A Major Upgrade (Shifter Route)

"I don't want to go into this dream the same way as last time. I felt so weak, powerless." I say frustratedly.

"You're brave though, I'm sure you'll rise to the occasion." Nadya hugs me, trying to reassure me.

"What if bravery isn't enough. Isn't their something you could give me to get an edge in a fight?" I plead.

"There might be something, remember the story I told you about the man turning in a deer?" She starts "It's also possible to take other shapes in a dream. One did ask for a similar boon in the past. The huntress granted her the form of a fearsome beast so she could fight off her pursuer. The sky still memorializes her stand against her tormentor."

I think it might be possible with the full moon to invoke that transformation in your dream.

"Hell yeah! That sounds kick-ass" I exclaim excited for a power up in dream round two.

"This isn't without complications..." She begins

"Complications schomplications, this beats cowering in fear" I cut off a potentially lengthy explanation.

"Then I'll begin" She says as she takes me outside and starts to boil a pot of water. She adds in various herbs from her storage as she cooks away at a concoction a look of focus on her face. After a long while she takes the pot of the fire and pours me a small cup of the liquid.

My mind is suddenly tired, fuzzy and the stars in the sky seem to pulse as I quickly stumble into the hut, Nadya helping to guide my movements.

"Remember not to lose yourself..." I hear her say as I fade to black.

I am suddenly cold and wet, lying on the ground. The sundered remains of the bamboo hut around me. The clouds are dark, ominous and growl with the sounds of approaching thunder. The remains of the hut are in a clearing without shelter. But I feel strong, the moons presence hangs in the reassuring and I feel confident. I lift my head and front stocky legs to howl at my lunar companion but a growl comes out instead. "So I'm not a wolf, some other predator" I think as my mind struggles to think at a normal pace in this form.

The storm continues to roll in, I sense several hunters approaching from behind me with my enhanced animalistic senses and an observer at the far tree line.