Surviving the Beastworld

A Girl's Best Friend

Trigger Warning - Violence (Minor) / Language

Hope you enjoy!

"Take one step closer and I'll make you regret it!" I threatened, praying my voice sounded calm enough.

Inside, however, I was a complete mess. Dread of possible things this beastman would do to me filled my head as I tried to figure out what I was going to do. In terms of strength, the beastman was on the winning end and we both knew it.

The beastman continued to smirk at me. "What's a weak female like you doing this far from home? Are you lost?"

He edged closer as he said those words and I instantly took a few steps back. His grin widened and he moved even closer before I could react or get away. It was exactly as I feared, he was holding back.

"Become my mate and I'll take you back to the village." The beastman murmured, his face just inches from mine.

I glared back at him before suddenly stabbing the taser into his side and letting it send a jolt of electricity through him. He gave me a look of surprise before collapsing at my feet.

I gave his body a light kick to check that he was completely out before letting out a sigh of relief. I had been incredibly lucky that this guy decided to come near me slowly. Had he been any faster or gotten hold of my hands, the taser would've been useless.

Still, I was glad I had my taser with me. It wouldn't save me from all the ferals, but I had some protection at least. Now, I needed to get moving before this guy woke up.

I had a feeling he wasn't going to be happy about being tasered.

Giving him one last glance, I was about to start heading downstream when I noticed something appearing from the jungle canopy. I gritted my teeth and tried getting as far as possible from the scene, but the creature had other thoughts.

My pathway was blocked by a huge black snake, perhaps a python. I gulped in fear, wondering why my luck was so bad. First a feral and now a giant ass snake. Thank goodness I didn't have a fear of snakes or I would've passed out.

I already wanted to pass out.

"I don't taste good." I cried out in hopes the creature wouldn't eat me. "I'm skin and bones and taste like garbage..."

It was probably stupid of me to say such a thing, but I was at my wits ends. I just wanted to curl up under my comfy blankets and binge watch anime, instead of being in what seemed to be the worst episode of Survivor.

The snake tilted its head at my words, making me pause for a moment. Don't tell me this snake is a feral too. Was one not enough?! I had to deal with another now.

"I won't eat you, female." A deep voice murmured as the snake's top part became a man's.

The man was drop dead gorgeous with a mix of feminine and masculine features. He had long, silky black hair, black eyes that were slited like a snake's and muscles for days, but not in a body-builder way.

More toned with pale skin. He even had a black snake tattoo on his waist with four stars around it. I guessed the tattoo was his power level.

Honestly, if I wasn't going through a mental breakdown and saw this guy back home, I would've fangirled. But instead, I was facing the threat of him kidnapping me. Because once was not enough clearly...

My grip tightened on my taser as I prepared to use it for the second time today. However, the snake beastman wasn't having it.

"That male was weak and you won't defeat me like you did to him." The snake stated as he glanced at my taser for a moment.

I felt my right eye twitch in annoyance. Why did I have to get a smartass of a feral?!

"Are you going to kidnap me then? Because I will make your life hell if you try anything funny." I added the last part, hoping to scare him away.

If my taser didn't work, maybe my words would. Hopefully.

The snake was silent for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I won't kidnap you... What's hell?"

"A place where you are burnt alive for eternity." I sighed, wondering where I had dropped my sanity.

I couldn't believe I was having a normal conversation with some feral snake. Of course, it was better than getting kidnapped, but it was still crazy.

"That sounds like a desert." The snake mused for a moment.

"Sure..." I murmured, deciding it was best not to get into that topic. "Anyway, if you're not going to kidnap me, then I'll be off."

"Wait!" The snake cried out, instantly closing the short distance between us. "You're looking for the village, right?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes..."

Was he going to pull the same move as the crocodile feral? Because I swear, I'll taser him if he tries it. Like it's no wonder they have to resort to kidnapping if their game was this bad.

"You're going the wrong direction. The village is in the opposite direction, across the river." The snake said. "It'll take you at least fourteen days by foot and you probably won't make it."

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle of madness. This system wanted me to fail. How in all that is holy was I meant to make a fourteen day trip in ten days?!

Unless...

The damn system was as sneaky as this snake. I knew he was explaining things to me to get something from me. I may be losing my mind, but I still had a brain cell left.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked, taking a step away from him.

He didn't get closer, but watched me like a hawk. "You're entertaining and I know forcing you to be my mate will be pointless. Just explain the strange things you have to me and I'll help you get back to the village."

[Hidden Quest Triggered]

[Hidden Quest: A Fellow Traveler]

[You've met a powerful guide that'll help you reach the village. Accept his offer and journey through this harsh jungle together. Bonus rewards for befriending your guide.]

[Reward: 10x Home Cooked Meals] [Penalty: Get Lost in the Jungle]

This motherfu- system?!

***

This will be the last chapter for today and chapter 4 will come out next Friday (5 July 2024). Updates will then follow a weekly schedule of one chapter every Friday. 

Unless we meet voting and comment goals (100 votes and 50 genuine comments) of course. Then I'll post the next chapter sometime within two weeks.

Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed these first chapters. Let me know if you have any thoughts or ml requests.