I awoke curled on a sunny patch of grass. A pond lay a few meters away. The water rippled lightly as leaves fell from surrounding trees rustling in the breeze. Scents of rich soil and healthy wood wafted through the air. It was a still, peaceful place. I have no idea how I got here.
My confusion was tempered by the calmness of my surroundings. There was, however, something off about this environment. The colours were... wrong somehow. Too bright and unnaturally deep. The blue sky was reminiscent of watercolours and the trees in the distance looked almost illustrated. A cool drink would help clear my head. I approached the pond and—what the?
A startled, inhuman yelp echoed through the clearing. I stumbled backwards and fell over. An orange tail tipped in white fell across my vision but I barely registered it. I was too focused on the hands that had tried to cup water. They were paws; padded, clawed, and black-furred. It was only after standing back up that I realized I was on four legs. A single conclusion offered itself, but I had to be sure. Tentative steps brought me to the pond’s edge. I leaned forward and looked at my reflection. A fox stared back.
In the story of Actaeon, Artemis turned a hunter into a stag as punishment for seeing her bathing. Divine wrath made as much sense as anything else right now, but I didn’t remember seeing anything godlike today. Come to think of it, what did I remember? I had gone to the library to check out a book of Viking poems and—
*scrick*
My ears swivelled to catch a twig snapping to my left. I spun around and had a fleeting glimpse of something red vanishing into the brush.
“Hey! Wait!” I called out as I gave chase.
