The forests hide anything and everything, Gaetan thought, or so the saying goes. Walking beneath the towering timbers as they swayed slightly in the wind, he could believe it. In a world where the spark of industry had ignited many men’s imaginations, Gaetan had found himself turning towards other passions, and spending more time in the woods as he grew from a boy to a man.

Fortunately, it hadn’t guaranteed poverty, as his father had once warned, indeed by bringing rare herbs, mushrooms, and the like back to civilized lands he was certain he made more than the old man himself ever had. Still, it was a lonelier life, and as he took a deep breath of the rich spring air, he wished he could have someone to share the forest’s secrets with.

He hefted his bag, already nearly full of things that would fetch a high price in town, and decided he’d journey a little further in. The old growth forest went all the way to the base of the great mountains that straddled the empire’s interior, and to his knowledge there was no charted path or road through them. Navigating mazelike undergrowth of the woods was something that was difficult to master, and few merchants would risk a trip through such difficult terrain, instead opting for the well-maintained imperial roads, or if they had the money, one of the new “locomotives” he’d heard about.

He paused, a massive bull moose trapse across a clearing ahead of him. The creature glanced his way a moment, as if mildly curious at the presence of a human here, so far from their dwellings, but then moved on, carrying about its own business. He was capable of defending himself of course, but the bow across his back would do little more than annoy an animal that size. He relaxed, chuckling to himself. That was another thing that people never seemed to understand about the ancient woods, a man was not the master here, but was at the mercy of nature. It was best to be polite.

I should look for a good spot to make camp, he decided. He smiled as he looked up at the sunny sky, it was early in the spring yet, but warm.

A giggle caused him to freeze, whirling around. It was a woman’s giggle, he was sure of that, and humans were far less predictable than the forest’s usual denizens… as were elves, goblins, and any of the other creatures that one might run into this far from civilization.

“Hello?” he called, slowly unshouldering his bow. His eyes scanned the woods, but didn’t see anything. The trees groaned as the winds blew, and suddenly there was movement. He darted forward, hearing laughter, but nothing but falling leaves greeted him as he burst through the thicket where the noise had come from.

A woman’s form greeted him, young, his own age probably, with light green skin and jet black hair tied into a ponytail down her back. For a moment he thought she was an orc, but her form was too petite, and she had a pointed pair of nearly elfin ears. He blushed as he took her in, she was wearing hardly anything clothing at all, safe for a strip of mossy cloth across her ample chest.

“H-Hello,” he croaked, holding up his hands.

The girl chewed her lip a moment, then giggled again, “Bye!” She ran towards the tree line again, only the limbs and leaves seemed to blur a moment, hiding her from view. Before he could blink, they were back to normal, and she was gone entirely.

Gaetan paused, considering reaching for his bow again, but decided against it, that was no orc or goblin like I’ve ever seen, he decided. Whatever she was, she’s certainly using some kind of magic to hide herself, she could be watching me right now… He sighed, she didn’t try to hurt me at least… remember, man is not king of the forest.

He took one final glance around, then shouldered his bag, opting to look for a campsite before night fell.

…

Delyra giggled as she leapt through the woods, cartwheeling with excitement as the rich spring air added to her already jubilant mood. The young dryad knew every inch of the forest, and she and her sisters were the chosen guardians of a stretch of woods going from the high mountains to the south, all the way into the open prairie to the east. It was a quiet woodland realm, with few of the settled peoples crossing into it to cause mischief.

“Amarsi!” she called in a singsong voice, “Amarsi where are you!?”

“She’s counting the beehives,” her other sister, Serina, replied, stretching as Delyra made her way into the vast clearing where they’d made their home. Serina had been sunbathing, and she stretched as she stood up to greet her younger sister. Serina was plumper than Delyra, with wide hips and a bosom that bounced slightly as she walked, a testament to how much time she spent cultivating the sweeter berries of the wood, no doubt.

“I need Amarsi right now!” Delrya whined, “there’s an intruder!”

Serina froze, “An intruder?” she asked sharply, “what kind? Is he alone? Gods help us, is he starting fires?”

“I think he was just looking for herbs,” Delyra said, tapping her chin as she thought about what she’d seen the young man doing, “but he did have a weapon with him, a bow, and a knife too!”

Serina sighed, “Okay, what did he look like?”

“He was pretty hot,” Delyra gushed, “kinda tall, I didn’t see much of his body, but the way he was leaping over logs and stuff, I’ll bet looks good under that cloak.”

Serina raised an eyebrow, “Huh, okay… maybe I’ll have to investigate myself, what else? Was he elvish? A goblin?” She chuckled, “guess not if he was tall.”

“He had pale skin,” Delrya explained, “his ears were kind of funny looking too, all wrong at the top, and weirdly close to his head.” She flicked her own pointed ear for emphasis.

“Uh oh,” Serina muttered, “that sounds like a human!”

“Ooh, really?” Delrya squealed, “let’s go back and find him! Maybe he’s looking to get married?”

“Probably not out here,” Serina chuckled, “let’s go find this human before he pulls one of their usual tricks, the last thing we need is him trying to ‘develop’ things out here.”

Delrya followed her sister eagerly as the other dryad headed out of the clearing, “What do you mean develop?”

“Humans are always digging up dirt and chopping down trees to build things,” Serina explained, “it’s part a ritual dedicated to something called The Economy, which is either a god or a demon, I’m not sure, but the handful of humans I met while I was studying with the elves all seemed to either love him or hate him.”

Delrya gulped, “I hope ours isn’t working for him!”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Serina said with a grin as the pair disappeared into the forest.

…

Gaetan watched the sun begin to disappear behind the trees. At this time of year the nights were still chilly, and he’d built a small fire to warm him as he ate his dinner of dry salted beef and hardtack. The loud hooting of an owl relaxed him, another of the luxuries one couldn’t have in the city, and he watched the dancing embers with contentment as he thought over the strange woman he’d seen that day.

A fairy of some sort? He wondered. They were usually small, but if there was a variety that was human sized, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing he’d ever seen. A goblin? He shook his head, she didn’t ask for food or try to rob me, so probably not…

He looked up at the slowly appearing stars and decided not to worry about it. With a shrug he reached into his sack for a cheaply printed book, one of the few luxuries of the city he did enjoy indulging in, and opened it to read by the light of his fire. Until he was ready for bed, he’d fill his mind with the exciting and often salacious tales of vampire hunters in the capital.

I wouldn’t mind running into the countess in this book, he thought with a chuckle. The vampiress in the book, if the author was to be believed, would tie her human lovers up in enchanted chains, ravishing them before the sun rose.

…

“What’s he doing?” Delrya whispered.

“He’s reading,” Serina replied.

The pair of them were no more than a few dozen yards from Gaetan’s camp, but they seamlessly blended with the woods to the point where even a skilled outdoorsman like the human wouldn’t be able to detect them.

“So what do you think?” Delrya asked eagerly, “Does he look dangerous? Can we go talk to him?”

“Yeah,” Serina said, chuckling as the human man glanced around suspiciously, then slowly turned the page of the book.

…

How can they even sell this kind of stuff? Gaetan chuckled in embarrassment. The book had gotten steamier still, with the vampire countess having trapped the heroic vampire hunter, pinning him to the floor and demanding he kiss her foot. He glanced at the cover, making a note of the author for the next time he was in town.

“Hi!” the girl’s voice called excitedly.

Gaetan nearly jumped out of his skin, fumbling with the book and dropping it into the dirt as he reached for his knife. The girl from before was standing on the other side of his fire, looking down at it quizzically. Another girl appeared at her side, walking around the flames which danced on her skin in an eerie way that only accentuated her soft features and womanly form. Like the first green skinned girl she was barely dressed at all, with rumpled moss colored clothing giving her only the smallest amount of modesty over her chest and womanhood.

“What’s your name handsome?” the second girl asked.

“G-Gaetan,” he stammered, “Who are you two? Have you been following me all day?”

“I have,” the first girl squealed, “I’m Delrya, this is my sister Serina!”

“How do you do,” Serina smirked. She reached down to pick up his book, raising an eyebrow at the scantily clad countess on the cover, then to Gaetan’s horror she opened it to the page he’d been on. “Oh my,” she chuckled, shooting him an amused look.

“The book was… a gift,” he lied. He cleared his throat, “I mean no offense, but what manner of folk are you? I’ve been to these woods many times, and I wasn’t aware of any settlements?”

“We’re dryads!” Delrya said, skipping around the fire to his side, “Mistresses of the wood, guardians of oak and ash!”

“Dryads?” Gaetan frowned, I thought they were only a myth? Real enough, it seemed. “Well uh, I mean no harm to the forest, I just come here sometimes to collect herbs, mushrooms, and the like.” He smiled nervously, “Would you two like anything to eat? I haven’t got much, but you’re welcome to it.”

“Hmm… he says he doesn’t mean any harm,” Delrya said, pointing at the fire, “but look at this, he set it!”

“It’s just a campfire Delrya,” Serina said dismissively, “I’m sure he was going to put it out when he was done, weren’t you?”

“Of course,” he nodded, “always!”

“I can tell this is a man who loves the forest,” Serina continued, running a hand through his hair in a way that made Gaetan shiver.

“I-I do,” he stammered.

“Do you have a wife?” Delrya asked excitedly.

Gaetan opened his mouth in shock, unsure of what to say, “I-I… Well, no, I don’t!”

Serina rolled her eyes and huffed angrily, “Damnit Delrya, cool off! ”

“But I just-“

“Let me talk to him!” she hissed, turning back to the human with a slightly too pleasant smile on her face.

“Listen, Gaetan,” she said, running her fingers up his arm, “You’re just what dryads like us have been looking for,” she explained, “we’ve no menfolk of our own, and the lands of the settled peoples are so far from here… why not keep us company for a night?”

“Keep you company?” he repeated. He chewed his lip, thinking. While dryads were said to be kind to those who respected the woods, their vast powers and command over nature were also used in anger in many stories. Offending these two could mean trouble, he thought hesitantly. “What kind of company could a mere man such as me provide?”

“The kind that this Countess Crimson woman is getting from this Harken Trueblade,” Serina said, pointing to the book with an eager grin.

“Oh,” Gaetan nodded, his face red.

The idea wasn’t unappealing, for all of their otherworldly appearance, the two were attractive young women, and it had been a long time since any of the maidens back in town had been interested in the strange young man who spent so much time in the forest. He felt his manhood stirring in his pants, and forced a grin.

“Very well, I’m yours!”

In the blink of an eye vines erupted from a tree behind him, wrapping around his wrists and forcing his arms high above his head. From below thick roots, strong as iron, burst from the ground, wrapping around his ankles and slowly forcing his legs apart next. More of the plantlike appendages reached for him, branches and vines hooking around his clothing. There was a loud tearing sound as his tunic was torn to ribbons, the remnants falling to the forest floor as he looked down at his own naked form, shocked.

“Delrya!” Serina scowled, looking back at her sister, “what was that!?”

“I just really wanted to see him!” she growled in a low voice. She stepped forward, placing a hand on the human’s panting chest, enjoying the feel of his body beneath her fingertips as she slowly traced it down his body.

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” Serina smirked, leaning against the bound human. She caused him to tense as her hand squeezed his bottom, and before he could speak her other hand was curling around his head, drawing him into a long and forceful kiss, her tongue shoving its way into his mouth and exploring it in detail.

Below he could feel the other Dryad had discovered his manhood, and Delrya fell to her knees before the throbbing member, gazing at it in astonishment.

“Wow, this one’s a lot bigger than the other ones I’ve seen.”

Serina laughed, breaking the kiss and looking down at her, “How many could you have possibly seen?”

“Enough,” Delrya said defensively. She licked her lips, “I’m going to try something…”

Gaetan gasped as her lips slid over his head, then slowly down his shaft. The vines and roots holding him in place tightened as he spasmed in pleasure, keeping him in place as a prisoner while the dryad toyed with him.

The other dryad pushed into him again, locking him in another kiss and gripping his hair tightly. She had a warm smell like cedarwood, and he inhaled deeply as her ample breasts pressed against his body. The attention from Delrya was growing more intense by the second, and he groaned into Serina’s mouth as she forced their kiss to continue as he shuddered in ecstasy. Delrya sucked eagerly, drawing every last drop of his seed out as he went limp, and by the time he was done, panting in shock and exhaustion, the animated tree limbs were the only thing holding him upright.

Delrya separated from him, tasting his cum in her mouth for a moment, then with a smirk, she tilted her head back and swallowed.

“It tastes good,” she beamed, “are humans supposed to taste good?”

“I’ve personally only ever had elven men,” Serina replied, a gleam in her eye as stroked a finger over Gaetan’s cheek, “but yes, it’s enjoyable…”

“W-Wow,” Gaetan panted, looking up at them, “That was…” he blinked, shaking his head and fighting a laugh, “no woman back home has ever done that with me!”

“You’re not done yet,” Delrya laughed. With a wave of her hand the vines released him, and he stumbled forward before the younger of the Dryad sisters caught him, struggling slightly as she helped him down to the ground.

“Let me help,” Serina said, holding out her hands.

Before his eyes a bed of moss and soft flowers burst out of the forest floor, cushioning his back as well as any fine mattress he’d ever lay on. The sweet smell of daisies filled his nostrils as the two dryads lay on the “bed” next to him, each one of them grinning at him seductively as they snuggled up on either side.

“So, human,” Delrya said softly, “what do you think of our forest?”

“It’s wonderful,” Gaetan said with a smile, “I could spend all of my time here!”

Delrya and Serina shot each other excited glances, but Gaetan didn’t notice.

“Too few humans appreciate it,” Serina said softly. “We used to have more elves visit us, but it seems like they’ve found other interests these days… I visited the elven realms myself a few times, there are still at least a few druids here and there interested in the comings and goings of the woods.”

“The elven realms,” Gaetan chuckled, “I can’t say I’ve ever been that far, the mountains and the forests interest me more than crystalline spires.”

“I’m so glad I ran into you,” Delrya said, getting up on her hands and knees with a grin, “a human man who loves the forest… and you’re so virile too! Ready to go again!” she pointed between his legs, where his manhood had risen to attention without him even noticing.

Serina got up and shoved the other dryad with a scowl, “Out of the way, I’m going first!”

“But I-“

“You already got to play with his cock,” Serina said matter-of-factly, “and you put it in your mouth, I’m putting it somewhere else!”

The dryad climbed onto him, positioning herself for a moment before thrusting down, taking him to the hilt in one smooth motion that made him grunt from the force. The dryad started rocking her hips against his slowly, then with more force as she found her rhythm. Gaetan groaned in ecstasy as Delrya moved around to his head, simply sitting over him and cradling it in her hands while her sister ravished him.

“Don’t get too worn out, okay?” the younger dryad said excitedly, “I’m going to want to try this a few times too!”

“A few times?” Gaetan grunted.

“This guy’s going to be fine,” Serina growled, “I’ve heard humans put rabbits to shame!” Gaetan gasped as the second orgasm of the night was forced out of him, causing the dryad to shiver with pleasure as she felt it. “Whew,” she laughed, looking up at the stars, “now, what’s next?”

Gaetan had a few ideas, and the girls had plenty of their own.

…

Amarsi frowned as her mount, a full-grown stag, clopped its way into the clearing of their home, “Delrya? Serina?” the eldest of the sisters called. This was strange, they had been away when she’d returned the night before, and they hadn’t yet returned. She leapt gracefully from the back of the stag, waving it dismissively and letting the animal gallop gracefully back into the forest. She closed her eyes, letting herself become one with the forest in a way that her sisters hadn’t yet mastered, searching for them.

Her consciousness soared through the leaves, seeing with the thousand eyes of the trees as she found the younger two dryads. The trees rippled as one with her surprise as she saw them laying on a bed of moss with a human.

Delrya started awake, looking around, “Uh oh…”

Gaetan groaned as he sat up, “Ugh… I think that’s the first time I’ve slept through sunrise in years.” The smile faded from his face as he saw Delrya’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Amarsi’s coming!” Serina said, sitting up in a panic.

“Who’s Amarsi?” Gaetan asked, glancing upwards. The trees had begun shaking against the wind, the birds took off in unison, as if a hawk had disturbed them, and he noticed that the roots of the trees were roiling in the soil below the trunks, as if limbering up.

“She’s our older sister,” Delrya explained.

“We’re supposed to go back to our home and wait for her if we come across anyone from outside the forest,” Serina said sheepishly.

“YES,” A voice boomed on the wind, “YOU ARE!”

There was a sound like splintering timber, and suddenly she was there, a green woman near tall as Gaetan was, with a furious look on her face and a long wooden spear in her hand, flowers blossoming along it and making the point look no less deadly. She spun the weapon over her head, bringing the tip down just under his chin as he gulped nervously. Around her the trees seemed to bend into an arch, almost like a cathedral of wood forming around her person and giving her the distinct look of a woodland goddess.

“If you’ve hurt my sisters human, know that every bird shall be my eyes, every tree branch my hands, and every thorn my sword!”

“Woah, slow down!” Serina said quickly, holding her hands up, “he didn’t hurt us!”

“The opposite actually,” Delrya giggled, sidling up to Gaetan.

Amarsi frowned, but pulled the spear back, sticking it in the ground. Before his eyes it became a mere sapling, branches growing from it and flowering. The trees around her straightened again, and she crossed her arms, relaxing slightly as her sisters and Gaetan stood up.

“A human?” she snapped, “Strange to see one of you so far from the cities and farms…”

“This one’s different!” Delrya exclaimed, “Just give us a chance to explain!”

“It’s true!” Serina insisted, “he’s of the forest, you can practically smell it on him!”

Amarsi stepped closer to Gaetan, her hostile frown turning to curiosity, “So, it seems that a love of nature has not vanished from the hearts of man after all?” Amarsi mused, allowing herself a small smile. “Sisters, we need to discuss this, return with me to the grove.”

“Right,” Gaetan said sheepishly, “Well, it was nice meeting all of you-“ The three dryads had already vanished by the time he’d said the words, leaving him naked and alone in the clearing. He blinked and shook his head, “Strange folk, those dryads…” He looked at his shredded clothing and sighed, at least they left my cloak alone…

…

Amarsi sipped a cup of herbal tea as her sisters joined her in the hollow interior of the great tree where they lived. Their home itself was hewn out of living wood, a testament to their magical craft, and a raised stump in the center of their kitchen served as the table as her sisters sat across from her.

“So were relations with the human enjoyable?” Amarsi teased, a smirk on her face as she lowered her cup.

“Oh yeah,” Delrya said, missing the mockery, “you really should try a human guy, I’m not even sure when we all fell asleep, but-“

“He’s a good lay,” Serina said, cutting her sister off, “but I think he could be more. ”

Amarsi raised an eyebrow, “you wish to keep him?”

“We need a husband,” Serina insisted.

“Wasn’t that why we sent you to roam the Elven Realms last winter?” Amarsi asked coolly.

“I didn’t find any that were going to work,” Serina said defensively, “this human loves the forest, he just needs a little push to stay here!”

“I suppose we wouldn’t be the first dryads to take a human,” Amarsi mused, “and he is attractive…” She chewed her lip, thinking it over. “Humans are expanding in the world, it could do us good to have one to intercede with them on our behalf, should we come into conflict.”

“Yeah, see? It all just makes sense!” Serina said eagerly.

“Well what are we waiting for!” Delrya exclaimed, “Let’s go get him!”

…

Gaetan’s cloak billowed around him as he carried his pack towards the forest’s edge.

I’ll have to stop a farmer and barter for a new tunic, he thought, looking down at his nakedness. He smirked, nobody is going to believe what happened…

The trees shook around him again, the familiar rippling-against-the-wind motion that he now knew signaled the dryad’s approach. A second later the three dryad sisters appeared before him, walking out of the tree undergrowth with smiles on their faces.

“Ah, my ladies,” he said with a nod, “what can I do for you?”

“We’ve come to a decision,” Amarsi said with a smile.

Serina stepped forward, “Okay, so you know how you were saying you’d like to spend more time here?”

“You’re marrying us!” Delrya squealed, leaping forward and almost knocking him over with a hug.

“Hold on,” he grunted, gently pushing the dryad back, “I had a wonderful time last night, but typically marriage is the kind of thing that both parties agree-“ he frowned, “wait, did you say marrying us? ”

“Dryads often share a husband,” Amarsi chuckled, “Now Gaetan, I know this is probably something of a surprise, but if you would just accompany us back to our grove we can discuss your new responsibilities and-“

“I knew this was too good to be true!” Gaetan shouted. He dropped his pack, sprinting with all of his might at them. The three dryads tensed, but he leapt over them gracefully, landing on his feet and smirking back at them as he slipped into the underbrush.

“You two came on too strong,” Serina grumbled, “Amarsi, you had to say responsibilities, didn’t you? Humans hate those!” She turned to Delrya, “and you, you threw out the ‘husband’ word! Males of all races run away when you say that!”

“He’s rather graceful,” Amarsi muttered, watching the vanishing human vault over a large fallen log. She concentrated, willing vines to appear to grab him, but he nimbly dodged them all, giving them a rather rude gesture with his hands as he continued to put distance between himself and the dryads.

“Let me take care of this,” Serina said with a grin. She raised her hands, slowly channeling her magic and chanting a spell under her breath.

“That’s not nature magic,” Delrya said uncertainly.

Gaetan chuckled to himself, proud of his skill as he escaped the guardians of nature themselves, but as he sprinted he suddenly found his cloak slipping off him. He gripped in surprise, his eyes going wide as the trees around him seemed to explode outward, the ground rushing up. He grunted as he tumbled along the spongy ground, the *whoosh* of his cloak behind him ringing in his ears as he groaned and tried to stand upright. The forest had gone from a maze to a towering set of impossibly large wooden towers, the moss from a cushion beneath his feet to massive green mounds all around him.

They shrank me!? he thought wildly. Most humans who lived close to the elven border had some idea that this might happen to them, and he wracked his brain for some idea of what to do. Stay in place and let them take you, was the usual advice. Elves almost always end up releasing prisoners… but these aren’t elves. He glanced around at the undergrowth, a smile forming on his face. Maybe I can turn this to my advantage? Small things are hard to spot…

The three forest sprites bounded into the clearing, and while they were graceful his tiny size meant that each of their footsteps sent shockwaves through the ground beneath his feet. A massive green pillar stomped into the ground next to him as he took cover under a large mushroom, one of the girl’s legs, and he carefully peered out from under the cap.

The ground shook again as the massive form of Delrya fell to her knees, her face lowering down to him with a grin that stretched across the sky.

“Found you!” Before he could flee a root burst forth from the ground, wrapping around him like a snake and lifting him up to the Dryad’s face. She giggled as it slowly rotated, giving her a good look at the tiny human. “You are so cute like this,” she marveled.

Gaetan struggled as the root dropped him down into the giant girl’s waiting palm, and he landed on the soft surface with a scowl a moment later.

“Interesting,” Amarsi said with a smile, “You say this was an elven spell? Do they often use it on humans?”

“Oh yeah,” Serina chuckled, “I’ll show you some of the fun you can have with a tiny guy later.”

“Come,” Amarsi said, “let us return to the grove, we can discuss things with our prospective husband… and keep him small, for now.”

“No problem,” Serina said, winking at the tiny human as they walked through the woods.

…

Gaetan grunted as the pair of giant green toes pinched him from either side, lifting him off the mossy ground playfully. Serina had been left as his jailer, and she was relaxing beside a large spring in the forest grove while the other two dryad sisters attended to the duties of the forest. The Dryad’s feet were surprisingly soft, with that same crisp cedar scent emanating off of them. With a chuckle she gently used her toes to flick him to the ground, and a moment later the weight of her foot came down on his back, pinning him to the ground.

“I kind of like the feeling of a human under my feet,” she chuckled, “maybe the elves are onto something?”

“I’ll escape you!” he shouted defiantly.

“Hmm… Do you even want to?” Serina asked. She slowly shifted her foot over him, making a back and forth motion of her soft sole over his body. It didn’t take long before he felt himself growing hard against her, and from the smug grin the dryad could feel it too. “You certainly seemed to like it when we took charge of you back at the camp,” she taunted, scrunching her foot over him and relishing the way he shivered in pleasure. “You certainly had some interesting literature on you as well,” she continued, “If I didn’t know better I would say you were the sort of man who wants to be taken.”

“T-That doesn’t mean I want to be forced into some kind of marriage by three forest imps!” he shot back.

“Imagine what your life could be like though?” Serina taunted, grinning and leaning up slightly. The pressure from her foot increased on him slightly, and she scrunched the bottom of her foot against him in a way that made him gasp and press feebly against the massive toes on either side of him. “You’d have all the time you want to spend in the forest,” she continued, “and you’d have three lovely wives to satisfy your needs… and to be satisfied of course.” She chuckled, “I’d like to have a foot massage after a long day of readying the flowers for spring, in fact having a human man debase himself in such a manner is very appealing.” She ground her foot slowly over him one final time, eliciting a muted grunt as he came across the soft green skin of her sole.

Her foot lifted off of him, and she glanced at the small droplet of cum he’d managed to spray across her foot, wiping it away with a single finger. Gaetan lay panting in the grass, his mind racing. The thing of it was that her proposal wasn’t entirely unpleasant to think about, and he let his mind drift a moment, imagining life with a small harem of aggressive dryads.

“You’re thinking about it!” Serina giggled smugly.

“I’d be a fool not to,” he admitted, sitting up and forcing himself to frown at her. “I’ve still many things tying me to the world of men though, my parents, my customers-“

“Something could be arranged,” Serina said dismissively, “I’ve seen enough of civilization honestly, but Delrya would probably love to visit a human city with you.”

“I won’t be a dog that you take out for walks!” he shouted.

Serina shrugged, “Right now you’re more like a mouse.” She reached out with her foot, gently poking him in the chest with a toe the size of his torso, “I could do this to you more too, if you wanted?”

Gaetan blinked, taken aback, “W-What?”

“I’m guessing that a man who buys books about vampires tying up vampire hunters probably buys books about elves, humans, and shrinking spells?” Serina said, a slow grin coming over her face as he blushed. “I’m not an elf,” she said, reaching down for him, “But I think I can do the things you’re wanting.”

Her fingers wrapped around his body, warm and soft, slowly lifting him off the ground again. The dryad stopped him over her chest, letting him look down at her breasts with a smirk. Dryads wore little clothing, but the mossy cloth stretched across her chest gave her an ample cleavage to rival anything the finest dress or corset could manage.

“Just think,” she said dreamily, placing him gently on the surface of the massive green pillows, “you could spend all of your time in here if you wanted…” Her hand came to his back, gently pushing him between her breasts. The warmth of her skin enveloped him slowly as her fingers pressed on his shoulders, dunking him beneath the surface as though he was a man at sea.

Gaetan didn’t resist, instead simply allowing the softness to surround him. He could hear the distant murmur of her heartbeat as the soft cedar smell of the dryad clung to his skin, making him lightheaded. It was warm too, warmer than he was accustomed to in the early spring, and he found himself shivering slightly when her fingers reached in to pinch his arm a moment later, drawing him out slowly.

“Well?” she asked, dangling him in front of her face, “can you have that back in your cities?”

“Serina,” Amarsi called, startling her sister. “I’ve returned!”

Gaetan saw his chance, and with a grunt of exertion he heaved his lower body up, pressing his feet against the pinched fingers and pushing with all of his might. Serina’s eyes went wide as she saw his arm slip through her fingers, sending the tiny human tumbling to the ground.

Small things don’t get hurt by falling, he’d thought in a blind hope. When he hit the ground it did hurt, but he almost laughed in triumph when he leapt to his feet, mostly unharmed. The plodding feet of the dryad behind him snapped him into action, and he bolted for the woods, hoping the undergrowth would hide him.

“Damnit!” Serina swore, losing track of the tiny man as her sister approached.

“Did you lose him?” Amarsi sighed. “Wasn’t making him small supposed to make him easier to hold?”

“You startled me!” Serina replied defensively.

Amarsi rolled her eyes, “I will recover him, now go to the foothills and inspect the pines, make sure they are ready for a warm spring.”

Serina gave her sister a pouty scowl, but nodded, heading towards the edge of the clearing.

Amarsi sighed, mentally calling for aid from her servants. There was a loud buzzing sound, and a moment later half a dozen fairies flittered down out of the trees, summoned by the telepathic call of the guardian of the forest.

“What can we fairies of the forest do for you, Amarsi?” their leader, a purple haired fairy named Sami, asked with a bow.

“I’m searching for a human, he’s been reduced in size by a spell,” Amarsi said, “he went that way, return him to me!”

The fairies glanced at one another, their serious demeanor vanishing, “Ooh a tiny human?” one teased.

“Looks like the dryads are finally going to bag themselves a man,” another called.

“About time!” they laughed.

Amarsi frowned, “Bring him back unharmed .”

The fairies giggled together as they took off in a v-shaped formation, flittering low over the forest floor as they searched for the missing human.

Gaetan froze as he heard the buzzing of the wings, and he peered up from the patch of tall grass he’d concealed himself in. One of the fairies hovered just over him, and their eyes met as she glanced down.

“Over here!” she called, grinning and waving to the others.

A chorus of giggles and taunts rang out behind Gaetan as he leapt from his hiding place, sprinting across the muddy ground as the buzzing of wings grew louder. He skidded to a stop as a pair of fairies landed in front of him, turning to run as others slowly came down, surrounding him on all sides. Worse yet, the size he’d been shrunken to was less than the fairies own height, letting each of the tiny women tower over him by at least a head.

“So you’re the boy the dryads want?” one asked, a flirtatious smirk on her face.

“He’s cute,” another one called as the circle stepped closer to him.

Damn, I’m surrounded, he thought miserably.

“Do you think they’ll loan him out to us sometime?” one fairy asked, “I mean, this guy’s kinda cute when he’s our size.”

“I could stand to see him a little smaller,” another fairy said with a wink, her wings buzzing excitedly.

“Okay, enough toying with him,” Sami called, clapping her hands, “let’s bring him back home!

Goten felt the fairies grip his arms, and a moment later he was being lifted through the air, a fairy on either side of him as they returned him to Amarsi. The dryad was patiently waiting in the center of the grove, and as they approached, she held her hand out with a smile.

“Thank you Sami,” Amarsi said as the fairies dropped him into the dryad’s palm.

I can’t get away from her, Gaetan realized, with the fairies and the rest of the forest at her beck and call, there’s no way to escape…

“Have fun,” the fairy winked, leading the others to fly back towards their tree. From the amorous giggles and looks shot back at them, it was clear what they expected the elder dryad to do with the tiny human.

If Amarsi noticed, or cared, she didn’t show it, instead her fingers curled around Gaetan, loosely, as if worried about hurting him, and she gave him a curious look, as though he were an interesting insect.

“What?” he asked finally.

“I’ve never spent much time with humans at any size,” Amarsi replied, “I’m simply taking you in.”

“Your sisters did plenty of that already,” Gaetan muttered.

Amarsi surprised him with a snort, and then a laugh, steadying herself to keep from dropping him, “Indeed,” she sighed when she was done, “Those two are rather insatiable, and it’s so rare to have a man in these parts.” She collected herself, “So, you still have reservations about marrying us?”

Gaetan growled, “Of course I do! Any sane man would!”

“That’s fair,” Amarsi muttered, stroking her chin, “What could I offer you? Power? Within our own realm I can grant it, somewhat, if I command it the forest will bow to you as its king. Wealth is harder I suppose, but there are many things in the forest of value, as a forager like you knows well.”

“I don’t want anything like that,” Gaetan scowled, “I suppose… I’d like my freedom, it’s what attracted me to the forest in the first place!” He looked up at her, trying to decide how to phrase the next part, “and… I’d not be a pawn of some immortal demi-goddess, beautiful though you are.”

Amarsi raised an eyebrow, “Immortal? How old do you think we are?”

“Ageless, I suppose,” Gaetan said curiously, “haven’t you been guarding this forest since the dawn of time, or thereabouts?”

The dryad just laughed, “I’m only twenty-four, I’ve been here for five years and my sisters for the last three!”

Gaetan started, “Wait, what? ”

“We’re still learning much of our assigned realm,” she explained, “if we were immortal, we wouldn’t be quite so concerned about er… reproduction, now would we?”

“I suppose not,” Gaetan admitted. I’m not sure if it makes it better or worse knowing I wasn’t captured by ageless immortals, but women my own gods-damned age…

“Allow me to offer you another argument,” Amarsi continued, “you love these woods, yes?” she gestured around. “We do as well, and not just because we are bound to them, but because of their beauty, their wildness… I’ve spoken with Serina, and she misses the larger picture, but it sounds as though the world outside is changing. I don’t understand the civilized world, and maybe I never will, but having someone at our side who does might be the thing that saves all of this someday.”

Gaetan was quiet for a moment, thinking on her words. It had troubled him how quickly the cities seemed to grow, how fields gave way to pavement and houses, but the world was so large… could mankind really fill it all up? Part of him already suspected the answer.

“I…” he sighed, “I could try staying here, for a time… and see if we grow fond of each other.”

Amarsi gave him a small smile, “I’d thought you were already fond of us?”

“Lust and love aren’t the same thing!” he protested.

Amarsi shrugged, “No, but I’ve heard one can speed the other along.” She lowered him down to the ground, setting him on the mossy soil and letting him look up at her. She slowly removed the dark green fabric that just barely covered her body, tossing it away carelessly and letting him look up at the majesty of her naked form. “If you have the energy yet, I’d like to sample some of what my sisters already have,” Amarsi said, her voice growing low.

Gaetan gulped, nodding, “I-I think I’ve the strength, can you restore me?”

She sighed with a small smile, “regrettably not, Serina is the only one of us that knows magics other than those native to the forest, but I think we can enjoy ourselves nonetheless.” At a wave of her hand vines crept down the trees, curling around his arms and legs, binding them together as the massive dryad stepped closer to him. “There is a certain perverse thrill to this,” Amarsi mused, “truly humbling a human before the might of nature…” She placed her foot before him, “kiss it, show me that you wish to belong to this forest, to belong to me!”

The vines tilted his body forward, forcing his face into the top of her foot, and a moment later the massive dryad shuddered with excitement as he pursed his lips and pressed them into the green cedar-scented skin. She let him continue for a few moments, grinning down at him as he worshipped her, then finally, with a flick of her wrist, he felt the vines rocket him upwards, bringing him level with her womanhood. The outside was green, like the rest of her, but as she began to toy with herself, he could see that the already wet interior was as vibrantly pink as any human woman.

“You’re just the right size to fit,” Amarsi grinned.

Gaetan paled, “A-Are you sure-“

“Yes,” the dryad growled.

The vines brought him to her entrance, the wet musky smell of her arousal radiating down at him as the appendages slowly positioned him. The smell of cedar that the dryads all seemed to radiate was gone now, replaced by the earthier and familiar scent of a woman. The coiled vines began to force him inside of her, slowly withdrawing as felt his head swallowed up by the softness inside of her, then his shoulders, his legs.

Amarsi groaned wildly, shivering as the vines withdrew entirely, replaced by her hand gripping his lower body. She gently forced his tiny body the rest of the way inside of herself, enjoying the way the tiny human’s movements sent shockwaves throughout her body. For a moment she stumbled, her vision going blurry as the sensations threatened to overwhelm her. Dimly she willed something to catch her, and a tree limb bent low to cradle her back just as she was sure she’d have fallen to the dirt.

“T-This is…” she breathed in, reaching down to toy with her womanhood while Gaetan slipped further in, “t-this is wonderful!”

Gaetan could barely hear her, instead his world was shaking as the tight tunnel that held him prisoner prepared for orgasm. The soft fleshy walls quivered, squeezing him tighter in a full body hug. The dryad cried out in excitement as Gaetan gritted his teeth against the rising pressure. Her juices soaked his hair and stung his eyes as her climax hit, and he felt one final shiver race along his length before she sighed, causing the pressure on him to release. A moment later he felt her fingers grip his leg, slowly drawing him out of the tight tunnel with a wet *schlick*.

Amarsi was cradled in a hammock of a dozen vines stretching down from an overhead tree, a dreamy look on her face as she dangled the tiny human in front of her. She giggled at the way her juices glistened on his skin, and a moment later she slowly lowered him down to her chest, letting him lay between her towering breasts to catch his breath.

“I do hope you come around to staying with us,” Amarsi said, bringing her finger down to stroke the top of his head absently. “Aside from the carnal aspects, I suspect that there is much we can teach you about the natural world, and much you could do with that knowledge to our benefit… and your own, of course.”

“Of course,” Gaetan replied, his mind racing.

…

Gaetan rested beside a babbling brook, enjoying the peaceful morning air. Serina had finally gotten around to restoring his size, and he’d taken the opportunity to wander beyond the grove a ways. His clothing had been replaced by the dryads, and in the green forest-woven tunic they’d given him he blended into the wilderness more easily than any manmade fabric ever could, as if in testament to this a deer bounded by him, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

He felt his belly rumble with hunger, and he glanced up at a pear tree. With a frown he held his hand up to it, willing the branch to bend and bring the fruit down to him. It shook slightly, but then went stiff again, and he sighed, standing up and readying himself for the climb.

“Let me help you,” Delrya’s voice called. The dryad appeared, stepping from behind a tree. She raised her hand, and a moment later the trunk of the tree creaked and bent, lowering the pear down and allowing him to pluck it from the branch.

“Thanks,” he said, taking a bite of the rich fruit.

“You’re out awfully far,” Delrya said, walking around him in a slow circle, her hands behind her back. “You weren’t thinking of leaving were you?”

“No,” he smirked, wiping the pear juices from his face, “but if I was, I believe I was to have free reign to do so?”

Delrya huffed, “I suppose we agreed to that… but you want to stay now, right?”

Gaetan paused, considering his answer. The forest increasingly felt less like a place he went away to and more like a place he could come back to, a home…

“Yes,” he nodded, looking off towards the forest’s edge. “I will want to go back to my home village soon though, at least to put affairs in order…” He turned to Delrya, “Do you want to come with me?”

Delrya started, “I-I’d have to ask Amarsi for permission, but yeah, I’d love to see it!” She cleared her throat, “a-and remind you to come back, you know?”

Gaetan just chuckled, taking another bite of the pear, savoring the sweet taste.