The small desert which Chi had grown up was of no consequence in the world. The desert so small, no one bothered to give it a name. There had only been a few animal-characterized creatures there; his hamster litter being one of it. They lived in a small community; some moved away to live in solitary yet his litter stuck around in the small deserted dry town with a few other desert animals. Partially because their family had awakened their full human instinct- and they only bear some of their animal characteristics to survive in the wilderness. With human morals and thoughts, there was no reason for them to split their family apart like other litters; or live in solitary like the Syrians.
There had been few visitors in his 17 years of the life of what he had known. Those that came had shown utmost surprise at their village's presence. Chii's mother and the neighboring jerboa family would excitedly welcome them for a stay. However once a prey animal comes, they skimper about to hide and burrow underneath the sand in wish to survive. Yet those with no human awakening would sometimes fight and get eaten as dinner, and the entire village would have to move their nest to where the predator can't find them.
From a young age, Chii's mother had taught him and his other six siblings to care for their village and haunt. Foraging, hunting, collecting herbs, and making burrows took up the majority of his life. While Chii was unable to wait for the day that he would become the maker of his own nest and burrows for his family; to educate, to maturate and to wed another female hamster. All this would have come true within the following month.
If not for the predator.
There were only preys in their village, and fighting for their life was their only means of survival. All was soon to change, and a beautiful man-- a desert kingsnake came in the night and destroyed everything. His brothers and sisters had no time to change to their animal form before getting devoured, the neighboring families all begged for mercy through tears- only to be eaten in a swallow. Screams of terrors pierced through the land. Those that had tried to escape through their dug tunnels had all been mercilessly killed; his father and mother had been one of them.
Chii had been frozen from the sideline, dumbstruck as if his feet wouldn't move. He watched as his entire family and people were slaughtered and eaten as meals- his blurry eyes couldn't yet focus on the snake man that was devouring his village. Sweat accumulated in his palm, fists shaking, round edged tears falling down his face as he tried to speak out in fear- yet nothing came out. His animal instinct was the only thing that kept him sane, and he turned away from his home- ran and ran and raced through the far stretched desert- away from his village. When he tripped and fell, feet scraped from the sharp rocks hidden between the sand, Chii doesn't stop his escape. Sharp claws burrowed the cold sand underground all the way to the other side. His nose sensory wasn't functioning; stuffed in snot and tears as he made his escape alone. There seemed to be no rhyme or reward to the progress.
Chii could never forget that night, he would never forget the screams of terror nor all the bloody smells; not as long as he lived.