Penelope in the Beastworld

Chapter 1

In a lush old forest, a tent sits. It's sole inhabitant only just awakening due to the early morning sun piercing through the fabric of the tent to sit directly on her face.

*Groan*

"It's too early for this… why do I even bother going camping?"

*Sigh*

Despite her less than stellar attitude our dear protagonist actually enjoys camping.

See Penelope Wright, a 5ft 5in redhead with blue green eyes, goes camping every summer. This is mostly mostly her father's fault as he originally had wanted a son but after complications during Penelope's birth his wife was left unable to have any more kids. But Mr. James Wright was a gruff but positive man, so he fully committed to teaching Penelope everything he knew.
Luckily Penelope didn't mind, quite the opposite in fact, so Penelope grew up to be an independent young woman with the firm opinion that the only man she'd ever need would be her dad.

Sadly life rarely goes the way we plan and while her parents were on the road to visit her in college they died in a car accident. That was a year ago.
Penelope, seeking to keep her family's tradition of a yearly camping trip alive, went camping at the same campground they've always gone to for the last decade. This is not that forest.

***

Imagine my surprise that the first sight I see when unzipping my tent is a forest that is far too tropical to be anywhere near where I fell asleep.

"What.. the.. fuck?"

I leave the tent, looking at the surroundings. There's huge trees covered in vines, with colorful birds perched in their boughs, the underbrush is thick with ferns and many other types of plants. The only clear space is directly around me and the tent as if it was cleared by someone.

"How.. the… hell?"

*Snap*

My eyes immediately turn to follow the sudden noise only to find a gigantic turtle, about triple the size of a Galapagos turtle.

Or is it a tortoise? Who cares all I know is I adore turtles and they're usually pretty gentle so…

I look at the turtle with awe filled eyes moving slowly and making sure to project my next movement. I step slowly closer. It stares right back at me watching my every move closely but not defensively.

"Hey there big guy…"

I stand right in front of it now, our eyes meeting, and slowly, making sure to watch its behavior, raise my hand to its beak. It's skin is soft and leathery and with our eyes transfixed upon each other, it rubs its head into my hand. I pet the turtle a little while longer, it clearly enjoying my affections, making a cute almost cat like sound, it suddenly pulls back and starts to glow before with a few cracks shifting into a drop dead gorgeous man. He stands close to seven feet tall, has long waist length light green hair, light skin, green eyes just a shade lighter than his hair, with firm pecs and a eight pack of abs trailing down to a truly massive package.

I flush, immediately bringing my eyes back up to his now smirking face.

"Like what you see?"

I sputter, my face doing a rather convincing imitation of a tomato.

"S-sorry!"

He tilts his head, smirk softening into a smile his eyes curious and steps closer.

"Don't be. Now, tell me little one, what's such a beautiful female doing all alone in a place like this?"

I blink stupidly at him
"I..ugh.. don't actually know?"

He raises an eyebrow looking both concerned and disbelieving "You don't know?"

I clarify "Well.. I was camping but when I woke up I was here in a completely different forest."

He blinks blankly at me before furrowing his brow and asking "Did you hit your head?"

"N-no! At least I don't think so." I reach up and prod around looking for injuries but find none.

He looks at me thinking for a second, looking at both my clothes and my tent, before asking hesitantly
"Are you… human?"

I look at him confused before answering truthfully "Yes… what else would I be?"

He looks startled at my answer "There hasn't been one of your kind here for nearly three hundred years…"

I look around at the jungle around me
"And where is here?"

He looks at me softly before gently answering
"The beastworld."

I startle at the familiar name "The beastworld? Like one with like twenty males for every female born? Where males can turn into animals?"

"Yes, though it's more like one female for every hundred males, not twenty." I stand there in shock for a second thinking.

Do I really mind? I mean it's not like there's anything on earth for me anymore… Plus hot guys that can never cheat on you and treat you like a queen. Yeah… ya know what I'm cool with this. Now to figure out which beastworld and when.

"Do all beastmen know about humans?" He shakes his head before explaining with a smile

"Not at all. The only reason I know is because I met the last one. She was my mother."

I look at him in awe
"Wouldn't that make you three hundred years old?"

He chuckles "Yes us turtles are rather long lived, especially with the addition of emeralds."

Emeralds huh..

"Emeralds?" I ask hoping I'm right in my assumptions. He smiles and nods.

"Yes. Emeralds are green crystals found in the heart of an herbivore colossus that can heal and extend one's life."

Beauty and the beasts then?

"Oh that's cool. Do you have any cities around here?"

He nods looking a bit dejected but also resigned "Yes we have a city called beasts city from what I have heard it's run by four separate clans: the leopard clan, the tiger clan, the wolf clan and the ape clan."

This is definitely beauty and the beasts. Now if only I knew when I was-

A clearing of throat interrupts my thoughts before he hesitantly asks
"Would you take me as a mate?"

I startle. He stands there nervously, seemingly waiting for a denial. I think about it

He mentioned eating emeralds but he doesn't have any marks so he's probably Penta marked… He's also hot. And a turtle, I like turtles so…

"Sure." He startles looking at me in awe that I accepted.

"But do you mind if we court first?" He smiles brightly and nods
"I don't mind."