Sophie: Shoulder-length black hair, blue eyes, fair skin, petite. Twenty years old.

Sophie ran as fast as her legs would carry her through the treacherous mountains as something terrifying soared overhead. Whatever it was, it followed her, trying to catch her with its giant talons, but she somehow managed to maneuver out of its reach every time it swooped down. For the life of her, she wasn't sure how she ended up in this place, let alone why it was even morning when it was evening half an hour ago!

Another turn left her scraping her arm against a low hanging branch as she ducked under it, barely feeling the gust from the massive wings of the creature hot on her pursuit. From the looks of it, it wouldn't give up so easily, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could continue running.

"Ava... where are you?!" Sophie gasped, chancing a glance behind her to see what kind of bird it was.

Even if it was a split second, she swore she saw a human face smirking at her, its golden eyes gleaming mischievously as it licked its lips. Half human, half bird! A male torso with massive black wings, not to mention the horns which protruded from its ashy forehead. The sight alone was horrifying!

Unfortunately, that split second was enough to end her sprint when she unexpectedly lost her footing and tumbled down the rocky slope. A pained cry escaped her as the rocks jabbed her from all angles, and worse yet, she felt a sharp pain stab the back of her head. It was too late to tuck and roll, and soon she fell beneath the waves of a thunderous river that threatened to swallow her.

"Someone... help!" She cried, waving her arms above the surface, but she could not catch her footing as her body collided with more rocks. "H-help!" The water burned her throat and she sputtered, barely having enough strength to keep her head above water.

Was this how she would die?

There was a splash in front of her, but her vision was far too blurry to determine was it was, and she prayed to God it wasn't that monster. Seconds after, she felt strong arms encircle her, lifting her out of the cold river, and as the outer corners of her eyes darkened, warning she was very close to fainting, she heard a masculine voice call out to her.

"Female? Female-"

Sophie wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping, but from the constant jostling right and left, with motion sickness kicking in, she opened her eyes. She half expected to see herself back at her friend's house, asleep on the couch after a long night of gaming, but instead, she found herself in the arms of an unknown stranger, running at god's speed through the forest.

What's going on? Where am I? What happened to me? What is this place?

There were so many questions circling her brain, but another sharp pain from her head left her wincing. As it did, the events which had happened earlier came flooding back, and fearing the bird had snatched her from the river, she shrieked.

"Let go of me! Help! Help!"

The person in question came to an immediate halt, clutching her tightly in his arms with his expression tense and bewildered. "Female? Why are you screaming?"

"Help! Help! I don't want to die!" Sophie continued struggling, throwing her fists at him and kicking her legs, hoping that if she did it long enough, he'd let her go.

To her relief, he gently sat her down, but his hold on her wrist did not relinquish as she attempted to pull away from him. Despite her best efforts, he was too strong. "Please, please don't eat me! I don't want to die yet!" She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. She just wanted to go home.

Barely able to muster enough strength, she collapsed onto her knees, and winced once more. She ached all over, and through her blurry vision, she noticed dried blood on her arms and legs. Already, she could see signs of bruises swelling on her pale skin.

"Female, you are safe. I will not harm you," The male voice said, holding her wrists more gently than before. "Calm down. Please? You are safe now."

Was she really? Was she really safe?

Before another wave of blackness consumed her, she looked up into the face of her supposed rescuer. Instead of the monstrous bird man, she saw a young man kneeling before her, albeit a bit wet from jumping in the river, but nonetheless, he was anything but dangerous.

At least she thought so...

"Safe?" Sophie asked, her vision getting darker. "You saved me?"

"Yes. I give you my word," He said, removing his hands from her wrist before suddenly lurching forward to catch her before she fell. "Female?! Female?!"

And just like that, she blacked out once again.

When Sophie came to, she was lying inside a small enclosure of wood with straw beneath her, the only light evident shining through narrow openings which served as windows. As she moved to sit up, touching her temples achingly, something slid off her chest, and bemused by the thin, white cloth, she immediately gasped when she realized she was completely naked.

Scrambling to pull the cloth back over her chest, she realized it wasn't just her shirt that was missing but the remainder of her clothes. Worst yet, the cloth left for her could barely cover her bare thighs.

Why am I naked?! Where are my clothes?! Where am I?!

One thing was certain. Sophie was no longer at her friend's house, which led her to believe she was still lost in the great unknown. Unless this was a dream, but her injuries hurt too much for it to be a dream. Besides, how could she survive a fall off a cliff and nearly drowning? She faintly recalled someone rescuing her.

"What's going on? How did all of this happen?" She asked, mostly mumbling to herself. It hurt too much to think, but what else could she do given her situation?

Let me think… I was with Ava, playing this new video game... There was a bright light and then...

And then she had woken up in a forestry mountain with a feral bird man flying after her, fell off a cliff and into a river, and now she was naked in this small shack. Regardless of the bizarre situation which anyone would believe was a dream, Sophie was alive. Someone had saved her, and if her memory served her any justice, she was sure it was a young man.

"He called me female… What a weird way to address someone…"

A cool breeze whipped through, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around her chest before shifting her eyes forward. Within the darkness, she noticed what seemed to be a makeshift curtain of some kind, sway on account of the wind. Obviously, that was her exit out of this place, but she couldn't leave without her clothes.

Where were her clothes anyway?

Sophie squinted, crawling and searching with her hands, but she could not find anything familiar. Where in the world was a light when she needed it? She was half tempted to rip that curtain off the door so she could see better, but the last thing she wanted was for someone to see her. She couldn't imagine anything more mortifying than that-

"Oh, you're awake, female?" A haggard voice said.

On account of her bare bottom exposed to the light flooding into the room, and she herself on her hands and knees crawling around, Sophie's cheeks reddened shamefully. In an instant, she fell back, clutching what little the cloth served to shroud her modesty, but the old woman had seen everything and merely regarded her with a curious lift of her brow.

"Are you all right? Why did you leave the bedding?" She asked, pointing to the straw in the furthest corner of the room. "Come now. Let's get you back in bed so I can apply the medicine," She said, aiding Sophie back to her original spot.

Now that the curtain was pushed aside and the room was much brighter than before, Sophie realized it was actually animal hide, with several more hanging on the walls and on the floor serving to decorate the drafty interior. There was barely anything within, save a sunken hearth where a pile of ashes laid and a few wooden baskets filled with several different leaves and berries.

But aside from the lacking interior, what really caught her notice were the strange red appendages on her head, twitching and turning as she sorted through her basket of herbs. Sophie wasn't prepared for the swishing red tail either, leading her to believing this woman was probably a cosplayer.

She has animal ears... and a fluffy tail... This is so strange… but why does it seem so familiar? Maybe this really is a dream… Or I bumped my head harder than I thought…

"Hold your arm out, and I'll apply the medicine," The woman said, taking her arm and wrapping some leaves around her forearm and securing it in place with some white cloth which served as bandages. "Good, now I'll do the same to your legs. Fortunately, you only suffered a small wound to your head. You should be right as rain in a few days."

"Could you tell me where I am?" She asked.

The old woman looked up at this, finally finished with her wounds before settling herself more comfortable in front of her. "Do you not remember? Perhaps that fall did a number on you then… You are in the kingdom of Noir."

Kingdom of Noir?

Just then, realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The reference to the name, along with the strange wolf-like ears and tail on this person was definitely a direct copy and paste from the video game she and Ava had started playing earlier. The game was multiplayer, set during a time in which beast men dominated a prehistoric world, and it was not only a survival dating game, but there were also elements of crafting, with multiples choice scenarios and endings.

Unfortunately, she and Ava hadn't gotten far in the beginning, but looking at the older woman now, she instantly recognized her as the shaman of this small village. In this world, a Shaman was nothing more than a medicine woman, and she was the oldest member of the Wolf Tribe and highly respectable too.

No way! I'm… I'm inside the game?!