Valerie could not fathom what just happened.
The hyenas flew from the scene, leaving her and a scary-looking wolf behind as they retreated into the darkness, whining. Panic was the only thing left in her system as she was unsure what to do next.
But Valerie's eyes were drawn to the wolf staring at her, which stood at a distance. Her legs were still on the ground, and even if she tried to gather her strength and stand up from the ground, her wounds made her unable to do so.
It was her first time seeing a wolf up so close, and she realized that she should not intimidate it. She knew how animals interpreted a direct stare as a threat. But, even with her gaze on the ground, Valerie could still see that the wolf was slowly taking a few steps closer to her in her peripheral vision.
Valerie closed her eyes and turned her head to the right as she started trembling in fear. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down. Seeing with her own two eyes, Valerie knew that it was not some wild animal.
If she hadn’t gone crazy, it was Kai who transformed himself from a human to that beast.
It suddenly did not make any sense. Kai said earlier that he was the dog earlier whom Valerie had rescued when she asked. If he was the dog, then why did he become a wolf now?
She felt a snout nudge at her knees. Her eyes snapped open, and her gaze moved back to the wolf's face, which was just a few inches away. There was no doubt that the wolf was Kai.
It was the same amber-colored eyes that gazed at her with sincerity, and its fur was brown and gray in color combination, the color of Kai’s hair. The wolf was almost two meters in size. But despite its fiery nature, it closed its eyes as a human would and did not even show its teeth.
The wolf continued to touch Valerie's leg as if it said that the wolf was harmless and brought no threat to her. But, on the contrary, it was a warm gesture, and it caused Valerie to relax even more.
Valerie turned her gaze and stared at the wolf's eyes, and gathered her courage. She extended her right hand and slowly moved it towards the wolf's nose. Although Valerie was scared, she didn’t want to withdraw her hand. There was something about the animal that pulled her to it.
The wolf's fur stood on end as it replied by softly nudging Valerie's hand. This stopped her from withdrawing her hand, and she slowly moved it towards the wolf's snout. It continued to nudge her hand to show that it did not want to hurt her.
In a split second, the wolf suddenly emitted a blinding white light and the sound of bones breaking and reforming, things that made Valerie avert her gaze from the wolf. Then, after a few moments, the light disappeared.
That made Valerie's eyes fall back to the wolf again, but instead of finding a wolf in front of her, she saw Kai, who was naked. He was now in his human form, aside from the fact that he still had his fluffy ears on his head and tail behind him.
This time, Valerie was shocked to see Kai without wearing any clothes. His hands and his feet were all in fours as if he was a dog. She yelped in surprise.
Kai, who seemed to be the most innocent person in the world, stood up, taking a few steps towards her. Valerie's eyes could not help but gaze at his private part for a split second, and she felt a strange feeling. She quickly veered her line of sight away after.
Immediately avoiding his gaze, she yelled. "Don’t come near me!"
"Lady, I won’t hurt you," said Kai as he tried to make Valerie calm down. "I’m Kai!"
"I know," she answered and tried her best to turn her head around and looked at the darkness that filled the place. "And I can see that!" Valerie waved her hand and continued. "Find something that you can wear, please!"
Realizing what the lady meant and looking at his body, Kai smiled and concluded that the lady was just innocent. Thus, he didn’t continue to trouble her and quickly found something to wear.
Kai proceeded to get dressed, and he wore the clothes that he had when he first met Valerie.
"I hope I didn't surprise you too much," Kai said as he was getting dressed.
Valerie, who was still sitting on the ground, vigorously nodded her head and, in her dazed state, said, "You bet you did!" Then, unconsciously, she gazed at Kai, who was still in the process of wearing the black cloth that he previously had. "My god!"
Kai was surprised to hear the lady let out a short yell again and glanced at her. He noticed how her cheeks turned red while trying her best to avert her gaze at him as much as possible. Amused by her purity, he chuckled.
"Lady, can I ask what your name is?" asked Kai, with his rich but deep-penetrating voice.
"Are you done wearing your clothes?"
"Yes," he answered.
Valerie sighed in relief as she slowly turned her head and looked at Kai. "My name is Valerie," she introduced.
Beaming, Kai's face lit up as he approached the lady and crouched in front of her. "Lady Valerie," he called out as he stared at her knees and shin. "You are still weak and injured, I suggest that you stay with me in my pack nearby so that you can rest."
Knowing that she was alone in the forest and unconscious, Valerie knew that it would be best for her to stay with Kai. He was the best option she could ever choose as of now.
That being said, she would have enough time to investigate how things worked in this world and receive enough information for her to process with.
"I need to let my family know that I am safe as well," Kai continued as he stared at the lady in the eye with a smile plastered on his face. "But Lady Valerie, I am not forcing you in this! If there’s somewhere else you want to go, I’ll follow you."
Valerie returned her gaze to Kai and said, "I will come with you, Kai. I have nowhere to go anyway." Then she smiled wistfully. “And please, Valerie is fine.”