She had fallen through a rabbit hole.

No, she wasn't joking.

She had fallen through a rabbit hole.

When Rhea watched Alice in Wonderland, she thought it was ridiculous that a grown child could fall through a hole the size of her hand. Now, she, a grown adult, had done the exact same thing.

And now, she was in a random forest in the middle of nowhere.

Since she had actually read Alice in Wonderland, she was half-expecting to see something crazy. She did see something crazy, but that didn't mean she was in Wonderland.

She wasn't in Wonderland; she was in some new type of hell. A huge red snake was right there, sizing her up like she was prey.

It was bigger than she had ever seen, and truthfully, she was amazed at its size.

She wanted to keep it as a pet.

"What are you doing here, female?" the snake asked.

Who called people 'female' in the 21st century?

The fact that she wasn't even bothered by a talking snake...

"What tribe are you from?" it asked.

"I'm... human?" she responded.

"I've never heard of this tribe before. It is no matter; I will take you as my mate."

"Excuse me?" she blurted out.

What kind of omega verse nonsense was happening here?

Was he British and just referring to a more child-friendly version of 'mate'?

"It's not every day a pretty female drops from the sky. The heavens must be smiling at me today."

The snake transformed into a half-man beast!

At first, she thought this was the devil trying to trick her, but then she realized, maybe this wasn't Earth?

"Where are we? Is this Earth?" she asked.

"Earth?" he asked curiously.

"Like Earth, what continent are we on? Asia? Africa?"

"I don't know any of these words, female."

"My name is Rhea. It is disrespectful to call me female even if you are handsome."

"So you think I'm handsome?" he asked.

What kind of question was that? He was handsome, with long red hair to accompany his beautiful red tail and red eyes.

Maybe red was his favorite color?

She sighed and stood up, dusting her clothes off. She was meant to be on a date right now, so she was dressed for it, not for the wilderness.

"You are handsome, but I don't know your name. What should I call you?"

"My name is Curtis. So you have decided to be my mate, Rhea?" His voice was low, and he towered over her. He was too handsome; it was scary.

"No, I don't want a mate right now, but you can take me out. I don't mind, even if you are a snake."

She was way too nonchalant about this, but how else could she react?

"You want a feral to court you?"

"What do you mean, a feral? I'd think all animals in the jungle are feral."

"It seems you are a sheltered female... Anyway, ferals like us do not have a tribe and are quite dangerous. Do you throw yourself at death often?"

"Hm, truthfully, this is my first time meeting a beast man, so I'm not sure. Are ferals special in some way?"

It occurred to him that she was really unaware of this world's situation, so he saw a chance.

"Don't worry, as long as you let me be your mate, I will protect you from other beastmen."

"That's great, but I need to see a doctor. I am a bit worried about all the cuts on my skin. The rabbit hole was full of sharp roots. It would be bad if I got tetanus."

Curtis looked at her with concern. "A healer is what you need. I can take you to the nearest tribe with one. It's not far from here."

"First, I need a bath... Do you mind washing my clothes and hanging them to dry?"

Curtis nodded..

.

He lived in a cave that opened to a pond on the inside. It was quite and relaxing. Her cuts stung as she dipped her body into the water.

She took a deep breath and engulfed herself in the water, swimming underneath.

She must have stayed there for quite a while because when she was done and stepped out he had made some food for her.

"You made this Curtis?" She asked, startling him.

Seeing her nude he looked away, out of respect or nervousness?

Not she was clean and refreshed her features became more obvious to him. She tussled her black hair which was styled quite beautifully him, in tiny braids. Her lips were full and plump and so was the rest of her. He couldn't help but get excited at the prospect of finally having a mate.

"Are my clothes dry? It was pretty sunny today."

"I made you some new clothes to wear while waiting. He handed her a set of red clothes, maybe red was his favorite color.

"How did you get this fabric? Is there a human village here?" She asked curiosly after changing.

"I made it, with my skin."

"Wow, your skin feels really good on me, there's a first time for everything huh." She laughed to herself. Wearing snake skin was definitely not on her bucket list this year.

He watched her quietly, he didn't always understand everything she said, but he understood she was happy, and that was all that mattered.

Finally, he found a mate.

Rhea took one bite at the meat and realized it tasted awful.

"Are you not hungry?" Curtis asked when he realized she wasn't eating.

"I'm just not used to it, maybe tomorrow I should look for spices."

"Then, it's time for bed?" His words were eerily soft and his cheeks had a soft blush. Why did it sound like he wanted to fuck her?

Wait... He called her a mate?

No way..

"Curtis, I don't want to mate with you." She said firmly.

His heart dropped, "why? Is it because I'm a feral?"

But aren't all beasts feral??

Ugh whatever.

"No, I just don't know you, I like to mate with men I know."

He slowly nodded, he didn't seem to be buying it.

"Curtis, you are very handsome so I'm sure if I get to know you a bit more I would smash."

"S-Smash??"

"Uh.. I mena mate."

His face heated up furiously, the end of his tail wagging.

He was cute, like a dog.

Ew, maybe not.

"Is it okay if I sleep on your tail?" Rhea asked, feeling a bit shy about the unusual request.

"Ah, but it's cold tonight. You'll be cold," Curtis replied, concerned.

"I don't mind," she insisted.

She snuggled into his tail as he transformed into a large snake. His body wrapped around her, creating a cocoon of warmth and protection. She felt surprisingly safe and comfortable, despite the oddity of the situation.

.

The next morning, Curtis asked her, "What do you like to eat?"

She mulled it over for a moment, unsure what to say. This world seemed primitive; how could they have anything she wanted? "Well, I like fruits and vegetables. Maybe some bread or meat... I also like rice, potatoes, anything Really, I'm not too picky."

Curtis nodded thoughtfully. "We have fruits and meat. Bread might be a bit tricky, but the herbivores normally have rice."

"How are you wounds?" He asked holding her arm to get a look.

"They're not infected, but I would feel better getting a healer to look at it."

"Then we should go find a healer, the leopard tribe is close by, they should have a healer."

The both of them set off in search of this healer, Curtis walking at her pace to keep her comfortable.

"Curtis, how did you become a half-man, half-snake? Is everyone in this world like you?"

Curtis chuckled. "Not everyone. There are different tribes with different forms. Some are like me, cold blooded."

Rhea nodded, taking it all in. "I see. Then they must all be pretty like you."

Curtis blushed and looked away. "And what about your world? Are there others like you? Humans, I mean."

"Yes," Rhea replied, smiling. "There are many humans. We don't have tribes like here, but we live in cities and towns."

Curtis seemed fascinated by her descriptions. "We have a city, it's called the city of beasts, we can visit there if you want."

Rhea laughed softly. "Maybe one day, I'm not in a hurry."

He looked down at the woman by his side and he couldn't help but smile. Maybe he wasn't made to be alone after all.