Arc 2: The Camel Hump Valley

Warning: mentioned of nudity,  probable triggering content.

Changing into a similar grey dress to the one QingQing wore before, Ash sat down on the floor to eat. 

QingQing, in an immaturely sewn cowhide skirt, provided 2 smoothened twigs as chopsticks. But the Bengal in Ash felt better using her hand. 

Let’s sneak in some answers before she starts inquiring about this world with questions that’d definitely seem dumb to Zayn. 

A: “You look like a very conservatively raised female, so pretty yet no admirer around. I wonder if your father has all your males already chosen and stashed away?” 

As expected, QingQing’s eyes shook in shock whilst Zayn scoffed. 

A: “I want to choose strong males for better protection. The number of colorful strips on their body defines their strength level. The highest have four. They are mostly kings who live in the city of beastmen. Ah~ it’s my dream to visit their castles.” 

Z: “Oy, dummy. I don’t see any male around you. Dreaming big, eh? Are you perhaps an outcast?” As his words indirectly included QingQing too, both females felt the corner of their lips twitch. 

You want to taste my revenge again? Fine, I’ll show you ‘dumb’.

“Is that the wolf I killed?” As soon as Ash pointed at the roasted meat, Zayn’s gaze chilled over. He didn’t hunt because QingQing insisted they eat what’s already killed- To think that dummy pointed it out in front of my female! Z: “Be grateful I let you even EAT what I roasted!” 

A: “I killed, you roasted; equal equal.” At the sight of the fuming youth, she only smiled more sweetly. “QingQing should divide it. That’s only fair, no?” 

Speechless, Zayn stormed off to cut halves and add salt. 

Z: "I don’t make my female work!"

Scoffing at his repeated mention of 'my female', QingQing scooted closer to Ash. 

Q: “You really don’t have a lover?” 

A: “Not yet.” 

Q: “How come? You’re such a beauty.” 

A: “Eh? You're more.” 

Q: “Are you kidding? I’m only average. You look like a *stargram model! Oh, that- I mean-” 

A: “I know what *stargram means, sweetie.” 

Ash wanted to laugh at the confusion on QingQing’s round little face. It was hard to get annoyed against that cuteness. 

Telling her the truth might actually ease her anxiety. After all she suddenly fell into a faraway land full of unfamiliar faces without a simple warning.

A: “I also transmigrated here from earth. Ash. Asian. Bengal. Human. Nice to meet you.” 

It took a while for the *Guniang to absorb it all.

A: “Don’t be too confused, I’ve been here for a while and had my share of roaming in the wild. I just picked up some information here and there. I’ll help you out. 

Q: “How... you know... so much about me?” 

Whoa! Her eyes. She’s freaking out. Let’s not disclose my knowledge of future. That’s actually freaky, if I think about it. Having your whole life recorded in a book... I’m also stealing one of her husbands, so- 

“I met a dying ape on my way,” Ash started making up something, “He told me how a girl with similar circumstances as me will be appearing soon. Even though he said your name, I didn’t really believe. Meeting you was a pure coincidence.”

Q: “How did he know? Did he bring me here?” 

Ash patted her hand in consolation, “No, they own the attribute called Vision. They only guess past and future depending on some slideshow like mind visuals. Not even the strongest can actually predict. No one knows how we got here or how to return. So let’s live our life like we belong, en?”

Gratitude welled up in her eyes as she hugged the older girl. “I can’t imagine what you went through to become what you are today. Thank you for saving me even though we’re strangers. Let me take care of you in return. Please, be my big sister and live with me?” 

Eh... But I've only been here for a week or so. She sure is a sweet child. 

Ash hugged back without much thought. “Keep it secret. Only our future mates deserve to know. When time’s rig-”

“What secret? I forbid any secrets between me and my female!" 

As if his opinion matters. When did this arrogant punk return?

Even if Ash was already aware of his general personality, his arrogance was ticking her off. 

“Zayn, let’s compete. I win she keeps the secret, you win she spills it. Deal?” 

Don’t blame me for playing dirty, you started it. 

“We’ll prepare food for her. Same bowls, same amount of meat, condiments optional.” 

People here don’t know condiments except salt. I’ll take advantage of that. 

“Bai won’t know whose dish it is.The one she likes most wins.” 

Looking skeptical for a moment, his overconfidence quickly took over as Zayn snarled, “Deal. Female, turn over.”

Beastmen world had a greenish firewood, by crushing which one could extract oil. Ash crushed a thin one along with flowers from her discarded vine, added them to skillfully shredded roast and salt. 

Try to top this, QingQing’s future favorite cook. I’ll shove your limelight right up your golden a- 

Her twisted smile straightened only when QingQing's beaming face came into view. With their plates were placed before her, she was the face of excitement. This jiejie sure knew how to make things fun. 

If only... 

“Do you have ri-mmph!” 

Ash quickly clammed her mouth shut and whispered, “Don’t. It’s too expensive here.” 

You’ll only embarrass yourself if you ask for rice now.

QingQing nodded, still confused. 

Zayn however, was furious to seethe shock in his favored female's eyes. 

“What’s expensive? Tell me. I’ll bring you anything!” 

A: “Oi nosy leopard, she asked for chopsticks. Do you even know what it is? Freaking dumbass.” 

Look at his face. Gosh, this is fun. While QingQing made up something to satisfy his curiosity, Ash giggled in the corner. Sorry dude, I’m not an angelic fl.

QingQing was barely holding it in when she put a chunk of meat, cut smaller yet similar to steaks, in her mouth. It was dry, covered in too much salt; but the saltiness turned fine upon chewing. Its plantlike scent was pretty unique.

The second dish was shredded. Giving off a subtle aroma of smoke and flowers, it tasted sweet and salty at the same time, the most nature-like Bar-b-Q flavor she’s ever tasted. 

“The oil and flower paste makes it less dry, fresh ingredients add extra points. I choose the second one.”  

The females gladly kept their secret.

So for the rest of the eve, Zayn wolfed down his food in an angry silence before pulling QingQing’s wrist. 

Z: “Come to sleep. It’s late.” 

Q: “Am I not sleeping with jiejie? Hey! No! Lemme-” 

His grip tightened and gaze darkened. “With me or I’ll kick her out!” 

What! Sleep with him? 

When the pale lass turned to Ash, she spoke in a reassuring manner, “Don’t worry. He means literally.”

So when Zayn held her face tight against his soft furry chest, it was to make sure she doesn’t see how Ash was left clad only in a set of cotton clothes and the leopard hide Luca left as her only shelter from the night’s cold.

***

Morning couldn’t come any slower. Her head was still heavy as she walked along the path to the forest. 

Should I hunt something to pay him back. That's the custom here, but I'm a female. Would he even accept... O he shall suck it up. I’ll pay what I want, return the hide and drink some medicine while I’m at it. 

Looking around to familiarize with the paths, Ash found a leopard lazily sprawled on a thick branch. He looked less muscular and light colored compared to Zayn. At the sound of her footsteps, he opened one eye.

It was hazy and green. 

“Doctor?”

With a thud, he fell face first to the ground, transformed on his fours, his printed butt put on display as he looked up with big round eyes. 

Can he get any cuter? Why did the novel never mention how cute his face is or that he has green eyes. I thought his was amber too, like Zayn.

L: “Why’re 'you' here this ‘early’ in the morning?”

Ash reached out to help him up, “Too cold, couldn’t sleep.” -the gesture making her her miss the overgrown kitten she left behind in the thorn forest. So she mindlessly added, “Only if there was a furry to hold onto all night long...” 

Her wrong choice of words only hit her when Luca suddenly stood up, face more pink than that one Dior’s blush. 

You naked idiot! You just made it more awkward! 

So she quickly offered him the hide. 

“Cover up, it’s yours anyway.” 

Dang, I saw it! Albeit an unignorable size, with those leopard prints, even his ‘thing’ is cute! Zayn has nothing on this. 

How she knew of Zayn’s? Let’s not talk about it.

L: “Y-You keep it. I-I'm going to... ah... huh- hunt! Hunt I am-” 

Transforming back in an instant, Luca fled towards a flock of birds, just to scare them into scattering at once. 

Ash had laughed until her tummy gave out. 

Is he also a therapist? He’s funny! 

The new world suddenly felt good for her mental health.

She didn't know someone was experiencing revolutionary emotions while watching her cackle like a madman.

That sight... Her body. It had tortured him the whole night. 

She’s again in front of me this early?! Did she really have to pull me up after saying that? For a moment there, he thought she was going to... really hold... Not that she wasted any time dousing cold water on his thoughts that were moving in rather dire directions. 

I don’t mind showing her my body, but after last night I don’t really trust- These damned birds! Stay in place! What if she thinks I can’t catch a mere bird?! 

“You look tired. Had a night shift? Relax, doc, here’s your chance to witness my mighty hunt.” How could he let a female hunt? Especially the one he liked quite a bit! 

But she looked so excited, he had to leave her be. 

Picking up rocks and using that weird thing (sling) to shot down birds one after another, Luca soon realized that she deserved to brag. 

How did this petite female... 

She did miss many, still managed to catch 10 singlehandedly. That’s how consistent she was.

“Thank you for handing me the rocks, Doc. You were a big help.” Upon stepping on his yard, Ash immediately asked for medicinal herbs, which were supposed to be a human’s day to day spices. As expected, she was presented with huge sacks filled of garlic, ginger, pepper- “And salt. Thanks, this will do.” 

She had picked some fruits and leaves from a tree called Chinzu on the way, because they looked very much like unripe cherry tomatoes. Her preys today were too lean, so she followed the process: marinate- stir fry- slow boil in a broth made from bones and condiments.

“Doc? Doctor? Luca!” she waved before his dazed eyes, “you really won’t take the hide back?” 

Luca shook his head, unable to speak after witnessing her extraordinary skills back to back. 

She can extract liquids from firewood! How eerie a strength for being a female! 

His own abilities were starting to appear bleak before her every action.

“Then do you have something I can sew with?” He had a needle made of fishbone. Eager to witness more of her uniques, he quickly handed it to her. But in a while, he found her struggling to cut the hide with her blade. 

Contemplating hard, he held out his claw. 

His intention was purely to cut it according to her instructions, but- “Doc, you’re a lifesaver!” 

Whose life did I- 

Suddenly she was too close, his whole hand in hers, cutting out patterns as if his claw was a blade itself. 

As his job entitled, Luca did save lives on a daily basis. But at the moment, if anything was happening with anyone's life- It was his own. BEING TOYED WITH!

All the poor guy felt was a furnace leaning on him, soft breath tickling his neck and her sweet-sweet scent.

Does she know how much leopards love to lick honey combs? She smells just like... With no animal strips he was too weak to protect, so females tend to avoid him. Luca never really bothered, but if it’s her-

She’s being this forward and intimate... Does she... does she like me too? 

Falling this hard this fast might feel tacky to modernized civilization. But for beastmen, even a glance from females was as rare as a celebrity visiting your home with a customized frame of their own autograph.

While every male was busy honing skills and looks that garner just that one glance from females, how could he not doubt reality with how Ash has been acting?

The lowly him began to dream.

“Do you like honeycombs?”

What! No-not honey anything! I mean- 

“I mean you smell like those.” 

Luca wanted to smack his tongue.

What am I even saying? 

Scanning His pink flush with concern, her lips gently curled into a smile, “I guess so? You have good sense of smell.” 

Embarrassed, Luca lost the nerve. 

Sewing was something Ash learned watching her mother. 

"Tailors are strangers," she used to say, "Why allow them the knowledge of the shape of your body?" 

Ash could only wonder from what level of over-protectiveness that sentence spewed out of. 

It was better to focus on the task on hand.

Strapless tube tops and skirts would only hinder her training, so she decided to cut a pair of tops and shorts with spaghetti straps as sleeves, waistband and in the back for better aid. 

Nope- didn’t see wrong. It’s still there. 

By now she was using both her and Luca’s hand to hold the cloth in place while his other one was still acting as her cutter. Somehow she ended up back hugging the poor guy, leaving him softly shuddering. 

“Hi there, Doc's little assistant. Nice to meet you?” 

Luca practically squeaked out of her encasement, his yellow leopard ears tinted orange due to shame. 

“I-I… It’s... you were t-too close!” 

Mon deiu, He’s so cute~ Ash turned her back on him, smiling, the ready-to-use needle in her hand. “Don’t be too ashamed, it’s a natural reaction. Such a ‘hard’ life males have…” 

This had her end up in another fit of laughter.

Fortunately, there was nothing against public show of sexual activities in a world of beasts. So Ash let the crude part of her run wild without hesitation.

***

One etenity later...

A: “Can you call for QingQing and Zayn? I want share the food.” 

Luca, who had finally regained some clarity of mind frowned slightly. 

L: “Zayn too? He’s so rude to you.”  

A: “I can tame him. You’ll see.”