Waking up with a pounding headache and aching limbs, I groaned and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep in the vain hope this feeling would be gone the next time I woke up. Unfortunately, after only a few minutes, the dry sense, like I had cotton in my mouth, forced action out of me; sitting up and blearily opening my eyes, I'm immediately struck by the realisation that I'm not in my bed, or my room either for that matter.

This quickly brings me to alertness, raising the second realisation I have boobs, the unfamiliar weight making me hyper-aware. On that same note, I'm also missing something else, though oddly, this time, its absence is much more welcome, being something I'd always found distinctly uncomfortable.

Looking down at my body, two strands of long ginger hair come into view; reaching up to grab them makes it obvious it is definitely mine. My hands follow them until I reach my ears; they're pointy. I need a mirror now.

Looking around the room, I finally see how dilapidated it is: rotten boards on the floor, no door in the entry, and moth-eaten sheets beneath me. Have I been kidnapped? The last thing I remember was the final session; I'm doubtful one of them drugged me. They'd have no reason to, and besides, unless they have some magic power or were secret mad scientists, I'm pretty sure this is out of their wheelhouse.

On another note, why am I wearing such a rough cotton shirt and leather pants? These aren't my clothes, did someone dress me? Is anyone here? I haven't heard a sound since I woke up, and no one has come to check on me. Am I alone here?

Standing, I stumble a little, speaking aloud for the first time, "Huh, I'm shorter, too." Somewhere around 5'8, this is gonna take some getting used to. Walking to the doorway and looking out, I see a hall leading down to a larger room with a few large chests against one wall, a dilapidated table in the centre, and racks with... wooden short bows and rusted swords on the far wall.

"Where the hell is this," I mutter. Oh wow, my voice is so soft now, none of that grumble and growl that always makes me sound grumpy; I think I might like it. Walking over to the chests and opening them. I see they're filled with the same sort of leather armour that people wear at ren fairs; seeing what I think is a cuirass, I pick it up, feeling it's genuine leather.

Suddenly, the door on the far side of me bursts open, and a small figure shoots in, slamming it closed behind them and taking breaths in short bursts; they sink to the floor.

"Uh, hi?" I say, immediately regretting it as what I now recognise as a young girl, somewhere around 5 or 6 jumps, eyes darting up to look at me. She quickly scrabbles away to the wall covered in weapons; grabbing a sword far too heavy to hold correctly, she points it at me, the tip drooping from the weight, wild fear in her eyes, tears welling up. I feel immensely guilty for scaring her so much.

"Woah, I promise I won't hurt you." Raising my hands placatingly, I step back and crouch to her level. "My name is Za-" I pause, "Well, that's unnecessary; the significant part is you are safe here. What're you hiding from?" I ask.

She remains unmoving, staring at me, so I do the same, remaining as non-threatening as possible. We stay like this for close to 5 minutes, and during this time, I start to notice a few things about her, like the little antlers peaking above her hair and how frail she really is. Eventually, her arm tires, she lowers the sword, her breath calms, and she finally speaks. "My big sisters going to find me soon."

I blink confusedly at her, "You're hiding from your sister?" I ask.

"No." She quickly replies, "I'm hiding from a monster; my big sister Medeina led it away so I could run, but she's the best at hide and seek, so she'll find me soon." A resolute tone forms as she speaks.

"Alright, well, until she gets here, you can hang out with me, okay?" I ask, staying crouched and speaking softly.

"Okay, but only till sis gets here. My name is Zverine, what's yours?" She asks, causing me to pause and think before saying, "How about you call me Selene for now? That feels right-ish."

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Hiding behind a tree, wreathed in shadow, Medeina watches the unknown creature, now discernable in the light of day. It's a tall creature; however, hunched over, it only reaches a head above her. It is a digitigrade with muscular legs, four clawed toes, long arms, and a vicious face like a canine. Permanently pulled back in a snarl.

It is currently sniffing around, trying unsuccessfully to locate her scent, possibly believing it has lost the trail somewhere; it turns and heads back the way it came, and after waiting with bated breath for several minutes, Medeina breathes a sigh of relief.

Now that she's lost its trail, she slowly heads in the direction Zverine ran. Searching the ground for any marks left, not long after finding clear markings, broken branches, and disturbed leaf litter. She followed the trail slowly and attempted to remove any signs that she'd passed this way as she went, eventually coming across a creek and looking up to see a ruin she gathered her sister hid in. Making her way inside, the first thing of note to her was the open door to the main barracks, the only building that looked to have been recently disturbed.

Inside, she immediately hears her sister, causing her to rush forward before abruptly stopping at the door after hearing another voice; it's feminine, but the door is too thick to understand what's being said. Taking a deep breath, she braces her arm at the door and shoves it open, storming into the room.