Faelyn woke up to the distinct sensation of being carried like a sack of potatoes.
Except not like a sack of potatoes, because whoever was carrying her was doing that thing where one arm was under her knees and the other supporting her back, like some kind of romance novel cover situation.
'Oh no.'
'Oh please no.'
She cracked one eye open.
Yep.
Roshan.
Golden hair still falling out of that man bun. Still shirtless. Still covered in dried blood that smelled like pennies and death and something distinctly animal.
And he was walking through what appeared to be a village, carrying her like she weighed nothing.
'This is a nightmare. I cried. I CRIED. All over a complete stranger. And then I PASSED OUT like some Victorian maiden with the vapors.'
In her old life, she was the tough one. The one who got annoyed when her coworkers freaked out after working with the tigers. The one who rolled her eyes when people cowered during rhino feeding time.
"Just follow protocol and use the equipment correctly," she'd say. "It's not that complicated."
And now here she was, being princess-carried through a fantasy village after having a complete breakdown.
'I am never living this down. Even if there's no one here from my world to witness it, I'M witnessing it and I hate it.'
[Good morning, sunshine!] Puffball chirped, materializing right in front of her face. [You've been unconscious for approximately twenty-three minutes! How do you feel?]
'Like I want to die. Again.'
[Well, TOO BAD! Because we have SO much to talk about!] Puffball did an excited spin. [Starting with: CONGRATULATIONS! You're partially mate-bonded to Roshan!]
Faelyn's eye twitched.
'I'm WHAT?'
[Mate-bonded! Well, partially. You're at 99.7% compatibility, which is AMAZING by the way, but the bond won't fully complete until you hit 100%! Isn't that exciting?]
'No. No, that is the opposite of exciting. That is TERRIFYING. What does that even MEAN?'
[It means you're fated mates! Destined! Written in the stars! Your souls are cosmically aligned and—]
'I know what fated mates means, I've watched enough trashy werewolf movies with Sarah on girls' night. I mean what does it mean HERE? In this world? With the possibility of magic and the obvious transforming and the—'
She became aware of Roshan's thoughts filtering through.
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'She's awake. I can feel her breathing change. Should I say something? Should I put her down? She might be embarrassed. She cried so hard. We scared her so badly. The blood. It was the blood, wasn't it? We should've washed off before approaching her. Stupid. So stupid.'ฅᨐฅ
'Oh great. He thinks I had a breakdown because of the blood. Not because I literally died earlier today and got transported to another dimension and can hear people's thoughts and have a deranged furball telling me I'm MATED to someone I just met.'
She kept her eyes mostly closed, peeking through her lashes.
They were definitely in a village now. Wooden structures built into massive trees, rope bridges connecting platforms, soft glowing lanterns hanging from branches. It would've been beautiful if she wasn't currently dying of embarrassment.
And there were people.
Lots of people.
All male.
All staring.
All with various animal ears on their heads. Leopard ears. Lots of leopard ears.
'Right. Leopard clan. Roshan's village.'
The whispers started immediately.
"Is that a female?"
"Where did the chief find her?"
"Look at her hair. Is that... white? Completely white?"
"By the gods. That's the color of divine favor."
"But she's so young. How can someone so young have full white hair?"
"The gods must have blessed her greatly."
"I've only ever seen Elder Mira with a white streak, and she earned that after living nearly two centuries."
"Why is the Panther Chief here? This is OUR territory."
'Divine favor? What are they talking about? Is white hair special here?'
[Oh, didn't I mention?] Puffball giggled. [White hair in the Beastworld is a sign of being favored by the gods! Usually only appears in people who've done great deeds or lived long, virtuous lives! You showing up with a full head of white hair at your age is basically like wearing a neon sign that says "The gods think I'm special!"]
'You couldn't have mentioned this BEFORE?!'
[Where's the fun in that?]
Faelyn's gaze slid to the side.
Yep. Nyx was there, walking a few paces behind them, still covered in blood, red eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her want to sink into the ground.
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'She's awake. She's pretending to sleep but she's awake. I can see her breathing pattern. Should I leave? I should leave. This is Roshan's territory. But what if she needs something? What if she's hurt worse than we thought? What if she wakes up scared again and I'm not there to... no. Bad thought. She was scared of me. Because I'm an idiot covered in blood who probably looked like a murderer. I should go. But I can't. I can't just leave her.'ฅᨐฅ
[Oh, he's conflicted!] Puffball giggled. [This is amazing! You know, you could bond with him too! Want to know your compatibility rating with Nyx?]
'Absolutely not.'
[Are you sure? Because the system is very flexible about multiple mates, and in beastworld culture it's actually pretty common for females to have—]
'I said NO. I am not. I repeat, NOT doing the whole fated mates thing with TWO people. That's insane. That's—'
"We're here," Roshan said softly.
Faelyn gave up the pretense and opened her eyes fully.
They'd stopped in front of a larger structure built into the base of an absolutely massive tree. Herbs hung drying from the eaves, and the smell of something medicinal wafted out.
And standing in the doorway was a woman who looked like she'd been carved from ancient wood and wisdom.
Elder Mira was small, barely reaching Faelyn's shoulder, but she carried herself with the kind of presence that made everyone around her seem smaller by comparison. Her face was lined with deep wrinkles that spoke of countless years, but her dark amber eyes were sharp and alert. Silver leopard ears sat atop her head, and her hair, mostly a deep gray, had a single striking white streak running from her temple through the braid that hung over her shoulder.
Those ancient eyes locked onto Faelyn, and Faelyn watched them widen almost imperceptibly as they focused on her hair.
The old healer's gaze traveled from the crown of Faelyn's head down to the tips of her white strands, and something flickered across her face. Shock. Recognition. Something else Faelyn couldn't quite name.
"Roshan," the old woman said, voice surprisingly strong for someone who looked like she'd lived through multiple centuries. "What have you brought me?"