3 Only human

I made my way to the forest once again running for my life. On the one hand, I have the red army searching for me and on the other hand, there is that master. My mind is troubled with so many questions whose answers I don't have.

'Where am I? How did I get here? How do I get back home? What happened to me and how am I supposed to survive here?'

I am surely going to die in this world if I don't find some way to ensure my safety. My thoughts are interrupted by the sound I hear in the background. I look around to find the source of the sound but all I see are leaves and tree branches in every direction.

Talking another step that sounds comes again. My instincts are sending me warning signs which I think won't be wise to ignore. "Run," my mind screamed and I got to my feet and started running.

Just then a jaguar jumped up from the tree and began to chase after me. I ran like a dear, leaving clouds of smoke floating in the air but the jaguar was right behind me. With my injured leg, it is going to be impossible if not difficult to outrun the jaguar.

I can't believe my luck. Everywhere I turn something or the other is trying to harm me. I have done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment and yet here I am again running to save myself. If I am being punished for my sins then God should try to be lenient with his punishment. I am only human, how am I supposed to keep running for so long, and how long until my body gives out.

I stumbled on a rock when I was not watching the way and fell to the ground. I buried my face in my hands and waited for the jaguar to jump me and devour me. I feel my outer robe being taken from me. But nothing else happens. I open my eyes and sit up from the ground. I peeked around to check if it was still there or not.

The coast was clear and there was nothing around me. I get up from the ground. "I could have killed you," I heard a deep voice say behind me. I froze.

I turned around slowly to see the person who spoke. The man standing by the tree looks at me from head to toe and studies me. He is wearing my robe. I too study him carefully, he is not like the others. He has legs like me and lacks hooves. His eyes are reddish yellow and he is also well built like all the men I have met so far.

I feel so wronged by the force that had brought me here. For some reason, it decided to turn me into a girlish man in a place where every man and boy look like 'The rock'.

"You are you human?" I asked him. It would be nice to get to mean another human in this place. He doesn't have any similar features to the beast-men and women that I have met so far except for his built but he could have gotten that from numerous exercises.

"What is a human?" he asks me. "I have never heard of them or seen anything that is human," he added.

"They are different species from far away land," I say repeating what Taka had said.

"That is not possible. I have traveled to different parts of the world since my childhood and never once did I hear of such creatures known as humans. Surely if they existed then a word or a whisper of them would have been heard and yet this is the first time I am hearing about them."

"They may prefer to lay low," I said trying to find an explanation in case I have to explain my origins.

"Not possible. I am a librarian, I research creatures of the world from where other late or living librarians have stopped their research. And none of any records from any part of the world ever talks of any creature called human. These records date back to five hundred years ago, it is not possible that such a being exists on this planet."

"What planet is this?"

"Attilan but why if I may ask do you ask such weird questions my lady?" he asks and I choke in my breath. I cough out in shock at what he just called me. 'A lady? do I look like a woman?' I wanted to ask him but sadly I answered myself. I do resemble a young lady in her early years of life.

What kind of planet is Attilan? And how the hell did I end up here?

"It is not safe for a young lady such as yourself to walk alone in the forest at any given time. Any were- creature could attack you," he said and for once I agree with him but what does he mean by were-creature. Is that what those beast-men I met are called?

"To answer your previous question, I am a were-jaguar my lady," he said and suddenly it makes sense why he was wearing my robe. He must have taken it when he transformed back into his human form. He must be the jaguar that was chasing me.

"Allow me to escort you to the city," he offered and I accepted his offer. I have many reasons for letting him take me to the city; one is that I don't know the way to the city. Secondly, with all these man-beasts running around, it is not safe for me to be alone in a forest. Thirdly my leg is killing me and I could use his help to continue on this journey.

He takes me to where he had kept his cart and clothes. We get on the cart and the horses start pulling us down the road. I wonder if the horses will turn into humans when we reach the city.

"My name is Zaba, milady. Can I have the honor of knowing your name and your identity?" he asked me. But I don't know what to tell him. I am afraid that he might leave me behind if I tell him that I am a man. And humans don't exist here and the authorities are also looking for me as a human. Introducing myself to him as a human might not be a wise idea.

"I am lady Lara," I say taking the name of my favorite actress. "I am a werewolf," I say with confidence. Werewolves on TV don't have animal ears or anything. They look normal so saying that I am a werewolf might save the trouble.

Zaba looks at me strangles and goes back to guiding the horses. 'Did I say something wrong?'I thought to myself.

"Where is your pack milady? How come you are wandering alone, is your mate not with you?"

"I don't have a mate," I replied not sure how to answer his other questions.

"Strange, you have come of age it is weird that you have no mate. You wander around alone. And you don't look anything like a werewolf," he says and I swallow hard.

I decide to keep quiet for the rest of the trip. Talking and speaking of this I know nothing about might get me in trouble in this new place. It seems that I have somehow traveled to a planet for beast or animals. And I am only human.