SOP l CH 1

Episode 1. Help! Somebody!

“Beep! Beeeep! (Hey! Somebody help me!)”

I’d been clinging to a huge pine tree like a cicada for about fifteen minutes now. My throat hurt so much that all I could make were weird, squeaky cat noises.

“Beep, beep…! (Help… somebody…!)”

I’d been screaming so long my head started spinning. I opened and closed my eyes, and suddenly I just felt miserable.

“Beeeeep…! (What did I do to deserve this crap…!)”

Grrrrrr—!

At the sound of that terrifying growl, I looked down and saw wolf-shaped monsters circling below the tree. Their black, melted-looking skin showed the red muscles underneath.

When our eyes met, they bared their razor-sharp teeth.

“Beep… beeeep… (You jerks… I’m underweight, there’s nothing to eat on me…)”

But the monsters kept staring at me hungrily, waiting for me to slip.

“Beep… (Help….)”

Then I heard a small snicker nearby.

When I turned my head weakly, I saw something round and white perched on a branch — a little bird with black bean-like eyes staring right at me.

[Wow, are you for real? Why do you keep yelling for humans to save you?]

“Beep, beep… (Hah, unbelievable. What next, talking birds? This world’s gone crazy.)”

[What? A bird? Excuse me! I’m not just some random bird — I’m a white-headed long-tailed tit!]

The puffball flapped its tiny wings in anger.

“Beep. Beep-beep… (Or maybe I really did lose my mind. Now I’m hearing birds talk…)”

Maybe I was hallucinating from dying? Or still unconscious from surgery?
And when I woke up, the real nightmare would start — the medical bills.

“Beep… (Life, man…)”

As I sighed, the bird tilted its head at me, then suddenly gasped.

[Wait… you weren’t joking this whole time?!]

It bounced up and down on the branch.

[No way! A marten that thinks it’s human?!]

What was this tiny mochi-ball talking about?

“Beep? (Marten?)”

Ignoring me, it muttered, [Crazy marten. Totally insane.]

Marten? Who?

Laughing weakly, I shook my head — and then I saw my arms.

“Beep?! (What the—?!)”

My arms were covered in fluffy white fur. Sharp little claws tipped my paws.

“Beep! Beeeep?! (What’s happening to my arms?!)”

Panicking, I touched my head and felt small, triangular ears.

“Beep! (My ears!)”

Then I touched my face — a wet nose and a snout sticking out.

“Beep! Beeeep! (Ahh! My nose! My mouth!)”

[Oh boy.]

The bird watched me like I was pathetic.

I turned around quickly when something tickled my back.

“Beep! Beeeep! (What’s with this tail?!)”

There it was — a fluffy white tail twitching behind me. When I flexed, it swished side to side.

“Beep… beep? (No way… I turned into a marten?)”

How did I go from a human to a fluffy animal just because I hit my head?

[Obviously because you are a marten. You were born that way!]

“Beep! Beeeep! (No! I’m human!)”

[…Were human, maybe.]

After a while, I came to a grim conclusion.
I must’ve died and reincarnated as this marten in some weird forest.
And now, I was about to die again.

The monsters below were still growling.

“Beep, beep, beep? Beep-beep. Beep? (Hey, white-headed-whatever, can you help me out? Maybe distract those monsters while I run away?)”

I put on my saddest face possible.

[Why should I?]

“Beep? (What?)”

[Why should I help you? You can run away just fine yourself.]

I blinked.

“Beep…? (Me…?)”

[Yeah! Just jump from this tree to that one over there.]

The bird flew to the next tree.

[Come on! Jump!]

The trees were about a meter apart — not exactly comforting.

“Beep, beep-beep! (I can’t! What if I fall?!)”

If I did, I’d break a leg and get eaten alive.

[Ugh, hopeless.]

But I didn’t get to hesitate long — one of the wolves leaped up and swiped at me, its claws brushing my tail.

“Beep! (Eek!)”

I panicked and jumped toward the bird.

“Beeeeep! (Aaaahhh!)”

For a brief second in midair, the wind rushed through my fur — then thud! My paws stuck to the tree like suction cups.

“Beep? (Whoa?)”

My paw pads were pink and jelly-like, gripping perfectly.

[Nice! Now jump to the next one!]

Following the bird’s lead, I bounded from tree to tree.
Eventually, the monsters disappeared behind me.

Panting, I slid down a trunk.

“Beep-beep… (Haa… I’m alive.)”

[Don’t relax yet. Those wolves have a sharp sense of smell — they’ll be back soon.]

So I kept running.

By late afternoon, the forest grew darker — and I spotted three children wandering nearby.

“Beep… (Wait, kids? Here?)”

The oldest boy looked my way.

“Hey! A white cat!”

“Dummy, that’s a marten!”

“Oliver, Daisy, quiet! We’re lost enough already!”

The older one scolded the two younger ones and looked around nervously.

“We should’ve reached the edge of the forest by now…”

I froze. The direction they were walking — that was where the wolf monsters were.

“Beep! (Wait, stop!)”

I scrambled up a tree and spotted the monsters not far away.

“Beep-beep! (Bird! I’ll distract the wolves — you get the kids out of here!)”

[What? How am I—?!]

I didn’t wait to hear more. I raced toward the wolves, yelling.

“Beep-beep! (Hey, ugly mutts! Come get me!)”

The monsters turned and chased after me.

I ran as fast as my tiny legs could carry me, zigzagging through the forest to throw them off.

But soon, I realized I’d made a terrible mistake.

“Beep. (Crap.)”

I’d run straight into a patch of thorny bushes — no trees, nowhere to climb.

The wolves surrounded me, grinning with those awful, toothy maws.

And that’s when I knew — I was completely trapped.