Crawl out of the bushes

Curling up in the bushes and crying until the sun comes up certainly has its appeal, but you take a few bracing breaths and **** yourself to move. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, your limbs feel like rubber bands, and the sting of every scratch on your body nearly brings tears to your eyes. You move slowly, drawing hissing breaths through your teeth each time a new thorn catches at your arms or scrapes down your side.

You arms tremble as you finally emerge from the fox's den and take a breath of fresh night air. Only now do you realize just how musky and wild the den smelled. A dark hand reaches down to you, offering help up off the ground, and you reach up and take it. Warm, leathery pads press against your palm and strong, furred fingers close around your hand. He pulls you to your feet and you jerk back, stumbling away from him, your legs shaking so bad you can hardly keep them under you.

"Take it easy," he says, holding his hands -- his furry hands -- up in a non-threatening gesture. "No one is going to hurt you."

"You...you're...You're an otter," you stammer. He has small ears, intense brown eyes, and a square muzzle with stiff white whiskers on either side. His brown fur fades to a cream color on his throat, and he has a thick, powerful looking tail behind him. He's not quite as tall as you, but is well muscled and athletic looking. In a fight, you'd bet he could kick your ass pretty good. He's wearing a black T-shirt and camouflage pants, with a gun hanging on one hip and a hunting knife on the other.

"My name is Luke," the otter says. "The third member of our team, Zilla, is around here somewhere. He's a lizard, and he won't hurt you, either. We didn't come here to hurt anyone; that's not our mission. It's not what we want. All we want is peace and a safe place to live."

"I guess you forgot to mention that to the wolf," you say, wrapping your arms around yourself. Suddenly, it's cold out here. You're probably in shock.

"I am truly sorry that happened to you," Luke says. "He will be dealt with, and no matter what is decided, he will not be returning to this universe. Let me help you back to your home, and then I will deal with him."