The Farm -CH2-

Steve sat bolt upright.

Panting at a dream he couldn’t remember, he looked around himself.

Memories of yesterday came back to him quickly enough though. Especially so since he had no memories of anything else to go to.

Looking down to the side, he found the goat woman next to him.

Nikki. Not goat woman. Nikki.

She was curled up close to where he’d been laying down, apparently looking to share what warmth he had.

Before he could fashion another thought, his stomach promptly told him it was beyond time to eat. That in having not eaten anything in an entire day, he was now going to be punished.

The growl of his stomach was incomprehensibly loud.

To the point that Nikki’s eyes actually popped open, and she was looking up at him. 

Staring down at her, Steve grimaced.

“Sorry. Don’t… really have control over that. My stomach thinks I’m an asshole and it wants to be fed,” Steve said.

Nikki clearly had forgotten where she was at first, her eyes holding a bit of panic. Then she started to chuckle softly.

“Ah, is that it, is it? Blame your stomach? Not that you were thinking of devouring a poor defenseless Faun?” Nikki asked, getting up into a sitting position.

“Eating people sounds like a bad idea,” Steve said, and got to his feet. He needed to make water, and he wanted to take a peek at the lake. If he could catch a fish that’d be amazing.

Wandering down to the south toward the lake, Steve idly swung his arms back and forth. Despite all the heavy lifting and work he’d done the other day, he didn’t feel any of it. It was rather strange, actually.

He knew he should feel bone broken weary after what he’d done, and not eaten, but he didn’t.

Hungry, certainly, but refreshed, and ready for the day.

Nikki hopped up next to him, her hoofed feet giving her a strange bouncy gait. She had the short-sword in one hand, and a branch in the other.

With quick strikes, she was trimming the thing down into what looked more like a spear not thicker than a thumb.

“I used to fish with my dad,” Nikki said, catching his look. “I can’t use your Enchanted tools, but I’m sure I can earn my own keep.

“I can be helpful. I swear it.”

Steven didn’t know what to say to that. He wasn’t even sure what she meant by his tools being Enchanted either.

“Really, I can be helpful. Just… let me stay. Please?” she asked.

Still not knowing what to say, Steve said nothing. Instead he looked back to the lake.

“There’s nowhere else for me to go. The closest cities are at least a week away, and the nearest villages would kill me on sight. Please, let me stay with you,” Nikki said, her tone changing entirely now. She was fiddling with the tip of the “spear” now, wedging what looked like a broken stone to the tip.

Feeling like he had to say something, Steve shrugged his shoulder. “Ok, for now I guess.”

“Thank you, I’ll make it worth it for you. I promise,” said the goat woman, lashing the stone in place with what looked like some type of vine. Steve swore he saw something similar in the forest the other day.

Grimacing, Steve turned away from the woman and went off to one side. Feeling frustrated and unsure, he instead focused on relieving himself.

That was something he could accomplish without a problem.

Damn. It’s clear as ice. I wonder if I’m drinking too much water.

Ha.

Finishing up, Steve went to rejoin Nikki. Except he stopped as he turned. She was standing naked in the water, the makeshift spear in her hand above her head.

Unable to help himself, he gave her a quick once over. He’d underestimated her figure previously. She was quite full in the hip and chest.

And had reverse jointed knees that were covered in fur from the knee down to her hooves.

Standing motionless in the water, she looked… statuesque.

Beautiful.

It’s like something out of a Gre… a Gree… 

Steve gave his head a firm shake as the wall around his memories popped up again.

“Yeah, no, I’m not going to sit here and watch you play pretty goat lady naked water sports. I’m going to go work on the house,” Steve called, heading back toward the field. “Thanks for fishing for a meal for me, ‘preciate you!”

Pulling off his jacket, feeling warm from the morning sunlight already, Steve stared down at the large pile of logs.

Nikki had spent quite a bit of time clearing branches away. They still had bark on them, but they were otherwise ready.

Wait, I should remove the bark? I think so? Why was I annoyed the bark was still on then.

Gritting his teeth and making a face Steve was annoyed.

“Past Steve, you really fucking suck man. Could you have left me anything? Anything at all?” Steve complained to no one, picking up his axe. “Alright… let’s see if I can get the bark off without making a sawdust pile.”

Holding the axe in one hand, and quite near the axe-head itself, he made a sweeping motion with the tool.

An entire two foot length of bark became little more than a peeled layer dangling off to one side.

“That worked, ok so we just do that,” Steve nodded his head, and set to work at getting all the logs peeled of their bark.

Surprisingly it only took an hour or so to work through every single one. The bark peels he piled up and set to one side.

Just because he didn’t have a use for them right now, didn’t mean he wouldn’t have one later.

Pushing his hands into the middle of his back, Steve stretched himself out. Reaching down to the watering can, which was never far when he was working, he began to drink straight from the front again.

Getting his fill he dropped it back down to the side. Then peered into the top.

Despite having watered a massive field, and drinking from it repeatedly, it was still full.

Is it ever not full? Could I make a water-wheel out of the damn thing?

I bet I could! Something to play with later maybe.

“I caught several.”

Steve flinched, his back straightening up, before he could force himself to relax.

Turning he found a nude Nikki with several fish strung on a line over one arm with her spear, and her clothes over her other arm.

Immediately looking away from her again, Steve nodded his head.

“Oh, hey, yeah, thanks. That’s… yeah, thanks. Thank you, Nikki,” Steve said.

Moving down further in the log pile, Steve fished one out and dragged it off to one side.

Ok, so… split this one in half, then another. Those become the bottom level of the cabin.

After that, we… make notches… I think, in both ends. One on top, one below. Then we alternate the logs so they interlock.

Yeah.

That’s what we do.

Steve raised the axe, then brought it down with a crack. The log split perfectly where he wanted it to.

I think.

Grabbing one of the splits, Alex dragged it over to where he wanted the cabin.

Heeeeeere weeeee go.

***

Shoving another log into place, Steve took a step back. He’d been working non-stop for a good part of the day.

Looking to the sky, he found the sun nearly directly overhead.

Taking several more steps away from his work, he surveyed the project.

The walls of the cabin were already just above his own height. He was running quite low on logs however.

Still need to water the field as well, don’t I? And what about that field next to it, can I dig that up with the shovel into a field?

Ugh. So much work to do.

“Take a break,” Nikki said from behind him, making Steve flinch again.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said when he turned around to look at her.

Thankfully she was dressed again, though her hair still looked wet. It was coiled up on her head, and around her horns in a strange style.

“Not your fault. Just… a bit jumpy. We’re right next to the horror murder woods of doom over there. Makes me feel like something is going to come crawling out at any time,” Steve said.

“Oh. Well, I suppose that could happen,” Nikki said, gesturing back toward the supply dump. “Come, take a break. I scaled, cleaned, and cooked a fish for you. Eat and take a moment of rest. You’ve worked non-stop since I met you without food. I’m surprised you’re upright. You don’t even take breaks.”

Now that she mentioned it, Steve really had been pushing himself. Yet he didn’t feel tired.

Hungry, and maybe a touch thirsty, but that was it.

“Do you know what’s in the woods?” Steve asked, following her back as she’d asked.

“I didn’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I’m not familiar with this part of Lamals. I’m here by accident. We were attacked by bandits on the main road through the country. I fled into the forest and… ended up… finding you about a week later.”

Steve could smell cooked fish. It made his mouth water and his stomach clench up angrily at him.

“You were wandering around for a week?” he asked

“I think so. It kind of blended together for a bit in the middle. I thought I was being hunted and… it just all became a blur,” Nikki said. “But that’s over now because I found you and you said I could stay if I earned my keep. So, sit.”

Nikki’s hands landed on his shoulders and shoved him down onto an unused log.

Looking up at the goat-woman, Steve raised his eyebrows at her.

Before he could say anything though, she handed him a stick. Skewered on it was a roasted fish.

With it’s head on.

There was a moment of distaste at the idea, before Steve literally bit straight into it it’s stomach. His hunger over-ruling all else.

Not hesitating he grabbed both ends of the stick and began to eat savagely. To the point that he found himself practically gnawing at the stick that the fish had been on, trying to get what was left.

“Here, I made I cooked the second one too,” Nikki said, carefully taking the stick from him and replacing it with another. “I think I can get more fish tomorrow as well, but I’m pretty sure I saw a Nereid in the water.”

Steve started to dig into the next fish, but with a bit less mindless hunger this time.

“A what?” he asked.

“A Nereid,” Nikki repeated, watching him.

“What’s that? And what are you?” Steve asked, deciding he might as well get this conversation out of the way. Taking a big bite of the fish he looked to her and waited.

“You… don’t know what I am. Or what a Nereid is,” Nikki said.

“Honestly, I don’t even know where I am. I don’t know a damn thing. I woke up in this field yesterday without any memories. Just the tools and supplies,” Steve said. It felt like they were past the point of him being able to hide his background for much longer anyways.

Nikki raised a hand to her neck, her fingers pressing to her throat. “I see. Ok, that does explain some things.

“I’m a Faun. Though I’m not very fond of being called a goat-lady. Even if you said I was pretty,” Nikki said, giving him an odd warning look.

“Sorry,” Steve said. “All I know is I’m human, my name is Steve, and I apparently did this to myself and left a message. Kinda stressed out. Now… a Nereid?”

“A water spirit. They tend to guard bodies of water and keep them healthy. She might attack me if I go for more fish,” Nikki said.

“Can we kill her?”

“Kill… a Nereid? She’s practically made of water. It’d be hard.”

Steve thought on that, then looked to his watering can. “She? Will she come if called?”

“I imagine so. You might be able to tempt her with that third first. Or just pique her curiosity.”

“Fine. I’ll just kill her and we can eat her or something,” Steve said. Finishing off his “stick-fish” he got up and grabbed the watering-can.

“Wait, how are you going to kill her? And what do you mean eat her? I’m not sure you can eat a Nereid,” Nikki said, bouncing along side him in her odd little hop.

It made her jiggle quite a bit.

Staring at her chest for several seconds before he looked up to her face.

“That’s really distracting,” he said tactlessly. “We need make you a bra or something.”

Nikki looked shocked, her face a deep red color, and pressed her hands to her chest.

“Then don’t stare! You don’t have to look,” she said in a strangled voice.

“Uh huh. Do you know how hard it is to not look regularly? Multiply that by like ten when you wriggle and move around like that. Very distracting,” Steve said, forcing his eyes back ahead of him. “Unless that’s what you want. Me looking.

“I mean, the fur is a bit odd but you’re pretty great on the eyes otherwise. I do wonder what your horns feel like.”

“That’s how I walk best. I don’t have knees, ankles or hips like you do. I’m different,” she said. “Remember?”

“I’ve noticed, and if that’s just how you walk, sounds like I’ll have to think of reasons to make you walk around the farm more often,” Steve said with a shrug.

“You’re unbelievable. You have no decency at all,” Nikki growled.

“If you wanna hop and jiggle all over, be my guest. Don’t get mad when I stare though or encourage it.

“You’re cute when you’re all bouncing around,” Steve said, reaching the edge of the lake.

Wanting to test his theory first before he did anything, Steve squatted down and dropped the watering can into the water.

“Do you even know what you’re saying? I’m a sub-human. Race mixing isn’t allowed, even joking about an attraction is frowned upon,” Nikki said.

Steve ignored her, watching water pour endlessly into the can. It didn’t increase the water level, or decrease it inside the tool.

Picking the can back up, he held it spout down over the lake. Adding water back into it.

Then he looked back into the can.

The level was unchanged.

“Allowed by who?” Steve asked. “You called this place Lamals. Is that a country? And you said no one else can touch this tool, right?”

“What? No, no one can touch the watering-can but you.

“And yes, the country, Lamals. It’s illegal to mix at all. Joking about it gets your entire family investigated and tested. You’ll get us both killed talking like that,” Nikki hissed.

“Yeah, well, I don’t care. No one here to tell me about such a law. If I wanna make a joke about turning you inside out in our cabin at night, or watching you bounce around in that fun way you do, then I’m going to. No one to tell me no.”

Taking in a deep breath, Steve shouted across the lake. “Hey! Nereid. Come make a deal with me! I want to discuss fishing rights for your lake.”

A blue haired head slowly surfaced up from the water. A pair of bright green eyes regarded him from a scant inch above the top of the lake. Her skin was a pale light-blue and almost glistened.

“Hey, you the Nereid?” Steve asked the head.

A pretty face came up out of the water. Eventually she was head and shoulders out of the lake.

“I am indeed the Nereid of this lake,” said the creature. Her ears had frills in them that almost looked more like gill slits. Her face was slightly angular with sharp cheek bones and a sleek jawline. Small fins lined her arms and shoulders as well.

She had long blue ears that were pointed, but came down and away from her head, rather than upward.

And pretty.

Naked, too.

“Great. Hello there pretty naked lady of the lake. How many fish are we allowed to take from it a day?” Steve asked.

“None. Never again will you be allowed to fish my waters. I dislike your form of address.

“I will kill your little toy over there the next time she tries and- what’re you doing?” the Nereid asked when Steve dropped the watering can into the lake.

“Draining your damn lake. I’ll see you in a couple days. I’m going to eat you over an open flame on a spit instead of your fish,” Steve said, standing up. Moving away from the water’s edge he folded his arms over his chest and waited.

His patience was thin. His mood was sour. He’d just gotten a chance to eat food, and this creature was telling him he couldn’t eat anymore more

He was angry.

Exactly as he expected, the Nereid came over and expected the watering-can.

“What is this? Is this a joke?” she asked, giggling. “Oh, it’s actually draining the water after all. For this insult, I will kill you both if you enter my domain again. And this little tin c-”

The Nereid froze, her hand holding to the watering-can. Looking down to her own hand she yanked on it. Then did so thrice more.

It didn’t move at all.

“What? What is this,” the Nereid said, yanking on the tool with all her strength. Her shoulders flexing.

“Uh huh. So. Like I said, I’ll see you real soon. Going to try and get you while your still alive, shove a stake through you, roast you, and eat you. Or maybe I’ll carve you up and eat you raw,” Steve said.

“I cannot move it,” the Nereid said, looking to Steve. Her voice now sounded panicked. “You must move it, you’ll kill the lake.”

“Nope. You look like you’re more fish like than I expected. I’ll have to figure out how to get some salt. That or butter. I bet you’ll go great with butter.

“Do I need to clean you by the way? Do you have scales?”

“You can’t do this. You’ll kill the lake, did you not hear me?” the Nereid asked, her tone sounding truly afraid now.

“I heard you. You didn’t answer me though. Scales? Yes? No?”

Pressing her hands to her face, the creature wailed in a low voice.

“Stop. Don’t kill my lake. I’ll do whatever you wish, even if you must eat me. Please… don’t kill my lake. My family has lived here many generations. Everyone else moved on, and I’m the last one here. I was tasked with keeping the lake alive. Leave it be,” she said in a quivering voice. “Please.”

“Great. Yeah, I’ll leave it be. 

“So, just flop yourself up here and I’ll make it quick for you. So, scales? Yes, no?” Steve asked.

The Nereid sniffled quietly, and started to swim towards them.

“No scales,” she muttered.

“Steve, stop it,” Nikki said, and slapped him on the back of the head. “You’re being unreasonable. Go get the watering-can.”

Glaring at the Faun, Steve did as she instructed and went and got the watering-can. He was feeling sullen at Nikki, but she’d just fed him so he was willing to tolerate the situation.

The Nereid watched him with wide tear filled eyes as he retrieved the watering-can.

“I’m sorry for him on his behalf,” Nikki said, scooting down to the water line. “He’s somewhat awful, but he’s not that bad if you can get on his good side. I’m Nikki.”

Staring at her, the Nereid didn’t seem to know what to do.

“He won’t kill my lake?” she asked. “Or eat me?”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t harm the lake. Nor will he eat you.

“He hadn’t eaten in two days and is being a little grumpy. Do forgive him,” Nikki said with a smile for the other woman. “What’s your name?”

“Misty,” said the Nereid, sinking lower in the water. “I’ll bring you four fish a day… but no more than that. It’ll hurt the lake if you take more than that.”

“Four a day, I understand. I’ll be the one fishing, Misty, not Steve. So I’ll meet you here at the lake shore.

“Is there anything you need, by the way? Steve and I are going to be living nearby. If we’re going to be neighbors, I’d really rather be friendly ones. Right over there,” Nikki said, pointing back to the half finished cabin.

Misty looked up at the other woman with a pouty frown. “Can… you make my lake bigger? If it was bigger I could let you take more fish.”

Nikki looked to Steve with a smile.

“Steve?” she asked. “Can you help her? For me?”

Sighing, he scratched at his head. “Yeah, fine, whatever. I’ll dig a trench to the farm, and then expand it over time so you come right up to the property. It’ll make it easier for all of us I guess.

“For now that’s the best I can do. Maybe later I can dig out the lake bottom and make it deeper then turn the watering-can over it to fill it up.”

Nikki looked back to the Nereid, who nodded slowly, then smiled brightly at the two of them. Her previous sorrow was gone as if it had never existed. Replaced with joy and excitement as bright as the sun.

“Can I come see your home?” she asked, looking to Steve. Somehow sensing that he was the one she needed to ask for actual permission.

“Fine. Whatever. I’m going to go work on the cabin,” Steve said, throwing up his hands.

Nodding her head energetically, Misty swam over to the edge faster than Steve expected, and clambered up out of the lake. She was taller than Nikki was, or even himself, and had a great figure.

And was still very naked.

Turning on his heel, Steve marched back to the work-site.