Monster Girl Ranching in Another World

[View of Howl]

Running through the forest, Howl wasn't really sure what he was doing. He had no reason to help this creature, yet something about him was strange and different.

Howl was used to the other bug people coming in and trying to kill him and succeeding a few times. Each time he died, Howl would respawn in a different ring location, but the outcome was always the same.

Now, this man had offered to take care of him, but Howl was a proud creature and not the type that shouldn't need help, but he did. Howl continued forward, but suddenly his senses went wild, and the wolf jumped to the side as a projectile streaked towards him.

An arrow pierced the ground where the blue wolf was supposed to be, but Howl gave it no thought as he darted for a tree. The wolf's mind had been in a cloud of thoughts, and it had almost cost him his life.

"You of all the creatures should know better, Blue Wolf. I know it is you!" The voice of Chez the centaur called from up ahead, with the voice getting louder.

This wasn't Howl's first run-in with the hunter, and he wasn't wrong. Chez had killed many wolves before this, but he had yet to kill Howl.

Centaur's are typically proud creatures, and someone like Chez, a real centaur, was no exception. Howl decided that the best way to deal with someone like this was to use their strengths against them.

"You like a challenge, right? There is a giant monitor lizard up ahead, making it very hard to hunt! I know that you are a pretty good hunter, and I am sure that you could deal with something like this," Howl explained using a calm and somewhat convincing tone.

There was no chance that Howl was going to outright trick someone like Chez. Instead, Howl was going to have to try a different approach that he wasn't used to using, but not unknown; trickery.

Howl waited for a reply, but none came at first, then he heard the muted clop of the centaur Chez's hooves. Chez was one of two brothers that were direct descendants of Sagittarius, naturally born from female centaur's.

"Why would a creature as proud as yourself come to me to ask for help? What is the meaning of this request?" Chez asked, still staying out of sight from Howl.

Howl cursed to himself and growled his tail swishing. He should have known this, and now he had no idea where Chez was, but then the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"You had better have a good reason for coming into my domain with such a pathetic excuse, Blue Wolf," Chez, the master hunter, said as he pushed the tip of his drawn arrow into the back of Howl's neck.

[Zack's View]

At the last second, right before the creature was about to get me, I took a hard left turn around a tree, making the creature react the same. Unfortunately for the giant monitor lizard, it smashed into it, slowing it briefly.

[You need to figure something out, or you are going to get killed eventually! There is no way you can keep this up, and the creature is learning from each new trick you try on it!] Harold said as I ran to try and find something that could help me help me.

I had already tried to use large branches and rocks to hit, stab and even slice with a sharp rock that I had. The problem wasn't the weapons; it was me.

None of my attacks were strong enough to do more than minor damage. On top of that, the creature was able to heal cuts and stabs in mere moments.

[This creature is far too strong for you to fight right now! You need to run away from it!] Libra told me, but that was what I had been trying to do, but the creature was much faster than me.

'Best I can do right now is slow the creature down and stay out of its reach. I have to put faith that Howl will return, or I am as good as dead anyways!'

There was a sharp-looking stick up ahead of me, and I burst forward to snatch it up as the pounding steps started to increase the pace and get closer. I didn't need to turn around to know that my doom was barrelling towards me.

Instead, I tried using the same trick that I had just used and aimed myself at the closest tree. When the creature tried to come around to counter my attack, I would stab this stick into the soft tissue in its mouth.

[I can tell you when to turn, but this creature will not fall for the same trick twice in a row!] Harold complained, but I was counting on it.

I could hear the panting and growling getting uncomfortably close to me, but I was to the tree. I started to turn, but Libra screamed in my head, making me try to turn, but it was already too late.

[Watch out for the tail!] Libra screamed in my mind, and I was smashed off my feet.

I flew through the air, the stick flying out of my hand, missing trees, and smashing into the ground. The air was smashed out of my lungs doubly, and I had no idea how the creature had pulled off the deception.

I tried to force myself up and off the ground, but my body refused to work as I gasped for air. I forced a hand under my chest and rolled myself over, and an ice-cold feeling ran through my body.

There was a shadow over top of me, and a massive toothless open mouth was moving towards me. I screamed internally as I tried to force my lungs to suck in air, but nothing was working.

Was this it? Was this all going to end with me being eaten by a monster?

No, this was not where my story ended!