Jenny spent the day taking care of Harvey. Simon hunted for them and Jenny cooked. She only left to use the sand pit. Harvey woke up that evening and Jenny insisted that he eat. She fed him tiny bites in case he didn't have the energy to chew.

Harvey felt that the experience was novel. He was still in bad shape, but knew he would heal. The serene part was being cared for. He was used to healing others, but not others healing him. He took the food offered to him with some rather fuzzy feelings.

Harvey did not comment on the other male present. It was a given that someone would hunt for Jenny. He was disappointed that it was a male no stronger than himself. He could hunt for Jenny, but would not be able to protect himself from other males. Harvey noticed Jenny's bug-eaten limbs immediately, but only pried after the meal was over. He was shocked to learn that she went looking for him.

"That is too dangerous. You shouldn't ever do that," Harvey scolded harshly. He didn't plan to come off that badly, but he was genuinely scared by Jenny's actions. She could get herself captured, hurt, or killed very easily and that knowledge made him come off strongly.

Jenny wasn't expecting a rebuke from Harvey. No, she could see him scolding her for that, but hearing it immediately didn't make her feel good at all. She ground her teeth. To them, she must be an incomparably stupid female. Maybe she was. None of her choices or actions so far could be called wise at all.

Last night was especially stupid. She could just found a single and batted her eyelashes at him. If he didn't work out, she could've found another or tried some waterworks. Hell, she could've begged the piece of work that started this. There were things she could've attempted before taking a night hike in the forest, looking for a man she'd known for less than two weeks.

Simon felt nervous. He was unsure on how to intercede, but felt compelled to defend Jenny's action. His emotions did anyway. Logically, he understood where the leopard male was coming from. He never heard of a female engaging in such a dangerous pursuit of an injured male. No male would be okay if they found out their female was taken or died because of them. Simon kept his mouth closed for now.

Jenny nodded her head surprising both males. Neither were used to having a female agree so readily. Simon remembered how bold Jenny was last night and marveled at her accepting attitude now. The female he was courting was more complex than he originally thought.

Now that Harvey was well enough to scold her, Jenny went to the river. She wanted to scrub herself clean. Simon followed her. She asked if he would stay behind to keep watch over Harvey, but both males refuted her. Harvey looked embarrassed while Simon looked conflicted. Jenny couldn't make them do anything and didn't try to. If Harvey's pride was more important than his life, there was nothing more Jenny could do.

She sprinted to the river and arrived after a couple of minutes. She was careful to hop over any large roots or rocks and it reminded her of her runs through the state park closest to her house. Her ankle throbbed lightly and she took a look once she got to the river. She did trip a lot last night. The run through the woods just now did not help.

Jenny stripped off her shirt and skirt, no longer caring who saw her. She wasn't naked and didn't want to spare the energy on that, not when she went through a crappy night like last night.

Jenny scrubbed her body and undid her braid. She scrubbed her scalp with herbs and silt until she felt as clean as she could. Once done, she dove under the water and swan. She liked swimming, but hated swimming publicly. She wouldn't swim in water she couldn't see through either, leaving her with few options left in her state.

She tried her best to relax a little and enjoy it. She swam to the bottom of the river side and was pushed gently by the current. She scouted the area, looking for a good place to set up a fishing basket. She had to surface for air several times and sink back down. She blew out half the air in her lungs and sat, legs crossed, on the river bottom. She looked around and up again. She wished she could hold her breath longer.

Feeling movement, Jenny looked below her. The scream died in her throat as the water rushed into her lungs. She flailed wildly, trying to get to the surface of the water and away from whatever she just sat on. She broke the surface of the water and coughed violently. Feeling hands on her waist, Jenny aimed her elbow at where she hoped the assaulter's neck would be. She hit something, but the man didn't let her go. She tried to aim her kick at the man's genitals never forgetting about the creature that was below.

"Stop struggling female," said a broken voice.

Jenny didn't figure that was the most convincing line. Who would listen to that? The grip on her middle tightened and she decided to obey for a second at least.

"Below, there is something that can eat us," Jenny coughed out the words.

The stranger behind her did not say anything for a second and chuckled. "That something is not going to eat us," he said amused.

Jenny didn't feel better. Considering how he said that, she could definitely guess that it was him. She didn't get a clear shot of anything other than an eye. Given the circumstance, she was betting this guy was probably an alligator or a crocodile.

"Let her go feral!" Simon shouted.

"Well shit," Jenny cursed. Was her luck really that bad? Was this guy going to take her on a deadly underwater adventure now?

As if to dash her expectations in the best way possible, the man behind her brought her closer to the bank and he threw her at Simon. She didn't even have a second to scream as she was caught in another set of arms.

Jenny spun her head around wearing an incredulous look. She couldn't believe that he threw her. That was beyond her expectations. She caught a look of the man in the water and lost her words. She had been careful so far and didn't stare too long at any of the pretty faces, but this man was definitely the most attractive one so far.

His hair was straight and greenish grey, reminding Jenny of jade. Despite the waist length hair, the man did not look feminine at all. His core looked muscled and his limbs toned. His face was angular and sharp. His moss green eyes found hers and she swallowed. Jenny had to remind herself that this world also blessed jerks with beauty. Naturally, the last thing she caught was four dark green stripes on his waist.

Before she could blink again, the male was gone and she was being lifted up by Simon. Still stunned by what just happened and didn't happen, Jenny only realized her lack of clothes and her proximity to certain chest muscles now. She tried to catch Simon's attention, but he was already running with her.

"My clothes Simon," she yelled.

"I will get them later," Simon said tensely.

Jenny didn't insist considering that he was not paying her much attention. Her heart was still jack hammering and she wasn't quite sure of what to make of what happened. It only took Simon a minute to get home despite him carrying her. She was safely deposited on the floor and Harvey tried to get up.

"No, sit! I'm fine, really," Jenny said and hoped she was convincing. "A feral showed up at the river, but he left."

"He didn't just show up, he had you," Simon looked distraught. "Are you okay?"

Jenny assured them that she was fine. Her burning lungs and nostril disagreed, but she didn't need to fill them in on those details. Once she convinced them both that she was not injured, Jenny was reminded of her current state thanks to a now red Simon. Jenny lunged with vigor into the room. There was no curtain to give her privacy, but her immediate target and concern was her old clothes. She put the pants on immediately and buttoned them. She felt relieved. She used to run around her yard in her sports bra, so that didn't concern her as much. She did not put her shirt on since her hair was soaked.

Her hair had not handled the wild ride home well. She fussed with it to distract herself and Simon excused himself to go get her clothes. After regaining some level of poise, Jenny spoke from her place in her room. She wanted to ask Harvey about what happened.

Harvey stared at her through the door making her feel awkward. She was visibly relieved when he questioned her scars. She felt a smirk tug at the irony. She used to be so self conscious about them, but now they were making her feel a little better. Well, maybe not entirely.

"What gave you so many scars?" Harvey questioned lightly.

Jenny looked down at her shoulders. Her chest was mostly covered and she couldn't see her back, but knew they appeared similarly. She wasn't as dry as she had been for the last few months. She would feel majorly disgusted and abashed if her skin was still flaking off like dandruff. Glad that her skin was healing, Jenny explained cystic acne to Harvey.

Harvey didn't comment and listened. Jenny asked him about the feral male. "It sounds like he was a lizard beastman," replied Harvey.

Before he could elaborate, Simon returned with her clothes. Simon did not look at her directly and he instead asked about her hair. Jenny noticed his flaming blush still present and felt critically self-conscious. 'He must like long hair,' she thought.

Harvey noticed the awkward atmosphere around the two, but didn't comment. Instead he asked about the feral. Simon told them both that there was no sign of him and Harvey explained that the lizard clan varied considerably compared to other clans. He went on to describe a few that he had heard of.

"One of the apes had encountered one with a tail twice as long as his body. The male could climb trees nimbly," Harvey stated.

Jenny knew that was definitely not the male in question. She couldn't see the gator climbing any trees, but she also didn't get a good look at anything other than an eye. Fussing with a particularly nasty tangle, Jenny slowed her frustration-fueled finger combing. She slowly worked at it while listening to Harvey and Simons' conversation.

They spoke of what to do and Jenny made her own plans. The feral did not seem interested in her, which was good. She had zero interest in being dragged across the continent. Okay, she figure it wasn't fair to assume that every feral was like Curtis, but she couldn't keep her thoughts on the matter positive.

Instead, she tried to go over her game plan. Winston was still a goal, but Tony could be scratched off. Even if he was interested... A shudder passed through her recalling the size of his package. Taking the words from the MC, they were physically incompatible.

The other potentials on the table were Shuu, Mestor, and Simon. She hadn't met Shuu yet and didn't know if he would work out. Mestor did not express that kind of interest, but he didn't avoid her either. Simon was pretty forward about his intentions. He hadn't put her off in any way, but it was too soon for her to decide. Her views were mostly positive, but...

Jenny was concerned about his strength too. If she did come to like him, even a little, she would be crushed if something happened to him because of her. She wasn't disillusioned and knew that the men here would naturally defend her and themselves...But it wouldn't stop her from being eaten by guilt, wondering if she could have made better choices.

Jenny suddenly pinched her arm hard. She hadn't realized she was scratching at the bites while stuck in her thoughts. She pinched so the pain would get her attention. There was no point in dwelling on the 'if thens.'

Simon left and Jenny called him back. She had to tell him about the male. "The tiger male Oliver, watch out for him," she said. Jenny was hit with guilt yet again. She hated stupid regrets. She needed to find something to do about it first.

"I'm not going far yet," Simon said, basking in Jenny's concern for him. Simon left to go carve a comb for her. He saw her struggling with her hair and wanted to help. He made a comb with four teeth and carefully smoothed it out. Feeing satisfied with his work, Simon went back inside.

Jenny had already braided her hair when Simon handed her a comb. She stared awkwardly for a moment, but took it. Thanking Simon for his consideration, she fiddled with the comb. She had already put a shirt on, but needed to apply more garlic paste to her bites. Jenny shivered in disgust. At least the stinging of the garlic kept her from scratching more. She gingerly set her comb down in her bag. The home had no furniture and nothing for her to set it on. At least Harvey's hut had some stumps.

She changed from her pants into the fur skirt, glad that Simon hadn't questioned her oddities yet. It was getting late and Jenny prepared the rest of the food for her dinner. Simon wanted to hunt again, but Jenny felt uneasy. Instead, she asked if Simon could get or make her a large stone pot. If she could make soup or stew, she could keep it hot and eat it twice a day while he only had to hunt once. If she could collect berries, she could snack in in the evenings.

Jenny checked Harvey's wounds and cleaned them before going to sleep. She used her extra pair of clothes to protect her from getting stabbed by hay pieces. It helped a little. She tossed and turned that night and got poor sleep.

Upon waking up and finding Harvey gone, Jenny panicked. Simon insisted that he was using the sandbox and she felt pretty stupid. Once Harvey came back in, she checked his wounds again and pretty much ordered him to rest. She thought it wasn't funny that it took someone getting hurt for her to draw out her stronger side. The two men seemed strangely at ease taking orders from her, so she didn't try hard to revert back to her nicer self.

Harvey got thrashed and she had a close encounter with a feral. Since that happened at the river, she wasn't sure if she could ever go back. Jenny picked at the scabbing garlic paste and sighed. She couldn't ask for them to drag water back and forth just so she could bathe easier. She thought about chancing it since the feral hadn't taken her, but she didn't want to find out if he changed his mind.

Jenny lacked confidence in the city's ability to handle the male. Not only was he four striped, but he was clearly aquatically inclined. All the city males were not. They couldn't exactly scour the whole river bottom everyday. If they did find him, she seriously doubted the intelligence of picking a fight with a probable gator underwater.

Deciding that it was better to avoid the river for now, Jenny resigned herself to smelling like garlic for a while. She got a clean bowl of water, drank some, rinsed her face, and brushed her teeth. She felt more human afterwards and looked around.

Harvey was carving a stone and Jenny felt her forehead twitch. 'What happened to resting?' She thought. Jenny wasn't his mother or wife. Still, she thought a doctor would know better. She insisted on checking his wounds and his ears drooped. She also caught the blush on his face. Wanting to shake her head, Jenny couldn't understand what was embarrassing about getting treated.

Harvey swore he was healing well. As far as Jenny could tell, he was. His nasty wounds had scabbed over and already started healing. Based on the size and severity of them, Jenny didn't figure he would heal too fast and asked if he'd take it easy. She helped him wipe some of the puss that leaked out and tended to the claw marks on his back.

Once she was as satisfied as she could be, Jenny cleaned the rag. It wasn't in great shape, but they couldn't spare any more furs right now. Simon took the ones Harvey was using as bandages down to the river to wash. It irritated her that she wasn't the one doing that. It was a job she could do easily unlike making a door or carving out stone. Even tanning hides was not something she could do without instruction.

Now she had to avoid the river. Jenny was not particularly happy. No, she definitely wasn't. In every story she has read, people in her situation were the protagonists and they got something to help them out. A knight in shining armor, a system, or a super power. She got nothing. Okay, she had her knowledge and that was important. It was incomplete though. She was only just passed the part where Bai Qingqing and Winston became spouses. She read a spoiler or two beyond that point, but that was it. She had Harvey and Simon, but they weren't... Yeah, she wouldn't go there.

Jenny felt cheated. 'The difference between fiction and reality was harsh,' she thought to herself. She didn't even know if she was really here or not. The only thing she was certain of was that this was no dream. If she really was spirited away, was she stuck or would she be sent back at some point? She could only wonder since the universe and its gods did not reply to her.

Dwelling on the things she couldn't change was bringing Jenny's mood down. She decided to find some work to do instead of moping around. She told Harvey that she was stepping out. He seemed to want to say something, but he didn't. Jenny didn't dwell on the unspoken words and left. She followed her path to the lavender and grass field to cut some more. She then made her way to the cotton field.

Feeling some eyes on her, Jenny looked around stealthily and only found curious onlookers. She shoved her bag full of cotton and gathered extra in her arms. She did not bother cleaning them now since she could do that when stuck in the den. She wanted to avoid running into a certain someone and didn't want to linger.

Because her karma must've built up, she ran into Oliver as she was leaving the field. She tried to avoid him, but he did not let her.

"Jenny, I hunted this today," he stated proudly and held out his kill. "I'm sure you will need to eat now. I can cook it for you." Oliver stood waiting for a response.

Jenny thought about his attitude incredulously. There was no way she could keep a male like this around her, but she wasn't sure what words to use. She didn't want to tick him off again, but couldn't give him the impression that she was interested. She decided that being direct was needed and prayed that the male in front of her didn't go crazy.

"No. Oliver..." She paused, her tension peaking. She had figured she'd be the one being rejected most of the time, not the one rejecting. "I do not accept you as a male." She felt immense relief after saying that.

"What? Why?" Oliver asked with genuine confusion.

Jenny balked and stated the obvious, "You hurt Harvey." Jenny couldn't accept a male that would go around hurting her support. Jenny even told him he was important to her, but Oliver still attacked him anyway.

"Males fight for hierarchy! I proved that I was a better male," stressed Oliver as he encroached on her personal space.

Jenny backed up a step. Maybe that was how they did it, but that was way too excessive. Harvey was half dead. "I don't like that," her words faltered. "Harvey could've died," Jenny raised her voice. Her pitch also increased as her fear came out. She dropped some cotton to reach for her blade in her pocket.

"Then he was too weak," Oliver huffed.