After what felt like hours of walking the dirt road finally lead to somthing new, a dark overgrown forest. I had noticed that the path was slowly becoming more unkempt, but there were still tracks suggesting people still traveled down this road. It was getting hotter and while I did pack water and food I figured that the large lush trees create a protective barrier between me and the harsh midday sun. The forward while being a little more laborious with overgrown roots and large stones was still well marked, I figured a little more hiking wouldn't hurt.
While hiking through the increasingly more humid forest I noticed that there were a bunch of multicolored tropical flowers of various sizes some that I had never seen before others that looked vaguely familiar but what was most intriguing were the huge flowers that were large enough for my head to fit inside, they kinda looked like the prehistoric plants that I saw in dinosaur books when I was a kid.
Suddenly I heard the sound of a twig snapping and then loud buzzing sounds. As two large bee-wasp like creatures flew out of the nearby bushes, they about the size of my head (well that explains how those flowers were pollinated). If this were a video game they would your standard first monster encounter, theoretically an easy kill, but I had no weapon and those monsters had razor sharp mandibles and finger sized stinger that was literally oozing a green (guessing poisonous) liquid.
I gulped my last breath and closed my eyes bracing my self for the inevitable fatal sting, that never came. Instead what I felt was the whooshing of air then the splattering of insect carcus on me. Opening my eyes I see the source of the whooshing sound, a beautiful steel scimitar in the hands of a anthromorphic tiger! The swordsman, my hero, in one graceful moved pulled the scimitar from the carcus of the first monster and entered a fighting stance squaring up against the second monster. The insect in response to its friends death began to circle the tiger beastman, wagging its stinger far enough away to avoid the swordsman's reach but withing striking distance. Initially mesmerized by this deadly dance I did not want to take my eyes of of my tiger savior (for multiple reasons), but just out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of yellow! A third bee-wasp monster silently climbing down a tree it's stinger poised attempting to flank the tiger.
Unsure of what to do my breath quickened I wanted to shout but I was worried I would distract him from the bug he was squaring off with, so I reacted on instinct I grabbed a good throwing stone off the ground and just when the the tiger went for his kill and the crawling bug went for its sneak attack I launched that rock as hard and as quickly as I could while shouting "there's another one behind you"! In dnd terms my hit was a nat 20 the rock struck the bug squarely between its compound eyes dazing it long enough for the anthro tiger to chop the flying bug in-two and turn around and see the third one just start to flap its wings to take-off.
The tiger was fast within a second he finished off his second kill and was ready to take his third, if only the tiger was just a bit faster maybe he could have killed the insect before its stinger peirced skin.
What happened was hard for my human eyes to comprehend one second I had just launched a baseball game worth pitch the next the tiger beast man was right in front of me blade coated in insect blood but with a huge stinger protruding from his chest right where my head was a few moments ago. The tiger fell, using his sword as a brace he took a half kneeling stance, his fur was pickling, blood and ooze covered his leather tunic, his eyes dilating stared at me. "Do you understand me?" His words were intentionally slow and labored as he was trying to slow down his breathing. "Yes, I understand" I placed one hand on his huge back another on his forearm, to attempt to say you can brace on me (realistically though if he did that we'd both fall to the ground), "What do you need me to do?" I locked eyes with him. (dispite the dratic situation I made a mental note he has beautiful hazel-green eyes).
"Okay, on my person there's three potions I need you to remove the stinger and apply the red healing potion the wound directly then I need to drink the yellow anti-paralysis potion. Then..." He stopped talking midsentence mouth open his entire body going rigid as a statue. "Oh shit"! I quickly layed him down to have better access to the wound and started searching for those potions patting down his pockets I found three vials of what I was guessing the potions the only one not mentioned a crystalline white salt like material that I decided to just not mess with putting it back in the little pouch he kept on his side with an a sort ment of other dried plants, bearies, meats, a map and a hunting knive. I pulled at his leather tunic carefully wrestling off the tight leather armour from his body I came face to well built chest with the tigers powerful torso. My breathing heavy I surveyed the wound the stinger for better or worse barely penitrated his body, after taking some clean water to wash my hands I carefully removed the stinger. Using more clean water I quickly washed out the wound trying to clean the soft white fur coat that made up his underside. I then applied the red potion on contact with the wound soft fizzing noise was heard then the tigers entire body seized with pain despite being paralyzed, the potion did however work as after recovering from the sudden movement I looked back at the wound to find that its no longer there. I touch the spot of the former injury only to feel a sharp acidic tingling feeling as lingering potion closed up small cuts on the surface of my fingers I didn't notice.
Preparing to give him the anti-paralysis potion I force him to drink it, leaning his head by holding him by the orange-red mess of hair he has on his head I pour the potion down his throat past the mix omnivorous teeth carefully not to spill any on his white muzzle. I then begin to massage his throat carefully to avoid his Adam's apple. In a few moments his body finally relaxes then I finally let go of all the tension I've been holding in.
Moments pass my tiger hero hasn't woken up yet, I'm a little worried but I can see him breathing. I braced myself against a large tree and braced his head against my chest, I can feel his powerful heart beat reverberating my entire body I watch his mighty chest take in large amounts of air slow and steady. I unconsciously start to play with his hair staring out to space in front of us zoning out, there layed the three bee-wasp monstrosities that tried to kill me. Taking it all in its been a long day, look further up I realize it's barely past midday and really only minutes have passed since the attack happened.
Taking this chance to gather some information I reach down to my tiger hero's side pack pulling out the map I noticed earlier. I open it up seeing that it's written in no language I've ever read before. Frustrated I wasted a minute trying to read the map I put it back. Only for a new a translucent glowing message panel to appeared directly before my eyes: "Common Ability Discovered": CARTOGRAPHY
___________________________________________________
Common Ability: CARTOGRAPHY Lv. 1
Casting Time: A Minute
Range: Touch
Target: Self
Duration: Permanent
You harness the power of CARTOGRAPHY, concentrate and spend an uninterrupted minute studying a new map to have it memorized. Once memorized, you may concentrate to recreate a visable only to you version of the map.
___________________________________________________
Surprised, but excited I tried opening my own map; a translucent glowing panel appeared but instead of a message it was a almost one to one creation of the paper map I found on the tiger except everything was auto translated to a language I could read and a little blue dot which I assumed was me was glowing on the edge of a forest region called (I kid you not) "Bug-bitter Beginner Forest". It looks like I was on a old trading trail that use to connect two port cities, my guess is they stopped using the road since its faster to travel by boat. That being said it looks like we're less then a day away from the closest city Port-Tailus, dismissing the map I look down at my sleeping hero finally accepting that I have to wake him up I gently pat his shoulder, when that failed I started whispering "Mr. Tiger man please wake up" directly into his cute little ears poking out from his hair, when that failed I started poking and proding trying to get him to wake up I was about to start yelling as I was getting desperate but then I started to hear it... a familiar buzzing sound.
"Okay don't panic" I tired carrying the tiger only for my megar strength to immediately give out. "Okay maybe panic" I look down at the unconscious tiger in front of me and make a decision, he save my life I'm gonna save his.
Not sure how to start the POSSESSION ability but running out of time I brought my face up to his touch our lips together in a kiss, I smelled the sweet smell of mint on his breath and the sharp smell of his musk. After 30 seconds I begin to sense a warm fuzzy feeling coming from inside the tiger it's hard to put my finger on what it was exactly but it was big and everywhere I felt myself brush up against it, there was resistance but it was him the tiger and he was really weak. Feeling how weak he was I choose not to force him to give me control but "asked" he was hesitant at first but he was willing to "listen" to the situation he grew small and rested trusting me to get us out of there and I grew big filling out the space his soul once occupied.
Even before I could open my new eyes I heard the whooshing of wings and smelled the sour-sweet smell of the wasp-bee's paralytic ooze. On muscle memory my right hand grabbed my scimitar coming into a parry then into a fluid downward slash halving the bug that tried to kill me. Looking up I saw two more wasp-bees, the voice of the tigers soul told me that they were called Vespins and aim wide. The two remaining Vespins attempted another pincer maneuver but this time I struck both before they had a chance in a large cleaving slash. I breafly felt the little resistance as the scimitar made contact with the Vespins exoskeleton but the built up momentum in my swing plus the sharpness of my blade and the strength in my back muscles made it feel like I was cutting through room temperature butter.
I look around the new Vespins were killed, but the buzzing hasn't stopped, the tigers voice echoed in my brain more are coming I need to run. I look around confused at first which direction to go but I opened my mental map and began a mad sprint in the direction toward Port-Tailus. My new legs pumping I moved across the forest floor unimpeded by any roots or rough terrain. Minutes later I broke free of the forest at some point the buzzing had stopped, but I didn't. I've never moved that fast that agile the rush was amazing I only ever stopped when I put at least a mile between me and the forest.
I stood there looking back at the forest breath in and out, taking huge breaths I look down watching my new pecs rise and fall. I took it all in, I survived and I possessed someone! I looked down at my new body, my orange and white fur was covered in sweat, I brought my new hands up to my face on flex sharp black nails extended out just like claws, on close inspection my hands were more humanoid then cat like, strong forearms lead to python like biceps that were hidden away in my leather tunic. Looking down my tunic was still wide open revealing my pecs and abs. I did eventually close the tunic only after spending some time rubbing my hands over my new abs only stopping once I started playing with my pecs hitting the spot where I was wound and
immediately felt a painful stabbing pain.
Finally calming down I noticed that the sun was approaching late afternoon, I heard the tigers voice again I need to report to the guild, I have a room there, I need to eat and rest. Following his instructions I headed toward town. It was a pretty fast and easy walk, first small farms soon came into view, then larger ones that probably feed the city, then finally the gates of Port-Tailus. The tiger instructed me to see the guards and show them the adventure tokens on my wrist, a small bronze tag bracelet written in a language I still couldn't understand. The gaurds two beast men, a dog and bull respectively let me but not without being annoyed that I was out this late. Entering the city proper, sun had finally started to set casting the white stone that made up the city in a orange hue and the blue roof tops in a purple hue. I tried pulling up the map to see where to go but when trying to zoom into the city I couldn't see any specifics. When the tigers voice finally spoke up again he sounded tired, well as tired as a disinbodied soul voice could be, follow the city river to the port the guild hall is on the right. After a bit of walking I found the building opening the large wooden doors I come into a rambunctious and joyous scene, I felt the voice in my head happy to see the scene unfold in front of me. Many anthros of different species and of different adventuring ranks were all partying together giving advice, eating.... food looked so good right now. Focus, the tigers voice requested, first I need to report in, I look over to see a clerk desk two different anthros a gazelle and a gorilla both working the front desk. The gorilla was initially preoccupied with talking with the gazelle but after a minute the gazelle turns away to head somewhere behind a set of doors behind the clerks desk. The gorilla finally looks over at me approaching and in a high-fem voice she calls "Oh Tony welcome back