With every step I took, I became more certain that I was somewhere different.
I know it's unlikely that this is all just a dream.
I know I died. I felt it. The massive blood loss, my body growing cold, my limbs freezing… I remember everything clearly.
I wasn't a good Samaritan, nor someone who deserved a laurel crown. But do you want me to be honest?
Some smoke, others drink, others love. Everyone ends their life in their own way.
I ended mine through a series of impulsive actions, mistakes I made, and other things.
I don't think I would have lived much longer anyway, even if I hadn't been killed.
According to the last medical exam I managed to get, my lungs were already damaged. The doctor said I was showing signs of developing respiratory diseases.
On top of that, I drank heavily—both to forget the atrocities I used to commit in my daily life and as some kind of distraction.
Now, I'm starting to regret drinking that cheap beer for decades.
"But regret won't change anything", I thought, stopping to rest for a moment as I sat on a smooth, solid rock.
It's over. That life is gone.
I looked at my paws, my hooves. I was genuinely curious about this sudden change in physiology.
My body was basically that of a strangely humanoid lamb, about the height of a child.
"Will I have to eat grass from now on?" I muttered, confused, lowering my hooves. "It's a possibility. But I doubt it'll hurt me much."
I looked around the forest with my limited vision. The distant trees looked strange, like irregular green and brown shadows.
In comparison, the things closer to me were somewhat clearer—trees with fruits, the same violet mushrooms I'd seen earlier, some weird animals doing things I didn't understand.
"Even with the differences, it still feels… simple", I murmured, taking a deep breath through my nostrils before exhaling through my mouth. "The air feels much cleaner… pleasant."
The lungs in this body were as new as a car fresh out of the dealership.
I don't remember the last time I was in a place this peaceful—free of pollution, honking cars, and everything else I'd experienced.
Not that I was some planet-loving environmentalist. I didn't even take care of my own health.
I stood still, closing my eyes and listening to the sounds around me.
The rustling of leaves falling to the ground, birds singing, the sound of water running in a nearby stream… everything.
...Beautiful.
I could listen to it all for hours and never get bored.
It's so different from what I'm used to.
But then I opened my eyes, sensing something unusual. I leaped off the rock I was sitting on, my hooves hitting the ground and pushing me backward.
Looking up, I slowly raised my head and saw something that made me tremble in fear.
A large animal, with a massive, robust body and powerful limbs. It had a big head, rounded ears, and a long snout. Its claws were long and sharp.
It was growling, baring its large, sharp teeth.
I had no doubt it wanted to eat me as a post-lunch snack.
I didn't wait. Like the coward I am, I started leaping away from that enormous bear.
It was chasing me.
I kept running, but I could hear the sound of trees being torn apart like sheets of paper. It kept charging at me.
I jumped the second it tried to bite me, dodging its attack.
I don't know what came over me, but I kicked my hooves mid-air, propelling myself forward—and struck the bear in the face.
I should mention it was more annoyed than hurt.
Still, my kick hit its eye, a definitely sensitive spot. While it was processing the pain, I had already run far away again.
I hid in a hole in the ground, my body trembling, but I considered myself lucky to have escaped.
It was only a matter of time before that bear found me. It definitely remembered my scent.
I just hoped it wouldn't be today…
I woke up a few hours later, still in the same hole.
I sighed, shaking my head, feeling a little dizzy.
Looking outside, I saw it was night—assuming the darkness meant anything.
"I slept too much. I'm not even tired anymore*, I said quietly. "But I'm not leaving this place anytime soon… I won't."
I stayed silent, curled up in the hole.
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep again.
I stayed awake for the next few minutes before finally deciding to crawl out of the hole.
I stretched, my bones cracking in a satisfying yet slightly painful way—probably from spending most of the day cramped in a tight space.
My stomach growled, unsurprisingly.
I sighed and decided that finding food and water would be my priority.
I looked up, seeing the first rays of sunlight breaking through the treetops and lighting the ground. It was a breathtaking sight.
I gave a small smile before turning away and walking off in search of something edible that wasn't poisonous.
And here we go… again.