"What. The. F-" My head was in a blender. Or maybe just my brains and then they were skillfully poured back into my skull.

Opening my eyes to the very, very bright light of the room, I saw that my limbs were entangled in white sheets. The whiteness of everything did not make my pounding head any better. The bed was white, the walls were white, the shaggy rug was white, covering, thankfully, a not white, polished concrete floor.

Where the hell was I? The awfully-fulgid sunlight that poured into the room indicated that it was morning.

At that moment, Dominic emerged from the bathroom, wearing next to nothing. And the memories of the previous night came flooding back. I looked under the sheet. Yep. I was naked.

"Hey." He was grinning from ear to ear and readjusting his glasses which were steamed from the shower. A towel slung low on his hips. 

"Uh... did we... err... uh. You know?... oh, no, no, no..."

"Oh yes.... And it was-" he rubbed his hand through his damp hair. "I didn't know you could be that feline in bed, Jen. It was very... um... impressive."

I moaned, faceplanting into the white, fluffy pillow.

It wasn't that I did not want to have sex with Dominic. I simply didn't want to have 'alcohol-induced, couldn't remember anything' sex with Dominic. He snapped me out of my pillow misery.

"Eh, So... I was going to grab a coffee at the cafe down the street. Want me to bring you back something?"

My stomach gurgled replying on my behalf.

"Yes. Please. That would be wonderful." I pulled the best grin I could muster through my bullet-piercing headache while rummaging for my t-shirt and underwear.

Dominic threw on some clothes and left the large, presumably master bedroom, with me still half-dressed. I rose to find a toothbrush in the sizable bathroom, also very white. My mouth tasted awful.

I noticed that Dominic had left his cell on the counter. It was buzzing uncontrollably.

Text messages were frantically popping up on the screen. I didn't want to intrude, but it looked urgent. The last message read: "DUDE, WHY ARE YOU NOT ANSWERING. WHERE ARE YOU???" 

Apparently, he was missed. Without any luck finding a toothbrush and not thinking too much into the message, I pulled on my jeans and decided to hand-deliver his phone.

I saw Dominic a few meters ahead, but immediately slowed when I spotted three well-dressed men approach him; two appeared to be about to be the same age as Dominic- in their late twenties. The third man was older and seemed oddly familiar. They were all white.

They took a seat at one of the outside table arrangements in front of the cafe. I attempted to convince myself that these were probably friends of Dominic's, but something felt off and it wasn't my hangover. They were too far out of earshot, and if I moved any closer, they'd notice me.

It took a moment to decide what to do. Then I saw that there was an alley next to the cafe. I might be able to get close enough if I went through the other end.

Without another hesitation, I went around the block. My instincts were right. The small street led straight to the cafe. I approached as close as I could. Their voices were soft, but I could catch some of the words.

I recognized Dominic's first.

"It's confirmed. I can give you the coordinates."

Then the stranger's,

"And you can guarantee the camera won't be on?"

"Yes."

I sucked in an inaudible breath, remembering where I had seen the older man before. Karl Volkov. He was arrested two years ago for laying traps outside of the protected region. An Amur tiger was found in one of them. Luckily, it survived and was taken to the local safari park for endangered animals. But Volkov was released after insufficient evidence.

Dominic, what were you doing?

A different voice,

"I can't wait to add it to my collection. It would look excellent next to the Argali. It better give us more of a challenge than that old sheep did."

I couldn't listen after that.

My feet found their way back to the apartment, throwing his cellphone in a bin along the way. My mind fumed from what I had overheard.

Julian was in the kitchen making toast when I arrived.

"Did you have a-"

He stopped buttering his toast once he saw my face.

"So, I'm assuming things did not go as planned?"

"We need to call response headquarters, ALTA... anyone who will listen. RIGHT. NOW."

I was searching for the keys to the jeep and hastily swinging my backpack over a shoulder when the front door opened with Dominic holding a tray of three coffees and a to-go bag.

"How could you!?" I exploded, not even giving him time to put the drinks on the counter.

"And you're welcome too?" He looked befuddled.

"Don't play dumb, Dominic. I saw you!"

"I know we've only slept together once... but can I consider this a lover's quarrel?"

"Wait, you guys had sex. Like together?" Julian interjected.

"Ahh!!" I gave Julian a scathing glare, then turned back to Dominic. "I saw you with Volkov. Karl Volkov! I heard what you said. I can't believe I slept with you! I feel....ugh..."

I wanted to puke.

Julian's face turned from confusion to comprehension as the wheels clicked.

Dominic raised his hands above his head as if I was pointing a .375 H&H rifle at him. He slowly lowered them once he realized I wasn't going to tackle him to the ground.

I scrutinized him with disgust.

"Why'd you do it, Dominic? Why did you give them the location of the leopard?"

-----------------

Now, it was my turn to hit the accelerator. "Student loans? Student loans were his excuse??"

Julian was snapping on his seatbelt as we swerved potholes out of the city.

"They can get pretty hefty. My cousin went to undergrad in the States and she graduated with over $100,000 in debt with a degree in English Literature. She had to move home and take a bank job just to make payments."

"Argh! That's no excuse! He just committed career suicide, not to mention once the authorities hear about this, very likely penitentiary."

"Well, that's if we get a hold of anyone... Don't you think it is strangely convenient that our phones aren't working and Dominic is a tech wiz? We're all registered on the same data plan."

Julian rebooted his work cell, attempting yet again to call out. 

"We just need to get back to the lab before he does."

It took us a little over an hour and a half to get back, even speeding. Unfortunately, it was Sunday, and no one was in the lab. Oddly, no one was in the entire vicinity. Julian went to check the residence halls and response headquarters. Someone had to be onsite. I decided to open the camera trap file we worked on yesterday to see if it was still operating. Dominic said he programmed it to switch off when his 'university friends' decided to go on their little hunting spree.

Once I had the file displayed on the monitor, I began scrolling through the recent images. It appeared to be working. Two rabbits were in the last shot. I clicked to the previous night, stopping on a video with movement in the undergrowth beyond the camera's focus. I bit my lower lip hard.

A male musk deer came into view, long tusks protruded from its mouth. Not what I was looking for.

I was about to click the next clip when I saw her. A sleek leopard emerged from the same foliage... followed by a cub, scarcely three months old.

"Shit."

Leopards were found to be active during the night and at times midday. It was midday now. Karl Volkov would know this. He was a trained and experienced hunter. 

Wildly, I jotted down the insane thing I was about to do on a post-it for Julian when he returned, sticking it next to the image on the screen.

There was a chance that they would not find the leopard. I wasn't going to let them.

As I drove through the forest, doubt washed over me. This was rash. I had no working phone and I had forgotten to take the walkie. I glanced at the tranquilizer gun which was bouncing in the passenger seat. Yes, this was crazy. However, at that moment I saw no other choice.

When I parked at the location there were no other vehicles. Good. 

Hiking in the dense brush wasn't as simple and by the time I made it to the faulty camera trap two hours had passed since I left the research center.

I reassured myself that Julian must have alerted the rangers by now. Taking a few breaths, I relaxed a fraction. The rangers would be here soon. The leopard was most likely gone from the site at any rate. 

Resting the tranquilizer on a boulder, I took a long gulp from my canteen. The cool water slid down my throat. 

The wind in the trees went still. My heart thudded.

Two gold-rimmed eyes stared directly at me.

The young female crouched on a low branch. Her young cub protectively behind her fluid form. She blinked languidly.

The words were a whisper but they fell out as though I had known what to say all along. 

"Jarga."

A preternatural awareness stirred deep within me. I could not describe what the sensation was exactly. Like melting away.

And gradually, I began to change. My fingers warped and reformed. The canteen fell to the ground. Its drop softened by the dead leaves. My stature arched and I felt my torso lengthening, my spine bowing, my legs shortening. My skin prickled and tingled as the hair grew in thick sheets across the ridges of my arms.

I understood what I was becoming. Still focused on the giant cat, she gave me another dreamy blink.

Breaking the stare, her head turned, ears perked towards the east. Instantly, she was gone along with her cub. And I was alone.

Then I heard it. The one-shot, ripping through the trees. Leaves falling, birds scattering, and there, lodging itself between my two lower ribs. A pain so deep I welcomed it.

Absently, I could hear thuds of heavy boots running through the dense brush. Breaking. Tearing. Eager to see their prize. My last breaths were ragged as I rolled to my back.

With this movement, the ache dissipated. The pain left my body as suddenly as it appeared.

My leopard form rose from the dirt, moving calmly away. And as I left, I looked back to see a human silhouette on the forest floor. A young woman with dark brown hair and almond eyes amongst the leaves.