Female, i'm not available

She and the rabbit-man walked for what felt like hours before finally reaching their destination. She hated every minute of it. Barefoot, reeking of mud, and sweating from the heat, Lisa was miserable. The forest was stifling, with damp air clinging to her skin, and her companion wasn't exactly great company either.

The rabbit-man didn't talk much. He didn't bother covering himself, but that wasn't really the issue. After a while, Lisa got used to his overall nakedness. What bothered her more was his silence. The forest was vast and terrifying, and from what she remembered from the book, much of this world was crawling with monsters. But it wasn't the danger around them that unnerved her, it was his constant wariness.

He kept stopping, sniffing the air, then changing direction without a word. Anytime Lisa tried to gesture or communicate in some way, because talking wasn't an option, he straight-up ignored her, like she wasn't even there.

At one point, she finally stopped out of sheer frustration, refusing to take another step. Her feet ached, her throat was parched, and she was starving. She hadn't had water or food in God knows how long. The rabbit-man wasn't having any of it, though. He frowned, clearly annoyed.

"Move it, female." he snapped.

Lisa crossed her arms and stood her ground.

Without missing a beat, the rabbit-man grabbed her by the arm and started pushing her toward yet more endless trees and tangled roots. She resisted, digging her heels into the muddy ground, but he only yanked her harder. Finally, in a full-blown tantrum, that she recognized wasn't her finest moment, she threw herself to the ground like a bratty kid at the mall, making herself as heavy and uncooperative as possible.

The guy clenched his jaw, clearly fed up. He crouched beside her, which, unfortunately, gave her a clear view of his... pink junk. Yeah, no thanks. Not the time.

"What do you want, female?" he asked in that condescending tone people use when talking to a clueless toddler.

Lisa gestured at the forest, then at him, her frustration evident.

"What?" he asked, confused. "I don't get it."

She gritted her teeth. She was asking him what the hell he wanted, or what he was even looking for out here. Were they headed somewhere specific? Why hadn't he bothered to share their destination? Was she just supposed to follow and hope for the best?

Of course, she couldn't actually say any of that, which only pissed her off more.

Lisa pointed at herself, then at him, and finally at the forest, shooting him a questioning glare.

"You don't talk, huh?" he said, tilting his head, curious.

Well, at least they were communicating now. Lisa shook her head.

"Why not?"

She stuck out her tongue, showing the missing tip and a bit beyond that had been crudely cut off.

Instead of cringing or offering sympathy, he just touched his chin, like he was deep in thought.

"Hmm, that's gonna be a problem, but we can work around it. You're still easy on the eyes" he said casually.

Lisa made a face at that comment, getting to her feet and brushing the dirt off her skirt and top. Not that it helped much, she was still filthy with mud. Her leather crop top and flimsy skirt, both with nothing underneath, were beyond saving. Still, standing made her feel a little more composed, even if her appearance was a lost cause.

The rabbit-man, still crouched, watched her with a questioning look.

Lisa pointed at herself, then at him. If she couldn't ask where they were going, she could at least try to figure out what he wanted from her.

She didn't love his comment about her appearance. In this world, beauty was basically a weapon for women. A beautiful woman could attract many men, and if she were rare enough, she could draw the strongest males to her side. That's how the villainess from the book had challenged the protagonist, after all.

Lisa figured this guy might want her to accept him into her "family." That made sense. Females were rare here, and she was alone and apparently available.

In this world, women linked to men gained their protection and loyalty. If a bonded woman died, the male suffered immensely. The strong ones grew weaker, and the weaker ones outright died. This dynamic made most men fiercely protective of their partners. Only the desperate, usually feral males, risked something like rape. Why force yourself on a woman who could decide to die just to spite you? Worse, what if she was one of the rare ones who could remove the bond mark from her body? That caused the male just as much agony as death did.

In short, bonding with this guy would give Lisa some power over him, or at least make him more inclined to protect her. It wasn't exactly romantic, but hey, beggars can't be choosers, right? And, as with most males in this world, he was ridiculously attractive, with lean muscles on a strong, wiry frame.

The rabbit-man shot her a questioning glance before standing up.

Up close, he was taller than her, not intimidatingly so, but she only reached his nose. For males in this world, who were generally enormous, he was on the shorter side. Maybe it had something to do with him being an herbivore.

"What're you trying to say, female?"

Lisa ran her hands through her hair in pure frustration. How much clearer could she be?"

She pointed straight at his cock, then at herself. 

Do you want to fuck me or what? There was no way to be more open than that?

He followed her gaze, then cautiously stepped away from her.

"You want this? I'm not available, female."

Lisa's jaw dropped. She was stunned, to say the least. Wasn't this supposed to be a world where women were super rare, and men were desperate? Why did this guy seem like he wanted nothing to do with her?

She pointed to his arms. No stripes. She knew, and had seen with her own eyes, that bonded males had spiral marks all over their forearms. This one had none.

The rabbit man followed her gaze, then blushed, irritation flashing across his face.

"We're not bonded yet, but my Genevive will accept me as soon as I get stronger."

Lisa blinked slowly, trying to process the situation she was in.

What kind of bad luck was this? In a world with a shortage of women and an excess of men, she just had to run into one who was already taken?

She gave him an evaluating look. But if he didn't want her as a mate, what else did he want with her? Lisa didn't have anything of value or... wait a second, why was he covering himself now?

The male rabbit turned away, hiding his parts from her, and Lisa felt like a sexual predator. She hadn't even done anything! He was the one walking naked through the forest.

He gave her a cautious look before flashing a smile. It was the fakest smile she'd ever seen in her life.

"Female, i'm not available, but if you stick with me, you can find plenty of males for yourself."

Lisa clenched her teeth. She wasn't desperate. Honestly, if she had a tongue right now, Lisa was sure she'd have a few choice words for him. Since she couldn't, she just crossed her arms with a resentful expression.

He stepped closer to her slowly, his eyes scanning the muddy marks on her skin. The only two left: the snake and the fox.

"Where are your males? Don't you have anyone who can mate with you now?"

She just stared at him in shock. What did he think? That she was some kind of crazy woman in heat?

"Don't get mad," he said in a softer tone, and Lisa was even more surprised when she felt his hand gently pat her head in a soothing motion. "Even though I can't satisfy you right now, I'll find you other partners. That's a promise."

Lisa slapped his hand away, furious. She wasn't some kind of pervert.

He sighed.

"Be patient, female. I'd even lick you if I could, but I really have to stay pure for my Genevive. You know how females are, she won't want me if she finds out I've been with someone else."

If looks could kill, this man would've been six feet under by now. Shooting him one last murderous glare, Lisa walked over to a discarded log nearby and sat down. Her legs hurt, her feet were scratched up, and she was exhausted.

This was all a nightmare.

She heard footsteps approaching, and soon the rabbit man was by her side.

"We have to go. It's not safe here."

Lisa glanced at her feet, her middle toe was bleeding. That was the result of walking barefoot through a treacherous forest. Branches, roots, thorns, rocks... everything on the ground felt like a potential weapon ready to injure her.

"Ugh" the rabbit man clicked his tongue. "I forgot how fragile females are."

He crouched down in front of her.

"Get on."

Lisa shot him a cautious look.

"We have to get out of here. I'll carry you until we arrive."

Arrive where? Lisa wanted to ask, but a sudden crack in the forest caught her attention.

What was that? She looked around at the trees. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Lisa swallowed nervously.

She moved closer to the rabbit man and climbed onto his back. What choice did she have? The forest was unnerving, and Lisa didn't want to find out what secrets it might be hiding. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

At least she wasn't alone.