Loona breathed fast and shallow, barely catching any air. Every inhale burned, as if her chest were about to collapse. The scorching heat from the white wolf's body clashed violently with the unnatural cold of the night—far colder than any dawn she had ever known.
The white wolf tilted his head, his deep voice echoing:
"Human… my name is Sant. Don't wor—"
But Loona froze.
Then she exploded.
Her eyes widened, and she let out a sharp, desperate scream, dragging herself backward across the damp earth, still too weak to stand. One arm covered her chest as she crawled, shaking uncontrollably.
"AAAAAH! AAAAAAAH!"Her panic tore through her voice.
Sant stepped back, confused, ears lowering in an almost awkward gesture.
"I… I won't hurt you. Your senses are unstable. It'll all settle in a few minutes."
But Loona didn't hear any of it.
She kept screaming, scrambling away with what little strength she had. Her heart hammered so fast it felt like it would burst through her ribs. Every whisper of wind, every spark of light around her felt threatening—alive—too strange to understand.
The wolf simply waited.
No growling.
No advancing.
No touching.
Just observing.
And for a few seconds, the whole forest seemed to hold its breath, waiting for Loona to come back to herself.
She managed to crawl until her back hit the trunk of a twisted tree, putting as much distance as her trembling legs allowed. Pressing herself against the cold bark, she yelled with her voice cracked by terror:
"H-How can you TALK?!"
The white wolf tilted his head, as if her question were oddly obvious.
"I speak the human tongue," his voice echoed, steady and clear."You're safe. This is what's left of our den. Don't worry. And… also…"
He took a short breath, as if preparing her for delicate news.
"You have ears like ours now. You can hear every animal."
Loona blinked several times, not understanding.
Then, hesitantly, she lifted the hand that wasn't covering her chest and touched her own head.
Her fingers met…
Soft fur.
An elongated shape.
A sensitive tip.
Wolf ears.
On her.
For a full second, Loona's mind went blank.
Completely silent.
Then the silence cracked.
"AAAAAAA— AAAAAAAAAAAAA—AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Her scream echoed through the forest, scattering birds, lifting dust from the ground, probably frightening even the spirits of the woods.
Sant let out a long, tired sigh, lowering his ears.
"…I wasn't expecting that."
From behind him, a massive wolf emerged—dark gray fur, covered in scars. His amber eyes carried years of battles, but his voice was surprisingly calm.
This was Varrock, the most experienced warrior of the pack, who once trained alongside Scar, Sant's late father.
He watched Loona scream as if it were the most ordinary event in the world.
"That reaction is perfectly normal," he said flatly."Don't feel discouraged, Sant. Hum hum hum hum…"
His characteristic laugh—guttural, unmistakable—echoed through the clearing.
Loona, however, continued:
"AAAAAAA—AAAAAAAAAA—AAAAAAAAAA!"
Sant shot Varrock a desperate look.
Varrock only smirked, showing his teeth.
"Welcome to working with humans."
Loona was still screaming, still trying to make sense of everything, when clumsy steps rustled in the bushes. Something small—small only compared to the other wolves—stumbled out with a woven basket stuck on its head.
"HEEELP! SOMEONE BLOCKED THE SKY! HEEEELP!"the wolf howled.
The scene was so absurd that even Loona's scream began to weaken. Her senses, once overwhelming, finally started adjusting. The forest's aura no longer burned her ears. The heat and cold balanced themselves slowly.
Sant grumbled, clearly embarrassed.
"Inuho, stop that. Now's not the time."
"HEEEE—"
The little wolf tripped and staggered directly toward Loona.
Despite herself, she let out a tiny involuntary laugh.
It was impossible not to.
With all the gentleness she could muster, Loona crawled to Inuho, grabbed the basket, and pulled.
Plop.
His head popped free, golden eyes blinking rapidly.
"There… that's better," Loona said softly.
"Yes! Thank you very much!" Inuho replied, shaking his fur proudly.
Sant approached calmly.
"This is Inuho. He was just named a warrior of the pack."
"And also the most charming," Inuho added, raising his snout like a prince.
Loona blushed and scratched one of her new ears.
"Sorry about the screaming… I was kinda… hehehe…" she laughed awkwardly.
Sant looked away, a bit flustered.
"Your senses are heightened. It's normal. Don't worry."
Varrock walked up behind them, heavy paws crushing dried leaves. He shook his head, chuckling.
"Don't take that one as an example of what wolves are like."
Loona turned to Inuho just in time to see him sitting, chewing on his own left paw as if it were a deer bone.
"What?" Inuho asked, voice muffled, still chewing.
Loona burst into genuine laughter—the first since waking in that impossible world. Slowly, things began making sense, even if in the strangest way.
"Thank you for… bringing me back. But why me? Why exactly me?"
Sant sighed, ears lowering slightly.
"Well… that's a delicate topic. I'll explain it properly."
Before he could continue, a loud growl boomed through the clearing.
Branches snapped open as if pushed by a bull, and Ravik—huge, dark brown fur, scars across his face—burst in carrying Lionel's daughter gently in his jaws like a mother wolf carrying a pup.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF HELL IS ALL THIS NOISE?!" he roared, mouth still occupied.
The clearing fell silent.
Inuho dropped to his haunches.
Loona froze.
Sant groaned softly in humiliation.
And Varrock simply laughed:
"Oh, the diplomat has arrived."
Ravik set Lionel's baby down with unexpected gentleness for such a massive wolf. He gave the child a loud, proud lick across the face.
"Pretty human," he murmured.
Then he turned to Sant and Loona, baring his teeth impatiently.
"I hate humans. And one just shows up here screaming her lungs out? Where'd she come from?"
The baby began crying—loudly, desperately. Ravik groaned, annoyed, but then shot a sharp stare at Loona.
"You… you're a human female?" he suddenly asked.
Loona blinked, cheeks flushing all the way to her new ears.
"F-Female…?"
Sant sighed.
"Not now, Ravik—"
But Ravik cut him off with raw authority:
"Stop covering your breasts. Feed the child. You have milk!"
Loona almost fell backward.
"You want to SEE my breasts?!" she shouted, mortified and furious.
Ravik made a disgusted face.
"See? I don't want to look at those fat lumps! I need to use them. The kid's hungry. Now move. Feed her."
Loona went pale, then bright red, crossing her arms tighter over her chest.
"YOU want to use me?!"
Sant intervened quickly:
"That's not how humans work, Ravik. Wait!"
"No more drama, human," Ravik growled, stepping forward. "The child is starving. I'm not letting her die. Now hurry up and nurse her!"
Loona backed away.
"D-Don't come near me, you perverted wolf!"
Sant raised a paw in front of Ravik, blocking him.
"Ravik… not all human females have milk."
The big wolf froze.
Blink.
Expression of total confusion.
"What? Humans are that useless? Then what are the breasts of the ones who don't have milk even for?!"
Loona turned crimson.
Sant inhaled deeply, choosing words as if walking on thin ice.
"For humans, breasts are extremely intimate."
Loona immediately pointed at him, outraged:
"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU HEARD HIM, YOU PERVERT!"
Ravik growled—loudly.
"H-Humans are disgusting! What did you just call me?!"
He lunged, but Sant held him by the neck, pushing him back.
"Stay put, Ravik. Don't make this worse."
Before the situation could explode, a firm voice echoed through the clearing:
"For the love of the Moon, you're always causing trouble."
Lyara stepped out of the shadows—a medium-sized wolf with gray fur, white belly, and ice-blue eyes that gleamed in the night. Her presence was both gentle and deadly.
"Sant, let go of Ravik."
"Ravik, stay quiet."
"Inuho… STOP chewing on your leg!"
Inuho slowly removed his paw from his mouth.
"Sorry…"
Sant nodded obediently.
"Yes, my love."
Lyara walked to Loona with soft, maternal steps.
"Hi, sweetheart. Are you alright?"
Loona nodded shyly.
"Y-Yeah…"
"Come with me, dear. Let's get you away from that big idiot before he comes up with another brilliant idea," she said, throwing Ravik a sharp glare.
She positioned herself protectively.
"Lean on me. Let's walk."
Loona accepted, still trembling, and followed Lyara away from the chaos.
As they walked, Lyara called out:
"Inuho! Search the bodies and find the cleanest piece of fabric you can. The human needs clothes."
Inuho's eyes widened.
"Humans… wear clothes?"
"Yes. Now move!" Lyara ordered with a tone that allowed no argument.
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Inuho dashed into the bushes.
Varrock approached Sant and Ravik, watching Loona disappear through the trees.
"Excellent diplomatic work, Ravik," he muttered sarcastically.
Ravik snorted loudly, picked up Lionel's baby again with surprising gentleness, and growled through clenched teeth:
"Go eat rat shit, Varrock."
Sant just rolled his eyes and followed after Inuho.