We walked along the road toward the massive gates. Up close, the walls looked even more impressive — carved stone that seemed to shimmer faintly in the sunlight, like someone had mixed marble with something magical.
Guards stood at the entrance. One had ram horns curling from his head. The other looked like a lion had decided to cosplay as a human. Both carried spears that looked way too sharp to be decorative.
"Wait," I said, slowing down. "Do I need, like… a passport? Visa? Do they have paperwork in fantasy worlds?"
The wolf-girl glanced back at me. "You are a Gate Drop. That is paperwork enough."
"That sounds like it could go really well or really badly."
"It depends on the guard."
"Not reassuring."
She stopped just before the gate and turned to face me properly. Her amber eyes studied me for a moment, like she was deciding something.
"I should introduce myself," she said. "My name is Thera. Wolf Clan, Southern Forest Pack."
"Thera," I repeated. "Cool name."
Her ears twitched. "It is a normal name."
"Yeah, but it sounds cooler than 'Mike' or 'Dave.'"
"…What is your name?"
Oh.
Right.
I hadn't said.
"Uh… Kaito," I said. "Just Kaito. No clan. No pack. Formerly of Earth, recently deceased."
She nodded seriously, like I'd just given her my full résumé. "Kaito. I will remember."
"Thanks. Appreciate it."
Thera turned back toward the gate, but she didn't walk forward yet. Instead, she crossed her arms and looked at the city.
"You will have questions," she said. "It is better I explain now before you say something strange inside."
"I say strange things all the time."
"I noticed." She sighed. "Listen carefully."
I gave her my full attention. Mostly because I had no idea what else to do.
"This," she gestured at the city, "is the Kingdom of Lythra. The Beastfolk capital. It has stood for over a thousand years, built by the First Clans after the Separation War."
"Separation War?"
"Humans and Beastfolk used to share the continent," she said. "Long ago. But there was conflict. Territory. Resources. Bloodshed. Eventually, the land was divided. Humans took the eastern kingdoms. Beastfolk claimed the west."
"So… we're on bad terms?"
"Not exactly." Thera's tail swished once. "There is peace now. Trade happens. Diplomacy exists. But trust is… limited. Humans rarely come here. And when they do, it is usually merchants or diplomats under heavy escort."
"And Gate Drops?"
"Rare. Unpredictable. You are the third human to appear in Lythra this decade."
I blinked. "What happened to the other two?"
She hesitated.
"…One joined the Adventurer's Guild. The other went back east to the human kingdoms."
"So I have options. Good to know."
Thera looked at me seriously. "You do. But you should understand what you are walking into first."
She pointed at the silver crest flying on the banners above the gate — the crescent moon and fang.
"Lythra is ruled by the Moon Throne," she said. "Our current queen is Selara Moonfang of the Wolf Clan. She has ruled for thirty years. Strong. Fair. But not soft."
"Got it. Don't mess with the queen."
"Correct."
Thera started walking again, and I followed.
"Beastfolk are divided into clans," she continued. "Wolf, Lion, Bear, Hawk, Serpent — dozens of bloodlines, each with their own traditions and strengths. The clans are not always unified, but we follow the Moon Throne."
"So it's like… noble houses?"
"Similar. But bloodline matters more than title here. A wolf from a strong pack has influence. A lone wolf…" She trailed off.
"…Has less?"
"Yes."
Something in her tone made me think she knew that personally.
"What about you?" I asked. "Southern Forest Pack — that's your family?"
"It was."
Past tense.
I didn't push.
"The clans govern their own territories," Thera said, moving on. "But the capital is neutral ground. All clans have representatives here. The Queen's Council makes laws. The Guard enforces them. And the Adventurer's Guild handles everything else."
"Everything else?"
"Monsters. Bandits. Gate Drops." She glanced at me. "You."
"Wow. I'm a problem already."
"You are a curiosity," she corrected. "That makes you valuable. Or dangerous."
"Which one am I?"
"I have not decided yet."
Fair.
We passed through the gate. The guards barely glanced at me. One nodded at Thera. She nodded back.
Inside, the city opened up like something out of a dream.
Cobblestone streets wound between stone buildings with sloped roofs. Market stalls lined the main road, sellers shouting about fish, fabric, weapons, potions. The air smelled like grilled meat and fresh bread.
And everywhere — everywhere — were Beastfolk.
A woman with deer antlers haggled over vegetables. A kid with fox ears darted past, laughing. A massive bear-man carried a crate on one shoulder like it weighed nothing.
I stared.
"You are doing it again," Thera said.
"Doing what?"
"Looking amazed."
"I am amazed. This is incredible."
She didn't respond, but her ears tilted forward slightly. Maybe she was a little pleased.
"One more thing," Thera said as we walked deeper into the city. "The forest you arrived in — the border forest — is monster territory."
"You mentioned that earlier. How bad are we talking?"
"Depends how deep you go," she said. "Outer forest has low-level creatures. Goblins. Wolves. Direwolves if you are unlucky. Deeper in, there are things that can kill trained warriors."
"And I landed right in the middle of it."
"You landed in the outer ring. Lucky."
"I died and woke up in a monster forest. That is not lucky."
"You woke up alive," she said. "That is lucky."
I couldn't argue with that.
Thera stopped walking and turned to face me fully.
"Gate Drops happen because of tears in the veil between worlds," she said. "No one knows why. No one knows when. But when a human dies in your world at the exact moment a tear opens here…" She gestured at me. "You fall through."
"So I'm a dimensional accident."
"Yes."
"…That tracks, honestly."
Thera's expression softened — just a little. "You are here now. That is what matters. What you do next is your choice."
I looked around. At the city. The people. The impossible sky.
"What do most Gate Drops do?" I asked.
"Survive," Thera said simply. "Some fight. Some trade. Some hide. But all of them have to figure out how to live in a world that was not made for them."
I let that sink in.
"…And you?" I asked. "Why are you helping me?"
She was quiet for a moment.
Then her ears flicked back, and she looked away.
"Because I know what it feels like," she said quietly, "to not belong."
Before I could respond, a loud voice boomed across the street.
"THERA!"
We both turned.
A massive lion-man in leather armor was walking toward us, grinning wide. His mane was wild, his teeth sharp, and he moved like he owned the entire road.
Thera's tail bristled.
"…Garrek," she muttered.
"Friend of yours?" I asked.
"No."
The lion-man stopped in front of us, still grinning.
"Heard you dragged another human out of the woods," he said, looking me up and down. "Scrawny one this time."
"Hey," I said.
He ignored me. "You planning to take him to the Guild?"
Thera's eyes narrowed. "That is none of your concern."
"Everything in this city is my concern, wolf-girl." He leaned in slightly. "Especially when strays start wandering where they don't belong."
I felt my jaw tighten.
Thera stepped between us.
"He is not a stray," she said coldly. "He is a Gate Drop. Under protection."
"Whose protection?"
"Mine."
Garrek laughed. "Yours? You are barely—"
"Careful," Thera said, voice low.
The lion-man's grin faded slightly.
For a few seconds, they just stared at each other.
Then Garrek snorted and stepped back.
"Fine. Keep your human." He looked at me one more time. "Try not to die too fast, Gate Drop."
He turned and walked away, laughing.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"…So," I said. "He seems nice."
Thera's ears were still flat against her head.
"He is an idiot," she muttered.
"Yeah, I got that."
She started walking again, faster this time.
I followed, glancing back once at the lion-man's retreating figure.
"Thera," I said carefully. "When you said I was under your protection… did you mean that?"
She didn't look at me.
"Yes."
"…Why?"
She was quiet for a long moment.
Then, softly:
"Because no one protected me when I needed it."
And just like that, I realized something.
Thera wasn't just helping a lost human.
She was helping herself.
We walked in silence for a few more minutes. The city sounds filled the space between us — merchants calling out deals, children laughing, the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer.
I was about to say something — maybe thank her, maybe crack another joke to lighten the mood — when Thera suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.
Her ears shot straight up.
Her tail went rigid.
"Thera?" I asked.
She didn't answer. Her eyes were locked on something ahead, and every muscle in her body had gone tense.
I followed her gaze.
The crowd ahead of us was parting. Not casually — people were actively moving out of the way, pressing themselves against buildings, pulling their children close.
And walking down the center of the street was a figure that made my blood run cold.
A panther-woman.
Sleek black fur. Yellow eyes that seemed to glow even in daylight. She moved with a predator's grace, each step perfectly silent despite the cobblestones beneath her feet.
She wore dark leather armor that looked like it had seen a thousand fights. A curved blade hung at her hip, and scars crisscrossed her exposed arms.
But it wasn't her appearance that scared me.
It was the way everyone looked at her.
Fear.
Pure, primal fear.
"Thera," I whispered. "Who is that?"
Thera's voice came out tight, barely controlled.
"Shadows take me," she breathed. "That's Keres."
"…Should I know that name?"
"Keres the Ruthless," Thera said, and I heard her swallow hard. "Panther Clan. Former assassin for the Queen's Shadow Guard."
"Former?"
"She went rogue three years ago. Killed a corrupt council member and vanished into the outer territories." Thera's claws flexed at her sides. "There is a bounty on her head. Dead or alive."
My heart started pounding.
"Then why is she walking through the middle of the city like she owns it?"
"I do not know."
The panther-woman's yellow eyes swept across the crowd.
And then they locked onto us.
Onto me.
She smiled.
It wasn't a friendly smile.
She changed direction.
She was walking straight toward us.
"Thera—"
"Do not run," Thera said quietly, her hand moving to the knife at her belt. "Do not speak. Do not look away."
"What is she going to do?"
"I do not know."
Keres stopped five feet away from us.
Up close, she was even more terrifying. Taller than Thera. Broader. Her yellow eyes studied me like I was prey she was deciding whether to hunt.
"A human," she said. Her voice was smooth, almost gentle. "In Lythra. How interesting."
I said nothing.
She tilted her head, her gaze shifting to Thera.
"And little Thera of the Southern Pack," Keres said, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Still pretending to be brave, I see."
Thera's jaw clenched. "What do you want, Keres?"
"Nothing from you, pup." Keres's eyes returned to me. "But the human… now that is curious."
She took a step closer.
Thera moved in front of me instantly, knife drawn.
"He is under my protection," Thera said, her voice steady despite the fear I could see in her eyes.
Keres raised an eyebrow.
"Your protection?" She laughed — a low, dangerous sound. "Bold. Foolish. But bold."
"Back off," Thera said.
For a moment, I thought Keres was going to lunge.
But instead, she just smiled wider.
"Relax, little wolf. I am not here for blood." Her eyes gleamed. "Today."
She stepped back, hands raised in mock surrender.
"But a word of advice," Keres said, looking directly at me. "This world eats the weak, human. And you…" She leaned in slightly. "You smell like prey."
Then she turned and walked away, disappearing into a side alley as silently as she'd appeared.
The crowd slowly began to move again, whispering, muttering.
I realized I'd been holding my breath.
"What," I said slowly, "the hell was that?"
Thera sheathed her knife, but her hand was shaking.
"That," she said quietly, "was a warning."
"A warning about what?"
She looked at me, and for the first time since I'd met her, I saw genuine fear in her eyes.
"That you are not safe here, Kaito." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Not anymore."
And somewhere in the shadows, I could have sworn I heard laughter.