Larann hid behind a tree as she stared at the creature. When she was a kid, learning about dinosaurs had been interesting and she studied the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
It felt like a glimpse of a memory to see in real life what had only been imagined in film and imitated in animatronics. Even now, part of her wanted to believe that she was just seeing an advanced robot that had somehow taken over the forest.
Something that she did remember is that the CO2 levels back then were higher than they were in the modern era.
"No wonder I'm huffing and puffing!" Looking at the things that came with her, she realized something. The knife was made of natural materials. And apparently, so had her shoes. Great marketing for the brand to use authentic and natural materials, but that didn't help her here. The dress she had worn was a man made synthetic.
"Is the reason I'm naked because I didn't wear a cotton sundress?" She was annoyed and that made her forget her surroundings for a moment until she realized that the creature which she recognized now as a Diplodocus was coming closer.
It had been grazing on the lower branches of the trees at the edge of the wide plain. In search for tasty nibbles, it came to the tree that Larann stood behind.
She could hear it breathing and grunting as it tore the fern like leaves off of the low branches. She couldn't help but shiver in fear. The books said that the sauropods were herbivores, but that was only a best guess by scientists.
And she did not want to find out personally if they were vegan or omnivores! She felt the thick trunk shake behind her and she tried to glance around only to feel a hand cover her face and pull her back.
Larann panicked and thrashed around but couldn't break the grip of the person holding her tight against them.
What the heavens? She wondered, finally tiring. The adrenaline from having to walk in the forest and finding a real-life dinosaur was starting to fade and her eyes drooped from exhaustion.
Well, if whoever this is wanted me dead, he would have let the dino get me. A quick stomp and it could have been over! At that, she passed out from sheer exhaustion.
When she woke, she was in a wet and nasty smelling bed of leaves. At least the rot had that earthy scent from freshly spread earth in a garden and not the foul stench of rotting food.
Looking around, she could see multiple stones stacked atop others to form a round structure.
Not much else was in the room except some small bones of creatures that had long since seen their last day.
The exit was covered with a scaly skin like that of a snake or lizard. Or a dinosaur, she thought. Larann stood and swayed, dizzy from hunger and dehydration. She never did find a source of water and her mouth was desperately dry.
Looking down, she realized that someone had been kind enough to clothe her in soft hides, and she was grateful that she was no longer naked. Before she could call out, someone shoved the entry skin aside and stepped in. Larann's jaw dropped because on top of his head were wolf ears. You know, the kind you would see in cosplay costumes or on Halloween. His hair was long and a bit bedraggled from sticks and leaves clinging to it. She itched to find a comb because his face was a study in everything that was perfect in a model.
"Are those real?" she asked.
The beastman stilled and looked over to her, surprise on his face.
"You are awake?" He set the container he had brought with him down and rushed back out of the hut.
"I didn't think I was that scary." She could hear the man calling for someone and the entry shifted again to reveal an actual scarry giant. He reminds me of a bear, she thought before noticing bearlike ears on him.
Craning her head, she tried to see if the ears were real or if they were held on by a headband. From her vantage, she couldn't see the typical human ears at the side of his head where they should be. Only the bear ears.
Were they real? Honestly, since I am apparently having a ridiculous fever dream after having fallen off a cliff, it doesn't surprise me. Wait, am I actually dying or in a coma in a hospital?
Larann's thoughts raced and she felt a panic attack starting to form. Before it could truly take off, the giant man spoke.
"Where are you from, woman?" His harsh deep voice grated on her nerves. She could hear the arrogance dripping from his words, as if she wasn't worth his attention. "You do understand me right?"
She stubbornly kept silent for a moment and was about to answer, but the man harrumphed.
"As I thought, just another idiot stumbling through the woods. No one could compare to my Ganne." He looked at the man with the wolf ears. "You can keep her, just be sure she doesn't cause trouble!"
At that the man left. Part of her was relieved that he thought she was an imbecile. He seemed like an jerk, but the feminist in side her wanted to argue.
Sighing, she thought to herself pick your battles only after you have the knowledge to win them. Holding her secrets close until she understood this world would be a lot safer.
The wolf looked confused. He would since he knew that she could speak. But he didn't try and argue. The bearman must be someone important, she thought.
Then the wolf looked at her. She would tell that he didn't expect this situation but was also really glad for it.
"I'll take you to our hut. But first, I brought you some food." He pointed to other container he had brought. She walked over and bent to pick it up. The small pot was made of a hollowed-out stone and was warm to the touch. She lifted the container to her nose, smelling it. The scent of meat and vegetables filled her nose and her stomach growled echoing off the hard stone walls and making the wolfman grin in amusement. She put the bowl to her lips and sipped at the contents.
The broth was rich and made her want to moan in pleasure. Her eyes closed instead and her tongue snaked out pushing the food into her mouth.
Whoever cooked this is a decent enough chef. Larann finished the bowl and looked at the bottom in disappointment. She could have eaten a whole two or three more servings.
The wolfman took the bowl from her and took her hand.
"I'll lead you to my hut." He led her out the small hut and she realized that they were in what seemed to be a small village. Smoke rose from a central fire, probably the one where everyone cooked.
The temperature here was hotter than she was used to, though the wind chilled her. Larann guessed that not many people had fires in their homes.
She saw a few small cubs and even a snake in the trees. They played roughly, like she had seen housecats and dogs do. The snakes just basked in the sun ignoring the antics of their peers.
She didn't know exactly how she knew they were actually children, but she could see some beast women close by watching over them.
It wasn't long before they arrived at a slightly larger hut than the one she came from. In here, there were two more beastmen waiting.
"What did he say?" The one with cat eyes and ears asked.
"He will allow us to keep her." The other mans tongue slipped out and she could see the forked tongue and slitted eyes of a snake. The back of his neck had gray scales. He had the closest thing to human ears, but she guessed it was because snake ears were very different.
"Are you sure? I thought you said she seemed intelligent?" The wolfman would have spoken but Larenn decided that she would need allies here in this place.
"How about we keep that a secret?"
The three men jumped and looked at each other before glancing out of the hut. Nodding, they turned to me.
"We will protect you. You are our wife." Larenn's eyes shot up and she stared at the men. Is that what the giant bearman was allowing. What the hell?
"Wait, what do you mean wife?" She swayed as this new shock took her breath away.
"The Shamen is the only one who can give us a wife. No one in the city wanted us, so he allowed us to keep you. So, you are our wife now," said the snakeman.
"Don't I get a say?"
The men looked at each other in confusion.
"Do you now want us as husbands?"
"I don't even know you!" At that they nodded.
"You don't have to worry about that. We will wait to be with you until you are ready for it. You'll have time to get to know us."
Husbands? I was just lamenting my ruined date. How can the universe give me three husbands!