Dillon's haircut went so well that even if I don't wear my mask, it would be hard for others to know my gender. "I never knew I'd look handsome if I were a male," I said as I looked at the mirror. "You are too beautiful, Ari; even if you were a real male, I would still fall for your beauty, because I really did," Dillon mumbled in a low voice, making me unable to hear the last words he said. "What did you say?" I ask in confusion. "Never mind," he said briefly, refusing to answer. Gurion asked, "Iz it weawy mommy [Is it really mommy]?" as if he couldn't recognize me after the haircut. "Done with the haircut?" my brother asked as he approached us while carrying Gurion in his arms. "Gurion was looking for you this whole time, and he was throwing tantrums already with the elders, so I brought him here to calm him down." "Yes—does it look convincing?" I asked while transforming into my passive-aggressive form. "Hmmm, I'm not sure; you still look like a female to me," he answered fr
The forest was astonishing during daylight and nostalgic when the sun sets or arises. We walked through the vast forest during the day and stopped at night while each of the males took their turn doing the night watch. It was kind of hard for me to get used to that setup. There were bugs and insects everywhere. It was muddy when it rained. The summer was almost here, so it was hot during the middle of the day. Luckily, there are many trees that shade us from the scorching sun. I never did mountain climbing, hiking, or even camping during my previous life. I never even imagined myself doing so. I did love nature, but I was never the type who would go on an adventure like this. It was the first time I traveled a very long distance by foot, so it was kind of exhausting and nerve-racking. "I'm hangwy [hungry]," Gurion whined as he sat on Dillon's back, who was in his beast form. "We can stop here and set up some temporary shelter just in case it rains again tonight," Brother Orson sugge
The night was cold, so brother Orson snuggled up with me and Gurion while he was in his beast form to keep us warm as Dillon lay down in front of us. The warmth of their bodies calmed my distressed heart as I slipped into my dream and closed my eyes. I felt as if I didn't dream, but I was sure I slept early. I saw Dillon and Lowell swap places as Lowell took his turn to rest for the rest of the night. They didn't notice me, and my head felt like it was floating. I tried to speak but couldn't. I was confused. It felt the same as when I was younger in my previous life. I always had realistic nightmares wherein I couldn't move or speak. The anxiety was overwhelming me, but I couldn't move or scream to get the attention of others. It must be just a dream, though it feels terrifyingly realistic. I can feel a cold mist of cloud-like shadow slowly crawling from my foot and going up to my legs. I felt disgusted and terrified at the same time. "I finally found you; we can finally be one,"
I told them about my past life and the world I used to live in. I even told them why I was afraid of males and how I died. I cried as I trembled while sharing my past life and the hardships I went through. They all looked shocked and felt sorry for me. "Shh, I will never let anyone hurt you again as long as I am alive; I will never let anyone hurt my precious little sister," my brother whispered as he hugged me tightly to console me. It was already the break of day when we finally finished our conversation. They urged me to go back to sleep since I looked pale and exhausted. My brother cuddled me to sleep while Lowell slept beside Gurion, and Dillon stayed awake to guard us and treat his wounds. When I woke up, Dillon took a nap for a little bit, and my brother took Gurion to teach him how to hunt small animals. Lowell prepared my breakfast and some tonics. "Is this a calming tonic?" I asked curiously. "Yes," he answered casually. "Thanks for the tonic; I really needed it," I m
I was so stunned after Lowell explained to me what happened that night that it gave me chills down my spine. I felt guilty towards him, and I felt like it was my fault that he was harassed by a powerful goddess because of me. Even so, I don't know how to lift my guilt from something I didn't do. He seemed a little traumatized due to the incident. He obtained a few cuts on his back that were deeper than Dillon's. "I'll help you treat the wound on your back—I'm sure you can't reach that, so you still haven't treated it," I suggested while finishing up my food in a hurry. "Ok, thanks... but you don't need to hurry up—it doesn't hurt anyway, so it can wait until you finish eating your food," he mumbled as he covered his blushing face, trying not to laugh too loud. "Geez, your wounds needed urgent treatment; what's so funny about it?" I muttered while scolding him for laughing at me. "You know it might get infected if you don't treat it as soon as possible!" "Yes... I won't laugh anymo
I remembered my pet snake that I used to take care of for a short time in my previous life. The brother of a friend of mine was a veterinarian, and he gave me a baby red-bellied black snake as a pet when he learned that I loved studying snakes despite being a business major.I was so fascinated with its jet-black scales and red belly. The unique light yellow to reddish orange highlight from its mouth to its eyes had me totally captivated. It was so gorgeous that I couldn't turn down the giver.When my mother learned that I was raising a snake in my own apartment, she scolded me and told me to return it to the giver. I had no other choice, so I gave it back as my mother instructed. I felt sad because of it."I clearly pulled in a young female earlier—what are you?" A male voice asked with a confused tone. "You also have the scent of a female; however, you have a lion's tail, ears, and wings."I suddenly felt a sudden urge of anxiety when I heard the male voice."What... will you do if I
I didn't know how to answer him, so I looked at the Snake Beastman observantly, despite my anxiety, as I raised my trembling hand. He was confused while looking at my eyes and my hand simultaneously. I already felt my blood draining due to the fright. "T-Try holding my hand slowly; you'll see why," I suggested nervously. He transformed into his passive form as he approached me carefully. I looked away because he was naked, and it felt like my anxiety worsened at the sight of his bare skin. He slowly reached out to my trembling hand, but all I felt was my anxiety getting worse. My heart was pounding so fast that my breath grew heavy, and the moment his skin touched my hand, I started to feel nauseated, then eventually threw up instantly. I fall unconscious due to hyperventilation and shock, and within that moment, I just confirmed that touching a beastman in his beast form will be easier than touching them in their human-like form. When I woke up, he just stood there looking at me i
The Snake Beastman's tail caught my foot, gripping it tightly while trying to pull me towards him, but I had already left the ground, pulling him up in midair instead as I flew towards the opening in the ceiling of the cave. He tried to crawl his way up to me, but the force of the wind created by my wings and the force of gravity made it hard for him to do so. He screamed in agitation as soon as we came out of the cave. He soon managed to crawl up to my foot, making me flinch, so I flew as high as I could, hoping he would soon let go before the height made it more dangerous for him to fall. I tried to kick his face to shake him off, but he didn't budge. A spear suddenly dashed near his arm. Though it missed, it inflicted a huge wound, causing him to suddenly let go. His upper body dropped, but his tail was still clinging to me. I glanced into the distance, where the spear came from, and saw Lowell getting ready to make another shot. I signaled him to stop, then I spun around, tossin