Kibum stretched, enjoying the pop of his back and shoulder joints as he once again acquainted himself with the feeling of being on his feet rather than his paws. It wasn’t that he wasn’t enjoying his time getting to know Minho, who at least knew to be respectful and not treat him and Jinki as mere animals, but it was much easier to communicate verbally with the human since he couldn’t read minds.

  “Well, Teukie seems to be right about at least this much. Here we are again, and Ball is with us as well so I guess Minho was also right when he guessed it would come with us. I wonder how we’re supposed to start though. This is where we started last time, I think. I don’t see the stream or door where we ended.” Jinki sounded somewhat confused, but cheerful enough.

  “Great. I was hoping you two would have some idea of how to begin. Should we just walk like we did before and hope for the best?” Minho was scratching his head. “I’m wondering if I shouldn’t have packed snacks or something, but I wouldn’t even know how that would work since this is not how we look in real life so how would I even bring a bag with me?”

  “Well, that plan is as good as any I suppose. The just walking part I mean. Or, maybe we try asking Ball which way we should go?” Kibum mused, only to have Ball rub itself against Jinki’s ankles like a cat and start rolling, slowly enough that they could keep up with it but in a definite direction.

  “I guess that answers that then.”

  With Ball being so easy to pace, the three of them traded information about themselves without any intermediaries, and Kibum actually found Minho much easier to talk to than he would’ve suspected. They were approximately the same age relative to their species, and although the human liked sports too much, he was also better read than he appeared to be and liked watching documentaries as much as Kibum did when he was somewhere with a television. He also appreciated good food, and admitted he wasn’t much of a singer, but could rap. Kibum liked to rap for his own amusement, and all three of them had performing in their backgrounds. Minho and Jinki both acted, his mate needing something to stave off the boredom of being royal but not actually involved in court for the most part.

  “So how are you actually related to the royal family Jinki?”

  Kibum wanted to laugh at Minho’s confused face, but just let his mate answer instead.

  “I’m an eighth child, the sixth son. I don’t have special abilities like my brothers and I’m not a beautiful girl for an advantageous alliance marriage like my sisters. I wouldn’t even exist if Mother hadn’t been carrying twins and didn’t know it. Royals stop after nine children or the seventh son. My younger twin Onew is both. He’s the special one. He has the voice of an angel, and more magic in one finger than the rest of the kingdom put together. He’s been in training since birth to take over when our parents retire because of his magic. Everyone else has their place. I was the misfit. I think I knew even before I got lost and met Kibum I wouldn’t go back. Oh, don’t get me wrong. My parents love me the way they do my brothers and sisters and always encouraged my wanderings. Maybe they knew something then I didn’t.”

  “I don’t care what the fae think anyway” Kibum spoke up, putting his chin on his mate’s shoulder and hugging him from behind. “He’s mine, so he’s the most special being in the multiverse.”

  Minho smiled. “As it should be. Now Kibum, how on earth did you end up half-gumiho and half-incubus?”

  Kibum rolled his eyes. “My incubus father ed my gumiho mother and knocked her up, that’s how.”

  Minho rolled his eyes right back. “You know very well that’s not what I meant smart .”

  “You want to see the video or something? There’s no great or even tragic love story I’m afraid. Human men exist only to father offspring or as food as far as gumihos are concerned. They don’t usually eat the livers of breeding stock, but it has happened. The small pack I’m from hadn’t known about the existence of humanoid demons, only familiar with those with animal traits, or obvious otherworldly characteristics. Mother simply thought she’d hit the jackpot when she felt the need to breed, only to nearly kill him when she found out he wasn’t human after all. I never met him, or even know his name. I don’t know if he would’ve acknowledged me or not, but I would’ve liked to seen him, just once.

  Mother was of a generation to breed with humans. Gumihos swap off between men and foxes to keep the genes strong on both sides, and they only birth females. I’m an anomaly, not supposed to exist. It’s thought that because my father wasn’t natural, but another supernatural being, that’s why I’m wrong. I shouldn’t be male at all, let alone a male attracted to other males. There’s no value in that since I can’t breed. That’s the mindset I grew up with. Everyone I was around thought the same way, but I just couldn’t force myself to mate with a vixen, that is a female fox. So I left since I had no value anyway, and met a group that contained several demons. For the first time, I learned about the other half of my heritage, and found acceptance. Demons don’t give a damn about how mixed the parentage is. Even multi-natured demons like Wookie, while rare and somewhat feared have their place unless they get completely out of control and can’t be reined in. Then I met Jinki, and my life completely made sense until we were cursed.”

  Minho nodded. “It’s good the two of you found each other. Not everyone is so fortunate.”

  To Kibum’s surprise, he found himself reaching for and briefly squeezing Minho’s hand before dropping it like a hot coal, while Jinki pulled the youngest man to him for a side hug.

  “Taemin told us about your ex, well before we met you. We’d never seen him that livid before, not that we blame him. It was a ty thing to do. The cheating was bad enough, but planning on passing off another man’s child as yours when a family was what you wanted most in the world?”

  Jinki tripped then and let go of Minho, to Kibum’s relief. He looked down at their feet, only to see Ball stopped and, was it possible for a magic ball of string to look smug? The gumiho-incubus would’ve sworn it did, then he looked ahead of them to see the same river and door combination they’d seen before, or almost. This time, the river looked deeper and the current more swift, but just as blindingly sparkling, while the door was a different color and he thought probably had another riddle on it.

  “How should we get across this time? I don’t think we should try wading.”

  “I don’t think we have a choice. Maybe one of us should try it, while the other two hold onto his hands.”

  “Kibum is lightest, if he’s willing to go.”

  The last thing Kibum wanted to do was step into even dream water, but Jinki had a point. He wasn’t very strong as a human so it would be safest for him to try first. So, he reluctantly nodded.

  “I don’t like it, but I will. Hold onto me very tightly. I can only swim where it’s calm.”

  Jinki scooped up Ball and stuffed it into his pocket first, then gave Kibum his hands.

  “Minho, get ready to grab if it looks like he’s slipping. Ready you two?”

  Kibum laced his fingers with his mate’s, who crouched slightly to make it easier for him to step down, while Minho took a study-looking stance at the very edge, only to bend down further and stick a hand in the water with an exclamation.

  “It’s, not real. All I feel is air. I think it’s an illusion and we can just walk right through. I don’t even feel the bank. I thought I’d better check and see how cold it was first since we don’t have any way to get dry and nobody wants hypothermia.”

  Kibum let go of Jinki and squatted down to check for himself. “He’s right. There’s nothing there. Maybe we should hold hands though, just in case.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. Better safe than sorry.”

  Since Jinki was the most solid of the three he went first. Kibum as lightest and least strong was in the middle, tightly holding the hands of the other two. Minho as tallest took up the rear, but it was a moot point. As soon as the three steeped down, the river vanished and they found themselves at the door reading its inscription which wasn’t a riddle after all.

  “Congratulations. You have taken the first real steps on your impossible journey, which are to realize that not everything is as it seems and you must learn to separate truth from illusion. Remember this lesson, as it will serve you well as you continue on your quest. You may now leave this plane, but from now on you have only yourselves and the things you find to rely on. Your friends will be rooting for you, but will no longer be able to provide advice or assistance.”

  The door opened with a flash, and the trio found themselves in what looked like House. Kibum guessed they weren’t actually outside their dream however since he and Jinki were still in their human forms, and Ball had dropped out of his mate’s pocket and was now nudging their ankles then rolling to the kitchen area, where three knapsacks were seemingly waiting for them.

  “Is this a hint we should be packing for a hike?” Minho mused, picking up one of the sacks and weighing it in his hands. “Should we just take food and water, or extra clothes and blankets?”

  “You’re remarkably calm about this Minho, especially since you’re new to the whole supernatural worlds thing” Jinki replied, laying a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and making Kibum grind his teeth in, well he actually wasn’t sure. He didn’t feel jealous or angry exactly he didn’t think, but he couldn’t put a paw on what really was bothering him.

  “As far as I can tell it’s a dream. A remarkably detailed one, but a dream nonetheless. I’m not scared of an impossible journey in a dream world. Between the three of us, we should be able to navigate the whole thing and come out unscathed.” Minho paused and looked down, where Kibum had noticed Ball had bumped his ankle, kind of like a kit who wanted to be noticed. The human actually leaned over and gently patted it before straightening back up. “Sorry, I mean the four of us. I’m still getting used to a ball of string with at least some sentience.”

  “You didn’t seem to have any trouble treating Jinki and me as far more intelligent in our animal forms than most humans would have, even when you first met us” Kibum pointed out, shelving his undefined feelings until he had a chance to figure them out properly. They had something more immediate to solve, namely what they were supposed to do in order to leave and get to the next world or scene or room or however House operated.

  “In my prior experience, foxes and birds are living creatures with brains of their own. I’ve always felt animals should be treated with respect as sentient beings. String is just an object. My perceptions are being stretched, even if it is in a dream so hopefully it will have patience with me as I try to remember it’s our guide, even if it seems like Jinki is the leader.”

  Ball seemed to accept this slightly garbled explanation as it rolled to a clear section of floor, only to startle Kibum a moment as it started to use its string to form English words in a neat cursive.

  “Great. We unlocked a new feature of Ball, in a foreign language” Minho grumbled, only to make Kibum shake his head.

  “Patience really isn’t your virtue, is it? As long as it’s English or French, I can read it just as well as Korean. So calm down. It says that it won’t always be able to communicate like this, but it can here and that Jinki should pack blankets and some waterproof, lined jackets and thick socks, plus the box of candles and matches on the bookshelf. You and I should gather the food and water bottles.”

  “That seems simple enough” Jinki agreed, picking up a knapsack, while Minho frowned.

  “I wonder if we should look and see if this version has a sturdy rope or something similar lying around, maybe some work gloves and boots. We don’t know what’s out there. What if we need to climb, or there’s a real river to cross? I’d hate to lose somebody when I’m supposed to be helping you two.”

  Ball smoothed out its string, then began writing again. Kibum read it, then sighed in minor frustration as Ball rolled itself back up to its usual form.

  “It says that those are good, sensible suggestions, but that’s it. No confirmation we might need such things, or where we might find any of them. I guess we pack what it told us first, then go looking in case they are here.”

  “Seems like as good a plan as we’re likely to get, at least for now.”

  Jinki went to find his items, while Kibum and Minho raided the kitchen. Fortunately, there was no shortage of mostly lightweight, high energy trail rations. The gourmet in him cringed at the thought of surviving on beef jerky and dried fruit, but it was more than that. Rice, oatmeal, hardtack, dried vegetables and herbs, hunter’s sausage, the list went on. He also discovered a small portable cooking set while looking for some kind of bowls or plates so they could at least pretend to be civilized. It would be a challenge for him, but he could at least make porridges and stews if they were going to be camping and there was water and firewood available.

  They still had room in their knapsacks after carefully packing everything they’d found, including some giant water bottles, so Minho went off to hunt for other useful items and Kibum went to see what was taking Jinki so long. He found his mate mumbling to himself as he looked through the shelves built into the wall near the fireplace.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I can’t find the box Ball mentioned. I’ve been over these shelves three times already, but I cannot find it.”

  “Have you tried reaching back all the way and feeling around? If it’s not in plain sight, then it may be there.”

  Jinki stood their blinking a moment, only to facepalm so hard Kibum was afraid he’d broken his nose for a moment.

  “No, I didn’t. It never even occurred to me. Everything else was just lying there, like it was waiting for me to pick it up.”

  “Remember? The tastiest bugs and frogs have to be dug for.”

  “Or videogame logic dictates the best items are hidden” Minho said as he walked up behind the couple. “Not always hidden very hard though. I opened a closet and there was everything I’d thought about including a hatchet for firewood, fishing gear, and three hunting knives, in a tangle on the floor. It didn’t even take me long to straighten everything out. Oh, I put all the food and cooking stuff in one bag, and what I found in the other so it’s not all getting mixed up together. The funny thing is, when I picked up the bags to make sure they weren’t too heavy for any of us, they felt as though they weighed about the same amount, roughly ten pounds or so.”

  “Maybe we are in a videogame, or at least some kind of virtual reality” Jinki joked, handing Kibum a vase and sticking his arm full length so he could feel around the back of the shelf.

 “Ah hah! My mate is brilliant!” Jinki crowed triumphantly as he pulled out a battered metal box. Inside was a good supply of thick, white candles and a large box of waterproof matches.

  Packing finished (Jinki’s knapsack not feeling any more or less heavy than Kibum’s bag of food or what they jokingly referred to as Minho’s toolbox after he showed off his rope, hatchet, knives, boots, fishing gear, first aid kit that none of them had thought about but could come in handy if anyone ended up with a oo, tent pegs, and large tarp they could wrap themselves in if they ended up somewhere it was raining or something.

  “Is this everything?” Kibum asked, slipping into the straps of his knapsack and testing the weight before adjusting it so it sat comfortably on his back, or at least as comfortably as it was likely to get.

  “Everything I can think of” Minho agreed, following suit.

  “Is this how you pack for human camping?” Jinki asked, shifting his own back into place.

  “For some people. It’s been a while since I’ve done any kind of camping” Minho answered, just before a bright light flashed and they found themselves in front of a door. Kibum instinctively grabbed the others’ hands before it opened and they tumbled through to the next part of their journey.