Youssef woke to the chill of the iron floor beneath his body, still in the form of a jaguar. Pain dulled his senses; his wounds had been recently treated and wrapped in makeshift bandages. Slowly, he looked around. He was surrounded by other cages filled with wild animals… the faint whimper of an injured monkey, the hoarse growl of an old lion, and the wind whistling through neglected windows.
Rage rose in his chest like a storm—anger at his captivity, his injuries, his helplessness. He roared and slammed against the cage bars, but his voice was swallowed by the cold, deaf walls. No one came.
Suddenly, the back door creaked open. A young woman slipped inside, her steps cautious, as if afraid to disturb the air itself. Her anxious eyes searched the shadows before she began unlocking cages one by one. She moved quickly, and though fear flickered on her face, there was determination in her heart.
When she reached Youssef's cage, she froze. Her gaze locked on him… Something about him unsettled her—maybe his massive size, or the look in his eyes that wasn't an animal's at all, but a broken man's. A silent question flickered in her eyes: Should I open this one too?
He approached the door slowly, lowering his head toward the ground. He tried to appear less threatening, almost pleading… or begging her to trust him. Her heart pounded, and for a moment she nearly turned to leave. But then the sound of the guard's voice drew closer, shouting somewhere nearby. She steeled herself and opened the door. She didn't know if she'd just made the right choice—or a deadly mistake. Then she ran.
He didn't know where she was headed, but he followed. His body ached, the wound in his leg had torn open again, blood seeping out. Still, he ran—driven by instinct toward her.
Outside, a young man waited in an old car, the engine groaning like a frightened heart.
She sprinted to the car and yanked the door open. The moment she saw Youssef following, she shouted:
— "Wait, Noah!"
Then she flung open the back door for him without looking twice and climbed in. Youssef slipped inside behind her, bleeding in silence.
Noah drove off, muttering curses under his breath, unaware of what sat in the back seat until they reached a small cabin at the edge of the forest, surrounded by trees on all sides. He stopped the car, turning to ask her something—only for his eyes to meet a pair of golden ones glowing in the dark. He stared for a moment, as if time had frozen.
Then he shouted:
— "What the hell?! Is that a jaguar?!"
He and Judy leapt out of the car in panic, slamming the doors shut.
Noah (furious):
— "Why didn't you tell me it wasn't a dog… or a cat?!"
Judy (with an awkward smile):
— "It's a cat… just a little bigger."
Noah:
— "Are you insane? Weren't you afraid it would eat us?!"
Judy:
— "No… his eyes were gentle."
Noah (sarcastically):
— "Idiot…"
Inside, Youssef groaned, a muffled roar of pain escaping him, cutting their argument short.
Noah:
— "What are we going to do now?!"
Judy (strangely calm):
— "Don't worry. He's hurt. He won't harm us… at least not tonight."
Noah:
— "Get him out of my car. Now!"
She opened the back door, and Youssef stepped out slowly, staggering before sinking to the ground, breathing heavily.
Noah jumped back into the driver's seat, still yelling:
— "I swear, if I see you in my next documentary titled 'Jaguar Eats Crazy Girl in the Woods', don't blame me!"
Judy (playfully defiant):
— "Japan…"
Then she turned to the jaguar, her eyes glowing with a strange tenderness:
— "Don't be afraid… I'll take care of you."
She opened the cabin door and spoke softly:
— "You can come in."
She brought disinfectant and cotton, sitting beside him, cleaning his wound with the care of someone handling something sacred.
Judy (locking her gaze with his):
— "Strange… your eyes don't look like an animal's. There's something human in them… as if you understand me."
She continued, still watching him:
— "This isn't really my home. Noah and I found it months ago. It's deep in the forest, but close enough to the city. We use it as a hideout, away from prying eyes."
When she finished, she placed food and water beside him, then stepped into an inner room and shut the door firmly. He heard the sound of a wooden box being dragged across it, then silence.
Youssef smiled—a faint, almost invisible smile—and his body began to change. The jaguar form melted away, revealing his human self. He stood before the door for a moment, then shifted into a falcon, taking off into the night sky.