By the time the world began to recede, there really wasn’t that much more pain.  That, at least, made it easy for Otsune to smile.  Even then she could only do so feebly, though they were the last of the muscles to remain loyal to her in her final hour, but she felt it necessarily important that she did so.  Did she fear death?  Of course—the oldest fear of mankind was the fear of the unknown.  She felt that terror acutely the day the doctor solemnly told her that there would be no recovery.  At this instant it didn’t prickle her so badly.  Leaving behind her loves, her friends, and everything she knew did not fill her with joy, but joyful memories surfaced in her mind’s eye.  The light grew dim, leaving only the tear-covered face of her husband.  Barely, just barely, she could feel his fingers entwined with hers, and the melodic beeping of the heart monitor.  Through her melancholy she smiled still, for the sake of the man in whose heart she would live on, and in remembrance of all the wonderful things in her life that made her truly blessed.  This was the end, she knew, but she had no regrets.  She knew that something lay beyond this soft, quiet dark, and she had already made her peace with God.  [i]I’m ready,[/i] she had told her husband.  [i]I’ll wait for you.  I love you.[/i]  With God watching over her, what was there to fear in endless sleep…?  She knew, as fell away from the light into a peaceable haze, that she would be judged fairly.

Otsune then awoke in an instant, as quickly as one rises from a sudden morning alarm.  None of her usual grogginess troubled her, and for a moment she struggled to figure out her surroundings.  After a few seconds the memory of dying sunk in, and her thoughts transitioned to what came next.  The facts that she could feel moving air and see shapes alone provided her immense relief and validation; after all, what religious believer did not, despite the choice to live a life of faith, harbor some small, gnawing doubt at the back of her mind?  At the very least this dark, cool place did not seem evocative of Hell, so she bit back her excitement and looked around, trying to discern the area.  Almost immediately she discovered something off, and before casting an eye on any of the shapes in her vicinity she examined herself.  It didn’t take a mirror or pool of water for Otsune to realize that in place of arms and legs, she appeared to have stubby, reptilian feet lined with doglike fur.  A glance over the shoulder turned up a crocodile tail, but more fur as well.  Though not panicked, Otsune could honestly say she was baffled.  [i]What!?[/i]  Was there some kind of…mistake?  She shook the thought from her mind and shakily stood to her feet.  At the very least, standing on all fours felt natural, and not as awkward as it would be if a human attempted the position.  Seeking guidance, the snapjaw looked around, exploring an increased field of vision but notable nearsightedness.  She could easily, however, observe what appeared to be a skinny little girl with transparent clothes, wings, horns, and a tail.  Otsune, now surprised and uncomfortable, shifted her gaze to a couple cats, a few goblin-looking creatures, and diminutive monsters weirder still.

 Most of them spoke, but Otsune didn’t quite process the words.  The conundrum pounded her head.  Why?  [i]If I ever expected anything from death, it wasn’t this.  I’m so confused.  This is definitely not Heaven or Hell, or Earth, judging by these strange creatures.  Maybe God has put me somewhere else.  For safekeeping?  A test?  Or is this some sort of dream?[/i]  She stared at the crystal water from afar, the angle permitting no reflection.  Slowly she padded her way toward it, and a glance at its sparkling surface precluded any idea of humanity.  [i]I don’t know if it’s reward or punishment, but I’ll take it as a second chance.[/i]  A few moments of listening to the others clued her in to their own confusion, fear, and so forth.  None of them seemed quite as calm as she; perhaps none expected there to be life after death, as she had.  At the very least, it made sense that they would be human souls installed into bestial bodies, just as she.  Moving her long jaw experimentally, Otsune attempted to speak, and found her voice much more of a mental projection than a construct of air.  [color=324AB2]”He…hello.  I am Otsune.”[/color]  After a few seconds of studying her foot again, she thought about saying that she appeared to be some sort of lizard dog, but decided abruptly that she wanted to keep talking to an absolute minimum.  A level head in this kind of oddball situation would not doubt help her immensely in coming to grips with this reality, though her heart beat with a certain youthful energy, one she had not felt for decades.  Her muscles –God, it felt good to be able to move freely again!- begged for her to run, jump, and bite things.  Otsune settled for a slow turn in a circle, and felt her ears flopping around.  [i]Fascinating…[/i]