"Ugh…"
Claire groaned as a sharp pain shot through her skull. Her whole body felt like it had been smashed into the ground a hundred times.
"Why… why am I in so much pain…?" she muttered, clutching her head.
Fuck… where am I?" she whispered, wincing as she pushed herself up.
Before she could fully register her surroundings, something skittered across the ground beside her,a large forest rat, fur bristling as it darted past her leg.
Claire's scream tore out instantly.
"AHHHHHH! WHAT—WHAT IS THAT?!"
She scrambled back, chest heaving, eyes wide in disgust and fear. Only then did she finally look around properly.
Tall ancient trees towered over her in every direction, their leaves blocking out most of the sky. Thick roots twisted across the ground like giant snakes. The air smelled of damp earth and wild plants. Strange bird calls echoed. Dry leaves crunched beneath her palms.
A forest.
She was in a forest. A massive wild forest.
"Wait… what?" Claire whispered, heart racing. "Why am I in a forest? I—"
Claire's mind flashed, instantly recalling her last moments.
Her sister.
The poison.
The crash.
The blood.
The betrayal.
She swallowed hard.
She remembered her death.
Ohh yes she did.
Claire sighed before pressing a shaky hand to her forehead. "No, no, no. Out of all the things I expected after dying, waking up in a random forest was definitely not on the list."
She tried to calm herself, forcing her breathing to steady.
"Okay, Claire, relax. We can figure this out. Just… calm—"
A deep growl rumbled from somewhere behind her.
Claire froze.
The sound vibrated through her bones.
That wasn't a cat.
That wasn't a dog.
That was something big.
Something wild.
"Oh God… please no…" she whispered, terrified.
She forced herself to stand, ignoring how her legs trembled.
"Probably just the wind," she whispered. "Maybe I misheard—"
A second howl ripped through the air.
Louder. Closer. Angrier.
Claire turned her head very, very slowly.
And her soul nearly escaped her body.
A massive wolf stepped out of the shadows, fur bristling like knives, eyes glowing with feral hunger. Its breath came out in slow, hot huffs as it lowered its head to pounce.
"Nope. Not the wind. RUN!"
Claire didn't wait another second. She took off as fast as her battered body allowed. Every step burned. Her muscles screamed. Her lungs felt like they were tearing.
But the massive beast chasing her made her forget every pain.
"Why is this happening to me?!" Claire cried breathlessly but continued running.
Branches slapped against her arms, cutting her skin. Her feet stumbled over roots. Her lungs felt like they were turning to fire. But she ran because the alternative was becoming wolf food.
"Shit—!"
Her foot caught on a thick vine hidden under leaves.
She flew.
She hit the ground hard, rolling until her back slammed into a tree trunk.
"Arghhh—!" Pain shot through her leg so violently tears sprang from her eyes. She could smell her own blood dripping onto the dirt.
By the time she looked up, the enormous wolf was already towering over her. Its fiery eyes glowed. Saliva dripped from its fangs. It growled low, ready to strike.
Claire's entire body shook.
Wow.
Just great.
Survive a betrayal, survive dying, only to be eaten by a forest monster in some unknown place.
Her chest tightened. Tears slipped out.
She shut her eyes tightly.
"Great Claire," she whispered shakily. "You survived death just to die again. What kind of luck do you even have??"
She braced herself. For teeth. For pain. For her second death.
But the pain never came.
Seconds passed.
Nothing.
No bite.
No claws.
No weight crushing her.
Just… quiet.
Claire slowly peeked one eye open, then both flew wide.
The wolf the same beast about to tear her apart was now sitting calmly in front of her like a trained pet. Its ears were lowered. Its tail gently swept the dirt. Its once furious eyes had softened to a warm amber glow.
"What… the actual hell…" Claire whispered.
She stared at it, stunned.
"This thing was about to murder me two seconds ago!"
No.
No way she was falling for this Disney-movie nonsense. If anything this was her chance to escape.
She forced herself upright abruptly only for a sharp, blinding pain to shoot through her leg.
"ARGHHH!"
She collapsed again, clutching her ankle. Her breath hitched.
One glance revealed the injury, a badly twisted ankle with a deep cut running along it, bleeding slowly.
"Oh perfect… just perfect," she groaned. "Now I'm injured in a cursed forest with a psycho wolf."
Before she could even think of escape, the beast lowered its massive head…
and gently licked her wound.
Claire's brain short-circuited.
"What—HEY! Stop—! What are you doing?!"
But before she could push it away, the wolf shrank.
Shrank.
Its huge frame condensed rapidly, bones shifting silently until poof, a tiny wolf pup sat in front of her, staring up at her with big round eyes.
Claire blinked in fright.
"No. Nope. I don't know what the heck is going on but I'm not solving any mysteries today," she muttered. "I need to get out of here."
She hobbled to her feet, testing her injured leg to see if she could manage it, surprisingly, the pain wasn't as unbearable anymore.
Good enough.
She limped away as fast as she could, pushing through bushes and branches until she finally spotted an opening that looked like the entrance of the forest.
Just as she reached it, dizziness washed over her like a wave.
Her vision blurred. Her steps staggered.
"What… what's happening…?" she gasped, swaying.
Her head spun like someone suddenly unplugged her consciousness.
"No… no, no, no… not now…"
She stumbled out of the treeline just as shouts erupted from a distance.
"Mira!"
"Mira!!"
"Mira!!!"
Humans. Beastmen. All running toward her. All calling the same name.
Mira?
Who the hell was Mira?
The moment the name echoed again, a sharp stabbing pain crashed into her skull. Memories that weren't hers shoved into her mind, clawing, forcing their way in.
Mira Dravell.
Fox Clan.
Beastworld.
Unwanted daughter.
A life she never lived.
Claire dropped to her knees, clutching her head as the foreign memories settled painfully into place.
She was seconds away from passing out when a cheerful electronic voice rang inside her mind:
[Host, welcome to the Beastworld.]