In the land of the Fae, there were two settlements divided by species. The left settlement was filled with supernatural creatures, such as Dryads, Wolfkin, Changelings, Catkin, Vampires, and even a few Draconians.

 

On the right was the humanoid settlement, which included elves, humans and a few halflings.

 

The separation between the two settlements didn’t stem from xenophobia, at least, not originally. Ages ago, these two settlements were once two massive countries, but the last war between the demons had caused the two countries to collapse in on themselves, thus being reduced to two large villages.

 

They were just two separate countries, but after being reduced to their current size, there has been a lot of tension over resources and territory. However, this story has nothing to do with these tensions.

 

No, this story is all about one violet-haired Wolfkin who couldn’t keep her hands to herself, and how her playboy nature turned around and bit her on the ass. Almost literally.

 

“Err, Miriam, are you...writing about my impending doom or something?” A violet-haired Wolfkin peeked around a black-eyed changeling’s shoulder, reading the notebook the short fae was scribbling on.

 

“Eeep!” The changeling squeaked, “A-Aisha?! When’d you get here?! I didn’t hear you at all!” Her short and curly red hair transformed into a smooth blonde which reached her waist. Unlike most changelings, Miriam had a condition, a disorder so to speak, that would cause her to involuntarily shapeshift purely from her emotions. None of her shapeshifting came from her own voluntary control.

 

Thus she was stuck in the village, rather than out in the wild hunting for food or fighting in the war against the Humanoid settlement. She’d never be able to maintain a battle transformation.

 

“Easy there pumpkin,” Aisha smiled as she smoothed out Miriam’s blonde hair and curled it behind the changeling’s ear, “Are you mad at me? You know the girls are just a way for me to pass time.” The wolfkin placed a hand on Miriam’s thin pale thigh, which heated up and grew slightly in fat.

 

“Stop messing with my emotions, Aisha! And yes I’m mad at you!” Her blonde hair reverted back to her short curly fiery-hair. “I asked you for one day! One day with just the two of us, but the moment you go out the door for some shopping, you flirt with some vampire! I don’t even ask you to stop being unfaithful! Just give me one day with just...us two.” She grasped Aisha’s shirt, tugging at it with reddish cheeks.

 

Aisha started to fiddle with her fingers, clearly uncomfortable with how the conversation turned. She disliked commitment, and whenever someone clearly expressed their jealousy and desire to monopolize her, Aisha would hole herself up in some random corner of a room.

 

Seeing this, Miriam sighed with a defeated expression on her pale - almost white - skin, yet there was a clear sign of longing. It was almost dreamy.

 

Miriam walked over to Aisha and placed a peck on her cheek, “I can’t stay mad at you, can I?”

 

A ghost of a smile appeared on the wolfkin’s tan, gorgeous face. Her short violet-colored hair bobbed a little from her ecstatic nod. The wolf closed in and gave her a chaste kiss.

 

Miriam gazed longingly at Aisha seemingly satisfied. “Do not miss this weekend, got it?”

 

Aisha nodded furiously. Spoiler alert: she misses the weekend.

 

Then the cowardly player bailed out of Miriam’s house. Reasons unbeknownst to Miriam, the wolfkin feared commitment. It was a secret Aisha was prepared to take to the grave.

 

A hidden trauma known only by its sufferer, it sliced through her determination like a scalpel against flesh.

 

Even though Aisha played around with many fae women, she adored each and every one of them. However, she was afraid of giving any one of them special treatment - to make any of them truly special.

 

She shook her head to exorcise the fears from her mind. Determined to shake off the oppressive feeling she felt earlier, Aisha decided to go hunting in the Oberon-Puck forest. It was a gigantic forest in between the two rival villages, and had tons of game for Aisha to stretch her legs and hunt.

 

Using her wolfkin transformation ability, her legs bent into the shape of a wolf’s and grew beautiful, almost shining blonde fur. In an instant, she charged into the forest like a true predator.

 

Forgetting her previous worries and reconnecting to her more primal self, Aisha jumped on an unsuspecting bicorn, sinking her razor sharp teeth into its smooth black skin. She clawed at the dying creature before her ears perked up, catching a disturbing noise.

 

Her head jumped up, blood dripping from her chin. The sound was a human cry - more specifically, a female human cry.

 

In an instant, she headed into the trees toward the origin of the voice. Finally landing on her hind legs, she saw a massive anaconda constricting its heavy scales aruound a red-haired human girl barely in her twenties. Her face started to turn a ghastly purple.

 

Without hesitation, Aisha dug her claws into the back of the oversized snake's neck, forcing its head upwards, and then dug another set of claws right behind its jaw, closing its poisonous mouth.

 

An absurd force pulled the creature off of the girl and was flung high into the air like a speeding bullet. Aisha jumped and stretched her arms to catch the unconscious girl within that moment and cradled the victim against her chest. “...What’s a human girl doing all the way out here?”

 

It was extremely rare to find a human, especially a human girl, in the Fae Village’s part of the woods. Was she running away? Is she a refuge? A criminal? Or did she simply get lost?

 

 As Aisha pondered all these what-if scenarios, her eyes took in the girl’s appearance. The unconscious human had long blonde hair, her skin pale as moonlight. She was beautiful beyond measure, and from what Aisha glanced from when she first saw the girl, her eyes were a beautiful shade of grass-green.

 

Her breaths were shallow and quick, which told Aisha she needed to bring the girl somewhere safe. It was entirely possible her ribs were crushed. Things’ll get bad if her trachea was crushed, Aisha thought, nearly panicking. However, bringing a human girl - especially one from the rival village, would be extremely risky considering the growing tensions between both villages.

 

Aisha shook her head to expel her hesitation and ran towards her village with the unconscious girl being bridal carried.

 

Exerting impressive huntress skills, Aisha avoided contact with any of the villagers, skulking quickly and silently towards her tiny one-room home that she managed to buy from a poor half-fairy. It took her a surprisingly long time, since she was thirteen, to scrounge up money to buy that dingy little home.

 

Now that it was hers, though, Aisha managed to convert it into a place of wonder, with plenty of roses and violets surrounding the once-decrepit home. She kicked the door open and, in contrast to her roughness and speed earlier, gently placed the girl on the unkept blueish gray bed.

 

With magic, Aisha checked the girl’s status. A glowing light appeared from Aisha’s right palm as she hovered it above the girl’s body, going down from her neck to her stomach. Thankfully, the girl only suffered minor fractures.

 

Aisha only needed to watch over the girl and make sure she didn’t move around too much. Moving would cause a lot of pain, and the girl would have trouble breathing for a while, but nothing that needed an actual healer slash doctor, rather than a makeshift one like Aisha was.

 

The huntress quickly arranged a plate and a teacup, preparing to heat water with flame magic and cook vegetable soup that wasn’t too heavy and was relatively light, to make sure not to stress out her patient’s stomach.

 

After a good fifteen minutes of preparing food and tea, her wolf ears twitched, picking up a groaning sound and a sudden-yet-quiet squeal of pain. Guiltily, Aisha loved that squeal.

 

She quickly finished cooking the soup and placed a large napkin over it to maintain its heat, grabbed the teacup with the hot water and leaves in it, and walked toward the patient who was doe-eyed, watching the wolfkin attending her with awe and wonder in her eyes. “You...look very pretty.”

 

Startled, Aisha decided to focus on the girl’s predicament. “Try not to move around too much. Thankfully you weren’t hurt too badly, but you do have a few fractured ribs. It won’t be too bad as long as you stay and rest a bit.”

 

“It….” The patient gasped, struggling to breathe a bit, “ is painful to breathe...”

 

“That’s okay, just don’t move around too much alright,” Aisha took a seat next to the bed and dipped a spoon into the vegetable soup, placing the spoon next to the patient’s mouth, who took it gratefully. After finishing the plate, the girl stopped Aisha from getting up to put away the dishes.

 

“What’s...your name, pretty wolfie?”

 

Confused, Aisha muttered, “Pretty wolfie?”

 

“A nickname….don’t know what...else...to call...you..”

 

Aisha crushed the metal spoon in her hand, clearly embarrassed. “I-uh, my name’s Aisha. What’s your name?” Why am I stuttering so much?

 

The girl murmured, red in the face, “Aly Jr. Vivonia.” Aisha snickered, earning her a playful glare. “What’s so funny?” Aly questioned dryly.

 

“Humans and your long names. Your last name seriously doesn’t suit your first name either.” She winked, not willing to lose to her prior embarrassment.

 

“Oh shut up, will you?” She tried filling her voice with poison, but the slight smile that tugged on her lips betrayed her. Aly started to caress Aisha’s arm, enjoying the feeling of her skin against her fingers. She relished it.

 

Aisha’s fingers toyed nervously around her hair twirls as she spoke, “So uh, I’m going out to buy some herbs for you to help with the pain. We currently don’t really have a healer on standby, so herbs will have to do.”

 

She noticed Aly’s hand brushed hers longingly as she got up.

 

The wolfgirl was going to the front door but turned back to Aly, who, the moment she made eye-contact with her, smiled an embarrassed smile. “Where’s my...goodbye kiss?” Aly seemed drunk from the pain.

 

Are all humans this cute? She thought to herself. In an act of bravery, she strode towards Aly’s cheek and gave her a big smooch, leaving the faintest red mark on her cheek. Aly giggled excessively, even through the pain. That goofy smile struck a chord in Aisha’s heart. Aly’s arms wrapped around her neck and tried to pull her in despite the pain. “Aly, I have to go get you those herbs, okay? I’ll give you as much attention later.”

 

“Boo~”

           

Despite Aly’s protests, Aisha went out the door.

 

Aisha walked towards the herbalist shop a few minutes away from her home. With her super speed, she was able to get there in no time at all.

 

She thought back to Aly. Her small smile and sneaky physical contact were so slight, Aisha couldn’t tell if the girl was flirting with her or not.

 

Either that, or Aisha was just dense. Definitely dense, she could hear Miriam say.

 

As she walked to the front door, a hand grasped her shoulder, spinning her around. With a Eek, the shocked wolfkin surprised the culprit. A smiling vampire had a toothy grin as her hands wandered around the slightly shorter wolfkin, near the small of her back. “How’s my rebellious little huntress doing?” Aisha felt a slight prick on her neck, and a weird ballish sensation started to curl and heat up in the bottom of her stomach. Fighting her lust, the wolfkin gently pushed the vampire off of her.

 

“I’m sorry, Melonial, but I have other plans,” She flashed her thousand watt smile. Not disheartened, Melonial spoke.

 

“Ooooh, with another lady, perhaps?” She licked her lips, “Mind if I join in?”

 

“Um...sorta? I’ll tell you later.” She nearly blushed.

 

Somewhat disappointed and a bit exasperated, Melonial shook her head, “Well I better not keep you. I also have a date tonight. I was hoping to combine our dates, but alas, that’s for another day.”

 

“Did I ever tell you that you speak a lot like a gentleman?”

 

 “Oh not you too!”

 

Satisfied with her back-and-forth conversation with Melonial the vampire, who was dressed very much like a gentlemanly woman, she entered the herbalist shop. There by the counter was a small witch with a massive brim hat. Without the brim hat, the witch only reached Aisha’s navel.

 

Aisha bit her lip trying not to snicker. Last time she laughed at the height-challenged witch, she was cursed into becoming a catgirl who ended all of her sentences with “meow!”

 

Needless to say, it was embarrassing.

 

Enough flashbacking, she thought to no one in particular. She ignored the witch at the counter who was boring holes in her skull, and started to collect herbs specifically for healing those with mortal flesh.

 

The witch snickered at her, and with a point to Aisha’s forehead, the shortie smiled, “You’re hiding a human, aren’tcha?”

 

Stumped like a deer caught in headlights, the huntress stared unblinkingly at the witch, her golden irises shining through. The herbalist held her hands up in surrender, “Relax little wolfie,” she puffed a smoke ring as she walked in front of the wolfkin, “I’m just interested in seeing how this little experiment of yours will work~” She formed a little ring with her finger across Aisha’s navel, earning her an uncomfortable glare.

 

“How’d you figure it out, Leyla?”

 

Scoffing, Leyla laughed, “The herbs you were eyeing are for human-use, primarily healing and strengthening. Us faes don’t need that apart from seasoning. And the combination you were gathering was definitely for healing and strengthening.”

 

“You were always a nerd,” Aisha laughed, then pressed her hands together in a begging motion, “Please, pleaaaase don’t tell anyone! There are specific circumstances to this, Leyla!”

 

The witch placed her brim hat on the counter then skittled her little feet toward the stool that let her see above the counter, “I never said anything about telling anyone. Just let me see that pretty lady sometime, kay?”

 

“How do you figure the person’s a girl?” The wolfkin raised an eyebrow.

 

“Honey, it’s always about a girl.”

 

Half an hour later…

 

After Leyla convinced Aisha she’d make the potion herself, the wolfkin felt grateful towards her tiny acquaintance. Grabbing the potion, Aisha was about to leave the store when Leyla’s thickly sweet voice pulled at her ears. “Careful what you’re getting into, Aisha. Fae around here aren’t too open-minded on keeping a human, especially one from our rival village, here.”

 

A stiff nod later, Aisha finally left and headed back home. As she was about to open the door, she heard a loud thump with a painful groan. In that instant, several different terrible scenarios raced through her panicked mind. Kicking the door wide open, she charged to find whatever harmed Aly.

 

Only to find Aly tripped over one of Aisha’s dirty white shirts. For the first time ever, Aisha regretted being so disorganized. “Umm...hi?”

 

“Ergh…” she groaned, “Hi…”

 

“So, uh, what were you doing just now?”

 

“Trying to...grab some water...” More like tried.

 

Rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, Aisha coughed, “You need to be resting.” Her arms wrapped around the bottom of Aly’s neck and slightly below her waist to avoid touching her ribs. Effortlessly picking Aly up, Aisha brought her to the bed.

 

“You’re so gentle.” That comment sent Aisha blushing to her ears. She was weak against this girl.

 

The carry messed up Aly’s shirt, exposing her not-too-large and not-too-small of a bosom, which hypnotised Aisha’s eyes. Feeling the wolf’s peeping, Aly chuckled and readjusted her shirt. “My eyes are up here, doofus.”

 

“Oh, I know,” Aisha said, still mesmerized like the pervert she was. Aly turned away, her face hotter than red peppers. 

 

Settling the human girl back on the bed, she took out a potion. It was a potion of healing, but considering it wasn’t as effective as grander potions (particularly because of lack of funds and lack of specific herbs), it only sped up recovery, rather than doing any actual healing.

 

It also tasted like dead cicadas. Courtesy of Aisha.

 

Aly eyed the blueish-green potion and felt her stomach twist in vile contempt. She was NOT going to drink that. Not without putting up a fight, Aisha thought wryly. “Don’t be a baby, drink.”

 

“Get that thing away from me!” She tried scooting back before hissing in pain from her fractured ribs. “I regret everything!”

 

Guess we’re doing this the hard way…

 

Aly’s muffled screams pierced Aisha’s wolf-ears as she forced the potion down her throat. The girl’s face turned green with nausea, and for the rest of the day, Aisha felt the glare of two hateful orbs boring at the back of her head.

 

Thankfully, after that day, Aly nearly - nearly forgave Aisha since she felt the effects of the potion speeding up her healing.

 

A few days had passed, and Aisha recognized the girl had started to walk around more freely. Her sides didn’t hurt, and she was nearly healed.

 

A Week Later...

 

A good week had gone by with Aly under Aisha’s care. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. “Wait, how come no one’s searched for her yet?”

 

It was such an obvious question, Aisha was ashamed she never thought it up before. Certainly, Aly had opened up (through gentle flirting) toward the wolfkin, and the potion managed to speed up the girl’s recovery fairly quickly, so Aly was able to walk around somewhat undaunted. However, the human girl never once mentioned going back to her village. Hell, when Aisha found her, she had nothing on her. Not even a backpack.

 

Aisha had gotten the nickname Dense Playboy, and now she knew why. She was fantastic in all matters romantic, but when it came to her significant others’ problems, she’d be as dense about it as a black hole.

 

Cringing inwardly, she made up her mind to go talk to Aly about her sudden revelation. “Are you thinking about heading back to your village?” Aly visibly flinched. The girl looked away, deliberately avoiding eye-contact with the huntress. She was plopped down on a chair by a table, fiddling with an already-cold beef stew.

 

“I know we haven’t known each other for long, but you can talk to me,” Aisha said as she placed a chair next to her and sat, holding her hand with a gentle squeeze. Several seconds had passed by with neither Aly speaking or moving. She was as still as a bronze statue. “I like you very much, Aly.” She kissed the side of her lips, making Aly shift hesitantly.

 

Deciding to open up first, Aisha started to speak about her past. “You know, there was actually a whole year I wasn’t in the village,” She spoke. Aly made no movement to indicate she heard, but Aisha kept talking, “I was deemed missing. And I was. I found myself in the den of several rogue draconians. I lost my memories of my village due to me falling off a cliff, and was taken care of by the rogues. Everything was as peachy as a romance novel.” She smiled a sad smile.

 

This time around, Aly turned to look at her but still didn’t say anything.

 

“I fell in love with a draconic woman named Vṛtra. She had gorgeous flaming crimson hair, her skin tan yet soft, and her tail and scales were a brimming dark red. We fell in love, and with magic from a wandering potion maker, we had a child together. Or we were…”

 

Aisha’s eyes fell as droplets of water rained on her balled-up fists. “There was an incident. A monster, an abomination, or whatever you want to call it, destroyed the rogues. My love of my life died protecting me, but I wasn’t left unscathed. When that black ooze touched my skin, I was poisoned. While my body was strong enough to survive the poison for long enough to get help...the baby didn’t.”

 

Aly gasped, but didn’t dare speak yet. “After I escaped the monster, my body was starting to shut down from the poison. I finally made it to my original village, where I stumbled upon Leyla, the village witch. She removed the toxin from my body and restored my memories. She uh...she was also the one who told me the baby didn’t survive…”

 

“I-I am so sorry Aish-”

 

Her hands wrapped around Aly’s tearing frame, touched by her sympathy. “I told the villagers about the monster, but they never found anything. It was as if it just...disappeared from the face of the Ida. It left no corpses either. It ate all their history. Any trace that Vṛtra and the others lived...all gone.”

 

Aly shook her head in-between Aisha’s shoulder in an attempt to console her. “That’s my biggest secret. A life erased. Gone,” she held a finger to prop Aly’s chin up, “Can you tell me your story?”

 

Tears in Aly’s eyes, she nodded. “I-I will.” Steadying herself, she started to talk, “It’s nothing compared to what you went through, though.”

 

“Please, don’t compare your story with mine. Everyone’s hardships are their own. There’s no one worse than the other. Suffering is not a competition.”

 

“You see, my mother, Alyona, is a very influential person in the village. She’s also very manipulative…” She rubbed her eyes, pushing back the tears. “I had thought...I had thought that if I stayed by her side, if I did everything she wanted me to do, she’d just...turn my way, y’know?”

 

Aisha nodded.

 

“But she never did. In fact, after a while...she started to do terrible things to other people. Bribery, blackmail, torture. Nothing was off the table for her…” She shook her head angrily, her hair bouncing left and right in the process, “I couldn’t take it anymore. So I left in the middle of the night. I don’t think she’s noticed I’m gone, and even if she has...I don’t think she’d even bother looking for me. In her words, I bet looking for me is a ‘waste of resources’.” She air-quoted.

 

“So that’s why I haven’t seen anything about search parties in the forest…”

 

Confirming Aly’s worst fears, Aisha grimaced. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

 

Aly shrugged tiredly, “It’s true though…” She looked up at Aisha with a small smile on her face, “I am so glad you found me, Aisha. Thank you. I love you.” Aly leaned in.

 

Feeling something warm and soft peck her lips, she placed her fingers near her mouth. It left a phantom sensation tingling at her lips. Her confession made this kiss much more emotional, more raw.

 

They’ve only known each other for a little over a week at most and throughout most of it, Aly was flirty and playful, but also withdrawn about her situation. But now that Aly opened up, Aisha felt Aly was her second chance at happiness, and she’d be a fool to let go of her. Aly wrapped her fingers around her hand.

 

Grasping her back, Aisha carried her to the living room and onto the couch, bopping Aly’s nose. She was too engrossed in Aly’s scent she hadn’t heard the front door clink.

 

“Hey the door was unlocked, so I-what the fu-!!!”

 

In front of them was a shocked Miriam whose big black eyes bugged out of her skull the moment she saw Aly.

 

An instant later, she collapsed from shock at seeing a human.

 

“Ahh...I should probably get you acquainted with everyone…” A tense atmosphere was about to ruin the flirty air between the two, until Aly let out an absolutely adorable laugh with dimples that stretched her cheekbones.

 

“Yes, you should.”

 

Aisha picked Miriam up and placed her on the couch next to Aly. The human girl pouted, dissatisfied that the shapeshifter She pulled the third wheel away fro Aisha and nestled closer to the wolf.

 

The wolf girl looked at her new girlfriend and wondered how she’d be able to introduce her to everybody without anyone going ballistic over her species and heritage.

 

As if she had heard Aisha’s worries, Aly gave a shy smile. “Let’s just start small and explain to this...shortie what’s going on?” She said that more as a question than a declaration, and with a cute tilt of her head, Aisha could see the question mark above Aly’s head, as though doubting herself.

 

Aisha felt a pang in her chest from how insanely adorable Aly was. Her body moved on its own as she drew near the beautiful human girl and traced a finger along her jaw. Without even realizing her actions, Aisha confessed the feelings that spilled out of her heart.

 

“I love you.”

 

Paralyzed with happy surprise for a moment, Aly softly pressed herself against Aisha. The same soft sensation enveloped the wolfkin’s lips, granting her sheer delight. Aisha squirmed as Aly lightly bit her bottom lip, tugging it playfully.

 

A sudden squeal cut through their romance like a knife through butter, and an angry voice emerged from behind Aly. “What’re you doing with a human?!” She seethed.

 

“You...woke up already? That was fast.” Aisha’s eyes widened.

 

“That’s not the problem here!” Miriam yelled, but her fury was more adorable than terrifying as her cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish. She jumped on top of Aly to hug Aisha’s arms.

 

Aisha saw a peek of Aly’s expression before Miriam covered her view. In that moment, the wolf knew true eldritch terror.

A week after that...

 

After a ton of bickering and secret kisses when no one was looking, Aisha finally decided to bring Aly outside for the first time in two weeks. “Wow, can you believe it’s only been two weeks?”

 

The love of her life gazed at the sky, tinges of bright blue peeking out from behind the clouds. Aisha intertwined her fingers with her own and pulled her close, stealing a light kiss.

 

Their sickly lovey-dovey atmosphere continued throughout their walk through the village, screaming out their relationship to everyone through gestures of affection. It definitely didn’t go unnoticed by three other girls, that was for sure.

 

“So this is the lovely lady you’ve been hiding!” Melonial smiled, her fangs creeping out of her immaculate grin. “Didn’t expect you to go after humans!” She wrapped an arm around both of the girls, pecking both their cheeks. “I’ll take you both out on a date!”

 

“Hey! Lay off!” A black-eyed blonde haired shapeshifter pushed the vampire aside as she wrapped her arms around the wolfkin’s waist.

 

“Oya~?” A brimhat peeked from below Aly’s chest. Looking downward, she saw a cute little silver-haired shortie staring at her stomach.

 

“Eep!” A moment later, she felt a hand slide under her shirt, groping her stomach with abandon.

 

“Humans. Totally squishy,” the herbalist witch said with a grin on her face. “I like this human.”

 

“Can’t you tell these girls to lay off?! I want to enjoy our date!” Aly screamed, still getting her stomach witch-handled.

 

Aisha shook her head, “Not sure that’s possible anymore!”

 

“Don’t worry, milady, I’ll take good care of both you and your partner,” the vampire’s husky voice vibrated in Aly’s ears, making her grow as red as a tomato.

 

“I’m Aisha’s better lover!” Miriam seethed, her hair turning into a fiery red.

 

Patting her hands all over Aly’s waist and legs, Leyla muttered, “I’d definitely like to study you in better detail…”

 

Suffice to say, they went back home to get to know each other much better.