He’d been wandering the area for… well, he wasn’t sure how long it had been. Mindlessly roaming, no longer wobbling like a clumsy child on four limbs instead of two. The senses nearly overwhelmed him upon waking, but it seemed that they, too, would grow milder with time. An owl followed his movement from its place in the trees above and Damian slowed to admire the creature. The soft feathers, stripes of brown and cream, kept it nearly hidden against the bark, but the scent - how had Damian lived so long without knowing the true scent of an owl? The true smell of the world around him? It was enough of a distraction to keep him from questioning what exactly had transpired to land him here, posthumously, as a wolf.
He continued on, saying a quiet goodbye to the bird whose eyes still followed. Here, in this moment, there was peace. His belly did not scream for food. He did not hear the cries of the children, nor see the large, sad eyes of their parents. In this moment, no one needed his reassurance that all would be okay. In this moment, death wasn’t biting at his heels, desperate for another burial. That, Damian had decided, was enough to give this world a chance.
Something clicked in his mind and Damian realized that new instincts accompanied this new body. It was yet another new smell, but his mind registered it as canine. Black nose began to twitch at the air, grasping for as much information as he could possibly gather. He spun in place in an attempt to catch the smell as he’d caught lightning bugs as a child. Ah! There, right there. There it is!
And then he was off, following hastily after it, red tail rising as he narrowed in on the trail. Puffs of air burst from his lips, the wolf huffed with the thrill of the hunt, human instinct fading into the recesses of his mind, where they would eventually fade altogether. The destination was within reach. Eager trotting slowed and Damian scanned his surroundings until mossy green eyes found their target. The excitement faltered-
…Now what?
With little to lose, he stepped forward and cleared his throat, head cocked as he stared at the other,
He continued on, saying a quiet goodbye to the bird whose eyes still followed. Here, in this moment, there was peace. His belly did not scream for food. He did not hear the cries of the children, nor see the large, sad eyes of their parents. In this moment, no one needed his reassurance that all would be okay. In this moment, death wasn’t biting at his heels, desperate for another burial. That, Damian had decided, was enough to give this world a chance.
Something clicked in his mind and Damian realized that new instincts accompanied this new body. It was yet another new smell, but his mind registered it as canine. Black nose began to twitch at the air, grasping for as much information as he could possibly gather. He spun in place in an attempt to catch the smell as he’d caught lightning bugs as a child. Ah! There, right there. There it is!
And then he was off, following hastily after it, red tail rising as he narrowed in on the trail. Puffs of air burst from his lips, the wolf huffed with the thrill of the hunt, human instinct fading into the recesses of his mind, where they would eventually fade altogether. The destination was within reach. Eager trotting slowed and Damian scanned his surroundings until mossy green eyes found their target. The excitement faltered-
…Now what?
With little to lose, he stepped forward and cleared his throat, head cocked as he stared at the other,
Uh… Hello?