“Mmnnnn”

Ugh, my head is pounding…The last thing I could remember was….oh….well, I guess it definitely wasn’t a dream….and I AM still alive…..why me?

Complaining in my own head, I suddenly found myself awake. I was still opening my eyes as I felt too exhausted to rouse myself in one go fully, I’d been here a few moments doing so in stages. One by one, my senses were trickling back to me. The warmth of the bed I was lying in, the smell of coffee and assorted breakfast foods, and the faint sound of numerous people talking reverberated through the walls. As if there were a bar or restaurant somewhere in this place. As my eyesight focused, I was able to make out my surroundings. It looks like I'm in an old cabin resort room. The sunlight forcing itself across the room from the large triangular panes that surrounded a door. My sight was still too blurry to see outside, but it was crisp enough that I could make out the assorted rugs, the generic-looking painting, some plant, and lastly, a small fireplace. Looking back to myself, I was stuffed under some quilts and a fur blanket.

“Hmmmmmmph!” I managed to sit up, and it looked like my chest was healed when I looked down. Don’t tell me magics actually IS a thing here? Poking at the spot on my chest where the arrow went through, I could feel a mark, but it was clearly healed. Not even a weird feeling when I breathe h-wait…the fur blanket looks more like a scarf. What is this thing supposed to be? Picking it up, the thing felt rather soft and cool.

Within a few moments of poking it, I found myself nuzzling the thing and taking in its feeling before I felt it twitch….which was followed up by something I didn’t expect. Thinking back, I didn’t bother looking to my sides.

“Mmmmmnn”- ???

“!?”

I flinched a bit from the noise, but when I looked to my side, a woman was lying in bed next to me. She looked twice my size, but I looked over myself before I can't really be surprised. She looked like she passed out on top of the covers, still in her day clothes? Wait….ears?

“Woooh” I stop myself from the sudden reaction, but the ears suddenly twitched. They had to be real; they sort of reminded me of one of the long-haired cats my family had when I was a child. So beast-kin are a thing too? Well, I can’t be too surprised my own status said I wasn’t human either.

……

Then I thought for a second about her being a cat…..long-haired cat.

……

I looked down at the fur scarf, and the realization hit me.

*Gulp*

I could feel my face on fire…I’m really glad I didn’t wake her up…

Placing her tail to my side, I wrote off the last five minutes as events that never happened.

At a second glance, she seemed like one of the people I had tried yelling to for help. I could only vaguely remember, but she was definitely one of them.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“*sigh*” I should get up and get my bearings; sitting in bed and staring at some random person isn’t exactly a healthy thing to do.

Glancing back at her, I stretched some and lifted the covers from myself. It seemed that they changed me into a nightgown. It looked like an overgrown shirt, but it didn’t have awkwardly sized holes.

“Fssss-ah ow -ow -ow” When I tried leaving the bed, I apparently had put my weight on my tail through my hand. While holding and rubbing my tail, I looked back to the beast-woman.

Haaaa, thankfully, I didn’t wake her up; I need to be more careful. I have one of these now. Anyway's, since there is a door, there's probably a balcony. Maybe I definitely could get a better look at the outside.

I walked forward, tail still in hand, as I approached the door. Now that my eyesight had adjusted, I could see outside vaguely. It turns out my eyesight wasn't suffering to any degree. The glass seemed to be worn enough to be slightly hazy. Now that I was closer, I could see through it much better. But I wanted to see this world with clarity, nothing in between myself and it.

So after gathering myself, I opened the door, greeted with a crisp breeze and the sound of a bustling town. As I looked out over the balcony rails, I could scarcely believe it if it weren’t already for waking up the way I am now.

It looked like some strange mix of old European, adobe, and early pioneering architecture. Wood, clay, and stone.

It was something out of a textbook fantasy setting. Looking around over the balcony, this building looked like it was some form of huge cottage or cabin. It looked like I was on the second floor, and People were walking in and out of a section about twenty meters or so away quite frequently. Was this some central hub?

Looking out, the buildings got less grand until a rather large wall, it looked to be about ten meters in height, and it circled the town until I couldn’t see it behind the cottage.

And beyond that?

“Wooooowww.” When my eyes were finally pried from the town, I looked to the horizon and found myself at a loss.

The town appeared to be surrounded by lengthy fields of crops, and on the far end seemed to be some strange mix of redwood and pine forest. Beyond that was a long span of mountains that trailed to the right and continued until disappearing just like the wall. And to top it all off, just like on earth, you could see the moon sometimes in the morning…..only there were two?! This place probably has some really fucky weather! Wooaaaahhh-

“Enjoying the view~?”- ???

“AH!”

Jesus christ, woman, you scared the shit outta me!

While I was busy gawking at nature, the beast woman who I’d thought had still been in bed at some point snuck up behind me and brushed me with her tail. Rousing me from my daydream.

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Don’t be scared; I’m a friend.”- ???

She cooed those words, trying to calm me down. I wasn’t by any means terrified right now, but still being scared within an inch of my life just after recovering from an arrow wound might put me in my grave, lady. For some reason, I found myself appearing meek in front of her, she was the first face-to-face person to talk to me in this world, so I felt as if I was some lost kid in the middle of nowhere……I mean, technically I am, but I digress…..

Seeing I wasn’t too scared of her, she put on a smile….huh….that smile actually makes me feel warm….like I was in good hands? I feel at ease.

“Let's start fresh, why don’t we? my name is Hatsumi, yours?”- Hatsumi

She asked me with a smile, tilting her head slightly.

“Ai-..” I had to stop myself. I nearly answered out of reflex. She looked at me quizzically for a second and went to say something, but I managed to start it over as she drew in her breath.

“M-my name is Kiyomi, n-nice to meet you….” Ah yes, stutter nervously to the first person you’ve met so far…..smoooooth. Thankfully Hatsumi took it and smiled at me again.

“C’mon, let's get you dressed and some food in your belly!” – Hatsumi

She beckoned to me as she passed back through the doorway and began rummaging through some drawers.

Haaaaah, finally some food…..

Huh, now that I think about it, I didn’t get to have my lunch before I died either...Or when I woke up....or all of that day at all.

....

Boy, I need this meal.