How many times have you read stories where the action began through a dream? Or worse, a nightmare? His imagination, sometimes overactive, had come to his bill on some occasion, but he had no idea how to explain what had happened. First, he was having breakfast and then he ended up there, feeling the hard floor under him.

The “dream” danced for his mind like everything else, though now more clearly, but at the same time, it was impossible to see it ultimately, nor why a door without a knob or lock appeared in front of him. He blinked several times, feeling that the headache did not go away, even less so in the sunlight that gave him entirely. Using his arm to protect his eyes, he looked around him, more disoriented than ever.

At almost twelve years old, he wouldn’t have travelled much, even in the summer. That was going to be the exception to the rule. But from living in the heart of a city to being surrounded by wild nature was a radical change. The blue sky was the same as usual, but the grass around it was so high that it could hide in it, like a green sea, except for the one under its feet. He was inside a circle with symbols that stopped shining, almost as if someone had marked it with fire where he had appeared. He had no idea what it would mean, nor did it smell of burning, but of morning dew. He would not also find anyone nearby who could answer so much mystery.

Then, his ears captured a powerful buzz like a truck that came from giant insects flying over the area, similar to a bolt of red lightning. Then yellow beetles of the same size appeared, getting Finnian to crouch, containing the desire to release snoring. Had he shrunk and been thrown in the middle of nowhere?

“But what a joke is this?” Finnian exclaimed, “Giant beetles? Are they late to work or something?”

Although it was his size that worried him, another detail caught his attention. He didn’t wear the same clothes! This had been replaced by dark red shorts that reached him above his knees with a side pocket on each leg (not counting the previous ones). His star shirt became a black short sleeve shirt with white spots and a jacket in the same colour as the trousers. In addition, his hands were now covered by a pair of black and red fingerless gauntlets. They were comfortable, or that thought when he flexed them. His feet were now wearing dark boots, and the pendant that had started everything rested around his neck.

A transparent gem at, but wrapped in a golden thread that served as a groove for the chain. As soon as he rubbed him with his fingertips, it emitted a slight glow, just as when a bulb did not turn on completely. Then he heard something move out of the weeds.

It was an XXL sized cat, maybe more giant. It was like a leopard, but it seemed to be more an experiment instead of the regulars one at the zoo. Dark ash fur, his black spots passed unnoticed as soon as one stared into his great amber eyes. He licked his lips, allowing him to see a pink tongue and prominent teeth more. This made two things clear: The first was that, despite how big it was, it moved so gracefully that no one could escape if they tried to flee. The second? He must feed himself very well to be that splendid.

“I never thought humans could smell in such a delicious way,” said the leopard with a husky voice, relegating for pure instinct.

“But we’re not so tasteful. You’re sure to need to eat a lot to keep you that big,” Finnian said, aware that talking wouldn’t solve anything. It might even starve him more.

“On the contrary, I am quite picky about my meals.”

“Where there will be a giant ball of wool at times like this”, Finnian snorted, shaking his head.

Giant bugs, cats who spoke and wanted to devour him. It was more real than ever if that was a dream, mainly because the leopard answered him. But the smell of the creature, something wild and primitive, took the light of the gentle breeze that wrapped them both and returned him to reality. Running would not be a solution, not when he could not escape with his little legs from his personal predator. He doubted that his new clothes gave him the power to fly, although a brief glow was seen in the weed not far from them. Another cute kitten who wanted to swell her bright teeth or something else?

“Okay, I’m your food. And then what? You’ll try a human, and I don’t think there are many like me here, where cats like you speak. By the way, where are we?” he added, speaking as fast as he was nervous.

“Don’t worry, dearie. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Are you sure? And what will you do with this?” Finnian said, kicking on the ground and hitting him with sand in all his eyes, getting him to growl angrily.

“Attack my compadres!”

Smaller creatures than the leopard or himself appeared from nowhere, jumping against the feline and making it withdraw. They were small and fast, although they used their swords, shields and other weapons so accurately that they were just as lethal as the kitten.

That sudden change allowed him to escape, hiding in the undergrowth to run as fast as he could, ignoring where he was heading. Even when they had saved him, he didn’t want to be roasted for the food after the battle. However, his plans were truncated when another feline appeared out of nowhere, a thinner and more stylized one. The leopard was thrown against him, throwing him to the ground, using his two front legs to prevent him from lifting and rolling away. He felt his warm breath all over his face, almost as if he were to babble on him. But before she could bit him first, someone strongly tackled her.

A small warrior larger than the others and with a vast horned helmet started the fight, followed by two new creatures running towards him.

“Are you okay?” You have not been bitten or anything!?, said the first to approach with a sharp voice.

“Rune, don’t be so direct! Don’t you see that he’s scared to death?” the second snorted.

“What do you want me to tell you, Aer? ‘Hello, how are you?’” Rune said.

“That would have been great! Or ‘delighted to have prevented you from becoming their food,’” Aer replied.

Both were of a similar height, although the former was a little over his partner. Rune, with the appearance of a girl disguised as a bird, had the most colourful plumage. With white feathers on the head, a couple of red rings surrounded his amber eyes. His wing-arms were covered with red feathers behind and white inside. The rest of the body was brown, except for his yellow feet.

Aer looked like a bipedal dog, with black legs and a dark blue torso and tail, having the same colour on his arms, except for the pink pads on his hands. The head, being also blue, had black ears that, next to the mask around his green eyes, could pass by a tiny superhero.

“Don’t you think we should help him?” Aer suggested.

“And leave the human alone?” Rune said. “Theri can take care of it.”

“Are you so sure?” Aer said, seeing the other fall to the ground and rise to continue fighting.

The so-called Theri (the one on the horned hull) should be pretty tough, although the kitten did not give him a truce or a second, and it did not seem that other smaller warriors were going to appear there either. His armour and hammer blocked the swipes, although the animal did not allow him to counter-attack. Then Aer, after whispering “Don’t Move”, went into battle and was followed by Rune. The agility of both was incredible for their size, but what surprised him most was their way of fighting.

In the distance, Rune grabbed feathers from the inside of his wings and, instantly when they glowed, threw them at the leopard, causing him to stop attacking Theri to dodge his attack. Aer, beside him, raised one of his arms toward the sky, creating in his palm a whitish sphere that he also threw, missing the blow and avoiding the onslaught of his enemy. Then the cat received a hammering so intense that through her far away.

He had questions, many of them to each more complicated than the previous one. But it was not the time or the place. Following the fight, the ground trembled, and in one of his falls, he hit his head, losing consciousness without knowing where he had got in.