Darkness again.
Soft breathing.
Something hot and smelly very close to his face.
Arjun blinked.
Twice.
And then—his eyes widened.
Less than an inch from his nose, staring right at him, was the ugly beast.
Its teeth were bared in what might have been a snarl… or a smile. It was hard to tell with that unfortunate face. Drool slowly oozed from the side of its mouth, landing directly on Arjun's cheek.
He screamed.
"AAAAAAGHHH—WHAT THE—STILL ALIVE?!"
He kicked backward, scrambled to his feet—well, foot, one leg was still sore—and grabbed the nearest thing he could find.
A stick.
The beast didn't move. It just blinked.
Arjun waved the stick like a sword. "BACK! I HAVE A STICK! I'M TRAINED IN... STICK...-FU!"
That's when he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned—and nearly slipped again.
Standing there, maybe five feet away, was a woman.
But not one from the crash.
She was maybe 22. Tall, muscular, with skin painted in streaks of ash and red. She wore leather and bones—animal skin and feathers—and carried a curved wooden bow on her back, plus two spears tied at her hip.
She did not look impressed.
"Uh…" Arjun began, still holding his stick. "You're not here to help me file a medical claim, are you?"
The woman took a step forward and yelled—
"Bak'char uma NAI VOR!"
Arjun backed up. "Okay. That sounds a lot like 'I'm gonna kill you,' and I'd rather not subscribe to that newsletter."
She raised her spear, screamed again—"CHAA VOK!"—and lunged.
Arjun dodged, tripped over a rock, and faceplanted.
"Oh, come on!"
The spear missed. Barely.
She stepped over him and pressed the tip to his neck.
Arjun raised both hands. "Alright! Wait! Time out! I'm weak! My leg's busted, I smell like monster spit, I have a stick, and I probably peed a little just now. Look at me. Do I look like a threat?"
The woman paused.
Lowered her spear.
Sniffed him once.
Grimaced.
Stepped back.
Arjun coughed. "Yeah. That's fair."
She muttered something under her breath in that same strange language—sharp and rhythmic, almost musical.
Arjun sat up slowly, trying not to trigger any more sudden death.
Then he noticed something else.
His leg.
No pain.
He touched it—bandaged.
Tightly wrapped with some kind of herbal cloth. It smelled like pepper and rotten mangoes, but it didn't hurt anymore.
He blinked.
"Did you… heal me?"
She pointed to the beast.
It huffed.
Snorted.
And sat down like a proud dog.
Arjun stared. "Wait. That thing saved me?"
The woman pointed to the beast again, then to herself, then thumped her chest proudly. "Naara."
He pointed to himself. "Uh… Arjun."
She narrowed her eyes. "Ah…Ahr…JUUN."
"Close enough."
She stepped forward again, held out her palm. Her expression softened—slightly. Her head tilted in curiosity.
Arjun slowly high-fived it.
She recoiled instantly, looking offended. "RAK VOR?!"
He winced. "Okay, apparently that was sacred or illegal or something."
The beast stood up again, growled softly.
"No, no! Sit, Fluffy! Down! We're friends now, remember?"
The woman—Naara—sighed.
She stepped forward and tapped his shoulder gently. Then pointed to the beast. "Korvak."
Arjun turned slowly to the creature.
"…Korvak. Right. Korvak. Big... slobbery... mood-swingy boy."
The beast snorted again and curled beside Naara like a cat. A cat the size of a small truck.
Arjun sat down, rubbing his head.
"I swear, I just wanted to move to Canada with my wife. Ended up hunted by mimic monsters, giant spiders, shot in the leg, punched by a wolf-rhino, and now I've made frenemies with Tribal Xena and her hell-dog."
Naara sat beside him, pulling out a pouch and munching on some weird spongy fruit.
She offered him one.
Arjun took it.
Tasted it.
Spat it out.
"Yup. Tastes like disappointment and shampoo."
Naara laughed. Just a short, confused chuckle.
But she laughed.
And for the first time since the crash, Arjun exhaled a little.
Still alive.
Somehow healed.
Still hunted.
And now… accompanied by a warrior woman and a beast that used to want him dead.
Korvak opened one eye. Growled softly.
Arjun frowned. "He's still mad about the bullet, isn't he?"
Naara nodded once.
Arjun sighed. "Yeah. Thought so."