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The rain had returned to the Grey Marshes as it always had. It had started as a light drizzle that coated everything in a light mist of water. It was nice and cool, but not drenching. Then came the storm. Large, pounding raindrops pelted the people of the swamp, forcing them to go for cover just like they always did. The rain would saturate the ground and turn everything to mud.

Ferelis braved the weather as he paced back and forth in front of a large stone mansion. The gates were closed and a single guard stood watch inside of a wooden guard house where he nervously watched the dragon that steamed from the rain hitting his burning scales.

It had been seven days since Nedric had disappeared and Ferelis hadn't been faring well at all during that time. Food had no flavor, the sun was no longer cheerful and the nights were long with no familiar body pressed up against his own as he slept. There was no smiling face when he opened his eyes and worst of all, had failed in his duty as Nedric' guardian. It was a crushing blow to everything the dragon stood for.

Nedric looked up at one of the second story windows of the mansion that had stood proudly on one of the only pieces of solid ground in a hundred miles. It had been constructed some two hundred years earlier by the first rulers of the Grey Marshes, handed down from one ruler to the next until it ended up with Claudius who was now entertaining an "associate."

Ferelis hated how he was being left out of the loop. Claudius had refused to tell him about who he was seeing, only that he was following leads on the whereabouts of Nedric and that his associate's identity had to remain secret to all.

Now he waited for whatever news he could get.

"Y'know." A well dressed man in a lavish coat said as he peaked through a small sliver in the drawn curtains. "It's not smart to keep a dragon waiting. Especially in weather like this."

"Let him wait." Claudius waved the idea off. "He'll wait if it means he gets Nedric back." Claudius was sitting in a chair by a fireplace, sipping from a cup of tea that was steaming.

"I'm sure he would." The man walked away from the curtain, unsure if the eagle like eyes of the dragon would be able to spot him. He didn't want to take a chance, if the dragon learned of who he was and what he represented, he was sure that he would quickly become a smoldering pile of ash. "Though time is of the essence."

"Indeed." Claudius nodded and motioned for his mystery guest to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea of his own.

The man sat down, but did not take a cup, he was taking the meeting much more seriously than his host who had done nothing but joke."The time frame will be small." The man began to talk business. "Once everything goes into action, it will be up to you to ensure he dies."

"I will be ready." Claudius said and finished his cup. He set down the cup and admired a portrait of his ancestor, Lord Germon who had once been in line for the throne, but had been chased out after a coup upset everything. "I'll ensure everything goes exactly as planned." He looked at the man who had an impassive look. "Just make sure your master is ready."

The man chuckled in a way that unsettled Claudius. The man had always been unsettling, he never ate anything or drank whatever Claudius offered and seemed so sure of himself. "Caval knows what he's doing."

"I sure hope he does." Claudius leaned on a knee. "Even though he isn't a lord anymore, Marl has lots of allies. If we fail..." He sighed and rubbed his face as the stress set in. "We won't survive the lash back."

"Don't underestimate a dragon." The man remain impassive, his host's worry not doing anything. "All will be fine and you will have vengeance for your sister. I assure you."

Claudius' hand balled up into fists. "I'll have his head."

The man, for the first time smiled and it didn't bother Claudius one bit.

--

Nedric kept looking for a way to escape. Whenever he got an opportunity to be alone, which was quite often since it seemed that everyone did believe that the fortress was inescapable, he looked for anything. There was an ungated sewer drain that went into the mountain, but that could just drop straight down which was a problem for most of the exits that would have been viable at a normal establishment.

Every time he went looking, he came back to the same place, the mines. They were unguarded most of the day, minus when a shipment arrived through them at noon each day. A small line of pack mules that came in through the mines and left through the gate. They brought meat, bread and other things that just couldn't be grown. Nedric was currently trying to find a way to figure out how they got through the maze of tunnels and shafts.

He would stay and watch them, trying to see if any of the three people who accompanied the supplies had a map. This went on for two days until a different person than the usual appeared. He wore a turban that protected him from the nipping, high altitude cold and an armored leather coat accompanied by a single long sword at his side. He stood watch as the other two offloaded.

He kept a solid lookout even though he was safe until the cat came by. He kneeled down to pet it for a moment behind the ear. The cat seemed to enjoy it until it became disinterested and scampered off.

Nedric was inside, watching from a window. He studied the men, hoping to get sight of some sort of map, he doubted that they would brave the mines without some sort of affirmation they weren't going to get lost.

"Sir, your dinner is ready." A servant walked in, startling Nedric who jumped and hit elbow on the stone windowsill.

Nedric hid the bump which was bleeding a little and turned towards the servant who was a teenaged girl. Kar had told Nedric about how there were generations of families who worked at the fortress, they had been there long before Kar had inherited it. They knew the place better than anyone, including Kar. They had a knack at being able to disappear and reappear in seemingly impossible locations. The other day, Nedric had spotted an elderly man walking on a ledge above the fort where there seemed to be no way to get other than climb. Nedric watched the man pick mushrooms and then walk out of sight. He then saw the man again a few minutes later dropping off the mushrooms in the kitchen.

Nedric had tried to talk to them, but they only replied about how they could make his stay more comfortable.

"Just set it down." Nedric said as he held his elbow.

The servant bowed and set the tray of hot rice and meat along with a cup of wine on a nearby table. The cat that Nedric had seen on his first day here was trailing her, but stayed in the room. The cat looked up at the food, seeming to contemplate taking a bite even though Nedric was right there watching it.

"Don't think about it." Nedric warned Misha.

Misha looked at Nedric with a glare and began to groom its private parts, all the while maintaining perfect eye contact.

Nedric shook his head. "Cats." He growled and went over to eat his food. He needed to escape, but he couldn't do it on an empty stomach.

The food was rich with spices, something that most food lacked since spice had to be imported from the east. He loved the spiciness the beef had and how even the rice had a hint of pepper to it. If he did escape, he would miss the food.

Nedric felt a light brushing on his leg. Misha wanted attention.

"Bipolar aren't you." Nedric said with some food in his mouth. He reached down and scritched the cat behind the ear and it purred in return, pushing into his hand.

Nedric gave it a couple of good scratches until his hand came across something that wasn't fur.

"What's this?" Nedric pulled out a small rolled up piece of paper.

The cat, seemingly knowing that its job was done, ran off somewhere else in the room.

Nedric didn't notice as he unrolled the paper.

"Friends on the outside. Just wait a little."

The message was in neat handwriting and seemed fresh. Was it the new guard in the supply caravan? He did see him pet the cat only a few minutes before getting the paper.

Nedric pocketed the paper, unsure of how to act. he didn't want to wait, not with Marl due to arrive in a few short days to collect him like some prize pig to be sold and then slaughtered. Whether or not he did have friends on the outside, he needed to get out, and he would do it as fast as possible. If these people wanted to help, they would need to catch up.

---

The man watched as the cat ran off back to the house. He was sure that it would get to where it needed to go since some of the servants in the house were in on the plan as well. They would get the cat to Nedric in short order.

"Alright that's the last of it." One of the others said as he unloaded the last sack of rye onto a large pile of food. "Let's head out, the almanac says that it's supposed to rain this week. Sorry we can't stick around and share a drink." He said to one of the guards who was watching as the servants automatically came out to collect the good.

"Just remember to bring some cards next time." He said and pulled out a small coin bag that jingled. "So I can get this back from you."

"Just like last time?" The man chuckled at memory of cleaning three guards out of all of their wages for a week.

"No." The guard grumbled. "But, I'll have my pay back."

"We'll see." The man said and waved as he got the lead ass moving towards the front gate. The three walked out and began the long descent down, it would be dark by the time they got to the bottom.

"You think he got it?" One of the men asked the guard.

"He got it." The guard replied. "Those servants may be a strange bunch, but they keep their word."

"How did you even get one of them to do what you wanted?" The man at the front with a black wool scarf on asked. "I thought they were loyal to Kar."

"They're loyal to the fortress." The guard corrected his companion. "Some of them believe that Kar is no good and therefore have no trouble undermining him."

"Servant rebellion." The scarf man laughed. "That always ends well."

The group crossed a small stream that came from the top of the mountain and stopped on the other side.

"You said we need to wait here for the others?" Scarf asked.

"Yeah." The guard said and sat down on a nearby rock. He pulled out a small piece of wood and a knife and began whittling away. The other two sat down as well by the animals and talked as they waited. It was several hours before they spotted a single figure approaching in a black cloak and a massive and expensive looking bastard sword on his back.

"Was the message sent." The new figure approached the guard who was nearly finished whittling away a figure of a flightless dragon ready to pounce. The figure looked at the statue until it was put away.

"The message was sent."

"Good." The figure crossed his arms. "Now it's my turn."

"There's guards all along the route up, don't get spotted Duncan."

Duncan smiled. "Don't worry about me. Just tell me how to navigate the mines."

---

Caval had stopped stalking Nedric, but he didn't stop thinking about how valuable the boy was. He was the key to getting his egg back which had been stolen from him by Marl. It had come as a shock when he had returned to his brood to find his egg missing several months earlier. He had been so careful and Kar and made sure to set guards all around the clock.

It had been one of the guards as he soon learned when he was caught with a letter from Marl detailing where he took the egg and how much he had been paid.

What good the money did the man when Caval had dropped him, screaming and begging for mercy, off the side of the mountain. Kar had insisted that he be interrogated before such an act be committed, but Caval had no patience for it which was why he had essentially forced Kar to go along with his plan to trade Nedric for the egg.

The egg, white with blue mottled and the size of an ostrich egg was his sole offspring from a long line of failed matings. He had brought in many females, not all willingly and set his seed in their wombs in the hope of getting an egg, but none laid until he came across a particularly strong willed individual, Mouri.

He had come across her on one of his hunts that he liked to go on. Most days he came back empty because it was more of a way to get away and enjoy some time to himself, if he wanted to, he easily would have been able to catch something.

It was during this flight to the north where snow fell all year round that he came across as very alluring scent trail, the scent of a female dragon in heat.

The smell dug itself deep in his brain, awakening a part of him that no human would want to see as his primal instincts came alive. He followed the trail which had been weak to begin with for two straight days without rest until he came upon a cave.

Caval stood at the mouth of the cave and peered into the pitch blackness. He could smell her in there, most likely hiding away during heat to avoid too many suitors. Females were notorious for playing hard to get even when their loins ached for some strong male to come and fill their need to mate.

Normally there was a ritual between males and females, a courting before mating, but Caval had forgone such things in the past in order to speed up the process, and he had no intention of luring the dragoness out to him.

Caval took his first step into cave and out of the snow when a blast of fire came out and engulfed him. Being a dragon that would often light itself on fire, this had no effect other than igniting the natural oils on his skin.

"Stay back, hunter." A voice hissed from inside.

Hunter... Caval fancied it since he had been out on the prowl earlier and he was hunting her now.

"Do you not ache?" Caval laughed as the flames on him melted the snow in a large area and cast a dancing orange light into the cave. "Do you not want one so strong as I to pass on the line?"

Reminding dragonesses of why they were hiding sometimes worked. If the heat was in its prime, a dragoness often couldn't resist what was natural.

There was a moment of silence and a shuffle. "I... I do not want you." The voice was unsure. She was close, so close to her prime. She would be at her most fertile now and the time window was short.

"But you do." Caval challenged and took another step into the cave, casting his burning light deeper into the cave. He looked for the dragon, but she was still too far in to see. "You will find no other prime mate than I." He boasted and puffed out his chest.

"All would make such claims." The dragoness said. "Yet none are what they say, not when I am like this."

"If you assume all lie, then you will never have a mate." Caval called her out. "Can you not see me." He said and gave off the loudest roar he could to prove that he was a prime specimen. "How many can roar like I?"

There was silence as the dragoness contemplated. A roar that was loud and clear, bold and strong, was the sign of a healthy dragon. If Caval had been sick, it would have sounded it.

"Come now, don't be shy." Caval said in his smoothest voice. "Step into the light." He would give her one last chance before he would go in and get her himself, but he wouldn't need to.

A paw came out of the darkness, a small blue, scaled foot with sharp claws followed by the rest of the dragoness. She was smaller than Caval, but so few females were larger than males, and Caval was large by many standards. She looked shyly at Caval as the last of the flames died down.

Caval smiled at his victory and the fresh wave of rich and inviting scents that beckoned him and made his sheath tighten in anticipation. He held himself though, she was coming willingly and there was no reason to ruin her.

As per tradition when courting, she bowed, her front forearm bending as her front half came down. Caval mirrored the image and bowed as well, lowering his head lower than hers as a sign of respect since he was coming into her home, cave or not.

"It has been a long time since I have spoken with a male." The dragoness lifted her head out of the bow, any anger on her face was gone, replaced with curiosity and a bit of fear at the sight of a large male.

"I can not say the same about me and other females." Caval boasted proudly and invited himself inside so that he was face to face with the female who had a slight tremble in his hind quarters. She was just beginning to get a smell of his scent now that the flames were entirely gone and the smell of burning oil was wafting away.

Fighting through a sudden urge to just throw this male onto the ground and mount his peeking breeder that was slowly, but surely protruding from the soft, fleshy sheath beneath him, the dragoness replied. "Do not think that your experience will rule here." She said sternly. "This my abode that you have been invited into."

"Of course." Caval nodded. "But, first. I do believe that custom dictates that we exchange names."

The dragoness was shocked that they had forgotten for so long. Dragons didn't just mate with whomever they pleased, though she got some different vibes from the male. They were civilized about it.

"Allow me to go first." Caval offered. "I am Caval, Guardian of Lord Kar."

The dragoness sneered, but replied accordingly. "I am Mouri." She didn't add anything else. Mouri hated the idea of a dragon mingling with humans, as far as she was concerned, they were below them and savage with all of the wars and killing they took part in. To associate with them was to lower the standards of dragons.

"What is wrong?" Not even a deaf man would have missed the sneer with the way Mouri's face contorted and her nostrils flared in utter disgust. "How have i offended you?"

Mouri backed away from Caval as if being near him would poison her. "You serve humans and I was beginning to think that you were a dragon of good standard."

"I serve no one." Caval barked and startled the smaller dragon. "I can leave when I please." He looked at the cave they were in, small now that his eyes were adjusted to the dim lighting and wet from small leaking cracks in the ceiling. "Am I here with you instead of back at Lord Kar's home where it is dry and warm."

"Your dry and warm home makes you soft." She stomped her front paw on the hard, cold ground. "You do not know how to survive anymore."

Caval played along, not really caring about the opinions of this one dragoness. He wasn't weak, living with humans was mutually beneficial. Humans gained a protector that warded off possible foes and in return, they provided for him, allowing him the time to do just this. "My dear." He said with a suave. "You do not know what you speak of." He knew of a way to entice her. "Not until you try it."

"Try?!" She reared back. "I do not need to try anything." She looked at he little hole in the side of a mountain, some regret in her eyes, but that was quickly cast away with determination. "I have agreed to lay with you, after that, you will leave."

Caval gave a sly grin. He didn't care really, though it would have been fine to bring her back to his nest that he had prepared. "If that is your wish." He would just have to make sure his seed took this one time.

It took a while for Mouri to settle down and Caval, much to his lessening patience, made sure to ensure she was comfortable, not so much for her comfort but to make her as virile as possible. Dragonesses were known to become less fertile when under stress and that was probably why those who came before Mouri did not lay. Caval didn't want anything to go wrong this time.

Mouri settle down at the back of the cave where she had been sleeping. With no ventilation, the air was thick with her scent, begging for a male. Caval inhaled the need that she had been hiding and was still hiding with each breath he took in. It took all of his will to not pin her down and take her right then and there. How he wanted to put his rapidly engorging breeder into her, soft, moist hole where he would piston her and then fill it with his white, steamy seed. The thoughts clouded his mind.

"I have been moving across the land to get to the ocean." Mouri brushed away some scraps from successful hunts, mostly deer and other animals, but there were a few sheep that she had picked from local farms in the area. She failed to notice how Caval stared at her every movement, watching each of her individual muscles move under her thin layer of scales and leathery skin that led down her back to her full rump.

"What's..." Caval found it hard to speak. He was feeling hot, more so than when he was lit on fire. He had never felt so flustered. "What's at the ocean?"

"Mostly better hunting." Mouri sighed. She had been struggling in recent months to find enough food to keep herself fed. Her old home, Povil, as the humans called it, was in the middle of a drought and all of the animals had either died or fled and she too had to leave, the human's would not tolerate her eating their precious livestock. Before, they never noticed when a sheep, or a single cow disappeared, it was only natural. Plus, it was hard to keep track of all of them when most years, the farmers she took from had hundreds. Now the humans kept a tight hold on the animals and a tighter one on their swords.

"I have never tried fish." Mouri kept herself busy. She was nervous. This was her first breeding and though she thought herself lucky to come across a strong male, it still frightened her. He was cocky and so full of himself, it infuriated her so much. She had thought about telling him to leave and by tradition, he would have had to, but something about how he had come right to her, told her that he wouldn't have left. She would have have no way of fending him off.

"I do not enjoy the taste of the sea." Caval answered. Kar had brought back a large catch of fish one day when he had gone sailing and cooked them all, serving them to the entirety of the fortress and the sailors who had crewed the sloop he borrowed from an old friend. He tried one and immediately despised the small, scaled creatures. The flavor was unlike anything he had before, he preferred beef, heavy with fat and marbled.

"It will be an experience." She said, both talking about the fish and the fact that she was now brushing away dust from the floor. She was so nervous. "I have to admit..." She looked down ashamed that already everything was going so awkwardly. She had yelled at Caval, threatened him, acted playful, so many emotions so fast, it was a clutter of hormone driven actions that left her entirely unprepared.

"You haven't mated before." Caval guessed easily enough. This was not the first time he had come across an unbled female and he doubted Mouri would be the last, he was becoming somewhat of an expert at finding females that don't want to be found.

"Yes." She looked at Caval, finally catching sight of his impressive length that hung heavily beneath the dragon. It was long, two feet and had a tapered tip and one end and two large bulbous knots that would tie her to him for hours. It pulsed with each heartbeat and was an angry red. Mouri quickly looked away, her breathing becoming rapid and a flutter in her own loins.

Such looks rarely went unnoticed by Caval and this wasn't an exception. "I assure you." He said, continuing the conversation. "You have nothing to worry about. Let me guide you." He slowly crept towards her and she didn't move away this time. "I will make this a truly wonderful night for the both of us." He wasn't lying, he had no reason to hurt her if she did what he said.

Caval's nostrils flared as he breathed in her fresh scent that was pouring off of her, he had been taking shallow breaths before, but now...

Mouri shuddered as Caval came up next to her, his head hovering over her with her head inches from his broad chest. She could still see the very end of his impressive cock that seemed to have grown even more, it was just an endless log of breeding meat that protruded from the sheath that was stretched and pushed behind the knot.

Mouri licked her lips, the male's own testosterone scent muddling her mind and digging up her own breeding behavior.

Mouri leaned forward and pressed her head against Caval's chest, listening to his heart that pounded strongly as it provided his extremities with enough oxygenated blood for the coming event.

Caval was sensitive to the touch and he shivered with anticipation and nudged Mouri with is long muzzle, caressing her long neck. He dug his claws, extending and retracting his claws much like a cat as he elicited a noise that some would compare to a purr. He closed his eyes.

Mouri was surprised that she had gone ten seconds and hadn't been pinned to the floor. She had been expecting a long and rough night, but Caval had been truthful, he wanted an enjoyable night.

A little less unsure now, Mouri became bold. She had seen other dragons mate before, it was not as uncommon as one would think, at least from a human's point of view. One simply had to know where to look to find large amounts of dragons.

Dragons were rare, more rare than nearly any other species, but in large enough numbers that they were in no way in danger of going extinct, even if something were to happen that would break the old treaties with the humans which was even more unlikely. There were many havens that the dragons used which were hidden away from the eyes of the humans, they didn't need to know everything.

Mouri had been traveling to one such Haven that she had heard about from another dragon in Povil who had left a week before she had. He had been an long friend of her's and she expected to meet up with him once she got to the sea. If this mating was successful, her plans would be extended for the month it took for an egg to develop since it was the duty of the father to watch over the egg to allow the female to go back into heat and mate more to extend the line.

Enough of that, Mouri thought, she had set no deadline for herself. As Caval worked himself up in smells, Mouri took more affirmative action. While rubbing her body against, Caval's slick and oily scales, Mouri padded up to the side of him to get a better look at his package.

It was already leaking, a slow, dribble that fell to the ground, making a small puddle.

A tongue went out and snapped Caval out of his small bout of daydreaming as the tongue traveled up his length. He sucked in a breath that staggered out with pleasure. His eyes rolled up and his tongue lolled out.

Mouri rolled her eyes. Males. She teased the knot, letting her long and agile tongue, meant for tasting the air while on the hunt, wrap around the base of the cock and gave it gentle tugs. The taste was earthy and strong, infused with the taste of this male, but clean and not revolting in the slightest.

"You're going to make me waste my seed on the ground." Caval managed to say between gasps. He looked at Mouri who gave an inquisitive look back. "I would have to stay the night to ensure I have a proper load for you, my dear."

Not a bad idea, but as much as she wanted to make his knees buckle, she wanted to mate more now than ever and the urge would not push through the night.

The teasing tongue went back into her mouth where she washed the flavor around.

Caval walked around Mouri and nuzzled at the side of her face passionately. While he was capable of taking complete control and forcing himself upon her, he was having a good time, but good times were about to get better.

Caval brought his front legs up off the ground and rested them on the sides of Mouri, grabbing a firm hold of her and resting his neck on hers. His cock shot up and teased at her cunny, his tip, which was hard, but very sensitive, just barely entered and both moaned.

"Do not tease me." Mouri shoved herself back, forcing the cock into her hole and the roar that erupted from Caval as a foot and a half of his already three and a half foot monster slid in.

He would have scolded her for taking charge like that if he didn't so readily agree with her actions.

His hips began to push forward, slowly pushing himself deeper and deeper into the dragoness, and closer to her single egg that was waiting to be showered in sperm.

Caval stopped when his top prodded something, a blockage, her cervix. He let himself sit in her for a bit, her warmth surrounding him. Then he began to pull back.

As the rod slid back and out, Mouri was given a lonely sense of emptiness. She just about whimpered when he shoved back into her, his spear, stabbing at her cervix which refused entry at the moment. Challenge accepted.

His knot pushed at her entrance, wanting to pull them together into a tie, but it couldn't. Caval continued to hump faster as he felt himself approaching climax. He wanted every single inch of himself in her to ensure that every bit of his seed went straight to the egg. He pushed harder and hard, his claws digging into Mouri's sides, drawing small lines of blood. His breathing became rapid, in synch with is lovemaking.

Mouri pushed back into the male, the pain of the claws in her sides stimulating her. She felt the constant barrage softening her up, he would get into her egg chamber any second now and fill her brimming with his seed. So she pushed back harder and the two of them slowly walked back until they were up against the wall.

Using the wall as leverage, Caval placed one of his read feet onto to it. He used it to push harder. Still he would not tie and he was seconds away from letting his load loose which would end up spilling onto the ground.

Sensing Caval stiffening up around her and in her, Mouri just about leapt back, shoving Caval back into the rock wall and with him already pushing forward, the knot began to slide in.

It was painful beyond belief, as the large, already engorged balls of flesh forced her open beyond what was meant. It happened so slowly. Mouri blinked away as dark spots filled her vision. The knot was so large, she felt as if she was being torn in to.

The knot struggled until it finally reached the point where it was the thickest, then it slid right in with a lewd pop and that also pushed Caval past the cervix, right into her egg chamber where a small, microscopic egg waited to be swarmed.

Caval's hefty orbs pulled up to his body, tightly as they began to unload their potent contents directly into Mouri. The hot, cum shot out in gushes, pulse upon pulse of the white liquid quickly filled up the egg chamber and began to backflow into her tunnel.

Mouri squeezed Caval's shaft, milking it for all he had even as she felt that she didn't have room for anymore. Her gut was expanding slowly as every crevice was filled to the brim. She was taken for sure.

When the ejaculations subsided, the two collapsed onto the ground in a exhausted afterglow. Caval nipped playfully at Mouri's ears. "You will need somewhere out of the cold to stay. Come with me, back to my home." He re-offered.

Mouri became a little annoyed that he had asked her again now that she could not physically get away from him. "What is wrong with here?" She asked, adjusting her position a little. She could feel the small sea of cum in her belly move as she did.

"You have no proper nest here." Caval looked at the rather barren cave. "This is no place for an egg and will I not take possession once you lay. I would prefer to watch over it where I know it will be safe."

Mouri thought about it, he made good points and she was now curious about living with humans, even if it was just until she laid. "Won't the human you're protecting become upset?"

"Kar? No, he knows that I have a nest and will not interfere, he know what and what not to mingle with and as do I with him."

"Let me think it over."

"Very well." Caval rested his paw on Mouri's stomach where his unborn child was now. "Just know that in the end, the egg is coming with me."

"I know." Mouri yawned. She rested her head on the ground and closed her eyes to go to sleep.

Caval wrapped his arms, legs and wings around them as they both fell asleep.

Caval looked at the empty nest that once held his single, precious egg. He remembered how Mouri had roosted there and allowed no one close, but him. She had laid her egg after a month and left to go to the sea shortly afterward once she was satisfied that it was safe.

He had assured her that nothing was going to happen to it, but he had been so wrong, he had put too much faith in the humans. They had failed him when he had done his end of the deal. That was why he was making deals behind Kar's back.

Claudius was on board, he would arrive hours after Marl did and once the eggs was secured, Marl would die. If the fortress was destroyed in the process, it was no big deal to the dragon who considered his agreement with Kar void now. The human would surely think of the plan which involved having Claudius lay siege to the fort when Marl was inside and allowing Caval to fly off with the egg once Marl was dead, as a betrayal.

It was a betrayal of sort. Years of trust were gone now and Caval no longer cared, the human was nothing compared to the egg. He was willing to pay any price to ensure that he got it back.

---

Marl rode slowly on his horse. He looked ahead at the mountain range that had slowly become larger and larger. That was were Kar and his dragon were along with Nedric, the bane to his bloodline.

He had been riding with a small convoy of the few soldiers who didn't abandon him when he lost his lordship. They were the last people he trusted along with the few other noble families who had owed him. He made good on their debts to ensure that he kept as much as he could, which was not much. His house was sold, much of his gold became taxed and all in all, life had become harder as he was now just a wealthy commoner.

Not for much longer though. In Marl's hands was an egg, the very egg that he was staking everything on. He needed the egg, or rather, the dragon that was developing inside to reclaim his lordship. In order to do that, he needed to kill anyone who may come after him.

His plan was desperate by most standards. Kar and Caval sat in a nearly impenetrable fortress of stone on top of a mountain. He had fifty men and some horses which would never be able to take the fort, but Marl had a secret weapon. Some debts that were owed to him were larger than others.

Marl looked up at the light blue sky. His hands were wrapped protectively around the egg which was covered in blankets to keep it warm as he spotted a shadow in the distance. A dragon flew close by.