Chapter 2 - Myra

The beast stared at me until it finally turned away moments later, leaving my line of sight to go where ever it is he came from. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding when I noticed the lack of blood on his teeth and fur, meaning that Ava had made it out alive. I'm so relieved, I don't know what I would've done if something had happened to her.

I feared going back through the portal, the image of a monster lurking on the other side dancing around my mind in a warning. I took note of my surroundings and only allowed myself to wander a bit away from the portal, enough to explore this mysterious world without getting lost in it. I listened as the sound of chattering could be heard not too far from where I stood. I followed the sound, being extra cautious of landmarks and unique branches that will help me find my way back home. I came across a large park. The clearing was filled with benches and picnic tables, along with a huge mob of people gathered in the middle. A man stood on one of these benches and spoke animatedly to the crowd. I made my way out of the bushes and closer to human life, careful not to have my presence be known too widely.

"And while the king is sitting on his throne all day, we're here slaving after him." He yelled angrily.

"Who's gathering his food?"

The crowd replied, "We are!"

"Who's sewing the clothes he wears on his back and the jewelry around his neck?"

"We are!"

"And what do we get in return? A pat on the back and minimum wage." He shook his head.

"By Sophane, this can't and will not stand. We built this place from the ground up when the king just happened to come across it and make it his. Turn our own people against us. I say no more."

"Down with the monarchy!"

"Down with the monarchy!" The crowd repeated.

"So then we devise a plan. One that goes without failure. We'll storm the castle, and take back what's ours!" he raised his hand as the crowd did the same, shouting words of agreement.

"Gather all the men you know, everyone willing to fight for what's right. We'll meet here again in 7 moons. May Sophane be with you all."

The crowd spoke excitedly with each other as they slowly began to disperse.

I sauntered over to the man who was yelling on the bench to question him.

"Excuse me, sir. Where am I?" I cautiously questioned.

"Good noon, miss. You're in the realm of Lyanthop, the city on the outskirts of it to be exact." His nose wiggled as he looked at me skeptically.

"You're...not a lykan... Where are you from?" He asked, eyes trailing up and down my form, assessing me, attempting to figure me out.

I pursed my lips as I raked my mind of the geography lessons I so frequently zone out of for the mention of a lykanthop but came up empty-handed.

"I'm from Arizona. I've never heard of Lycanthop before." I answered.

"Arizona? Is that a new slang of some sort? Is that what the kids these days call their realms?"

"Arizona is in the US..." He tilted his head, "On earth?"

"Earth? I've never heard of that realm... You'd best get to the rift in the north. They help lost children find their way back to their realms."

"But I'm not l-"

"I'd best get going before the guards start appearing, and you before it gets dark. Even for someone who's lived here for years, it's difficult to navigate your way through town without getting lost. With all the new structures being built constantly." He explained.

"Safe travels, stranger."

And without another word, he was off.

My mind raced with the information I'd just gathered as I searched for the man to ask for a more detailed mapping of where I must go. I released a sigh as his brown coat was nowhere in sight. Deciding that I'd best take his advice, I set off in the opposite direction from the Forrest I'd just come from. On my way, I passed shops that sold bottles of herbs, more stores than needed selling chunks of raw meat, and equally as many furniture stores.

I hadn't realized that these things were in such high demand.

I decided not to ponder over this any longer as I needed to focus on getting to this school before nightfall. There I could find someone who could accompany me through the rift so that the beast doesn't eat me.

Sounds like a solid plan if I do say so myself.

After about an hour of walking, my tired legs were all but ready to give up when a man riding a horse that was pulling a wagon behind it filled with sacks of items unrecognizable to me from my line of sight stopped in front of me.

"M'lady, what's a girl like you doing wandering around so close to sundown?" He smiled charmingly.

"Like I'd tell you. Who's to say you're not gonna follow me. I'm not stupid."

"Clearly not. But it will be stupid of you to be out during the dark." He countered.

He did make a point but I wasn't going to trust some random guy I meet on the street.

"No thanks, I'll manage."

"I'm heading to the north." He informed me.

"Good for you, that's not where you'll find me." I lied.

"Yes, I will." He smirked as if he'd won the argument, "You're not from here. You don't know where you're going, you're heading to the north to find directions."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "why are you so adamant about giving me a ride? It's creepy."

He laughed at that, "Have you never heard of the charming prince who saves the damsel in distress?"

"There would have to be a damsel who is in distress. I see no one needing your help." I folded my arms as I observed his movement.

"There will be someone needing my help if they were to continue down this specific part unaccompanied. Would that person by chance like to take that risk?" He smirked triumphantly when my confident expression dropped to that of worry. Fear lingered in the pit of my stomach as I glanced down the dark road, realizing I was heading straight for the creepiest part of town it would seem.

I mentally weighed my options. Hop in this guy's wagon and possibly get kidnapped with my organs being sold on the dark web, or test my luck going down a dark path in a foreign place with potential danger lurking at its end.

I sighed as I reached for the wagon to climb onto it.

"No!" He yelled which startled me, " Sorry, those are very fragile and property of the king. You ride with me" I rolled my eyes as I went up to his horse. I struggled for a couple of seconds, declining his offer for assistance before sitting behind him. The horse moved at a steady pace, pulling the wagon carefully behind us.

"The people here wear some ridiculous outfits. Are you people stuck in the 2000s?" I attempted to joke.

"I'll have you know, this is the latest fashion trend that this realm has seen." He gasped, resting a hand over his heart in feign offense.

I ignored his comment, "Everyone's saying 'realm'. Am I in some video game or something?"

He looked at me in confusion, "Where are you from?"

"You can't answer a question with a question," I said.

"I'm not answering, I'm ignoring. Where are you from?"

"I'm from planet earth," I said blankly.

"Weird, I've never heard of it..." He thought aloud.

"Are you serious!?! What world am I in right now?"I exasperated.

"You're currently in what was once Malsaphor, but is now lykanthop. The kingdom of the lykans. We're best known for our high-quality meats and a king who cares for no one but himself." He exclaimed cheerfully but there was no smile on his face.

"Is the king really that bad? This is the second time someone's told me of his mistreatment."

He looked around at the quiet evening before Turing his attention back to the road ahead, "He forces labor onto the locals, making them hunt, farm, and mine for him all so he could receive 50% of what they gather and the other half to be shared as compensation for their work. What we call 'minimum wage'." He shook his head.

"So then why are you running errands for him?" I asked.

"It's not for him, but for someone in his family I'm close with."

I let that subject drop as more questions about lykanthop rushed through my head.

"I was directed to the north to look for another rift. The man said there are people there  who could escort me home."

"You're looking for the school in half-caste" I shrugged, " It serves as a holding place for kids who wander through the rifts. They wait for a missing person's report to be sent through the rift and someone escorts them back to their realm."

I nodded, not really understanding but agreeing nonetheless.

"If there's someone out in 'earth' looking for you, you'll be home before you know it." He reassured.

"I'm Myra, by the way," Against my better judgment, I told him my name, "Thanks for helping me out."

"Hunter. And it's no problem at all," He smiled back at me.

I nodded absent-mindedly as I look at the dirt path ahead, the trees lining each side of the road. This other world isn't like the one I live in. This one reminds me of the renaissance era that my history teacher spoke of, yet their language is somewhat like mine. There's no technology from what I've seen, with the lack of automobiles and the abundance of oil lamps. And the people wear the weirdest assortment of clothes. There arent many wearing puffy dresses or ridiculous hats, but none of the girls are wearing pants.

Which makes me feel somewhat out of place.

The houses all look neat but they don't hold the modern touch that the ones in my 'realm' have. I really like it, though.

As the night progressed in silence as neither of us felt the need to converse any longer and darkness settled around us, I find an unsettling feeling resting in my stomach.

"Do you have some sort of light?" I asked as I looked around.

"No need, I could see perfectly fine." He informed before smiling proudly, "All part of being a lykan."

What does being a lykan have to do with him being able to see?

"Okay, I've been hearing this word too often. What the fuck is a lykan?"

"A Lykan? Half man, half wolf."

"A werewolf?" I asked incredulously, "You expect me to believe you could change into a wolf?"

"Not a werewolf, those are different. They're the lame version of us Lykans... Does your realm not have lykans?" He asked.

"Oh, we do," I said before whispering the last part," In the movies."

"What's a movie?"

I pursed my lips. This is going to be difficult.

"Nevermind that. I-"

A rustling in the bushes next to us interrupted me, mid-sentence. The man in front of me tensed as he looked at the trees.

"What's that-"

"Shhh!" He cut me off.

The audacity of this motherfucker!

A loud howling came from within the trees, causing a shiver to run down my spine. I looked to where the direction of the noise came from and examined it for any further movement.

"We need to keep going." He whispered.

He urged the horse forward, this time at a faster pace. Not seeming as cautious of damaging the goods as he was before.

"What was that?" I couldn't help but ask.

He let a beat pass before answering, seeming to want to be more dramatic, "Thieves"

That was all he said as he focused on getting away from them as quickly as possible. He reached into his pocket and brought out a gun. Those really old-looking ones from the western movies, with the cowboys and tumbleweeds. I stiffened as I watched him hold it against his leg, waiting to use it when given the chance.

"You're going to shoot them!?!" I whisper-yelled.

"Do you think they won't hesitate to kill us?" I gulped in fear as silence settled between us.