And so I stand in the half-light of an abandoned zoo, where the cages have no locks. A wolf licks salt from my collarbone. A raven adjusts its beak in my hair as if setting a crown. The camera doesn’t zoom—it breathes.

In the playback, I am not beautiful. I am arranged —like bones in a fortune teller’s palm. The horse nuzzles the small of my back. The owl on my shoulder blinks slowly, translating light into verdict.

Fade to black. Hear the growl. Then credit: No animals were harmed. The woman, however, was set free.