No Escape From Fate

The next day, Alaya showed me around their settlement in more detail. It turned out to be quite a large community, with temples dedicated to various local gods, a market, a school, sports sections for children, and even a park for active recreation.

That last one struck me as a bit strange-after all, they already lived surrounded by breathtaking nature. But, as Alaya explained, parents felt their children were safest in the park, since the surrounding lands were home to plenty of wild and dangerous creatures.

There were also wandering werewolves, though Alaya assured me they weren't truly dangerous. They left their own packs in search of mates, traveling enormous distances, sniffing out everything in their path. They didn't attack humans or other beings unless provoked, and were mostly harmless. But-if one of them caught the scent of his mate on a girl, there would be no escape. He would drag her back to his den... and love her to the point of madness. So, young women were advised to be careful and avoid wandering too far from home. How I managed not to run into one yesterday was still a mystery.

After the long tour, Alaya needed to tend to her household chores, and I offered to help. It wasn't difficult for me, and I could see she appreciated the company.

"Come on, it's time to feed the hens and Fastik," she said cheerfully, and we headed to the backyard where the barn and shed stood.

Taking some grain and scraps of meat, we first went to the chicken coop. The chickens here were similar to ours, except for their bright and unusual feather colors. After feeding the birds, we walked toward the barn-where strange, muffled sounds were coming from.

The moment Alaya opened the door and we stepped inside, I nearly fainted.

"THAT'S A DINOSAUR!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs when I saw what was inside the pen-it looked exactly like a velociraptor.

I jumped back as if from fire, while Alaya, surprised by my reaction, calmly approached the creature and began stroking its long neck.

"Well, yes," she said with a smile, pulling out the scraps of meat and feeding the reptile. "You have these where you come from too?"

"They used to exist," I said slowly, still unable to believe my eyes. "But they went extinct millions of years ago. All that's left of them are fossilized bones that scientists sometimes dig up."

Overcoming my first wave of fear, I stepped closer, unable to tear my gaze away.

To be honest, the creature looked a bit different from what I remembered from documentaries. Fastik had dark-green scales mixed with lighter green, almost like a watermelon pattern, and even a bit of feathery covering. His powerful hind legs ended in sharp claws, while the forelimbs were adorned with bright green feathers, and on his head grew a funny little feathered crest.

"Don't be afraid, he's domesticated," Alaya said softly, smiling at her favorite pet-who, to my complete shock, actually leaned into her touch like a cat.

"And what do you even need a dinosaur for on a farm? More importantly-are there any larger ones around here?" The last thing I wanted was to bump into a T-Rex or some other prehistoric nightmare.

"No, this is the largest kind," Alaya laughed. "The others are smaller. Fastik helps us like horses do where you're from. He plows the fields, hauls carts, guards the farm-he's way better than any dog-and you can even ride him. Want to try?"

"Oh, no! Thanks, but no thanks," I refused instantly. "Riding a dinosaur wasn't exactly on my bucket list! They were terrifying predators in their time."

"Well, in the wild, yes," she chuckled. "But this breed is intelligent and easy to tame. They're quite affectionate, too-especially when you scratch their backs. They can't reach that spot with their claws, you see," she explained, amused.

I'd already been living with Alaya for several days, and she continued introducing me to her world. During the day, I helped her with household chores, and in the evenings, we sat together, chatting warmly over tea.

If not for my questionable future, life in their settlement would actually be rather nice-even cozy. I'd even grown fond of Fastik, and now I could scratch his funny, toothy snout without screaming in terror.

But today hadn't started well from the very beginning. It had rained during the night, and I'd managed to stain the dress Alaya had kindly given me while feeding the animals. To make things worse, I'd already been wandering around the local market for forty minutes, trying in vain to find paparita-a dark-blue vegetable that tasted a bit like zucchini.

When I stopped by the stall where Alaya usually bought it, the merchant regretfully told me they'd run out and suggested I check a booth between the last two houses on the square.

But I never made it there.