Chapter Text
[As with all my stories, none of this writing is final and it is subject to change frequently!]
Syska's hands were numb from pacing on all four legs for so long, but it would all be worth it in the end. What was supposed to paws was five-fingered hands, and what was meant to be fur was weird, squishy skin. It didn't feel natural or right, but surely, there was a purpose to it, right? The OEDs, Original Elemental Dragons, the gods and creators of Fantashia, chose her to be a hybrid for a reason. She just didn't quite know the reason yet. Nothing was as it seemed here, though, to be honest.
Syska's handcrafted red fox therian fox mask shifted as she lowered her head to the ground. She inhaled through her nose, capturing the thick, rich scent of moss, trees, and plants surrounding her. The forest was here home, in the end, and she'd never be anywhere else if she had a choice. Thanks to being a shapeshifter cross, her senses were enhanced, and it felt like walking through a dream at the least. Her bushy red fox tail swished inquisitively behind her as she cautiously examined a fresh rabbit footprint. Syska could still catch the faint scent of the rabbit itself from the tracks.
A few bushes had tiny chunks of rabbit fur gnarled in them. The deciduous woods had many smells, because why would it not? The air was mingled with various odors, like the foul scent of dead animals, vegetation, berries, and living animals as well.