July 28,2022.

The following morning, Jenny left the house for the first time in days. It was starting to look more like a house with their collective efforts. Feeling positive, Jenny went to the river to bathe. Having not stretched her legs in so long, Jenny lightly jogged there with Simon.

Jenny bathed in another area while Simon checked the fish baskets. Jenny scrubbed well and felt incredibly relieved. She bathed at home, but it felt so dirty watching the bath water turn pink. Now she could enjoy it while not getting disgusted. That was a major win for her.

Jenny washed her hair for the first time since her period started. Since she hadn't run around, her hair never got nasty, just a little oily. She took a look at her skin and found it looking better. It wasn't as dry and she swore her scars looked a little lighter then when she first wound up here. It could've been her imagination and wishful thinking, but she wanted to think positive. There was hope for her yet.

Jenny wanted to swim, but did not want to go far. She had not forgotten her encounter with the feral here and wasn't totally comfortable. She looked down at her underwear and sports bra and was glad to have them. Not that they would save her from a kidnapping, but at least she wouldn't have to be kidnapped naked.

Jenny finished with her hair and got ready to leave. Maybe it was her paranoia or maybe she really had a sixth sense, but Jenny felt her eyes wander as her her hair stood on end. A moment later, her eyes met a slitted green one. On the river bottom, not ten feet away from her, was the beast from before.

To her credit Jenny did not scream. No, instead she giggled. The poetic irony was spot on. She thought of the feral and there he was. If only that could work for everything in her life. Having had her stress dial up ten notches in an instant, Jenny slowly backed herself out of the water. As soon as her feet were both on dry ground, she felt a lot better.

Acknowledging how stupid that notion was, Jenny didn't break eye contact with the gator. She couldn't remember the difference between an alligator and crocodile besides habitat. The ocean is probably not close, so she assumed it was an alligator. One thing she did remember was that they were surprising fast on land. Knowing that she could never outrun him, Jenny had to think a million miles a second about what to do.

She watched the gator remove itself from the river bottom and swim a little closer to her. Holding her breath, Jenny debated screaming. Simon would stand no chance and she knew most of the other beastmen here wouldn't either. Since her course of action was not determined, they had a staring contest while Jenny's heart did aerobics.

Once the body of the gator was fully exposed to her, Jenny was hit with lightheadedness. The creature was massive. Gators on earth could get big, but this one would dwarf the biggest of them. He had to be at least thirty-something foot long, maybe closer to forty. It stayed totally submerged while Jenny stood shivering.

Jenny slowly reached for her clothes and dressed. The gator let her. Once fully clothed, Jenny backed up two more steps. The gator that hadn't approached her before, came just a bit closer. Jenny took another step and the gator moved again. Jenny froze and so did the gator. She stared and it stared. Feeling one of her fits coming on, Jenny used everything she had to hold back the giggles. This was ridiculous. If she stood here, unmoving, would he do the same? Unable to help herself, she felt an eyebrow rise up in defiance.

The gator did nothing immediately and Jenny really wanted to know what he was doing. He literally threw her back to Simon before. She kind of doubted he had that kind of interest in her, but here he was harassing her like this. She didn't get it.

While they were staring, Jenny saw a bunch of shadows overhead. Flinching, she took her eyes off the gator for a second to stare at the incoming eagle flock. It looked like Bai Qingqing might have just come back. Before she could think too hard about that, her eyes searched for the behemoth and could not find him. Not even a ripple in the water. Jenny searched and searched, but saw nothing.

Sighing in relief, Jenny turned around to call Simon and ran right into a very hard chest. Jenny jumped backwards, holding her poor, potentially broken, nose. Feeling the tears prick at her eyes, she looked up at the walking hulk.

Jenny froze. Why did she think that he would have left her alone after an intense stare down like that? The same eyes that she had just seared into her memory now stared at her again. That was it, just stared. 'Has no one told him how creepy it is to stare like that?' Jenny lamented internally.

A snarl broke their stare down and Jenny wanted to curse. Both of their eyes landed on Simon who shifted and lunged at the other male. Startled at the violent action, Jenny jumped backwards and fell on her ass, getting her dry clothes soaked. Unable to think about that, Jenny stood up and opened her mouth to shout.

Instead of blood and guts flying around, Jenny found Simon being pinned to the ground by his snout. His back paws sunk into the river bank as he tried to pull his face free. Jenny wasn't sure what she could do. She doubted kicking the man would lead to anything other than her broken bones, but she couldn't do nothing.

"That!" Jenny explained. "Can you... please let him go?" Jenny was torn between demanding it and asking politely. If she was going to be technical, Simon was the one that jumped at the stranger. That didn't stop her from worrying.

The same green eyes looked at her, but his grip on Simon did not loosen. The man looked back at Simon and threatened him calmly. "Make anymore noise and I will crush your throat," the mystery man said in a gravelly voice. His words were rough and broken. Like someone who hadn't spoken in a long time.

Jenny would have loved to appreciate all the oddities about the man in front of her, but he had just casually threatened something damn scary. Jenny remained quiet. Considering how fast he was, she was positive that even if she screamed, no help would reach her in time.

When Simon was released, he tried to push his sizable self in between Jenny and the stranger. He belly crawled, ears pinned until he was in front of her. Jenny's nose stung and leaked. Wiping the dripping snot with a slow motion, Jenny wondered, 'What the hell was happening?'

"You did not scream this time," the male said slowly. Jenny gave him her undivided attention. "Nor are you running."

He seemed... curious maybe? That seemed to be the emotion she inspired most in others here. She felt her eyebrow ascend to a higher level once more and failed to keep her sass to herself. "Because I or others here can outrun you?" Jenny asked and felt immediate regret. It wasn't smart to test strangers that could drown her.

"True," the stranger's mouth quirked and fell back in place.

He said nothing and continued staring. Jenny felt various muscles in her face twitch restlessly. Was he not going to say anything else? Was she in a terrible situation or not? Jenny's nerves were going to fry at this rate.

She looked up at the walking giant. He was as handsome as she remembered, but much taller on land than she expected. He wasn't as wide as Tony, but was definitely as tall, if not a little taller. Jenny felt tiny in comparison.

He had a very long and powerful looking tail that matched his hair color. She thought gators were much darker, but this was a fantasy world. She shouldn't get hung up on something like color when he was a giant freaking alligator.

"Umm. I need to go," Jenny couldn't take the tension anymore and said something. The man only stared, saying nothing. Jenny took a cautionary step to the side when he didn't respond. She took another and another. Soon, Jenny couldn't see the eyes boring into her anymore, but she sure as hell felt them.

As much as she wanted to run, she refrained. If there was one thing you never do in front of a predator, it's run. She didn't know if that applied to gators, but she didn't want to test it. She stressfully made it back home at a medium walking speed.

Simon followed her into the house and they both sunk to the floor. "Hey Simon, you okay?" Jenny asked with her butt glued to the stone floor. He whined at her. Not understanding wolf speech, she guessed. "Yeah, me too." Jenny sighed and closed her eyes. All of her energy was spent and her adrenaline came crashing down.

"Hey Simon, did that make any sense to you?" Jenny questioned.

Simon whined and Jenny asked him to shift first. Honestly, he was pretty confused himself. Ferals take the females they want and that was it. They didn't usually stop for a chat. It was odd and he told Jenny as much.

Jenny tried to talk to Simon about it, but he had yet to dress. It wasn't the fist time she had to remind him to put on a fur. The nudity was definitely something that she might not get used to. It was such a shame too. The men seemed to be asking for some looks of appreciation, but Jenny couldn't bring herself to do it.

One of these days, she would definitely make herself check out some abs, arms, legs, or anything. Except... The man parts. Yeah, she'd skip that one.

Once Simon was dressed, Jenny was reminded that her own clothes were now soaked. She changed into her new sleep gown and cargo pants, while laying out her wet clothes to dry. When she had more fur to work with, she would make a pair of shorts to go with the shirt. That is, if she could make shorts. The difficulty was higher than making a skirt.

The two discussed the issue of the feral some more, but they came to no conclusions. Simon surprised Jenny with an off-the-wall question, "Do you like the lizard feral?"

Jenny's mouth gaped like a dying fish. How and the world did he come to that conclusion? The conversation they had should've enlightened him to her obvious discomfort. He even had the audacity to look nervous. As if she could actually answer that question with a 'yes.' She didn't exactly pine for scary alligators.

"Simon, I've seen him all of twice and it wasn't exactly under nice circumstances. Why in the world would you think that?" Jenny asked him incredulously.

"That. You didn't scream or run." Simon said.

Jenny blinked. Okay, so not screaming and running equals liking. She would remember that for the future. Suppressing a cynical remark, she decided to clear up Simon's misconception.

"I have not screamed or ran from any of the males in the city, but that doesn't mean I like them. Same for this male," Jenny stated. Heck, she had been trying not to piss herself during the encounter.

"But he's a feral," added Simon.

Jenny pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew that. It was the only reason she was acting like a puffed-up cat around him. Her good conscience said to not label or be prejudice, but it was hard when ferals had such a terrible reputation. She hated that she was reacting to him so negatively, but she couldn't chance her life either.

It bugged her morality something serious, but knowing how Curtis manhandled Bai Qingqing and almost got her unintentionally killed several times made Jenny wary. Sure, this guy wasn't Curtis, but every feral that shows up in the story was harmful in some way. Still, she never read about a lizard beastman and didn't know if one ever showed up.

Debating back and forth in her head, Jenny decided that she would try to treat the man less poorly the next time she saw him. He had not harmed her in any way and he did not try to steal her away either. She would give him the benefit of the doubt, while remaining cautious. That is, if she ran into him again. She kind of hoped she wouldn't. Today's experience must've shaved a few years off of her lifespan.

Pausing, Jenny realized that she was taking this overly seriously again. What happened to her having some fun? Kicking her habit of over-worrying was tough. Okay, she would try to change her mindset.

It was pretty cool that the big, bad feral was acting decently. Although his motives are unknown, he is besting the stereotype associated with him. That's actually pretty great of him. Then again... he had four stripes. Maybe he was just cocky and feared nothing from the city. He was casual about everything, event the throat crushing threat.

Finding herself going backwards, Jenny decided it was better to not think about it. She would discuss with Harvey and maybe avoid the river again. Even if she treated this as naturally as she could, seeing a giant gator so close to her will always put her heart into overdrive. Well, Simon or someone else will probably report him first.

Once Jenny calmed down, she got some minor tasks done until her other set of clothes dried. She then traded her outfits and applied some chapstick. She spun the dial and found it empty. It was a good thing she had her second one. Feeling her lips, Jenny was glad. They were not peeling extensively anymore, but were still fairly dry. Her body was healing from the strong drug and it brought her mood back up.

Jenny got up to tended to her garden. Most of the plants were doing good or great. She weeded and found some worms. Sighing, Jenny was reminded of the fish left behind. A shame, but she wasn't sending Simon or Harvey after them now. She finished her chores and did some exercises. While she was doing lunges, Mestor came up to her.

"Hello," he started.

"Hello," Jenny replied, slightly nervous.

Mestor knew that the female in front of him was all-around odd, but it didn't bother him. He noticed the dirt under her long nails and glanced at the garden. It wasn't difficult to notice her preference towards activity. Her expression was more ease when she was occupied. He still felt the novelty of interacting with a female like that.

Mestor found it amusing that she had a more difficult time speaking with him than she did laboring. Such a unique female Jenny was. It was the first time he met one who would grow troubled the more males insisted on helping her.

Mestor figured he was doing well so far. Jenny was getting used to him even if it was a little slow. He tried to ask her about the things she did or made to get the conversation flowing. He would slip in questions here and there about herself. Jenny usually caught him and avoided the topic and Mestor never pushed.

"I can smell you went to the river today," Mestor said. Unsure as to why she stiffened up, Mestor proceeded cautiously. "But I don't smell any fish. Did the traps not catch any today?"

Mestor had see the design of Jenny's baskets. It would be strange for her to have no catch at all if she baited them. Maybe Jenny got tired of eating fish. Mestor noted that just in case.

"Today... there were some complications," Jenny fiddled with her dirty nails. She wasn't going to rat out the stranger. Since things were quiet, he probably didn't steal any females away.

"I see. Would you like me to collect them for you?" Mestor asked lightly. He wanted to, but knew how uncomfortable Jenny could get about accepting help.

"No!" Jenny said too enthusiastically. "What I mean is, you shouldn't. Thanks for asking."

Taken aback by her outburst, Mestor's interest was peaked. He wanted to know what made Jenny lose her composure. The wolf was home and she had been calm, so it shouldn't be him. Mestor growled a little. He did not like immature beastmen. It was difficult to control oneself during a female' estrous while young. He went through the same difficulty, but he was stopped before getting anywhere near a female that bled.

Mestor shook the thought from his head. Control was something he learned quickly. He was sure the wolf would too. Since that was not the answer to his query, Mestor thought about investigating the river. He didn't want to disappoint Jenny, but he was itching to solve the new mystery.

His inner debate continued and so did his conversation with Jenny. He went with small talk and relayed gossip he collected. "The leopard king brought back a rescued female," Mestor could tell he had Jenny's attention. "Rescued from a snake feral, a tetra marked one at that." Mestor was honestly impressed. No male wouldn't be. By strength or by wit, it was an impressive victory and an honor to any male who claimed it.

Jenny asked Mestor if he knew anything else, but he did not. Feeling disappointed in himself at his lack of information, Mestor promised that he would find out more. In the meanwhile, he lost the battle with his curiosity and investigated the river.

Mestor found the fish traps and saw nothing wrong with them. Shaking the water from his tail, Mestor looked around. Finding nothing unusual, he went on his way feeling disappointed.

Since he didn't find anything at the river, Mestor went to collect information. The leopards were very interested in the female that was brought back so he collected more gossip. He also listened for any mumblings on the movements of the kings. As far as he had heard, the beast tides were far enough away and not a threat currently.

Mestor had heard a few tidbits about a feral that appeared by the river and he connected the dots. Jenny must've been concerned about the feral. It was odd though. Jenny had gone to the river since the feral male's appearance. Why did she act dramatically now?

Mestor wondered if he was overthinking it and gave Jenny too much credit. Females could be fickle. He just hadn't expected it from Jenny. A little twinge of uncertainty pricked at his mind. No, his gut told him something was up and he trusted his instincts. Feeling his excitement flare up, Mestor went back to the task at hand.