Time slipped away without Shin even noticing. He had planned to stay awake, to keep watch but eventually, the weight of exhaustion finally caught up to him. His head leaned back against the rough cave wall, and before he knew it, his eyes shut and he drifted into sleep.
When he finally woke up, morning sunlight was already sneaking into the cave through a crack. His body still felt heavy, but before he could even move, he noticed the girl he had saved was finally awake.
The girl's eyes fluttered open slowly, her pupils shrinking against the dim light. For a moment, she just lay there, dazed and confused. Her lips moved weakly.
"…What happened… where am I…"
Her gaze cleared little by little, until it landed on him. Shin sat close by, leaning forward, watching her carefully with tired but alert eyes.
"Ahh… you're finally awake," Shin said without really thinking about it. His voice came out rough but soft. It wasn't supposed to mean anything weird, it was just relief that she hadn't died in her sleep or something but more importantly, relief that he wasn't completely alone anymore as he hadn't spoken to anyone in what felt like forever.
Her eyes widened.
She gasped and scrambled backward so fast that her tail bristled like a cornered animal. She pressed herself against the cave wall, shaking all over.
"M-m-m-monster! Stay away! Don't hurt me!" she screamed, her voice breaking from fear.
Shin immediately spun around, standing on guard, eyes darting through the cave. His whole body tensed, ready for another wolf to come charging out of the dark. But… nothing was there. Just rocks, shadows, and silence.
His brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh? Where's the monster…?"
That's when it hit him. He turned back slowly, only to see the girl pressed against the wall, her tail puffed up, her whole body shaking as her eyes stayed locked on him.
"…Wait… no way…" Shin muttered, pointing a finger at himself. "You mean me?!"
Shin's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping.
"Wait, wait! What? No you got it all wrong! I'm not a monster! I saved you!"
He stepped forward without thinking, trying to explain, but the sudden move only made her flinch harder. She spun, trying to run, but the second her foot hit the ground, her ankle twisted. She cried out and fell face first to the floor.
"Ah….hey, are you okay?!" Shin rushed toward her, stopping just short so she wouldn't freak out more. "See? Look, I told you, I'm not gonna hurt you. Jeez…" He scratched the back of his neck, trying to sound calmer than he felt.
The girl winced, slowly lifting her head. Her whole body was still stiff with fear, but her eyes darted around, taking everything in. She wasn't in the open forest anymore. The wolf that had been after her was gone. The pain in her arm had dulled down to a faint ache.
Her breathing eased just a little.
"…How… did you…" she whispered, almost too quiet to hear. She couldn't believe it. That wolf had been terrifying, something no normal person could handle. How could someone like him claim to be normal but still make such a monster run away? But her head was still throbbing, her body weak. She told herself maybe her senses were just thrown off from the injuries.
Shin sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping. In his mind, he muttered, "Finally… someone to talk to." Then, speaking up, he said, "My name's Shin. Nice to meet you."
She hesitated. She still stared at him like he might sprout claws at any second. But slowly, her tail lowered and her ears twitched, and at last she gave her name. "…My name is Liora."
"Liora, huh? Nice name." Shin nodded. He rubbed at his cheek awkwardly before continuing. "Truth is, I've been wandering around aimlessly for a while now. Do you, uh… do you know where I am?"
She blinked at him, confused by the question as she expected someone from that world to know more about the world, but she answered anyway.
"We're currently in the Dark Forest," she said quietly, her voice still a little weak. "It stretches for miles… people avoid it because of the monsters. Hardly anyone dares to cross it."
Shin's brow furrowed. "Monsters? I don't recall encountering any monsters" He thought back on the long walk, the silence, the emptiness. Apart from that wolf, the forest had been dead quiet.
Liora pointed faintly toward the horizon. "Past here is the Kitsura….my village, not too far from here if we keep walking."
Shin tried to follow what she was saying, but none of the names meant anything to him. They might as well have been nonsense words. Still, there was one thing he understood clearly enough and that was a village nearby. That small fact alone gave him some hope.
But just as he opened his mouth to ask more, she suddenly bent forward, coughing violently.
"Liora?!" Shin shouted, rushing to her side. She coughed harder and harder, until blood spilled from her lips. "Blood?! No, no, no, don't tell me the plants I gave you had side effects—"
Her hand trembled as she lifted it, pointing weakly at her bag.
Shin scrambled to grab it and shoved it into her arms. She fumbled through it with shaking fingers until she pulled out a glass bottle filled with a glowing liquid. She uncorked it and drank desperately.
Shin crouched in front of her, completely useless, just hovering as the minutes dragged on. His hands twitched at his sides, wanting to do something, but not knowing what.
Finally, after what felt like forever her breathing calmed. She sagged against the wall, pale but no longer trembling.
Shin let out a shaky sigh, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thank god… what happened? Is it from your injury?"
She shook her head, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her voice came weak and tired. She explained that it wasn't the wound. Her entire tribe has had this illness for as long as she can remember. She had been sent to the kingdom of Eldoria to buy medicine. The liquid she drank was part of that medicine. While on the way back she decided to take a short route which the only option was the dark forest, it was going well until the wolf spotted her.
But as she spoke, her eyes suddenly widened in horror.
"The medicine!" she gasped. "I have to bring it back! If I don't, the others—"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Shin cut in quickly, holding his hands up. "You're not even healed yet. You'll tear yourself apart if you try to move too fast."
"I have to go!" she argued, forcing herself to stand.
Her legs gave way instantly, and she stumbled. Shin caught her before she hit the ground. Her face flushed red, her ears flicking back and forth.
"I-I'm fine! you don't have to worry!" she stammered, pushing against his chest.
"Fine huh," Shin muttered, steadying her. "You can barely stand. I'll carry you if I have to."
Her blush deepened as she averted her gaze. "No! Absolutely not! I… I'll walk! But…if you could...assist me with the bags!"
Shin sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. Bags it is." He slung her bag over his shoulder to lighten her load.
—-
They started walking together, slowly. As they went, Liora began to relax bit by bit. She told him more about her people, the Kyokai, a tribe of fox demi-humans who lived deep in Veluna Woods. She explained how the sickness had been spreading through her people, weakening them and at this rate they are likely to go extinct.
Shin listened quietly, nodding along. When she asked about his strange clothes, he just laughed it off, saying they were normal where he came from. Of course, he couldn't exactly tell her he wasn't from this world.
At one point, they stopped by a river, the water sparkling under the sun. They both crouched down and scooped water into their hands, drinking deeply. The cool water washed away some of Shin's exhaustion, and he sighed in relief.
After resting, they pushed on. The forest thinned, and in the distance, Shin finally saw wooden houses poking through the trees.
"Finally…" Liora whispered, her tail swaying. "We're here."
But before they could take another step, movement flashed in the trees. Shadows leapt out, surrounding them.
Fox demi-humans men with local spears and old armor, their eyes sharp and hostile.
"Eh?" Shin froze, staring in confusion as the circle closed around them.
One of the men stepped forward, gripping his spear tightly. His glare was hard, but his voice carried a bit of fear.
"What business does an abomination have with our people?"