I immediately questioned her about the people who once lived here.

  –They were victims of their own savagery, always killing each other over something or someone, along with some petty schemes from other peoples. –She took a deep breath, staring at the horizon. For the first time, her smile disappeared.

  –But enough of the sad history. You’re not from here to understand, and I am not a good teacher of ancient history. –The goddess made a casual gesture with her tail, as if sweeping the topic out of the air.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  –So… what exactly do you want from me? –I asked, still processing the fact that I was conversing with a jaguar-goddess perched atop a pyramid in the middle of nowhere.

  She perked up one ear, as if my question had snapped her out of a daydream. The wind blew strongly, rustling the jungle leaves below, and the sound echoed like a distant whisper of ancient voices.

  –What I want from you? Nothing you haven’t already given me. –She repeated, with a slight smile.

  –What do you mean? I just got here.

  –I won’t lie claiming I am different from other gods; all I want from you is entertainment. After all, this world is a hungry beast. It devours the weak, deceives the confident, and laughs at fools who think they can tame it. And I want to see what you do in its face.

  She looked at me as if she could see into my very soul. Those amber eyes seemed to pierce through my thoughts, intentions, and even the fear I tried to hide.

  –So… I’m your "entertainment"? –I tried to sound ironic, but my voice came out quieter than expected.

  –We all need something to break the monotony of eternity. Don’t feel special about it, human. You were just… convenient.

  –Well, I guess I don’t have much choice, do I?

  -Choice is a luxury few have, and almost no one realizes when they're truly lost. Anyway, our conversation has gone on long enough, and I assume you want to get back to life quickly, so for now, this is my parting gift. -She extended her hand toward me, and suddenly a fragment of amber light formed above her palm, pulsing in time with my heart. The light took the form of a feline paw made of golden energy, hovering between us.

  –Umm… what is that?

  –This is a part of me. A fragment of my blessing, an instinct that surpasses reason and fear. With it, you will sense what eyes cannot see and what words try to hide. A premonition, an inner voice… call it what you will. But know this: instinct is a double-edged sword. It can save you… or make you doubt everything. –She tilted her head, the glow in her golden eyes now serious.

  The luminous paw began to dissolve into sparks that floated through the air like living embers. Before I could step back, they enveloped me completely.

  Suddenly, a distant roar echoed through the jungle, but I realized it wasn’t coming from outside, it was coming from within me. A primal sound, pulsing in time with my heart.

  –Feel the forest, human. It never lies, but it speaks in silence. Listen to what instinct shouts when reason fails. –The feline spoke in an almost solemn tone, seeming excited to teach someone to become even a little like her as she gave me the instructions.

  The pressure increased. For an instant, everything went dark, leaving only the rhythmic sound of my breathing and the heat of energy coursing through my veins. It was wild, alive, yet… strange. I felt the ground, the wind, even the beat of a bird’s wings that didn’t even exist yet. As if the entire world were breathing with me.

  –This is the first gift I’ve given to a mortal in centuries. Don’t waste it. –Murmured the goddess, opening a satisfied smile.

  The light around me began to fade, slowly, everything went dark and I ended up losing my consideration after that, the last thing I saw before fainting was the goddess's playful smile.

  …

  I opened my eyes slowly. The jungle around me seemed alive, pulsing. The grass moved, sounds came from all directions, and every detail was clearer than normal.

  –Where am I… –I started to speak, but stopped when I heard my own voice. It was higher, more… different.

  I looked down. The first thing I saw were two mounds of black-and-white fur covering my body as well.

  My mind refused to believe it, but my body seemed to know what had happened. Every muscle trembled as if trying to react on its own, every heartbeat echoed too loudly inside my head.

  I tried to take a deep breath. The air cut through me, filled with smells I should never have been able to perceive, earth, damp flowers, rotting wood, the distant trace of something dead for days. All mixed, all alive.

  Panic gripped my chest. I took a step back but stumbled and fell onto my backside. My hands, now tipped with short claws, touched the ground, and something soft around my waist seemed to cushion my fall.

  I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Only a low, melodic growl vibrated in my throat.

  That’s when I heard it: the distant, constant, rhythmic sound of running water.

  The sound grew louder as I moved, stumbling between the trees like a child learning to walk. Each step sounded heavy, yet… natural. The ground was cold, uneven, and yet my feet… no, my paws now… moved with a precision I had never had before.

  When I reached a clearing, the stream revealed itself before me, narrow, but crystal clear. The reflection I saw made me catch my breath.

  The figure in the water was no longer the face I was used to. It was… different. Something I had only glimpsed occasionally in artwork of demi-human anime characters.

  The face had soft, expressive features, ruby eyes gleaming like wet jewels, long pointed ears atop my head, and messy snow-white hair. The body, my body, was covered in short, soft fur in shades of gray and black, and the tail swished behind me seemed alive, moving with every heartbeat.

  For a few seconds, I stood there, staring at the reflection as if it belonged to someone else.

  Every detail, the shine in the eyes, the wet fur reflecting sunlight filtering through the trees, the shape of the body, screamed that this image was real.

  And yet, my mind refused to accept this reality.

  The wind blew, and reflexively my ears twitched, picking up the sound of a distant large creature. It was… too natural. Scarily natural.

  I continued to stare at the reflection until the world around me seemed to hold its breath. The sounds of the forest dimmed, the wind ceased, and a bluish light began to form before me.

  As if the air itself were folding, lines of energy intertwined, creating a translucent screen suspended in midair.

  The glow was cold, almost hypnotic. Letters began to form, one by one, as if someone were typing calmly:

  [Message from Yaruna – Goddess of the Hunt]

  “Welcome back to the plane of the living, my little lupine experiment. If you’re seeing this, it means you didn’t die immediately after being reborn, to a dragon or something like that.

  "I hope you like the new body, I made it to be perfect for my blessing, and I know you’re probably thinking I lied when I said you would remain the same, but you didn’t ask me to specify what my understanding of ‘same’ meant, and you probably assumed you’d keep your old body, didn’t you?”

  “Anyway, this message is just to warn you that the region you’re in is very dangerous and saturated with ancient mana… where powerful and unpredictable creatures often gather. I don’t recommend shouting, unless you want to test your luck right away.”

  “Oh, and about your clothes, I picked something that matched the ‘vibe’ of your old world. A red jacket, a tight top with mesh underneath, and a short plaid skirt. Don’t thank me; I admit I was curious to see how it would look on a lupine body, and now I understand why some girls like dressing up dolls.”

  “That’s all for now. Just try not to die, and you’ll be fine. You have an inventory, just like your peers in this world, and I left some extra things that might be useful.”

  “Now survive. If you entertain me properly, I’ll give you other things later.”

  The letters slowly vanished, dissipating like blue dust in the air.

  Silence returned, dense. Only the distant sound of some creature and the rapid beating of my heart filled the space.

  –So… now I’m a furry, in a place where I could die at any moment… –I murmured, staring at the reflection again.

  The red jacket gleamed under the sunlight filtering through the leaves. The black mesh under the top didn’t reveal the skin, or rather, the strange gray short fur, but it looked kind of charming, well-kept. And the short plaid skirt… well, if the goddess wanted to embarrass me, congratulations. Mission accomplished.

  The worst part? Somehow, the look matched. Punk schoolgirl or something like that.

  I stayed there for a while, staring at my reflection as the stream continued flowing, indifferent to the chaos I was experiencing, and to be honest, my new appearance was quite beautiful and appealing, even though I was never much into furry characters.

  The wind passed, messing up my hair and making my tail sway involuntarily.

  It was strange… but not entirely bad.

  My body was light, strong, and every sound seemed charged with meaning. It was as if the whole world were shouting life in my ears.

  I took a few steps along the stream’s edge, observing the surrounding forest. The air smelled of wet earth, and the light filtering through the canopy created golden patches on the ground. Too beautiful to be hell.

  But I had already learned that beautiful places often hide the most dangerous things.

  I crouched and plunged my hands into the water, cold, clean, real.

  The sensation made the obvious clear: I was alive again.

  Different, furry, confused, but alive.

  -One step at a time, the first step is to find shelter, and then I worry about the rest. –I said aloud, as if saying it made the plan more real.

  I closed my eyes and tried to sense the “instinct” Yaruna had mentioned. No mystical voices or supernatural senses, just the distant rustle of leaves and the echo of my own heart. Still, something inside told me standing still was a bad idea, as if the forest were watching, waiting for me to slip.

  The sun was beginning to tilt in the sky, tinting the leaves gold.

  The forest seemed to breathe with me, alive, curious, almost expectant.

  And as the silence stretched, a single certainty echoed in my mind as I walked upstream:

  “Survive.”