I'm getting too old for this, Severus thought hazily as his mind swam back to consciousness. Birds were chirping merrily about him as a cool, gentle breeze raised goosebumps on his aching body – his nude aching body. Oh Merlin. What have I done now to warrant getting left unconscious and naked in the Forbidden Forest? Carefully, he extended his magic outwards – there was no one within range. Good. Hopefully whatever punishment he had incurred the night before was enough to sate the Dark Lord's sadistic impulses.

The question still remained though – what had happened? He'd been especially careful for the past few days, preparing for...something important, his dazed mind couldn't remember what. Enough is enough. If the Carrows have attempted to discredit me yet again before the Dark Lord, I will find a way to feed them to the Dementors and bury their soulless bodies alive...

Opening his eyes, he stared up at the canopy of trees forming a shade over his supine body. Strange trees. I've never seen the like in the Forbidden Forest. In fact...I've never seen such trees in my life. His eyes swept around the little clearing, and the Carrows' misdeeds faded before the slow-growing, horrifying conclusion. This is not the Forbidden Forest.

With a gasp, he jerked up. Uncaring of his nudity, he looked around with a practiced eye at the unfamiliar trees and plants. These are not natural magical plants. Gently, he picked a long leaf off of a pungent herb and examined it closely. Its strong sweet fragrance seemed to help clear his dazed mind with ease. And yet, they are clearly not muggle plants. This one has the potential to have strong magical healing properties. How in the world did I...?

In retrospect, the herb did more harm than good in clearing his mind. The rush of returning memories fell like a heavy blow onto his body. Nagini. Green eyes. Albus. Paintings. Albus. The Dark Lord. Albus. A soft, keening sound escaped his chapped lips before he could stop it. Albus alive. No, not alive, nevermore alive. Loving old eyes. "Come back to us." Why, Albus, why...

No! With a shudder, he wrenched his thoughts back together. He had died. He had chosen...reincarnation. But this was not what he had expected. His memories were intact, as was his grown body. Feeling along his throat, he found a thick, ropy scar. The half-healed wounds on his torso which he had incurred in the most recent Death Eater meeting was similarly gone – the only sign that they'd ever existed were the silvery scars on his skin.

Something had clearly gone wrong, Merlin only knew what. Severus felt the stirrings of rage and disappointment, but suppressed it with the ease of long practice. Again, hopes were proven false. Why did I even bother? Damn Albus! If he hadn't been there...if he hadn't shaken me...Severus swallowed hard and tried to think clearly. What's done is done. But now...now, what was he to do? Without a purpose to work towards, without a Dark Lord to defeat or little brats to protect...he felt lost.

Which only served to tell him just how messed-up his life had been in the Wizarding World. Merlin, when had his existence depended upon the wellbeing of others? Suddenly, he was filled with a new resolve. Whatever happens in this life, he decided, whatever I learn about this land, I will steer clear of trouble. I will live for myself, and myself alone. So there. There was his new goal.

Rising into a crouch unsteadily, he began picking more of the leaves off of the supposed healing herb. With his luck, he was probably going to need it.

As a Potions Master, Severus knew a lot about tromping through forests in search of plants and animal ingredients. Occasionally, he even enjoyed this particular task – it was a simple, soothing activity that allowed him to stretch his sore muscles after hours spent hunched over simmering cauldrons or tortured by Dark Lords.

This forest, however, was nothing like the Forbidden Forest. And he had never attempted to navigate the woods naked and wandless. Without a thick, heavily-spelled robe to protect him from Nature's elements, or a wand to protect him from other unsavory beings, Severus was feeling exceedingly...apprehensive. It didn't help that without money or a Hogwarts waiting for him outside the forest, he was probably going to have to camp out. As all he knew about camping came from half-remembered memories of Lily's excited garbling about her muggle school's camping trips ("And then we set up tents! And we sang Who Built the Ark? and A Song That Gets on Everybody's Nerves around the campfire!"), he doubted his ability to survive more than a day.

His more recent memories of the Golden Trio's camping out while searching for Horcruxes were too horrific to contemplate. If anything, they could be a guide of what not to do if he wanted to survive.

Now, to secure food, shelter and clothing, in that order, and here Severus paused to viciously curse the rough tree roots poking out and scraping the skin off his bare feet, Hmm. Make that clothing, food and shelter, with a strong emphasis on clothing, and he paused once more to extract a large needle-like thorn embedded in his calf, Forget surviving a day, and here he was stabbed by a dozen more thorns in uncomfortable areas, I'll be lucky to survive an hour, before he finally realized the wisdom of keeping away from the deceptively innocent vines creeping along the ground, Perhaps, it may be more expedient to travel in my Animagus form in the woods.

...Oh hell. Must I?

Now, Severus truly had no prejudice against Animagus magic. Truly. It was oft-times a useful tool in hiding and spying, after all. Especially since nobody expected him to have an Animagus form like – like that. And since he took the form of such a common creature in the woods of Britain, he was easily overlooked whenever evil wizards met together to make evil plans.

No, he had absolutely no problems with his Animagus form. He certainly hadn't spent weeks hiding in the dungeons and throwing things at a horribly-amused Albus when he'd finally succeeded in his transformation. He had accepted it all with maturity, as it wouldn't affect his interactions with others at all. This was especially true in his new world, where nobody knew anything about him or his past.

Though, if this world had evolved differently from Earth, his creature form might not exist here - Severus felt resigned to potentially be an alien creature running about in an unfamiliar forest. That was a risk he was going to have to take, however, as his Animagus form was much more suited to traveling in the woods than his human form was. So there. He could do this. He could do this just fine. There was nothing wrong with him.

Though this is definitely one of the times that I truly, truly wish that Lily had made less of an impact on me, Severus thought with a sigh, as his limbs slimmed down, his body sprouted reddish-brown fur and a stubby tail appeared in his hindquarters. It's all very touching when I have a doe Patronus that reflects my feelings for her, but for my Animagus form to be a doe as well? At the very least, I should be a male Animagus.

A/N: Ok, I suspect a lot of readers are probably gonna express skepticism as to why Snape is a doe. However, I noticed in Harry Potter Wiki that "All known Animagi in the series take the same form as their Patronus". Also, doe are supposed to be swift and alert - both of which are prime characteristics of Snape. And granted he doesn't clearly show other prominent deer qualities like being the symbol of gentleness (Snape! gentle! Please excuse me while I go into a quiet corner and laugh) and love, but I think that it's rather a matter of circumstance than disallows him to have that nice side. I see him as akin to a trapped animal - a doe turned fierce when in danger.