FSE

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When I awoke this morning, I hoped that everything that had happened was merely the results of a bad dream or some hallucination. Seeing how I was still in an unfamiliar forest while possessing a body that wasn't my own, all my relief simply funneled down the drain. As much as I could curse it, deny everything, the truth will always be staring at me with cruel eyes. If it would turn back time so I could avoid this, or at least give me some satisfaction as pay back, whoever or whatever looked at me and decided this, I will stab its eyes and spit back on reality. I don't know how, but I will get my revenge for having my life stolen from me.

…It just isn't fair.

“Excuse me, Miss. Telaraya? Breakfast is ready." A fox girl announced as she brought me a cooked trout.

“Huh…? Wha…Oh, right." I then turned towards to the fish and then back at the beast person. “You know what, if you or one of the other girls want it, you can have it."

“A-are you certain?" The vixen asked. Once I affirmed it, she then regrouped with the others as they split my portion.

Honestly, I don't think I had an appetite right now, and even if I did, I would have preferred eggs or waffles instead. Those girls on the other hand, even though it's just fish, it's probably the best thing they've eaten in a long time. I can't imagine what hell they suffered through while as slaves. It made me feel a little worse thinking about it. Yes I hate what's happened to me, but comparing it to what those girls dealt with, their situation was much more unfortunate. How often were they beaten? Who did they have to see die? Will they be able to keep smiling once the flames of freedom are done burning in their eyes, or will their memories quickly catch up and haunt them for the rest of their lives?

“A moment of your time, if you may?" A voice called to me. Upon turning around, it was Gerbera.

“I guess. What is it?"

After taking the spot next to me, the young woman hushed her voice. “So, who are you?"

“I'm…Telaraya?"

“Who are you?" She asked much firmer.

“I…I've already told you."

“You and I will have a problem if you aren't more honest with your words!"

“Easy, Turbo! Just what's your problem?"

Gerbera looked at me confused at first, then grew slightly disgusted. “My priority is the safety of others. I don't know who you are or what you're planning, and all you've done is give me a false name and kept quiet about yourself. As I currently stand, I have no reason to trust you."

Even though we were still being relatively quiet, her powerful words made me swallow hard. “If you don't trust me, then why haven't you done anything yet? Why are you letting stay with you?"

“Because it would be in bad taste to try something to you now in front of the others. You ended the life of their tormentor and granted them some hope again. To fight you would dimmish that, so all I ask is that you be honest with me and I'll show you leniency. Are you someone with a criminal past? Do I need to be concerned about you?"

I sighed; “Look, you want the truth? I don't know. I don't know why things are the way there are. I don't know how I got here. I don't know where the hell here is. I don't know!" I felt like I was about to start shouting at the young woman if I were to continue.

Gerbera seemed taken aback a bit, but then leaned closer. “What do you mean you don't know?"

“Because I don't. I woke up in that cave not knowing anything. All I do know is that once I woke up, the first person I saw ended up attacking me, and then I ran into you."

I stared firmly into her emerald eyes as I watched them shift into curiosity. “So then…your name?"

While still keeping the full truth from Gerbera, all I could spout out was, “I guess I'm Telaraya now…"

The young blonde went silent for a bit. “My apologies. I just assumed…"

“Yeah, well, if you want me to continue to be honest, I wasn't sure I could trust you in the first place as well."

“May I ask why?"

I could feel my tail flick in annoyance as I stated; “As I said, when you wake up confused about everything and the first human you see ends up attacking you, kind of makes you weary. Not sure how much more I need to spell it out."

“Despite the circumstance we were in?"

“Could have been a trap." I said in an irritated tone.

Gerbera then released a heavy exhale. “Sorry. I guess the feeling was mutual. Well, to make up for my distrust, I'll make sure you're properly rewarded when we get to town."

“Rewarded for what?"

“While I was ordered to hunt down Xander, there was still a general bounty on his head. Since you did kill him and rescued us, you deserve payment for your service."

“Thanks, I guess."

“It's the least I can do until you get your memories back, then hopefully I can point you in the right direction you need to go."

What? Does she think I'm an amnesiac? If she does, then I could probably use that to keep my true identity a secret. I don't think Gerbera can truly help my situation, but if she honestly just wants to protect others, then I feel like I can cut her some slack. Honestly though, I still don't feel comfortable talking about the truth yet until I can get a grasp on this world.

There was no warning from her as the young woman started to suddenly strip off what little clothes she had. Behind my flustered face I asked her why, to which her response was to cool off in the river while the others finished eating. As the human casually dipped herself into the water despite my presence, I then realized since I've been turned into a female now, it probably means that other girls would be more comfortable showing off like that. With that in mind, I ended up laying down and just gazed at the sky to throw off any thoughts that would try to arise, and keep my wandering eyes away from Gerbera.

Once everyone was done, we resumed our journey with Gerbera leading the way. In the remaining hours of our walking, my stomach finally made it clear to me that it wanted nourishment. Fortunately for me, it looked like I probably wouldn't have to wait much longer for a towering structure grew on the open horizon. I could only describe it as a flat stone surface of some kind that curved around to its back. Near the base of this wall was an opening that beyond inside appeared to be numerous buildings. As we approached, I also couldn't help but noticed a few other buildings dotted around the outside perimeter that seemed like they had fields of tilled land next to them. On the dirt path we followed, occasionally we gained some looks from people passing by with wagons filled with various objects, and others guiding a small handful of cattle. Once we reached the gate, the former slaves were ecstatic to be here, while two human men donned in medieval looking metal armor seemed cautious of us.

“Hold it! I'm going to have to ask-Lady Cleary!? Ma'am, you're all right!" The guard then straightened his pose.

“At ease. Report back to HQ of my return, and tell them I'll need an escort for these women." Gerbera replied in a more authoritative voice.

Eventually after a bit more waiting, a couple of horse drawn carriages came crawling to a stop by us. They were wooden in structure while being mostly painted black, but had hints of gold elegantly streamed around for a design that sort of resembled a crown. There were three windows on both sides of the carriages, and inside once the doors were opened for us, the red seating appeared to be covered in velvet or some other kind of soft material. Finally, hanging on the roof was a very tiny lantern, but instead of a candle, there was a small glowing crystal in the interior of it.

I couldn't help myself during the ride, but for a good portion of the trip, I kept my eyes glued towards the outside. Buildings of numerous designs filled my vision as far as I could see. They varied in sizes while being made from brick, wood, and others a mix of both. In one area we passed, I noticed a couple of booths and stalls filled with produce or trinkets that people were examining. Before I could examine the outside world some more, suddenly my attention was pulled away as I started to hear some sniffling. One of the girls that I was sharing the ride with was tearing up as I could only assume the weight of everything was finally coming down on her. The other girl asked if she was okay, to which she was responded to being told that the first girl just couldn't contain herself. I tried to reassure her and that she'll be able to see the ones she loved again, but I soon jumped when the poor girl quickly wrapped her arms around me in a gentle embrace. Through her tears, she thanked me as I could only feel awkward about it. Afterwards, the carriage came to a slight rocking halt, only for another knight looking guy to come by the side and open the door for us. I wasn't sure where we were now, but before me stood a three story tall building that also had a tower of the sort sprouting from its center. Rows of windows were arranged on the red brick face of this place, while a set of four white pillars held up a large viewing balcony. In the center of the courtyard we were at sat a massive fountain, while a path of flower bushes connected its way to the front entrance of the structure to the metal fencing that surround this place. The rest of the area was pretty empty aside from what the neighboring buildings had. Once inside, I didn't get much of a chance to look around due to Gerbera pulling me away from the others. The place she took me to seemed like it was being set up to be an office for someone eventually since all that was here was just a desk and some chairs by the window, while by the side walls were two couches with a coffee table in between.

I was then told to wait as the young blonde left, leaving me alone with another human guard. He appeared to be Caucasian that had a clean shaven face with the look of only being a few years older than me; maybe mid-twenties at most. He had short puffy chocolate hair that almost matched his eyes that stared back at me. I couldn't tell due to his armor, but from his figure, he assumed he was pretty fit from what I could tell. With my new size though, I had the height advantage by what I guessed to be a couple of inches. From his expression, they weren't really judging in a rough manner, but showed it was more of a curious observation.

“Um…H-hey…" I could feel my tail instinctively flick nervously and try to curve around me. I just didn't want this to be an awkward silence anymore.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just you're the first dragonkin I've got to meet." The tone of his voice was low, but there still seemed to be some energy in it.

“Well don't worry about that then, I'm no one special."

“From what I can see, I wouldn't say that."

Woah! Please don't tell me he's going to try and hit on me.

“What do you mean by that?" I quietly asked.

“The Captain wanted to talk to you personally, so obviously you did something special."

“Oh." I sighed a little. “So then…my kind, are there not that many here?"

“Not really. Your kind typically stay up north around the Kelda region. What brought you here?"

“Got lost I guess. Where are we?"

“You're in Mido Skeith. I guess I should welcome you, so…It's a pleasure to meet you, I do hope you'll be able to enjoy what my town has to offer."

“Thanks, and I'll try." I don't know what I could do around here, but at least I feel like I can breathe a little easier now considering yesterday.

“Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Albert, and you are?"

“My name? You can call me Tela-"

As a knock on the door interrupted, to my shock on how imposing she appeared now, Gerbera entered dressed fully in a glistening silver armor that made her pale skin shine. On her breastplate was a ferocious looking lion motif right above where her heart would be. Swaying behind her was a cerulean cape that had a white rose design on it that I could see when she closed the door. Firmly sheathed on her right side was a arming sword that had a golden crossguard and pommel, while that handle had a blue wrapping. In Gerbera's hands, she was carrying some sort of brown folded up cloth and a large bag with something metal inside clinking around. With her presence, Albert straightened up and referred to her as “Captain."

“My apologies, Telaraya. I couldn't find anything else more appropriate for your size." After setting the bag down on the table, Gerbera unfolded the cloth for me, revealing it to be a robe.

Actually thinking about it, that probably would be better to wear considering what I have is just a mishmash of burnt clothes. Further being reminded on how I also took these from the dead hastened my decision to quickly change. After throwing my top off, I was about to fumble my pants off until I heard Gerbera shout my name. The moment I turned to her, I could see her expression was a mix of shock and second hand embarrassment, while behind her Albert was looking away a bit flustered. I looked down at myself and saw that I was only in my loosened pants with my breasts out.

…With my breasts out.

“Sorry! I wasn't thinking!" I quickly grabbed the robe and covered myself up.

Crap, I'm still used to doing things as a guy. Their reaction means I'll have to be far more careful with this sort of thing. Damn it. Life, if you really wanted to do this to me, why couldn't you have at least kept me a guy?

“Maybe you do like being in the buff…" Gerbera muttered.

“Hey shut up!" Even as a guy, I still have some modesty. “Does this thing have a spot for my tail? I don't want to accidentally give anyone else a free show."

Even though I could compare it to like flexing a muscle or moving an arm, I will still say it feels weird moving this tail around. Jeez, it's like having a third hand now or having a whip as a body part.

With the blonde knight being kind enough to help me slip the appendage through a small opening, I then gave myself a once over. If I wanted to joke around, I would have said I looked like a monk, but being honest, this robe was kind of comfy. It wasn't too heavy, so it allowed for some breathing room while also not being too light. I don't know how well I would make use of the hood that was attached, but I did know I could use the two outer pockets or the two kidney pockets if I pleased. Before I could do anything else with my new attire, Gerbera handed me the bag she had brought, which had a surprising amount of weight to it.

“What's this?" Upon pulling out one of the contents, I held in my finger a gold coin.

“It's your reward for killing Xander, plus a little extra for your help with the others." The young knight announced.

“Wait! Xander's dead? And she killed him?" Albert sputtered out.

“That's correct. Our young friend here succeeded in ending that troublesome man."

“Hey, if it's okay to ask, what's going to happen to the other girls?" I soon inquired thanks to a small feeling in my heart.

“Your concern is appreciated. For the time being, they'll stay here to be treated until we can notify their next of kin of their condition. After that, the girls can go home with their families." Gerbera immediately informed.

“That's good…so then how much money is here?"

“About four thousand gold coins."

Albert let out a surprised whistle. “Boy that's quite the payment."

“Um…Is that good?" I then noticed the shock on both knights' faces, so I looked directly at Gerbera and tapped the side of my head to keep up the amnesia act instead of just admitting I don't know their currency's value.

“Oh, right…Well it depends on how you spend it. Look at it this way, as it is now, that much gold can last you a very long time if you already had an established life. However, if you wanted to start things new such as buying a good house and furniture here, then you'd be left with enough money to supply you with about two months' worth of food. And that's if you only spent it on food at that point." The blonde answered.

Owning my own place would be nice, but if what she said is true, then it's probably not a good thing to rush into now. One, I don't even know if I would actually stay here; even though having a base of operations would be good. The second issue is, if I do buy a house, at that point, the rest of my money could go fast. While Gerbera did say I could get it to last two months, that's only if it's food as she said. I don't know if there would be taxes, I don't know if I would need to buy any medical stuff, I would need to buy clothes, and there's the possibility that something catches my interest and I spend money on that or I get mugged.

“Instead of buying a house now, are there other alternatives I can do? Just until I have a steady income."

“I could probably help with that." Albert interjected.

“If you have the solution, then I'll leave it up to you." Gerbera added. “Now that this is settled, I must be going if you'll excuse me. There's still paperwork I need to fill out on what transpired. Telaraya, if you need help with anything, you can ask for me."

My gaze oscillated between the young woman and man until Gerbera left the room. My sights narrowed to Albert as I questioned in my head if he was planning on hitting on me.

“You're not thinking of taking me to your place, are you?"

“You're cute and all, but I wouldn't want to get in trouble by causing a misunderstanding." Albert chuckled. “There's an inn past the market."

I guess an inn could work for now. Wait! Did he just call me cute!? What misunderstanding!?

“What…do you mean by that?"

“Oh, you'll see when we get there." Albert smiled as he seemed a little rosy in the cheeks.

During our walk, the moment we entered the area that I noticed the stalls earlier, my nose was hit with the alluring scent of grilled meat while my ears perked up on the sizzling sounds of sautéed food in a few directions. As I noted from before, it was a mix of shops ranging from various items, produce, and the ones that had my true attention thanks to my stomach, booths serving ready to go meals. I would have gone ahead and bought myself something if it wasn't for the fact that Albert ended up teasing me. Since I was running on empty at this point, it did irritated me, but I did hold off from growling at him since the knight did promise me a full course meal at our destination. So before we continued on, there was one thing I did end up buying since it caught my interest. Just a simple journal and a pencil.

The inn I was taken too seemed to be two stories tall while also looking quite sizable in width. Numerous windows were positioned along the second level, but from what I could see, there wasn't any along what would be the face of the bottom level. Once inside, the first floor was actually more opened then I expected as immediately on my right was a set of stairs that led upwards. To my left however, there were quite the amount of tables placed all around that looked like it could hold a large amount of parties while still having free walking space. To the back end of the area, a bar counter hooked out of the wall that seemed like it could managed about twelve people, while behind that was an opening to another room. Exiting that back area was a young human girl that had to be eighteen at the youngest. She had peach skin that was covered with a dark yellow top, a long lavender skirt, and a frilly white apron. While hazel eyes slightly hid under her short curly brown hair, a small smile was arched under her button nose. The moment she noticed Albert and I, she bounced over to us, to where I was again reminded of my new height since I still haven't yet gotten used to seeing girls appearing smaller than they actually are.

“Hey Al, I wasn't expecting you to be off this early." The girl declared in a bubbly voice as she wrapped her arms around my escort.

Albert held the girl as well as he replied with; “I'm not actually yet. I'm actually here because of this dragonkin. Mira, I would like to introduce you to Tela."

The girl then glanced at me as she released the knight. She then held out a hand to me and said, “Nice to meet you, Tela. Name's Mira."

“It's actually Telaraya, but it's nice to meet you too." I shook her hand.

“Well I hope you don't mind me callin' you Tela for short. It just sounds cute."

Whatever floats your boat.

“By the way, Mira, is Darter here? I need to tell him something." Albert soon questioned.

“Yeah, he's in the back." Mira answered before heading towards the bar counter. “Hey, Uncle Darter, Albert wants to see you."

Albert then gestured for me to follow him as I was led to the back room. My eyes wandered around as this room was just filled with shelves stocked with various fruits and vegetables. Along the counter tops here, I could also see an array of plates, bowls, and eating utensils in one section, while at another part I spotted cutting boards, some knives, plus a sink. Beyond the island table sitting in the middle of the room, I could feel a slight chill emanating behind two doors I saw. Considering I could also see what looked to be a stove and oven here, then my guess was those other rooms were probably a freezer of some sort to preserve meats or chill drinks for those here. The last thing I noticed in this kitchen was the one who I assumed was Darter.

He wore a pale tan shirt and dark blue pants that hid most of what he was. He looked to be covered with an orange coat of fur that had black stripes along his arms and possible the rest of his body since his long swishing tail had the same color scheme. His round ears flicked back as it noticed our presence, and upon turning around, through his orange face, his sky blue eyes focused on us. Even though the lower half of his mouth had white coating that looked like it drew down to his chest, on his chin it looked like there was a tuft of fur there acting like it was supposed to be facial hair. While this tiger's face showed strength in himself, his body bragged about it even more as he was so built, I bet that if he wanted too, he could lift me over himself and snap me in half like a twig. He finished wiping his clawed hands with a towel and once he approached Albert and I, it dawned on me the moment I realized I had to look upwards that this beast was more than seven feet tall.

“Hey, Al, what kind I do for you." He spoke with much maturity in his voice.

“It's going to spread like wild fire pretty soon, but I just had to tell you now. It's done. Xander's finally dead."

The tiger's face went blank with shock for a moment. He then relaxed himself as he shut his eyes and silently muttered “finally."

“I wanted to introduce you to the one that got the job done." Albert continued as he directed Darter's attention to me.

“It's a pleasure to meet you…And I must say, I can't thank you enough for what you've done." He then held out a hand to me.

“It's nice to meet you too." My voiced cracked.

Darter then chuckled at me. “Don't worry, I don't bite."

Those fangs say otherwise!

“I know it probably wouldn't amount to what you've already been rewarded with, but if there is anything you I can do for you, then I will do the best in my power to help you." Darter continued.

“Actually, that's why we're here. Tela, go ahead." Albert added.

The moment my mouth opened, all that escaped me was a growl as my stomach was rumbling. I then shut my lips and looked away as I could feel my cheeks redden. It didn't help that Darter had a very hearty laugh from that.

After a bit of waiting at one of the tables, Darter brought over seafood skewers with some bread and gazpacho as a side. From how starved I felt, I practically inhaled the meal from how delicious it looked.

“That hit the spot."

“So what was it you needed?" Darter smirked.

“Oh, right. It's a bit embarrassing to ask this now, but would it be okay if I stayed here?"

“Is that all? That's what this place is for. I've got some spare rooms, so it shouldn't be much of a problem." The tiger happily answered.

“There's…one other thing if it's okay to ask. Aside from my reward money, I don't actually have an income. If you happen to know of a suitable job for me, would you help me get it so I could have some proper stability?"

The tiger then furrowed his brow as he gave me a once over. “Well off the top of my head, I can't say for certain yet, but if you're okay with it, you can temporarily work here until something more appropriate comes up for you."

“I'll be fine with that."

“Then it's settled. Mira? Can you show our friend here a room? I'll clean up here since I still have something to discuss with Albert."

The young girl then escorted me to the second floor which led into a hall of doorways. After being shown a room, Mira left me to my own devices so I could get settled in. It was rather simple looking for the place I would be living in, but it will do for now. Immediately on my right after entering quietly sat a small dresser with a mirror situated on the wall just above it. To my left was a sturdy oak table with a wooden chair accompanying it that had an open slot for people with tails. Across from me and under a window that looked out to the town and setting sun was a bed that had pale red covers.

A sigh left me as I had nothing much to do now, except for one thing. I sat down at the table and pulled out the journal I had bought. Flipping through it, all the pages were empty, that was until I started writing in it. I recalled everything that had happened to me so far. How I started this as a human in college. Waking up in this world as a female dragonkin. Everyone I've met so far. Questioning if I'd be able to return home or if I'll be stuck here for the rest of my life. Once I finished, I turned around and stared at myself in the mirror as I was hit with another thought. Would I be able to return to being a human, or am I now stuck as Telaraya? With that question in mind, I turned to the final page in my journal and wrote down my name so that I may never forget who I was.

“Avery McCole."