The wet ground was too soft and as I ran through it my prosthetik into it and got stuck. “No, no no no no! Please not now!” I cried out as I tugged on it helplessly. It was close, catg up quickly and I couldn’t outrun it.

  I screamed as the blue skinned moepped out of the shadows, long arms ending in wicked cws, cruelty in it’s small yellow eyes. But… it was familiar. The voice that spoke twisting it from a terrifying predator into a monstrous perversion of something that should have been soft and kind and good. “B-but… don’t you l-love me, Esme?”

  “No, you ’t be her, you ’t!”

  “But I l-love you so much my sweeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaccck!!” it screamed as it folded like old cloth and disappeared into a ping mouth.

  I blinked and stared at the horse sized creature chewing on the balled up cloth troll, had it really been a troll? My savior was a bd white creature that looked somewhat like a pig with an unusually long hat wiggled around as it s the air. “A… tapir? That’s what you are right?”

  Then something clicked in my head and I suddenly knew I was dreaming “Oh! You’re a baku! I apparently know about those! You eat nightmares, right?” I ughed softly and stepped closer.

  The creature waddled over to me on ground that was suddenly not sy at all, more soft warm and meadow like with a bright sun overhead and birds singing in the air. It rubbed it’s face against my arm and I ughed and gave is the soft pets that it seemed to want. “A, thank you so much! I never want to see my sweetheart Luv like that.” It wiggled happily and patted my head with its trunk.

  “Oh! Oh hang on, my Skill! I’m Dream Touched, it makes me more iing to beings like yht?” It nodded and patted me more. “That’s wonderful because you were the best thing that could have happened right then.” and I kissed it’s forehead softly. It gave a happy squeal.

  “So you live here in the Dream, right? A local as it were?” It nodded and squealed softly, the tone sounded chipper. “So… would you know how to find a dream god?”

  It tilted it’s head and wobbled its truck bad forth. I got the idea “Ahh, need more specifics, don’t ya?” it nodded. “She makes dream pockets to hide in, her skin is the night sky and she has hair like a storm cloud?” It immediately nodded and started moving along a path that formed as it trotted. “Oh this is super nice of you, this is amazing. Is there anything I do to thank you for all the help?”

  It paused and looked back at me in thought, tapping it’s head with its trunk and giving a small shrug. “You’ll think of something ter? Sounds good.”

  We walked along the path for a while and passed by several ses that I realized were dreams other people were having. I tried not to stare but when I saw oh an elf woman surrounded by rge, muscur, oran and she was very obviously pretending not to be extremely into the situation, I could not help but stare for a mi got… very fun, very quickly. But the baku grabbed my arm and pulled me along before I could fet what we were doing.

  One more that I felt pelled to watch was a human woman, older and in an Uvtrayl military uniform with lots of medals. She was in a fort atop a hill aloh dozens of shadowy shapes crawling up every side of the hill towards her. She screamed about enemies everywhere, about how she couldn’t fail her duty, it ainful to see. “Hey, you maybe eat that ooo? I mean, if you’re not full?”

  The baku paused and waddled over then it’s mouth took up the entire sky as it PED. The se ged into a normal military base with friendly soldiers and bright skies. The officer looked around perplexed, but rexed. Then she saw me and tilted her head in fusion. “Hey, that nightmare looked really bad so I asked my frieo eat it. I hope you dream better and wake up rested!” I said before skipping off to catch up with the baku, who had trotted ahead already. I was out of her dream before she could say anything.

  A few more more or less average seeming dreams ter there was brick wall. I mean that literally, a wall of bricks. It tapped on the edge and then poi me. “Oh! This is the edge of her dream pocket?” it nodded and stepped back. “Okay, I… think I get through here. Thank you new baku friend.” I hugged it’s ned kissed it’s forehead again, it wiggled and squealed happily. “So cute! I’ll see you again soon I hope.” It shrugged and patted my head before turning and waddling away.

  “Okay, uh, let’s just try.” I pressed my hand against the brick then pushed and it gave like pudding. I sank through it pretty quickly and stumbled oher side, saved only by some incredibly plush pink carpet.

  “What the, My Saint!? How are you here!?” I was helped to my feet by Vei’Ryn who looked incredibly fused. Also somewhat tired. I mean, her skin was literally the night sky so I don’t think she could get bags, but I feel like maybe she did anyway.

  “A baku lead me to your pocket and I just kinda sunk into it.”

  She blinked and stared at me for a long moment before she ughed and gave me a sudden and surprising hug. Oh wow, her breasts feel so good- NO she hear this!

  She giggled and leaned back “Yes I you little pervert. But hey, this is big! You’re already navigating the Dream on your own! Well, close enough. Being able to ask for dires is still a big deal.”

  I smiled and blushed “I.. thank you my Goddess. I’m happy to serve.”

  She lead me to a bright pink couch with fuzzy purple throw pillows a o one another “And I am happy to be worthy of your devotion, my Saint. But why are you here, or did the opportunity arise and you simply took it?”

  “The sed oo be ho. I just realized what was happening and figured I would try something and it worked. But, more importantly my Goddess, are you okay? You look… tired?”

  She sighed. “I’m doing too much. The others have to be far, far more subtle than I do because they i with more obvious forces than the Dream.”

  “What is it you’re doing, if I might ask?” I squeezed her hand and hoped my desire to help was ing ht.

  She sighed and shook her head “Not yet. We… I need a better anchor first. I’ve been looking at the dreams of devotees of the various native gods trying to see whies might be friendly but it’s third hand guesswork that is a pain in my sparkly ass.” she huffed and blew back a strand of raining cloud hair that had drifted over her fad was dripping onto her arm. “But what about you? The st I could look I saw you with some orcs? They seemed nice. Also extremely naked.” She chuckled.

  I was very excited to talk about my day with my Goddess, it felt extremely o be able to do so, and thus I kind of started rambling like Weren “Oh! The girls are the best, they actually just brought me into their mobile encve as a member and I ked out way faster than normal because of the y with them to celebrate my joining the Path-” and my brain caught up “Oh! Oh oh! Goddess! I might be able to help!”

  She blinked and looked at me. “You had an y and that gave you ao a divine problem somehow?”

  I stared at her for a moment “Actually? Yes. The Green Mother’s Path. That’s what they, we, are! It’s a naturalist lifestyle, very open and freeing and- no no, not important right now.” I shook my head “The point is, the shaman of the group is an Oracle.”

  Vei’Ryn suddenly looked extremely worried “Oh no, Saint, you o get away from her before she realizes-”

  “It’s fine! She already knows I’m a saint to an unknown dream g to stay hidden. She asked the Green Mother, her goddess, fuidah her oracle powers and the response was, as I uand it ‘not a threat, figure her out yourself and make your own choices’. Which, I mean, even if she isn’t buddy buddy, maybe she at least be a ral party you talk to or something?”

  My goddess’s eyes went wide and her lips curled upwards in a cautious smile. “Oh, oh my Saint. This might be exactly the anchor we need.” She took a breath and leaned over, kissing my cheek. “I’m irely vinced yet, I’ll want to maybe do a bit more directed dream probing, but this is the best possibility I’ve had in months.”

  He skin twinkled, stars shining brighter. I grinned and then lowered myself to the floor to bow in supplication to her. “You gave me and Carmil each other. We’ll both go to hell and back for you my Goddess.”

  She smiled softly and stroked my cheek. “I don’t mean to sound like an arrogant dillhole of a divine, but it is heartwarming to see you treating me like a god and not some buddy or business partner. But, you still totally be casual with me. You know, to a point.” She waggled a fi me. “However, if this hot tip of yours works out, I will have to provide a signifit reward. Finding an ally for yoddess would be worth one hell of a boon. I’ll have to try and think of something good.”

  “Actually, I might have an idea, but I’d rather save it for if this goes well. Which I really hope it does. You and my new loddess being able to get along would be the best news.”

  She giggled “Lovers is it? ht, you did mention an y. I’ll o do a little dream digging and watch that.” She wi me. “But for now, it’s really about time you woke up, the eggs are done.”

  “The eggs?”

  I opened my eyes and blinked around as my mind swam back to the waking world and I immediately noticed the smell of eggs. “Oh hey there miss new member with a member, good timing. I just finished breakfast and yoing to need a hearty meal today to deal with all the nonsense!”

  I turned my head to look at Weren standing at the stove and loading food onto ptes. “Mmmm, smells good.” I muttered a Luvetra stir beside me. She opened her eyes and looked at me and there was a moment of shock before she blushed and pulled me close again. “Hey Luv, worried it was a dream?” She nodded her head and kissed my cheek. “Nope, real. I love you.”

  Weren squealed “Ohmygosh! You are just so perfect with us!”

  Brigga’s voice grumbled from the stairs as she came down, yawning “Yer fekkin loud this mornin’ Wen.” then she saw me “Gods, no wot a favorite already, do ya?”

  I chuckled and kissed Luv on the lips so the dwarf could see and then sat up “Maybe I do.” my giant love pulled the quilt over her head and whined cutely, not used to the romantic attentions I suppose. “e on Luv my love, lets have breakfast and stare into each other’s eyes dreamily so everyone be jealous of how much more I love you than them.”

  Weren squealed again “They are so fug adorable!”

  Fifteen mier everyone was downstairs aing. Luvetra had a brief moment of worry when Carmil came to talk to her but my elemental love made sure my giant love khat there was nothing but affe to be had. No jealousy, no bitterness, no worry about being fotten or overlooked. Carmil drove the point home by kissing the tall woman deeply, passionately, and moaning into it enough that we were all ed it might turn into more before we’d eveen. But the kiss broke after a full minute and Carmil looked at Luv and told her “If she kisses you and you feel less love and desire than that, e tell me and I’ll punish her for it.”

  The rest of the m was way less awkward overall than I would have imagined. Everything was mostly the same, but even more open since we were all the same tribe now. Though Jaina had a slight nervous energy to her. I asked and she said that Dekarru would be able to tell if the night before worked the day so she was just fretting till there was an answer.

  Not long after we were ed up and packed up and the mood dropped. I was going to ask what was wrong when Redagga opened one of the ets he front and started handing out green cloth buo everyone. “Yeah, sucks but we’re here to actively i with folks, most of them not oh. So pants ahoy. And no they won’t let us wear skirts anymore, there were too many is.” Red gred at Weren who looked away and whistled ily.

  The simple green linen pants and shirts covered everythily and were soft enough to not feel bad against my skin, but I got the same sense of vague annoya wearing clothes that I think all the others had as well. Still, I at least khat clothes were going to be a part of my future no matter what, I’d probably be doing a lot of iing with a lot of different people and groups with whatever it was my Goddess wanted of me so I shouldn’t get too against being dressed.

  Carmil found the experience a marvel, she’d never worn clothes after all, so she wasn’t having any issues. But Jaina ossibly the grumpiest of us all “I was free, pants are dumb.” She muttered at my side as we sat i and Brigga got the vardo moving once more.

  “Won’t be for forever.” I said, kissing her cheek.

  Dekarru sat across from us and grurue, a few days, maybe a couple of weeks at most while we do Willow Creek politics. Then you get back to slutting about with your head between the closest pair of legs all you want.” She ughed as Jaina blushed.

  Carmil chuckled “See? The shaman agrees, she’s an enormous slut.” she turned and gave Jaina a warm smile “And I for one wouldn’t want to see our wonderful healer any other way.”

  Jaina stuck her to at Carmil and huffed, but a slight grin on her lips told stories.