FSE

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Part 1

The dark shape circled a couple of times, slowly losing height as it descended towards the rocky cliff. That shadow and the sound of leathery wings working the air, were the only warning that the dragoness was about to land outside her lair. It was early spring and a few wild flowers had dared show their colours early after the harsh winter, they were soon flattened as the scaly green reptile landed.

She had been patrolling her territory more than usual, trying to keep her mind occupied. After the gryphon had left a couple of months back, she had been terrified that she would be carrying eggs and that her only choice would be to destroy them the moment they were laid. But after a couple of weeks, no eggs came and she had felt so foolish. It was the oldest of laws that dragons and gryphons should not nurture cross bred eggs, but she'd never heard of it actually happening, not even once in her five hundred years.

The dragoness had treated her gryphon love so badly and now she feared that he wouldn't return at all. She couldn't blame him, but if she could talk to him one more time then she might be able to explain, might be able to... there was something wrong. She sniffed the air and her magical senses spread out in waves looking for whatever was out of place in her lair.

"Please lady dragon, I wish to talk to you one more time.", the young gryphon spoke humbly in fluent High Wurm.

He was in her lair, without invitation and she didn't care. She dived towards him and his ears drooped down further and he closed his eyes expecting the worst. The impact of her body against his nearly knocked him flat, but he pushed back and held his ground, if he was going to die, then he'd rather do it on his feet. But as her fore legs wrapped round his shoulders and her snout nuzzled in his furry mane, his entire body relaxed and he wrapped his talons around her body and squeezed her in return.

"I- I thought you h- hated me.", he said quietly, automatically reverting back to Low Wurm. His body trembled slightly and the dragoness pulled back to look him snout to beak. She saw subtle tears building in his eyes and he looked down, slightly ashamed.

"I'm so sorry, my sweet little gryphon.", she said, the guilt from all the pain she had caused them both making her voice waver slightly.

"Can we at least still be friends?", he said blinking frequently, trying to regain his composure. Still not quite able to look up.

"Friends?", she said carefully feigning offence, "I don't want to be with any other male."

She pulled him even closer and leaned back pulling him off balance, he only half-heartedly tried to stay upright and the green dragoness was heavier and stronger. She rolled onto her back and her soft spine spikes scraped against the rocky cave floor as she wriggled into a comfortable position. Finally her wings came up and around, enveloping her lover in a leathery cocoon.

"I want you as much more than just a friend...", she purred, nuzzling his thick brown mane once more. Her hot breath on his neck was more than a little enticing.

Her belly scutes were warm against his own furry belly and he had already started to feel quite warm anyway. The gryphon hadn't been able to get that night out of his head, the night they had first mated. He loved the way she had felt around him, the way she had moved against him. The intimacy they had shared had been everything he'd hoped it would be. He had wondered idly how being with a female gryphon would compare, though he wasn't sure he even cared anymore.

As gryphon's body responded to the thoughts in his mind and the gentle nibbling around his neck and ears, he accepted that they were just going to mate as they were, his beautiful dragoness on her back and him on top. It took him a moment to figure out the best angle but what he lacked in experience he made up for in enthusiasm. They mated quickly but not without tenderness, they knew each other's bodies well enough already. So as the slightest hint of spring blew through her lair, the dragoness and her beloved gryphon, banished the stress of the last two months, wrapped up in each other's embrace.

Part 2

The dragoness's claws dug lightly into the gryphon's rump as he tried to sneak away. He'd never been able to get up without waking her, it was almost as though she never even slept at all. He turned back to look at her and smiled pleadingly.

"Look at my wings.", he said in a stern tone. She was about to reply but he cut her off. "No! I need to get them sorted out, they feel horrible!"

She let him go and started to stretch, his wings looked fine, more than fine, she thought. But gryphons did seem to fuss over their wings a lot. He left the cave and headed towards the surface, although his eyes had adjusted to the darkness of her lair to a point, he still needed daylight to preen. She used to joke about how much time he spent on his wings, he would joke in return that she was just jealous of how much better he was at flying than her. That wasn't entirely untrue.

The green dragoness finished stretching her scaly limbs, yawned and took a deep breath. Even the cave smelled of him now, his scent was everywhere and it comforted her. She laughed at her own foolishness and headed out of the cave to go find him. The gryphon would no doubt be catching the morning sun on the east facing cliff outside one of the entrances to her lair.

It was a beautiful late summer's morning, they had gotten up later than usual because... well... they had been busy. She spotted him by the cliff edge with his beak in the feathers of the single wing he had stretched out. The dragoness gave him some space and laid down nearby facing him, she actually quite liked watching him preen. Perhaps he was a better flier than she was, but to have to go through all that, so often, would have driven her mad. There was a distant sound carried on the air, the both of them stopped and listened.

"Is that a dragon roar?", he asked slightly concerned, his wing folding back against his flank.

"Yes,", she said without turning away from the direction the sound came from, "A rogue male, maybe three or four hundred years old. He sounds pretty healthy..."

She shook her head and settled back down as though trying to be rid of an annoying fly, clearly trying to ignore the sound. She fidgeted slightly and clenched her jaw. The gryphon looked a concerned and a little nervous.

"If... if you need to go... then go. I understand.", he said quietly. She looked at him although he'd grown an extra pair of legs and struggled for the words.

"You... I... what?"

"You'll never carry my eggs. Even if the legends were true, we'd have to destroy them anyway...", his voice trailed off and his wings pulled tighter against his body before adding, "I wish I was a dragon."

It was like a physical blow, the words fell on her that hard. She got to her feet, rushed to him and held his head in her fore legs, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Never say that again!", she demanded with an angry growl, "You are perfect just as you are. I would never want you to change. Ever!"

He closed his eyes and pulled himself from her grip. She let him slip away, unsure of what to do or say.

"I know, I don't mean it. It's... it's just the one thing I cannot give you.", he said opening his eyes and looking at the floor. He took a deep breath, fluffed up his mane and spread his wings wide.

"GO!", he snapped his beak at her. She involuntarily took a step back, not sure how to deal with this uncharacteristic aggression. He let out a hiss and struck out at the air with his sharp talons, "Go to him! I will still be here when you return!"

She had been fighting her instincts since she had first heard the male's call. The dragoness's body had begun responding to the male's presence and she felt the pull, the draw, the instinct to go to him. Her body was ready to nurture a brood of eggs and this rogue male sounded like a good enough catch. But she loved her gryphon mate, he was the finest of catches, but he was also right. She looked him in the eye, reached out and grabbed him tight. He accepted the embrace and squeezed her back harder than she was used to.

"Please be here when I return.", she whispered in his ear. Then she pulled back from him and launched herself into the sky.

Part 3

Although it was a hot and sunny summer afternoon, the cave lair of the dragoness stayed cool and dark. Some light did filter down through the tunnels, but only just. It was a thick darkness which only those with the keenest eyes could penetrate. At the back of one such cave, a gryphon lay still, quiet and alone, his mind a swirling mass of emotions.

He had done the right thing in letting her go, he would never be able to give her what the rogue male dragon could. The gryphon's talons involuntarily scored the rocky cave floor and he found himself grinding his beak. It was a habit that he got from his mother, she denied it of course, but it had always been a sure sign she was getting annoyed. He wasn't annoyed though, he was fuming. The thought of his dragoness with another male made his blood boil. He felt the urge to take to the air, find him and deal with him. But rather than assure himself an early grave, he retreated to her sleeping chamber and stewed quietly to himself.

He knew she didn't want this other dragon, he wasn't afraid that she would stop loving her gryphon. He was angry mostly at himself for not being able to provide for her, as stupid as the thought was. He kept telling himself that it wasn't his fault, and that she had picked him anyway. He could even see the early signs of the powerful bond dragons sometimes formed with others. She probably couldn't even see it herself or didn't care. She was letting herself life bound with him... him! A mere gryphon.

His body relaxed slightly and a smile forced its way onto his face. He would be there for her when she returned and suddenly he felt sorry for this other dragon. The rogue would never actually know her, not the way her beloved gryphon did. His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sound, although distorted on its way through the tunnels, he recognised the sound of his dragoness's wings as she came in to land. He jumped up and jogged eagerly out of the cavern to greet her.

They arrived in the upper most cavern roughly at the same time and fell on each other and fore legs wrapped around torsos. She was breathing heavily and her tongue panted in the cool air of the cave. Their wings fought over who got to envelop who and by the end, her tired, over-worked wings lost and he wrapped her tightly in a warm feathery embrace. For a moment they just held each other, their hearts beating calmly, secure in each other's company. She soon pulled back and they both dropped back down onto their feet. The dragoness had a strange predatory look in her eyes.

"Your dragoness needs her mate to take her...", she growled lightly, dropping down low and baring her sharp teeth. He blinked a couple of times while he tried to make sense of the situation. He wanted her, he wanted to take her now to erase the uncertainties of the last few hours. If he had to fight for her, to prove himself, then he would.

He reared up on his hind legs and hissed at her and she growled back at him in return. As he landed back on his fore legs, he snapped his beak a few inches from her snout, she lowered her head slightly and growled again but didn't attack. The gryphon took the message and pounced forward landing his talons on her neck and shoulder and clamped his beak onto the back of her neck, being careful to avoid her neck spikes. His dragoness mate roared and struggled against his grip but she didn't put her full strength behind it, regardless, he nearly lost his grip anyway.

He pushed forward and down, turned his body so it was along side hers and tried to pin her with his weight. The dragoness resisted but not enough to prevent herself being push down partly onto her side. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, his blood racing through his veins as he wrestled with his love. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realised how absurd this was, she was heavier, stronger, better protected and had powerful magic. She was letting him win, letting him take her forcibly. It excited him more than he felt it should.

He pushed the thought away and mounted her as she struggled futilely below him, growling and trying to throw him off. He hissed a warning before clenching his beak down harder, he felt a couple of scales come loose from her neck and his beak suck into her hide. The dragoness took a sharp breath and her body trembled gently beneath him. Not wasting the moment he pulled back and positioned himself, not releasing his bite hold, her serpentine neck curved back. Then, he took her hard.

He pushed fast and deep into her, holding onto the base of one wing with a fore leg and sinking the talons of his other leg into her flank. Another couple of scales came loose beneath his strong talons. Maintaining the hold he had on her neck was difficult but he didn't care. She was his to take however he pleased. He did not last long, but that wasn't a bad thing. His muscles ached already, even as she let him win, his dragoness hadn't made it easy.

Then the gryphon was done, spent both physically and emotionally. But he had just enough strength left to crawl up behind his dragon mate and hold her tight, her back to his belly. She was panting slowly and each breath was punctuated with a contented sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment and the moment grew longer and soon carried them both to a deep satisfied sleep.

Part 4

His dragoness's domain spread across vast swathes of hills, grassland and forest. The sun had risen, Autumn was in full force and the forest was slowly shedding the colourful blanket of leaves it had so recently grown. The gryphon knew the lay of the land well and soared as he headed towards her rocky lair. He had just picked up a job which took him through her territory and he easily had time to visit her and stay for the day and maybe even the night.

It had been a couple of months since the gryphon had last seen his beloved dragoness and he had missed her dearly. He circled her lair a couple of times before choosing to land. Sometimes she would see him, join him in the air and they would simply fly for the sake of flying. It was also possible she would be out patrolling her territory, it had happened before a couple of times. So, he landed outside one of the shady tunnels and headed inside.

"Dragoness!", he called out. He had known since the day they met not to bother asking for her name. It was very rare for a dragon to name her young and few dragons chose to name themselves. She had never asked for his name either and he had never offered it. What good was knowing his name when she never saw any other intelligent creatures anyway. Well, minus the odd rogue male dragon that passed through her territory. A slight knot formed in his stomach, he took a deep breath and he forced it away.

There was no reply as he headed from the upper chambers down towards her sleeping chamber. Even as he descended into the darkness he could detect her scent on the air, there was something different about it though, something he couldn't quite place. The tunnel opened out into a large cavern and he could make out her dark motionless shape as his eyes began to adjust to the dim light. She lifted her head up and smiled a greeting but otherwise didn't speak.

"You look, terrible! Are you ill?", he exclaimed as he approached her and nuzzled his beak against her neck. She rubbed her snout into his mane in return and sighed with contentment.

"I'm only tired. I just haven't eaten for a few weeks.", she yawned and licked her snout a couple of times.

"What! Why?", he demanded. She slowly climbed onto her feet and the gryphon's eyes widened as he spotted the clutch of eggs below. A broad smile grew on his face as he counted the eggs. Dragons can lay five eggs? No wonder they take so long to mature.

She stepped out from the shallow dip in the stone floor, that she had carved for her first clutch all those hundreds of years ago, and stretched her fore legs out. She slowly moved to her hind legs and then finally stretched her wings while letting out another big toothy yawn. The dragoness then settled back down and wriggled slightly to get comfortable.

"I've had two clutches before. The first and last months are the worse, the other seven are easy.", she said sleepily while his beak dropped open slightly.

"You brood over your eggs for nine months without eating!?", he couldn't believe it. Even after a couple of weeks without food he felt like he could drop down dead at any moment.

Both gryphons and dragons laid eggs and had to brood over them to keep them warm, but that was where the similarities clearly seemed to end. Gryphons usually laid one maybe two eggs and both parents took turns to brood them while their mate went out to hunt. Even family members would help when needed, he himself had brooded over his cousin's egg when he was just ten years old. He'd been so excited and terrified at being given such an important adult job to do.

"I just wish I'd gorged a little more before I laid them.", she unwittingly interrupted his thoughts before adding with a smile, "But, I was busy with my gryphon..."

"Then let me help.", he added smiling at the memories of his last visit. At the time he'd not really thought about how solitary dragons looked after their young. She laughed lightly.

"You're not strong enough to bring a kill back and I will not be fed like some vast hatching!", she protested.

"No... I meant... I could keep them warm while you hunt?", he suggested quietly, not even sure what he was getting himself into. She stared at him for a second.

"You... would do that for me?", she asked, not even understanding why she instantly trusted him with the task. He nuzzled her again and pushed at her gently, prompting her to stand. She did so without much hesitation and he carefully traded places with her. Although he was bigger than he was when he had looked after his cousin's egg, it was tricky to keep all five eggs under his fluffy body. He would just have to rotate them so they all got their turn at the centre and use his feathery wings as well. He looked up at his dragoness and she wore the biggest smile.

"Thank you, my beloved.", she whispered in his ear before slightly reluctantly leaving the cavern to go and fill her famished stomach.

Part 5

The gryphon moved a couple of the eggs around beneath him and shifted his weight again. He wasn't very comfortable, but he felt very satisfied with what he was doing. For a gryphon to be trusted with something like this by a dragon perfectly capable of brooding her own eggs... was remarkable. She was rapidly life bonding with him and neither of them cared to stop it. He would happily help her look after the hatchlings until they flew the nest, it didn't matter that they weren't his.

He smiled and his eyes closed happily as he settled on the eggs. It could take forty, fifty even sixty years before all five hatchlings flew off to seek their own lives. Dragons took so long to mature. He'd be eighty years old by then, an old gryphon, old enough to be a grand parent or even a great grand parent. Except he wouldn't be. Never will be.

He opened his eyes and looked around and dark cave and laughed to himself, civilised gryphons did go feral on occasion, normally when there just wasn't space in the estates or colonies. But he never wanted that for himself, he enjoyed the luxuries too much. The light, warmth, clean water, the security, soft bedding... the company of other gryphons. He'd met quite a few over the years and had always enjoyed their conversation. He supposed he could get used to this life eventually, he'd still have his beloved dragoness.

When he was younger he'd had all these romantic dreams of how his life would play out. He'd meet another gryphon, maybe one who did courier or scouting work like he did. They'd fall in love, find a place to settle down, maybe one of the civilised colonies. Raise hatchlings, grow old together surrounded by their family and friends. Life seemed to have a very different plan in store for him now.

She'd be with him, his beautiful dragoness, and he would be happy to spend his life with her. He'd probably live to about a hundred, most civilised gryphons did, some ferals did as well. His dragoness would look after him, she'd be with him right to the end. But he frowned as he pictured the scene.

She would be holding him tight in the cold dark cave. His mane would be greying, feathers scruffy, talon joints stiff, fur dull and faded, looking every part the old gryphon long past his prime. Old age would have caught up with him and no magic could stop the passage of time. He would look up at his dragoness and she... she wouldn't have changed at all since the day they'd met.

He'd look back at his life and wonder about everything that could have been, everything that he'd missed. Then as the light finally faded from his eyes, it would take a part of her with it. The life bond with him would be a death sentence for her when he died. Right now it was still forming, but by then, it would be irreversible. The dragoness would at first probably rage at her love's passing, then she would try to distract herself, to carry on, but in the end she would just slump in her lair and sob. Eventually she would stop crying and then she'd stop everything else.

The gryphon's heart felt so heavy and his throat felt tight. What were they thinking? He didn't want to be feral and they were both needing more and more time together. Did she really want to die like that? His eyes grew wet with tears at the thought. His stomach lurched and he felt sick as he fought the urge to keen in the quiet of the cave. What sort of life would they both have? He didn't want to die in a dirty cave knowing his love would waste away in agony because of his passing. They both deserved so much more. He suddenly found calm, deep inside himself and dried his eyes. He had to be strong, for both of them.

It was only an hour or so later when he heard the familiar wing beats of his sweet dragoness echoing down through the caves. He looked down at the eggs below and gently placed a talon on one of them and smiled.

"Look after your mother for me.", he whispered to the brood in High Wurm.

As the dragoness entered the cavern he stood up and they embraced each other. She looked much better than before and was no doubt well fed. He held her tightly and hid his face from her as the hug lasted longer than it should. She pulled back and saw something in his eyes.

"What's wrong?", she enquired innocently.

"Nothing, I just have to go and finish something. This was only going to be a brief visit anyway.", he smiled nervously before adding, "I'm going to miss you my sweet dragoness..."

She smiled broadly in return as she settled down onto her eggs, carefully rolling each one into a comfortable pattern. They briefly nuzzled in the dark of the cavern and then he left for the surface. The tunnels felt unusually cramped and his heart began to race. The afternoon sun almost blinded him as he rushed out of the her lair. He didn't hesitate and took to the air as quickly as he could and suddenly the dragoness's territory seemed so very alien to him.

Part 6

She missed flying. Yes, flying and hunting. Food too, especially food. The sun! Oh, she wanted to feel the sun on her wings and scutes. The scaly green dragoness concentrated on those things, the things she had done for hundreds of years, the things that she had to do to live. She was tired and hungry but any day now she would be able to take to the air once more. It had been over seven months since she had last left the cave. She looked down at the eggs she was carefully wrapped around and turned a couple of them carefully. Focus on these things, not him.

The gryphon had left her. He'd never been away for more than two months before, often he'd visited every two weeks! After the third month she'd started panicking, had something happened to him? After the forth she had sobbed quietly to herself, hating herself for feeling so weak and helpless. By the fifth month she realised he wasn't coming back. In hindsight, she should have realised. The signs had all been there for her to see.

The dragoness didn't hate him for what he'd done, deep down she knew why he'd left her. What they'd had was beautiful, but at the same time it could never have lasted. His short life would have consisted of her and looking after the hatchlings that weren't even his. A civilised gryphon needs to be with his own kind, in a warm bed, not in a cold dark cave looking after another male's hatchlings. It hurt her so deeply, and she couldn't explain why she actually felt like dying. So she focused on her brood, she had felt some movement from the clutch this morning, it was a sure sign they were getting ready.

She felt rather than heard the first tap. Although thick, her belly scutes were sensitive enough and her heart suddenly skipped a beat and then started beating faster. She lifted her body from the clutch of eggs and looked for the one that was beginning to hatch. She was so stiff and her body ached, her limbs felt so heavy and the effort it took to stand was remarkable. Stepping out of the nest on wobbly legs she settled next to her eggs and watched them in the dim monotone light of the cave.

A hole appeared in one of the eggs and a small snout poked through and started gasping at the air, it stayed like that for a while as the egg rocked slightly. The dragoness resisted the urge to help, they had to make this journey for themselves. Another egg began to rock slightly and her heart swelled with pride.

The first egg rocked further and a tiny clawed paw reached through and began to tear at the shell, this little dragon was eager to escape its prison and see the world. She leaned in and inhaled her hatchling's scent and smiled, although a little odd, this was definitely the scent of a male dragon hatchling. The shell quickly formed a long crack around its centre and fell into two halves. The hatchling flopped out, slightly wet and the dragoness's heart sank. There was something very wrong.

Even in the dark light of the cave she could see just enough to realise that this hatchling wasn't right. His head frills were not properly formed and his tail was too thin. But worst of all, his wings had no membranes at all. She had been told by her mother, all those centuries ago, that sometimes hatchlings just didn't grow correctly. If they couldn't feed, couldn't survive, then it was the kindest thing to do to save them all the pain. The life of a dragon who couldn't fly was no life at all.

She sat up and lifted him up into her fore paws and nuzzled him gently with her snout, he responded by grasping her chin with his tiny fore claws and licking at the sides of her mouth, trying to encourage her to feed him. She pulled her head away, trying to ignore him, she didn't have anything to give him until she'd fed anyway. Not that she planned on it, it would be cruel to feed him. The other egg still rocked gently but the other three laid still.

At this stage it couldn't do any harm to force her senses through the shells with magic, she had to know that the others were alright. She concentrated her magical senses on the shells and came across the barrier, she pushed through with some of her own magic and the inside of the egg became clear to her. She clenched her eyes shut and turned her head away, the first egg was dead. The thing inside was a small and malformed, it hadn't survived more than a few months at best. The next egg was almost empty, what ever tried to grow there hadn't gotten very far. The same was true of the third egg as well.

Finally the dragoness looked inside the gently rocking forth egg and she choked a little. It was alive, but it had two tails, only two talon-like legs and no snout at all. It was feebly trying to scrape its way out of the egg, it would never make it. Even if she freed it, it wouldn't have survived, it had no mouth at all. She magically reached into the creature with a very different intent and wrapped her senses around the glowing pulse that she found deep inside it and pulled. There was the briefest of resistance before the unhatched creature lost the fight and stopped moving completely.

The dragoness's body sagged as though trapped under a massive weight, she had lost her entire brood. But her brows furrowed slightly and she looked back into the forth egg. Its legs were almost exactly talon-like, her poor tortured heart skipped a beat and she quickly picked up the surviving hatchling in her mouth and ran out of the cave.

The summer sun was blinding as she exited the cave, her eyes watered but she knew how far the cliff's edge was from memory. She had brooded over her eggs throughout both winter and spring and now the air was full of summer insects and tree blossom. As her eyes adjusted she sat and dropped the hatchling into her fore paws and examined him in the early evening sun. He didn't have deformed frills, they were ears, and his wings weren't structured like a dragon's wings, they looked more like... exactly like she remembered from her childhood. She gave a half-hearted smile.

"You virile little gryphon, these are yours after all...", she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath as she felt her eyes sting slightly and become damp.

The little hatchling stared up at her silently with a pair of clear purple eyes. He clumsily reached his little fore legs out towards her and she quickly turned him over. Instead of spikes he had some scruffy little tufts of fur on the back of his neck and his flailing tail was showing off some short brown fur too. He was a hybrid, a forbidden hybrid. A single tear rolled down her face as she lifted him up towards her jaws.

"I'm so sorry...", she whispered as she placed his head into her toothy maw. He squirmed against her tightening grip as her teeth pressed against his neck. He let out a high pitched sound like a bird as one of his tiny claws found purchase in the soft flesh of her mouth. She barely felt it through her sorrow. She closed her eyes as she felt him struggle in confusion against her snout, he didn't seem to like this game. She growled in hope that it would make this easier, but she only worried that it might scare him. Just pretend he's a rabbit, you're hungry, just pretend he's a rabbit.

She pulled his head out of her mouth and started breathing again, she hadn't even noticed that she'd stopped in the first place. He seemed so healthy, he had the right number of limbs, his eyes were clear, his feeding instinct was there. Why should I kill him? Why should I lose my entire brood because of a law meant to stop suffering? He didn't seem to be suffering she decided as she looked down at him. He'd lost interest in her and was trying to watch a tiny insect flying nearby but was finding it hard to concentrate on one thing at a time. Typical hatchlings.

Then she would keep him and nurture him best she could. If he showed signs of not developing properly, she would put him out of his misery. But for now, he was not suffering and she was not prepared to make herself suffer by losing her entire brood. She gently lifted him in her mouth and took him back down to her nest. She smiled around the wriggling hatchling, he even has his father's ears she thought.