"However, I am still left with the same problem, now that you have been claimed by my servant here," the goddess frowns. "I am in need of a champion, and I cannot wait another eon for a human to stumble into the world of the divine. The worlds were more connected once," the goddess softens her tone, and you sense a hint of regret. "I wonder, have humans changed, or have the gods changed? It matters not, it is what it is," she says determinedly.
"It appears I must make use of you, whatever the circumstances," she continues. You didn't like the sound of that. What sort of use was she planning? You were already trapped inside a leopard. Could things get worse? "You will serve as a conduit, as you obviously have an affinity for the divine, although it appears you have had no training. Now that my leopard has bound you, you are permanently connected to this world. However, your bond to the human world has not been severed." You listen intently at this point, wondering what she has in mind. "I will use this to full effect," she avows, staring straight into your eyes.
"You will return to the human world - "
Your heart leaps with joy. You're getting out of this crazy divine world, or jungle, or hallucination. All hope is not lost. You can just go talk to a shrink about this insane dream and get yourself back to normal. However, the goddess is not finished.
" - and will serve as a vessel for my leopard servant. By using your body, my servant will be able to enter the human realm and carry out my will," she orders, as you look on uneasily. "I require a champion, a successor to my position, one who is worthy of such a title. Using you, my servant will find, protect, and nurture those who are acceptable candidates in the human world, and eventually bring back the worthiest to this realm," she smiles her toothy grin, which causes you to shiver inside of the calm leopard. Does this mean you will be a prisoner while some leopard controls your human body? "You will be marked as evidence of your bond with my servant here. Do your duty well, and you may very well earn your freedom once your labors have been completed," the goddess leans over and points to the center of the leopard's forehead, and everything goes black.
When you come to, you are not certain how long you have been out. Groggily, you open your bleary eyes and find yourself to be lying on a dirt path, surrounded by fallen leaves and tree limbs. Lifting your head, you see not thick jungle undergrowth, but sunlight filtered through pine and elm trees. Slowly, you come to the realization that you are on the same path you got lost from. Was it all really just a dream?
Looking down at yourself, you feel a rush of embarrassment to realize that you are completely naked, desperately ignoring the concurrent relief at seeing your human body. What happened to your clothes? Did you take them off in the throes of some fit or hallucination? Shaking your head to clear the cobwebs, you insist to yourself that the jungle, the temple, and the goddess were merely figments of your addled imagination, and you should get yourself checked out by a doctor as soon as you get out of here. Determined to find something to cover up with before someone comes down the path and labels you a pervert, you roll yourself to your feet and stand up.
Something soft brushes against the back of your legs. Thinking you have backed up against a bush, you turn, only to find there is nothing near you on the path. Confused, you reach behind and pass your hand over your rear, hoping to brush off whatever it was that was sticking to you...and freeze. Your hand passes over something soft, and when it does, you feel the strangest sensation you have ever felt in your life, except it felt oddly familiar. Like you had felt that sensation before, and recently. It was the sensation of...
You don't want to believe it. It can't be true. Maybe if you don't see it, you can convince yourself it was another hallucination. However, you know in your heart it is real. Taking a deep breath, you look over your shoulder at the spot where your hand is resting.
Sprouting lazily from the end of your spine is a gorgeous, spotted, fur-covered...leopard tail. As you gawk in disbelief, your tail twitches with nervousness as if to confirm its existence. Gritting your teeth, you concentrate a bit, and easily lift the tail up into an "S" behind you. You exhale heavily, and hyperventilate a bit, as you come to terms with the fact that you can control your tail perfectly. You stand there, naked and with your tail in your hands on the forest path, at a complete loss for what to do next.
The leopard goddess has definitely marked you as one of her own.