Seeing this, Kaya knew she didn't have much time. A knife wouldn't cut it—not against something like that.
Without hesitation, she pulled out her gun.
Even then, a flicker of disbelief passed through her. She'd seen danger, fought in more battles than she could count—but something about these creatures, about this place, didn't sit right with her. It wasn't just fear. It was the sinking feeling that… this wasn't her world. Not the one she was born into. Not anymore.
Because no matter how far she'd traveled, no matter how wild the forests or deep the caves—she had never seen animals this size. This unnatural.
Her boots slammed into the mud as she sprinted forward, closing the gap between her and the man. Just as one of the massive hyenas lunged at him, she raised her weapon.
BAM!
The gunshot shattered the silence. The first bullet tore through the beast's skull and it collapsed, heavy and lifeless.
Kaya dropped to the ground immediately, her chest heaving, breath caught halfway between fear and adrenaline. Her heart pounded so loudly it almost drowned out the river beside her.
She stayed low, eyes scanning the clearing.
And then—something shifted.
The hyenas—those monstrous things—froze. Their glowing eyes met hers. And then, slowly, one by one, they backed away. Fear flickered across their faces. Real fear. As if for a second, they didn't see a human… they saw something far more dangerous.
And then they ran.
Disappearing into the trees like shadows.
Kaya stayed crouched, gun still raised, finger trembling slightly on the trigger. She was ready—ready to fire again if even one of them came back.
But they didn't.
Still, the shaking in her hand wouldn't stop. She hated that. She was supposed to be steady. Strong. But the truth was, if they had all attacked at once… if they hadn't run…
She didn't know if she would've made it out alive.
Kaya stayed crouched for a few more seconds, her finger hovering over the trigger, heart racing in her chest like a warning drum. But nothing moved. No more growls. No more glowing eyes. Just the quiet rush of the river and the wind brushing against the trees.
Finally, with a sharp breath, she lowered the gun.
Her hand was still trembling as she turned around—ready to check on the man she'd just saved.
"You..."
The word slipped out before she could stop it.
She froze mid-step.
Her lips parted. "B... b... bear—?"
She blinked, trying to make sense of what she was looking at.
The man stood there like some kind of survivalist fantasy—dark skin glinting under the moonlight, a neatly trimmed beard framing a jawline sharp enough to cut through her confusion. His wide, trembling eyes locked onto hers, full of gratitude... and possibly terror.
But that wasn't what had her pausing.
No. It was the fact that he was easily 6'2", built like someone who took gym workouts as a sacred religion, and—she squinted slightly—yep. He was absolutely, unapologetically, wearing animal hide. No shirt. Just raw leather and fur wrapped around him like he'd stepped out of an ancient hunting tale.
And then her gaze caught something else.
Her brows lifted. "Ear," she mumbled, tilting her head slightly.
"What the…" Kaya's eyes widened, her lips parting in shock.
No. Freaking. Way.
She blinked once. Then again. Nope, still there.
"He… he has… rabbit ears?"
Brown. Furry. Rabbit ears.
Not a headband, not some costume prop. Real damn ears. Attached to a real damn head.
For a moment, she just stared. Her brain scrambled for logic, for anything that could explain this bizarre fever-dream cosplay happening right in front of her. But nothing came.
With her heart pounding, Kaya took a step back, the air thick with disbelief. She slowly drew her gun, leveling it at the man. She couldn't believe it—she had actually wasted a bullet to save this perverted idiot.
The man was frozen, his eyes locked on the black thing—the gun—that this female was pointing straight at him, and he trembled like a damn leaf in the wind. Kaya just stood there, dumbfounded, watching this towering idiot shake like he was about to piss himself.
This guy was easily 6'2", while she was a solid 5'5", and from the looks of his muscular frame, one good slap from him and she'd be out cold, no question. And yet here he was, trembling in front of her like a scared little puppy.
Seriously? Kaya couldn't believe it. She was holding the gun, yes but he was the giant, and somehow, he was the one shaking like a damn coward? .
The man was still trembling, and Kaya's patience had officially hit its limit. She shot him a look, her voice cold and sharp as ice. "Who the hell are you?"
The man shook even harder, his voice barely audible as he stammered out, "I... I... I'm... Cuitie."
Kaya blinked, taken aback. What? She cocked her head, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I don't think I heard you right. I asked you—what's your name?" She stared at him, waiting for something that didn't sound like a joke.
He gulped, still trembling, and muttered again, "Cuitie."
"Huhhhh"
Okay okay—hold up.
Kaya stood there, gun still raised, mouth slightly open, and brain officially short-circuited. Out of all the things that could've happened tonight in the middle of this creepy, pitch-black forest—some wild animal attack, a stalker, maybe even a ghost—this was not on the list.
A 6'2" muscle tower with floppy brown rabbit ears, popping up out of nowhere like some failed anime character... and calling himself Cuitie?
She didn't even know what to react to first. The sudden appearance? The ears? The ridiculous trembling? Nah. It was the damn name that broke her.
"Okay, okay—wait." She took a deep breath, trying to wrap her head around it. 'Cuitie? Like… not Cutie, with a 'K' twist? You're telling me, in this murder-forest, I just got jump-scared by a grown-ass man with a body built like a Greek god and a name like a lost Care Bear?'
Come on, guys—don't judge her this time.
She's seen some weird shit. She's fought off creeps, dealt with backstabbers, handled betrayal like a pro—but this? This was the universe's prank on her sanity.
So tell her—seriously—how is she supposed to react while looking up at this trembling, 6-foot-2 rabbit-eared man-child who goes by Cuitie? Because right now, she's two seconds away from losing it and calling for a timeout from reality.