Throughout the night, it was peaceful. The campfire burned silently. The flame was gentle. The insects hummed and squeaked. The sky was dark for the pale moon was partly veiled by the clouds. But there was a moment in the night, where something strange happened. The hammock glowed like an ember being fanned, only that it was white; a dull white light emanating through the Spidersilk fabric. A blanket of iridescent mist was collecting around the hammock, hovering and shifting about. Lightning struck out from within, flickering, licking what looked like a spherical translucent shield wholly containing the hammock. Lightning after lightning, they struck out violently only to be blocked by the shield. Outside, except for the light show, was all quiet. Then, the frequency of the lightning decreased and the glow died down. When there was no more, the shield disappeared and the mist drifted away into air. The night was dark again. The elf slept through it all.

When morning came, Darius was the first to wake up. Looking down at the hammock, the top flap was still closed, covering Elena within. Nice and warm. Cozy. She must still be sleeping, he thought. So, he jumped down first. He would like to wash up but again, there was no water. The river was quite far away. He just had to wait until they got to the river. So, he ate some berries instead. He thought it strange that Elena had not woken up because she was usually the first one up. Looking at the hammock, he also thought it strange that the outline of Elena’s body seemed to be bigger. Or, maybe it was his impression that was wrong. He drank some water, walked around and stretched. There was nothing else to do so he played with the dying fire, poking and stirring the embers. Then, came her voice. “Nemo, are you awake. Lower me down.” And he also thought it strange that her voice sounded different: melodic as usual but sensuous, rather sexy. Wrong impression again! My ears are playing tricks on me. By the time he lowered her down, he knew definitely something was wrong. She was heavy, much heavier than yesterday night when he pulled her up. This cannot be a wrong. She has grown fat over the night. When the hammock was on the ground and the flap opened, what came out surprised Darius. She was all grown up. He could not take his eyes away from her, the adult Elena.

Elena, slowly standing up to her full height of about five feet, arranging her long hair and smoothing out her dress was so beautiful that she seemed to sparkle under the morning sun. Her green dress which looked baggy and loose on the body of the little girl was now skimpy, sexy and inadequate although she was slim. The dress barely covered her slender thighs. The hemline was just below her crotch. Her hair was now long and lush almost reaching the lumbar, its colour vibrant green like the colour of the new grass of spring, not the unhealthy yellowish green of before. Her skin was soft and smooth and fair and without a single scar or dent. She had a perfect form : long legs and short body; she looked tall even though she was only five feet. Darius looked at her, his eyes unblinking. He looked intently, scrutinizing every part of her body, from the head down to her toes, and although he could not see them for she was wearing shoes but he imagined them to be so cute and delicate, and then his eyes went up again, pausing noticeably at her elusive crotch, her tiny waist and her breasts, which shaped just like a small pear. He could not help it. They were captivating. And Elena did not mind. She did not mind at all, smiling radiantly.

******

Finkler was sitting on his favourite armchair overlooking the bed. He liked to watch Nury sleeping. It gave him a sense of peace. The servant girls had just brought them breakfast: a pot of coffee, jugs of fruit juices, eggs, bacons, toasts, jams and butter and cream and a plate of assorted fruits. They placed the trays on a small table beside Finkler’s armchair and they went out except for Amalia, whom the master asked to stay. The girls knew only too well the intention. They smiled and left.

Usually, it was the master who woke up first, early in the morning and he would leave the house without eating anything. He took his breakfast at the tavern where the cooks were professional.. But after a night like last night, the order of things would get confusing. The girls would take turn to go into the room, tiptoeing in order not to disturb them, to see if they were awake and ask for instructions if they were. There was nothing odd or disrespectful about the servant girls going into the master’s room; they had all come out of that same room much earlier that morning.

“You’re early,” said Nury while brushing her eyes. She stretched herself on the bed, got up and smoothened her hair.

“If you want to come with me, I suggest you get dress quickly.”

“Hmmm, you’re not dressed. And Amalia is not finished.”

“It’s close now,” Finkler replied in his soft voice.

“Ooo, really? Well, let’s see what am I going to wear?” She dashed into the dressing room and browsed through her collection. She could not make up her mind. Since Finkler had never left Rock Bottom, she had never left Rock Bottom. “Amalia, take it slow. Delay. I need more time.”

“It’s … finish, miss.” Amalia was unable to delay the inevitable. She was wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

Finkler got up, patted on Amalia’s head and walked into the dressing room. “Just choose one.”

In the end, Finkler got dressed much slower than Nury because he was an exact person – every item must be accurately in place. Now, Nury was sitting on the armchair while Amalia sat on the rug next to her. They were sharing a toast.

“Ready to go?”

Amalia was confused. She knew something was irregular here. “Are you going away, sir?” Amalia asked.

“Yes, he’s leaving. WE, are leaving.” replied Nury. “We’re going on a holiday.” She was very happy. Amalia had always envied her ability to project happiness. Since childhood, Nury had always been joyful and cheerful and playful, like she had not a single care in the world. No doubt, that outlook partially resulted from the preferential treatment she enjoyed from Finkler. She could do everything she wanted, including playing tricks on Amalia and other staffs. But that was a source of cheer rather than annoyance. No one had ever gotten angry at her. And they had cheered up Amalia quite a lot. Without her, the household was rather grim and uninviting.

Hearing the news, Amalia was shocked. This had never happened before and very quickly her shock turned to a strange hollow sadness. She was downcast by the news. Nury saw her face and asked what was wrong and she only looked at her with a rather pitiful eyes. Nury was puzzled. She had never seen Amalia sad, though she had never seen her happy either. Amalia was demure and never talked much but Nury could sense the tenderness in her and her love for her.

“Sir, can you please take me too,” she pleaded. “I can serve you, sir, and Nury too. I’ve been here for seventy years. Please Nury. Please take me too. I’ve never asked for anything. I want to have a look … outside.” Her voice slowly diminished to a sob.

Amalia was sold to Oxtrail as a settlement for a debt. She was a very young beastgirl then. At first, she washed the dishes and helped out in the kitchen. When she was older, she worked the tables, serving the patrons their foods and drinks. Later, the boss, considering the loneliness and withdrawn nature of Finkler, gave her to him and half-jokingly said that he could do whatever he wanted with her. For years, Finkler kept his distance and Amalia had done nothing but keeping up the house. Even cooking for Finkler was rare – he always ate in the tavern. When Nury arrived, her world became brighter. She had an added responsibility of child care. She had someone to talk to and to care for. And Nury softened up Finkler. The situation started to change when Nury grew up to be a stunning youthful girl she was now. She became Finkler’s mistress and Amalia was dragged into the affair as a co-mistress.

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“Poor girl. Let’s take her too.”

“Hm. We can just pass for a family. Very well, then.”

Nury was happy that Amalia was coming along. “When is the coach coming?” she asked.

“We’re not going on a coach. That’s a Dono’s thing.”

Finkler took out two vials from his inside pocket, both about the size of an index finger and held them between his long fingers on his left hand. He unscrewed the top, mumbled something in his mouth while his dainty fingers on his right started to wriggle, each finger tracing the line of Dark symbol of their own. The wriggly writing lighted up blue in air and vanished.

“I’ll leave them a note.”

Then, the space surrounding the two girls seemed to be distorted, like ripples on water. Their physical bodies looked swayed, skewed, bent, elongated. The whole space turned liquid-like and like water in a basin – once the drain hole was unplugged, the water drained spirally out – they drained spirally into the vials. Finkler closed the vials and put them back neatly into his pocket.

He wrote a note for Coleta and asked her to take charge. Then, out through a magical seam that ran along the centre line on the back of his coat, two pairs of magnificent blue wings grew. They were completely blue, shiny deep blue, with dark blue edges and veins and once the wings spread out, they were wider and taller than Finkler. The magnificent wings looked unseemly with the aging Finkler. He admired his wings, caressed them and confessed that he should have let them out more often. It was time to see the sun. Finkler walked to the balcony, as large as his bedroom, with a thatched roof and calculated his bearing. Then he flew away in astonishing speed, leaving behind a wake of blue dust from his blue wings shimmering in the sun.

******

“Well, how do I look?” asked Elena playfully. “I’ve changed back.”

“You… You look good… good… beautiful.” Darius stammered.

“I know I’m beautiful. And don’t get a hard on, alright. Let’s go.”

“Go? Go where.” Darius had forgotten.

She turned and walked away. Darius could almost see the cheeks of her slim buttocks. “Wait, wait, I need to take care of the hammock,” shouted Darius when he was finally aware that it was lying flat on the ground. “And perhaps, you should explain … like … like what happened?”

“Then, catch up. I think you’re able to follow my scent.”

True. Darius could smell her sweet pheromones. It drove him mad. Quickly, he gathered up the hammock, folded it back to a small rectangle and slid it back into the metal case. Following her scent, he ran after her like a dog sniffing for its bitch. When he caught up with her, she was standing before a brook contemplating the flow. Even the way she watched things was beautiful, dainty like a princess.

“Oh, you’re here. Good. It took you a while.” Her bright green eyes shone like emerald.

“You walk fast,” replied Darius rather uneasily since she was not the little girl anymore. He did not know how to talk to her. His attitude had to be adjusted once again. This was giving him a mental disorder.

“I have longer legs now, see,” she said showing off her long slender legs. “Aren’t they pretty?”

“Yes, very pretty. No, I mean,”

“It’s alright. I know I have a beautiful body, a beautiful face. So it’s alright to be captivated by me. I’m not vain or conceited. Really, I’m not. I am just very pretty. And I know it. So don’t misjudge me. It’s hard not to know that I’m beautiful after I’ve been living for three hundred years as an adult, taking out the child incident. I’ll be pretentiously humble if I tell you that I’m not. Other than that, whatever that’s inside, it’s the same as the little girl. Only a different … flavour, you may say. Damn! It feels so good to be back to normal.” She jumped and hugged Darius and clamping him with her legs around his waist. “Thank you for everything, my handsome pet.” And she kissed Darius on the cheek in a big elaborate way. And before Darius could hug her back, she slid over his shoulder and onto his back like some agile monkey and fastened herself on him. She would be riding him now. “Now, bring me across. I don’t want to get wet.” And she whispered to Darius ear closely, “Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Oh, alright.” Darius’ mind was a complete blank. He did not know how to react since the hug, the kiss, the slide. It all happened so quickly so unexpectedly. He could not even appreciate the whole thing appropriately. But now, he definitely could feel her. Her small breasts against his back and probably her vulva too, unless she was wearing some undergarment. He could not be sure. He felt a hardness down there between his legs. His little brother was waking up.

Then, he saw the index finger of Elena’s right hand lengthened to become a long slender branch and SWOOSH and WHACK! She whipped him right at the place where it hurt most. Darius howled in pain.

“Please concentrate or else, you’ll get me wet.”

“Alright, alright. Just don’t hit me, there, again.”

The brook was not very wide, only about ten feet. With a slight push of his legs, the elf brought himself and the dryad safely across.

“Is that the second tributary?”

“No, that was just a small brook that comes from the second tributary. Just keep walking. That river is just up ahead. And, I think I want to… stay on for a while. The ground is wet. Can you carry me? Hmm.”

******

“Yeah, … er ... no problem.”

She had a voice that no one could refuse. So dreamy, and so alluring. “You remember that I told you that the body works differently at different age. I think I’m beginning to be attracted to you, my handsome pet.” She kissed him again on the cheek but this time, she slid her tongue into his ear making Darius nervous. He moved his head to the other side out of reflex but she simply pressed on. He felt her tongue wriggling and poking into his earhole and licking the eardrum.

He had been with many girls before. Elves were quite liberated in that area. But he had never been with any females outside of his race, certainly not with a dryad. He did not know anything about dryad just like he did not know anything about lizardmen. Am I getting myself into something I don’t know, again. Is she in heat? He could certainly tell whether his elf-girlfriends were in heat. Their sex pheromones would say everything. Then they could take precautions so as to not put elf-babies into them. How about dryad’s pheromones? Do they work the same? He could not tell. And this was previously a little girl, so far back as last night. Damn. Since when you’re so mindful of things.

“You’re making me feel terrible,” said Darius jokingly, walking forward without any idea where he was heading but he was perfectly happy that it all turned out this way. It would take some time to get use to but he was totally alright with it. He would not want it any other way around.

“I’m nasty, aren’t I.”

“Not really,” said Darius. “Is this how you look like in your mature form? Because when you say mature, I thought you would look like my mother.”

“No, this is my mature form, the borderline between a teen and an adult. I won’t age beyond this.”

“And you’ll stay in this sexy form forever without growing old?”

“Nope,” replied Elena.

“Wow, then you can be forever hot, forever sexy. If a mature dryad is like this, I have no problem with it. Completely.”

“Now, isn’t that sweet,” Elena laughed. She took Darius earlobe into her mouth and sucked it and bit it.

“Ouuouu, now, that … that’s… nasty.”

“Grab my legs. It’s pretty hard to clamp on like this.” Elena hugged Darius a little bit tighter.

“Oh, alright.” Darius did not know what to say. She was too forward, too eager, like she wanted to make up for the lost time. He put his hands around her thighs and he felt the softness of her flesh as if she had not any muscles. This was very different from the elf-girls. They were rather firm and muscular since everyone, boys or girls of the elf race, had to undergo military training when they reached puberty. Even the daughters of the Elders, who were considered and treated like princesses, were no exception.

After a long stretch of walk, they finally reached the second tributary. He could already hear the river flowing very loudly. It was as wide as the last one. But this one did not have any banks. It flowed right by the forest edge.

“So, how do we jump this one.”

Elena looked at Darius and said, “There’s no need to jump, dear. Walking will do.”