It feels like time starts moving in slow motion as I anxiously watch the new arrival slink out of the shadows and into the soft glow of the cavern revealing its form.

At a glance it looks like a hairless cat with damp blue-gray skin and a densely built body. Its head however is where things start to go wrong, putting aside the pupiless eyes which release a dull yellow glow rather than reflecting the light from the cavern as I first thought, its head looks like it's been squished nearly flat and stretched far too wide for any normal animal with no lips to obscure its rows of shark like teeth.

Both of us have our eyes locked on the other with an unblinking focus as it finally slows down and stops its advance. Now having fully entered into the chamber with me leaving only a few feet separating us. I'm certain this thing is sizing me up as food.

As if this situation wasn't stressful enough, I'm struggling for control against my new body's heightened instincts as they compete with my rational thought.

I really don't want to get into a fight like this but there's no other way I see myself getting out of here with this freak between me and the exit.

I'm not sure which concerns me more, the freakish creature in front of me or my sudden burning desire to fight it… Mentally I am scared, and I know it's probably a terrible choice, but I feel this strange drive to just bite the bullet and attack .

I mean we're both about the same size, but I have some scales for armor while he's just got skin. No, I should at least try to scare it off first. There's no telling how badly I could be hurt, and I have no idea how to fight with this body.

So, I stand tall and try to make myself look as threatening as possible and begin to take a few "menacing" steps forward in an attempt to intimidate the cat-like creature which much to my surprise seems to work as the creature backs up a bit and tilts its head as if confused.

I can't believe that just worked... Maybe I'm actually a badass apex predator in this world? Maybe I should just beat this thing up, this guy is probably just a pushover!

*SCREEEEEEK*

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As if in answer the creature lurches forward and to my horror splits its lower jaw apart into 2 separate segments letting loose an ear grating screech, before a disgustingly long tar black tongue slides out of the gaping maw and flickers at me exposing a set of small spines at the end which flicker back and forth angrily.

NOPE!

I immediately shrink back as a brief moment of confidence disintegrates causing me to visibly deflate a little, a fact the creature doesn't fail to exploit sensing my fear it launches itself toward me with its claws out and its freakish bisected jaws wide open.

At this point I don't care how strong this body's instincts to fight are after seeing that my flight or fight sense is firmly set to "get the hell out" and as fate would have it, I spot a chance at escape, not around the creature but straight under it.

I bolt straight forward scraping my scaly belly along the floor as I dive under the incoming attack sliding a bit before I enter the same tunnel the creature initially emerged from.

While I do get past, I feel a sharp sting and burning sensation quickly blossoming across my back becoming more intense as I run through the tunnel, still not daring to look back.

Behind me I hear the frantic scraping of claws as the creature tries to regain its footing and give chase, from the scratching noises I hear I'm guessing it slipped on the fluid that fell from the wall with me causing it to struggle to get traction on the smooth stone floor. It's a good thing for me since that thing is definitely going to be faster than me even if I am adjusting surprisingly well to running on four legs.

I scamper as fast as my tiny limbs will carry me through the tunnel furiously trying to get as much ground as I can while, all around me I see the terrain changing as I rush by, gradually getting darker and darker as the glowing patches on the wall quickly become few and far between forcing my eyes to strain to adjust to the growing darkness.

The tunnel itself is rather snug going on barely reaching the width of my body as it begins to steeply slope upward. The occasional click of claws hitting the stone floor is the only way I can tell that my pursuer hasn't given up and honestly if not for how easily my claws grip onto the stone floor It would probably have caught up to me by now.

In the end I believe that's what saves my scaly rear. That cat-like creature is probably faster on a straight path, but I don't think it can handle the incline and sharp turns as well as I can.

Just as I begin to worry this incline may go on for miles, I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. A dozen or so feet ahead I see a growing light emanating from an open space that my tunnel intersects with.

As soon as I pass into the room the incline vanishes, becoming perfectly flat ground again. The chamber I enter looks very similar to the one I woke up in with the exception of this one having several different openings leaving it including the one I entered from.

All the paths seem relatively straight forward like one I entered from, most are somewhat similar apart from mild differences in shape or size but 2 immediately stand out as different from the rest, one is much larger than the others heading down with at an almost vertical angle thick fog visibly rising up from it blocking out any possible view of what may be further in.

The other isn't as large as the other but a close second with several thick roots lining its walls and a much greater amount of lighting emanating from within, I can't really explain it, but I feel a strong urge to do down that path and in my panicked state I don't really have the wits to question it as I make my way in.

A few minutes down the tunnel I finally feel safe enough to stop and catch my breath having not heard any signs of still being followed since taking this path. I have no clue if it's lost me or just got bored and I don't really care at this point, I'm just glad I can stop sprinting for now.