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[b][u][center]Islands of Wet Dreams

Chapter 5: The Geeks and the Groaners

By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b]

“Tell me again...why do you have...to be on my back?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I can’t swim so well.”

“Did anyone...ever tell you...that you’re an asshole?”

“Hmm...should they have?”

“YES!”

Toby shrugged as the werewolf kept swimming them along, keeping to his cross-legged position on the large canine’s back. It wasn’t that hard to keep balanced as Lupe kept swimming, but he was aware that the wolf was getting annoyed with him. Why? He wasn’t entirely sure. But he supposed he should keep an eye out for swinging arms or flailing legs, just in case the big guy decided he needed to take a swim.

Honestly, he would have preferred to have a canoe to get from [i]Noho[/i] to [i]Ngahare,[/i] but since Lupe had broken all but one of them during his escape attempts and the last one had been loaded with some sort of Siren creature, swimming was their only option.

And it wasn’t like the coyote was entirely useless, either. He kept taking notes, after all, and beating the tentacles away.

WHAP!

Shaking a paddle at a retreating, cringing purple tendril, Toby tucked it over his shoulder and continued to write in a notebook he kept on him.

[i]Appears that the waters are as infested with myths as the land. Not quite sure why. Kraken stuff only at the edge. Inner ones seems to be mostly love tentacles.[/i]

He paused, feeling a sucking sensation, and shifted the notebook up. A small, sucker-tipped tendril pressed against his shorts, and was slowly sucking away until he reached down and plucked it off. Tapping it with the end of his pen like it was some sort of naughty student, he tossed it back in the water.

[i]Love tentacles. Sounds like hentai. Should make for better name.[/i]

“Professor...you got a sec?”

“Sure.”

“Alright. Treading water...3...2…”

The coyote tucked his little notebook in the top pocket of his shirt, and pulled himself to hang over the edge of the wolf’s shoulders as Lupe suddenly dropped down. The tentacles weren’t quite so active here, though he could feel a couple of them sliding their slimy ends over his toes. Lupe took a few minutes to catch his breath, idly treading water before looking over his shoulder again.

“Okay, Prof. You gonna tell me what’s going on yet?”

“I could, but I’d prefer to wait until we get to my student.”

“Why?”

“Well, mostly because I know you’re going to get bored, and I like a big audience for these expositions.”

“...”

“Trust me, it hurts not to talk about it. My throat’s in literal pain.”

“You’ve got something wrong with you. Seriously.”

“Oh, probably. Then again, this is an island of dreams. Maybe I can dream myself better.”

“That just sounds stupid.”

“You never know.”

“You’re not going to tell me anything?”

“You’re about to get your swimsuit stolen by a jellyfish.”

That was sufficient to get the werewolf moving again, and they were sliding across the surface of the water with all due haste. The forest island loomed closer and closer, and the coyote smiled to himself, his hands on his knees as he was ferried along by the werewolf.

Even from a distance, the island was fascinating. The trees were lined with [i]Tenticular Raparoa,[/i] or the Tentacle Penetration Vines of eastern legend, as well as with Growth Fruits that he’d seen in other pieces of mythology. And used quite wonderfully as an adaptation in Alice in Wonderland, from what he recalled.

He saw the little hints of myths come to life everywhere, from the little sand dollars turned to aphrodisiac spitters in the sand to the silhouettes of centaurs further in the forest. It was something that any ero-mythology professor would have given their right hand to see. Perhaps even their right arm.

Lupe stood up as soon as they were in shallow enough water, though he stayed on the werewolf’s shoulders until they were far enough out of the water to avoid any more pesky creatures. As the werewolf kicked some of the clingers and riders he’d picked up back into the the water, the coyote darted up the beach. Ducking out of instinct more than anything else, he avoided the shots from the little sand dollars and made his way to the trees.

The first of the [i]Tenticular Raparoa[/i] lashed out at him, but he was standing just an inch back from where it could reach. He smiled.

“Looks like Grant wins that debate. Leslie thought they were a good three feet longer than that.”

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Oh, just studying the wildlife. Do you mind getting closer for me? I’d like to see what they do with a wolf -”

“Don’t even fucking say it.”

To his dismay, Lupe began to rip the plants apart, grabbing them and yanking them out of the trees before pulling them to pieces. He winced with every bit of sap and plant flesh that was strewn across the ground, shaking his head as he recorded the bits of information that was to be gained.

[i]Mild acidic effect to the sap, likely used to remove clothing. Note to self, please ensure that rump is clear if planning to self-indulge.[/i]

He shook his head, following the wolf into the forest proper. It was a lost opportunity, he supposed, but there was always the chance for something a bit different if they were lucky. So far, the islands had been full of surprised, and he doubted that they’d seen the last of -

[i]ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR![/i]

The woods shook at the sound, some of the trees rattling around them. Lupe leaned against one of them, but Toby’s eyes were already wide and excited. He laughed, clapping his hands together eagerly, and rushed forward down the path.

“Where are you going?!”

“Did you hear that? That’s a WYVERN at the very least, and maybe a real, honest to god dragon!”

“And you’re running towards it?!”

“Why not? Once in a lifetime chance!”

“Get back here!”

Not a chance in hell. The coyote ducked under a branch and swung himself over a log. Notebook in hand, he charged over a stream, ignoring the ghostly hands that reached for his legs and kept on moving. His smile never faltered, even as he started to drip sweat in the hot, humid forest. He could hear his companion chasing after him, the werewolf hot on his heels, but if he stopped now, he might never see this again.

A dragon. An honest to god dragon, and here. The idea sent a tingle down his spine and left him feeling positively giddy. If he could just get a picture, or for that matter, a sketch...god…

He was just about to grab hold of a tree and swing himself around it when Lupe grabbed hold of him again. The coyote squirmed as he was pulled off of his feet, almost free before the werewolf swung him around and threw him to the ground. He started to get up, only to be pinned beneath a paw.

“Hey! I’m going to miss it!”

“Better you miss it than it gets you.”

The werewolf bent forward, that large foot being replaced by a knee against his ribs. Lupe pointed a clawed finger at his nose, and held it there.

“Listen. I’ve been really, really nice up til this point, but you getting yourself killed means that I’m in deep shit, and I ain’t into that. So, we need to have an understanding here, got me?”

“I thought you were supposed to be my bodyguard.”

“I am, but I can’t do that when you’re running around all over the place. For fuck’s sake, you almost got snagged by tentacles at the river, and you almost jumped into a dryad!”

Toby looked around the werewolf. Sure enough, the tree trunk did have the shape of a person sticking out, with bare breasts and a pretty open pussy. Not enough to see the legs properly yet, but he was sure that they were just as up to snuff as the rest of her.

“No complaints here.”

“I’m the one complaining! Do you - do you just not think or something?! You’ve almost gotten yourself killed a dozen times today!”

“Well, just about ten, actually, but -”

“You know what I mean!”

“...Okay, so, I’m gathering that you’re upset with me.”

“...If it wasn’t for the fact that I need to pin you down, I’m pretty sure I’d punch my head through that tree with how stupid that was.”

“That’s a yes. Okay.”

Toby patted the wolf’s knee, and Lupe slowly pulled it back, letting him up. The coyote took a deep breath, and then looked towards the sky. He saw movement past the trees, and realized that the dragon had probably flown off. A pity, really; he’d have liked to have gotten a chance to see it.

Still, at least that meant that they had time to talk, now.

He turned his attention to Lupe again.

“Alright, what do you need me to do, then?”

“You do what I tell you. No arguments, no running off. You make sure that I actually can protect you.”

“Does that mean that you do what I tell you when I know what I’m talking about?”

“...Do you ever know what you’re talking about?”

“Well, I know they’ve healed by now, but that gaping ass and jellyfish stings and all the little sucker marks over your dick probably could have been avoided if you’d just…” He paused, the werewolf’s glare getting worse the longer he went on. “Too soon?”

“It. Never. Happened.”

“Well, I kinda saw it happen, and you did have a rather open, gaping -”

“It never happened, and unless you took pictures - and if you did, I swear to god, you will rue the day - there is no proof.”

Toby chuckled. He honestly wished he had pictures, but that particular function of his phone hadn’t been working as well as he’d like. He was just lucky that it was still tracking his student, at this point.

“Fair enough, but the point stands. That could have been avoided if you’d listened.”

“So, what, we both have to obey each other?”

“Why not? Seems like a beneficial arrangement.”

“But...but…”

“And that way, you don’t get it up the butt anymore.”

“I don’t get it up the butt [i]ever![/i]”

“If that’s what you want to tell yourself.”

The coyote shook his head. He needed to keep moving, and the longer they stayed in place, the longer the island would have to pull dreams and myths together to block their way. Fascinating as that would be, he was worried about Carl, and wasn’t sure if the young man was still in good shape.

He offered his hand, cocking his head to the side.

“How about this? I let you go first and lead the way, you listen to me when I have something to say about what we’re facing, and defer to that expertise?”

“No more running off?”

“No more running off.”

“...Deal.”

The werewolf shook his hand, and then turned away from the tree. Lupe took two steps forward, and promptly fell into a hole with a scream. Toby covered his mouth to stifle his laughter, and leaned over the edge, looking down at the wolf, who had lost his swimsuit and was getting his dick stuffed into some sort of cum-drinking plant.

“Now, would you like a history lesson on the [i]Masculinus Milkilips,[/i] or should I just drop a rope?”

“FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU!”

#

The rest of the trip from the hole to the cabin was fairly incidental, particularly once Lupe started actually enforcing his rule. It wasn’t what Toby wanted, but he kept to the deal. After all, any college professor knew that keeping to a contract was the smarter option.

[i]Even if they do forbid sex with your students,[/i] he thought with a grump.

Still, it was better in the long run, he had to keep reminding himself. Lupe’s guns were sufficient to blow away some of the bigger threats, like a bunch of harpy women swooping down begging for their eggs to be fertilized, or the mad bunch of minotaurs that chased them from a cave.

On the other hand, he had wanted to take some time to study the latter up close, particularly considering the rumors of some addicting scents that the minotaurs had, but there was no time for that. Particularly with Lupe pulling him by the shirt collar.

“I don’t suppose we can stop for two minutes? I mean, seriously, you’re the one with the hand cannons.”

“You know, I’d think about it, if they’d actually stay down after I shot them!”

The wolf cocked a shotgun over his shoulder and pulled the trigger. One of the three minotaurs following them went down, its leg shot out from under it, but it started healing almost as soon as it hit the ground. They’d barely managed another ten seconds of running before it was chasing them again.

It was fascinating, but being bounced around like some fluffy cape on the wolf’s back wasn’t giving him a chance to write down any notes. Nothing legible, anyway.

“What’s the next direction - nngh! - anyway?” Lupe asked, as they jumped over another river.

“Uh...looks like we head north a bit, then it’s the first cabin we hit as we go east.”

“You better be right this time.”

“Hey, in my defense, you gave me the phone upside down.”

“Who leaves the fucking alignment feature off?!”

“Me. It wastes power.”

The wolf growled, but he ignored Lupe’s complaints. It was perfectly natural to turn that off, and besides, they’d run right into a den of satyrs. Such lovely, musky folk, as well, and so willing to lend a mouth to their sudden, inconvenient erections. The music had been lovely, too. Rather enchanting, almost.

If only Lupe hadn’t kicked their leader in the balls, they might have had a rather nice time. He was sure they’d been just about to offer tea.

The minotaurs were slowly falling behind, either through the barrage of shotgun blasts, or because of the route that Lupe chose. In and out of the trees, up and down rocks, all things that were more difficult for hooved creatures to follow. The wolf grunted every now and then, probably having a hell of a time in bare paws, but they were gaining ground, little by little. Soon, they actually had a good fifty foot lead on them.

But the minotaurs weren’t giving up, either.

“Don’t suppose you have something bigger than shotguns? A flashbang or something?”

“I did, but the jellyfish took that.”

“Tripwire mines?”

“Kraken took that.”

“Bazooka?”

“Handheld. And besides, satyrs took that.”

“Do you have anything left that someone [i]didn’t[/i] take? Perhaps a boot to the head?”

Lupe was rolling his eyes - he could tell without looking, at this point, when the werewolf was doing that - but there was a sudden ‘thud’ before a boot hit the ground beside him. He lifted an eyebrow.

“What the…”

“I bequeath to you all, a boot to the head!”

Out of nowhere, the new voice was followed by a rain of footwear. Boots, mostly, though with a high heeled shoe here and there. The barrage shoved the minotaurs back, all of them getting a beating as leather, latex, and other boots came flying out of nowhere. Toby watched with an eyebrow raised the whole time, even as Lupe kept grunting from getting hit by some as well.

[i]Maybe just being a cape isn’t so bad. Means I stay out of the firing line,[/i] he thought.

The minotaurs ran off a few seconds later, and Lupe came to a panting stop. With his feet on the ground again, Toby looked over his shoulder.

“Uh...not to bother you or anything, but who was that guy shouting just now? And why were we just saved by an internet meme?”

“Ugh...someone I shoulda guessed was here…”

“Someone that we shouldn’t like?”

“Well...not exactly…”

“Could I get an explanation?”

“I could give you four,” that new voice said. “All of ‘em would probably be true, as well.”

This time the voice had gone on long enough for him to see where it was coming from. Being on his feet also helped, since he wasn’t bouncing up and down like a sack of potatoes. The coyote looked around his bodyguard and saw a dark-furred wolf, with a spiked collar and several spiked gloves, as well.

The new guy walked over, but more importantly, Toby saw a familiar face following behind.

“Carl!”

He burst out from behind Lupe, ducking the grabbing hand as he ran over to the young human. Grabbing his student in a hug, he laughed and squeezed as hard as he could.

“Oh, thank heavens you’re safe. I was starting to think something might have happened.”

“Ugh...something’s about to...if you don’t put me down.”

“Oh? What’s wrong? Did you get attacked by a [i]Monarchus Dronus?[/i] That can lead to stomach issues, considering they’ll fill you with eggs and use you as an incubator. Or maybe, maybe you were -”

And then, Toby had his first, truly unpleasant experience of the day. His student leaning over his shoulder and throwing up. The coyote froze, his concern fading to embarrassment.

“Oh. That’s what’s wrong.”

“Yeah, he keeps doing that,” the new wolf said. “Couldn’t tell you why. It’s not [i]that[/i] disconcerting to meet werewolves and dragons.”

“I know, right?”

Toby set his student down, pulling out a hanky and wiping off the human’s mouth. He made sure that the back of his shirt was clean, before turning his attention to the newcomer.

At first glance, he wasn’t sure just who this person could be. He felt like there should have been something, considering the way that Lupe talked about him, but there was nothing particularly special to be seen. No strange eyes, no shifting body, no -

Pausing, he sniffed the air a bit. Just a hint of something, but enough.

“Ah, you’re like Lupe, then? A werewolf?”

The dark-furred wolf blinked.

“Oh, ho, you’re good! You got any more guesses?”

“Something about katanas, I think. There’s this weird tang around you, like you used to wear them all the time. And something...different. Shifty.”

“Oh, Lupe, where’d you find this guy? I like him.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t get him. What are you doing here, Studley?”

“Oh, probably the same as you. Curiosity, seeing what’s going on.”

“Yeah, well, my curiosity is government funded.”

“Really? Can’t imagine they’re paying you what you’re worth.”

“You’re telling me.”

Leaving the two werewolves to commiserate, he sat down by his student. Carl continued to hug his stomach, and he gently wrapped an arm around the young man. It didn’t take long for his friend to lean against him.

Despite his careless questions, he did worry about him. Everything had been as crazy as could be, and most people weren’t as quick as he was to latch onto it. He imagined that, if Carl was this sick, he was probably on the edge of a complete mental breakdown. The things he’d have to explain if that happened...not to mention what it would do to the poor guy.

He patted his student on the back, clearing his throat.

“Things will be okay.”

“You don’t know that…”

“Pretty much do, actually.”

“You couldn’t. This place...it’s filled with monsters…”

“Oh, I know. But I’m pretty sure only half of them are real.”

Carl turned to him, cocking his head to the side. Noticing another speck that he’d missed the first time, Toby wiped it off before continuing.

“Looking back the way we came, you don’t really see much. They come, they try and get us, and they disappear. Sure, it might be ‘real’ in the moment, but only the moment. All we have to do is find where the big guy is, the one controlling it all, and we should be fine.”

“This guy...he’s on [i]Maunga,[/i] right?”

“Oh, very good. You must have been paying attention during my lectures.”

“I wish.” Carl pointed across the way, at the new werewolf. Studley. “He figured it out.”

“Oh. Well...you’re still doing good.”

Carl sighed.

“Go on, talk with him. I know you want to.”

“Oh, very much. It’s not often I see someone else that figures things out. And he’s strange enough to have my interest, too. I don’t think he’s quite the same as us.”

“He’s a fucking werewolf…”

“Oh, no, that’s obvious. I meant...something else.”

It had been just for a moment, but when he was passing by Studley to get to Carl, he’d felt a ‘shift’ in his thinking. Things lined up for a moment, like a chance fall of the dice. Chaos had become order, and things felt...ever so wrong for it. That didn’t just happen. Not without a great deal of medication, at the very least.

He looked at the dark-furred wolf, a finger to his chin.

“Did he say anything weird? I mean...weirder than I do.”

“I was gonna say.”

“Heh, fair cop, Carl, fair cop.”

“Well...he said something about...borrowing from other hims.”

“...Oh, my.”

“What?”

“That is [i]very[/i] interesting. You see, there’s another myth about -”

“Ahem!”

Toby and Carl looked up at the same time, seeing that Studley and Lupe had just walked over. The two wolves loomed over the pair of them, and the dark-furred one had an eyebrow lifted.

“So, Lupe tells me that you’re his guide here, huh? Who are you, anyway?”

“Oh, I’m just Toby.”

“Just Toby?”

The coyote shrugged.

“I mean, if you want all the titles, it’s Professor Tobias Greenway, PhD, head of ero-mythology, prior Harvard Historian, and...oh, it’s been a while, but I’m sure that there are others.”

Studley looked over at Lupe, as if for confirmation. Toby rolled his eyes.

“Yes, yes, go on, ask everyone. I know it’s not a typical subject, but it’s still there.”

“Uh-huh...So, you’re his guide. Do you know what you’re looking for?”

“Of course.”

Both werewolves and Carl whipped their heads around at him for that, and the coyote groaned.

“Come on, it’s obvious, isn’t it? We’re dealing with [i]Maunga.[/i]”

“Isn’t that an island, Professor?”

“No, no, not [i]Maunga[/i] the island, [i]Maunga[/i] the GOD.”

A series of ‘what’s filled the air, scattering some of the local wildlife. As with any crowd, Toby knew enough to let the chatter die down before he continued. He’d never get a word in with all the questions coming in, after all, and he wasn’t going to answer any more questions until they were quiet.

When he was sure that they were finished, he leaned forward, hands on his knees as he continued.

“You see, I’ve been considering it, and all the legends for this little archipelago come back to the same point. That this is a place where reality fades, where there’s little rips and tears. But even with that, you’d only get something wandering through very occasionally, and even then, just little things. You wouldn’t get dragons, centaurs, everything else...not unless something was pushing from the other side, or pulling through on this one.

“[i]Maunga[/i] is an old word for mountain, but so many myths describe the gods as something greater than humans. Titanic, in some legends. What if the mountain itself is merely the husk in which a god once resided? What’s to say that it’s not coming back, waking up as we speak?”

“What, you think it’s still sleeping?”

Lupe gestured at the chaos that had just happened behind them, at the minotaur tracks on the ground.

“I don’t think that’s something sleeping.”

“You’re not thinking like a god, Lupe,” Studley muttered. “Gods don’t do anything small, even when they’re sleeping.”

“Quite right, quite right. But even in sleep, I imagine that what [i]Maunga[/i] wants is whatever keeps him alive. After all, gods may be immortal, but they need some sort of sustenance, I imagine. Belief, in most cases, but I imagine that a god that’s pushing all of this stuff on us lives on something else. Any guesses? Anyone?”

The two werewolves looked at him, Studley with a smile, and Lupe with a glare. Slowly, Carl lifted his hand, and the coyote nodded at him.

“Um...sex? Or arousal, maybe?”

“Very good. I would agree with you. Everything that we’ve encountered seems to have either the purpose of keeping us on the island, or fulfilling a fantasy that will keep us as aroused and distracted as possible. The only harmful things I’ve actually encountered are -”

“Shut uuuuuuuup!”

“Are kept from my lips by Lupe here, but let’s just say that he had to do a lot of healing. But in any case, they’re obviously trying to turn us on, trap us in our own needs. And they’re doing that despite having five islands of people already stuck that way. Why do you think that is?”

“Because this god’s a greedy asshole?”

“Maybe, Lupe, maybe, but I doubt that’s the only reason.”

“To keep us from telling anyone?”

“Possibly, Carl, but I don’t know. After all, it would take us a long time to get out of here, to get somewhere and get someone who believes us to help. By that time, whatever they’d get from us would have been long-since surpassed by what they’re getting from everyone else.”

He looked at the other werewolf. Studley had been rather quiet, and he was having that disconcerting feeling of his thoughts falling into order again. Meanwhile, everything else seemed...less orderly. The blades of grass around the other wolf’s feet had twisted around, drawn every which way, and the air around him seemed to either ignore or confuse the little bits of air that blew through the woods.

[i]You’re definitely more than the rest of us. Not sure what you are, or how much more, but you’re something…[/i]

Toby shook his head.

“My guess is that when nobody is ‘awake,’ when everyone is dreaming, is when [i]Maunga[/i] can step through. Anyone still awake on the islands ruins the ‘dream’ for everyone else. If we fall into it, then the god can wake up.”

“...So, what do we do?” Carl looked down. “I mean...we can’t do anything against a god.”

Toby didn’t miss the look that passed between Lupe and Studley. Too obvious to be anything but a shared knowledge, there. Shared knowledge that he wasn’t part of.

[i]Is this is how everyone else feels when I know something? I don’t like it.[/i]

He shook his head, gently patting Carl on the shoulder before pulling himself to his feet.

“I think it’s time to head to the mountain. If nothing else, we can see if my theory is correct, and if it isn’t, then we can start thinking of other things. If it is...well, then we’ll see a sleeping god, and we can decide what to do from there.”

The other three slowly nodded their agreement to it, and he reached down, helping Carl to his feet.

“In the meantime, I think we can afford an hour’s rest. Or at least, me and Carl are going to get that. Do whatever you like. Throw a monster mash or something; me and my student are going to get some sleep.”

“Monster mash?” Lupe grunted.

“Do people still do that?”

Ignoring the pair of werewolves, the coyote grumped his way over to a log and a bunch of moss over the ground. He laid his student down, and then sat down beside him. He took out his notebook, and wrote a very specific reminder to himself.

[i]Watch Studley. Not what he seems.[/i]

Clicking the notebook shut, he laid down and closed his eyes. Carl did the same, though he muttered something to him.

“You’re angry.”

“...Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Thinking straight. Don’t like it very much.”

[b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b]