The cold light of twin moons—pure silver and pale jade—replaced the warmth of the two suns that had set. Devon rose from his relaxed position on the sand, patting the fine grains from his clothes that logically shouldn't have been there. The silence left by his two new friends felt thick, but no longer empty. It was a silence that echoed with laughter, innocent questions, and promises of meeting again tomorrow. For a moment, he stared at the ocean shimmering like a dark mirror, then turned his body and shifted his gaze in the opposite direction.
Behind the beach, a dense and dark wall of vegetation loomed. The trees on this island were unlike ordinary trees; their trunks were thick and twisted, covered in moss that glowed softly in the moonlight, and their foliage was so lush that it created a canopy that almost swallowed all light. The air emanating from it felt humid, filled with the scent of damp earth, mysteriously blooming night flowers, and something else—something wild and primal.
"Hmm, interesting," Devon murmured to himself, a faint smile of anticipation playing on his lips. His curiosity, which was the driving force behind his journey across the universe, was now piqued by the mystery of this island. With calm steps that were completely unaffected by the heavy sand, he began to walk into the forest.
The further he went, the more the world seemed to change. The soothing sound of the waves was replaced by the whisper of leaves and the calls of strange night insects. Giant trees towered like pillars of a forgotten cathedral, their massive roots gripping the ground like the fingers of titans. "This island is quite vast, isn't it," he thought, not as a complaint, but as a pleasant observation. He could have mapped the entire island in an instant, knowing every stone and every creature in it. But that would spoil the fun. He preferred to be an explorer, discovering new things one by one.
Suddenly, Devon stopped. All the sounds in the forest went silent. No more rustling leaves, no more insect calls. This silence was different; it was a tense silence, a silence that signaled the presence of an apex predator. Devon didn't need to turn around. He could feel the sharp gaze locked on him from the darkness between two giant banyan trees. He could smell the faint scent of ozone, the aroma of clean fur, and the pheromones of a predator ready to pounce.
Before any mortal creature could react, a white shadow darted out of the darkness with terrifying speed. It wasn't an attack; it was a launch, an explosion of pure, controlled power.
"WHOA!"
The figure crashed into Devon with the force of a small locomotive, knocking him to the ground with a thud muffled by the layer of dry leaves. Devon lay on his back, and above him, the predator finally revealed its form under the moonlight filtering through the canopy. She was Shiraka, a white tiger beastkin whose embodiment was a perfect blend of feral strength and extraordinary feminine charm. Her towering height, even in a pouncing position, was impressive. Her athletic yet curvaceous and very busty body pressed him into the ground, with her large, soft breasts pressing against Devon's chest with a pressure that was both comfortable and suffocating.
Her face, framed by long, silvery-white hair, was now directly in front of Devon's face. Her sharp eyes stared at him with possessive intensity, and the wide smile that revealed her small, sharp fangs was not a smile of friendliness. Without warning, Shiraka began to lick Devon's face with her tongue as rough as sandpaper, cleaning her "prey" as a tigress would her cub. "FOUND YOU!" she roared, her deep and slightly raspy voice echoing through the silent forest. She then began to gently bite Devon's cheeks—enough pressure to leave a mark, but not enough to injure—and tugged at them as if playing with a new toy.
Devon merely sighed, his expression flat as if being bothered by an oversized puppy. This was the height of absurdism. In one day, he had been harassed by a shy mermaid, used as a pillow by a hyperactive shark girl, and now, he was a chew toy for a giant tiger woman.
With a composure completely unsuited to the situation, Devon raised one hand and snapped his fingers. SNAP!
From nowhere, accompanied by a faint popping sound, a large cut of raw beef appeared in his hand. The meat was fresh, veined with fat, and emitted an intoxicating aroma for any predator. Without a word, Devon tossed the cut of meat far into the bushes.
Instinct trumped everything. Shiraka's eyes immediately locked onto the floating meat. With a low growl, she leaped off Devon and darted into the bushes with lightning speed, leaving Devon alone on the ground. There was the sound of tearing and ferocious chewing from within the darkness. Devon stood up, patted his back, and began to walk again as if nothing had happened. He had only taken three steps.
The chewing stopped.
Before Devon could turn around, Shiraka was back. This time, she pounced from behind, jumping onto Devon's back and slamming him to the ground once again. Devon landed face down, his face pressing into the humus-scented earth. Shiraka was now on top of him, her warm and muscular body pressing against his back, her arms hugging Devon's neck tightly from behind. Her legs straddled Devon's waist, and her long, flexible tiger tail wrapped tightly around Devon's thighs, its tip twitching restlessly.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, WARM MEAT?!" she shouted directly into Devon's ear, her voice filled with triumph and a hint of disappointment that the game was over too quickly.
Shiraka pressed her face into Devon's back, sniffing his neck and hair deeply. "Hmm~ You smell good," she murmured, her voice now more like a contented purr. "Not like that meat. You're more... warm. More alive." She then did something that made Devon raise his hidden eyebrows. She began to rub her hips against Devon's buttocks in slow, rhythmic movements, a gesture of intimacy and territorial marking very typical of the feline world. It was clear that this white tiger had decided that Devon was hers.
"Alright, that's enough," Devon said, his voice muffled by the ground. "Could you at least get off me? Negotiations would be easier if I weren't eating dirt."
"NO!" Shiraka retorted petulantly, hugging him tighter. "If I get off, you'll run away again! You're sneaky! Giving me distraction food!"
"It's called tactics," Devon replied flatly. "And it worked, didn't it? At least for five seconds."
"Hmph!" Shiraka puffed out her cheeks. "I'm hungry! And you smell good! So be quiet and let me... sniff you!"
Devon sighed deeply, the sigh of a cosmic entity being confronted with the logic of a lovestruck giant cat. "Listen," he said with feigned patience. "I won't run. I'll even give you more beef. A5 grade Wagyu beef if you want. But you have to get off first. How about it?"
Shiraka was silent for a moment, seemingly considering the offer. Her tail stopped wrapping and only swayed gently. "...What meat?"
"The best-tasting beef that has ever existed in all of reality," Devon replied, deciding to exaggerate slightly.
"Tastes better than you?" Shiraka asked, a question that was both sincere and deeply perplexing.
Silence enveloped them for a moment, broken only by the sound of crickets that were beginning to dare to sing again. Devon processed the question. Was this a compliment? A threat of cannibalism? Or just pure curiosity from a creature whose world revolved around food and warmth?
"That's... a complicated question," Devon answered finally. "How about we start this conversation sitting down like two civilized beings, and not in a position that could be misinterpreted in almost every galaxy I've ever visited?"
Shiraka giggled, a deep and raspy laugh that sounded startling in the middle of the forest. "Alright, alright, you win, Strange Meat," she said. "But if you try to run again, I won't just lick you next time."
With that, she slowly released her embrace and stood up, giving Devon room to finally stand and breathe a sigh of relief. The ridiculous adventure on this island seemed to have just entered a whole new chapter, wilder, and far more possessive.