The Bitter Cold - Snow Leopard TF

Wind nipped at the soldiers face as the snow assaulted his skin. Pulling his gaiter up over his face more he shivered and trudged on. Snow and wind blasted at his face, turning his cheeks red underneath the heavy gaiter. His boots were starting to leak, the warmth from his feet melting the snow caked around his boots and soaking his socks. Nathans heavy body armor creaked and groaned; the sweat from his body freezing into a thin layer of ice around him. Trudging through the deep snow he continued down the windy rocky path of the mountain.

It had been over 2 hours that Nathan had been separated from his squad. His group was hit by an insurgent attack around 18:00 local time. Ever since then he has been looking for them in the blizzard. His radio stopped working shortly after the attack; a lucky round penetrating the internals of it, rendering it dead weight. The temperature around him was about 25 below zero, a bad temperature to be in, with little chance of survival. Hypothermia had already started to set in.

Nathan stumbled, falling face first into the snow. Groaning he rolled over onto his back and looked up at the sky. Gritting his teeth he yelled out in anger and pounded on the snow with his gloved hands. This was it, this is where he was going to die; alone, with no family or friends to be around him. No burial, no ceremony; no one will even know what happened to him. It was his fault really, joining the military, fighting a fight he did not support or believe in. But still he joined with all the good intentions. And look at where those good intentions got him wound up in? Nathan was sick of everything, the war, his failed military career, the constant jargon filling his head and forcing him to believe of the enemy that was not there.

Sure there was enemy, but what could he do to stop them? The Russians gave up on that war LONG ago and look now? Nathan's fighting the same damn war that cannot be won! Groaning he rolled over onto his stomach and tried to push himself up onto his knees. His muscles did not want to respond to his commands. His arms felt like blocks of ice underneath his clothes. His legs were sluggish to respond to his brain, barely moving at all. He settled back into the soft slow, the wind and constant flurry of snow slowing. The sounds of the howling winds died down, bringing an eerie calm over the mountainside. As the snow settled he could start to make out the features of the mountain. He knew where he was.

This was the same path that his unit as used to ascend the mountain. And If they were still around they were bound to find him. But what would it matter? He would be dead before they would able to get him back to base. The feeling of death seemed to comfort him though. No longer would he be cold, hurt, and alone. He would finally have some peace. Taking in a deep breath he rested his helmet and head onto the snow and closed his eyes, letting the snow around him slowly envelop his body.

~~

Nathan reopened his eyes and coughed slightly, feeling the dull pain return to his body, a friendly reminder that he was still alive. His lungs felt heavy and his chest was cold. His arms and legs felt like numb blocks of lead. Trying to wiggle his toes he found that he couldn't even feel them in his boots. He was helpless, powerless, and cold. The storm had passed, revealing the black night sky full of stars. It was peaceful there lying on the snow covered ground, gazing up at the sky. It removed the fear that he felt, the fear of dying.

There was a rustling sound emitting behind him. At that moment his heart sunk in his chest, a hard lump forming in his throat. He would scream for help but his throat was so cold and frozen he wouldn't be able to do more than wheeze. The sounds grew closer, crunching snow echoing through his helmet. He already knew this was not his squad; they would have said something, or called out to him. No this was someone else, maybe a local, or worse. Feeling a pang of helplessness hit him again he withered on the ground and started to crawl, his arms feeling like lead anchors. The sounds of crunching snow grew louder, the pattern of the crunches sounding odd, almost like a gallop.

Freezing in place he placed his head down on the snow and waited for the end. He was already dead but he was hoping to go peacefully and not at the insane hands of an insurgent. Something nuzzled his leg, strangely poking at his armor and outer leg. He froze in place, terror gripping him. He closed his eyes again and held his breath. Suddenly he started to feel pressure on his back as if someone was stepping on him. He gasped as something with weight stood onto his armor. The strangest part about it was it had four legs. Four legs!! His brain exclaimed at him, finally putting two and two together.

Nathan felt the hot breath of an animal on his neck, the large heavy paws pressing into his back. Whimpering slightly he closed his eyes and hoped that his death wound be quick and painless. He closed his eyes and felt his heart beat. He wasn't dead. His heart beat four more times, still beating, still alive. Opening one eye he coughed and exhaled, drawing a ragged breath back in. The animal lightly hopped off of Nathan's back and walked to his side. Coming around to his front the creature started at the freezing human, his large eyes looking over the still body of the soldier. Nathan looked up to try and identify the large animal.

Through his blurry eyes he noticed that its fur was roughly the same color of the snow; covered in white fur with black spots. That immediately identified the large cat. It was a Snow Leopard judging by its size and the spots on its fur. He knew from stories that these animals would sometimes attack the locals on the trails and eat them. But something about this leopard was different. He thought, 'why am I still alive? Why is this leopard not eating me?' The large cat pawed over to Nathan, lying down in front of him, crossing his paws over one another. Looking into this animal eyes Nathan already knew that he wasn't going to hurt him. How he knew this he wasn't sure.

Continuing to look into the leopards eyes he stared to feel more relaxed and less tense, the feeling of numbness across his body fading. He wiggled his fingers, the feeling returning to them. Something inside him willed his body to touch the leopard. Every fiber of his being told him to flee and stay away, but something else inside him, something stronger and much more calming reassured Nathan that everything was ok.

Pulling off his thick glove he reached out his hand and placed it on the leopards head. The leopard reacted by pushing his muzzle into his hand, acting like an oversized house cat. Feeling the large cat purr at his touch he ran his hand down the cats head onto his neck. His fur felt warm, unlike his freezing skin. It seemed the leopard's fur was warming up his hand, returning the feeling to it slowly. Nuzzling Nathans palm with his snout the leopard backed off slightly, retracting from Nathan. Feeling the fur slowly slide out of his hand he watched as the snow leopard sat down on his haunches and watch him.

Nathans hand remained warm after the cat removed his face. Strangely enough it still felt as if fur was attached to his palm. Turning his hand over to look his heart about beat out of his chest. Where his skin used to be, pure white fur was covering his hand. Thick pads started to form on his palms, inflating into a thick rough pad.  Nathan shrieked in terror and rolled over onto his back, grabbing his deformed hand with his other. His fingers started to shrink and shrivel into his palm, growing into a fairly large paw. Fur started to creep down his arm and under his uniform. He started to itch madly, the fur spreading across his body, rubbing against his rough and gritty uniform. Another loud crunch doubled him over in pain as his back shifted around.

He needed to get out of this armor he thought aloud in his head. Who knew what was happening and the last thing he needed to deal with was that! Grabbing at the Velcro he pulled, feeling his fingers start to retract into his other hand. He pulled hard, feeling the armor give and open up, just as his other hand exploded from the glove, a exact copy of his other hand. A strange warmness started to creep over his body as the fur claimed his human skin. No longer did the cold Afghani winter nip at his body; instead the cold seemed to be kept at bay. It felt as if his body had been placed in front of a warm fire, the fur locking in his body heat and making him warm. It was an incredible feeling that Nathan couldn't begin to describe.

Pain wracked his legs, jarring him out of his trance. His feet began to sell in his boots, growing tighter by the minute. Gritting his teeth he growled, watching the bottom half of his boot give way and split open like a book. His feet had changed in the same fashion as his hands. Two black spotted paws pushed from his tattered combat boots and into the snow. His instep cramped, feet growing longer and skinnier. Something urged him to stand up, on all fours. Following this instinct Nathan rolled over onto his belly and stood up. Something felt off, yet natural in every sense as all four paws were on the ground. He pushed off the ground and stood up on his rear legs. Feeling himself wobble slightly he caught his balance.

The snow leopard cocked his head at Nathan and mrawred, lying down in the snow, observing him carefully. His clothes felt like parachutes on his body, no longer fit his new anatomy. His waist had grown skinnier, more lean and muscular. Without any pronounced hips holding his pants aloft his clothes slid off his body and onto the snow covered ground. Stepping out of them and his tattered boots he fell back onto all fours. Something about this new posture felt comfortable and safe to him, no longer wanting to stand on his hind legs. Another bone grinding sensation filled Nathans ears as his hips rearranged itself, shifting to a posture well suited for quadrupedal motion. His shoulders shifted as well, shifting to a broader stance. His tailbone started to ache mildly, feeling something attaching itself to it and pull out behind him. Turning his head to look he watched as a fluffy tail started to grow out behind him, twitching at the slightest response.

Strangely enough even after all of these live changing events Nathan was at peace with it. He couldn't explain why he was, or what could have done this to him. All of those questions seemed irrelevant to him at that moment. It all felt natural now, like he has know nothing else his entire life, that this was always, and forever will be his new body. No more war, no more pain, no more humanity to hold him back.

Nathan's body was now completely covered in white fur; with a sporadic pattern of black spots. His hair had all but been changed to the same fur that covered his entire body. Looking over his body he smiled slightly, feeling comforted and confident about his new body. Pain struck again, this time at his head. He gritted his teeth and growled, his face pushing out slightly, growing into a blunt muzzle. His nose went black and wet; his teeth slowly growing longer in his new maw. He blinked, his eyesight instantly becoming sharper, like someone had removed a veil from in front of his eyes. The as if there was an explosion next to him the worlds seemed to come alive with sounds! Everything from the sound of his breathing, the leopards breathing, and the steady sounds of the mountains.

Then everything stopped, his changes ceased. It was too much for him to take in at once. Plopping down on his rear he sat and stared at the leopard in front of him, cocking his head to the side slightly. The other leopard huffed and let out a low growl and walked away, fading into the darkness. Nathan was still in shock of it all. He was no longer terrified, or scared, or even worried anymore. He had forgotten about everything in his past except for now.

He idly lifted a paw and looked at it closely. He had only been in this form for less than a minute and he already loved it. It no longer had its human ties, its limitations, it weakness. His entire body felt like a coiled up spring that could be released at any moment, at anytime he wanted. The power of it all was intoxicating. The cold winter air no longer bothered him anymore. Placing his paw back into the snow he stood up and glanced back at his tattered uniform, now the only remnants of his humanity.

Something clinked around his neck, something cold and metallic. Pawing at the foreign object around his neck he growled, feeling his claws latch onto it and snap it off. Pawing at the shiny object Nathan instantly recognized them as his dog tags. Snorting he picked them up in his jaws and was about to placed them onto his tattered uniform when noises perked his new sensitive ears. Quickly turning his head and perking his ears forward he directed his eyes at the source of the sound.

Five men dressed in uniforms slowly rounded the side of the mountain, all of them members of his former unit. Watching the men closely he felt a strange sense of detachment from them, like he was no longer their brother or had ever known them for that matter. Nathan sat down next to his tattered uniform and waited, his dog tags still hanging in his maw waiting for the men to spot him, and they did. As he approached them they aimed their weapons at him. Standing up to all fours he pawed around the uniform and sat down on top of it.

One of the men cursed and shouted at the leopard, trying to scare it away. Nathan instantly recognized the voice as his squad leader. He laughed slightly, coming out as a guttural growl. Tapping his paw on his uniform he slowly approached the men, tail swishing back and forth. As he advanced Nathan's eyes never left his squad leaders. Some of the soldiers shouted and threw their hands up, trying to spook the leopard into running off. They too have all heard the stories and don't feel like becoming one of them.

One of the privates in the group raised his rifle and aimed it at Nathans head. Shouting the squad leader batted the rifle into the air and cursed."Wait!" he ordered, his eye catching a glimpse of something in the leopard's mouth. Nathan nodded his head slightly; unsure if the soldier saw his gesture. Stopping at the soldier's feet Nathan rubbed his head against the man's leg gently. Recoiling slightly at the predators docile actions he was unsure of what to do. Removing his hand from his gun he slowly placed it on the cats head, feeling it respond to his touch. Lightly petting the leopards head with his hand he went for the object in his mouth, lightly pulling the chain and metal from his muzzle. The leopard nuzzled the soldier's leg again, bumping into his chest.

The sergeant examined the item carefully, identifying them as a pair of dog tags. Looking at the name he let out a long sigh and gripped them in his hand.

"I found Nathan…" he said grimy to his squad. Looking over at the tattered remains of his uniform he growled and shook his head. Nathan, looking up at his old friend nuzzled his fist with his snout, emitting a low growl. Looking into the human's eyes he tried to reassure the human that Nathan was happy, and was where he wanted to be. He prayed that the human did not take it another way.  The human looked down at the snow leopard and sighed, petting him once more with his hand and standing up. Somehow, his former friend knew that this cat in front of him did not kill his friend, but knew where he was. Looking back to his squad he pointed down the mountain and shouted an order. Quickly the men started to shuffle through the deep snow and down the path.

Nathan glared up at his old friend and nuzzled his leg again before pawing behind him. The human gripped the tags tighter in his hand and called lightly.

"Nathan…." The leopard stopped in his tracks, somehow feeling that that name had meaning to him still. Turning his head he looked back, staring at the soldier. He never turned to look back. Somehow he already knew where Nathan was, and didn't need to really see it. The man lightly shook his head and started to walk down behind his men, leaving the tattered rags of Nathans uniform behind.
       
Nathan stood there and watched as the human disappeared from his view before continuing on his path. Where that path would take him he was not sure. But one thing was sure, he had finally gotten his wish of freedom…