NoisySilence

Heya, NoisySilence here! It’s my first time writing a novel in english, so please be kind. I'd appreciate constructive criticism, especially regarding my choice of words and expressions, as english is not my native language

Aaannd, with that I hope you'll enjoy reading this story! :)

Vrrrroooom!

I flinched in pain as the sound of the passing car hit my eardrums. My earplugs didn’t help as much as I wished they would. It’s always been like that. These noises, that most people didn’t even recognise anymore, felt like elephants trampling over my head.

» Just a few more minutes, then I’m home. « I desperately tried to focus on that thought.

This day had been especially tiring. The day of my high school graduation. I could still hear the principals voice ringing in my head, rambling on and on through that damned microphone. As if he wouldn’t have screamed loud enough even without that thing… and it became even worse when the crowd started clapping, whenever a student received his leaving certificate. It was like my ears were filled with little explosions trying to tear my head apart. Well, at least I escaped the party that was planned afterwards.

Still, it was quite strange to walk home alone from your graduation ceremony. Wouldn’t at least my parents be with me? Well, they were still alive, but I hadn’t seen them in years. Due to work, they usually claimed, but I knew they just thought of me as an embarrassment. It hurt a lot, when they suddenly started avoiding, as soon as they couldn’t blame my oversensitive ears on me throwing tantrums anymore, but they did not take me back to that orphanage so I didn’t hate them for it.

» Just around that corner. It’s not far. You can do that! « I tried fire myself up a little, without an effect.

Vrrrooom!

Another car crashed into my eardrums. Figuratively of course. There is no way a random driver would be kind enough to just kill me, instead of tormenting me with that sound. Well, that wouldn’t be kindness in their eyes, would it?

» I wish I could have just a few minutes in silence for once… I would even trade my life for it by
now… «

Just as I mumbled that, an excruciatingly loud creak filled the air. Louder, than everything I’ve heard before. I felt a gust of wind, a little sting on my head and everything went black. Black… and more important silent.

Beautiful, all-embracing silence.

Oh, how long had I yearned for such silence. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d felt calm like this.

The soft grass felt great under my back. Wait… grass? I’d just been in the middle of the city. The next patch of grass big enough to lay upon had to be kilometres away. Surprised and maybe a little bit nervous, I opened my eyes and looked at a roof of trees.

» Where the hell am I? « I immediately sat up and let my eyes wander around. » A forest? «

That thing must have hit me harder than I thought… right into the land of dreams. I should enjoy it, as long as it lasted. Soon I would wake up in a cold and lonely hospital bed labelled with » Akihiko Sullivan «. A strange name I know. My parents for whatever reason thought it would be a good idea to give me a japanese name, even though there was not one drop of japanese or even asian blood in my veins. That lured the school bullies right in my direction, not that my sensitive ears weren’t already enough for that.

Shaking away that thought, I decided to better enjoy this wonderful silence a little more.

I stood up to take a look around and immediately planted my face back onto the ground. My sense of balance had always been off a little, but to that extent… that was new. Also, what the hell was that strange feeling at my chest? I could feel the hard ground pressing against my skin, but at the same it felt strangely soft on my ribs, as if there was something in between, cushioning the pressure.

Just when I was trying to stand up again, several strands of long red hair fell into my vision. Confused, I kept staring at them. My hair should be brown… and short. I just got a haircut a few days ago. Then I looked down and froze.

» At least I am not completely naked. «, I thought, still staring at my newly grown breasts, which were covered by some sort of greyish-brown cloth bikini.

They were rather small, but clearly there. Though I couldn’t really judge their size from this perspective, so maybe they were just a little below average? No, no, they totally average! What the hell was I even thinking about!

I refrained from touching my breasts for now, or rather I caught my hands moving on their own, stopping them halfway in front of my breasts.

» What the actual hell is going on?!? « I shouted into the woods, with a shockingly soft and feminine voice. An action I immediately regretted, because in the exact same moment that magical silence, I loved so much, broke and all the sounds of the forest came back at once. Starting their eternal attack on my ears once again. I sunk on my knees, not even noticing the tears that started forming in my eyes.

Dreadfully awaiting the following headache, I sat there, but it never came. In fact, after a few minutes I even got used to the noise. Instead of torturing me with its everlasting presence, it slowly faded into the background only growing noticeable again if I tried to focus on it.

Was that how people normally experienced the world? Still a little baffled by all these new experiences, I further investigated my body. Soft, pale skin, a slender and graceful figure. Long, bloody red hair, reaching my lower back. An equally red, fluffy tail and… a tail? Why do I have a tail? I felt my ears twitching on top of my head. Without even realizing it, my hands shot upwards, softly touching the cat ears that grew out of my head.

I was not even human anymore!?  That was a little much, even for a dream. When did I awaken to such a fetish? Never! And I won’t awake them in the future! I wasn’t even turned on, though it would be quite strange, if I was turned on by my own body, even if it was a really attractive one.

Shaking my head, I tried to focus on something else than my body… in vain.

I wonder what my face looks like. Listening closely to the sounds around me I could discern the splashing of water not far away.

I stood up and walked a few steps before I faceplanted again. Ah, I forgot… new body and a new sense of balance. This time I set my feet carefully on the ground, not wanting to grind my face into the dirt once more. Getting used to my new centre of gravity was harder than I expected, and neither my breasts nor my tail were much help in that matter.

After a few minutes, I was finally able to walk normally and headed towards the sound of water. On the way I even picked up my old habit of stepping silently again, which I developed in my childhood, as the sound of my feet stepping on the ground, had always hurt my ears in the past. It was even easier with this new body of mine. It felt so light and flexible in comparison to my real body.

I don’t think I would mind keeping this new body. No, I definitely would. Turning into a girl and into a different species would certainly be a heavy blow on my sense of identity.

Deep in thought, I nearly tripped again, when I reached the origin of the splashing: a small stream, maybe half a metre wide. Squatting down, I looked onto the water surface, but the ripples and waves made impossible to actually see my face. Though, I could see that my eyes had a bright green colour now. I also discovered a strand of white hair, reaching from the top of my forehead to were my left ear would be if I hadn't had these cat ears.

A bit disappointed, I sat on a rock beside the river.

» What a strange dream… « I thought, letting my eyes slowly wander up towards the sky. Now, that there were less trees to block my view, I could see the sky and the sun… or rather suns. There were two suns slowly orbiting around each other, though I had to look rather closely to tell them apart. At that moment I also noticed that the colour of the suns was a little off too. Instead of the normal yellowish white light these suns gave off a more cyan or even turquoise shine. At the same time the sky had a purplish tinge to it.

I know dreams can be bizarre and crazy but no matter how you look at it, wasn’t this one way too consistent and realistic in its oddity?

With that thought I slowly started to doubt that all of this was really a dream. But it had to be… if it wasn’t that would mean I died at that accident. It meant I was reborn in this place. In a different world… In the body of a girl as a… I didn't even know what I was. A beast-kin? Some sort of werecat? No, I woke up alone in a teenage body in the middle of a forest. Wouldn’t that mean I was more like those magical monsters that always appear in those Isekai novels?

I didn’t want to be a monster. Being hunted down by all sorts of adventurers sounded way too annoying. Also, aren’t those novels just fantasy? Well, there was an easy way to test that out.

» Status! « I waited for a magic window to appear and tell me my stats, but nothing happened. Of course not, these things were just products of human imagination after all.

Kikikikeeh!

I heard a strange cry not far away. A terribly foul smell hit my nose, making me gag in an instant.

Only seconds later, something appeared on the other side of the river. Something small and wrinkled and green. My mouth fell open. No matter how one looked at it, that thing was a goblin.