u/Arm0_da

Adam's POV

I was unaware that the black panther was eyeing me, her yellow feline gaze fixed on me.

The black panther sometimes looked at me and would occasionally focus on her driving, hoping to reach a place where she could help me stay.

But that was never expected to be her home, at least that's what I assumed when we started to slow down on a dirt road and saw an extremely fancy kind of house, sure like and geometric rectangular and box-like with glass windows, and modern for something that was part of the fancy architecture, which I assumed was some kind of LB (aka Lucky Bastard).

She came to a stop at a rooftop garage, a very modern one that looked to be built into and with the house. She came to a stop, then turned off the car and forced herself to take my full attention on her. She then turned to me at the same time as I did.

"...Look, I know we just met, but you seem like the kind of...whatever you are that's been through a lot, and... I want to help." The black panther said her confession was blunt, straightforward, and unexpected.

A brief silence ensued between the two of us, looking at each other.

I was sure to say what she had told me, the only thing that came out of my mouth was, "...Thank you."

She gave me a small smile, then nodded. "...Of course." She opened the driver's door and looked over at me. "You coming?" the black panther asked.

Without hesitating, I opened the door and got out of the front passenger seat.

She just waited as I got in, but then I realized my coat was soaking wet and had soiled the passenger seat from me sitting on it.

I looked at her with a worried glance, and she cocked her head in confusion. She was unaware of what was wrong, so I spoke to clarify, "Sorry, I think my coat soaked the passenger seat. Sorry about that."

She didn't seem that worried. She just shrugged it off and said, "It's okay, no harm done," casually.

Feeling relieved by her response and reassured that she meant what she said, I followed her up a flight of steps, and she pulled out a key that opened her door.

Once she inserted it into the lock of her door, she turned it counterclockwise and heard a mechanical click. She reached for the knob and opened it without aggression, just with ease.

As she opened the door, the inside was pitch-black, so she went to a light switch that was just around the door from the right-hand side, and she actually pressed a button on one of the controls. Then the whole house lit up at ease.

The house's colors reminded me a little of the Black Panther aesthetic, and it looked like a sanctuary to her.

And the furniture in the place reminded me of something you see in an IKEA magazine, or in those blue-yellow buildings where IKEA takes place.

At that moment, the whole place lit up, revealing the beauty waking in as she did, and I just stood where I was, marveling at the house's interior and amazed at how amazing this place was.

She heard me as I observed, and I was still wearing my hoodie. She didn't want to push any boundaries, but she was eager to see what I really looked like.

She set her keys in a bowl that lay on a piece of furniture that was probably worth more than her life.

"Before we start, I think it would be better if we introduce one another. I'm Jett," she said, extending a hand to me.

I looked from her paw to her face, and then I brought my small hand to hers, and she envied the size of her black, paw-like hand.

"Gosh, his hand is so soft and gentle and...squishy," she thought in her mind.

When I was able to see, she had the paw cushion in her hand like paws.

That was when her ears perked up when I said my name as well.

"Adam."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Adam," Jett said, her tone gentle, as a small smile rose upon her face.

Likewise, I said, smiling as well, but something happened when I smiled.

Jett looked at me for a moment, still holding my hand with her mighty grip. The black panther was holding my hand for a little too long; she shook her head and cleared her throat, letting go of it.

*Clears throat*, "Sorry, I'm assuming you want a fresh change of clothes?" she asked, trying to change the subject from a strange yet unexpected handshake greeting.

"Uh, sure, if that's not a bother."

She leaned to one side, her paws on her hips, giving me a slightly annoyed gaze. But that wasn't when she leaned in close, inches from my face, down to my level.

I was surprised and worried I might have offended her.

"I wouldn't have offered you clothes if it wasn't a bother."

She just rolled her yellow feline eyes at my strange expression as I gave her a thumbs-up.

"Anyway, the bathroom is over there. I'll come over and hand you your clothes once you're cleaned up. Also, you can use the shower. Seriously, you might need it." Jett said as she walked to the repurposed place where she was going to get me some clothes. I found the bathroom. I saw her tail sway a little bit, but I just shook my head, ignoring what I saw as just a fluke.

Once in the bathroom and closing the door behind me, I was able to undress myself, being able to find a towel and be able to set my duffel bag on the marble fancy marble black polished floor and opened the shower and to look for the knob to turn the water on, but to see that it was operated by a touch digital solid waterproof tablet that was built in front under the overhead of a square-shaped shower head.

Looking at the tablet, I understood the interface. Pressing one of the shower cycle icons on the screen, I began cleaning myself up, noticing that the shower head had a water-and-soap mix.

Jett's POV

Finding clothes that would fit Adam was a challenge, so I decided to retrieve some old clothes from my closet to help him out for now. I wasn't entirely sure why I felt compelled to assist him. Still, something about him told me he was different, but I didn't know why I would do this for someone, because this never happened to me before, ever.

"Sigh, why am I doing this?"

"I know he's a stranger, but he looked so...innocent."

Finding a pair of grey shorts suitable for Adam to wear and a t-shirt with a thorns logo, I put them in the wash and waited until they were ready. Thankfully, the washing system was quick and efficient.

After 15 minutes, they were washed and dried. When they were clean and dry, I pulled them out of the dryer, folded them, and walked out of the laundry room to the bathroom, where Adam was getting cleaned up.

I walked over to where he was taking his shower.

My fine nose twitched at the scent of him, and I assumed he was going to smell strange. Still, he was, but somehow I felt strong enough to smell him; he smelled of some kind of tree and... campfires. The smell of him came from the shower.

I've never smelled something like that. That was when I heard the shower stop and knocked on the door. "Adam?"

"Yes?"

"I have some clothes for you. I'll just leave them outside the door."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome." I set the clothes out by the door and walked off. Entering the living room, I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV to provide background noise.

While I was heading to the kitchen to find some food, the first thing I saw was a potential microwave pack, and I thought Adam would need one.

While working on the food, I perked up my ears and heard a small set of footsteps, and I turned to see what Adam truly was without the hoodie. My eyes were wide as I could see what he was.

He was wearing the clothes I gave him and holding what looked like a duffel bag.

He looked like a monkey but... different altogether.

Realizing I was staring, I broke the stare and asked, "What's up?"

He seemed unaware of my staring, so he responded to my question.

"I was wondering where you want me to put my wet clothes," Adam asked.

I stared at him for quite some time, unsure how to respond or what to make of his physical appearance. His physical appearance was... alien to me.

But, wanting to let my judgment affect him, I shook my head and spoke to him.

Rushing over, I walked up to him and took the clothes. "Don't worry about it. I got it."

Adam's POV

"Oh, okay...thank you, Jett."

She smiled and walked away, leaving me in the kitchen and living room. I looked to see that the TV was on, talking about what appeared to be called Roarball.

"Huh, looks like they have similar technology like in my world," I muttered. I looked around, and, to pass, I did see a few posters of Jett, who was wearing what looked like a basketball jersey with the name 'Thorns' on it, and that she was some kind of basketball player. And that she was marked as 'New Queen' on a few of the posters.

Looking at the posters, I never expected Jett to watch me look at them. She came up, which made me jump slightly, and she raised her hand, surprised and concerned, in her frightened, nameless eyes. "Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean to jump scare you."

"Pfff, nooo, you didn't scare me," I said in a lying, and yet ever so slightly joking tone.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, an amused or unexpressed teasing look forming in her eyes, a smug smirk on her lip as she looked down at me.

"Oh really?" Jett asked, looking down at me with a look I never expected from her.

So I played on with her teasing, "Yes, really." I said, in utter disbelief and unprincipled confidence, which made me feel all uneasy about where this was going. Still, I chose to play along just because it was fun.

But that soon became too much when she rolled her eyes and walked off, "Heh, whatever," she said teasingly.

She then gestured to her posters and asked, "So..." She trailed off. Jett looked to me as she walked by and followed her back to the kitchen.

We stopped at an island table in the middle of the kitchen, and with that, I sat in one of the chairs by the table and set my duffel bag on the floor.

"So...what?" I asked, wondering what she was trying to deface or crack by starting a conversation with me that would be plausible for both of us to discuss.

"... I was wondering if...do you play Roarball?"

I looked at her, confused. I looked at her, dead in tears, eyes clueless about what she was talking about.

She waited for my response before she turned to look at what she was doing by putting a meal in a microwave, putting in the time for it to cook, and turned around to face me, a confused expression on her face, and looking back at me, "Wait, you don't know what Roarball is, do you?"

"No, but I'm assuming it's a type of sport?" I asked.

"Well, you're not wrong. Roarball is a sport, yes, but it is sort of dedicated to animals that compete in the most dangerous courts in the world." She said triumphantly, and yet also passingly, and that's when it clicked in my head.

"Wait, so you play Roarball?" I asked about putting the pieces together.

Jett looked away, losing her gaze on me, shyly looking a bit embarrassed or something, and I wasn't sure what she was feeling from when I asked her that question.

"Heh, isn't it that obvious?" she asked. Her gaze returned to me.

And so I made a pinch of paint with my two fingers, my thumb and index finger, and said, "A little bit."

That made her smile and even laugh a little, seeing her embarrassment wash away. She actually laughed, not fake, an actual, genuine laugh.

"Oh man, I haven't had a laugh like that since...well...ever." Jet said.

"Well, I'm glad that I was able to make you laugh," I said, smiling up at her. She returned my smile.

We looked at one another for a moment; it lasted for quite some time, but before anything weird or unexpected could happen between the two of them, they went to bed. Then Jett pulled out the meal with her hands.

"Here," she said, handing me the email.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted or what you ate, so I wanted to make sure you wanted it."

"Thank you, Jett. No, this is actually perfect."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that."

As I was digging in, taking a bite, and savoring the flavor, I closed my eyes, and this was something I never expected to eat.

At that moment, I opened my eyes to see Jett leaning on the edge of the island and to see her paws under her chin. Her eyes were low and mellow, and she was looking at me in a way I wanted to extend and to see her tail swaying behind her, in a slow-motion kind of way.

Her eyes were clear as she looked at me.

"Uh, are you okay?" I asked, trying to break the conversational ice.

She blinked for a minute until she realized what she was doing and cleared her throat. Jett stood back to her full height, looking more serious yet curious, wondering what she would do next.

"Oh! Yeah, I was wondering...I know this is sudden, and I can't hold back from asking, but what are you?"

To be continued

A/N Please leave any comments or feedback:)

Adam's POV

A falling sensation overwhelmed me, energy surging through my body, causing goosebumps and confusion, as if my senses were breaking apart, pulling me into a disorienting whirl that made it hard to focus on what was happening around me.

Oh, in case you're wondering, my name is Adam Armada. I'm 24, and I suddenly found myself in a lush rainforest, replacing the dark void I was in while playing basketball at the park, making me question what was real.

I felt as if I were in a dark abyss, a deep void. The feeling of zero gravity, floating in mid-air just for a pleasant second before I fell, caused my stomach to churn. My mind froze, but that soon stopped when gravity returned. I couldn't see anything but darkness, and then a rainbow appeared as gravity pulled me down, sending me crashing onto the surface of a different environment.

I felt something hard impact my body, feeling the aching pain in every part of my body.

I felt the rough, wet, muddy surface beneath me, its texture scraping my palms as towering trees and dense foliage loomed around me, their shadows flickering in the rain, making me feel small and trapped in this strange, threatening environment.

Looking up at the dark, bluish, cloudy sky, rain pouring down, I stared at my hands, then around me, feeling lost and uncertain about who I was and where I had been transferred, so readers can connect with my disorientation and need for reassurance.

"How did this happen?" I wondered, my voice trembling as I looked at my dark blue thin jacket. My usual gym clothes-my cartoon logo T-shirt featuring Voltron, Ghostbusters, or classic arcade game logos like Asteroids, Yar's Revenge, or Galaga, to which they were paired with Nike gym pants and black-and-white Nike sport shoes- felt oddly familiar amid the chaos, grounding me in a sense of normalcy amidst the surreal.

Fear and frustration bubbled inside me, making my heart race and hands tremble, helping the audience feel my vulnerability and relate to my confusion and fear.

I was trying to cope with my thoughts and figure out what had happened to me.

Unsure what had happened and trying to retrace my steps to figure out how I got from a basketball court to a jungle.

I remembered I was in the park at midnight, and the overhead light illuminated around me. I was not sure what had happened or how I had gotten from a basketball court park area in the middle of a jungle. 

Did I somehow teleport? Was this some kind of strange experiment? Or some kind of thing that couldn't be explained?

Thankfully, I was able to find my duffel bag. It was a few feet from where I lay, or fell from an incredibly high height, from which I somehow survived, which I found impossible to understand, but back to my duffel and the effects that were inside of it. 

I had my spare basketball, a half-full water bottle, and the rest of my stuff, including my phone, wallet, and even a flashlight.

After checking that my belongings were still in their rightful place, I was then greeted by the menacing darkness. 

I was in, and it started raining harder. Even though I had a hoodie, it was designed for rainy weather and other kinds of weather. I flipped my hoodie on and began walking through the endless jungle of green trees.

After walking for a while, I ruined my shoes in the wet, muddy environment.

It was getting dark, so I pulled out my flashlight and resumed walking, hoping to find anyone or anything that might help me in my situation.

As I crept through the rain-soaked jungle, a wave of discomfort hit me, making me acutely aware of my fragile state. I paused, took a deep breath, and desperately searched for any sign of help or shelter, clinging to the hope of escape, despite how impossible it seemed. This moment invites the audience to see my vulnerability and share my desperation.

Unsure of what to do or where to go, I just took a moment to breathe and look for any signs of light or help that I could notice, emphasizing my sense of isolation and need for reassurance.

Unsure where to go, I just followed my instinct, wherever it could take me.

Walking deeper into the jungle, I noticed the healthy, organic trees and the strange silence, with shadows lurking behind the leaves, making me wonder if something was watching me and adding a tense layer to my exploration, emphasizing the environment's eeriness.

It looked like I was in some kind of jungle or rainforest altogether. Moving and maneuvering away from the trees, the vines, and leaves that were about the size of my head and the forearms of others. Even though that's a strange way to derive that, and I know I'm weird, deal with that.

That's what I kept telling myself before I thought of running away, feeling as if I was the way I lived my life with my family, even though they had hated my difference.

I finally worked up the courage to leave and never go there, but not like this, not when it's raining. I am soaking wet and cold at night, trying to figure out what could have caused such a turn of events and why I had to be in this situation.

Trying to figure out another kind of topic to keep me moving, and without my anxiety keeping me on edge or keeping me from feeling scared or afraid.

Reminded me of The Jungle Book, of some kind, the one that was a classic Disney movie that I watched as a kid, and felt as if I was moldering in that kind of unconvincing scenario.

Returning to my thoughts on a movie trivia nonsense or to where I was going, I was greeted by an overhead light, which I recognized as used in either parks or roads, so that I could find help somewhere.

Increasing my walking, I was able to pass through a few more vines and leaves that dangled from the puddle's weight of water on them, and was able to brush them aside as I continued through the jungle and was greeted by what I was right about to be, an overhead light, and to see that there was a highway guard rail post.

Reaching the guardrail, I located the overhead light and saw that it was literally where I was standing; the metallic grey moss and wet-plated overhead lamp originated there.

I looked to my right and saw a stadium that looked like a jungle, overlooked like Niagara Falls or some kind of huge waterfall. Behind the stadium stood.

Looking to see if it looked empty and quiet, but could still see its usual after-hours lights.

The bedside light was already on at night, and the people of this place were probably in bed.

Assuming that's where I needed to go, I walked down the street. I noticed the architecture looked too foresty and a little like the rainforest from that Disney movie I watched, Zootopia.

Yeah, I used to watch Disney movies, and now I play basketball for fun, get over it.

Walking down the street of the unfamiliar environment, which I had never heard of or ever seen before, I wandered around until I noticed an open shop.

But to see a fancy red-plated and painted Mercedes-like vehicle parked in front of the mini store, and to see that it was actually called 1 Eleven, which left me confused because the green, white, and orange-colored billboard sign before me looked similar to a 7-Eleven.

I checked my brow and head simultaneously, confused by the store's name, "Maybe it's something that's contributing to 7-Eleven?" I muttered, shaking off the thought, and to what I had noticed, and so I just shrugged it off.

Before I could enter the neon lights, they reflected a perfect reflection of me and the store, and to see how clean the car was, and to see that it was a Mercedes, and to see each one that I had never seen before, not even one that I had seen in my life, but I was able to recognize the logo on the front of the car of the type of brand of the car.

"Huh, I never saw a Mercedes like that before, maybe it's custom-made?" I muttered, pondering the thought before passing the red-plated spot on a painted red Mercedes.

Passing the car and entering the shop, I heard the door ding as I entered, looking for anyone. I was confused about why there wasn't anyone around, but shrugged it off and hopped to find something that might help with my appetite and the slight chill.

Looking for anything to bring up my blood sugar, I noticed a tall, slightly moving figure looking through the beverage aisle, shrugging off the stranger's stature and appearance. I looked to see if this place had anything I could drink, like water with a good amount of electrolytes.

Looking at where the drinks were, I passed a sale filled with chips, candy, that sort of thing, but that was when I stopped to notice something unusual about the breakfast on the shelves. There were snacks I'd never heard of. "What the... I never heard of these types of brands." I muttered.

I grabbed a bag to look at the product title, leaving me utterly confused about how such a band could exist.

staring wide-eyed at the brand, I just shook my head and put the product back.

"Weird," I said, going to the store's beverage area to find any water that could help me feel hydrated.

Walking over to the beverage aisle and looking through, I noticed the intimidating figure in a hoodie standing in the refrigerated section.

I looked through the drink and couldn't find any water, but after touching the tall figure, it was filled with water. and the person was going through, choosing which one they wanted.

I stood behind the person waiting patiently so I could grab some water as well. The person before me wore a red jacket kind of outfit, some kind of outfit I never expected to see.

Not noticing anything unusual after that, but my face went dead on pan when I stopped to see that the person before me had a dark black panther kind of tail, before I could stare any longer, the person revealed itself, starting to look in my direction, and to notice that the person before me, what a person, the person was actually, an anthropomorphic humanoid, and structured black panther.

And to see the anthro black panther look down at me, giving me a confused look, and, trying to keep it normal even though I was witnessing something totally out of the ordinary, I was able to work up the courage to form words: "Uh, can I help you?" The black panther asked in a female voice. The black partner's question echoed in my head, and when it registered, I was able to hear it clearly enough to answer her.

"Um...yes, I was wondering if I could get some water?" I said, gesturing to the water behind her. She looked to where I was pointing, then her eyes went wide, and she moved away. "Oh, yeah, sorry."

"You're good," I said, looking through the water. I was able to act normally and grab one that was just a normal one, instead of one with sugar and stuff that could affect my body's chemistry.

But that was when I grabbed a bottle of water. The black panther stood where the black panther was and looked down at me, just for a moment, before I broke the intimidating stare the black panther gave me with the black panther's predatory yellow feline eyes. I maneuvered away from the cat. I brought my hood closer to my face to cover it.

Unsure of what it was all about, I just ignored it and walked over to the cashier.

When I came over, I stopped to see that, before that was going to be sacning my item, was a capybara, an anthro capybara. The athlete wore the store's uniform and looked exhausted, and the anthro animal before me was having a long night.

The nathri scanned my item, then typed something on the device in front of him and spoke in a low, tired tone, "Okay, that will be $2.50, will you be doing cash or card?"

"cash."

Nodding to the cashier, I pull out my duffel bag. Thankfully, I was able to pull out my wallet, got a 5-dollar bill, and gave it to the anthro, but, unknowingly to the anthro, he looked at it as he took the bill and gave a weird look.

"Are you trying to get me fired?"

"I'm sorry?" I asked, unsure what was happening.

"What do you think I am? I'm an idiot? This isn't a dollar bill!"

The anthro handed me back my bill, knowing that this world is just learning that this is not Earth, well, not my Earth, and somewhere they don't take money from another world. So before I could leave without paying, the water I walked out with, I walked out, but not knowing that the black panther watched the whole thing and looked to the cashier, then towards me as I left the store.

3rd POV

The black panther sighed and pondered whether she should help the strange creature that had come into the store, so she made up her mind.

The black panther came over to the cashier. "How much is that water?"

Adam's POV

I was standing at the edge of the street, looking toward where I needed to go, but I wasn't sure where I was planning to go or where I could go.

Doing some guesswork on walking, I was stopped when I heard footsteps behind me and turned around, only to see and hear the black panther call out to me, "Hey!"

I grimaced in worry, as if I was in trouble, but that all faded when the black panther handed me the water I was trying to buy.

Surprised me with the offer and kindness, I grabbed the eater from her giant cat paw, which had slightly brushed against her dark, bluish fur.

The black partner's internal thoughts echoed in her head, "His hand...it's so different but...soft."

But that didn't change. When the black panther before me could tell, from the way she touched my hand when she was giving me my water, how cold my hand was.

"...Thank you," I said. I tried not to look at her face, even though she was wearing a hoodie as well. I was still willing to thank her for her generosity, for paying for my water.

"You're welcome." The black panther said.

nodded her, I was about leave, not wanting to make the moment between me and her awkward, even though she probably knew that I wanted anything she saw in her life.

"...Wait."

I stopped and turned to look at her.

"... you're not from around here...are you?" she asked.

unsure how I was going to answer that, so I just nodded.

"Do you know where you're going?"

I looked away from her, wasn't sure how to explain to her that I wasn't probably in a different world, and wasn't sure how to explain it to someone who didn't know how or what I was.

"...No."

There was a silence between the two, so I broke it again.

"Well, I'll be going, thank you for the water," I said, before leaving, and at that moment, I felt a paw on my shoulder, and she then looked me dead in the eyes. 

It was what looked to be from instinct, or something I wanted to be able to understand, but animal behavior, or something similar to human behavior before, but she was looking at me from her hooded face, her yellow-fringed eyes glowing from the dark abyss in her hoodie.

The black panther could smell the cold and wetness from me, and she was staring at me as if the very spiritual depth of my humanity should tell her.

"You're cold... do you have any place to stay?"

"Uh...not that I'm aware of," I said, confused. What kind of question was she asking?

She looked as if she was making up her mind or doing something she doesn't really do for others, but she just sighed and pulled me with her to her car, "Come on," she gestured, unsure of where this was going. I just followed.

My gut was telling me she wasn't going to or planning on hurting me; she was actually planning to help me or take me somewhere that could help me.

She got into the driver's seat of the red car parked at the store, then rolled down the front passenger seat window, looked in my direction, and spoke in a hesitant voice, but with determination on her face.

"Get in."

Without hesitation, I opened the door and closed it. The black panther then aggressively rolled out of the empty parking lot, and we both drove off at breakneck speed, making my stomach churn.

Black Panther's POV

"What am I doing?!"

"This... kid needs help. He's cold and wet and has nowhere to go. Plus, I just met him at a 1 Eleven and wasn't sure how I was going to deal with him, but based on what I could tell, my heart is telling me that he needs help. Why would I have such feelings for someone I just met?!" The cat exclaimed in her head.

I looked over, eyeing him slightly to see if he was observing everything from his window. Still, I haven't had the chance to actually see his face because of his hoodie.

But courtesy to the best of me, and so I ponder the question of how I was going to fathom the courage to ask him what he was.

But right now, it had to wait; now was not the time.

To be continued

A/N Please leave any comments or feedback:)