Dora opened her eyes, not because the pale sun warmed her skin—it lacked that quality in this strange place—but because she felt Natalya’s gentle breath against her. The older girl didn’t snore; instead, her breathing was soft and steady. Dora savoured the firm shoulder she leaned against, warm and solid. Natalya sat upright against the bag she’d brought, the one that held their supplies. She had arranged their winter jackets on the ground to use as sleeping bags, but Dora hadn’t needed one. Maybe she’d fallen asleep this way, and Natalya, being the considerate goddess she was, hadn’t moved to keep from waking her. Dora’s hand moved to her own eyes. They were wet, maybe from exhaustion, maybe because… Natalya had been so kind to her.

"What a woman," she thought, her hand drifting up the horse girl’s arm, tracing the curve of her bicep. "Strong and wonderful. She's...perfect." Dora sighed, trying to soak in the moment and forget the bleakness around them. But she couldn’t. Something nagged at her. She forced herself to focus, shutting out everything else until she could isolate it—a deep, soft hum. Like the low hum of a finger tracing the edge of a wine glass, only louder, more insistent. How hadn’t she noticed it before? Was it just ingrained in the background here, natural as the stillness itself?

Her eyes darted across the landscape, scanning for the source as dawn cast its sickly light over the scene. In the real world, it might’ve looked golden, maybe even romantic. But here, everything felt slightly wrong, like a fading dream she couldn’t shake. She looked back at Natalya, taking in her serene face under the red locks of hair. Dora felt a pang—if only things were different.

She imagined asking Natalya to breakfast, taking her to a modest place with hard metal chairs and the smell of frying eggs, somewhere far below her usual standards. They’d laugh over waffles and maybe even...hug goodbye at the end. The thought made her eyes sting, and a tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. “What a joke,” she whispered, hating herself for the dream that felt more real than this world.

The strange humming was back, louder. Dora blinked, snapping back to reality. Her gaze shifted to movement nearby. It was Jennifer, sitting cross-legged with dark circles under her eyes. She must’ve stayed awake after Dora and Natalya had drifted off. But why? Was she actually keeping guard? Dora frowned, trying to read her face. The idea of Jennifer staying up for them was almost...admirable. But surely it wasn’t out of kindness. Maybe it was just practical, like ensuring she’d have extra bodies if things went south. “Heh, coulda fooled me,” Dora whispered with a smirk.

Dora jolted back, raising her arms as movement stirred beside her. Natalya stretched, easing her head out from under Dora’s, while the snout of her horse mask jiggled around. Then, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, Natalya bent back, planted her hands on the ground, and kicked her legs into the air. Dora’s jaw dropped as she took in the sight of those muscular, toned legs, strong enough to rival a weightlifter’s.

“M-mama-mama-mama…” she stammered, eyes as wide as tires.

Jennifer walked over, resting a hand on Dora’s shoulder as she muttered, “What’s going on here?”

In a daze, Dora barely noticed Jennifer's touch. “W-w-what is this?” she croaked, her voice hoarse with astonishment.

Jennifer grinned. “That's her morning routine, newbie.” Giving Dora's shoulder a pat, she moved off to stretch, leaving Dora torn between joining in or just watching her dream girl in action.

“Like what you see?” Natalya teased, swinging her legs as if riding an invisible bicycle. Dora’s eyes sparkled as she watched Natalya hold her weight on just one arm, the powerful muscles flexing beneath her shirt.

Unable to hold back, Dora sprang up, pointing as she demanded, “Where on earth did you learn to do *that*?”

Natalya just gave her a sly smile and made a little "okay" sign with her fingers before smoothly flipping back upright. Dora could feel the blush burning her cheeks.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Once they had all cooled down, the three continued toward the distant “tree,” though to Dora it looked more like gargantuan ruins. With Jennifer walking slightly ahead, Dora took the chance to sidle up to Natalya.

“I- I have to ask you something. N-no! Two things!”

Dora’s thoughts raced, her face still flushed from Natalya’s display of strength. Her mind drifted to the acrobatic horse girl’s legs and what they could—

“Yes? Out with it!” Natalya’s playful grin made Dora laugh and snap back to her senses.

“Could you do me a favour, please?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Could you stay away from those butterflies? I- it’s important to me.” For a second, Dora considered making the same request to Jennifer, but a small part of her didn’t really care as much.

“Is that all?” Natalya asked, her voice light. Dora raised her brow in surprise.

“That’s it? You’re not gonna ask why?”

“Heh.” Natalya tapped her shoulder and held onto it as they walked, her fingers warm even through the fabric. Dora could feel her heart thudding under the surface and wondered if the mask shielded Natalya from feeling the same way. “I trust you, Dora. I’m sure you wouldn’t ask without a reason.”

“Wha—?” Dora blurted out, then bit back her own flustered words.

“You’re a playful, cheerful girl,” Natalya said softly. Dora’s cheeks deepened in colour.

“But last night… you were crushed. So I don’t want to take your feelings for granted.”

Dora thought her face might explode from the embarrassment. The moment of lighthearted calm was quickly undercut by the firmness of the ground beneath her. Last night, she’d been too exhausted to notice how strange it felt—almost more like stone than grass. She regretted not inspecting it earlier, but tried to remind herself she’d been far too tired to think straight.

The pain in her feet now was a strong reminder to stay cautious, especially about those sickly butterflies, or Momos. Who knew if they’d be lucky enough to have those healing fireflies come around again?

Natalya’s voice broke through her thoughts. “What was the other thing you wanted to ask?”

Dora beamed, grateful she remembered. “Um, have you noticed any sound in the background? Like… like a humming?”

Natalya tilted her head, considering. “Hmm, no, can’t say I have. Why?”

“Umm, never mind.” Dora shrugged it off, the uncomfortable realisation returning that only she seemed to hear it.

“Okay, but… if it’s something dangerous, tell me. I mean it,” Natalya said gently.

Dora gave her a firm nod, and before she could overthink it, she shyly patted Natalya’s shoulder, earning a soft giggle that made her heart flutter as they walked on.

The journey continued, and Natalya and Dora improvised a plan to keep the Momos away: whenever one of the moths dared to flutter too close, they swatted at it with makeshift "bug-swatters" crafted from the sleeves Dora had cut off one of the jackets. She'd found a jagged rock to hack them off with, much to Natalya’s initial dismay—though Dora just rubbed the back of her head awkwardly and pretended not to notice her disappointment.

To Dora's irritation, Natalya even helped keep the moths away from Jennifer. What a buzzkill… Sighing, Dora grudgingly admitted that, for now, she and Jennifer were on the same team. Eventually, even Jennifer started calling out whenever a moth tried to sneak up on them, reluctantly proving she’d begun to trust Dora’s instincts.

As evening set in once more, Dora found herself alone on the grassy shore of a cool, glistening lake. She watched as Jennifer and Natalya went for a quick swim, her face flushing as they vanished into the water. She’d fought hard to keep Natalya safe by insisting that Jennifer test the waters first. Relieved that nothing dangerous seemed to lurk beneath the surface, she kept an eye on the shimmering lake. Then, just as her guard began to drop, something caught her attention.

Dora’s eyes narrowed, watching a black, rectangular insect scuttle across the ground toward her. Unlike the Momos, it smelled…familiar—an oddly sweet, tantalising scent that made her giggle with excitement. Without a second thought, she snatched it up and buried her face in it, breathing it in as a strand of drool escaped her lips. "Heh, keeping you for later," she whispered, slipping the bug into her pocket with a mischievous smile.

Just then, her fingers brushed over the rock she’d picked up earlier. Feeling a spike of curiosity, Dora set it to work digging into the dirt, stabbing away even as her fingers turned red and sore. Finally, the rock clinked against something hard, sending a jolt through her hand.

“Huh?” Dora bent closer, wiping away the dirt to reveal a round, dark brown object beneath the soil. In that moment, her invitation mark flared, casting a green glow that left afterimages in her vision. She recoiled as terror seized her chest, her heart racing. Without another thought, she hurriedly covered the object with dirt again, clambering to her feet and stumbling toward the lake, barely keeping her balance as she rushed through the grass.

She collapsed just in front of two neat piles of clothing on the shore: a blue shirt and jeans to her left, a track jacket to her right. Her invitation mark pulsed as her hand instinctively reached under the marine blue shirt, where a glimpse of red fabric teased her eye. This had to be a sign of God that everything would turn out right again. Initially, Dora’s plan was to watch the two girls from a distance, while hiding in the grass, however, the fear of getting caught was too great. This was the second best thing.

“Ehehehe… oh no.” Dora’s giggle turned nervous as her surroundings blinked out, replaced by a blinding white.

“Uhm… nani?” she muttered, disoriented as she stood up. Through the fog, she made out the form of a steel building, and beyond that, soldiers and lab technicians bustled around, speaking in a language she couldn’t understand.