The bus dropped Ulti off at the foot of the nature trail. As the older crow driver waved at her and shut the door, Ulti waved back, and kept waving until the bus disappeared around the forested bend a few hundred feet down the road. She smiled, hunched her shoulders to adjust her backpack, and turned to the trail.

"Right. Just a half-mile that-a-way...Let's get this vacation started."

The blue-scaled lizard took the first step and promptly stumbled over a stick that she hadn't even seen. Yelping, she stutter-stepped forward and barely caught herself on a low-hanging branch, staring down at the mud-puddle that she'd almost faceplanted in. She panted, shaking her head slowly as she took a few careful steps around it before letting go of the branch.

"Okay. Now let's get this vacation started. That didn't mean anything. Not an omen, not a bad sign, didn't mean anything."

Still shaking her head, Ulti tucked one hand into the straps of her backpack as she walked down the forest trail and tried not to wince. The green wrist braces she wore weren't just for fashion; her wrists weren't in good shape, and needed a break from her day job. That was one of the big reasons that she'd booked this trip in the first place: to unplug, to relax, and to not be connected to the world at large for the next ten days. A nature retreat had seemed the best way to accomplish that.

And she had to admit, the cool breeze that cut the summer heat was already helping her a great deal. She smiled as it brushed through her bandana and her swooped-back hair, taking some of the sun-heat off of her snout and making everything much more comfortable. It was better than sitting in the apartment for hours, then heading down to the office for some dead-end data-entry, and then coming back to the apartment to figure out something else to do with the dead-end rest of her day. At least out here, between the trees, she was able to turn off her brain and just relax. Even the natural sounds of the birds further into the forest were relaxing, and Ulti sighed happily as she kept walking.

Wonder if there's going to be anyone else at the lodge?

The website had said that the lodge was big enough for up to twelve people, with four bedrooms that could each fit between two to four people. Probably would feel massive if she had to stay there alone, she imagined as she ducked under a branch and hopped over a mud puddle. But on the other hand...

Well, there were some perks to staying somewhere on her own. Not necessarily ones she would indulge in, but, well, perks.

Ulti blushed, resting her head on a guide-post and shaking her head.

"What am I thinking? I'm not that kind of girl..."

Well, not when anyone was looking.

"Mmmph." The lizard looked down, glaring at her crotch. "Probably should have tended to you before getting on the bus..."

Because if there were more people at the lodge, she sure as hell wasn't going to get the time to deal with any of those...thoughts.

Just focus on nature, and the sun, and the wind, and the nice - well, mostly nice - smells. It's nice. It's real nice out here.

She kept walking. The trail was mostly dry with a mud puddle here and there, thankfully obvious and easy to avoid compared to the first one at the start of the trail. The last thing that she would have wanted would have been to soak her new shoes in them, or have it splash up against the black sweatpants she wore. Mud took forever to get off, and the stain never entirely disappeared. At least, not in her fastidious mind.

The trail dipped, then ascended, and the sound of a river trickling by caught her ears. Ulti grinned, picking up the pace toward the last bend in the trail. It whipped around and she stopped in her tracks when she finally saw it.

"Oh, wow..."

The lodge was magnificent, at least in her eyes. The wooden building stood one and a half stories tall, with a small second story that led out to a huge balcony. The first floor was long and slender, clearly putting a common room at the front of the lodge and all the bedrooms down in a hallway toward the back end. She could just make out a few windows, some that pointed back toward the forest and others that looked down on the river that went by the lodge on the other side.

With spiraling bits of wood carving as part of the architecture and faded bits of animal heads that looked almost spiritual in nature, it was like something out of time. She loved it.

She left the path, walking across the gravel garden that separated the lodge from the pathway. Fumbling in her pockets for the key she'd gotten in the mail, she managed to find it just as she reached the front door. No electric lock here; it was all old-style mechanical. She twisted the key, heard the satisfying click of the lock, and stepped inside.

Just as she'd expected, it was quiet. Almost silent, but with something just vaguely on the edge of hearing. A faint buzz or something, kind of like a fridge that was running too high or some other machine that was working just a little harder than it was built to do. It was so far in the background, though, that she could forget about it and just lean back against the door with a big smile on her face.

"This is great," she muttered, looking around the common room. "Can't believe this was just $500 for ten days..."

The common room was big. One side was completely taken up with a sunken den, populated with a coffee table, a couple of lamps, twin couches and four beanbag chairs. The wooden floor and steps leading into it were smooth where one walked, but lined with all kinds of animal carvings along the side. She could only imagine what it would look like when she was down there, and how it would feel to have the sun beaming in through the side window for part of the day. Considering how she was already feeling happy-lazy from the sunny walk, Ulti was all but sure that she'd fall asleep on the couch at least once while she was here.

On the other side was a kitchen pressed against the far wall and modular tables that were clearly meant to be shoved together for bigger groups or used in isolation for smaller ones. Ulti lowered her backpack to the ground and walked over to the tables, running her finger over the surface.

"So smooth..."

And yet, just like the other parts of the lodge, still carved with beautiful bits of animal and stylized spiritual work. She couldn't imagine how much time it would have taken to make all that, and she had to give full credit to the artists for doing such a good job. She leaned down, tracing her thumb along the various faces and heads that popped out along the woodwork heading to the broad four-pronged foot of the table, shaking her head in amazement at the quality.

"This place is a gem..."

She stood up again, turning in a circle. The windows faced the river and the forest, but none faced the way that she had come. And from how quiet the lodge was, clearly nobody was here just yet. She was completely alone, and...

I could...

Ulti blushed. One thing that she always loved to do whenever she traveled - at least, in hotels and other places where she knew she was isolated - was to spend time naked. It was silly, but just because it wasn't her place, it felt...fun. Not always naughty - she wouldn't take it that far - but fun. And the idea of walking naked around the lodge, standing by the windows, feeling the sun on her in a way that she'd never feel in a hotel room, was tempting beyond her ability to resist.

She did take the time to put her backpack in one of the bedrooms - one that faced the forest so that she didn't have to listen to the river if she didn't want to - and then stepped back into the hallway.

Nobody's here. Nobody's going to see me. It's fine.

Still, she shook as she poked the back of her shoes with her toes, pulling them down and sliding them off. Hoodie next, then her shirt. Down to her sweats and socks by that point, and she blushed as she hesitated. Ho, boy, this was...thrilling in its own stupid way. Didn't make sense, but -

She made herself do it. Down with her sweats and briefs. She stepped out of them, deliberately walking down the hall with a feeling of embarrassment and excitement all at once, until she was back in the common room at the front of the lodge. Then, finally, she turned, looking around at the windows on either side.

"Mmmmmm..."

Ulti walked over to the river-side, looking at her reflection. Her reflection, which most people would be a little confused about. No breasts - which was understandable for a certain proportion of reptile species - but also...

Well, she stopped when her dick touched the window. She stutter-stepped back a pace at the strange cool-warm mix, the glass cooler than the air around it but with the sun's warmth pushing through it. She hadn't thought she was that excited when she walked over, but, well, there it was.

And now she was standing naked in front of a piece of glass, with nothing between her and anyone that might come down the river. The sun beamed through the window, warming her from head to toe, and she let out a happy sigh as she hugged herself.

It was nice. This was nice.

She walked from window to window, a shiver running down her spine every time she stepped out of the sun and lost that warmth, only to bite back a giggle as she stepped back into it, and into theoretical view. She saw the faint edge of her reflection, from the stiff thing pointing forward down there to the way her butt had a little bounce and jiggle with her jaunty steps. Her thick tail kept adding to the sway back there, too. She looked so much more relaxed than she actually felt, but -

She wondered what it would be like to spend an entire vacation in the nude. No way that she could actually do it - the mucky feeling of the forest underfoot, the way that everything was so much dirtier than most people imagined - but the fantasy was...well, the fantasy was hot. Particularly if she had someone take her clothes away, taking away the option until she got used to it -

Okay, maybe not that far, but -

Thought was hard. She was giggly, almost feeling like that time she had indulged with a bit of weed that was way too strong for her. She started to turn toward the forest window -

"Finally; I thought that path would never end."

Only for a voice outside to finally catch her ear. Ulti froze, her breath trapped in her throat as she whipped her head toward the front door. No, no, no way -

"It wasn't that bad; at least the bus got us most of the way here."

Another. Two people. One woman. One man. Both getting closer and -

RUN!

Ulti fled down the hallway, snagging her clothes in a move that she'd never be able to repeat before swinging herself into her room. She shut the door, probably too hard, and slumped back against it with her heart in her throat and a certain something trembling and twitching more than she wanted to admit.

How long had she been walking around the main room naked? She swore that she'd only been doing it for a moment or two. What the hell? How - were they -

Oh, please tell me I didn't leave a cock-print on the window, Ulti thought, her face going from blue to red as she imagined how humiliating that would be, particularly if the other guests saw it. Ohhhhhhh, shit...

Hurriedly dressing, she stuffed her legs back into her briefs and sweat-pants. She pulled her socks back on but left her shoes off - that was fine, made it look like she'd been here for a bit - and jammed the t-shirt back on. She debated leaving the hoodie off, but no; the bagginess of it helped with any questions regarding pronouns if they came up.

She'd just managed to get the hoodie back on when she heard the front door click open. The voices got louder -

"Someone else got here first," the feminine one said.

"That's a little suspicious of you. Maybe someone just left the door open."

"Oh, please. I know this place charges very little, but you can see the pride here. Nobody would forget that. And the air's fresher than I expected; that means someone already opened the door and let in a breeze."

"Heh, aren't you a brilliant little detective?"

"Do not flirt with me. I have a girlfriend, and I am engaged."

"Just a little compliment, ma'am."

So, they weren't together, and one of them was quite a bit spikier than the other. The masculine voice sounded a bit older, too. Not old-old, but more mature. Maybe someone in his late thirties or something, which was definitely something of an age-gap that she hadn't been expecting. Ulti shuffled the hoodie further down her torso, shook her head from side to side, and adjusted her hair from the fear-frizz that had gone into it before taking one more deep breath.

Okay. Play it cool. You're fine. You're fine.

She smiled, adjusted her glasses, and opened her bedroom door. The blue-scaled lizard poked her head out, looking down the hallway.

The new guests were not what she expected. The one in front was a bird, one that was quite top-heavy at that, with powerful pecs and long wing-arms that made her think of some of the buff birds that had been starring in some of the big action movies lately. Black-gray-white, he somehow had a smile on his beak, something that made him look like someone's dad. Or at least, the good kinda dad, she supposed, the kind that got amused rather than upset by someone throwing a bit of a tantrum. And buff was the right word for him, she thought; big muscles in those arms, and unless those pecs were all feather-fluff, quite a bit in his chest, too, running down to a narrow waist and slender talon-legs.

Ulti looked at the other one. It was a snake, she was surprised to see - well, not surprise, per se, but interested to see. Snake females with girlfriends weren't so common - snake culture with breeding balls and such kind of forbade anything past male-leaning bisexuality for their females - but it was nice to see someone that was pushing against the norms. She was dressed better than Ulti or the bird was, though. The lizard recognized some of the brand symbols on the snake's clothes and bit back a whistle; just the stuff she recognized put that outfit at over $1,000. She could only imagine what the white-and-yellow-scaled snake woman was here for.

She put any thoughts about the other woman's hips, long neck and tail, and other more 'physical' features out of her head as she stepped out of the bedroom. She should probably introduce herself to keep this from getting any more awkward. As she waved, the other guests finally saw her. The bird smiled, the snake cocked her head to the side.

"Heh, looks like you were right, Maria," the bird said, lowering a backpack to the ground before offering a feathered hand. "I'm Pater, ma'am. And you are..."

"Ulti," she said, smiling as she took it. "Nice to meet you, Pater. And - Maria?"

"Obviously," the snake said, rolling her eyes. "I appreciate the attentiveness, however."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"...Yes, it is," the snake said, sighing. "I apologize. I am not used to...walking."

"She's here on a retreat," Pater said, chuckling. "And not a second too soon, from where I'm standing."

"What's that supposed to mean, hmm? Are you saying I'm being, ahem, bitchy?"

"Nah, nah. Just saying that you got all the signs of being stressed out, ma'am," Pater said with a laugh. "Hey, I'm gonna pick a room - you got one already, Ulti?"

"Yeah, the last one on the right before the stairs," the lizard said.

"Great. Either of you mind if I get a river room?"

"I'm good with it."

"I would prefer the forest side, anyway," Maria said, shaking her head. "I prefer to sleep well instead of being interrupted."

"Hey, I'll take the white noise. Gonna make it easier to conk out, anyway."

Pater walked away, and Ulti couldn't help but watch him go. There was something about the way that his broad shoulders moved under that tight shirt that tickled the anatomy student in her brain, making her think about how it would look without them there. Lots of muscle, and -

"Hmm. Will you be drooling over him this whole time?" Maria asked.

Ulti yelped, whipping her head around with a defense already on her lips - only to see that the snake was smiling. Not cruelly, but definitely with a hint of a crooked smirk at the corner of her muzzle. With her long tail swaying from side to side and her arms crossed under her breasts, she was clearly having a good time teasing.

"...No. I don't drool, for one."

"Good. I'd prefer to spend the next ten days with someone with standards," Maria said, dragging her suitcase behind her. "And while the bird has some, I feel that a woman would have more. And make the place feel just a bit less perverted, for that matter."

...Oh, joy...

A big buff bird that was almost like a daddy figure and a rich snake that had a judgmental streak a mile wide (and possibly a few issues with men). Pater had to be at least in his late thirties, while Maria gave her the vibes of someone on their gap year between high school and college. Suddenly, she was very glad that they all got their own room and that they could probably keep out of each other's way.

Well, Pater's not so bad, but...

Well, she'd figure it out. She would try to be sympathetic toward Maria; all the snake problems against anyone that wasn't a 'breeder' was probably giving the other girl a chip on her shoulder a mile wide. All things considered, she could understand that. Didn't mean that she wanted to spend time around it, but -

"So that is why the room was so cheap!"

Ulti blinked as the snake stomped out of the room. Without even asking, the serpent yanked Ulti's door open and stepped inside. Before the lizard could say a word, Maria groaned loud enough to be heard down the hall and stomped into another room, and then into Pater's. Each time, she made the same sound before grumbling her way back into the hallway.

"What's wrong?" Ulti asked.

"What's wrong? How did you miss it?"

"...Well, I only got here a little bit before you did, and I spent most of that time in the main room," Ulti said. Not a lie, either.

"Every room has a TV."

"...And?" she asked as Pater stepped out - oh, lord, he was shirtless. And that wasn't chest fluff.

"And all of them are putting off static, and none of them will shut off."

"Can't you just unplug it?" Pater asked, leaning against his doorframe.

"I tried that, you - mmmph. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that's not your fault, I'm just...mmmph."

"Hardlined?" Ulti asked.

Maria nodded.

"...Well, I said I wanted some white noise," Pater said, the bird shaking his head as he looked back into his room. "Do you want to take this one, Maria? Don't mind moving; I think the river will be louder than the TV static. Enough to keep it from keeping you awake, at least."

"...I'll think about it. And...thank you."

"Heh, no problem. Ulti, you need -"

"No, no, I'm fine," the lizard said, hurriedly dragging her eyes away from his pecs. "I'm not that bothered by noise, and I didn't even notice it when I put my stuff in there anyway."

Which was also not a lie. She hadn't noticed any static sound since they'd arrived, which made her wonder just how loud it actually was. Maybe Maria was throwing a bit of a fit over nothing, or maybe she was feeling it more intensely; she'd heard that some snakes were a lot more sensitive to vibrations than others.

Whatever the reason, she doubted that it would bother her. She could get by just fine.

She must have been blushing too much, though, because Pater chuckled and leaned back into his room.

"What are you doing?"

"Putting a shirt back on," the bird said. "I dunno about Maria, but I can tell that it's really distracting for you."

"And annoying to me; I didn't ask for a show," the snake said.

"I - well - um -"

"Nah, don't worry. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. And besides, I'm just here to get away from work for a while, not - well, not that you ladies would really be interested, I'm sure."

Ulti decided not to comment on that. Considering the volatility between the three of them at the moment - or at least Maria's general explosiveness - she didn't want to throw any more fuel on the fire. Instead, she just committed that muscular chest to memory and moved on.

Or at least, she would have, were it not for Pater leaving the room and waving for her and Maria to follow.

"Hey, why don't we have a quick chat? Get to know each other. We're going to be here for a while - ten days, right?"

"Uh...yeah, that's how long I booked," Ulti said.

"Then let's break the ice, at least. Might not cross paths that much, but at least this way we aren't at each other's throats from day one, eh? And maybe you can help me convince Maria that just because someone has a dick doesn't mean that they're looking to get into her panties."

"I heard that!" the snake shouted.

"Good! That's the point!"

It was said so playfully and such a smile in his voice that it was impossible for Ulti to keep a smile off her own face. Despite her clear irritation, the same could be said for Maria, and they both shared a shake of their heads before joining the bird in the kitchen.

Soon, they all had a drink. Nothing boozy, but enough to take the heat out of the air. Iced water for Ulti, a bottled cold tea for Maria, and a diet soda for the bird. They sat down at one of the tables - with just three of them, they didn't need to move another over - and got comfortable.

"So, who wants to introduce themselves first?" Pater said.

"Did you two talk on the way up?" Ulti asked.

"Nah. Well...I didn't." The bird tilted his head toward the snake. "She had plenty to say, heh."

"I was not ready for the walk, okay? I am used to driving, or biking. Not...walking. And not with this much luggage."

"I did offer to help."

"You're a stranger. How was I supposed to believe that you'd actually help instead of -"

"Maybe you could cut him a break," Ulti said. "I mean, he's been really nice so far. And he's not doing anything to make it worse for us. Hell, he's trying to be respectful of everything that you need."

"...I hate it when other people are right. I really hate it when other people are right."

The snake pinched the bridge of her snout, then downed enough of her tea to make it look like someone else sucking down a shot of booze. She thumped the bottle back on the table, then turned to face the bird straight-on.

"I apologize. You were being...nice...and I was in a snit the whole way here. You did not deserve that, and I...I appreciate you taking the time to try and make things better even when I was being...awful."

"Apology accepted, ma'am, and thank you kindly."

Maria nodded, then looked down at her cup. Ulti could feel the indecision coming off the other woman, but she wasn't sure what she could do to help. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Maria lifted her head and fixed them both with a stare.

"Fine. I'll go first. I'm Maria, and I graduated with honors from a rather prestigious private school just last year. I have a full scholarship for Oxford next year, and I plan on taking full advantage of it once my marriage is finished." She held up her hand, showing off a gold band on her ring finger. "I am happily engaged to a wonderful crocodile woman, and I am a full lesbian. Period. Full stop. There has never been, nor will there ever be, any interest in...males."

"Not looking for any," Pater said. "But thanks for the heads-up."

"Good. And Ulti -"

"It, uh, probably wouldn't work between us, either," Ulti said.

Both of them blinked, and the blue lizard groaned, covering her face and bumping her glasses up to her forehead in the process. She waved at the snake, shaking her head.

"Just...keep going. I guess I volunteered to go next."

"...Okay, then. Long-story short, I apparently have been 'too stressed' by my family's standards and my fiancee's, so they both put together the money for me to go on this nature retreat and vacation. I am not here because I want to be, but at least I can find time to read more. And if I can get back to the road from time to time, make a few calls, perhaps. Get the rest of the wedding details nailed down." Maria shook her head. "Now, explain."

"Blunt," Ulti muttered.

"You started it. Now, what about you?"

"Okay. Well, the reason why I'm here? Too much work," she said, holding out her hands and flicking one of the wrist braces. "The docs told me that if I didn't take a break and give them some rest from the workaholic schedule I'd been keeping, I was going to end up with carpal tunnel, at best. And I don't really have the insurance to deal with that if it happens, and I really don't want the long-term consequences of that, either. I don't want to lose my ability to keep doing art.

"So, I decided to take this little vacation, get in touch with nature, and just...unplug, I guess, as much as possible. So, I guess that makes the TV a little more of a plus for me; I can't sit down and start vegging out with the television, I have to take walks, or read, or maybe do a bit of drawing."

"You draw?" Pater asked. "Anything you can show us?"

"Well, um, if you want, I can pull out the sketchbook tomorrow."

"All this is fascinating - and I'm sorry about your wrists - but if we can get back to the whole 'it wouldn't work between us' thing again, please?" Maria said.

"She doesn't have to -"

"Pater. Politely. Shut up."

Maria hardly sounded polite at all with her request, but...well, much as Ulti didn't want to admit it, there was a fair concern there. She had brought it up, and she honestly was going to mention it just to avoid any awkward bits going forward, but she hadn't thought that it would come up like this. She rubbed the back of her head, fumbling around a bit before finally deciding how she was going to say it.

"Okay. Um...bluntly, then. I'm she/her, but I still have all...the other parts."

"But you are she/her?" Maria asked.

"Yes!"

"Then we have no problems," the snake said, leaning back in her chair. "Not interested, but I'm not bothered by you."

"The way that you are with me?" Pater asked.

"Bluntly -"

"We're all being blunt, apparently," the bird said, chuckling.

"I'll use a thesaurus later. Yes. I am."

"Well, hopefully that changes over time," Pater said, shrugging. "But I'll do my best to make it easier. And Ulti? Never would have guessed."

"The pronouns, or -"

"The other stuff."

"...Well, that's nice."

"Heh. Well, if you two are done, I guess it's my turn." Pater crossed his arms over his chest. "Long story short, I needed a break. A lot of stuff going on with work and old family stuff - ex-wife decided that she needed more space than before, decided that she wanted to try and adjust the spousal support agreement and all that. She's not bad, but she is...Well, no offense to someone that can't speak up for themselves, but she's a little money-stupid, and it's kind of the yearly push for the spousal support to go up again. Didn't mind doing it at first, but it's been ten years now, and sometimes, I just need a break from that kind of life."

"What do you do so that she can keep getting more?" Maria asked.

"Didn't do anything to her," the bird said, shaking his head. "But I manage a construction firm, and a good one. We get a lot of good work from the city, and that means that I get a pretty good paycheck. I can afford to give a fair bit, but over the years...well, let's just say that a 'fair bit' has changed to something closer to 'unfair.' Not to be cruel or anything."

"How much?" Maria asked.

"About...20% of the profits or something like that," Pater said, shaking his head.

"Upwards of $8k a month then."

Pater blinked. So did Ulti. They stared at the snake as she bristled.

"Hey, it's simple math. The average profit-line for a small-to-medium construction business outside of business costs, expenses, and labor is around $40k a month, and he's getting more than that. It's simple math."

"...Yeah. You deserve that scholarship," Ulti muttered.

It was the first thing that anyone had said to make Maria beam with pure happiness. She wondered how often that would happen.

#

They finished chatting at some point after sundown, and they all went to their rooms after. Ulti wasn't sure what the other two would be doing for the rest of the night, but she felt happy that they'd had that long round-table discussion about each other. Maria was still spiky and Pater was still...a little too relaxed, sometimes, but they were all in a better place with each other. And it was nice to have two people that just went with the whole gender stuff with ease.

She'd laid down to start sketching, idly losing herself in the forest noise and the faint hiss of the television static. It was easy enough to ignore and keep in the background, and the quiet sounds of the forest outside were nice to get lost in. Her hand moved slowly, taking her time with one sketch after another. Nothing serious - doctor's orders - but enough to keep her mind busy and keep her from getting bored.

Wonder what it's going to be like tomorrow, she thought, turning the page in the sketchbook. They're pretty relaxed now, but wonder if that's going to stick around. Would be nice if we could keep arguments from happening.

And maybe she'd get to see a little - nah, that was pushing things. Pater had made it pretty clear that he was straight during their chat; the ex-wife hadn't been from any closet-y thoughts or anything like that. It was just the pair of them not working out, and even the post-divorce stuff wasn't bad; his wife wasn't greedy, just kinda stupid, and the courts were being rather generous to her.

Ulti shook her head. She'd probably be better off getting some sleep sooner than later. There was another day ahead, and she should be rested for the first full day in the lodge. She tore herself away from the forest sounds and looked at the sketchpad -

And stared.

In her mindless doodling, she'd drawn both Pater and Maria. Worse, she'd drawn them naked. Not with each other - thank fuck - but naked, with Pater having a comically long cock and Maria's ass exaggerated to an absurd degree.

Ulti ripped the sketch out, balled it up, and threw it across the room. Nope, nope, nope, not letting anyone see that one. She'd need to go through the sketchbook and curate it a bit to make sure that there wasn't anything too naughty for when she showed Pater tomorrow morning. If he saw that, she'd die of embarrassment.

Putting the sketchbook back in her backpack, she stripped down to her sweat pants and slid into bed. Time for some rest.