Lily no longer remembered when the shift happened. At first, it had been irritation. Mud clung to her fur. Insects crawled where they didn't belong. The constant damp smell of rot and stagnant water pressed into her nose until it felt lodged inside her skull. Then it turned to anger, sharp and hot and restless. Every sound felt like a provocation. Every shadow looked like an insult.
Now, hours later, it was something else entirely.
She crouched low on a broken log at the edge of the marsh, shoulders hunched forward, spine curved in a way that was no longer fully human. Her russet fur was caked with drying blood, some of it hers, most of it not. Her clothes hung in tatters, shredded by claws and teeth, abandoned where they restricted movement. Her tail lashed slowly, thick and heavy, the motion controlled but full of coiled violence.
Her ears twitched... something moved. And she did not hesitate.
Lily launched herself forward the instant she sensed motion, her body exploding into speed as a feral snarl ripped from her throat. A marsh boar barely had time to lift its head before she slammed into it. Her claws tore into its neck, her teeth clamped down hard, and she drove it into the mud with brutal force. The beast thrashed, squealed, and kicked, but Lily was relentless. She did not seek clean kills anymore. She sought dominance.
She ripped. She tore. She crushed. Blood moved her...
When the boar stopped moving, she stayed there for a moment longer, breathing heavily, blood dripping from her chin.
Her eyes were wild now, pupils narrowed to predatory slits. She lifted her head slowly and sniffed the air.
Another scent. Stronger and sharper.
She abandoned the corpse without a second glance and moved on all fours through the reeds, her movement low and fluid, barely disturbing the water beneath her. Lesser beasts scattered at her presence. Some fled, others froze, and unfortunate ones... died.
By the time the marsh gave way to drier ground and twisted stone outcroppings, Lily was no longer thinking like a contestant in a trial. She was now a dangerous hunter that had tasted blood and found it lacking.
The air suddenly changed.
It was subtle, but she felt it immediately. The pressure, the awareness... it was no simple prey.
The ground ahead was marked with deep claw gouges and crushed rock. Bones lay scattered, cracked clean through. Something claimed this territory.
Lily stepped into the clearing without slowing. She felt no fear.
A low growl rolled out from the shadows, deep and vibrating, carrying weight and intent. From behind a cluster of broken stone emerged a massive beast, feline in shape but far from graceful.
A Swamp Fiend. Tier 1: Circle of Mind.
Its body was thick with dense muscle, its hide dark and scarred, its eyes burning with sharp intelligence.
They locked eyes, Lily's reds against its yellows. It watched her. Lily bared her teeth.
The beast rose fully, shoulders rolling as it took a step forward. It did not rush... yet. It understood danger, and it understood her.
For a heartbeat too long, they stared at one another. Then Lily screamed and charged.
The impact was thunderous. They collided mid-charge, claws slamming into flesh, bodies crashing into stone hard enough to fracture rock. Lily was smaller, lighter, and faster. The beast was heavier, stronger, and grounded.
It swiped at her head, claws raking across her shoulder and tearing fur and skin alike.
She retaliated by sinking her teeth into its forearm. The swamp fiend roared in pain and fury, slamming her into the ground with its weight. The air blasted from her lungs. Lily twisted violently, tail whipping... her claws digging into its underbelly. Blood sprayed like a geyser. The beast recoiled, roaring as she rolled free, coming up in a crouch, with her chest heaving.
They circled... two beasts, two predators, trying to see who would dominate, and only death could decide.
The ground between them was torn apart with every step. Lily's movements were erratic, sharp, and unpredictable. She lunged, retreated, and darted sideways, testing reactions. The beast adjusted in turn, adapting.
It suddenly lunged, the ground ripping from its movement. Lily met it head-on.
They crashed again, tumbling across the clearing in a blur of fur and blood. Lily's claws raked across its face, gouging deep. Its jaws snapped shut inches from her throat, teeth grazing fur. She headbutted it with savage force, then bit down hard on its neck.
The beast bucked wildly, slamming her against the ground again and again. Pain exploded through her ribs. Something cracked. Lily screamed, but she did not let go.
Her claws dug deeper, her teeth sinking in harder.
This was no longer a fight of skill. It was a fight of will. A battle between two beasts, who only want to draw blood and assert dominance.
The beast reared up, dragging her with it, then slammed backward onto the stone, crushing her beneath its weight. Lily's vision blurred. Her breath hitched as she felt something tear inside her chest.
Still, she clawed.
Her fingers found the beast's throat. She drove her claws in with everything she had left, ripping downward. The beast convulsed, a choked sound tearing from its chest. It thrashed wildly, destroying stuff before it collapsed.
Silence followed.
Lily lay there beneath the corpse, chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. Slowly and painfully, she shoved it off herself and rolled onto her side. Blood pooled beneath her. Her body trembled uncontrollably, exhaustion finally crashing down.
She suddenly laughed.
It was hoarse and broken and wrong, but it came anyway. She forcefully pushed herself up, swaying like a drunkard, her eyes still burning with feral light as she looked down at the fallen Circle of Mind Swamp Fiend. Her smile was sharp and wild, lips stained with red.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sniffed the air again.
Somewhere out there, more prey waited, and Lily was not done hunting.