Chapter 2: Beast

"Which film crew are you from? Are you shooting Adam and Eve or World of Warcraft?" Clara was going crazy; the situation was terrible. If she had traveled to another world, she could accept it, but did anyone ever travel like this, without even a normal house or people? She tugged on Monster's tail, which was warm, and beast jumped in surprise, clutching his behind and glaring at her. 

Really! It's a real tail! Clara's mind went blank; the creature in front of her was indeed a beast!

Oh my goodness! Please don't eat me!

"Ah!" Clara screamed in shock, tears in her eyes, looking pitiful and terrified at beast in front of her. 

A gust of wind rustled the grass, and several people suddenly appeared nearby, all curiously looking at Clara. Looking at their appearance, they were all similar to the one beside her. Then they gathered in groups, chattering and exchanging glances with various expressions: curiosity, fear, and even anger. 

A brave one ran over, grabbed Gloria, and said, "She is Mateo's mate, strange, she's so small! And she doesn't even have a tail!" 

In front of them, Clara seemed very petite; she was even shorter than them, and her body was not as robust. They had human faces, but they had ears and tails. These creatures were probably called beast. 

More and more beast gathered around, and Clara started to get scared. She stood still, not daring to move. Some bold ones started to approach her, touching her hair, touching her face. 

"Let go! Don't touch me!" These beast, Clara crossed her arms, clamped her legs tightly, a feeling of helplessness and fear spreading within her. Would these beast eat her? Judging from their appearances, they seemed to be some kind of evolved wild animals, transformed into human-like beings. Even if they transformed into humans, their essence was still that of beasts. 

Someone pushed her, and her arm hit a stone, causing her elbow to bleed, and the beasts were extremely sensitive to blood. She looked at the beast in front of her with fear and saw nothing unusual in their expressions. They were just curious, some even mocked her. Gloria went to her and helped her up, and even blew on her elbow. Clara felt a bit touched and wronged.

Seeing so many beast, Clara finally recognized a harsh reality. She had arrived in a primitive, uncivilized era in another world, with these savage beast. At this moment, she had to decide whether to end her life or struggle to survive. According to her knowledge, wild beasts had no humanity and no reasoning. 

She must have become a captive of some male beast, and if she continued like this, only a terrifying end awaited her.

Escape! Since there was no way out, she had to create one. As long as she could escape from this area and find a safe place, she could figure out how to survive. 

She stepped forward, about to run into the forest, but Gloria stopped her, staring wide-eyed, shaking his head and shouting, "There! You can't go!"

Clara had only one thought in her mind at the moment, so she didn't care. She struggled to enter the woods, but Gloria suddenly reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her towards a low thatched house. As she looked at the dimly lit thatched house, Clara felt as if it were a dangerous place. A deep, chilling darkness enveloped her, making her scream in fear. 

Despite her resistance, Gloria managed to pull her into the house and closed the door. Inside, they lit a fire. Clara was so upset that she didn't pay much attention to the process of Gloria building the fire. When the flames began to burn, she was surprised to see that they knew how to use fire. Did this mean they had taken a big step towards civilization? Looking around, she also noticed pottery and stone tools. 

Gloria started roasting meat, saying, "Are you hungry? Mateo and Rowan have gone hunting. I'll take care of you. Don't be afraid; Mateo is a good man and very brave. He saved you. If the Wolf Clan had captured you, you wouldn't be so lucky." 

Clara mentally noted the two names mentioned, Mateo and Rowan. It seemed like Mateo had saved her, and she was now his spouse. 

Gloria remained lively and enthusiastic, gesturing and wagging her tail, smiling, and even revealing sharp, tiger-like fangs. She said she was a lioness and Rowan's spouse, calling herself Gloria, although she wasn't sure about the pronunciation. Clara thought for a moment and then wrote "Gloria" on the ground with a twig, showing her that it was her name. 

"Gloria! Is it this?" Clara asked happily. She felt a special fondness for the first person she had met in this world. Besides, Gloria seemed genuinely kind and didn't look like she wanted to eat her. 

Gloria's eyes widened, her pupils becoming round and bright. She pointed to the written name on the ground, her tail swaying happily, and used her fingers to mimic writing, making each stroke with great care. 

Clara continued to ask about the situation in this place, and the two of them communicated through gestures and words, allowing Clara to gradually understand the situation.

This is a small tribe, mostly of the lion clan, with a few foxes, all of which are females. Some came voluntarily, while others were captured and then settled here. Clara was also captured and brought back by a Young lion in the tribe, whom Gloria mentioned as Mateo. Clara could only guess the pronunciation from Gloria's speech. 

Young lions had to find their own mates when they reached maturity, and unfortunately for her, she was captured by Mateo. When she was first brought back, the whole tribe was shocked because she was very different. She had fair skin, a small body, and was dressed strangely. But in Gloria's eyes, Clara was like a person with disabilities, very deserving of sympathy. 

During the daytime, the male lions went out to hunt, and Gloria was Mateo's neighbor, so she came to check on the new companion and introduce her to the situation here.

Clara nibbled on the roasted meat slowly. 

Shocked! She was truly shocked, as if it were a fairy tale. She was just an animal caught during her mating season, a warm bed's prey, and she felt miserable. She was a young lady living in a civilized society, but in this primitive and chaotic world, her role was simply to provide warmth! The feeling she had now was more intense than the feeling of the sky collapsing. She felt fear, anger, but most of all, despair. She was just an ordinary woman; her parents had divorced, but she had never complained. She had lived a strong, independent life and had studied well in school. After she started working, she hoped to meet someone who would treat her well and build a good life together. She had no intention of following her parents' path. She wanted to be a good wife and mother in the future. But now, everything was ruined, and she felt hopeless. 

Clara began to imagine what the beast that had captured her looked like. Since it was a lion transformed into human form, it must have had a large, hairy body, copper-bell eyes, a flat nose, and fangs. Oh my god! That must be so terrifying. She dropped the meat in her hand. She refused to be the mate of such a monstrous creature, and she would rather die. She wasn't part of the "looks matter" club, but she couldn't accept such a strong preference for unconventional appearances.