Nati

"I need to confess that I'm not the Goddess of Luck."

On my third morning here, I gathered the orcs in the courtyard. They fed me enormous amounts of magnificent meals and I felt terrible for leading them astray. So far I haven't even told them my real name and was still called Goddess. Charlotte took me in without a word but supported the idea to come clean.

She let me stay in her shack and while it wasn't particularly comfortable, I had a place to sleep and food to eat. Their settlement lacked comfort and their clothes were primitive but they were friendly. This was not how I imagined orcs, but their chieftain gave me everything I needed, in case they had it. Except as usual in the mornings, she disappeared.

I had Mabel to support me instead, the little girl who volunteered to braid my hair every day. Or rather, she demanded me to let her do it, but I appreciated her efforts since I never had hair this long before. When I saw them on Alexandra, they looked stunningly beautiful but came with troubles and challenges. Of course, I didn't even consider to cut them off.

They belonged to a literal deity so it would have been nothing short of blasphemy to damage them. The longest locks anyone had in the tribe were less than half of mine and belonged to Mabel, who wore them in braids. She followed me around all day.

The orcs normally did not care much about beauty and preferred low-maintenance, sturdy, and functional things. But I understood why she was captivated by my extremely long, silky black hair when I fell in love with them at first sight.

Mabel held her breath now, along with the tribe, and looked at me curiously. I probably paused for too long but struggled to talk about these. I couldn't come to terms with everything just yet and had to take a deep breath before I blurted it out.

"I'm not even a girl," I said, but the surprised gasps I expected did not come. Maybe I wasn't the only one from another world? I rushed out the rest. "I don't know the details, but I used to be a man, who died in another world. Then Alexandra transferred me into her body for some reason, but my real name is Nati."

"Oh, so you are like Hank?!" The little orc girl yelled with wide eyes. "I knew something was odd about you, refused to come with me to the stream too when the girls washed up."

The stream that cut through the village took a small turn behind their settlement and was hidden by a dense treeline. The orcs widened it artificially and used it as their bathtub. They washed up there daily in small groups and the tribe's kids went all together, regardless of gender. The wildlife in the area was too hostile for them to wander alone, so they were accompanied by their mothers, and never left unsupervised. The children hated this but Charlotte said, wolves attacked the village three days ago.

Adults were strictly separated though, and I was too embarrassed to go with either group. They protested for some time, but I bathed alone since they believed me to be a Goddess. Even with my eyes closed, that was the most difficult part of my day and I knew for a fact, that I didn't want the orc males to stare at this body. I couldn't simply group up with the girls, but I got lucky when they reluctantly let me go alone. Being their esteemed guest granted me some unfair privileges. But I needed to focus on the conversation.

"Hank? Is he someone like me?" The name sounded unfamiliar, although I could not remember everyone in the tribe. A huge orc smashed its fist on the table.

"I'm not Hank! Call me Hana! How many times do I have to tell you?!" The creature grumbled menacingly at Mabel by my side, even larger than Charlotte. Like an inverted triangle, they had chiseled, muscular body, well-defined jaws, and face covered in dark stubble. The clothing on the other hand was similar to what the girls wore in the tribe. "I am a woman! You have to respect that decision!"

"You don't sound like one though." The little one was unfazed. I was a bit slow to understand, what they were talking about.

"It doesn't matter how I sound, Only what I feel inside." The creature slammed that muscular chest, the lips thick and pink, eyelashes longer and denser than anything I have seen before. That included all the girls in my world wearing all those ridiculous extensions. "I know exactly, how you must feel, Nati, and it's commendable that you came out in front of the tribe. I won't let them bully you."

"Oh, um... Sorry, Hana, that's not what I meant by that, I'm not transgender." I said once I put the puzzle pieces together. They weren't from another world after all. The large, ice-blue eyes stared right into my soul. "I mean, I don't have anything against them, but it's different in my case. I'm an actual man, that got stuck in a woman's body."

"Yes, sweetheart, that's what transgender is like," Hana explained patiently and I guess they had a point. I wondered if this was how they felt back in my world, but my case must have been different since I didn't occupy this body by choice. The smile that formed on that face was a little uncanny though. "It's all right, don't be ashamed."

"I am not..." I said, which was true at least. I started to like this body even if I couldn't overcome all the hurdles that came with it. I had no recollections about my earlier one either. What was it like to be a man? Maybe I wasn't particularly manly. "It is certainly strange to be stuck in the body of the opposite sex, but honestly, that's all I can remember now. My mind is a little messy since the transfer..."

"Yes, I understand you, Cranta would have punished this kind of talk, but they are no longer," Hana answered, reaching for my hand. I was too slow to pull away and disappeared in that huge palm. I hoped they wouldn't squeeze it as Charlotte did on the first day because Hana looked like someone who could break all my bones effortlessly. "Here we accept everyone for what they are, don't care about the appearances."

"Right. But it's not what I meant." I remained reluctant. If I put in the effort, to come clean with the tribe, I wanted to make sure, they understood what I tried to say. "I remember most of my past life, but I have no memories about my body. Once I arrived, the Goddess had to tell me my name too, and I still remembered hers..."

"It's fine, Nati. As I said, I was also born into a man's body, and they used to call me Hank." The face displayed a painful expression and they refused to get my point. But I was in no position to fight against it. "I don't like to remember those times either. I had to suffer a man's life as a slave and a gladiator... But now I am free and the tribe took me in as well. I'm no longer alone because you are here."

Hana's voice was raspy. With that enormous hand that held me, I really couldn't prove them wrong. The chance that they would understand my situation, instead of this encouragement about my sexuality seemed to be miniscule at this point. Mabel protested in my stead though.

"Come on, Hana, don't scare her." Despite her age, she had a no-nonsense attitude and she happened to be my fan. Or at least obsessed with the body and the hair of the Goddess. "It's one thing how you feel about yourself, but don't force it on others too."

"I did not force anything. I'm on Nati's side." Hana claimed, surprised.

"Just remember what happened when you wanted to come to the stream with the rest of us," Mabel demanded, clearly and confidently. "I thought she was the Goddess and invited her too but Nati always refused."

The other kids around me cheered and laughed. Hana released my hand and looked around in agony. I had no idea, what this was about, but I could make an educated guess. Mabel loudly whispered into my ears.

"Hank wanted to wash up with us girls and he showed up unannounced!" Yep, my guess was right. And I could already tell where this would go. "We were caught off guard and screamed at first, but then he was chased for an hour. He thought we were in the wrong, but Charlotte knocked him out cold, it was hilarious."

I was glad, that I refused their earlier invitation. All it took was a single hit on the head to pass out. Anyone in the tribe could knock me out without sweat. And if I were to act strangely around them in the stream, I bet they would have done me in. I was also able to tell, that Hana heard every single word she whispered to me.

"I just said! It's Ha-na! And she! Stop mocking me!" They protested vehemently and pointed at me. "In time you will understand too, what I talk about!"

The situation was about to get out of hand when Charlotte finally appeared. With a single glance, she silenced everyone. Hana took a relieved step towards her but stopped immediately.

"We've been through this, Mabel, you shouldn't make fun of people's beliefs." She spoke softly, yet everyone heard every word." And Hana, don't be so aggressive and let our guest explain their situation how they see best."

"T-thanks." I gulped. "To be fair, I don't know what happened to me and why. My head is still a mess..."

"Don't worry, we won't rush you." The chieftain said. "I'm sure the tribe has no issues with you here, regardless if you're the Goddess or someone from a completely different world."

"Thank you." I was in her debt after she offered me a place to stay and food to eat, but she also let me take things at my own pace, when I spent three days on my introduction. She was not only huge but patient too. "I believe, that the Goddess brought me here for a reason. She didn't reveal it to me though."

"Well, until you find out, you can feel right at home." Mabel offered, and the rest of the orcs also nodded their heads. The kids were already friendly from the first day and now that the older ones heard me say I'm not a deity, they also acted calmer around me. "But you have to decide if you are a boy or a girl now."

She looked at me with wide, curious eyes, unable to let that matter go.

"I used to be a man, but no matter how I look at it, I am a girl now."