Chapter 3

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She turned violently from the puddle and bolted towards the forest that shouldn't have existed. She flung herself into the shaded grove of trees, trying to escape her new found reality. She didn't know where she was running to, nor did she care. Even if she did care about those seemingly small details, the instinctive pull to run would have overpowered her rationality. Disbelief and panic was all that she experienced presently, she had no sense of direction or even surroundings as she leaped over a fallen tree. She didn't slow her rapid pace until thirst burned a hole in her irrational panic. She had to stop or she would eventually collapse, she told herself, and then where would she be?

“No closer to solving this fearsome riddle, that's for freaking sure!” Her logic overrode her instinctive panic and her pace started to slow. She decelerated to a light jog, but her mind was still racing frantically. “Before I do anything irrational again, I need some water.”

She began her search for some water, remembering that she had read somewhere that fast moving water was clean enough to drink, because bacteria were incapable of living in the moving currents. After about fifteen minutes, she heard the tantalizing gurgle of flowing water nearby. It took her nearly five minutes to walk to the waters location, much farther than it had sounded. She knelt down to the stream and dipped her mouth down into the cool refreshing liquid, letting it calm her nerves and drinking to satisfy her thirst. She didn't cup her hands to drink for fear of panicking once again. Wary to look again at her reflection, she bent her head over the rushing water. She peered into the currents of the stream and was filled with terror.

“Something's wrong! Terribly wrong! I saw my reflection, but now I don't see anything!” panic welled up inside here again, but this time she repressed it once she made the realization. “of course I don't see anything, stupid idiot. It's moving water... I can only see my reflection in calm water.” She calmed down once more and decided her best bet was to follow the water downstream. “it has to lead to a pool or a pond eventually, somewhere where the surface is smooth.”

Her efforts were not in vain, for she soon noticed the torrents speed decreasing, and its path smoothed out. She came upon a perfect outcropping of trees surrounding a pristine pool of water. She stood over the edge of the bank, looking across the large pool to the other end, marveling at the perfect sight of the correlation of the trees with the smooth silk of the surrounding grass. Taking a deep breath to calm herself to a peaceful state, she lowered her head to gaze upon her reflection.

From head to toe her body was covered in a soft, fine, delicate fur. A gentle breeze flowed across the short grass, disturbing its early morning slumber and shaking loose dewdrops that had accumulated across its surface, making her new likeness' fur rustle in smooth ripples like the fine silky grass did now. She did nothing but stand there and look at her reflection in disbelief. Her eyes were thin vertical slits of dark blue-green with a golden tint. Her face seemed perfectly defined in the smooth surfaced puddle, which made the whole image more frightening to Cinthle as she continued to stare. Her ears were now placed upon her head like a cat's. Thin, short, sharp looking teeth protruded from her upper jaw where one's canine teeth were and fit snugly over her bottom lip. They weren't too long, but Cinthle's mind kept wondering to an image of a vampire's protruding fangs. She wore no clothes, for the fur covered her whole body, it still made her feel more than uncomfortable, but her mind wasn't concerned with her decency currently, but her surprising transformation. The color of the fur reminded her of a midnight sky's dark blue that somehow seems bright at the same time. Her ears were perked strait up like a cat who's attention has been caught by some interesting object or abrasive sound. Her legs were long and slender like a veteran trained athlete, muscular and yet still thin. Her arms were just as beautiful and their appearance shimmered in the morning sun. She no longer had feet, but small padded paws which had incredibly sharp thin nails protruding at the ends. Everything about her new found appearance reminded her of a cat, from her fur, paws, and nails, to her eyes, ears, and whiskered muzzle.

"Well," she commented to herself shakily "if everything about me is catlike..." she proceeded to slowly turn her head over her right shoulder, twisting her torso as she did so to get a view of her back. Her body was more flexible that what she was used to, so she ended up looking more so towards her left side. She adjusted her posture accordingly and saw the back of her new body in its entirety. The shallow valley of her back, where her spine was, was smooth and almost familiar.

“at least some things about me are familiar” she decided. She followed her spine down her back and, afraid to look further, closed her left eye tightly.

"It's okay Cinthle," she soothed herself, "get a grip on yourself." She opened her left eye once more so that her view was not limited to the base of her back. She looked down across her flank and discovered what she had been expecting, but she was still surprised all the same.

“A tail.”

Those two simple words spoken within her mind threatened to send her into a panic once again, but this time she was capable of withstanding the instinctive feeling to flee away from the realization since she half expected the result. It was long and lean, going down to the ground and curving back towards the sky before it made contact with the earth. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she was actually thinking about it, she could feel the extra presence about her body. Currently it seemed to have a mind of its own, not frantically waving about, but swaying gracefully as it made minor adjustments as she turned her body about. She had sometimes pictured herself with a tail back home, but no matter how she had edited her perceptions, it had always seemed slightly off and awkward. Now that it was a reality, although she had never wished, herself a tail, it seemed like a perfect addition. The final piece of a perfect puzzle or the final brush stroke on a beautiful painting, the glazing of a master's work of pottery. It completed her.

She was curious about the new piece of her form and started to experiment with it. She focused on the part of her body where the tail met her torso and tried to gain control over the muscles that controlled it. She flexed those muscles which she thought would control the movement of the tail, but only resulted in small parts of her back to twitch causing the fur to slightly bristle at the unexpected movement of the skin underneath. She was required to make the attempt a few more times before her non-responsive tail was consciously moved. She became delighted that she was now capable of moving it voluntarily and not having its movement limited by the independent seeming instinctive moving to correct balance. She decided to test the newest found member of her body, lifting it into the air and haphazardly bringing it out in front of her, twisting her body back into a more comfortable position as she did so. The movement was jerky and awkward, so she tried it a few more times. She moved it back and forth with each repetition increasing the smoothness and grace of the movement. When she was satisfied with its fluid movement she lifted it and waved it in front of her face. She took this time to practice for no more reason than her own personal amusement.

“Besides, I should be comfortable and capable in my new body.” she decided.

She leaned her upper body towards her tail and rubbed it against her cheek to more familiarize herself with it. Her first reaction was that it first felt quite strange to her, as if she were touching a third arm, but that idea in itself put her mind to bizarre ideas and mental pictures. After she got herself accustomed to its presence, she had a new opinion of it. Since she had gotten used to it, now whenever she rubbed it to her face, it had a soft and comforting feeling, like a dear friend putting a welcome hand upon her shoulder or like the familiar warmth of a fire on a cold evening. She flexed the found muscles of her tail and it snapped up into a predetermined position. Satisfied with its responsive time, she lifted it up to eye level and inspected it thoroughly. No imperfection could be found, even when considering her complete build, she noticed that she had not found one imperfection, even when her new slitted eyes could focus clearly upon one hair as if it were as wide as a wise old tree's trunk! She pawed at her tail playfully, amusing her image of herself as a cat, but didn't find it as entertaining as a house cat probably would. Upon pawing at her tail, she viewed her hands for the second time. They were mostly the same as a human hand, but had feline characteristics such as fur, retractable claws, and they seemed inhumanly flexible. She extended the razor sharp claws from her hand and swiped at a passing leaf being carried by the wind. The leaf was shredded into six small ribbons and continued on its relative direction. She continued to test other aspects of herself such as agility and her flexibility. She did the splits with ease, jumping into a somersault and landing on her paws. She thought to herself that she must look rather foolish, jumping about for no apparent reason. She halted her bounding and went back to the pool.

The sun was directly over her head now, casting light shadows from the branches of the trees above her head, making her fur stand out even more against the bright surroundings. A breeze picked up and carried some leaves across the grass towards her paws, dancing about them like fairies trying to carry a lucky young adventurer away to their home land to visit. She felt very much like that young adventurer currently, but also like a new person. She felt as if she could overcome anything now that she wasn't some week feeble human girl.

She surprised herself with her own acceptance of this new body; surprising herself more so was the fact that it didn't seem to bother her anymore! She looked back upon her previous reaction to her transformation with embarrassment and a little bit of humor. She amused herself by picturing her frantic running through the trees, dashing away from herself. It was all too much, and she let out a little chuckle.

"Heh, well I guess I could get used to my new body... It certainly is better than the one I had previously!"

She thought back to all of her humanly imperfections. The freckles she hated so vehemently, the frizzy consistency of her hair which always was rebelling to her will. She now felt rather pleased with her new appearance and began to inspect herself properly. She ran a hand over her fur, delighting in the soft touch of her hand against the thin silky strands. She wrapped a hand over her arm and tested the density of her muscular complexion. She flexed her arms, and inspected the results with a prod from her finger. She looked back into the pool and raised a hand to her feline ears. She stroked them gently, not knowing what to expect. As she came in contact, the small muscles on the top of her head behind her ears contracted, pulling back the ear in response to the touch. She had to focus quite hard on that particular area of her body, and will the muscles to relax. She took a few deep breaths to aide her in the effort and eventually her ears rose back to their previous position. She stroked them softly with more control over their movements. Once she was done with her ears, she went to her face.

Her mouth was no longer flat, but protruding into a delicate muzzle. Thin whiskers poked out from the sides which were her first interest. She lifted a hand up to brush it against them. Once they made contact, she was shocked at the definition the hand the whiskers gave her for they were extremely sensitive. She could make out the texture of the fur covering her hand just by focusing on the feeling coming from the whiskers. Everything was so finite that she could actually count, with some accuracy, the number of hairs that brushed across the whisker. She ran her hand to the new nose she now possessed and felt its velvety softness. It was a dark color, discernible between black or some other dark shade. She inhaled through her nose and was astounded by the smells she experienced. The trees gave off a sweet homely scent, while the grass smelled like she remembered, just more defined. The air was as clean and clear as the water. There was a sweet and clean scent that was unfamiliar to her, and she let her body move towards the scent. She wondered around for a short while, and closed her eyes, letting her nose guide her. This was quite amusing to her and she reveled in the fun she was having. She followed her nose and let it be her eyes. She bent down as the smell got stronger and dipped her head down. She sniffed the aroma and she new she had found it, opening her eyes, she saw another pair staring back at her. Surprised, she jerked her head back and then stared. It was the pool of water.

“Water has a scent?” she puzzled.

She took another deep whiff of the pleasant smell and stood back upon her paws. She thought it quite curious that she had hands AND paws, but she didn't let it bother her. She stood gazing out across the pleasant scene before her before turning about. It was then that she realized she had no idea where she was, not that she knew where she was in the first place, but now that she was presently even more lost than when she had begun this day.

“Well, there's no point in sitting in the same place if there is a vast new world to explore.” she concluded to herself.

Taking one last draw of water, she stood and walked out of the peaceful grove, and into her new life.

She walked for a few minutes, but soon grew bored with the continuing scenery and decided to see how fast she could now run. She sped forward and almost fell flat on the ground, not expecting such a burst of speed! She soon regained her balance and continued on. The dark colors of the trees flew about her in a whirlwind of colors and smells. Everything was quiet but the soft padding of her paws upon the forest floor. Their rhythm soon became familiar as the blur of passing trees and the occasional jumping over a log or stump. She had much time to think about past events since she had no destination or bounds put upon her by human life, so she let her mind wonder.

“Surely I am not the only one here in this world, but I have not given much thought to anyone else but myself since I arrived here. I am quite curious to know what others here are like. Are the feline as myself, or are there many different species dotting the land?”

Her mind drifted from topic to topic and the sun sank steadily lower, casting longer shadows the lower it became. The lack of clothing still slightly disturbed her, but until she knew it was irregular to not wear clothes, she decided to not let it bother her.

“Besides,” she thought to herself “I kind of enjoy this freedom. If I were to wear clothes it is quite likely that I would just be encumbered by them, unable to do most of the things I have discovered I now can do for fear of ripping them apart. Or” she amused herself with the ridiculous idea “I would have to wear clothes so loose that I may as well have not been wearing clothes anyways.”

Her speed was that of an animal, but considering that she was now mostly one she thought this to be appropriate. Besides, she enjoyed the feel of the wind being sliced through by her fur and the caress of the wind's touch on her ears. On the way to no particular destination, she continued to test her abilities. She sped in between trees, over stumps, jumping and leaping from here to there and then coming out of the acrobatics at a full run, but everything that she would think of doing, she found that she was more than capable! Even at some of the more unnecessary ideas such as jumping from tree to tree, off the sides of their trunks, letting her hind paws dig deep into the bark with her claws to keep her momentum forward. She decided that she didn't quite enjoy the destruction she was causing the natural giants and stopped that specific stunt.

She started to pant after about an hour of strait running, so she slowed her pace to a jog and started a much needed search for water again. This time she didn't have any type of trouble finding any since there seemed to be some sort of creek or brook every few miles or so. She had already past six such sources of water but had passed them by. The familiar gurgling melody of running water approached her ears and she started towards it. She could tell she was close when she stopped quite suddenly; she had heard a loud sickly thump nearby. Once again her ears had played the trick of distance, the source being farther than she had previously thought. She crouched down on all fours, allowing her yet to be familiar instincts take hold as she had not a clue as how to sneak up on something, especially something that may have been looking to do her harm.

The sun was over her shoulder now, dancing upon the trees light colors of yellow gold and red orange, making the upcoming pond take upon a gloomy essence. She heard a light rustle, the noise produced of wood on wood that was then followed by another wet cracking thump. She peered across the smooth glassy surface of the water to see a tall lean figure. He was of a tall and lean build with yellow and then white fur, but red fur tipping his ears. A long and strong looking tail faded from yellow to a white at the end. He was holding a bow, shooting arrows at an old tree stump, which she discovered as the source of the noise that had gained her curiosity. He had a muscular build and, although she new he was obviously the same species as her, she felt quite different than his appearance told her. Something about his stance, the way he held and drew his bow, to the anchoring of his hind legs onto the ground gave him a frighteningly powerful aura. The sun behind her made the color of this stranger's fur to stand out and she noticed that some small parts of his coat, like small diamonds made from gold, caught the sunlight.

He released another arrow, splitting the previous down the middle. Satisfied with his handiwork he turned around to get a drink. Cinthle instantly cowered behind the tall grass and small shrub that was hiding her from his view, but it allowed her to keep her watch on this new figure. The stranger turned back to his makeshift target and approached the arrows. His muscles clenched with the effort of prying the arrows from their resting place. Cinthle marveled at the strength of his bow and in connection, the strength of him as well.

“To pull that massive bow and then remove those tightly lodged arrows must the extremely difficult, yet he doesn't even seem to be bothered by the effort!”

Once his wooden quiver was replenished with his spent arrows he turned about once more. His eyes looked as though they were looking directly into hers, holding her still for fear of being discovered. He swiveled to his left and started to walk away.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" he questioned seemingly to no one and continued on with his way.

It took Cinthle a moment to realize that he had been addressing her with his question and, feeling rather childish, abandoned her hiding place and took up the empty space to his right. She had to walk rather quickly to keep up with his long strides, but kept up with little effort. She was about to question him as to how he had know she was there when he turned to her, still walking a straight path to his destination. He stared into her dark blue-green eyes with his own being a dark shining gold.

"By the way," he told her in a tantalizingly familiar tone, "my name is Draden."