We collapsed into the forest floor, chests heaving, lungs burning.
What are we?I asked—the voice, or perhaps the infected beast inside me.
We are something ancient. Forgotten by time. He did not infect us. He was trying to bond with you—but you thought he was trying to kill us, it said, cackling like a—
Oh my god. You’re a hyena, I gasped, sitting upright.
No. We are one. Human and hyena, it said, the laughter finally subsiding.The attack woke me in your blood.
It must have been a defence mechanism. An animal instinct. How could I not have known?
Most bloodlines died. Ours survived, the voice continued.My name is Bouda.
Doesn’t that mean evil eye?I asked.
I think it rather suits me, she said, sounding faintly defensive.
It’s perfect, I said warmly—and felt her soften.
Now… how do we get off this damn island?I asked, surprised by the spark of excitement in my chest.
For the first time since I’d been brought here, I felt something I hadn’t dared to before.
Hope.
???
We found a freshwater spring as we explored every corner of the island. It felt good—so good—to be outside. To feel the earth beneath my paws. To move without walls. To learn Bouda’s rhythms as we tested our limits together. She was strong. A little reckless.
I liked that about her.
We avoided the humans in the smaller house, though that was where the dock was. Two boats were tied there—one small, one much larger. The problem was, I didn’t know the first thing about boats. The little paddle ones from the park were the only boats I knew about and they wouldn’t get us anywhere.
Bouda laughed. She did that a lot.
After so long without anything to laugh about, I found I adored the sound.
We eventually found a soft, mossy patch beneath a great tree and curled up there for the night. Above us, the stars twinkled in the distant sky.
“Thank you, Bouda,” I murmured, a yawn breaking through the words.
She didn’t answer—but I felt her warmth settle around me.
And for the first time since coming to this place, I no longer felt alone in the world.
???
When morning light crept in, I woke shivering—and to my dismay, the sable fur and dark stripes were gone. I sat up, naked.
I froze.
That scent.
Cedarwood and white cypress.
I scanned the clearing, but I couldn’t see him.
“I know you’re here, dickhead,” I snapped.
