Sensations everywhere across my body erupt like a multi-layered firework completely overwhelming my mind which is not able to comprehend any of the new information but more than anything I feel sluggish and extremely uncomfortable.

I feel my limbs again, a nice sensation but overwhelmed by everything else going on I can’t differentiate my hands from my feet.

A mild headache hits me from stress while I am overloaded with information. Something feels off.

Every muscle in my confused body starts feeling tense as more and more stress sets in. My body begs me to breathe, but some thick and slimy liquid around me is blocking my airway.

The stress keeps rising, making me focus solely on it. It’s getting worse and worse until it comes to an incomprehensible state for my mind as my muscles tense, even more, screeching at me to move.

"This is wrong, horrible, l need to move. Stop it!" I try to yell at whatever is doing this to me, but nothing but a mute gurgle comes out.

"Move, move!, MOVE!" I scream, thrashing around feeling some kind of wall. I quickly realize myself being inside a somewhat round container.

My muscles shout for release and my instincts are blaring at my mind to move.

‘OUT, I WANT OUT!!!’ I push, moving my limbs instinctively as hard as I can on the round wall. Putting the rest of my already sluggish strength into the push. I feel great relief overcome me when the container slowly gives out.

‘Just a little more, I can do this!’ Pushing with my last bit of strength, I finish the task.

I can hear muted cracks from the round wall through the liquid as the container cracks open.

Coming from complete darkness, dim light blinds me, making me close my eyes. With the power from my push, I slosh out of my round prison. My face and body flow against a somewhat warm solid ground. I draw in a huge, long satisfying breath that delightfully fills my lungs with air and clears my head. With all my sensations dulled and my body exhausted I just lay there enjoying the feeling of breathing again.

I understand something is happening around me as dull sounds playing on repeat enter my ears. ‘Is that music?’ I ask myself, recognizing something akin to a rhythm. Confused about my situation, I blink eyes open trying to avoid getting that slime in my eyes.

With my head pointed downwards, I can see my 'arms' in a blurry vision. I blink a few times more, trying to fathom what I am seeing.

‘Uhh, bird legs…?’ Still tired I just stare for some time at the glistening wet rosy brown and somewhat thick bird legs below my head.

‘Are these mine?’ I try moving my ‘fingers’ and the three small wet talons move accordingly feeling completely natural.

‘Whoa, that is soooo cool!~’ I curiously examine my new point of interest. Although my vision is blurry, from what I can see my new appendages have ripple-like bumps of somewhat shiny rosy brown skin. On the end of my legs were 3 small dark gray talons with two in front and one on the back forming a ‘Y’. And on the part of the legs closest to my face, I can see wet blue-purplish colored fluffy fur.

‘Fur? But don’t birds have feathers, not fur?’ Examining the fur closer, I notice with slowly clearing sight that the fur is drying quite fast.

‘But I only feel comfortably warm, why is the water flying off me so fast?’ I ask without getting any answers. ‘Huh, questions for later, but more importantly, where is Liz?’

“Chirp!” [Liz!] I yell only to hear a tiny cute bird chirp which just confuses me even more, but I put it to the side for more important matters.

With a clearer sight and longing for my friend, I try to look around. But my body is still way too sluggish to move. Since I cannot move a single muscle, I relax trying to recover my strength, enjoying the warmth of the white stone ground in the meantime. I look and flex the talons a few more times in an excited daze.

While examining my new appendages, and contemplating if it is worth it or if I have the energy to stand up to get a better look at myself, I see something moving into my view.

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‘Is someone there?’

Too interested to ignore, I force myself to move my neck to get a better look at what is approaching me.

Stunned. ‘Wow…’ is the only thought passing through my head when I see what is in front of me.

With the sun just peeking above the horizon, the sunset lights up the dark sky in the background with an orange glow. Seeing trees long below me spread out toward the sun makes me realize I'm high up above the ground. Two mountain ranges are towering in front of me at the left and right of the sunset making a symmetrical sight with a valley in the middle with a lit large road in between moving parallel with my view toward the sun in the horizon.

Looking at what is closer to me I recognize that I am on an open-air high-rise balcony. I am on a white stone octagon platform that rises above the balcony’s wide floor. The platform I’m on has blue lines converging symmetrically towards me and on my previous round cage. The lines are slowly pulsing with light that I feel warming me with every pulse.

Around me is what I can only describe as a warm atmosphere. Slow-moving small balls of orange-red colors are lighting up the otherwise dark surroundings in warm colors giving me a sense of security from the darkening sky.

On the edge of the balcony in front of me is a solid-looking balustrade made out of the same white stone that my platform is. There are green hanging vines on the balustrade with blooming orange-red bell flowers scattered neatly on the vines.

While enjoying the view and relaxing to the slow-moving melody, I examine who is approaching me and is now coming to a stop.

First thing I think about when seeing her is. ‘Cool…’ I think as I stare at her. The young lady looks domineering in a way that instills respect. The words tough, hero, and leader crosses my mind illuminated by her posture, garb, and the stoic, indifferent look she is giving me. But it feels different from how my oppressors looked at me. I feel no hostility or annoyance directed at me but instead, I feel safe like a guardian protecting me.

She has a diamond-shaped face with monolid eyes and black eyebrows. Her almost golden eyes stand in contrast with her dark violet flowing hair reaching just a bit below her shoulders and curtain bangs with one covering a little of her left eye.

Looking down a bit I see that she has a formal-looking military-Esque outfit on with a shining steel-colored metal breastplate covering her from her upper chest to her midriff with a large detailed golden symbol embedded in the chest region. From what I see it resembles some kind of fierce-looking large wolf with four squinted eyes and has armor adorned with curved spikes everywhere. Whatever this is, I hope I won't see it for real.

On her left shoulder, she has a dark red cape flowing down to her thighs, secured by a similar colored band placed under her right arm to hold the cape in place. The rest of her outfit consists of a dark gray almost black formal-looking vest-Esque dress under the breastplate with lightly padded shoulders that have embroidered edges with the same dark red color as her cape. The attire covers her neck like a turtleneck with a triangle opening under in the middle.

At her lower waist is a steel-gray belt holding the dress in place while highlighting her hourglass figure. The skirt part of her dress is form-fitted to her hips but looks to be multilayered in a way to widen when she moves so it does not constrict her movement. The skirt is embroidered at the edges with dark red lines just like the rest of the dress.

After examining her for a bit longer than intended I look back at her head where I see her still looking down at me with her stoic emotionless expression. I can’t help but lock eyes with her. I can’t look away from her golden eyes.

I just stare… All current thoughts slowly vanish as I keep staring into her entrancing eyes. It is almost like her eyes seem to light up with a sparkle, as if the entire universe is reflected in her deep golden sight.

Lost in her eyes I feel some invisible thing surrounding me like a blanket. I feel some kind of precious thing manifesting inside me as an image of a closed-door leading somewhere enters my mind. Something tells me that on the other side of the door is a friend.

‘Liz…’ I can’t help but think longingly of my one and only friend, my body reminiscing about the good times I have with her. Wanting to experience it again I mentally walk to the door to open it. For something that is happening in my head, it feels incredibly real.

As I touch the doorknob I feel a caring connection that in an instant travels from my hand to my forehead when something clicks.

I see her eyes squint for only an instant as I start to feel the warmth from the invisible blanket flow into me being from all directions. Its warmth delightfully fills an empty spot I did not know I had, completing something.

We break eye contact and I feel how incredibly tired I am as I come out of a trance I did not know I was in. As my head slumps against the warm surface, my eyes struggle to remain open. I want to keep going, there is still so much to see, so many questions and things I want to do. But I don’t have a choice.

As I slowly drift to sleep I feel myself carefully being picked up and carried away by the young lady. But I am simply too tired to care.

On the verge of drifting off to the sound of her beating heart, my body sinks into a pleasant embrace as I hear her loudly speak but the only thing I can make out is the name.

“…Tuuli”.

I drift off dreaming of happy adventures with the warm lady and Mr. Billy.