The Tigerman Saga

Chapter 2
The Tigerman Finds Self Awareness
(Is Pride The Same As Vanity?)

3D Art And Story By: Catman Webb
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Unable to sleep, Tigerman found himself ravenously hungry.
This new body was not much good for running down fast prey.
Knowing that humans eat vegetation as well as meat,
Tigerman sought to avail himself of the plants that surounded him.

He had no idea what to eat. It was very frustrating....


Tigerman started out with a huge fistful of the green leafy matter that seemed to be everywhere.
He found it hard to chew, tasteless, and near impossible to swallow.
He tried to imagine that the indigestible green vegetation, was a big slab of raw meat.

It took more than imagination to swallow that inedible stuff.




Looking further about, Tigerman took notice of all the small squat fungi plants around him.
He saw they were quite soft and meaty. Much like a plump rabbit he is so fond of.

Alhough having an extremely objectionable odor,
Tigerman decided to consume one to see if there was any nourishment in it.

He had, afterall, scavenged long dead animals before, that were quite smelly as well.
As he took each bite, his stomach grew queasy and made him feel very ill.

He then realized too late, that this was NOT a good choice for food.





Tigerman's first night in the forest, and HE POISON'S HIMSELF !!

He knew if he were still a tiger, he could just run down the first thing that moved,
and devour them. Instead, he wretched with violent sickness, and felt as though
he were going to die. He was completely confused.
The poison wracked not only his body, but his mind as well....

He came to the conclusion that being human, was NOT going to be easy.





Feeling now very restless, Tigerman decided to head out of the woods to the grassy clearing.
He knew this place had been off limits to tigers in the past, so decided to find out why.
He was also very thirsty, and could smell the scent of water in the wind,
coming from the far side of the clearing.

As the sun began to rise, Tigerman left the forest to quench his thirst and curiousity.

The poison mushroom had left him very thirsty,
and curious to learn more about being part human....





As Tigerman reached the far side of the clearing, he discovered a stone pool of water.
The water smelled sweet and was placid and clear. He climbed in and drank.

Still feeling weak and dizzy from the poison mushroom, Tigerman paused.
As he looked at himself in the water, he realized that humans had something animals did not.

Tigerman was overcome with a keen sense of self-awareness. This was new to him...





As Tigerman observed his reflection, he was struck by something quite odd,
He was completely without any hair or fur. He had always been quite proud of his tiger fur.

He knew even humans had hair. Earth Mother had beautiful hair on her head.
As that thought occured to him, he smelled a scent that filled him with anticipation.
He smelled the familiar and sweet scent of Earth Mother.





Tigerman had no idea which direction Earth Mother came from. She simply appeared.
Sitting down next to him, she listened to his recounting of his first night as a tiger/human hybrid.
He told her of his terrible hunger, and she assured him she would assist.
He told her of his consumption of the toxic fungi, and she assured him he would be alright.

He then explained his sadness over the loss of his beautiful tiger fur, and no human hair either.
She smiled quietly to herself. His self-awareness had brought on a bit of vanity as well.
Yes, there was indeed many hidden human traits within him,
but the nobilty of the tiger remained.

As Tigerman spoke excitedly in his euphoric yet disoriented state, Earth Mother interupted.
She asked him if he would like to have is beautiful tiger fur back.

"Is this possible?", he asked. Earth Mother explained that appearances did not truly elevate the
stature of a human, and that there is a difference between pride and vanity.

He could have his beautiful fur back, if he liked. It would make him no less human.





Earth Mother agreed to give him his fur back, but warned him that leaving the forest,
covered in tiger fur, would draw unneeded attention to him.
It could even draw more humans into the forest, to search him out for a closer look.
She offered to give him the ability to change that aspect of of his appearence at will.

That seemed perfectly acceptable to The Tigerman, even desirable.





As the metamorphosis took place, Tigerman realized he could now move
through the forest camoflaged and enjoy the advantages
that his new suit of fur would afford him.





As Tigerman returned to the forest, the darkness falling
and his new camouflaging fur allowed him to sneak up on
and grab a nice dinner morsal.

With his belly full, a nice new coat of fur, and his mind much clearer,,,
Tigerman now felt quite content.


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