They immediately glared at each other, the temperature in the clearing dropping about ten degrees.
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Absolutely not. She's not going to his village. His clan is full of hotheaded warriors who'll crowd her and make her uncomfortable. She needs gentle. Welcoming. Safe.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Over my dead body is she going with him. His clan will coddle her to death within an hour. She needs space. Protection. Not smothering from overly friendly leopards.'ฅᨐฅ
Faelyn pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache building behind her eyes.
"You both have villages? Separate villages?"
"We share a water source," Roshan explained, shooting Nyx a look. "Leopard clan on one side. Panther clan on the other."
"Forced proximity due to drought," Nyx added coldly, not breaking eye contact with Roshan. "Temporary arrangement."
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Temporary until I figure out how to get rid of them permanently. But that's not important right now. The female is important. Getting her to safety is important.'ฅᨐฅ
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'He's lying through his teeth. He knows we're stuck here until the rains return. But fine. Let him pretend. As long as he stays on his side and away from... wait, where is she going to stay? She can't choose his village. I won't allow it.'ฅᨐฅ
"So you're neighbors," Faelyn said flatly, looking between them. "Neighbors who hate each other."
"We don't hate each other," Roshan said diplomatically, though his smile was strained.
"Yes we do," Nyx said without hesitation.
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'I don't hate him. I just don't trust him. Or like him. Or want him anywhere near this female who is currently looking at me like I'm insane.'ฅᨐฅ
Faelyn laughed. It came out slightly unhinged, bordering on hysterical.
Both men looked immediately alarmed, ears flattening against their heads.
'Okay. Let me get this straight. I died. I got transmigrated to a fantasy world. I have white hair and blue eyes now for some reason. I can hear thoughts that I'm not supposed to hear. There's an invisible floating furball giving me commentary. And I'm currently stuck between two rival chiefs who both want to take me to their respective villages and are having a territorial dispute about it.'
'This is fine. Everything is fine. I'm handling this very well.'
[You ARE handling this well!] Puffball cheered, doing a victory lap. [Most people would be crying by now! You're doing GREAT! And yes, mind-reading is your special ability! One of MANY you can unlock as you progress! Isn't that exciting?]
'Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. So it IS mind-reading. And there are MORE abilities? What the hell does that even mean?'
Roshan stepped closer, cautious and careful like approaching a wild animal. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'She's definitely thinking to herself. That's not good. Maybe she hit her head harder than I thought? I should check for injuries. Gently. Don't scare her. Just... check.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx's expression shifted slightly, suspicion fading into something closer to concern.
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'She's in shock. Obviously. I'd be in shock too if I woke up alone in a hostile forest with no memory and two strange males arguing over me. Still doesn't explain the bizarre clothing or lack of any recognizable scent markers, but...'ฅᨐฅ
Faelyn forced herself to focus, pushing down the rising panic and the absurdity of her situation.
'Information. I need information to survive.'
"These villages," she said carefully, watching their reactions. "Are there... other females there?"
Both men's expressions changed instantly and dramatically.
Roshan's eyes widened, hope flickering across his features.
Nyx's jaw tightened, body language shifting into something more protective.
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Other females. She's asking about other females. Does that mean she's considering staying? Please let her be considering staying. Please. We need females. The clan needs females. I need... focus, Roshan.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'She wants to know about females. Smart. Good. She's thinking strategically about where she'd fit in. I respect that. We have three females in our clan. His clan has two. Both clans combined barely have enough females to sustain the population.'ฅᨐฅ
"Females are rare," Roshan said gently, voice soft like he was delivering bad news. "Very rare. My clan has two. Nyx's clan has three."
"Rare," Faelyn repeated slowly, that sinking feeling in her stomach getting worse. "How rare are we talking?"
"One female for every fifty males," Nyx said bluntly, no sugarcoating. "Give or take."
'Oh.'
'Wait! Wait! Wait!.'
'Oh this is bad.'
[Surprise!] Puffball giggled, sparkles exploding around it. [You're super valuable! Isn't that exciting? You're like a rare collectible!]
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'She looks pale. Did I scare her? Nyx scared her. He shouldn't have said it like that. Idiot. Now she's going to think we're going to... no. We'd never. But she doesn't know that. She's scared.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Good. Let her know the stakes now. Better she understands the reality of this world than gets blindsided later. Though if she runs because I can't deliver information with any kind of tact, Roshan's going to throw me in the river himself.'ฅᨐฅ
"So I'm..." Faelyn swallowed hard, mouth suddenly dry. "I'm rare. Very rare. Valuable."
"Very," Roshan said softly, carefully, like he was trying not to spook her further. "Which is why you need protection. Both our clans would welcome you. You'd be safe. Fed. Cared for. No one would harm you."
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Please choose us. Please. I'll make sure she's comfortable. Happy. Safe. I'll hunt for her every day. Build her the nicest shelter. She'll never want for anything. I'll protect her with my life.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx crossed his arms, muscles flexing in a way that was probably unintentional but definitely distracting. "You'd have freedom to choose. No one would force you into anything."
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Unlike some clans I could mention who think smothering equals caring. If she comes to us, she'll have space. Respect. Autonomy. I'll personally ensure no one bothers her without permission.'ฅᨐฅ
'Rare females. Fifty-to-one ratio. Two rival clans forced to share territory. Both chiefs offering protection and resources.'
'This is either the best survival strategy I could stumble into, or the absolute worst political nightmare waiting to explode.'
'Possibly both.'
[You're doing amazing!] Puffball chirped. [Just pick one! Or both! The system is very flexible about these things! Super flexible! Extremely flexible!]
'Both?'
Faelyn looked at Roshan. Looked at Nyx. Looked back at Roshan.
'No. Absolutely not. I'm reading way too much into Puffball's deranged commentary. That's not a thing. Cannot be a thing. I refuse to let that be a thing.'
"I..." Faelyn started, trying to formulate literally any response that made sense.
And then a sound split the air that made every hair on her body stand straight up.
A roar. Deep. Guttural. Absolutely not human and definitely not friendly.
All three of them froze.
Roshan's entire demeanor shifted in an instant, playful warmth replaced by deadly seriousness.
Nyx's hand went to a wicked-looking knife at his belt that Faelyn definitely hadn't noticed before.
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Feral beast. Close. Too close. She's unarmed. Unprotected. Vulnerable. I need to get her out of here. Now.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Northwest. Maybe two hundred yards and closing fast. She's directly in the path if it charges. I have to move her. Get her to safety. Immediately.'ฅᨐฅ
Another roar, closer this time, accompanied by the sound of something massive crashing through underbrush.
Faelyn's zookeeper instincts, honed by years of working with dangerous animals, kicked into overdrive.
"What is that?"
"Feral bear," Nyx said, voice tight and controlled. "And it sounds hungry."
The bushes to their right rustled violently.
Roshan moved in front of Faelyn instantly, body forming a barrier between her and the threat.
Nyx moved to her left, flanking.
Both of them creating a protective wall with her safely behind them.
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'I'll shift. Take it down fast before it gets close to her. She can't see me get hurt. Can't let her see blood. Have to keep her safe. That's all that matters.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'If Roshan shifts first, I'm shifting second. We can't both leave her completely exposed. One of us has to stay human in case she panics and runs. Coordinate. Work together. Protect the female.'ฅᨐฅ
The rustling grew louder, more aggressive.
Faelyn's heart pounded so hard she could hear it in her ears.
And then, through the trees, she saw it.
A bear.
But not like any bear she'd ever seen at the zoo or in nature documentaries.
This thing was massive. Easily twelve feet tall when it reared up on its hind legs. Covered in matted fur and old scars. Frothing at the mouth with the same rabid look the deer had before it killed her. Eyes glowing with feral, mindless rage.
It locked onto her immediately, like it could sense the weakest prey in the clearing.
And charged straight at them.
Roshan's body started to shimmer with golden light, form beginning to shift.
Nyx's eyes flashed bright red, power crackling around him.
'I'm about to watch two men transform into giant cats to fight a monster bear that's clearly targeting her.'
'On my first day.'
'In a magical world.'
'After dying via rabid deer.'
'Nah! Not today.'
[This is SO exciting!] Puffball squealed, jumping with joy. [First day and you're already seeing a feral beast fight! You're so lucky!]
The bear roared, spittle flying from its jaws.
Faelyn screamed.
And then her survival instincts kicked in with the force of a freight train.
'Nope. NOPE. Absolutely fucking NOT.'
'I did NOT die via rabid animal just to die AGAIN via ANOTHER rabid beast on my FIRST DAY in a new world!'
'Fuck the damsel in distress routine. Fuck waiting to be rescued. I've seen this movie. The damsel always gets eaten, injured or kidnapped while the heroes are busy being heroic!'
Both men were facing the bear, bodies crackling with transformation energy, completely focused on the threat.
Which meant neither was looking at her.
Faelyn's zookeeper brain, the part that had kept her alive through five years of working with unpredictable animals, took over.
'Opening. I have an opening. They're distracted. The bear is focused on them because they're bigger threats. I am small. I am fast. I am LEAVING.'
She bolted.
Not gracefully. Not heroically. She straight-up turned tail and ran in the opposite direction like her ass was on fire.
"WAIT!" Roshan's voice cracked with panic. "DON'T RUN!"
'Too late, golden boy! Already running! Running SO fast! EAT MY DUST!'