Vague images and flickering shapes flitted around me. I wasn’t quite sure what this was, or why. My mind was fuzzy. It didn’t seem to want to focus on anything, or even consider what was happening.

Then there was a green-eyed girl, she was at most maybe ten. She was standing across from me, and I realized that we were both roughly the same height, a table between us. “Anna…. “She complained, “That one is mine.”

I frowned back, “Is not! Dad said we could split it.”

“But that was my half.” she insisted.

“You don't own it.” I said as I hid the cookie half behind my back.

“Dad!!!” She shouted out.

“Anna…” came a tired voice from the other room, “Just give your sister the side she wants.”

“But I want this side! And I took it first!” I insisted.

“Anna! That side is mine!” She said rounding the table to my side and trying to snatch the cookie from me.

“Hey! Eat your own!” I insisted and I started to run. We raced several circles around the small table before I tripped over something and ended up on the ground because of our commotion.

I tried to protect my cookie as best I could but she had her arms wrapped around me trying to worm it out from my grip.

“Hey!” Came a firm man’s voice from overhead.

The girl and I both glanced up.

“Anna, what did I just say?” He asked forcefully.

“To… give Belle my half of the cookie…” I replied quietly while looking down.

“Right. So?” He continued.

Belle climbed off of me and we both stood up. I slowly handed her my half of the cookie, and she took it smiling ear to ear then danced off into the other room.

I stuck my tongue out after her even if she couldn’t see it. Then I realized my father was watching me still, I glanced up at him.

He let out a long sigh, “Just… eat the other half alright?”

I nodded firmly defeated. “It's… it's not fair.” I sniffed, “Why does she get my half?”

My father closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, “Because I have enough problems without your sister making more… Just be a good girl? Can you do that for me?”

I sniffed again but nodded, “Alright…” I turned, walking back to the table to find the other half of the cookie. It had fewer chocolate chips, but I guess it was fine.

I opened my eyes to find the cave before me. What… Where was I? What in the world had that been? Had I been dreaming? Or… that girl was… wait was that my father? I couldn’t help but be shocked by the tiny piece of my former life that had so simply dropped out of thin air into my lap. Not that it was much, a memory of two kids arguing. I wonder if that was real, or if my mind had made it up by grasping at straws?

There was no way to know really, so I looked down hoping to find Devin. Instead, I found a dead animal. I stood up rapidly in shock and let out a complicated sound halfway between a scream and being choked.

The corpse in question rolled to the side on the floor and came to a stop.

“Why did you do that?” Naan voiced to me immediately.

“Why was there a dead thing on my lap!” I said as though it was clearly justified.

“A goblin gave that to you.”

It call came back to me. The cave, the goblins, the dungeon I was mentally conversing with. For some strange reason, I felt like I was somewhere else, someone else… I relaxed visibly as things settled inside of me once more, “I should have known…”

“Then why did you react that way?” Naan asked again.

“Because I wasn’t expecting it… I just woke up… give me a break…” I sighed. The truth was I'd been confused, but I didn't really want to admit to that much. I took a few breaths before walking over and picking the dead thing up. I still had the strangest sense that this was... wrong or dirty, and it took a tiny bit of effort to force that strange sentiment away.

The cave we were in wasn’t exactly a huge tangle of paths like the one I’d first found myself in. Rather it was mostly a single wiggly chamber. Which meant that I could mostly see the whole thing by standing up and looking around. Which was why the obvious question came to mind, “Where is everyone?”

“Outside. You should eat, and we should continue northwards.”

“So, you think we should head north?” I asked.

“Is there any reason not to?” Naan asked.

I considered, “I mean we could stick around the elves and leach off of them…. It's not something we brought up, but if we learn about them and stick close I’m sure most ideas would work near them as by the humans.” I offered.

“Technically speaking, I believe you are correct. However, they are actively scouting the area. Besides if they saw your Devin he would certainly be captured. Is that something you want to risk?” Naan asked.

I considered and after a few moments I nodded, “Alright, north it is.” I was feeling a bit of yesterday's fatigue drift back into me as though it had just been lingering in the air waiting for me to breathe it back in. Though maybe it was the late-night talk with Naan or just muscle fatigue. With my future meal in hand, I walked towards the cave entrance. I found the goblins all gathered around waving sticks and cheering at one another. One was in the middle making various poses and gestures while he spoke in short clipped sentences. The rest seemed excited by the whole thing. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen this, though I’d never participated.

I found the goblin woman sitting to the side watching flames crackle along the sticks in a small pit that had been dug for just that purpose.

Devin sat off on his own, staring out into the trees as if contemplating something.

So quickly things went back to normal… Then again, was this normal? Memories I really didn’t have seemed to disagree. But what I did have said it was normal enough, so that was fine, right?

I walked over towards the fire and smiled at the goblin woman who was watching what was cooking.

She noticed me as I approached and gave me a big spiky-toothed smile, “You awake!”

I nodded, holding up what would soon be breakfast. “Got a knife?” I asked.

“Yes! Yes!” She said eagerly handing me over a knife. It was a simple thing, by comparison, made of maybe flint? It worked regardless and I set to my task.

“We happy.” She added after watching me for a time.

I glanced up and saw her looking at me.

“Yeah?” I asked not entirely sure what she meant.

“You gone. Scout return. They angry.” She said glancing at the male goblins. “You back. They happy.” She said in a tone I don’t think I’d heard from her before. Was that relief?

“I missed all of you too.” I replied. As strange as it was for me to admit, it was true. When I’d first arrived I had mixed opinions about living with them, and things had only been better for days before I’d wandered out of the cave and been captured. At the time I had complicated emotions about the whole thing. But after actually being a prisoner. After fighting for my life. Those complicated emotions seemed to practically drift apart, separating far more cleanly than I expected.

Using some of the sticks that had been gathered I started my own cooking skewers. I missed the kitchen space we’d created back in the cave. But my hands were all too familiar with doing this without it to really bother me.

It was only then that I noticed Devin had turned to see me.

I gave a small wave and called out, “Morning.”

“Good morning.” He replied evenly.

“Have you eaten yet?” I asked.

He glanced at the fire-pit in front of me. “No…”

I glanced at the woman to my side, “By the way, what's your name?” I asked.

She just frowned at me.

“I mentioned this the other day. We need names.” I insisted.

“Meat?” She asked.

“That’s not a name!” I calmed myself post that small outburst and sighed. That made me think of a big titty goblin for some reason… As much as she was obviously more feminine, that was ridiculous. She also had taken to wearing the same outfit I had before, which was a poncho that covered her top, and a loincloth below. It was made the same way we’d made mine from the look of it, it was just smaller. “Anything else?” I asked, a bit hesitantly this time.

“Cook?” She asked.

I sighed. “If you want to be Cook, fine… but I don’t think it's a good name.”

She frowned considering more. Then finally she said, “Co-ok-s-ew”? As though she was just making something up syllables at a time.

Wait! She was just saying cook and sew wasn’t she?! I decided to throw her a bone and considered the sounds. “Kosue?” I asked after a brief shuffling of the sounds she was giving me in a way that sounded better to my own sensibilities. It at least sounded like a name to me.

“Ko-sue…” She pronounced back, then nodded.

“Alright… That is at least one more name, but everyone needs to learn it. Anyway, Kosue did you not have anything to cook for him?”

“Not tribe…” She noted.

I frowned, “No?”

She nodded.

“Alright well, I’ll share mine I suppose.” I offered.

Kosue stared at me in shock.

“What?” I asked.

“Tribe catch. Tribe eat.” She said fidgeting her hands around in a way that I could only describe as flustered. Honestly, now that she had that outfit, with her smaller ears, and smaller frame I couldn’t help but sort of think that was more than a touch adorable.

“Sounds like I’m not invited to the table.” Devin said with expected disappointment.

What even was goblin society!? Sighing I asked, “Are you up to maybe catching something yourself?” Wondering if that would be the easier path for now.

“I’ll find some berries or something later while we’re walking, it's fine.” He said dismissing it.

“You need to heal.” I insisted, “For that, you need something proper to eat.”

He shrugged back at me and glanced at Kosue, “You’re the goblin friend.”

Why did this have to get complicated again? Why did everything have to have some weird connotation or drawback? I tried to relax, and something came to me. “A trade then.”

“Trade?” Devin asked.

I nodded, “I’ll give you something to eat, and you must do what I want.”

Devin's’ eyes narrowed, “Why do I already know where this is going?”

Devin! Stop making things hard! Just take the food, you idiot! If only I could explain things- “Naan, just tell him to accept the offer. I don’t really want anything, I just don’t want to offend the goblins.”

“Why? I think the trade makes more sense.”

I slapped my forehead, I give up! “Yes! Fine! You know what I want! Do you accept or not?”

Devin blinked at me, obviously missing why I’d reacted so harshly.

“Sorry…” I tried to relax and tame my reaction, “I’m just frustrated.” I was a bit short fused this morning...

Devin smirked a bit, “Right… I guess I can help with that.”

Not sexually frustrated! Or… Damn it who am I kidding? I don’t even care anymore.

I turned my focus to what I was doing even as Kosue helped by turning my skewers as I worked with the knife. “Is that alright Kosue? It’s alright if I trade him some food for help later?”

She nodded, “Good for tribe.”

“Well, I guess it counts then…” I admitted. Thought it was honestly so weird to think that my riding cock was for the ‘the good’ of anything. It was so outright ridiculous I couldn’t help but smile. Between the stupid conversation and the smell of food tickling my senses. I just enjoyed the morning for what it was. I was back with friends, even if my friends were goblins and a sentient rock that frustrated the shit out of me at times.