Steam still curled off the surface of the hot spring when Luna finally drifted under.
Not the polite, fainting-heroine kind of sleep. The heavy, boneless collapse of someone who had been wrung out, kissed stupid, and left to melt against two overheated beast men in a pool carved by the earth itself. Her cheek rested against Alo's chest, damp curls stuck to her temples, one hand loosely fisted in Theo's hair as if she had claimed him even in unconsciousness.
The forest around them hummed. Night insects stitched the darkness together. Somewhere in the distance, something large moved through brush that did not want to be moved.
Theo lifted his head first.
He went still in that way predators do when the world shifts a degree.
Alo noticed the tension under Luna's weight and followed his gaze. Across the rocks, just beyond the thin veil of steam, a shape shifted. Too upright to be deer. Too broad to be wolf.
A bear.
Not attacking. Not growling.
Watching.
Its massive head tilted once, silver eyes reflecting firelight. Then it huffed, almost offended, and lumbered back into the trees.
Alo snorted quietly. "He saw."
Theo's mouth twitched. "Yes."
"They will talk."
"They will absolutely talk."
The hot spring crackled softly where heated water met cool night air. Luna made a sleepy sound and burrowed closer to Alo's warmth, as if none of this concerned her in the slightest.
Theo brushed damp hair from her face. "We should move."
Alo nodded. He slid his arms carefully beneath her. She was small compared to them, but solid in a way that felt reassuring. Alive. Warm. Their.
She stirred as he lifted her from the water, clinging instinctively to his shoulders. "Mmm… five more minutes."
"You will wrinkle," Theo murmured.
"I already live with furries," she muttered, eyes still closed. "Wrinkles are not my biggest problem."
Alo barked out a quiet laugh. "Furries?"
Theo glanced at him. "We will ask her later."
They dressed her in layers with the reverence of men handling something fragile and irreplaceable. Theo wrapped her in one of his cloaks, thick and smelling faintly of cedar and him. Alo tied her hair back loosely so it would not snag against branches when they walked.
She was asleep again before they even stepped away from the spring.
The path back to camp wound through tall pines and moss-draped stones. Alo carried her first, broad strides steady and unbothered by terrain. Theo walked beside him, eyes scanning shadows, ears tuned to every snap and shift of forest life.
"She tires easily now," Alo said quietly.
Theo's expression softened. "She grows life."
Alo's chest expanded slightly at that. Pride. Awe. Something dangerously close to fear.
"The bear tribe would be safer," Alo added after a moment.
Theo did not argue.
"Their caves are insulated. Thick stone. Warm in winter, cool in summer. Plenty of food. Strong walls."
"And strong females," Theo said. "They raise cubs as a community."
Alo nodded. "Our children would be protected, the dragon cubs will be safe."
Theo looked down at Luna's sleeping face. Even exhausted, she had that softness about her. That impossible brightness that made hardened warriors lower their voices and re-evaluate their entire existence.
"Yes," he agreed. "The bear tribe."
Luna snorted suddenly and shifted in Alo's arms. "If I wake up and you two decided my entire future without me, I will riot."
They both froze.
Her eyes cracked open lazily. "I can hear you. I am pregnant, not dead."
Alo grinned. "We thought you slept."
"I did. I also have ears."
Theo leaned closer, voice low and fond. "We speak of the bear tribe."
Her brow furrowed faintly. "Like… big fluffy wall of muscle bears?"
"Yes."
"With caves?"
"Yes."
She squinted at the canopy overhead. "Do they have air con?"
The silence that followed was profound.
Alo blinked. "Air… con."
Theo tilted his head. "Is this a creature."
She groaned softly and flopped her head against Alo's chest. "I miss air conditioning. Cold air. Controlled temperature. Not this… sweaty jungle aesthetic."
Alo looked faintly offended. "You do not enjoy the forest."
"I enjoy it," she said, patting his collarbone sleepily. "I just also enjoyed not feeling like a dumpling in a bamboo steamer."
Theo's lips twitched. "You are not dumpling beast."
"I am absolutely dumpling shaped right now."
Alo huffed. "We will find this air con."
She laughed softly, eyes drifting closed again. "Good luck. It's from 2026."
Theo paused mid-step. "Twenty… twenty six."
"Year," she mumbled.
Alo and Theo exchanged a look.
"She speaks in riddles again," Alo murmured.
Theo nodded gravely. "We will solve them."
They resumed walking, the forest thinning as they neared their temporary camp. The scent of smoke drifted toward them, mixed with drying meat and wild herbs.
When they arrived, a few tribe members glanced up.
One of them, a younger male with curious eyes, raised a brow. "You took long."
Theo's expression was perfectly neutral. "We were bathing."
The younger male looked at the damp cloak, Luna draped across Alo like a treasure hoard, and then at the faint pink marks on Theo's collarbone.
His mouth opened.
Closed.
He nodded slowly. "Bathing."
By morning, everyone would know.
Alo lowered Luna onto their furs carefully. Theo adjusted blankets around her. She curled instinctively toward Theo's warmth while one hand still clutched Alo's wrist.
Theo sat beside her and brushed a thumb across her cheek. "We travel at dawn."
"To the bears," Alo added.
Theo nodded.
Luna's eyes fluttered open again. "If we're going to the bear tribe… does that make you guys officially in your bear era?"
Alo frowned slightly. "Era."
"Phase. Aesthetic. Like… you know. Buff lumberjack core."
Theo stared at her.
Alo stared at her.
She sighed dramatically. "You two need memes. I am alone in my references."
Theo leaned down and pressed his forehead lightly to hers. "We love you, strange moon woman."
Her expression softened immediately. "I love you too."
Alo bent to kiss her hair. "Sleep."
Dawn cracked through the trees in streaks of gold.
They packed quickly. Theo insisted on carrying Luna once they began moving, despite her protests that she could walk.
"I am not fragile," she grumbled as he lifted her effortlessly onto his back.
"You are carrying my child," he replied calmly. "You are priority."
Alo walked beside them, hand occasionally brushing Luna's leg as if checking she was still real.
The journey toward the bear territory led north, where the forest thickened and the ground rose steadily into rocky ridges. The air cooled slightly with elevation.
Luna rested her chin on Theo's shoulder. "You know… in my time, people paid to see views like this."
"They paid," Alo echoed skeptically.
"With gems."
Theo glanced back slightly. "You confuse us often."
She smiled against his skin. "You love it."
"Yes," he said simply.
They passed claw-marked trees, massive prints embedded deep in mud, and stone formations shaped by centuries of patient weather.
By midday, they heard it.
Low voices. Deep laughter. The unmistakable rumble of bears.
Alo slowed.
Theo adjusted Luna's position slightly higher, protective instinct sharpening.
The first bear male stepped into view from between two boulders. He was enormous. Broad chest. Thick arms. Fur darker and heavier than Alo's, tinged with deep brown and charcoal.
His eyes landed on Luna first.
Then on Theo.
Then on Alo.
"You come," the bear rumbled.
Theo inclined his head. "We seek alliance."
The bear's gaze dropped to Luna's stomach.
Understanding dawned slowly across his heavy features.
"You bring life."
Alo stepped slightly closer to Theo without thinking.
"Yes," Alo said.
The bear studied them for a long moment, then stepped aside.
"You enter."
The caves were massive, carved naturally into the mountainside. Inside, the air was cooler, steady, almost shockingly comfortable compared to the humid forest below.
Luna's eyes widened.
"Oh my god."
Theo stiffened slightly. "Danger."
"No," she whispered. "This is air con."
Alo blinked. "The cave is air con."
She nodded vigorously. "The cave is superior technology."
The bear male frowned faintly at her enthusiasm.
Theo leaned down, voice quiet against her ear. "You are pleased."
"I might cry."
Alo grinned, proud of something he had not even built As they were guided deeper inside, Luna leaned forward and kissed Theo's cheek.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"For what."
"For choosing somewhere safe."
Alo reached up and squeezed her calf gently. "We will always choose safe for you."
She swallowed around the sudden swell of emotion.
"You two are disgustingly soft," she muttered.
Theo's hand came back to rest briefly against her thigh. "Only for you."
She pressed her face into his shoulder, smiling Bit of love you so much chat energy radiated quietly between them without words. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just solid.
Outside, the wind moved through pine trees Inside, Luna finally felt cool air brush her skin.
And for the first time since waking in this world, she thought maybe… maybe this wild, Furry, meme-less reality could become home.