Awakening as a dog

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Everything felt strange the moment I opened my eyes. I couldn't quite understand what was happening. My body felt different—lighter, but at the same time, oddly heavy. As I tried to shake off the grogginess of sleep, I attempted to stretch my arms, but they wouldn't move the way I expected them to. Panic flooded my chest as I forced my eyes open wide.

I wasn’t in my bed.

Instead of seeing the familiar sight of my messy room, clothes scattered on the floor, and the dim light of my phone on the bedside table, I saw something completely alien to me—grass. My nose was almost touching the wet, dewy grass beneath me, and the scent of earth and morning air filled my nostrils with such intensity it made my head spin.

I blinked rapidly, struggling to understand what was going on. My arms—it hit me—they weren't arms anymore. They were… legs. But not human legs. They were covered in short, brown fur, and my hands—no, paws—dug into the dirt. I stared down in horror, trying to process what I was seeing. My mind screamed that this couldn't be real. I had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation.

I quickly tried to stand up, but the movement felt all wrong. I stumbled, my legs giving out beneath me, and I fell awkwardly onto the ground. Dirt and grass clung to my fur. My fur. I had fur.

Breathing heavily, I tried again, this time slower, more cautious. On all fours. My body seemed to know what to do, even if my mind didn’t. When I finally managed to stand, I looked down at my reflection in a small puddle nearby. A dog stared back at me. A brown, scruffy dog with wide, terrified eyes.

“No,” I whispered—or tried to. But no words came out. Only a soft, low whimper.

Fear surged through me. I couldn’t speak. I was a dog.

I staggered back, away from the puddle, my heart racing in my chest—or was it my chest anymore? The reflection in the water rippled as my paws disturbed the puddle’s surface, breaking the image of the dog—me—into a thousand shimmering fragments.

I spun around, trying to figure out where I was. It looked like a park, though I didn’t recognize it. Tall trees surrounded me, and the soft light of the early morning sun filtered through their branches. I could hear birds chirping somewhere far away, and the distant sound of cars. It was peaceful, but none of it made sense. I was supposed to be in my room. I was supposed to be me.

“Help!” I tried to scream, but all that came out was a frantic bark. My own voice startled me, and I jumped back. I was panting now, my tongue hanging out in a way I couldn’t control.

This isn’t real, I told myself over and over. This isn’t happening. But everything felt so real—the grass beneath my paws, the cool breeze against my fur, the strong smells of earth and nature overwhelming my senses.

I had to get out of here. I had to find someone. Maybe if I found someone, they could help me, explain what had happened. Maybe this was some kind of trick or a joke, or… I didn’t know. But I had to do something.

I started to run. Or at least, I tried to. My legs moved faster than I expected, and before I knew it, I was sprinting across the park, the wind whipping through my fur. It was an odd sensation—this sudden speed, this raw power in my limbs. It was nothing like being human. It felt… instinctive, primal. And though a part of me was terrified, another part, deep down, felt a strange thrill.

I reached the edge of the park, where a sidewalk bordered the grass. A couple walked by, hand in hand, not even glancing in my direction. I barked again, desperately trying to get their attention, but they didn’t stop. They didn’t even look at me.

“Please, help me!” I barked louder, running toward them. They only quickened their pace, clearly uncomfortable. To them, I was just a stray dog.

I sat down, panting heavily, watching them disappear into the distance. My mind raced. What am I supposed to do? I couldn’t communicate with anyone. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even explain who I was. I was trapped in this body with no idea how or why.

For a while, I just sat there, staring at the ground, trying to calm myself. Maybe I should wait. Maybe this would wear off. Maybe I would wake up back in my own body soon, and this nightmare would be over.

But what if I didn’t wake up?

What if this wasn’t a dream?

The thought chilled me to the bone. What if this was real, and I was stuck like this forever?

I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. I had to keep moving. Maybe someone would recognize me, or maybe there was some clue about what had happened. I had to believe that. If I didn’t, I’d lose it completely.

With a shaky breath, I stood up again and started to walk, slower this time. My paws made soft padding sounds against the pavement as I moved, my ears twitching at every small noise around me. I wasn’t used to this heightened sense of hearing, of smell, of everything. It was overwhelming.

I wandered for what felt like hours, aimlessly padding through the streets, avoiding people as they passed by. No one paid me any attention. I was just another dog to them. Just another stray.

Finally, I reached a familiar street. My street. My house wasn’t far from here. Maybe… just maybe… if I got home, things would go back to normal.

With a new sense of purpose, I started running again, my paws hitting the ground faster and faster as I made my way toward home. Toward my family. Toward anything that made sense.