Chaos and escape
They ran, or rather, Lisa was dragged amidst the chaos by the rabbit man.
Several beast men shouted, fighting amongst themselves as the newly freed prisoners fled. The kangaroo jumped over the crowd, punching and running toward freedom, but it was the lion who caused the greatest havoc. If he had seemed half-mad spinning in his cage, the first thing he did when released was attack, charging into the crowd with claws and teeth slashing and tearing through flesh. He didn't seem to have a specific target in mind and bit whoever was in his way.
The crowd of rabbits hopping, shoving, and mingling in the chaos didn't help. Everything was in disarray.
"Move faster, female, you're too slow, too slow," the rabbit man remarked, shoving Lisa through the turmoil.
She stumbled, trying to keep up with his pace. That's when the first male saw her.
"The female!" he shouted.
Several beast men turned simultaneously. Lisa froze. She looked to the rabbit man, surprised, but he was no longer by her side.
Panic coursed through her veins. Where was he?
A choking sound drew her attention. The man who had shouted earlier had his throat slashed, blood spurting from the wound. He collapsed swiftly.
The chaos escalated.
"What was that?"
"He's dead!"
"Who did this?"
Lisa watched the scene in shock, momentarily forgotten by the crowd.
"Order! Order!" Rufus, her jailer and the tiger man responsible for her sale, roared at the agitated mob.
Her eyes met his, icy with rage. Lisa turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Near the cages, her guards began pushing the crowd toward her.
At this rate, she'd be caught. What would they do to her for escaping? Would they try to sell her again? Maybe they'd give up and just kill her outright.
A grip on her wrist pulled Lisa from her thoughts. She screamed, trying to pull her hand free. That's when she realized there was nothing holding her.
What is this?
The invisible grip continued to drag her forcefully toward a road in the village and away from the crowd.
Lisa resisted, struggling with all her might.
"It's me, female, don't fight if you want to get out of here."
Lisa swallowed hard, shocked, hearing the voice. It was the rabbit man. He was right there beside her, though she couldn't see him. The voice came from nowhere, but the force continued pulling her.
He was invisible. The magic of this world, Lisa almost forgot, could be used by beast men with marks. And the rabbit man's mark was very useful. Only now did she realize who was responsible for the slashed throats.
He kept dragging her away from the chaos. Lisa felt exposed. At least amid all the fighting and confusion, she could blend in, but without it, she stood out, a defenseless and solitary female in a dangerous world.
Even so, she followed the male, moving away from the chaos of fighting beast men. The confusion wouldn't last long, soon, they'd notice her among them.
She followed the rabbit man, or rather, was guided by him through the invisible grip on her wrist. He led her away from the tiger guards and the brawl, and each time a male recognized her, his throat was swiftly cut. It was brutal and quick, and soon they were on the road, running away from the fight.
Lisa glanced back, surprised they had made it out.
"Come on, female, we don't have much time" said the rabbit man.
He was visible now, his red hair and crimson eyes scanning their surroundings, searching for any threat as he pulled her along the dirt road. It was the same path she had taken earlier, but this time she wasn't trapped in a wooden cage. She was free, or at least with a different jailer.
Her relief didn't last long. The man suddenly changed direction and shoved her to the ground.
Lisa stared at him in surprise, but the rabbit man continued pushing her down. Lisa fell and realized that at her feet was a heap of mud.
She struggled, trying to push him away. What was he doing? But he kept pressing her to the ground until Lisa's face hit the mud. For a moment, she panicked, breathless. Was he going to kill her? Was this your end, drowning in a puddle of mud in the middle of nowhere?
Lisa pushed herself up, gasping for air, but the rabbit man, much stronger, forced her back into the mud. His hands moved over her body, smearing more of the foul-smelling muck everywhere.
"I can't let them track us" he muttered, almost to himself.
Lisa broke free, slapping him hard across the face.
The rabbit man only laughed.
"Don't get mad" he chided, as if she were the one acting strangely. "Do you want them to follow us? They'll track your scent and come after us if I don't do this."
They could do that? Lisa knew some animals could track prey by scent. Police especially trained many dogs to find drugs. Maybe beast men could use their animal side to do the same.
She didn't fight anymore, letting the rabbit man cover her with more of the foul-smelling mud. Lisa nearly vomited, telling herself she didn't want to know what kind of filth was in there, and soon only her eyes were visible beneath the muck.
"There, now you're invisible like me" the rabbit man said, satisfied.
And suddenly, he vanished. One moment he was there, and the next, he wasn't. Lisa swallowed hard. It was magical, real magic. Somehow it seemed more absurd than men turning into animals or massive forests.
"Let's go, female" his voice said from the same spot he'd been moments ago.
Lisa stood, wrinkling her nose at herself, trying to ignore the mud and filth covering her body. The invisible grip was back around her wrist, guiding her again toward the road.
She followed, tense, expecting someone to appear behind her, but no one came, and the few people or animals she saw paid her no mind, too preoccupied with their own matters. Maybe they saw nothing strange about someone walking around covered in mud.
Soon they reached the road leading out of the village toward the forest. That's when the rabbit man became visible once more. Still naked, Lisa noticed.
"See, female? I told you I could get you out of there."
And he had. Lisa just hoped she hadn't escaped one terrible fate only to find a worse one.