I woke up.
It feels stuffy. I feel a wall.
And my surroundings are still dark, pitch black.
But now my physical sensations feel much more real, which is a good thing. It means I'm alive.
Though, if I had to be completely honest, being conscious as a soul didn't feel so bad. There were no physical sensations, not muscle fatigue, not hunger, not pain. If it weren't for the total darkness, complete lack of mobility, terrifying sense of helplessness, and my thoughts going off without an anchor, as if my soul body were gradually dissipating, I might have wanted to stay in that form forever.
Anyways, let's get out of here first.
Considering what my choice species was, after rebirth, I should now be in an egg.
I wiggle up an arm. I can't see it, but retractable claws grow out of its tip.
With all 4 of my arms, I start scratching and striking at the top of my egg.
Crack
Crack
After a dozen of seconds, it breaks!
I widen the hole as sunlight peeks in, blinding my eyes for a moment.
Then, things got darker, as if someone cast a shadow above me.
Could it be... my parent?
My eyes gradually adjusted, my sight turning from blurry to clear, and...
HOLY COW!
A beak and a large bird head is coming down at me.
I quickly whip my arm at it.
My arm, a grayish color, stretched out and struck.
DOCK!
"Squawk!"
There was a striking sound, like metal striking wood, and the large bird head was struck away.
I quickly scramble out of my egg.
My movements are clumsy, with no time to get used to my new body.
If I had to make a quick guess, it would be that my egg was stolen by this damn bird somehow. Now, I'm in its nest.
Luckily, I had chosen a species with a long incubation period. That way, I would not be born as a defenseless baby.
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Clumsily running, I fall off the branch.
Stretching out my arms long, I latch onto the tree trunk with my claws and pull myself over.
Oof.
My strength surprised me. Even after just being born, I have the strength to swing around my body like an acrobat, so quickly that I slammed into the trunk.
I have no time to be gleeful over my newfound strength though.
The large bird, now that I can take a good look at it, has a head shaped like an eagle's, large talons, and 4 wings.
It's clearly not a species from earth.
With an angry look in its eyes, the 4 winged bird (tentative name), dives at me and stretches out its talons.
I don't know the exact measurements of my head right now, but I instinctively feel that each talon is big enough to grab it.
I quickly climb down,
or so I try to.
But in my last life, I was just an ordinary human. Living in a city, I did not have much experience climbing trees, especially using claws and these boneless stretchable arms.
Moving 2 limbs at a time, I did not get far.
The 4 winged bird's talons grabbed the spot right next to my head.
That was dangerous.
I dodge,
and I dodge again.
It didn't take long however, for my torso to get caught by the 4 winged bird.
I was just reborn!
I'm unwilling to become bird food!
Pleh!
Thus I spat, right at the 4 winged bird's face.
A black ink-like substance covered the 4 winged bird's beak and eyes.
"SQUAWK! SQUAWK!"
The 4 winged bird cried, flapping its 4 wings and flying left and right, higher and higher in a panic, as it jostled me in midair.
I wrap my 4 boneless arms around its talon grabbing me and swipe my claws against it, carving off talon flesh.
"SQUAWK!"
The blinded 4 winged bird let out a cry.
Then, it released me from its grip.
Oh Shit.
Falling from above the trees, unable to turn around and see what's below, or if there's even anything below me, I wrap my lengthened long arms around my big head, hoping that my newly obtained soft titanium shell can withstand the impact.
CRACK
SNAP
I faintly feel what are most likely branches snapping against my body as I fall, lowering my speed of descent.
Leaves flew up as I felt an impact.
Ugh...
That kind of hurt.
Though considering the distance of descent I felt, I'm lucky it only kind of hurt.
I unwrap my head, look up, only to see the 4 winged bird still flapping its wings and flying around crazily.
Getting up on my 4 arms, I quickly scurry away from the area.
I can see I'm in a forest of some kind.
In terms of shape, the trees look similar to those of earth.
It's the leaves that are strange.
They are actually blue.
As I ran through the forest, away from the 4 winged bird, I spot other animals.
Some of them give me chills down my spine, figuratively speaking.
Log-thick long worms with jagged teeth.
Squirrels without that cute curled up tail, but a bundle of spikes at its butt.
Armless butterflies with vibrant wings sprinkling stardust.
The deteriorated carcass of some beast left rotting in the open, 6 eye hand sized red ants crawling all over it.
A tree with a face... waving its branches, fighting off wood gnawing green birds.
What the hell is this place?
I ran and I ran.
Until finally, I stop at a pond.
Standing at its edge, looking into the murky water, I see my reflection.
...How can it be?
I remember... I certainly chose a mollusk.
But in the reflection, there is a big round head, with horns like a pair of pointed ears,
a small torso, with 4 short arms capable of lengthening themselves holding up the body, 5 claws stretching out from each of their tips,
black round eyes, without eyelashes nor eyebrows, no nose, and a small mouth, no teeth, but a threatening drill-like tongue hidden inside,
no fur, but a flexible soft shell with white fur-like patterns over its metallic surface,
and a tail like a tadpole's, with foldable fins, to aid in swimming underwater.
When it's all put together though...
If you just look at the surface...
"Meow?"
Oh god, I can even make that sound!
I'm not even supposed to have vocal cords!
Somehow, I look, and sound, like a cartoonish kitten.