Cold stone pressed against her cheeks
Not gently. Rough. Wet
She inhaled, and damp air filled her lungs earthy , stale ,tinged with blood and decay . Water dripped somewhere in the darkness echoing through the cave like a slow , lazy clock.
She opened her eyes.
Darkness greeted her , broken only by a narrow shaft of light cutting down through a crack in the stone ceiling. Jagged rock surrounded her , sharp and cramped , the cave barely wide enough to turn around in.
That alone made this place better than where she came from.
She lay there for a moment, breathing slowly, letting the silence sink in. No sirens. No explosions. No distant screams or collapsing buildings. No sky glowing an unnatural red.
Just stone. Water . Stillness.
Her lips twisted.
"I'm alive ",she murmured, voice hoarse but amused "that's already a win".
Pain made itself known when she tried to move sharp in her ribs, burning long her legs . Her skin felt caked and tight , like it had been dipped in mud and left to dry .
After living through the apocalypse, this barely registered as a bad morning.
Injured,but not dying. Hungry, but not starving but dirty very dirty.
She shifted, and something brushed against her thigh.
She froze, then slowly reached back .
Her fingers closed around the thin tail.
"Okay" , she said mildly. "So I'm not human anymore".
Using the cave wall , she dragged herself closer to the faint light. The reflection she caught in the damp stone barely looked like a person.
Her face was smeared with thick layer of mud and blood. Hair tangled and matted,clumped with leaves and dust . One eye was swollen, as for the clothes which we can even called clothes torn and barely holding something together.
Unrecognizable.
And yet, staring back at her through the grime were sharp eyes.Alert .Aware.
"Seems like a beauty if not for this dirt on her" she said to herself. Then she noticed.
Brown, rounded ears twitched on her head.
She stared for a long moment
Then laughed softly. Not hysterical. Not broken but genuinely amused.
"....Honestly a rat beast woman?" She said , voice low and warm "compared to the radioactive rain and flesh eating monsters, this is an upgrade."
Memories surfaced then... Not hers , this is the memories of Luna the original owner of the body.
Fear. Running.pain.
This body had fled into the cave bleeding and desperate, chased and terrified. The original owner had hidden here filthy and wounded, hoping someone would come.
No one had.
Her smile faded ... Not into anger, but into quite sympathy .
"Luna what a suprise we have the same name ,You did your best" , she murmured gently "rest now I will take care of the rest".
Her own memories rise next ...clear , vivid.
The apocalypse. Collapse cities, scarcity, endless danger, a world where kindness was rare and preparation was survival. She had lived carefully, thoughtfully, she had hoarded not out of greedy, but necessity.
Which was why she still had her greatest treasure.
She closed her eyes and reached inward .
"Open" she said in her mind
The cave vanished.
Clean air filled her lungs , and she nearly sighed in pleasure.
She stood beneath a familiar sky inside her space, endless shelves stretched outward, packed with food , medicine, tools, weapons, clothing in orderly rows . Animals slept peacefully in controlled zones , crops grew under stable light .
Order.
Safety, and at the center .
A clear spring flowed quietly over smooth stone , warmth radiating from it like a heartbeat.
Her shoulder relaxed completely.
"... At least you came with me " she said softly, happiness unmistakable in her voice.
She knelt , dripping her filthy hands into the water. Mud and blood melt away instantly . She drank slowly savoring it.
Warmth spread through her body , steady and thoroughly. Pain eased . Bones aligned. Her new body accepted the soul with resistance.
She washed herself carefully , methodically like a ritual letting out en enjoyable sound.
When she looked into the spring again, the woman reflected there was clean , composed , eyes bright with life.
" Ohh my she was really beautiful just a little thin , but this is not a problem for me I will make a fat , but seriously she had really some envious forms " she said while touching her generous forms.
She smiled... Soft, genuine, a little teasing.
"Well" she said , a tail swaying lazily behind her "I survived the end of the world . I think I can handle being a rat " .
"Out" She returned to the cave.
Sudden other memories surfaced.
Six mates . Distance
The original owner had been afraid of abandonment, of being alone since she had no one anymore, she clung too tightly, crossed boundaries, tried force affection instead of trusting time .
Eventually, five had stopped coming .
Only one had lingered . Watching, bringing her food hoping she will might change .
She leaned against the cave wall thoughtfully.
"That's unfortunate" she murmured "but not irreversible".
When finally she stepped out of the cave , dusk painted the sky in gold and violet . Anyone who saw her now will never connect her with the filthy creature that had crawled inside earlier.
She straightened , posture relaxed but dignified.
No rush. No desperation, she had food , shelter , healing, knowledge.
And for the first time in a long while.
A world that wasn't ending
Her lips curved into a slow, confident, warm smile.
"Let's take this one slowly " she said " I have earned that much"