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John squinted as another migraine throbbed, the pain pulsing as light filtered through the thinning fog and the pine trees surrounding him. Almost instinctively, he switched his eyes back to normal, scanning the forest ahead as his headache subsided.

It was only a moment that he’d taken his eyes from the shadow he was pursuing, yet it was gone. No demon, no creature waiting to attack. Just an endless expanse of trees, still and unbroken.

Frustration gave way to a sinking mix of confusion and worry as he recalled the obvious fae trap he’d just walked into. Spinning around, his unease deepened. The line of mushrooms cutting through the forest remained, curiously holding the fog at bay like an invisible wall.

He reached out, swiping his hand through the air. The fog briefly breached the barrier, curling forward before meandering back behind the mushrooms again.

His curiosity stirred, he stepped over the mushrooms again, feeling the fog envelop him as the air cooled, only to step back out and be surrounded by clarity. “If this really is a giant faerie ring, does that mean the fog is inside it? Did we cross the ring at some point while walking and just didn’t notice?” he muttered to himself.

Turning back to the forest behind him, he squinted through the trees. He had been running through the forest for hours and had long since lost any sense of direction. Was he even still in Lani’s forest anymore?

’Just follow the fog wall,’ he decided. ’If this really is a faerie ring, it should eventually loop around and I’ll get back to where we first entered, or maybe I’ll find where the mushrooms end. Either way, it’s better than wandering aimlessly… again.’

As he walked, John occasionally allowed his hand to graze the edge of the fog. The contrast was stark: the air inside the mist felt like the inside of a refrigerator, while outside, the sporadic sunlight filtering through the trees gave him the warmth of a crisp autumn morning. It was warm enough that John felt the need to shed the extra layers he’d added in the fog.

Despite his interest in the temperature difference, John stayed vigilant, alert for any sign of the creature lurking on either side of the barrier. He also hoped he might catch sight of the others.

Abruptly, he stopped. He stared at a fallen tree and the stump it had left behind before moving closer. He crouched, examining the moss-covered surface, then poked a tiny white mushroom which sprouted from a knot in the stump.

“I’ve seen this before,” he noted aloud. “I passed this tree like an hour ago.” He paced back and forth, the revelation sinking in before stopping again. “The mushrooms form a ring… but I’m on the inside. There’s no way I walked around the fog, not only have I not been walking for long enough, but the trees in the forest haven’t changed at all.”

He tapped his finger against his cheek. “Inside the ring… Is that a bad thing? Is that a good thing? Nothing’s happened to me yet, but could that mean someone’s playing a long game, waiting for me to drop my guard or for me to venture deeper into the forest?”

With a resigned sigh, he turned his back to the fog. “This is probably a bad idea, but I’ve had a few of those already,” he lamented, before walking into the forest.

The air grew noticeably warmer as he continued, carrying the freshness of a spring morning. The sharp scent of pine was still dominant, though the faint sulphur tinge lingered and became more distinct.

Something new caught his attention through the trees, a wall or fence just ahead. Cautiously, he approached, moving behind trees to keep cover as he drew closer.

As the structure became clearer, it became apparent it wasn’t a single solid wall, but a series of two-metre-wide sections, each spaced roughly a metre apart. Behind the first row, a second stood offset, creating overlapping gaps wide enough to walk through, yet still obscuring the view beyond.

John slowly approached, slipping past the first wall and pressing himself against the second. A melodic humming drifted through the air, drawing his attention further into the mysterious space. The openings on the second set of walls were adorned with sparse bead curtains. Though they did little to obscure the view beyond, they gave the feeling of separation.

Peeking around the corner, John took in the sight within. Several connected stone pools were set back from the wall, steam gently rising from the water. The thick mist made it difficult to see all the pools clearly, but he was able to see the ones nearest to him. The one to his left had a slight lip, the one to his right was lower, and the one at the back had a ledge and allowed water to spill over.

A figure sat on the edge, splitting the mini waterfall. She was serene and captivating. She cupped water in her hands, brought it up to her chest and let it flow down her body, the droplets tracing rivulets over her pale supple skin. John’s eyes followed the water as it flowed down her body until it vanished between her thick, chestnut fur-covered thighs.

A pang of guilt hit him from staring, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her, almost feeling spellbound. Her unique features only added to her allure. Her legs bore white spots on her hips, mirroring the large white freckled patterns on her shoulders and cheeks, reminding him of a deer. A tail flicked lazily behind her, matching her legs but with a tuft of brilliant white.

Her hair shimmered like freshly fallen snow, almost glowing under the beams of light which pierced the trees. Horns curled behind her long, drooping ears, which were lined with soft white and blue fur.

Her eyes remained closed, unaware of John as she cupped her breast, allowing her hand to travel over her large areola and causing her nipple to harden as she brushed past it.

The sound of the bead curtain clattering jolted John from his trance. Panicking, he attempted to still the beads, but the noise had already alerted her. A splash pulled John’s attention back to her; she’d slipped into the water, submerging herself until only the top of her face remained visible above the surface.

Mortified, John stepped out from behind the wall, attempting to find the words to explain himself. He hesitantly inched towards the pool, his gaze fixed on the ground in front of him, completely avoiding looking at her again.

Before either said a word, a soft giggle from an adjacent pool drew his attention. He turned to see a freckled, innocent-faced girl climbing into the pool ahead of him, her bright smile and warm gaze instantly soothing his nerves. Her black and white hair was still plaited, though damp and clinging to her form. It partly obscured her chest but couldn’t hide the large baby bump she cradled lovingly.

“I- uh- Lani?” he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. He began looking back and forth between the two women. Lani continued to chuckle, while the other girl remained deathly silent, submerged in the crystal blue water. “I… I wasn’t- I didn’t mean- I mean, I-”

Lani approached, her large blue eyes staring into his with a mix of amusement and teasing affection. She tilted her head like a puppy, being careful to avoid her antlers hitting him, and then placed a warm hand on his chest.

Her voice was soft and reassuring. “It’s fine. She’s a little shy around others. Honestly, even if she wasn’t practically a nudist, I think she’d be flattered that you were staring. Now, get out of those clothes.” Her lips curled playfully as she added, “I’d like my husband to embrace me in the hot springs. Then I can introduce you both properly.”

John was still trying to make sense of the sudden shift in events. Lani provided a sense of calm, enough that he barely registered the ease with which she stripped him of his clothing. Before protesting or fully processing what was happening, Lani tugged him by the arm, guiding him into the steaming water.

The heat of the spring caught him off guard, and he inhaled sharply, but the tension in his body melted almost instantly as he sat down. Wasting no time, Lani took the spot on John’s lap, taking his hands and placing them on her stomach.

With the warmth of the water, the gentle weight of Lani against him, and his hand unconsciously stroking her belly, John felt his thoughts begin to clear. The relentless focus he’d continuously held during the chase through the fog had frayed his nerves and clouded his rationality, but now the buzzing in his mind quietened. He let his head droop and rested his cheek against the top of Lani’s head, allowing himself a moment of rest.

After taking a moment for himself, which Lani had zero complaints about, John lifted his head. “Hey, Lani… Can you explain what’s going on? I’ve been running for my life for hours, and then I find all this, I’m completely confused here,” he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

She turned her face to his, gently smiling and planting a soft kiss on his lips. “Well, you’ve found your way to the secret hot spring in the forest,” she said, her tone light and teasing. “It sounds like you had some trouble getting here though. I should have probably stepped in sooner, but my curiosity about how you reacted and dealt with perceived threats stopped me. I can promise you were never in any real danger; the moment I thought you’d be injured in any serious way, I would have stepped in.”

Spinning around, she looked at the submerged girl. “Sissie, are you going to stay under the water all day? I’d like to introduce you both properly,” Lani called out in a tone which carried a surprisingly motherly edge.

The other woman hesitated before rising slowly, stopping once her chest had completely broken the surface. Her pale face was flushed and she raised her hand from the water to give a small wave. “Hey there. “The words were loud and confident, though her mouth never moved. The voice was eerily familiar, and it took him a moment to realise it was Dewdrop’s.

Realisation struck him like a bolt of lightning. The horns, the animalistic legs, copying someone else's voice. He wanted to jump up, but Lani stopped him, grabbing his manifested clawed hands. John looked down at Lani only to be met with the puffed-up cheeks of an angry pout. “Do you mind?” she asked. “I am trying to introduce you.”

She slapped his arm until he returned the claws to normal. He looked down at her both confused and impatient to hear what she had to say. She ignored his stare and turned to the other woman. “Sissie, this is my husband and the father of my little ones, John. Please at least use your own voice to greet him,” she said.

The woman fidgeted, hesitating before finally opening her mouth. “Hello… It’s, uhm, it’s nice to meet you,” she said softly. It was quiet, and John almost didn’t hear her, but at the same time what he heard was soothing and gentle.

John waved awkwardly and replied with a short, quiet greeting. He felt on edge again, but he tried not to show it.

“Good!” Lani smiled, then turned back to John. “And John, this is Lumiara, my big sister. She’s shy and she’s **** to speak to others that she doesn’t know.”

“So she was chasing me because she’s like a protective older sister or whatever? Is this because of the baby or the Mate’s Mark or something?” John asked incredulously, looking between the two women.

Lani burst into giggles, turning to kiss him on the cheek. She stroked his face as her laughter subsided. “Oh, sweetpea. No. Sissie cried for weeks after she accidentally stepped on a bug. She’d never hurt you, or anyone else for that matter. She was trying to lead you here, but in her own… extremely awkward way. She didn’t even realise that you might have considered her a threat. I had to have a long chat with her about it while you were following the border of the circle.”

John frowned but saw Lumiara’s face flush as she looked away. The memory of the falling tree flickered in his mind and his thoughts about how she could have hurt him any time she wanted came back, she had had every opportunity she could have wanted. John nodded. “Okay, so why stop after the tree fell?” he asked, directing his question to Lumiara.

Lumiara seemed to be trying to build the nerve to speak when Lani answered for her, “Like I said, she’s not a fighter. The forest drakes are aggressive, and if she’d gone after you, she could’ve gotten hurt, or worse in her mind, she might have accidentally hurt one of them.”

John rested his chin on Lani’s shoulder and pulled her tighter against him as he mulled over what was said. Everything made sense, especially when looking at it retrospectively. He let out a hum, looking at Lani and Lumiara then nodded. “So, your sister, huh? Do you have more family? Should I be on the lookout for a brother planning on ambushing me? Lani and Lumi… is there a Lori? Lexi? Maybe a Levi?”

John was caught off guard as Lumiara let out a quiet giggle, quickly silencing as she noticed John’s attention, looking away as her blush deepened.

Lani, on the other hand, laughed freely. “No, Sissie is my only sibling that I share both parents with and mom named us which is why ours is alike. As for the rest of the family? Well… it’s big, and that’s being modest.”

Leaning back against John, Lani’s voice turned softer. “I couldn’t give you an exact number, but I can tell you I only know the names of maybe a dozen or so. Mom has a handful of little ones and I know them all by name, but Father… well, he’s had countless children, including a good number of them with our sisters.”

Lani’s casual mention of her father’s… unconventional relationships with her sisters gave John pause, then his thoughts drifted to Brenda earlier in the day, her curves, the way she moved, the fabric which clung to her form and her nipples poking through her shirt.

Before his mind could wander further, a sharp voice cut through the air, and an argument played out in the distance. The voices were female, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

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