Once deemed regal and fierce, the tiger lay in perpetual boredom and fear within the walls of the dilapidated zoo. Its days were spent in a cage that felt—though it had no word for it—like a prison, as it paced back and forth in a ritual of despair, longing for a life that it had never truly known.

The tiger did not understand the concept of captivity, but it knew it was not free. The humans that brought it food were faceless feeders. The strange shiny animals that cleaned its enclosure were a source of constant noise and disruption. The tiger had tried to bat at them before, but the thin, impervious vines it was forced to remain behind had seen to it that it could not reach. It had labored instead to growl and act very intimidating so that the creatures would know it did not appreciate their presence.

There was one human that the tiger had grown to love. A simple caretaker who brought it toys and treats and talked to it in a voice that was gentle and kind. The tiger longed for freedom, but it also longed for the caretaker's company. Each day of his arrival, for it was not every day, were joyful ones. His existence was a comfort, and the tiger liked that the human was furry at its muzzle and sported a tail from the rear of his head. Sometimes he would be gone for many days at a time, though the tiger did not mind—for when he returned, he’d always bring extra food. The tiger only minded on days when there were not many anxious visiting humans because the man would bring the angled-shape object that made the loud noises. He’d mewl, growl, and roar along with it, speaking to the tiger as though offering explanations. Though the creature thought that perhaps this activity brought the human joy, so it resigned to be tolerant.

Some days the human was visited himself, and the tiger did not have the capability to understand what some might consider irony. His guest was always the same: a woman. She had the same faint smell of the man on her, and the tiger reasoned that perhaps they were a part of the same streak. The familiar scent made the creature agreeable to the woman. However, she always seemed frightened of the tiger and never entered the enclosure despite the man’s coaxing. The tiger thought that was likely for the best—the fear confused it, and it did not know what it might do were the woman to get too close. Despite this, the visits were infrequent and always brief. That was fine for the tiger; it much preferred to be undisturbed.

However, all joyous things must come to an end.

The tiger did not know that the day the human brought it many treats and stayed long after the sun had disappeared and night had blanketed them that it would be the last time it would see him. It sensed pain in the man. This frightened the tiger, and it snarled at him, the only time it had ever done so. After his visit, the tiger never saw the man again. The tiger knew this had to be because it had reacted the way it had, and the sense of loneliness closed in on it.

The visitors to the zoo had dwindled, and the tiger was left alone for hours on end, dreaming of the days when there were other tigers in the enclosure. It remembered the sounds of their growls and the feeling of their fur against its own. It dreamed of the kind man and his treats and his toys. It dreamed of being free. With each passing day, his scent faded further until, at times, the tiger wasn’t sure it could smell him at all. All of these things it wished for and none of those things would it have. Now it was alone, with only the incessant hum of the shiny creatures to keep it company.

The tiger grew hungrier. It was fed less and less frequently, and when it was given food, the portions were meager. The tiger did not like this much at all, and it resolved to leave.

One day, during a torrential rainstorm, as one of the faceless caretakers abandoned it to escape the downpour, the tiger noticed that the gates to the enclosure were left ajar. This had never happened before, and it filled the creature with a confusing sensation. Hope. The tiger sensed its chance, and with a sudden burst of energy, it leaped out of its prison and ran as fast as it could. The rain lashed at its fur, and the wind whipped through the trees, but the tiger was free and felt more alive than it ever had before. The rain brought out the man's scent, and the tiger thought it might follow the smell and find him. Though were it too far gone, the creature would instead make its home somewhere outside the zoo, where it could roam, hunt, and live.

The tiger escaped.

It ran through the streets, dodging animals and humans, reveling in the sensation of the wind in its face and the pounding of its paws on the pavement. But the world outside the zoo was busier than it had ever imagined, and copious were the large metal predators that prowled the passages of this larger world. The tiger became frightened. Despite its hunger and loneliness, it was a proud beast, a creature of vast intellect and strength. It knew it could make its way to the jungles beyond this chaos if only it could navigate the screams and jeers and smells and dangers. However, some of the screeching, caterwauling monsters beyond were as large as the big gray beasts with trumpeting faces near its enclosure. And they moved faster than even the tiger was capable of.

One of these colossal creatures struck the tiger, its body tumbling through the air until it crashed to the ground.

When the tiger opened its eyes, it found itself in a strange and wondrous place.

As the tiger stirred, it discovered that it had departed from the tumultuous bustle of the human settlement and arrived in a luscious, flourishing forest. The atmosphere was thick with the aroma of greenery, and the ground beneath was plush and damp. The tiger could hear the sweet symphony of birds tweeting, insects buzzing, and water flowing nearby. As the tiger stood up, it realized its hunger had vanished, and its wounds were inexplicably mended.

The tiger slinked through the forest, investigating its newfound liberty and delighting in the joy of this new natural realm. It no longer needed to fret about being locked in a cramped cage or suffering from too little food. Rather, this place was teeming with abundant sources of nourishment and water, and the tiger was free to explore wherever it pleased.

The tiger remembered its old life almost as if waking from a terrible nightmare. The one it would no longer be a victim to. It knew that it would never go back to the zoo. It was free and happy, and nothing would ever change that.

But, of course, that changed suddenly with the arrival of the creature. Like a large, burbling bubble of water it had appeared, swimming with oceanic depths and clouds—all very confusing to the tiger. But, the tiger was proud and brave, endeavoring to be unafraid of this new beast.

When the thing spoke to the tiger…it was made to understand.

It learned of the beast’s purpose, and what its own trials would be. As the tiger listened intently to the shimmering creature, it came to understand that there was much about the world it had not known. The creature told the tiger that it had the opportunity to choose its own existence, to be what it wanted to be. For the first time in its life, the tiger felt a sense of hope and wonder that stretched beyond its limited experience. It was a dizzying sensation, and the tiger was both overwhelmed and fascinated by the possibilities laid out before it.

The shimmering creature asked the tiger if it wished to remain in its current form - a powerful, beautiful, and regal beast - or if it desired to become something different, something that could perceive the world in a new way and experience a variety of sensations, movements, and functions. The tiger pondered the question, and for a moment, its mind drifted to a form other than its own, something it had never considered before.

The form the tiger envisioned was one grown of love. Taught to it through kindness and compassion, even when it was trapped within the den of the zoo. It wanted more than anything to embrace this form, and delight in its presence. The tiger thought about how this form might help it forge connections with others, to befriend them, and to learn from their perspectives. Perhaps, in this new form, it could find the understanding it craved, and be free from the loneliness that had plagued it for so long.

With a sense of resolution and excitement, the tiger decided to embrace this new form. It felt as if it were stepping out of its skin, shedding its old self, and emerging anew. The shimmering creature seemed to understand the tiger's choice and prompted it further, asking what path it would like to follow in this new existence.

The tiger could not comprehend the words the creature spoke, but it felt the intent behind them. As the connection between the two deepened, the tiger grasped the notion of choosing its own destiny. It began to understand that it could choose which aspects of its new form to enhance, which qualities to refine and develop.

The tiger knew that it was already cunning, more so than others of its kind. Yet, it yearned for more flexibility in its mental behaviors, to learn how to form connections and bonds with others so that it would never be abandoned again. It wanted to be more than just a powerful predator; it sought the ability to navigate the complexities of a world it had never known.

The shimmering creature acknowledged the tiger's desires and guided it through the process of selecting and strengthening the traits it wished to cultivate. The tiger felt its mind grow sharper, more nimble, and more capable of understanding the nuances of the world around it. Its heart swelled with the promise of new experiences and relationships, as it embraced this potential.

As the metamorphosis transpired, the tiger found themselves enveloped in a world replete with nuance and richness, as if the veil of their previous life had been lifted to reveal a vibrant tapestry of existence. Their senses, once geared towards the primal instincts of a predator, were now attuned to the subtle intricacies of the world that had been obscured from them. The sights, sounds, and scents that once served as mere indicators of prey or danger now carried layers of meaning and beauty beyond their previous comprehension.

The transformation had granted them not only a new form but also an expanded consciousness. They came to understand that the choices they had made were in the crafting of a body and the selection of a path—a Class, as it were. The development of their Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma had imbued them with a heightened understanding of their surroundings and a capacity for empathy and connection that had been beyond their grasp as a mere beast.

Yet, with this enlightenment came a new understanding: shame. The simplicity of their origins now appeared to them as a limitation, a hindrance that had held them back from the true exaltation of their being. They could not help but mourn the decisions made from ignorance and the life they had led as a captive creature, devoid of the complexity and depth they now experienced.

In their new form, they stood upright, nearly bereft of fur, and for the first time, they began to perceive the world with a clarity that both enthralled and daunted them. They possessed the ability to understand, yet they did not know—for their life had been that of a beast. The knowledge of stalking prey and stretching claws held little relevance to them now, as they were no longer a creature of stealth and predation. Instead, they bore hands capable of creation rather than destruction, appendages that could shape the world around them in ways they had never before imagined.

This ascent to a higher plane of understanding felt akin to walking in the footsteps of a deity, only to discover that the god they had once revered was, in truth, diminutive and inconsequential. The magnitude of this realization weighed heavily upon them, yet it also imbued them with a sense of purpose and determination to forge a new path—one that embraced the depth and complexity of the world they now inhabited.

Thus, they embarked on a journey of discovery and self-realization, seeking to learn, to grow, and to truly understand the multifaceted realm they had been granted access to. And with each step, they left the shadow of their former life further behind, embracing that which lay before them.

In their new form, they soon discovered that the world beyond was unkind to those such as themselves. They encountered others like them, and others who were not quite like them but bore a close enough resemblance to cause confusion. These beings were not kind; they turned against them, cheated them, lied to them, and even resorted to physical violence. It seemed as if some even enjoyed the suffering they gifted to them, languishing the act with peals of joy.

So, the once-tiger fretted.

The transition from a powerful predator to a vulnerable, conscientious being had left them ill-equipped for the harsh realities of this new world. But not for long.

Eventually, they realized the true potential of their intellect, designed for absorbing information at an astonishing rate. They learned—anything and everything, and with remarkable speed. They honed their mind and sharpened their cunning, growing stronger in their mental prowess.

In time, the knowledge of their old world, once deemed useless, was poignant again and began to inform their actions and elevate them above their circumstances. They learned not only how to survive but also how to thrive, excelling beyond the ordinary means. For what were the most successful of this new kind if not predators? And this one had been a predator.

Over time, they gathered others under their wing, forming a community of like-minded individuals who looked up to them for guidance and wisdom.

Just when it seemed as though things could not be any more perfect in this new world, after years of honing their skills and doing what they did best…they encountered something else. Something that sent their understanding of what it was like to be the top of the pile in this new world crashing into the earth and buried beneath the silt. A being that changed the once forlorn concept formulated in their changing mind—and again they were following in the footpaths behind a god.

The Drifter.

This figure changed them—the course of their life; setting them on a path they could not have foreseen.

The Drifter challenged them, tested their mettle, and pushed them to confront the limits of their abilities. In the process, they came to understand the true nature of the world they inhabited and the potential for both good and evil that lay within themselves and those around them.

Faced with these revelations, they were forced to question all at its most base core, to grapple with the dichotomy of existence—once a beast, now a creature of intellect and empathy. The Drifter's influence cast all in a barren light of transparency, unearthing the truth behind every atom in the shifting shawl of certainty. Compelling them, urging them to navigate the complexities of their identity and the ever-shifting landscape of the world they inhabited.

With each step forward, they left an indelible mark on the world and on those who crossed their path, transforming not only themselves but also the very fabric of the reality they inhabited. They became something much more, and further still, they burned with a purpose. They would know truth and they would know what the Drifter sought, and they would glean the most precious treasure this world had to offer. It might only take but time. But time was something they had plenty of. And so, they began to plan.