Chapter 3

We pulled into a small field an hour before sunset to set up camp for the night. “Hank, please see if you can get us something for dinner. Bob, start to set up a tent for us. Shaun,” Terrance started as we hopped down from our wagon,

“I’ll start a fire after I get some wood unless you want me to do something else.” I finished for him. He smiled back and nodded to me as I walked to the tree line to see what I could find. I froze in my tracks as Hank pulled the helmet from his head, and I saw for the first time the wolf ears on top of his head. My jaw dropped to the grass as a beautiful black-furred anthropomorphic cat wearing a maid uniform got out of the carriage and walked over to Shalyndria.

“What what what,” I stuttered out as I stood there dumbfounded.

“You’ve never seen a beast-man or a beast folk before?” Shalyndria laughed as she saw the look on my face. She continued as she walked over to me and closed my mouth with one finger, “Hank’s father is a full-blooded wolf beast-man while his mother is human, making him a wolf beast folk. Milla, my personal maid, is a full-blooded panther beast-man. Are they that shocking?”

“Where I’m from, it’s only humans in the entire world,” I answered. “It was just a surprise. Milla is exotic and beautiful. She single?” I asked with a shy smile. I didn’t miss the hurt look that flashed across her face for a split second. “You’re hot as hell yourself.” I managed to finish.

As a blush spread across her cheeks, “Flattery will get you only so far. And you should know Milla is engaged to Terrance and head over heels for him. It looks like a lot of lonely nights ahead for you.” She chuckled as she walked away back towards the carriage.

I ran through the day in my head as I gathered firewood. Everything from the point I awoke in this world made my head spin. The only bright spot in the whole day seemed too far out of my reach. I watched Shalyndria as she talked with Milla, and they prepared the food for dinner. I wondered what it would take to get on her radar.

As we started to eat, they all asked to hear about me, and I realized the only one I knew was Shalyndria, and I felt terrible. “Yes, tell Terrance what you said when you saw Milla. Shaun, come on now!” called Shalyndria. I glanced at him, and he didn’t miss the nervous look on my face and laughed.

“Go ahead. I’ve probably heard it all before.” He urged as the others laughed at our exchange.”

“All right, all right. I said Milla is exotic and beautiful, then asked if she was single. In my defense, I didn’t know you two were engaged yet.” I countered. I noticed Shalyndria had left the fireside as we cleaned up the meal.

Everyone laughed, “Beautiful she is, no harm in noticing.” Terrance commented as he walked over and kissed her cheek. “But more, and we have a problem,” was his visible warning.

After Terrance had sat down and wrapped an arm around Milla’s shoulder and she leaned against him, I saw the Princess walking toward us with an ornate box in her hand. She looked at me as she sat down on my right, “Earlier, you asked if you could use magic.” She opened the box to reveal a crystal globe about the size of a softball. “When you hold this espial orb, the color will show what element you are most adept with, and the brightness it shines will denote how deep your mana pool is.” As Shalyndria picked it up, a crimson light as bright as a car’s headlight shined. “As you can see, I’m strongest with fire magic and have an extremely deep mana pool.” She handed it to Milla. It shone with a bright emerald color like a 140w lightbulb in her hand. “Milla is a talented healer with an average pool to draw from.”