I break, my body shattering into motion, the trees a blur of gray and green that trembles at the edges of my vision. The forest floor is an endless stretch, a wild rush beneath my feet, and I cannot stop, cannot think, cannot be anything but the relentless need to move, to lose myself. My claws tear through the rough skin of trees, a red haze marking my passage. My instincts take over, and I push deeper, faster, leaving the measured cadence of time and breath and caution behind. My world narrows to the untamed call of instinct, its sharp and dangerous edges cutting away the rest of me.
I give in to the freedom of it, let the transformation sweep away the rest of my careful restraint, my careful self. Each leap and bound and push leaves me further from the parts of me that hold on, the pa
