Chapter Text
In azure skies
Did our worlds collide
Two halves yet whole
Side by side we grow
Our stories are new
But our world is old
For partners of past
Have long walked this road
From a shooting star
And a world turned grey
An ice bitter cold
And life's tree gone away
Yet this road we still walk
And though the travel is long
And the journey is tough
And we fail to stay strong
When our minds are weary
And our bodies worn
In times of shadow
Will our souls take form
We'll find clouds
With silver black lining
We'll face storms
With golden blue lightning
We'll grow to love
Our darker sides
We'll soon be back
In azure skies
In a lush forest, dewdrops glistened in the moonlight, gleaming in the night's blanket of darkness. The dew was a regular visitor after dusk; the grass and leaves already familiar with the cooler sky.
Not all was serene amidst the trees, as an unannounced visitor was sprawled across the forest floor, lying still, white fur outshining the night dew in contrast. She stirred as a chilly breeze danced through the clearing, rustling leaves in a soft wave. The night air should have been chilly discomfort for most, but she felt oddly shielded against the brunt of the cold. Seconds gave way to minutes as she laid there, yet to realize what she was—and who she was.
Blinking the last remainders of drowsiness away, she slowly took in the view before her. Grass, bushes, trees, assorted stones, all cast in the moonlight’s cool blue. And, white? Whatever it was, it was awfully close in her peripheral vision. Her hair wasn’t white, or at least—what color was her hair again? (Was it always this long?) Confused, she tried to straighten up, only to stumble forward, jolting her mind to full alert. That was strange; she knew she was often groggy after waking up (Was that a nap?), but struggling to walk was ridiculous. She sighed, moving a hand to brush away those pestering bangs, trying to ignore why such a common movement felt so foreign to her. And then, she froze again.
A furry, white limb was outstretched in her face, one claw of three still raised. Dumbstruck, she tried to stretch her arm, and in growing dread, this arm responded, beginning to shake as her panic began to set in. Stumbling again as she tried to stand up, ultimately still falling flat, she whipped around in panicked frustration to glare at her legs. No, those are—those can’t be her legs. Bent like a dog’s, and just like the arm (That was NOT her arm) covered in that same white fur, and ending in three claws. Another spike protruded from the back of its ankle, digging into the ground below as she snapped her leg out in reactionary shock, her confused state only worsening as the leg kicked in turn. This—this had to be a dream.
But her heart racing in her chest, her throat tightening as she fought for breaths, her mind frantically searching for any possible explanation—no dream or nightmare had ever been like this before. And the grass, that rock, those trees, all looked so real. The feelings of the forest floor, the sound of the rustling leaves, the—smells? (Her nose had always been stuffy, what in the world were these scents?) This all felt too real, but so wrong. She didn’t have fur, she wasn’t an animal, she wasn’t this thing. She was a human… right? Why—why can’t she remember?
🙦🟆🙥
She wasn’t the type to cry. She tried very hard not to, trying to fight back every tear that tried to rush its way down her cheek. Trying to hold down the sob that threatened to choke her. But she was lost, lost in a world, lost in some woods, lost in this body, lost in her mind. So a few tears lost to the ground didn’t matter much.
She had left the clearing, growing stiff from lying still. With minutes rolling into an hour, it became clear to her that time wasn’t “fixing” whatever had happened to her. If this was a dream, waking up wasn’t a matter of waiting it out. After quickly discovering that standing up on twos with this new body plan wasn’t ideal, she took to tentatively traversing on fours, surprised at how seamless it was. Although wobbly at first, she soon found herself walking through the moonlit forest, almost able to step without thinking where to place her hand (paw?).
The ground beneath her eventually began to slope, grass and soil seemingly more damp as she continued onwards, not sure where or what was her destination. Ahead of her however, proved an opportune place of interest. Breaking into a brisk but unsteady trot, she stumbled her way to the bank of the glistening lake. Its surface was dazzled with bright hues from the reflection of the glowing full moon, pale light streaking across the water. Thirst had slowly begun nagging her throughout her brief time here, so the little oasis was a pleasant, needed sight. Carefully stepping around resting stones and waltzing reeds, she stood at the edge of the bank, ready to take a sip. Lake water probably wasn’t the safest option to drink from, but it wasn’t like there was a better available alternative.
Those thoughts were quickly put aside however, as she found herself staring into an alien face reflected in the water. Some sort of dog? Cat? No, fox- some sort of animal; dark fur with white wreathed around on top, stark blue eyes staring back into her own. A long clump of white hair flowed down the side of her head, proving to be the obstruction of her view earlier. Yet more perplexing, a diamond of the same dark color sat on her forehead, and most confusingly, the face in the water also scrunching in bewilderment, a large, crescent-shaped protrusion—just sticking out of her head! How did she not notice that before?
Reaching up to touch the odd sickle-shaped horn, she stared at her reflection in a daze, prodding around to feel if that… thing was really just stuck to her head. It felt oddly sensitive at the touch, sending tingling sensations that irked her mind. (Was her brain okay?) Shaking away ridiculous thoughts, she hesitantly lowered her head down to the lake’s surface, the cool water easing some stress from her foreign body.
Rustling came from the brushes behind her. A shift of movement prompted her to swivel around, chest beating with renewed vigor. She wouldn’t be alone for long.