Naya and her herd always seemed to be pregnant, thought the little gnoll cub. Once Naya or one of her massive, lumbering beasts heaved out one baby, they seemed to be swelling with the next only a season later. And what came out seemed to be anyone's guess - fawns, foals, calves, cubs, it was impossible for little Dhryn to predict.

One season, one of Naya's awakened oxen got very sick as her pregnancy progressed. Both Dhryn and Naya could tell something was amiss - this was a matronly cow who had safely delivered dozens of offspring in the time Dhryn had known her, and likely dozens more before that, but this pregnancy was different. She wasn't eating. She was up ambling around at odd hours, and the tone of her lowing sounded like she was in constant pain. When she looked at Dhryn her eyes were sunken and glassy, devoid of the spark of wisdom and experience normally granted by Naya's magic. She went into labor one rainy night while Naya was telling one of her stories, this one about a kaumera rogue who snuck after a king's daughters to find out where they were sneaking away to. Her eyes widened as she described the kaumera following the cubs, using a magic amulet to make himself invisible. She spoke of him following them deep into the earth, into a vast underground city, with roads of marble flanked by trees of silver and gold.

But the ox's lowing would give the storyteller no peace, and eventually she had to pause her tale to tend to her herd.

"Come," Naya ordered as the distressed oxen's pleas rose in pitch.

Dhryn, eager and bright-eyed despite the late hour, followed eagerly to see the ox on her side, her flanks heaving as something slid out into the mud with a gush of foul-smelling fluid. He could see Naya furrowing her brow as she moved swiftly to the animal's side to examine what the beast had unceremoniously ejected.

Unlike most other deliveries, Naya did not eagerly hold up the newborn for the young cub to see. Instead she just sighed and looked away, shaking her head. Ever curious, Dhryn scampered up to see for himself and immediately regretted his decision.

On the ground in a puddle of soupy birth fluid was . . . something. It was an anthropomorphic baby, that much was certain, but it was so small and underdeveloped the gnoll had trouble even figuring out what species it was. As uncomfortable as it made him feel, he found himself unable to look away. Fortunately, he didn't have too long to stare. The ox let out a pained groan, indicating there was something else on the way.

Naya took charge, gently but insistently nudging Dhryn out of the way as she positioned herself between the ox's legs.

"What . . . what happened?" Dhryn asked hesitantly, eyes flitting between the miscarried baby and the looming giraffe witch.

"Hopefully just an accident," she replied hastily, already pushing her fingers under the ox's tail to fish for the next arrival, "let me focus."

Something was wrong, Dhryn thought to himself. Even when things went wrong during a delivery, Naya never shied away from showing the cub the reality of the situation. She always explained what happened and what could have been done differently. But this time she seemed strangely detached, almost cagey.

Instead of guiding Dhryn along, she continued to insistently examine the ox cow, lips firmly pursed, until finally the giant animal let out a long, agonizing bellow as two hooves appeared side-by-side between her thighs. Naya waited while the beast panted and pushed again, the two legs slowly starting to emerge.

"Is that a breech calf?" Dhryn pointed, hoping to get Naya talking again. Her silence unnerved him.

"Focus," she repeated, eyes glued to the thin, sinewy legs as the cow continued to grunt and push. After an agonizing few moments, Naya reached out to grab the limbs and pull, only to have the matted fur of one of the legs slough off in her hand with a sickening wet rip.

Dhryn gasped, horrified as Naya simply shook the decaying flesh off her hands. There was no explanation, just a heavy sigh and a whispered curse before Naya offered a flat apology to all parties - Dhryn, the ox, and the macerated, half-born calf as it slowly slipped out, carefully aided by the giraffe while Dhryn shut his eyes and grimaced.

When at last the grunting and pushing had stopped, Dhryn ventured to open his eyes. The calf was enormous and feral, likely intended to join Naya's herd of awakened breeders. It was also very dead, and obviously had been for some time.

The young gnoll cub was in shock, and looked to Naya for . . . anything. Instruction, an explanation, a word of comfort, anything at all. But Naya remained uncharacteristically stoic. Unsure what else to do, Dhryn started to whimper.

Naya turned to the cub and put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Wait," she commanded, as if Dhryn could just shut his feelings off. She patted him twice then turned back to the ox cow, pushing her hand and then her entire arm under its tail to see if there was anything else on the way.

Dhryn saw a change in Naya's expression as she found something, then started to pull. Out came a giraffe-like head, followed by a long slender neck, with the umbilical cord wrapped tightly around it at least five or six times. It was a Zara, Dhryn recognized, a giraffe like Naya, but the coloring wasn't normal, Dhryn noticed, even in the dim evening light the gnoll could see the Zara's spots were pitch-black instead of Naya's familiar earthy brown. Naya stared at the calf and narrowed her eyes, seemingly checking for something before addressing the calf with a tone Dhryn had never heard from her before.

" . . . you," Naya hissed.

The single word sent shivers up Dhryn's spine. Naya turned to him, the half-born giraffe calf still in her arms. "To bed," she commanded him, "and think no more of this. It is a tale for another time."

Naya's intensity quashed all curiosity inside him and left no room for interpretation. Dhryn didn't understand why Naya was acting to strangely - why did she shoo him away? He didn't want to know, he told himself, and he didn't need to know. He regretted happening upon the scene at all, and he thought it would have been much better for everyone involved if he had just gone to bed beforehand instead of trying to help.

Dhryn tried to sleep, but the vivid images of the evening prevented him from doing so. He listened intently for any sign of Naya's activity but was met with only anxious, frustrating silence until the adrenaline wore off and he reluctantly drifted into an uneasy slumber.

" . . .is he asleep?"

"He'd better be, dummy. Otherwise this whole trip will have been for nothing!"

"we can always come back later and try again."

Dhryn didn't recognize the voices They sounded male; child-like and high-pitched. Sleepily he opened his eyes, and realized that three sets of eyes were staring back at him - One red, one blue, and one green. He leapt back with a start. The three sets of eyes belonged to three humanoids, each similar in appearance and slightly taller than the gnoll cub. They had purple, hairless skin with nothing between their legs for the sake of modesty, and their faces were set with upturned, bat-like noses, pointed ears, and small. curved horns. Slender tails swished eagerly behind them, each with a different tip.

These were creatures from Naya's stories, Dhryn recalled. She called them Niferus - imps, by another name - born from dark magic in the ruins of a mighty kingdom that fell long ago. According to Naya's tales, the Niferus were the ancient stock from which all modern vark descended.

The red eyes belonged to an imp with layered black hair, a small penis, and a tail that ended in the shape of a rounded heart. The blue eyes belonged to another boy with wild brown hair, a tail that ended in a single, spear-like point, and a much longer member swinging between his legs. The green eyes belonged to yet another boy in front, whom Dhryn assumed was the leader of the three. The third one was completely hairless, with a tail that ended in three blunt 'petals', like a clover. His horns were slightly longer than the others, and his member was girthy and imposing, bouncing between his thighs. Dhryn thought the three of them looked similar enough that they were more than just the same species, that they must have been family of some kind.

"Where's Naya?" Dhryn panicked, "Who are you?"

"We're friends," the green-eyed imp answered bluntly.

"You haven't met us yet," the blue-eyed one added in a softer tone, "but that's okay, you will." Dhryn caught a flash of gold on the imp's tail as he swished it behind him.

Dhryn felt almost immediately at ease upon hearing the second voice. It was the sweetest music to his young ears, as if Naya was singing him a lullaby.

"We're just here to . . . set a few things right," the blue-eyed imp continued, "what happened earlier must have scared you, didn't it?"

Dhryn made a sour face, recalling the sight and smell of the corpses Naya dragged from the poor ox. The morbid scene triggered certain scavenging instincts deep in his little gnoll heart, but seeing Naya in such distress made him feel conflicted, even shameful.

"She did that," the imp continued in his gentle, song-like voice. "She sows discord and feeds off conflicting feelings. It's why Naya didn't seem to react when she saw what happened. Not because she didn't care, but because she didn't want to give her the satisfaction."

"Want to see what happened when Naya wrenched you out?" the bald imp grinned.

"Hey," the third imp spoke up for the first time, his red eyes glinting as he shot an accusing glance at the bald imp, who rolled his eyes in response. "What he's trying to say," the red-eyed imp continued, looking at the gnoll cub with a piercing stare, "Is that we want to show you what happened when you were born. I-if that's okay!"

"Don't give him a choice, idiot," The green-eyed imp snapped back, "just take him and go."

Without waiting for the discussion to escalate, the red-eyed imp took Dhryn by the hand, and suddenly the cub was not where he was. He and the imp were standing in the middle of an avenue paved with marble, flanked by trees with silver leaves that shimmered in the dim light. The gnoll looked up for the source and found that the two of them were far underground, in a canyon so deep he could barely see the sky above. The other two imps were nowhere to be found, and Dhryn felt slightly more at ease now that he wasn't surrounded.

While the imp had his back turned, Dhryn reached up and plucked one of the silver leaves from nearby tree, which snapped loudly. The imp turned around and Dhryn saw him in a much more revealing light - his soft, bluish-purple skin, his blunt, two-pronged tail, his eyes like cooling embers, and a small gold ring pierced through one of his pointed ears. The imp seemed to shrink back when Dhryn looked at him, halfheartedly trying to cover his naked body.

"Where are we?" Dhryn asked, hiding the silver leaf behind his back, "who are you?"

The imp smiled knowingly. "We're in a very special place," he answered, "a magical place. The Veil is thin here, and with our power we can use this place to go anywhere - and anywhen." He winked at Dhryn and nodded down the avenue. The gnoll felt compelled to follow, as if he was being dragged on an invisible string. "Call me Zag," the imp continued, "think of us as your hosts down here."

"One of you mentioned Naya 'wrenching' me out," Dhryn inquired, "What did they mean?"

"O-oh," Zag turned back bashfully, "Just wait and see. There's more to the two of you than you know!"

Zag grabbed Dhryn's hand as he caught up and suddenly the two of them were somewhere else. It was a place that felt familiar to the gnoll, a place that was warm, dark and safe - his village. He recognized it instantly from the pungent scent of animal musk and the constant chatter of gnollish yelps and cackles. He was in a whelping den, and he could see new mothers and mothers-to-be reclining on piles of woven blankets and animal furs, while infant cubs writhed and wrestled with each other on the ground, already struggling for dominance.

Dhryn looked around, then looked to the imp for an explanation. Zag glanced at him, then nodded to one specific mother in the corner, her belly deflated and her arms full of squirming, healthy newborn cubs. Dhryn counted four newborns in her arms, umbilical cords all trailing between the new mother's bloodied thighs. He also counted a fifth umbilical cord, flat and empty, leading to another, smaller newborn cub that laid motionless on the ground. It was a runt, seemingly untouched and unattended to. The bulge of a tiny scrotum between the cub's legs hinted at its gender.

"I don't get it," Dhryn mumbled, hesitantly taking in the scene, "can we go somewhere else?" The experience of the disastrous calving was still fresh in his mind, and the scene before him just seemed like a variation on a grim theme. He also didn't understand why the imp decided to take him to his village of all places. He could come here any time he wanted.

"Oh," Zag mumbled, his tail bashfully tucking between his legs, "I-I thought you'd recognize . . .hm. Well, come on." The imp offered no explanation, just flashed a quick disarming glance at the gnoll before taking him by the hand with a firm tug.

In an instant, the two were in the woods and on their way to someplace else. Dhryn could just barely make out an unmistakably lanky silhouette lurking in the trees, a soft golden light flickering and winking before being enveloped by the shadowy figure.

"Wait," Dhryn protested, "wait, that's Naya!"

Zag shook his head. "She can't hear you," he apologized. "We need to keep going."

"What was she doing?"

Zag silenced Dhryn with a look then quickly turned his eyes back to the path ahead. "Please, just follow. You'll see."

Powerless to resist, Dhryn allowed himself to be dragged along until the pair arrived in a dark, cozy hut. Dhryn vaguely recognized this place. It was Naya's hovel, but not as he knew it. Vessels and trinkets were out of place, and the various totems and idols scattered about on shelves and hanging from the ceiling were not as he remembered. Naya herself sat near the middle of the dwelling, her long legs curled around a sputtering fire. It didn't seem like she knew the two of them were there.

"She can't see us," Zag uttered what Dhryn was thinking, "so please don't try anything. Look, but don't touch!"

The little gnoll took advantage of his apparent invisibility and walked around the massive Zara, looking at her from previously unattainable angles. He could see something white and wet between her legs, shimmering in the firelight. The focus was etched deeply into Naya's face as the white bubble expanded slowly, widening between her legs. It took Dhryn an embarrassingly long time before he realized what was going on - Naya was giving birth. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it, of course, as Naya had 'demonstrated' to him a number of times already, but he'd never seen her look this . . . intense. As if this was some sort of sacred ritual instead of a normal delivery.

Suddenly, Naya's head and neck snapped back, as if she'd been struck by a bolt of lightning. The fire roared back to life, and the head of the baby surged out into her waiting hands.

Zag put a gentle, hesitant hand on Dhryn's shoulder and nodded to the emerging baby. "Y-you can have a look," he encouraged, "if you want."

"Wait," Dhryn mumbled, crouching down to take a better look. An uneasy sense of familiarity started to seep in. As Naya peeled away the silvery-white caul he could see that the cub was a gnoll, with spots identical to the cub he saw earlier languishing in his village's nursery - patterns identical to his own. "Wait," he repeated, "that's . . .me?" he pointed, looking back and forth between the emerging cub, Naya, and Zag in hopes of an explanation.

Zag offered an apologetic shrug, again shrinking back as Dhryn puzzled.

"How?" Dhryn asked, almost accusingly, "why?"

Zag swayed back and forth, his tail curling around his ankle nervously, like he'd been caught misbehaving. "Y-you'll have to ask her," he mumbled back, "I wish I could say more, but we have to go. I-I've shown you everything I can . . . maybe more than I should have . . ." He looked down at his toes. "I'm so sorry this is all so confusing, I hope one of my brothers can give you more answers and set you back on the right path."

"The 'right path', what do you mean?" Dhryn asked, pressing the issue. Again, Zag stopped him in his tracks with a paralyzing glance. He wasn't sure what it was about those eyes, but whenever they met, the gnoll felt . . . stuck somehow. Exposed. Vulnerable.

Before the cub could explore the sensation any deeper, Zag was gone. He was in Naya's hut, alone. As his eyes adjusted, he could see that everything was in its proper place, as he remembered it when he huddled up and tried to sleep, to shake off the horrific events from earlier in the evening. He wondered what just happened - the imps, Naya, his village, all of it, he remembered it like a dream, with certain details already fading. But it all felt so real. He needed to talk to Naya, to get clarity. But before he could move, he heard a voice behind him.

"Wait," the voice commanded softly, "not yet."

It was a familiar, unmistakable voice - high-pitched and gentle, yet clear and authoritative. Dhryn remembered the glint of gold and the flick of a tail, and he remembered blue eyes. He turned around slowly and was met with a nude male child-like figure with a long tail swishing behind him. He could barely make out the shadows of horns and the glint of gold.

"I bet you've got a lot of questions," the figure smiled warmly. "I can't answer them all yet, but hopefully I can point you in the right direction. Come with me."

Instinctively, Dhryn reached out and grabbed the imp's hand and found himself back underground, walking along a wide avenue. The memories all came rushing back at once - he'd been here before, he thought, or somewhere very similar. He looked up at the trees on either side of the avenue. They were bare, with branches of gnarled, twisted gold. He reached up to grab a twig, another token of his visit, and it snapped loudly in his hand. The sound was familiar to him, and it seemed to make him more lucid.

His 'host' this time was another one of the imps - this one had blue eyes and unkempt hair the color of dry earth. His tail ended in a pointed arrowhead, and a golden ring sparkled near the tip, dancing along the tail's length. Dhryn noticed that this imp was unusually well-defined for his size and apparent age, with lines of lean muscle leading the gnoll's eyes down to the imp's long, flaccid penis.

"I remember this place," Dhryn said out loud, hiding the golden twig behind his back just like before.

"You should," the imp smiled warmly, baring his sharp teeth, "from your point of view it must seem like you were just here."

The gnoll cub nodded, recalling the other imp's words about how this place was somehow special, and how the imps could use it to travel through past and present. "It's a bit confusing," he admitted, "I don't know where 'here' is, or why you keep taking on my on this adventure."

The imp turned around. "Zagzhes was trying to show you that events surrounding your rather unique entry into the world gave you a certain . . . perspective. You have a connection to the Veil, where mortal creatures cross the threshold between birth, life, and death. But he never did have a way with words."

"What does that mean?" Dhryn asked, still no closer to understanding.

"It means you have a gift," the blue-eyed imp continued, "but like any skill it needs to be practiced. And you have such a delicious spread of opportunities in front of you. Here, let me show you!" The imp extended a hand again, and Dhryn raised his own to take it.

"By the way," the imp continued, "you can call me Zig."

Before the imp's introduction reached Dhryn's ears, the pair were back above ground. This time, they were on the plains of Weig. It was dark and raining heavily, but the air was warm.

"My brother wanted to show you stuff that happened in the past," Zig explained in his enchanting voice, "to give you a little perspective. But I'm going to show you all the untapped potential in the present - all the delicious opportunities happening in the moment, right here." The imp nodded, turning to walk further onto the open plains, and the gnoll cub followed like a lost pup.

The pair walked unseen through a meandering herd of feral antelope, guided by the stars, with Zig looking back and forth, searching for something within the herd. "Ah-ha!" He finally exclaimed, waving the gnoll over through the maze of stripes, pointing to a doe who was giving birth while continuing to move and graze with the herd.

Dhryn was captivated. Two white hooves protruded from between the doe's black puffy labia, the birth-sac glistening in the moonlight. Even with the harrowing experience fresh in his mind, the gnoll couldn't ignore the beauty of this moment, or the way it made his heart pound. He and Zig followed the doe as she weaved through the herd, hidden in plain sight. Her fawn's legs bounced with each step, quickly lengthening into long, slender forelegs as the fawn's nose appeared. Dhryn reached out, wanting to run his fingers along the delicate forelimbs, to feel the wetness of its nose and the warmth of the mother's birth canal, but Zig stopped him by clearing his throat.

"We're only here to watch," he sighed, "nothing more."

The gnoll whined, watching the antelope doe stop and bend her legs before heavily dropping to the ground and rolling onto her side, sticking her legs straight up into the air. The impact seemed to jostle the fawn loose, and before long its entire head was out, nostrils flaring as it prepared to take its first breath. Dhryn was entranced, his eyes glued to the emerging beast. It was so different than the tragedy of Naya's poor ox. It was so much . . . cleaner, he thought, more exciting when he knew there was going to be a happy ending, at least for the moment.

"Captivating, isn't it?" Zig whispered, his lips almost touching the fur on the back of Dhryn's neck. The gnoll cub froze, feeling a tingle run down his spine.

"Y-yes," he answered, as if compelled. He watched the mother antelope continue to push out her baby. The newborn lifted its head and shook out its sticky mane before even being fully born, already seeming to losing patience with the birthing process.

"There's more," Zig continued, taking Dhryn by the hand. In an instant, the two were somewhere else. Dhryn felt the warmth of a well-tended fire, and smelled the heady cocktail of musk as it mingled with the burning embers. He could hear rain tapping against a roof of stretched hides. They were in a vark cabin, a small but sturdy space with a stone hearth at one end and raised platforms along the inner walls with signs of activity - unfinished carvings, vessels containing brightly-colored pigments, and animal skins stretched and drying near the fire.

In the sunken middle of the cabin, not far from where Dhryn and Zig were standing, were three Vark - two males and a female. The woman was on all fours, her muscular haunches raised to the sky and her face buried in the lap of one of the men - likely a partner, Dhryn thought, while the other vark waved broad leaves on her as if trying to cool her down. All three were naked and brightly painted, their green skin adorned with white, red, and yellow paints bright enough to be visible in the firelight.

The crouching vark slowly moved her body from side to side until a muffled groan broke through the hypnotic background noise of the crackling fire. Dhryn could see something emerging between her thighs and he craned his neck for a closer look. It looked like a baby's head until the vark pushed again and the protrusion started to rotate and a dark, wrinkled scrotum flopped out along with a small, perky penis. Dhryn realized he was looking at the baby's back end, with its - his - legs folded up against his chest.

One of the vark men reached down to run his hand along the mother's back, scratching lightly with his nails. The other continued to fan the mother and emerging baby, and Dhryn's eyes widened as he saw the little member stiffen and twitch in response to rush of cool air.

"Look at that," Zig cooed. Dhryn had almost forgotten he was there. "You want to touch it, don't you? To feel to explore, run your claws over wet, bare skin . . ."
Dhryn nodded wordlessly, feeling the imp's arm breath on his legs as Zig crouched beside him.

The imp's words were like honey, smooth and sweet. "If only there was a way we could do more than just look . . ."

Dhryn gasped, feeling Zig's upturned nose nuzzling against his groin.

"Don't move," Zig whispered, "just keep keep your eye on the prize."

Dhryn wasn't sure if he could move even if he wanted to - but the idea seemed less and less appealing as he felt the fiend's lips and tongue trace the underside of his velvet sheath. His eyes were glued to the emerging varklet, its member twitching and bobbing up and down as the mother shuffled in place between contractions, trying to find a comfortable position.

The vark woman arched her back and roared, and Dhryn watched both the baby's legs flop out, one after the other, flinging amniotic fluid everywhere. Zig started to suck on the gnoll's member, pulling back his sheath eagerly with his hands and flicking against the sensitive flesh with his tongue. Dhryn shuddered, watching as the breech vark baby kicked out its legs like a frog and voided its bladder, trickling clear fluid down to the ground.

Dhryn started to think about how it would feel to have that varklet's wet, twitching member in his own mouth, or feel his own member suckled on. But he didn't have to think too hard, as Zig was hard at work between his legs.

Before too long the emerging vark's arms unfolded, and he made several more kicks, almost swinging himself back and forth before his head popped out with a gush. Fortunately, the vark tending to the mother was there to catch him.

Zig licked his lips, eyeing Dhryn's fully-erect member. "There's one more thing I want to show you," he teased.

In the next moment, they were in a much more civilized-looking bedchamber. A sharply-patterned oryx woman laid on a plush bed adorned with fine silks, partially shrouded by curtains. She wore no clothing but was heavily accessorized - Dhryn caught the flash of gold on her long fingers, and her tall horns were decorated with gold caps and adorned with golden chains so thin and delicate they looked like spider-silk. Her bed was flanked by several young servants, all looking to be around the cusp of puberty. They were scantily clad, their lithe bodies barely covered by unfitted tunics that draped over one shoulder and hung loosely over their waists.

All the adolescents stood motionless, statuesque, apparently waiting on their mistress. One held a puffy cotton towel, another held a painted jug of water, yet another a wooden bowl of ripe fruit. The one closest to the doe's head held a vessel of smoking herbs and bark, which the doe leaned over and inhaled luxuriously before throwing her head back dramatically and bleating with effort as the head of her fawn exploded out from between her legs.

Zig returned to work between Dhryn's legs, licking his lips. "One of those fawns could be you," he teased, "but you've got a front row seat to much better with that zara witch you hang around with. You really think this noble doe would let you lay a finger on her?"

Dhryn didn't have a chance to answer before Zig started to suck, more intensely than before. He placed a hand lightly on the imp's head for support, feeling his tousled hair

The royal doe seemed caught off-guard by the sudden crowning of her baby and continued to gasp, her entire body shaking as the rest of the fawn slithered out and let out a wet, high-pitched bleat. The servants ignored the newborn for the moment, seemingly waiting for a cue. But with the doe lost in the fog of ecstasy, the signal never came. Instead, the servants just stood, shuffling uncomfortably and glancing at each other as the doe continued to orgasm, spraying clear fluid over the luxurious sheets and the noisy newborn fawn.

Dhryn came too, gritting his sharp teeth as his knees buckled, still trying to be quiet as if the doe and her servants might hear him He shut his eyes tightly, and when he opened them he was back underground, on that now-familiar avenue. This time the trees on either side were verdant, heavy with gemstones that hung from the branches like ripe cherries. He plucked one, tucking it behind his back just like before, and turned around to come face-to-face with the last of the niferus triplets.

This one was completely bald and hairless, with more pronounced horns protruding up from his forehead. His left horn was encircled by a band of gold, similar to the rings Dhryn spied in Zag's ear and along Zig's tail. He seemed taller to the gnoll, sturdier, or perhaps he carried himself with an air of confidence and purpose that the other two lacked. His eyes were a vibrant green, and his tail ended in a fan-like tip with three flat, round protrusions. He had an unpleasant sneer on his face, and Dhryn could see his member twitching between his purple thighs, like it might spring to life at any moment.

"Zuggoth Rubedo Lazmia," The imp introduced himself, "At your service. 'Zug' will do fine. Hopefully my idiot brothers managed to get the point across," the imp tossed his head, nodding as if they were standing beside him, "but just in case they didn't, I'm here to show you a glimpse of what the future holds." He turned around and started to walk, apparently expecting Dhryn to follow. His words didn't seem to carry as much weight as the previous imp, nor his gaze as much impact as the one before that. But still Dhryn followed. "That witch has baggage," the imp explained, a hint of contempt in his voice, "Friends and enemies in high places. You don't know it yet, but she threw you into the deep end of the watering hole and she's only now getting around to teaching you how to swim. Hopefully it's not too late."

"What do you mean?" Dhryn asked. The fiend seemed to think he was giving Dhryn more information but all it was doing was making him more confused.

"I mean," he sighed, "like it or not, you've already gained the attention of some very powerful figures. What you do with that attention has consequences - big ones."

"Are you going to show me?" Dhryn asked. This was starting to feel more and more like one of Naya's stories, and he felt like he was starting to get a handle on how things were going to go.

"I can't show you everything," he replied playfully, "what fun would that be? Besides, the future is always changing, and you being here is already starting to twist the strands of fate. But I can give you a few hints." The imp spun around on his heel to face the gnoll, and grinned. "But you have to promise to keep them a secret." he leaned in close, as if he was going to whisper in Dhryn's ear.

"I-I won't tell," Dhryn answered hesitantly.

"That's right," Zug replied, planting a kiss on Dhryn's cheek, "you won't."

Dhryn didn't know where he was. It felt familiar, but unlike previous 'excursions' he couldn't make out and specific details. Everything was hazy and vague, like a dream. Zug was nowhere in sight.

A large, broad-shouldered wildebeest approached, and Dhryn did his best to stand tall. The bovine's shaggy fur was a rich earthy brown, and her neck was adorned with delicate golden hoops. She was covered from neck to hoof in thick, woven fabrics far too warm for the plains, and her horns stretched out almost horizontally from the sides of her head. Her large, expressive eyes locked onto the gnoll as she approached, and her pregnant belly swayed slightly, nestled into her muscular frame. "Your reputation precedes you," she said softly and formally, "I'd be honored if you helped me bring my calf into the world."

From the other side, a spotted leonin approached, her footfalls silent as she slinked forward, ready to pounce. She was entirely naked, and cradled a belly that seemed too large and heavy for her wiry frame. She draped a predatory arm around the gnoll and licked her lips. "I've been thinking about you ever since you caught my last litter," she purred playfully, "I want you to do it again."

As he turned around, a pair of canine pups, scarcely half his age, jumped up to grab his attention. "We wanna meet our sister!" They pleaded in unison, "Can you show us? Please?"

More and more visions came. Pregnant women of all species vied for his attention, feral beasts welcomed him into their families and herds, while cubs begged for him to share his stories and experiences. He saw more, too - specific visions, each more fantastic than the last. A massive bovine chained to red-hot rocks, a pachyderm large enough to block a river, a sprite made of water that resembled a newborn leonin . . . the visions came faster and faster, becoming less and less distinct until they combined into one singular entity - an amorphous creature that was neonatal in appearance yet filled his entire vision. It was every species imaginable, a patchwork from the leftovers of all creation.

The entity moved, and Dhryn's world shuddered. It spoke, and its words were as a thousand gales scouring the cub's mind.

Unkulankulu wakes.

Dhryn screamed, covering his ears, but it made no difference. He jolted awake, and immediately felt Naya's hands on his chest.

"Sangoma," Naya whispered as she tugged him into her arms. Dhryn shuddered. He remembered having a dream, he remembered being incredibly aroused, and he remembered something terrible and frightening, but couldn't remember what or why. He remembered the ox, and he buried his face into Naya's belly.

"I'm here, Sangoma," Naya repeated, craning her neck down the cub's back, "I'm so sorry about what you saw. I promise when dawn comes we will mourn our loss, and I will tell you everything."

Dhryn nodded wordlessly, his heavy breathing muffled by Naya's body.

With her free hand, Naya pushed some of the blankets away from where Dhryn had been sleeping, and narrowed her eyes. Buried in the cub's bed was a leaf of silver, a twig of gold, and a small, round diamond.

***

Underground, the three imps convened. Zug looked at his brothers accusingly. Zag shrank back, looking from side to side as if unsure who he should hide behind. Zig grinned and stuck out his tongue, allowing the other two to see the cub's seed collected on it.