The Creation of Zootown

    Aiysha was bored again.

    Lying there in the grass, the spotted hyena looked around her enclosure. She knew the area well; she’d lived here all her life, after all. She’d grown up under her mother, the matriarch of her clan, and essentially learned everything she needed to know from her. She grew up knowing that when her mother died, she’d be expected to lead the clan as the eldest daughter, and she’d spent her childhood preparing as much as she could. She’d watched her mother closely as a cub, learned everything she could from her actions. She’d observed her mother keeping the other members in line, gathering food, and even mating with some of the males, and she’d made sure to watch carefully whenever any of these things happened. And now that her mother was dead, she was finally ready to do do what she’d spend her entire childhood preparing for. She was ready to lead.

    As it turned out, though, leading this particular clan was not all it was cracked up to be. She’d been prepared to lead the clan, but it seemed that there was very little here that required leadership. In fact, most of the decisions around here seemed to be made by creatures other than her own: namely, the strange creatures she often saw walking around her enclosure. Humans, she believed they were called. She’d known about them all her life, and had even seen a few of them come into her enclosure several times, but she’d never really paid them any mind. Her mother didn’t seem to care about them, so she didn’t either. But the more she saw them, the more she’d come to realize that they were the ones who seemed to dictate everything that happened in her life. They provided food, seemed to enter and exit the environment as they pleased, and even appeared to have some degree of control over their well-being. Sometimes, they would remove members of her clan that had gotten sick or injured from the enclosure entirely, either never returning them or returning them in near-perfect health. None of the other hyenas seemed to care about this, but Aiysha was mystified, even a bit frustrated. After all, if they had all their needs taken care of by these mystical outside beings, what was even the point of their clan having a leader? Was she really even needed?

    With a sigh, Aiysha looked out through the fence that kept her clan locked in their environment. Some of the humans were standing out there, looking into her enclosure with a sense of wonder in their eyes. As she watched them, Ayisha couldn’t help but wonder why they would look at her like that; if anything, she should be wondering about them. And wonder about them she did. She’d been taken outside her enclosure a few times in the past, and she’d seen a few other enclosures with a few different other animals. She’d recognized some of them from her mother’s descriptions: The hulking elephants, the swift gazelles, the birds of the sky and the polar bears of the ice. And of course, the lions: the arrogant big cats that always seemed to sneer at her when she passed them, as if taunting her. Like they thought they were better than her or something. The very thought was ridiculous, of course: they were trapped in their enclosures just as she was, at the mercy of the humans that seemed to run their lives. And what happened to these humans when they weren’t around, anyway? Where did they go? Aiysha’s entire world was limited to the inside of her enclosure, but she knew that there had to have been something else out there… after all, how else could these humans appear and disappear at will? Even the ones that appeared in her enclosure would only enter and exit through an apparent hole in one of its walls, one that only they could make appear. What laid on the other side, though? Where did they go when they left?

    Somewhere, deep down, Aiysha realized that maybe thinking these things wasn’t entirely normal. None of the other hyenas did it, and she was fairly certain that her mother hadn’t either. But she didn’t care. She wanted to know what else there was. She was certain that there was more to life than just staying in the same place and constantly doing nothing. And she was just as sure that there was more in the world than just these enclosures that she and the other animals inhabited. The desire to see it grew within her, like a hunger that she couldn’t satisfy no matter what she did. Part of her protested this; she was still her clan’s matriarch, and it was still her duty to look after them. She couldn’t exactly do that if she wasn’t in the enclosure, could she? But she quickly convinced herself that her reasoning was just. She still wanted what was best for them, and she didn’t believe that just staying in the enclosure would do them any good. She knew they would be happier with more freedom, more choices, and more room to explore.

    She slowly lowered her head with a sigh. It wasn’t just her clan, she realized: This was something she wanted for everyone in this place. She wanted them to be free to leave and explore, just like the humans were. If humans could leave, why couldn’t she? Why couldn’t she be free to come and go as she wanted? Why did every non-human creature in the zoo have to be confined to these small enclosures when they could be roaming around, free to do what they wanted? Shaking her head, Aiysha looked back up at the fence separating her from the rest of the world. If only… if only she could be more like them. If only she could make that fence disappear and join them...

    She raised her head up. And blinked. Wait… where was the fence? She blinked again. The fence that normally separated her enclosure from the rest of the world appeared to have suddenly vanished. But how was that possible? She slowly approached it, tentatively reaching out and swiping at where it used to be. But there was nothing there. Nothing separating her from the outside world. Her heart quickly beating, she stepped outside the enclosure, feeling the hot pavement beneath her paws instead of cool grass for the first time. It felt odd and uncomfortable, but she didn’t care. She’d finally achieved what she’d wanted to her whole life: she was outside! She was free!

    Looking up in front of her, Aiysha suddenly gasped, finding herself face-to-face with one of the humans she’d seen outside the fence earlier. She’d been so preoccupied with her newfound freedom that she’d completely forgotten about them. Her heart thudded and she took a step back, fear filling her mind. She’d never seen one of the outside humans up close like this before, and she was starting to wonder for the first time if maybe that fence was there for a reason. What if it had been there to protect her clan? Were the outside humans going to try and do something to them now that it wasn’t there anymore? Her eyes went wide as the human looked down at her and… smiled? “Well hey there, Aiysha,” he said. “Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?”

    Wait, what? How did he know her name? And… he’d addressed her as if she was no different from him. As if she was just another human. But why? It didn’t look like the man was interested in waiting for a reply, though, as he turned and simply continued walking down the path as soon as soon as the question was asked. Ayisha turned to watch him go, and almost jumped when she saw what else was down the path. Apparently her enclosure wasn’t the only one that had been opened up: walking down the path were groups of other animals, exactly like the ones she’d seen and that her mother had described to her. Wolves, giraffes, tigers, cheetahs, all outside their enclosures and all walking alongside the humans. And once again, the humans were acting like this was a completely natural occurrence, talking to the animals as if they had been friends with them all their lives. What’s more, the animals were acting exactly the same: they were talking to the humans as if it was completely natural too! What was going on?

    “Hey, Aiysha!” Aiysha turned around towards the voice, once again almost jumping at what she saw. Behind her was a gazelle, standing next to another human. Both appeared to be female, and both were staring at her with big grins spread across their faces. “Been working out again, I see,” said the gazelle with a chuckle. “Though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re always in that fitness center of yours, aren’t you?”

    “Not that we can blame you,” said the human. “I mean, that fitness center is awesome! Much better than that other one a few blocks down the road. I mean, the equipment there is good and all, but the guys who run it are so arrogant, and so misogynistic…” She frowned, looking down at the shocked looking hyena. “Um… are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

    “Um…” Aiysha looked around her, at all the humans and animals surrounding her, then back at the odd pair in front of her. “Could you… give me a moment?” Before either of them could respond, Aiysha turned and ran back into her enclosure, her head spinning with everything she had seen. Why had those two acted like they knew her? She’d never even seen them before! Never mind that, how were they even communicating? With each other OR with her? And… what did they mean by a fitness center? What even was a fitness center? But her thoughts were quickly stopped when she noticed the other hyenas in her clan had begun walking towards the pavement where the other humans and animals were. Of course! Maybe they could offer some clarity as to what was happening! “Hey, Jasmine!” she yelled, approaching a high ranking member of her clan. “Um… do you know anything about what’s going on outside? How are all these humans and animals communicating with each other? How did all these animals get out of their enclosures?” She paused. “Come to think of it, how did we get out of our enclosure? There was a fence there, and it just disappeared!”

    Jasmine frowned. “Enclosures? What are you talking about?” She looked towards the pavement where the fence used to be. “There’s never been a fence there. We’ve always been able to leave. And… why wouldn’t humans be able to communicate with other animals? It’d make it kinda hard for us to run our businesses if they couldn’t.” She turned to look at Aiysha, who’s eyes had widened once again. “Are you feeling alright? You don’t look too good. I hope you haven’t been overdoing it with those workouts again. You need to be looking after yourself, you know. I can’t run that fitness center on my own!”

    “What? What are you…” Struggling to find words, Aiysha glanced over at the other hyenas making their way towards everyone else.  As she watched the other hyenas walk, something about them seemed to… shift. Somehow, it looked like their front paws were starting to rise from the ground, forcing their back legs to support all of their weight. Soon, they appeared to be walking completely on their hind legs, their back paws shortening and shifting to fully touch the ground as they walked. Their arms and legs began growing slightly longer as their bodies became slimmer, making their body proportions seem somewhat human-like. But as Aiysha watched, she saw what appeared to be the strangest change: the digits on their front paws began to separate from each other, becoming thinner and longer. They still looked paw-esque, but they also looked a bit like… hands. Human hands.

    Eyes wide in disbelief, Aiysha watched as the humanized hyenas continued walking towards the pavement. For a moment, she thought the transformation would continue and they would fully become humans, but it appeared to have halted entirely. They still looked like hyenas in some ways, having retained their fur, tails, hind paws, and facial features, but their body proportions were mostly human. Still, one more change was beginning to overtake them: the center of their bodies began to change color and gain a bit more width, as if something was was materializing on them. Soon, Aiysha could see that something had materialized: all of the hyenas appeared to be wearing shorts and short-sleeve shirts, much like the rest of the humans in the zoo. They wore no shoes, oddly enough, and Aiysha realized it must have been because human feet were much more sensitive than their own paws.

    It wasn’t just the hyenas either, Aiysha realized. All of the other animals were starting to stand upright as well: limbs becoming shorter and bodies becoming more human-like, front paws and hooves becoming more hand-like, back paws and hooves becoming shorter and more suited for upright walking. Yet none of them seemed to notice at all. They all just took it in completely in stride, walking and acting like they’d been that way their entire lives. Probably because they thought they had, Aiysha realized. For some reason, she appeared to be the only one who thought that anything strange was going on. As far as everyone else was concerned, things had always been this way: all the animals had always been these strange, humanized versions of themselves that could communicate and interact with humans as if they were no different from each other. But where did that leave Aiysha? As far as she could tell, she still looked like a normal hyena. Was she going to be outcast from the rest of the animals, shunned because she no longer looked like them? Or would she eventually follow the same fate as them and be transformed into some kind of hybrid creature as well?

    “Hey! Earth to Aiysha!” Aiysha turned her head back to Jasmine, once again almost jumping at the sight of her. Just like the rest of the hyenas, Jasmine was now sporting humanesque proportions, including short gray shorts and a thin black t-shirt. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, looking down at Aiysha with concern in her eyes. “You really don’t seem like yourself today. Do you need to lie down somewhere?”

    “Um…” Still struggling to find words, Aiysha shook her head. “I… I don’t think so. I think I just need to… get away from here for a bit. Just to clear my head.” Without waiting for a response, Aiysha quickly turned and ran to the paved road, trying to put as much distance between herself and the enclosure as possible. She needed to get away… needed to think, without any of this craziness to distract her. In that instant, though, a bout of pain struck Aiysha’s head, causing her to double over and squeeze her eyes shut. Jasmine… her childhood friend. They’d grown up in neighboring houses near the fitness center, hadn’t they? Attending school with each other, helping each other with schoolwork and other life issues, playing in their yards together… they’d always spent time with each other, ever since they were young. The fitness center was run by Jasmine’s mom, and Jasmine had always talked about how her dream was to run it when her mother was no longer able to. And of course, she’d invite Aiysha to work there as a fitness instructor, which Aiysha had always been excited about. And then… it happened. Just a couple of years ago, Jasmine’s mother had died from a stroke. They’d both been heartbroken, of course, but they’d taken it in stride. What didn’t kill you always made you stronger, they’d say to each other. And now here they were, taking over where Jasmine’s mother had left off. Ready to make this the best damn fitness center in all of Zootown!

    Aiysha’s eyes suddenly shot open. What… what had that been all about? All those memories that had suddenly flooded her mind… were they real? What was happening to her! She specifically remembered growing up in that enclosure as a regular, normal hyena, but somehow this alternate reality where she’d worked at a fitness center seemed just as real to her. Was… was she actually going crazy? Was it possible that the fitness center was real, and her previous life was just a lie? No, that couldn’t be; she was still a normal hyena after all. But the fact that she was outside her enclosure to begin with meant that this new reality had to be real, too. So which one was it? How was it possible that one past could feel just as real as the other? What was happening to her?

    “Hey, Aiysha! Are you okay?” The smooth feminine voice startled her into looking up. Standing there next to her was a female blue and gold macaw, staring at her with a worried look. It seemed like just an ordinary bird, but Aiysha got the feeling that that wasn’t going to last. Sure enough, the bird began to grow right before Aiysha’s eyes, going from less than a foot to just under four feet tall. Her legs grew longer, her body grew slimmer, and her wings… well, they appeared to be pivoting somewhat, moving to the sides of her more humanly-proportioned body and becoming thin and flexible. They almost looked more like arms, and even the feathers at the end seemed longer and more movable, like fingers. They still looked like wings, though, and Aiysha guessed that the macaw could probably still fly with them if she wanted to. Clothes began materializing on her just as they had with the other animals, consisting of a white coat and a pair of long black pants. Aiysha quickly realized that she had seen this type of outfit before, on some of the humans she had interacted with when she was taken out of her enclosure. What were they called again? Doctors?

    Upon looking at her, Aiysha felt another memory enter her mind. This bird’s name was Bella, and she was a doctor at the Zootown hospital, which was… right behind her? Looking up, Aiysha noticed more birds flying around the exotic bird exhibit, going through their own changes: Mostly human in terms of proportions, but mostly avian in terms of outer appearance. Many of them were dressed the same way Bella was, but some were wearing odd blue/green outfits that covered their entire bodies. Scrubs, they were called. Meanwhile, it looked like a few other animals were standing just inside the exhibit as well, dressed the exact same way the birds were. But as Aiysha watched, something else began to materialize right in the center of the exhibit. It looked like some kind of massive structure, about three stories tall with windows lining every floor. As it came into view, Aiysha noticed more details: The white and red coloring, the cross in the center, the words “Zootown Hospital” written across the front. Wait… that was the hospital? So not only were the animals changing, but entire buildings were materializing in place of the enclosures as well? The birds immediately began flying in through the hospital’s open windows, while the other animals quickly went in through the glass doors lining the front. They must be the other workers in the hospital, Aiysha realized.

    “Hey, Aiysha? What are you doing here?” Looking back at the path, Aiysha saw yet another animal approaching her, this one being an elephant. He looked like he was just beginning to transform as well, rearing up onto his thick back legs as they grew and shifted. “I’m surprised to see you here,” he said, swiveling his new arms as the digits of his front feet split and grew, forming into proper fingers. His figure slimmed as clothes began appearing on his body, this time consisting of a pair of khakis and a polo shirt with the name “Dave” etched into it. That’s right, thought Aiysha, another memory etching itself into her mind: this elephant’s name was Dave, and he worked as a manager at the local supermarket. As if on cue, another building suddenly began materializing in the former enclosure behind Dave. It was much smaller than the hospital, having only one floor with multiple entrances across its front and word “Zoomart” written across the front. “I’d have thought you’d want to stay as far away as possible after that warning Leon issued,” chuckled Dave, pointing at the path next to the supermarket with his trunk. “He seemed pretty serious about it.”

    “Ugh! I hate that guy!” said Bella, flicking her wing in disgust. “Every single time I see him, all he ever does is berate me and insult me. Says that I shouldn't be working in the hospital just because I’m a female… bah! I’d like to see him perform even a fraction of the medical tasks I’ve had to do since I’ve been here!”

    Dave shook his head. “Well, at any rate, Leon isn’t going to be too happy if he finds out you’ve been here,” he said to Aiysha. “You should probably get out of here as soon as you can.”

    “Oh come on, Dave,” said another voice. “Do you even know her?” All three of them looked to the other side of the path, where another animal was standing: namely, a polar bear. He quickly raised himself up onto his hind legs just as Dave had, his hind paws reshaping themselves to allow him to stand better. “What makes you think that she would be even remotely intimidated by someone like Leon?” he asked, stretching his arms out as a t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts appeared on his body. Behind him, the ice that made up the polar bear enclosure was starting to disappear, another building appearing in its place. This one looked more rustic and natural than the other two, seeming to mostly be made of wood. The words “Benny’s Sporting Goods” were written across the top, triggering another memory in Aiysha’s mind: this polar bear’s name was Benny, and he was the owner of this sports shop. “That guy’s like all brawn and zero brains,” continued Benny, shaking his head. “He talks a big game, but I seriously doubt he’d be able to take down anyone in a real fight, least of all Aiysha.”

    Before Aiysha could respond, a loud roar suddenly sounded throughout the area, causing everyone to recoil. “Well… I guess we’ll find out, won’t we,” said Dave, looking in the direction of the roar. “Brace yourselves, everyone. This might get ugly.”

    “THE KING HAS RETURNED!” The voice resonated through the air as another hulking figure stepped into view. Standing in the path was a massive golden lion, almost seven feet tall and heavily muscled. A large bushy mane lined his head, and his face was curled into the same sneer that Ayisha had seen his kind make at her so many times. Right by his side was another lion, though this one lacked a mane and looked significantly younger. A juvenile, Aiysha figured, though still a male. Both of them were dressed in shorts and white t-shirts, and both of them were eyeing Aiysha like she was nothing more than a tiny mouse about to fall prey to them. “Well, well, well,” said the larger one. “Look who decided to show her face here after all! And after I went through all that trouble of warning her to stay away, too!”

    “Heh. She’s got guts, I’ll give her that,” said the younger one with a grin. “That or she’s just stupid. Though I guess she’d have to be to defy someone like you, huh?”

    “You said it, little bro!” said the larger one, laughing. He glanced back at Aiysha, cracking his knuckles. “I supposed I’ll just have to make sure she knows her place, then!”

    As Aiysha watched this exchange, more foreign memories began spilling into her brain. The larger lion was named Leon, and the smaller one was Liam. The two of them ran a separate fitness center on the other side of Zootown, though thiers wasn’t anywhere near as popular as Jasmine’s was. Naturally, this had led to a bitter rivalry between the two businesses, with Leon often claiming his was far superior and that Jasmine’s was only more popular because she used lies and false advertising to coerce people into joining it. Of course, this was not even remotely true: their center was failing because nobody could stand to be around them. They had a well-earned reputation for being overly loud, prideful, and arrogant… and of course, misogynistic. That was another point of contention between them: Leon couldn’t bear the thought that he was being beaten so horribly by a member of the “inferior sex”. This had all come to a head recently, with Leon telling Aiysha and Jasmine not to come anywhere near his part of town anymore. If either of them did, he warned, there would be “consequences,” whatever that was supposed to mean.

    Yet through all these memories, one thing was made absolutely clear to Aiysha: she couldn’t stand these two either. She began to think of all the altercations she’d ever had with them: Leon spreading lies about her studio to make it seem practically uninhabitable, Liam attempting to sneak in to sabotage some of the equipment, both of them attempting to intimidate other residents into never going again. It wasn’t just Aiysha and Jasmine, either: both of them had made life miserable for plenty of other female zootown residents as well, from Leon barating and insulting female workers like Bella to Liam bullying and harassing girls in his school. This was especially infuriating for Ayisha, who had been raised to believe just the opposite: that females were the dominant sex instead. She’d spent pretty much her entire life surrounded by female authority figures, from the teachers at her school to the coaches and fitness trainers she’d worked with during sports and workouts in her teen years. Even in her memories of just being a normal hyena, the high ranking members of her clan had always been female, with the males placed significantly lower in the hierarchy. Now these two idiots had the audacity to claim that females were weaker than males, and as far as Aiysha was concerned, this had gone on for long enough. She needed to teach these bullies a lesson.

    “Still not getting the message, eh little girl?” snarled Leon. “Then I guess I’ll just have to ram it into you!” He suddenly began running towards her, his fist outstretched behind him. “Time for you to learn the superiority of the dominant sex!”

    As Aiysha watched the hulking lion barrel towards her, everything seemed to slow down around her. She stared at him, fury filling her body. She wasn’t going to let this stand. She was going to make him pay! She glared at him, feeling her muscles tense up. No… they weren’t just tensing up, they were changing! Immediately she felt her legs growing longer, her hind legs shifting and changing to support her full body. Her paws shrank as well, her heels lowering to the ground as they became more suited to carrying a bipedal creature like the one she was becoming. Throughout her body, she felt her bones shift and rearrange, her stance changing and her torso slimming out. It didn’t hurt at all - on the contrary, it felt right, like it was how she was meant to be.

    Slowly, Aiysha lifted her front paws to her face, admiring how flexible her new arms were. But the biggest change was yet to come. As she watched, the digits of her paws began to split apart and grow longer, thinning out slightly as they stretched. They still looked fairly paw-esque, but she could feel that they were now far more flexible, much like human fingers. She immediately started moving them around, delighted at how much range of motion there was to them. Of course, at that moment she only cared about one motion. She curled both her new paw-hands into fists, looking back up at the lion-man heading her way. Time to see what this new body of hers was really capable of!

    In an instant, time resumed its normal flow and Leon resumed charging towards Aiysha at full speed. But now she was ready. As soon as he was almost upon her, her fist swung forward and hit him in the stomach. At the same time, her other hand reached across him and grabbed his opposite shoulder before yanking as hard as it could. Caught off guard by the sudden punch, Leon had no time to react and was forcefully thrown off balance, falling over and landing on his back with a loud thud. Grinning, Aiysha walked over and planted her paw on his chest. “Superiority of the dominant sex, you say?” she asked, baring her fangs. “Well, you’re right about that. I’m learning quite a bit about the superiority of my own sex right now.”

    “Hey! Y-you can’t do that! Leave my brother alone!” Liam immediately took off running towards her, hoping to strike when her back was turned. But Aiysha knew better. As soon as she was almost upon him, she reached behind him and grabbed his arm, yanking him off his paws and pulling him to the ground just as she had with his brother. When he tried to get up, she simply moved her other paw onto his chest, holding him in place right next to Leon. “S-stop!” Liam yelled frantically, looking over at his brother. “Let us go or you’ll regret it!”

    Aiysha shook her head. “No, I don’t think I will.” She slowly bent down, making sure she was face to face with both of them. “I think now would be a good time to remind you that I run a fitness center that is far more successful than yours will ever be, and it’s full of people who are more than capable of doing what I just did to you. And many of them are female, too. So if I ever find out about you trying to sabotage my friend’s business, or making snide comments about females in general… well, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to show you what else members of the “inferior sex” are capable of. Understand?”

    The two lions looked at each other, then nodded up at Aiysha. Satisfied, she stepped down onto the pavement, watching them both get up and run back down the path towards their home. As soon as they were gone, she was immediately greeted with the applause of the other animals around her. “That was awesome, Aiysha!” cried Bella, throwing her wing around Aiysha’s back. “You sure showed them!”

    “Yeah, you did great!” cheered Dave, grinning through his tusks. “Now I hopefully won’t have to listen to their constant bragging every time I see them at the supermarket.”

    “Yeah, same here.” said Benny. Then he frowned. “You know, it’s getting kinda late. Shouldn’t you be heading back to the fitness center now? I think Jasmine might need your help closing up for the night!”

    “Oh! Yeah, that’s right. I’ll be on my way, then. See you all later!” with a spring in her step, Aiysha turned and headed back down the lane leading to her enclosure. Well, her former enclosure, since she knew it would no longer be one when she got there. It was strange: she still remembered being a normal hyena, living in the enclosure and wishing for more freedom. Yet at the same time, she remembered working with Jasmine at the fitness center, helping people get fit and feuding with Leon and Liam for the last couple of years. But even though they both felt real to her, she knew which one she prefered. This was her life right now, and she was happy at how much better things were for her. With those thoughts in mind, she continued on her way to the fitness center that had taken the place of her enclosure, ready to help Jasmine close up.