Kinverse: Volume One

PATH OF THE EMERALD MAIDEN

A naive young monster's tale by Moros, aka KinverseWriter

Legal Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise herein mentioned. No copyright infringement is intended. All characters and events in this story are entirely fictional. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental. This work of fiction contains disturbing content.

Reader discretion is advised.

Description:

A young woman from a pre-neolithic society is accidentally whisked away to another world entirely during a raid on a research lab run by alien invaders. Stranded with no friends, badly injured, and no idea where home even is, she's forced to live off the land and learn how to survive in this strange and hostile world.

There's only one slight problem, though.

She's not trapped in this world with them. They're trapped in this world with her.

Categories:

Adventure, Coming-of-Age, Isekai, Erotica.

Disclaimers:

This story contains sexual elements and disturbing themes. The contents aren't purely intended to be pornographic, but some scenes objectively are. This is about a giant monster that eats people, so reader discretion is advised. This story contains vorarephilic themes.

This story will have a very slow and intermittent pace to begin with. True stakes don't really show up until halfway through, though the build-up is always there in the background. This is ultimately not a story of grand adventure and defeating one's enemies to rise to the top, it is the tale of a lost and naive young woman growing as a person and learning new things. It is a personal one concerning her, and thus this story will be told in present-tense first-person.

Chapter 6: The Lake

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I hobble my way around, steering well clear of the bears' territory. My leg hurts like hell, but I can still walk on its gorey stump. The other scratches have been healing well, but that's to be expected; just some slight itchiness beneath my belly-plates where the torn skin is beginning to fold back up a little, but it'll be a few days before I'm done processing my meal in full.

I want to check on my leg. Stopping, I carefully roll onto my side then my back, and shift my leg into view.

Marked by the beginning of new skin and scales starting to form is a red mass, pulsing slightly in time with my heartbeat. It's scabbed over quite severely on the bottom, needles and leaves stuck to it. Scythes hugged to my sides, I push myself back until I'm against a tree's base and grab for the mess that is my regenerating leg, before pulling out the detritus and wiping it off as best I can. I don't really need to keep it clean any more now that it's finished scabbing completely, but it still feels odd.

Our regeneration ability is good, but not foolproof. After telling us about her own maiming, Mother told us about how one of her sisters had lost a leg, and shortly after, had slept with the stump resting under her against some gravel. Mother didn't know how she fell asleep like that despite the pain; perhaps she'd shifted into the position, but regardless it grew around the sediment.

They only figured it out when the pain kept getting worse and worse and Mother dug into her.

She had to amputate her sister's limb, starting the process all over again.

I shudder. I don't have anyone around to help if I have to cut off my own leg. My aunt was lucky, she had Mother around. Since it's already scabbed over I should be fine until it bursts and a new one needs to form, but I still don't want to risk things. I'll need to pay close attention to it every once in a while...

Reaching up above me to the tree, I pull myself up it by thick low-hanging branches before shoving off and leaning down, landing on my three remaining legs, stumbling a bit as I get my balance. Back on the move I go.

---

A few days of steady rest and very excessive eating later, I find myself at the lake again--though further south. I've been taking it really easy--especially on my leg--so movement's been slow when I'm not actively needing to be faster.

But now, I've got an off-color knee so I do have a little bit more stability if I have to stand on it. Since my metabolism has spiked from the injury and I've been needing to eat a lot anyway, most of it has also been going into general growth, which was my plan all along but not necessarily like this. I'm definitely significantly larger than I was when I first arrived...

Perhaps the injury was a good thing. Since I need to eat more, I can eat more, which means I'm growing faster too, though less efficiently. I've been able to get the bare necessities, even for healing my leg, but I've been full almost the entire time. If I was bigger during that fight, it would have gone far differently. This has only reinforced my choice that I can't wait.

One day I'll return; I know where you live, bears! And I'll have all of my legs, too. And also not be gorged on victory.

Breaking the treeline on approach to the lakeshore, I'm left speechless. I have never seen anything like this before, never so much water in one place. Kin usually get their needs from the many springs and rivers throughout the jungle, but it's always a risk to be near larger bodies of water so we usually settle near the aforementioned springs.

...Should I really be here? Especially as injured as I am? Overestimating myself isn't a mistake I'm eager to repeat.

But... unlike home, the water here is quite clear, lacking the churning sediment of the rivers and extremely dense green fogs of the permanent ponds, though it is a little foggy here still. If something tries to pop out of the water at me I'll see it first, and it's one of my rear legs that's injured; I'm still able to throw myself back for the most part.

First checking left and right along the coast to try and spot potential observers first, I proceed to carefully pick my way down the gravel-covered beach, over and around fallen tall-thin trees. So far so good.

The smells here are quite different from those of the jungle, the winds faster as well due to the open space, bringing yet more hints of this foreign land's ecosystem to my nose. Many different animals make this their home, and out on the water I spot a flock of birds, ones notably larger than those I'd seen before.

Some of them have green faces similar to a murky pond, brown bodies, and tan wings, while others are mostly brown and tan all over. Occasionally one of them dips into the water, pulling out a small fish to chow down on. Aquatic birds! Now that's new.

I can't see their feet, teeth, or tips of their wings from this distance, but judging by their small and flat beaks they don't appear to be too dangerous. They definitely couldn't pick me up and carry me away, even all working together!

MOVEMENT, BACK! From what fog there is in the water comes... false alarm. Just a fish. This one isn't very big, at least compared to me, especially compared to what I've heard about from Mother and my aunts. If I weren't still wary--especially after my earlier near-death experience--I'd try and grab it to see what it tastes like.

The presence of those birds out on the water could indicate few aquatic predators, but that ultimately means little. At any moment, great jaws as large as I am could come up and take away multiple of the waterfowl at once.

I still don't even know if they would be dangerous to me.

Turning away from the sight, I begin hobbling along the coast, heading south. Interspersed along the waterline are patches of rocks, clumps of logs, and thick reeds and grass that could hide all sorts of things. Curious, and smelling something new within one of the latter copses, I carefully circle around it to make sure that nothing is hiding out of my sight before making my way in.

Inside, I find... a bird. It's larger than the others I spotted, with a black head and neck, white throat, breast, and belly, its back and wings various shades of brown. Suddenly, it bolts up and faces me, making a strange honking sound and extending out its wings to appear larger than it really is.

Brave little thing, isn't it?

Suddenly it rushes at me, pecking and batting at me with its wings. At first I dodge back, but after assessing the danger and realizing how pathetic the creature is... I take it. It really isn't all that effective, so I just stand there. The pecks hurt a little bit but I'm keeping my head out of its reach and I'm literally covered in armor. Sitting back for stability, I dart my claw out and grab it.

Suddenly it stops flailing at me and is a lot more docile, though does struggle a bit. This doesn't last and its bravado returns, furiously honking once more and trying to peck at me but I'm holding it out of reach. Its feet are webbed, presumably to better paddle, with no claws. Its wings are just that, with no spikes or claws on the end, and its teeth are sharp but barely noticeable unless you were close and knew what to look for. They look quite wicked for a creature of its size but are ultimately of no threat to me. After studying it for a moment more, I break its neck and fulfill a promise to myself, starting to pluck out this bird's feathers.

Some time later I'm finished, the sun setting over the mountains, and I can savor my meal. Taking a small bite from its side, I immediately decide that it's better than the tree swallow was. I actually kind of like this one, though it's a bit on the dumb side. It was brave, and I could definitely see a flock of them scaring off larger predators with ease, but it was alone and I'm not scared of it. It looks very similar to the ones out on the lake, so if this one's anything to go by, the others probably aren't much of a threat either but I can't know for sure until I get a closer look. I've heard of there being different creatures that look quite similar to one another except one is quite docile and the other is horribly deadly due to one small quirk, like poisonous blood or unassuming fang-filled mouths.

I continue my meal in peace within the reeds, content in mostly being hidden from sight while laying down. In the distance, a BANG echoes through the valley from the north, presumably from the hunter or another of its kind. The sound is a decent ways away; at least twenty minutes at my pace if I were to head directly towards its source, but I don't bother, I'm injured. For now, I'm going to rest. I don't want to sleep next to the water, so I get back up and hobble out of the reeds. Returning to the trees, I find a hollow against a short cliff, and curl up into it, making sure my stump is hugged against me, pointed up towards my head.

Legs out and ready to attack with should I be suddenly interrupted, I sleep for the night.

---

After waking up I made my way further south along the lake's coastline, water to one side, lake to the other. I found the occasional bird and other interesting little water-dwelling creatures, but I'd yet to try entering the water. The entire reason I'd been walking along the bank was to keep an eye out on the water to see if I could spot anything large moving. The most I'd dared was to get a few drinks, night eyes peeled for anything that might try to sneak up on me.

Two hours of three-legged walking later and nearing the end of this long lake, I stop and settle in between a rock and some piled logs, to rest and devote all of my time to watching. I've been finding that I can't really travel for too long, needing to stop and catch my breath. I don't like the air here, but I'm definitely getting at least a little bit used to it.

At least it still carries scents properly! Hunting would be far harder--I'd be stuck with my head to the ground looking for tracks. It hasn't rained since I arrived, though it surely must soon. It's dry here, but not dry enough to have not rained for many months. By my reckoning, I've been here for about two weeks.

Eventually, I build up the courage, and emerge from my resting place. Slowly making my way over to the water's edge I glance over the expanse thoroughly, so far disliking it the whole while.

Dipping my foreclaws in, they sink into the sediment of the beach, water rising around them. One foreclaw in front of the other, I slowly wade further in, ears strained for unnatural noises, eyes scanning for sudden movements.

In the water halfway up to my belly, I consider this sensation. I've been in water before of course, but it's generally extremely frowned upon to swim in the drinking water. If we ever needed to clean up for whatever reason we'd usually either roll around in the dirt and mud or bathe in streams leaving the springs, so a body of water this large, waves lapping at my sides, is a strange new experience.

Nothing's happened yet, so I wade deeper. The water rises up enough that I have to paddle to stay afloat, instinctually trying to claw my way through the water. It isn't enough and I keep sinking back down a bit, so I push off the ground below the water and steadily make my way back to shallower waters.

Okay, that's that, I don't see much reason to do it again, but it was... something, alright.

Once back on shore, water draining from the folds of skin on my belly under my plates, I continue my journey south.

Eventually I pass a beautiful waterfall down a short river. To get past, I have to retreat back up the hillside above it, passing by tiered layers before looping back down to the shore. Naturally I stop to marvel at this sight as well.

I gaze into the flowing waters, judging my reflection. It's hard to make out details, but I can definitely tell that I've grown larger, and my sides are a bit fuller what with the excess nutritional intake I've been experiencing. That makes sense; I've built up sufficient fat reserves and everything else has been going into growth.

But: regardless of the beauty of this place and opportunity to observe the changes to my body, this is ultimately but step on my journey--there will be more moments to stop and ponder and this can't last, so I continue on. However, not twenty minutes later I'm surprised to see a smaller rock tall intruder path break through the trees from up the hill to follow the coast. A line of trees and rocks separates the path from the water, but it's too thick for me to traverse without the use of all of my legs, so I step out onto the path.

It's hard, just like rock, but with no colors adorning it like the previous one had. The hard rock hurts a bit to step onto with my stump, but despite that and the feeling of the hot rock through my scaled palms and foot it otherwise isn't too bad. The smell of the different tall intruders is extremely faint but nonetheless there, the path mostly smelling faintly of that acrid sickly-sweet mover-stench. I should be able to hear a mover approaching, but I still stick near the side just in case.

Many hours later, a smaller path sealed with an odd yellow obstacle breaks off from a gravel clearing along the side of the path. Curious, I change directions, lowering myself under the middle of the barricade, and continue on.

Down the path up ahead, I hear the voices of tall intruders communicating.

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A/N:

A substantially shorter chapter. I aim for around 3k words and this one just barely hit that mark... including the author's note. I couldn't think of a way to pad it out any more without it detracting from the quality; it's just a transition chapter between two more important ones. Filler, if you will, but necessary filler nonetheless.

So. Water. Much like the tropical waterways of Earth, bad things lurk in the rivers and lakes of her home, bad enough to threaten Kin and cause them to serve as even stronger barriers and borders than just the difficulty of traversing them. That's just the rivers and lakes of the jungle, too--anyone who grew up hearing stories of dinosaurs will know what sort of things could be lurking in the seas of a world with megafauna. There is a definite upper limit to how large an organism can grow, based on gravity, nutritional requirements, and heat dispersion. In the oceans, gravity matters little and water disperses quite well, so all that remains is the question of how much a creature can eat before it grows too large to continue. Lobsters are theoretically immortal, but die of old age just as the Kin do: unable to sustain themselves any more.

The Kin have multiple different influences and inspirations, and lobsters are an unexpected one.