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Zalika, after being shunned by her people as a spirit or demigod, struggles to reclaim her humanity. When she befriends a leopard man, she recognizes he is caught between animal and human. Partly to restore her own humanity, she tries to help him rediscover his. As he gradually becomes more comfortable around her, Zalika seeks out a village of her people to request clothing and supplies, asserting her identity and promising to leave the people in peace. When she returns to the camp, which she now shares with the leabard man, she performs the promised blessing. When she opens the package of requested items, she finds a small carving of a striped woman. Together, Zalika and the leopard man, now named Jamaani, hold a ritual barreal to honor their families and close out the life they might have had, moving on with the life they can make for themselves, which brings them emotional closure and a sense of connection to their pasts. In the end, Zalika receives reassurance from her mother’s spirit, accepts her need to move on, and comforts Jamaani the leopard man as they both embrace their new identities and futures.