Ruth was ready to clock in for another day of work. After the reprieve of busyness, he was walking back into the "belly of the beast" as it were, with a lot more work about to come in he'd have to take care of. It was a nice break while it lasted, but it was time to get back to work. As Ruth walked toward the offices, he noticed that there was something strange in the doorway to the entrance. It looked to be a strange triangular portal emitting a heavenly blue glow. He blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing things right. Was it something some science club or something was doing? It looked straight out of a Sci-Fi movie almost. Ruth looked around to see if anyone noticed it, but to his surprise, it seemed like he was the only one who could actually see it. People passed him and made no comment on the strange portal, nor did they even stop to examine it. They would just walk through it like it wasn't there, and since the portal didn't take up the whole doorway, he was able to see it had no effect on those who passed it. All of this just added to the mystery of the portal. Why could only Ruth see it? What did it do? Who put it there? Curiosity would prove to be too much to resist, as Ruth cautiously approached the portal. As he got closer to it, he felt a metaphorical pull towards it. Like something was beckoning him on the other side. There was a smooth breeze blowing from it that made Ruth feel relaxed and also helped to coax him further closer to the portal. Ruth stopped right in front of it. Was he about to go through some strange portal that only he could see? If it was only for his eyes, perhaps it was meant for him? Despite all the questions and oddities, Ruth decided to take a leap of faith and jump through the portal. Once inside, his whole world was turning upside down and around, Ruth's body being flung every which way like he was in a washing machine. It was a very disorienting experience and made it hard for Ruth to concentrate on what was going on. There were just a ton of colors passing by his vision in a blur, and if he could see, he could maybe see what was happening to his body! For starters, Ruth's body was getting much fluffier. All over his body, a thick fur coat was emerging out from his skin, completely burying it underneath it so it would be invisible less you purposefully spread the fur aside with one's fingers. All over the back of his body would be gray fur, as well as over the top of his head and ears. Meanwhile, on the lower half of his face and going down his front and inner legs white fur would find itself growing instead. In the gray sections of fur, various black spots formed all over, mostly being contained in the gray with some of the spots melted over in the white segments closer to the front of his body. From behind Ruth, a long extension of his spine that was longer than his legs itself, able to curl up in front of his face if he wanted it to. Ruth's new tail was fairly fluffy, if not thin with white fur on the underside and gray fur on the top with black spots just like the rest of his fur coat had. It retained the same volume all through it, the tip of Ruth's tail ended in a circular shape. At his feet, the digits of them enlarged and pressed together until some became a part of others, leaving only three of them left. Despite this, Ruth's feet were actually larger than before, with the nails on them turning into claws. Pads formed on the underside of them, Ruth's feet becoming a set of feline paws. While he kept the same amount of fingers, the nails at the ends of them altered into claws as well, although these were dulled so they wouldn't accidentally injure anyone. Ruth's face stretched outward, forming into a fairly wide, albeit short, muzzle. At the tip of that would be where his nose made its new home as it enlarged and turned a pink color. On the sides of Ruth's snout, thin whiskers emerged that were a bit shorter than the width of his head, of which was also a bit larger, with ruffled fur at the cheeks. The color of Ruth's hair lost its color, instead becoming a snow white that matched the color of the white fur on his front. His ears traveled higher up his head, not stopping until they reached the top of them before they grew in size, becoming a more circular shape overall, leaving Ruth as a human no more, but a snow leopard. More than Ruth's species would change. The lump inside Ruth's throat shrank in size, causing his voice to become softer and higher-pitched. The eyebrows of his eyes became less pronounced while the opposite was happening to his eyelashes, looking as though he had more of them and gave his face a much more feminine look overall to match his voice. The length of his hair extended, trickling down the back of his neck and past his shoulders until it reached the center of his back in a flowing appearance. Ruth's shoulders slimmed as their broad build became less pronounced, the mass of his arms diminishing down to become thin and slender. Even the size of his hands was smaller now to ensure everything was proportionate all throughout. Ruth's thighs grew wider, as too would his calves as the curvature of his legs shifted to give them shapely tones. At his upper body, Ruth's sides were squeezed inward, the bend of them remaining a permanent fixture of his figure now. The same happened at his back, an arch forming to give it more of a feminine flow. This continued down to his rear, which enlarged with extra mass that moved from above the waist to below it. Ruth's hips expanded out to childbearing proportions as well, giving his overall figure a full, hourglass appearance. Ruth's chest would inflate with two mounds suddenly appearing on there. They rounded out to a modest size, a pair of breasts making their home on Ruth's chest now. Between his legs, the workings of the opposite sex would replace what was already there, and left Ruth not just as a snow leopard, but a female one at that! The daze was getting too much for Ruth to bear, and eventually, his consciousness left him as his journey through the vortex the portal threw him into was starting to come to a close. Soon, his body would make landfall, though where he'd be, he'd be a long way from home... ***** "Wake up! Wake up!" the snow leopardess' ear would twitch when she heard the voice of a grumpy-sounding older man. "The library is not your dorm! No sleeping in here!" "W-what...?" her eyes slowly fluttered open, seeing a red-scaled monitor lizard looking back at her, a fancy robe around him along with a strange large hat and monocle around one of his eyes connected to his coat's collar. "You heard me! I don't know what you students do at those parties but I will have none of it in my library!" the lizard scolded. "On your feet, and dress yourself in your own clothes! Looks like it's about to fall off of you." The snow leopardess looked down at herself and saw that the lizard did have a point. Her pants were barely hanging on thanks to her wider hips, but were hanging off of her waist revealing a bit of a "V" along with her shirt that had a sleeve off her shoulder, and was certainly a few sizes too big for her. "Where am I...?" she asked, holding her head. "I warn you students to not drink a Witherbloom's brew. Now you can't remember what you did last night." the lizard said more annoyed than properly angry. "But you all insist. You're at the Biblioplex, and I kindly ask you to leave until you're dressed in a proper uniform." "Uniform...?" the snow leopardess questioned, her mind still in a fog. "Your school uniform yes! Just because you're partying doesn't mean you can walk around not in your college's uniform." "Do you know which one I'm supposed to be in? I can't remember..." she asked as she slowly pushed herself up, making sure to hold onto her clothes so she didn't accidentally flash the old lizard. The lizard let out a hefty sigh and rolled his eyes. "Come with me to the front. I'll look you up in the system." "T-thanks." the snow leopardess nodded, following closely behind the lizard, seeing more than a few other students give her a strange look due to what she was wearing. Although she wasn't aware of much, she felt like she'd probably be acting the same if she saw someone else wearing clothes that most certainly didn't fit." As she walked, she looked around the library, seeing bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling, along with various students dressed in different colors. There were five distinct colors among the outfits, and the students were talking, practicing magic, and studying to name some of the many activities that were occurring. Eventually, the two reached the front desk, with the monitor lizard typing at his computer. "Name?" he asked bluntly. "My...name?" the snow leopardess asked. A name was something she had since she was born and yet...she didn't know what it was! She should know her own name! "Yes, you're name. It's a very simple request. I'd appreciate you stop fooling around and wasting my time." the lizard said sternly. "I...don't know. I don't know who I am!" she replied. "That brew must have done a number on you." the lizard replied, getting off of the computer. "And it's also not my problem." "Wait, but who am I? I don't remember anything!" the snow leopardess complained in a worried tone. "If I didn't know you before, why would I know you now? I don't pay attention to what you students do out there, I just care for the halls of this library. Go ask another student for help, maybe they'll have a better answers for you. I must attend to the books, I see someone about the grab them without washing their hands after eating. If you'd excuse me." "But!" the snow leopardess called out but was ignored by the lizard, leaving her all on her own, with no memories to work with in a world she knew nothing about. Or did she? It was hard to know what she was supposed to know and what was new to her. At the very least she hoped to find a proper change of clothes. The lizard did advise her to seek help from the students there, maybe that would be wise to follow. However, it seemed like that problem would solve itself when she was approached by an owl woman. She wore a dark blue robe with red sashes around it, with bright white feathers on her body and a black beak with large wings with a wingspan that was nearly as large as her body itself. "Hi! I've never seen you around before! Are you new here?" she asked in an excitedly, very friendly tone. "I...I don't really know." the snow leopardess admitted with a soft blush. "I just woke up here and I can't remember anything." "Drink a Witherbloom brew? I've been there! Turned me into a pest once, felt weird to not have arms and have to crawl around! Not to mention all those teeth!" she giggled a bit. "Turned into a pest?" the snow leopardess blinked a few times and shook her head. "Yeah, but don't worry! Our faculty is very good at making sure no harm comes to any students who do get transformed. It's not a common occurrence, but can happen. Comes with the territory of magic! What's your name? I'm Kaylyn." "I wish I could tell you, I don't even remember my name." she replied with a frown. "Then I guess we're going to have to give you a name!" Kaylyn smiled. "Can't just be calling you "hey you." I think Rosalin works for you!" "Rosalin..." the snow leopardess repeated the name. It felt good...right almost. Maybe that was her name? Even if it wasn't she did like the sound of it. A smile grew across her muzzle for the first time since she woke up. "I love it." "Perfect! And I can call you Rosa for short! Nicknames are so cute! I wish Kaylyn could have a good shortened version but I like it all the same!" "Kaylyn, I do have a favor to ask you..." Rosalin said, her face turning red through the fur. "You don't have to say it, I can already tell what you want! Clothes! I would too if I looked like you right now. No offense!" "I wouldn't ask for it if I didn't want to change into something else." the snow leopardess said with a laugh. "Ideally something that would fit." "Well, I don't know if I'd have anything that'd fit you since I'm taller than you. You'd run into the same problem! Not to mention my clothes all have holes for my wings, gotta let 'em breathe!" she laughed. "But don't worry, Mavinda can help me. I'll take you back to my dorm and then go get clothes for you that'll fit you right. Luckily we have other leonin on campus so they have clothes for your species!" "That sounds perfect." Rosalin smiled. While she still didn't have any proper memories, she at the very least had a name now! ***** "I'm back Rosa!" Kaylyn said in a singsong voice as she entered back into her dorm room where Rosalin was sitting on the spare bed inside of it. "Thank goodness, I can stop carrying my clothes." she laughed, accepting the blue robes and other "necessities" that she needed that weren't present on her body, a bra chief among them. "I'll turn around so you can change, I can't wait to see what you look like in Prismari colors!" Kaylyn said with excitement, turning around and putting her hands over her eyes. "Just let me know when you're done!" The snow leopard wasted no time in disrobing and changing into the outfit provided by Kaylyn. It was a relief to no longer have to hold up her clothes to make sure they didn't fall off of her, the robes fitting her body perfectly. "Alright, all done." Rosalin let out a sigh of relief. "You can turn around now. How do I look?" she asked holding her arms out. "Amazing!" Kaylyn cheered and clapped her wings together. "Saw what you will about Prismari, but we have the best uniforms and colors! Although those Silverquil do have a sleek black. I always wondered what their robes would look like with my feathers..." "About that, do you know what college I'm supposed to be in? I should be in one of them I just don't know what." "About that! I talked to Mavinda about you and your whole situation." Kaylyn took a seat to explain. "There are no records of you well, anywhere. We've had plenty of leonin on campus before, but you're actually the first of that particular breed of leonin to come here. That mixed your amnesia well, she didn't think you were an actual student before your amnesia. In fact, she doesn't think you're from Arcavios at all." "So what does that mean?" Rosalin asked intently, although the answers didn't reveal anything about her past before she woke up today, even small answers were still answers to the mystery! "It means you're not a student of Strixhaven. You never were. How you wound up in the Biblioplex I have no idea. You would have had to come through the front gates and if you weren't enrolled they'd have taken you to the enrollment offices." Kaylyn paused. "Buuuut I have good news!" Rosalin leaned forward, her ears perking up intently. "I got you enrolled! And better yet, in Prismari! And one more, wait for it, you're going to be my dormmate!" It was a lot of information to take in, but information that made Rosalin very happy. "So I'm a Strixhaven student?" "Yup! I talked with Mavinda and we got all the paperwork done already! And as long as you're with me I'll help you try and figure out who you are!" "Thanks, but..." Rosalin's smile wavered a little bit. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be excited?" a frown formed on Kaylyn's beak for the first time. "I don't know if I WANT to remember." the snow leopard admitted. "I know it probably sounds crazy but...I like being with you. And if I remember who I really am, that means I might have to leave." "Don't worry about that! I'm not going anywhere! And neither are you!" Kaylyn's frown turned into a smile as she waved a hand. "Whether or not you remember your old self before the amnesia or not, you'll be Rosalin to me! Unless you remember your old name, then I'll call you that." she leaned in. "But between you and me I think Rosalin is the perfect name for you." "I think so too." Rosalin smiled, bringing in the owlin for a hug. "Thank you, for everything." "Please, you don't have to thank me! The pleasure is all mine! Plus, it's nice to finally have a friend here! I've been here for almost a year now and I never connected with anyone." "Well, I'm glad I got to connect with you. But now you're going to have to teach me what all this Prismari business is about if I'm going to be educated under them!" "Right!" Kaylyn pulled away and clapped her hands together. "You're going to be in for such a treat! Hope you like performing~!" ***** A few months later... ***** "Rosalin, Kaylyn, let's see what you've got for me today." the stage teacher said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "Are you ready for this partner?" Rosalin asked to the bird next to her. "You know it! You're first lead performance! I'll be right beside you to back you up!" Kaylyn smiled. "I know you will. Ever since I got here you've always had my back. Now let's blow the professor's mind with this performance! Show them what all that practice was for! The snow leopard walked to the front of the stage, summoning an elemental that resembled a deer - the mascot of the Prismari as it started off small before growing to a very large size, Rosalin putting in her soul to her performance, a metaphor for growing into her own here on Strixhaven. Although she started with no memories, she'd gained a lot of new ones with her best friend Kaylyn. Rosalin had no idea where she would be without the owlin, perhaps she'd be outside the walls of Strixhaven and fending for herself in the wild if she didn't have the right help. Kaylyn walked out, summoning her own elemental as the two pranced together, large trees being formed as they trotted through the makeshift woods that the two girls had summoned. It reached its conclusion when the two elemental deer became one, throwing its head back into a cry on top of a hill triumphantly as the performance came to a close. The two dismissed the magic, catching their breath after using a lot of magic to show their souls through the performance. The professor was pleased, clapping her hands and standing up. "Very excellent work girls. You did a great job as the lead Rosalin. I'm happy you're finally starting to get your own footing. Keep helping her Kaylyn, you're more experienced, make sure she stays on the right track." "Absolutely, thank you!" Kaylyn smiled and bowed, Rosalin doing the same as they left the stage as the next pair of students were called up. "That was so gooood!" Rosalin cheered, bringing in Kaylyn for a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you! You did such a good job! I forgot you were technically a new student still!" "It doesn't feel like I am anymore either. I might not remember who I was before we met, but I'm glad I can remember my time here with you!" "And I'm happy to be alongside you with it!" Kaylyn smiled. "But enough with the sappiness! We did a good job, let's go celebrate!" "You read my mind. Let's go get some nice food to celebrate! I heard Gyome made a new recipe." "Then what are we waiting for? Let's eat!