The lean-to didn't deserve to be called shelter. Broken branches leaned on a fallen log, covered by old animal skins. Light came through holes, making spots on the ground. Orphaned children of the Silverglade Tribe huddled in the scant shade or lay listlessly on the uneven ground, seeking relief from the oppressive heat.
One girl slept under a big hole in the roof. Her animal skin wrap barely covered her.
Arin opened her eyes feeling weird. Her body felt... wrong. Like it wasn't hers. Everything ached, probably from sleeping on the hard ground. She tried to stretch, but her limbs didn't move quite right.
She held up her hands. Wait, what? Smaller, darker skin. Golden, even. She flexed her fingers. Yep, they moved. But they weren't hers. Calluses dotted her palms – she'd never had those before. What kind of work has this body done?
"What happened to me?" Her voice came out high and strange.
A lock of hair fell into her face. She noticed it was no longer the straight black she was accustomed to, but a mass of wavy, dark brown strands. She ran her fingers through it. Coarse but soft. And tangled. Ugh. It would take forever to brush out, assuming she could find a brush in this place.
"You're acting weird." A small voice came from the shadows. A skinny boy watched her, face streaked with dirt.
"I'm fine." The words felt strange in her mouth.
"You don't look fine. Bad dreams again?"
Arin's mind raced. Dreams? What did this body's old owner dream about?
"I don't remember."
Arin pushed herself up, this new body feeling bizarre. The ground was just... dirt. Warm and dry. Sharp little rocks dug into her skin. The air smelled like smoke and sweat and something earthy she couldn't place. And something else... was that rotting meat? Gross.
"This isn't Tokyo." She whispered the words.
The boy moved closer. "What's Tokyo?"
"Nothing." Arin pinched her arm. "Ow!"
"Why'd you do that?"
"Making sure I'm awake." She looked at the crude animal skin covering her. Rough. Nothing like her old clothes.
"Should I get the elder?" The boy started to stand.
"No!" Arin held up her hand. "Just... give me a minute."
"No way?! Transmigration??" Arin's mind reeled. She'd read about this in light novels and manga, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it could actually happen to her. The concept seemed so foreign, yet here she was, living proof.
The boy watched her. "You're talking weird again."
"Just thinking." Arin forced herself to sound calm. She needed to figure this out. But first, she needed to understand where - and who - she was.
She looked down at her body, draped in what appeared to be a crudely fashioned wrap made from a single animal skin. The skin wrap was rough against her body, a far cry from the soft cotton clothes she was used to. She could feel every imperfection in the hide, every bit of coarse fur that remained attached.
It barely covered the essentials. Arin felt exposed, vulnerable. She tried to adjust the wrap, but it was so crudely made that any adjustment just made it worse.
Arin eyed the exit flap. Her legs wobbled with each step, betraying her. The crooked branch felt too real under her palm, bark scraping skin.
"You going outside?" The boy's voice made her jump. "Elder says we should rest during hot hours."
"I need to see." Arin's new voice still sounded wrong.
She pushed the flap. Sunlight hit like a slap. Her eyes watered as a whole new world came into focus.
"What the hell?" The words slipped out. Huts and pits dotted the clearing. Trees stretched up forever, making her think of Tokyo skyscrapers. Then something laughed - a bird? Definitely not a normal bird.
A woman carrying a basket stopped nearby. "Feeling better, little one?" The words sounded weird but made sense somehow.
Arin managed a nod. Her bare feet moved across warm earth that felt weirdly alive. Each step sent tingles through her legs.
"Your stomach's growling." The woman pointed to some trees. "The purple fruits are ripe."
Fruits hung everywhere. Colors that shouldn't exist. One seemed to shift and change as Arin watched.
"Is that... safe to eat?"
The woman laughed. "You've eaten them since you've been here."
Movement caught Arin's eye. Something with six legs stared at her, then darted away.
"Nope, nope, nope." Arin backpedaled. She bumped into someone scraping hides.
"Watch it, child!" The scraper made a harsh sound against leather.
People moved around in animal skins, talking in that strange-but-familiar language. Tools made of stone and bone clicked and scraped. The air tasted clean - no car exhaust, no city smoke.
"This is insane." Arin pressed her hands to her head. Her stomach growled again.
A kid ran past, waving a colorful fruit. "Come on! The hunters are back!"
The whole village seemed to move at once. Arin stood frozen, watching bodies rush past.
Arin pressed her temples. Memories felt blocked, locked behind an invisible wall. Her head buzzed with questions.
GONG!
The sound hit like a physical wave. Her teeth rattled. Her bones hummed.
"They got one!" A kid slammed into her, bouncing with excitement. "Come on!"
"Got what?" Arin's question got lost in the chaos.
Bodies pressed around her. The crowd surged toward the forest edge. Arin stumbled, caught herself on someone's arm. The woman didn't even notice, too busy rushing forward.
Arin's skin tingled. The air crackled with excitement. People pushed forward, practically vibrating.
Movement at the tree line. Hunters emerged, dragging something massive.
"No way." Arin's jaw dropped. "That's not... that can't be..."
Blue fur rippled like liquid metal. Shoulder spikes jutted out like crystal formations. The beast was massive - a bear twisted through some alien imagination. Even dead, it radiated power.
"Two months!" An old man sobbed nearby. "Two months of hunger, and now..."
A hunter raised a bloodied spear. "The Azure Terror falls! The Silverglade Tribe lives!"
The crowd erupted. Someone hugged Arin. She stood frozen, staring at the impossible creature.
"What kind of world is this?" She whispered. Nobody heard. They were too busy celebrating.
A child tugged her wrap. "Come on! There'll be meat tonight!"
Meat. That blue thing. Arin's stomach turned. But the tribe danced and sang, like they'd won some impossible victory.
The beast's eyes - still open - seemed to stare right at her. Arin shivered.
Run. The instinct hit without warning. Arin's legs moved on autopilot, weaving between celebrating villagers.
"Hey, where are you-" Someone called after her. She didn't stop.
Past crude huts. Around cooking pits. Her heart hammered against unfamiliar ribs. The crowd's noise faded with each step.
The forest edge beckoned. Dark. Ancient. A howl echoed from deep within. Arin's steps faltered.
Arin's skin prickled. The massive trees towered overhead, their shadows stretching like fingers. Strange calls echoed through branches.
A huge trunk caught her eye. Patterns spiraled across its bark like alien script. Close enough to hear the village. Far enough to breathe.
"What am I doing here?" Her whisper disappeared into rustling leaves.
The bark felt warm against her back. Living. Her fingers traced the swirling patterns.
Something chittered nearby. Leaves crunched under unseen feet. The village's distant celebration blended with forest sounds.
A child's laugh drifted over. Normal. Human. Arin hugged her knees closer.
"At least they sound happy." Her words mixed with bird calls.
A laugh bubbled up. Arin pressed her hand to her mouth, but it spilled out anyway.
"Missed my morning meeting." She wiped her eyes. "Pretty sure that counts as calling in sick."
The absurdity of it all hit her. Here she was, in some prehistoric fantasy world, and she was thinking about office work.
She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's figure this out. Stone Age vibes? Check. Primitive tools and huts? Check. Weird fruits, animals, and that blue bear thing? Definitely not normal." She counted off on her fingers, trying to make sense of it all.
The laws of nature here seemed to operate on unfamiliar principles, if someone had reimagined the Stone Age in a fantasy setting. Arin's mind whirled with possibilities. Could this be some alternate version of the Stone Age? A parallel world where evolution took a different path? Or perhaps this was the far future, where humanity had regressed technologically but nature had evolved in bizarre new directions?
"Time slip?" Arin watched a many-winged creature glide past. "Parallel world? Evolution gone wild?"
Some crazy far future? Each idea seemed crazier than the last. Maybe she'd finally cracked from overwork and this was all some elaborate hallucination. But no, everything felt too real for that.
Her head throbbed. Reality refused to make sense.
"Or I snapped." Another pinch. Still hurt. "Too real for a breakdown."
Cheers rose from the village. They were making the impossible into dinner.
"No going back." Her laugh cracked. "Unless anyone's got a spare portal?"
"Who am I?" she whispered. "What's happening to me?" No answer, of course. Just the wind in the leaves. For a moment, she could have sworn she heard whispers, but it was probably just her imagination. Hopefully.
Arin's thoughts started going in circles. More questions, no answers. Her heart raced. This was too much. Too big. Too weird. She was just one person – how was she supposed to deal with all this? She didn't know how to survive in the wild. Hell, she could barely keep a houseplant alive.
But then, suddenly, the panic faded. Arin took a deep breath. The air smelled like earth and plants. It helped, somehow. Grounded her. This might be a crazy situation, but panicking wouldn't help. She needed to think clearly.
"Okay, Arin," she said, her voice stronger. "You got this. Step one: Don't die. We'll figure out the rest later." It wasn't much of a plan, but it was a start. Survive first, ask questions later.
She stood up, and for a second, the forest seemed to move. Like the trees were watching her. Faces appeared in the bark, eyes in the knots of wood. Arin blinked, and it was gone. Just normal trees. Maybe. She rubbed her eyes. This place was starting to get to her.
"Right," she muttered, "no talking to trees. That's when I'll know I've lost it for real." Though at this point, chatting with a tree might not even be the weirdest part of her day.
Arin looked up. The light had changed, turning golden. Late already? Time to head back, probably. She didn't want to be out here alone when night fell. Who knew what came out in the dark?
She walked towards the village. The forest seemed to wake up around her. New sounds, new smells. Night creatures stirring. Something chittered nearby making Arin jump. Too close. Multiple feet scraped against bark.
"Just a mutant squirrel." Arin's bare feet found paths between roots. "Probably only has a couple extra legs. Nothing to worry about." Her attempt at humor fell flat against growing shadows.
With one last glance at the darkening forest behind her, Arin stepped out of the trees' shadow and made her way back into the village.