Continuing forward, I heard a sound that entered my ears with odd familiarity.

So focused on getting away, I did not notice that I fell into another trap.

A vine snatched me up, one of the many hidden traps laid by the sows of my Kur.

Dangling in the air, I swung from left to right. The blood immediately rushed to my head, making my head dizzy. Vision blurring, I felt my consciousness waver until I heard almost familiar words enter my ears.

“Little pig, little pig…” The voice was beautiful, seducing me to be calm, but I knew all too well that this was the way of the wolf.

They are those who would hunt and devour us. Or use us for something else. I shuddered, struggling even more to free myself. I wish I was as strong as a boar, then I would at least have enough strength to defend myself. The snarl and snap of jaws caused my hearts to stutter in my chest. Looking around, I forced myself to be folded in half quickly, lengthening a claw to cut the thick rope that bound me. Falling below, I scampered on all fours and ran as fast as I could once again, but felt weak, which made me slow. “Little pig, little pig…” the voice came closer, the low growls. With fear, I gained speed because of an adrenaline rush coming suddenly upon me. Claws exposed, I climbed the tree and jumped from one to the next.

Suddenly the forest, which was blanked in shadowed darkness, was given light. The once cloudy sky cleared, exposing the six moons. Looking up at the pale blue rays reflected from the moons high up, I felt amazed. This is a rare thing. Something that happens every thousandth world cycle.

So lost in this, I did not feel the bone marrow pain until the sound of my bones snapping entered my ears. My teeth ached, falling out. My claw-tipped hands became gnarled, the skin dared to become pitch-black. My vision wavered, forcing me to fall on my face.

A strange growl escaped from my lips, laced with pain.

Startled by all of this, I rolled, huddling in on myself as my body continued to contort, snap, twist and shift. A sob escaped from between my partially parted lips, trailing into a strange, low laugh.

‘What am I?’

I questioned, feeling fear. ‘What have I become?’

[Hyena P.O.V.]

There was a beast in the Marsh. The paws, all six of them; four serving as the fore-paws, two serving as the hind. The tail was bushy but not thick. Its length, as a whole, was half that of the wolves. The eyes were four; each with a single pupil that shone like a rare green gem. Surrounding it were two others and what should have been the whites of the eyes bled black.

The ears on top of its head were curved, yet tall. The muzzle was square, with a somewhat strong jawline. To the middle of its chest was a bright green gem the size of a man’s fist. Surrounding it is slightly long fur giving the beast a shaggy, majestic look.

You could not deny that this beast had characteristics of the wolves but only by two points. The remaining eight were all of the guardian beast Hyena.

The beast parted its jaws, releasing a sound savage enough to cause all creatures—great or small—to freeze.

It was a laugh that was not filled with joy, but warning, malice, and the need to inform those trespassing within the territory it guarded to flee. Even though the Hyena knew that this place was not the original universe it had guarded, it still felt that this place is one that it should protect.

It scented that enemies were within its realm and snarled deep in its throat, inhaling to understand first. It picked up the scent of wolves, with a residual hint of terror from the part of its soul deemed pig.

As the scent of the wolves entered the nostrils of the Hyena, the eyes narrowed, lips peeling back to bare fangs from the distaste it felt. The second was a somewhat familiar yet slightly unfamiliar scent. Yes, a scent that is quite enticing to such a beast; the scent of prey. Prey that was a destructive force.

Licking its muzzle, the guardian beast lowered its head and made a strange sound between a whimper and extended growl.

Its ears flicked; magnificent form moving forward, one paw at a time.

‘Little pig…’ the wolves growled, distracting the Hyena.

That growl struck a chord deep within it. When the memory rose to the surface, the Hyena shook its majestic head, releasing a low chuckling laugh. From the scent which was not inferior to the wolves, perhaps even better. The gaze fell in the direction of the wolves following its scent. Wolves, she disdained them. Wolves, the species that dared to harm it before, even though she had been trapped in that body, they had ravished her and when those wolves tried to defend her? They were made an example of. The pain rose, but she was powerful. She is a guardian! A Hyena! She refused to allow the memory to cloud her judgement. That life is past. These wolves are unworthy.

Reaching within herself, the Hyena tried to gather her power, the power of a guardian freezing when she felt only… luck, and three other useless souls.

She really hated that she did not devour them before. Snarling, the Hyena heard the wolves again and smiled after remembering an olden tale.

‘Little pig, little pig…’ The Hyena bowed its head to look down on the wolves below, exhaling a smoky breath disguising its head and two fore-paws. Raking her barbed tongue over her muzzle once more in anticipation, she spoke in the tongue that could be easily understood.

‘What big eyes you have… Mr. Wolf.’ Raising a fore-paw she stepped forward while exhaling once more. The wolves released a yip from excitement, while the eldest spoke his own reply. ‘The better to see you with, little pig.’ A growl built from the Hyena’s chest, exploding outward.

One must know of the girl and the wolf. The very wolf who had taken her to the wolf clan after killing her grandmother of that world. The image had been ebbed in her mind for days after that, leaving her unresponsive. Back then, that side of her had no idea that one person could bleed so much. That an innocent woman could be treated so unfairly.

They had treated her like a pig!

So she hates the pig!

Foolish!

Gullible!

Weak!

Unworthy!

As a Hyena it is annoying to keep pretending to be a pig, far less being called and actually becoming one!

Another breath was exhaled much larger than the previous two. The four eyes twinkled. Deciding to ignore the wolves, the Hyena Guardian continued forward.

The Hyena felt extremely annoyed, the beautiful spotted dark green coat blended well in the greenery surrounding it.