Have him guide you to his village

Your mind swiftly adds up the possibilities of this discovery. This is unexpected, but perhaps not unwelcome news. No doubt he is telling the truth. Who would lie about their faith like that? Finding the wug has also made you realize the extent of your danger on the shoreline. If not for fickle fortune, you may well have been ambushed by these creatures, or worse, and never been the wiser.

You make your decision. You lean over the wug, driving your foot harder into his chest. “What are you doing out here?”

The wug squirms to get free, but you doubt it is to run, but more of an eagerness to take you to his village. “Came for fish. Fish in pools. Safe from sea people and boats. Village not far. Bringing it back to mate. Please! Must come with me.”

“Shut up.” You look back over your shoulder and to the sea. Simply finding this creature does not change the fact it will be night soon. The goddess alone knows what will crawl from the surf in the dusk. That is assuming you won’t run across the rest of the wugs. Better to face that now than later. Besides, a proper feast would be welcome. Not that Brigette’s milk is not sustaining, but all the same…

You wind the leash about your wrist as you crouch before the creature. Your robe falls open to reveal the swelled flesh of your supple breasts. The wug stares at the faint greenish tint around your nipples. You give the rope a slight pull to raise the wug’s head from the sands and get his attention. “Very well. We’ll go to you village for tonight. But tomorrow we leave. And if you play us false, I’ll gut you like a fish. Understand?”

The wug gurgles about the leash and nods as much as he is able. “Good.” You let him fall heavily back to the sand and begin undoing the bindings of his feet.

“Sister. Are you sure?” Brigette asks.

A pang of sorrow shoots through you at her admission of distrust. You nod but do not look up from you work. “Yes. It’s getting dark, and we don’t have anywhere to stay. There’s bound to be more of them, so we may as well head that off. Besides, how could he lie about you?”

Brigette gives you a queer look at that. You fail to notice and stand. The wug rolls back and forth until he is on his stomach. Tucking his knees beneath him he works his way to his feet. As he stands his eyes fall once more onto Brigette. His fin colours a sea green and shakes with a faint rattling sound as he stares adoringly at the green sister. You jerk his leash and draw your sword, pressing the point against his back, watching as he rises to the tips of his webbed toes to avoid the sharp tip. “March,” you command darkly. Willingly, the wug sets off with you close behind. Brigette falls in with you.

The wug leads you back through the lagoon and around the stones which mask it from the sea. You don’t travel far before the shadowy forms of mangroves, perches atop their roots over pools of salt water loom from the darkness and you re-enter the marsh from which you obtained his bindings. He leads you deeper inside the press of foliage. The ground grows soft and swampy. There is a stench about the place, overpowering the fresh sea air. A smell like something rotting. It reminds you vaguely of the compost heap back in the abbey, and you note neither the wug nor Brigette seem affected by the smell. The water soon grows deeper, and you are both wading up to your waist while the wug paddles through the murky waters at the end of the leash. You have perhaps been walking ten minutes before the wug suddenly stops.

“We here.” At first you see nothing. Then you look up slightly and gape. Built into the mangroves are groups of thatched huts on short stilts, almost unrecognizable they blend in so well among the veiny trees. The only obvious differences are the faint whorls of savage tribal paint visible here and there and the roofs of grass. You share a look of horror with Brigette. The village was so close to where you planned to spend the night!

You jump as something smooth brushes against your leg.

“Ah!” Brigette yelps and wades to your side. “Sister! Something touched me!”

From the corner of your eye you spot several fins cut through the thick waters, red with aggression and arousal, before sinking beneath the waters again. You brandish your sword and place yourself before Brigette, and the tapered heads of wugs with their film covered eyes bob in the water all around you.