The humidity and oppressive heat clung to me like a second layer of clothing. When I went to sleep the night before, I was safe in my own bed. With no memory of how I got here, I found myself hugged on all sides by tall trees. They reached into the sky, becoming a web of branches and foliage blocking most of the sunlight, only allowing a small amount to pierce the darkness.

As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I took a moment to absorb the sounds around me. The chatter of birds and the excited calls of monkeys, similar to what I had heard on tv. The buzzing sound of insects filled my ears. Upon getting a better view of my surroundings, I realized it was a jungle.

Far in the distance, I could hear the chuffing roar of some kind of large cat. The sound called to me filling me with dread and longing.

Despite how dense the jungle was, I made out the hint of a trail leading away from me. A voice seemed to be coming from down the trail. Not really a voice, but more like a pull. A feeling of familiarity and destiny. Something wanted me to head in that direction.

Fighting the instinctual urge to run away, I was already walking in the direction of the call and the noises of the wild.

Was I the first human to have been here in ages and had found an untouched sanctuary from the jungle? Stones of various shapes filled the area. The plants that inhabited the area had wormed their way into every little crevice or hole they could. Yet for some reason, there was something I recognized about this place. Like something I had seen in a dream or perhaps been to before.

In the clearing, A broken rock column had carvings of various animals on it. The most prominent carving was of a large cat, either a leopard or a jaguar. I wondered what this place once was.

I found an opening leading underground. My instincts told me to go down. The closer I got to the opening the stronger the feelings were. And with them came a new one.

If you go down your life will change.

After a moment's pause and a deep breath, I stepped into the darkness and found stairs leading deeper underground. I felt my heart racing and sweat forming on my brow as I grew both nervous and excited. The only light was the sun shining through the hole behind. At the bottom, an opening leads into a room.

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As I stepped into the room the door shut behind me, leaving me in total blackness. Pebbles in the ceiling began to glow, giving the appearance of looking into the night sky. Despite the limited light, the room was as visible as if it were filled with sunlight. Looking around the chamber, I found myself in what appeared to be a shrine.

Images of jaguars were carved into the wall. The room was filled with lifelike statues of jaguars each polished so that the 'starlight' reflected off of them, helping to light up the room. Catching a glimpse of a reflection of something shining in a statue, I noticed that my eyes were slits and shone like a cat. I blinked a few times to be sure that it was real. It became apparent that they appeared to be catching the light, which both unnerved and excited me.

The statues seemed to be following me with their eyes as I walked around the room. In the shadows above the altar stood another statue….or a real jaguar, it was so hard to tell. Strangely instead of the fear that I should have felt, I was at home within the temple.

It was then that I found the source of the summons calling to me. It was no longer a feeling but audible within my head. It seemed to both come from the jaguar above me, and from all around as if the temple itself spoke to me in a feminine voice that made me comfortable.

Become the Jaguar were the first clear words I heard from the voice.

As I heard the words a surge of energy and power flowed through me from somewhere deep within myself. A power that I had never felt before. I knew what I was supposed to do, what the voice wanted me to become. The power, the knowledge flowed through me; the way to let my body become something new.

Giving in to the sensations, I pushed outwards with my body, transforming into what I was destined to become. As it started I was surprised to feel little pain, only discomfort.

The skin around my hands and face started to feel like rubber. Fur formed along my skin, my nails became claws, teeth grew sharper and longer, the strange sensation of a tail growing behind me giving me better balance. My ears moved to the top of my head and change in shape. It all felt both odd and amazing.

It wasn't me turning into a jaguar; it was me returning to one.

Within moments, I found myself running on all fours through the jungle. The temple had vanished or I had left it, it wasn’t clear to me. I experienced the joy of running through the trees, the thrill of the speed, the sensations of the ground beneath my paws in a way I had never felt before. The light brush of the bushes as I sprinted past them. It all seemed right, like I had finally found myself and become the thing that I was always meant to be. The jungle was now my playground.

The feelings slipped away and I was back in my bed, covered in sweat and left with my thoughts and emotions. Once again, I had the same dream I'd been having night after night. Each time, the location was different and the animal was too.

Opening the curtains to my bedroom, I looked out on the balcony. Snow was piling up. I sensed the call of something out there, different from the dream, but somehow still inviting and friendly. Something was coming closer and would soon be here. And it filled me with joy.