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“Not gonna lie, I'm liking this Rose character,” Meg announced as she finished the chapter in her book. She could think of no place she would rather be as the ocean waves crashed on the beach, not a stone's throw from where they had slept. While the idea of renting a private villa on a tropical island had always been a fantasy of hers, and doing it with the drake she loved made her heart soar.

“Of course you would,” Keenis murmured while keeping his eyes closed. Resting on his side on the large circular day bed, he breathed easier feeling Meg leaning against his shoulder. With his wing unfolded off the edge of the bed, he adjusted its position to cover her legs like a leathery blanket. “I think I know where Geevin got the inspiration for her,” he added softly, enjoying the warmth of the late morning sun as it filtered through the tall palm trees. The air was cleaner here, and without the noises of the city, he found himself not wanting to return to their busy lives in the hospital. He knew that they couldn't hide from their responsibilities forever but was incredibly thankful that Meg had talked to their boss to insist that they take their vacation time together.

Meg retorted with a chuckle and slipped a bookmark between the pages before closing it to look at the cover. Even though the author was her friend and had written it years ago, she hadn't found the time to read it until now. During the long flight to the island, Keenis had read the book to take his mind off the feeling of flying without using his wings. Meanwhile, she had to listen to his little snorts of amusement and whines of excitement for the entire journey. She had initially tried to read along with him, but the pace at which he could devour books was remarkable, and she had promised to Keenis that she would read it after him. “Okay, sure. Her hair is red like mine and she is a doctor. But that's it, I don't think Geevin wrote me into the book completely.”

Keenis leaned to one side to pull a forepaw back and wrap it around her before rolling over with her against his chest in a warm hug. Curling his neck and tail around in a tighter circle, he slowly opened his eyes to look at his human mate. “Hmmm, it's not that. She’s funny, caring, and a total badass when they–”

“Hey, no spoilers!” she chastised and playfully swatted his paw with the book. “I'm enjoying this,” she said, placing the book down so she could snuggle against him further. “And I don't just mean the book,” she added with a content smile. While they worked in the same hospital and shared similar shifts, the precious time they had outside of work was often dominated by stories of patients and conditions they treated. But now, on the other side of the globe, with no phone reception and her mate holding her, it all felt worth it.

“It is really beautiful out here, isn't it,” Keenis murmured, closing his eyes once more. Initially, he had been hesitant to travel so far when there were beaches and islands only a few hours from the city that they called home, but he was grateful she had insisted on experiencing a new country. “Did we have plans today?” he asked softly and smiled, as she gently stroked his forepaws. Her hands were far smaller than the clawed paws he walked on, but he didn't mind as she wrapped her fingers around two of his digits.

“Today was going to be a rest day,” Meg replied, squeezing his toes. “Unless you wanted to explore the markets again,” she added with a grin but gasped as he wrapped both forepaws around her and rolled her over to face his chest.

“Mmmnno, no markets. I don't think I like markets anymore,” he murmured, taking a deep, contented breath as he felt her arms wrap around the base of his neck. Only yesterday the pair had braved the chaotic markets to experience the local culture. At first, Keenis had enjoyed the incredible scents of the street food and the vendors trying to appeal to him to sell their wares, but after taking a wrong turn, they had found themselves down a street that catered to any carnal desire imaginable. The footpaths were lined with various dragons and dragonesses presenting themselves while calling out services they would perform for the embarrassed couple.

“Really? You’ve always liked markets,” Meg chuckled and kissed the smooth, cream-colored scales that lined his throat. “And I think those two dragonesses really liked you, given how upfront they were with what you could do to them,” she added, being jostled slightly as he chuckled.

“Considering English is probably their third or fourth language, they were very detailed,” Keenis remarked, stroking a paw down his mate's back. Her soft skin was like silk under his paw pads, and he tried to distract himself from the very forward offer the dragoness had given him. “But no, this drake is very much taken.”

“Naww, you big smoothy,” she cooed and kissed him again. “So you don't want to; ‘Pump a clutch into my virgin womb while she tongues your asshole?’ Or what was it? ‘Let me suck your dick while you drink wine from her dripping wet cunt?’” she asked with a grin, parroting the offer that the two ’nesses had given Keenis.

“Meggles, language!” Keenis exclaimed, opening his eyes wide in surprise. “First of all…” he started but found his lips pulling back in a smirk as she laughed. “I'm very particular about wine,” he said and smiled broadly as she cackled. “And I think we both know the other one wasn't a virgin,” he added, much to her amusement. Curling his neck tighter, he placed a kiss on her forehead and held her tighter as she calmed down.

“No, I don't think she was,” Meg replied before wiping a tear from her eyes. Rolling over onto her side so that she had her back against his chest again, she guided his tan paws to wrap around her front so she could look into his deep blue eyes.

“And I sure as hell don't want some slit infection that makes my happy wyrm fall off,” Keenis added, smiling as she roared with laughter. “Or for it to start talking back to me or anything.”

Tapping his paw excitedly, her eyes lit up. “Oh! That reminds me of this dickhead green that I-” Meg quickly cut herself off and placed a hand over her mouth as she realized she was about to talk about work. “That doesn't count!” she added and saw his smile widen.

“I don't know, it kinda sounded like work talk,” he teased and poked his tongue out at her. To try and disconnect from work, they had made a bet with one another that the first person to talk about work would have to be subservient to the other for a day. It was a silly game, but one that the pair had both been eager to play. “Well, if it wasn't work talk, then you can finish your story,” he added with a playful grin.

Meg swallowed and held his gaze. “Well, if you insist. I was talking about a green drake I saw on… on the street,” she said with a smirk but could tell by the glint in his eye that the dragon didn't believe her, but she continued anyway. “Total dickhead, one of those alpha ‘gotta breed the bitches’ types, hated the idea of a woman looking at his junk. He had a fierce infection, the tip was all angry and inflamed. Stupid drake thought it made it look bigger, but I'm sure it would tick all the boxes on an STI test,” she added and held up a finger when Keenis went to interrupt. “IF! I was at work testing him.”

“Uh-huh,” Keenis mused. “I'm not going to ask why you were inspecting the slits of drakes on the street,” he added and sniggered when she opened her mouth and closed it again, clearly unable to fabricate a believable excuse. “But good on you for looking out for people, even if they aren't patients.”

“You know me, always eager to help. Even if they are misogynistic, sexist twats,” she said with a hint of frustration still in her voice. Seeing her mate look at her warmly, she took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. “Okay, I'm done.”

“You sure?” Keenis said with a smile before giving her another soft kiss on the cheek and holding her tighter. “Someone told me it's good to talk about your problems,” he added and grinned when she glared at him with an unimpressed look. “Oh, that's right, you told me that,” he taunted and gave her a playful lick on the nose.

“You prat,” she said and extracted her hands from his paws so she could hold his snout and bring him in for a kiss. As she pulled away, she kept her hands on his snout and gently stroked the sides with her thumbs. “But you are my prat,” she added warmly, while staring into his brilliant eyes. Out of all the dragons she had met, none could make her feel as safe or as wanted as he could with a warm smile. Despite his handsome appearance and brilliant mind, his loyalty and dedication to her was the quality she appreciated most. This, combined with the added rarity of being able to perform magic, would make him a desirable mate for any dragoness, yet he always rebuffed advances made by dragonesses and drakes alike.

“And you are my Meggles,” Keenis murmured before stifling a yawn and closing his eyes. “Smart, funny, sexy…” he added before opening one eye and smiling at her. “Even if sometimes, you smell funny-”

“Oh my god, for the last time! It's sunscreen!” Meg retorted and playfully swatted his cheek.

“It smells oily and gross!” Keenis added and opened his other eye when she pulled his head closer and silenced him with another kiss, but as they parted, he continued. “Like, they can put a banana on the bottle all they want, but that stuff doesn't smell like any banana I've ever had,” he added and when she giggled, kept rambling. “And don't get me started on that zinc stuff, blegh. It was worse than the eco-friendly soap they put in the showers at work. For whatever benefits the soap has for the environment, it's wasted when I have to use twice as much water scrubbing the crap off. And! They still don't have hot water in the showers!”

“Oh come on, it is not that– ah! You did it!” Meg exclaimed with a wide smile. “You talked about work! I win!”

Keenis knew that he had lost, but lifted his head out of her grip to swallow and compose himself. “No, I wasn't talking about work, I was talking about soap that happens to be at work… and I'm sure it's in other places too—”

“Nah-ah, you talked about the work showers. Admit it, I won!” she giggled and laughed as he replied with an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes.

“Fine, you win,” Keenis conceded, but smiled as he looked down at her childish grin. “So, what would my Meggles like to do today?” he asked and lowered his head back down to kiss her again.

Her lips met his, and she wrapped her hands around his powerful jaw muscles once more to stroke his scales until pulling back slightly to place a small peck on his nose. “Hmmm, what to do. On a tropical island with my very own dragon at my beck and call,” Meg said while scratching his cheeks. “How about we get you a new harness? I heard there are some tailors here that could make you one from scratch.”

Keenis rumbled in approval before kissing her again. “You could make me do anything today, and you instead want to treat me?” he asked and held her close. “Why don't we do something for you? I appreciate the offer, but I already have a harness.”

Meg ran her fingers up the bridge of his snout, her touch gentle and effortless as it slid over his silky smooth scales. “Honey, there are harnesses, and then there are harnesses. Yours is the former,” she said and smiled as he huffed in amusement. “And I was thinking maybe we can find someone to make some matching gear for me. Winter is coming soon, and I'm tired of freezing to death on your back.”

Keenis nodded sleepily and leaned into her touch as she continued to stroke his snout. “As long as we don't have to go to the markets again,” he mused and smiled as he felt her stifle a laugh. “I don't want to get pounced by those dragonesses again.”

“Oh shut up, you weren't pounced,” Meg retorted before kissing his nose again. “But I'll keep a lookout for you,” she added and leaned back against his chest. His paws shifted over her front and held her close to his chest in a tight hug before relaxing slightly. Being pressed against his chest, she could hear his powerful lungs breathing, and even though his paws were tipped with sharp claws, she felt so very safe against him. Something about his powerful body being so gentle with her was endearing to Meg, and she leaned into her gentle giant while stroking the paw that cupped her breast. “How about this then, we get up and have a swim, maybe get lunch, and then get you something nice to wear.”

“Mmmngh, lunch? Is it that late?” Keenis asked, opening his eyes again to look up through the palm trees. Seeing the sun sitting high in the sky, he nodded and extended one of his wings out in a long luxurious stretch. The wing that was folded under him protested but he ignored the sensation to continue holding his mate to his chest.

Meg stifled a yawn and nodded. “Yeah, but we needed a sleep in,” she mused, patting his paw. “Play your cards right, handsome, and I'll tell you where there's a restaurant that does beef ribs.” She whispered and chuckled as his eyes suddenly widened. Due to the religious practices of the island, many of the locals didn't eat beef and instead opted for pork, chicken and fish. However, after much research before their trip, she had discovered a remote yet expensive restaurant that served beef.

“Wait, you found one? Actual beef ribs? Not some impossible meat stuff?” Keenis asked enthusiastically. While the meals he had eaten so far had been incredible, he craved the crunchy treat. “Where?”

“Well, be a good boy and I'll tell you,” Meg teased, giggling as he continued to stare at her with an expectant expression. “Okay, fine. You know that volcano in the middle of the island? It's on the lip of it.”

Keenis snorted in amusement and lifted his head towards the tall mountain. While still active, it hadn't erupted in some time, and the idea of a restaurant on the edge of it sounded dramatic. “Fuck, I love you,” he murmured, pressing his lips against hers and opened his jaws slightly to press the tip of his long tongue into her mouth.

Cradling her hands behind his cheeks, Meg deepened their kiss and ran her tongue against his. Her heart beat harder and a shiver ran down her body as he gently caressed her breasts with a paw and hummed in enjoyment into their kiss. After a moment, they parted to come up for air, and she felt giddy when she saw the wanton look in his eyes.

“Well, I better play my cards right,” Keenis whispered with a smile before extracting his forepaw out from under her and using his other to gently hold her to the daybed. Rolling his body, he moved so he was on top of her, with his weight supported on his elbows. Stepping backwards off of the padded bed, he moved until his head was level with hers and kissed her deeply again. Keenis smiled as she moaned into his mouth and ran his tongue across her teeth. He was always aware of their size difference, but as she gripped the side of his snout and deepened the kiss, he pressed his tongue deeper into her mouth and ran it against hers. Time became meaningless as they enjoyed each other’s embrace, until finally, he slowly pulled back and gazed down at her with hungry, lust-filled eyes.

Meg's heart fluttered at the look he gave her and gasped as his snout moved to her jawline and then neck. With a gentleness that took her breath away, he carefully pressed his lips against her skin and kissed and licked the side of her neck, then again on her collarbone. “Mmmngh, Keenis, we aren't in our room,” she murmured but didn't try to stop him as his kisses moved further down her body to between her bikini top.

"No one can see us," Keenis murmured, his deep baritone voice sending a shiver down her spine, before he nuzzled his snout between her perky breasts and opened his eyes to hold her gaze. "It's just us," he added before kissing her just below where the two triangles of fabric met.

Meg glanced around, and true to his word, she couldn't see anyone else but them on the beach. Her breath hitched as he kissed her belly while looking up at her with his brilliant blue eyes. Their rented villa and bedroom was only a few paces away, but the excitement of being outside under the sun with her dragon made her heart flutter. After double-checking that they were alone, she gave him a small nod to continue. She felt the daybed shift as he stepped backward off of it and lowered himself to the ground, so that only his head and neck were above her, while continuing to devote kisses to her belly and hips. Painfully slowly, inch by inch, he moved his kisses over her bikini bottoms and lower towards her thighs. His warm breath and gentleness caused her skin to break out in goosebumps, and a gentle gasp escaped her lips as he pressed his long snout between her legs. His questing, wet tongue traced up across her bikini and pressed against her pussy in a long, slow drag, leaving a damp smear in its wake. Moving her hands to the sides of her bikini bottoms, she fumbled with the knots on either side and squirmed with a giggle as his devious tongue slipped under the fabric to stroke across her folds. "Keenis, can't you wait?" she chastised without any conviction in her voice. Looking down her body, she could see the mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he continued to lap at her pussy until she finally got the troublesome garment undone.

As soon as Keenis felt the tension in her underwear relax, he curled his tongue around the thin fabric triangle and gently pulled it away. With a small flick, he tossed the bikini bottoms off the bed and dipped his snout between her spread legs. "Fuck, you are beautiful," he murmured as he kissed and gently nibbled the inside of her thigh.

Meg's hands clenched at the sturdy sheets on the daybed as Keenis returned to slowly lapping across her moist crease. A gentle moan escaped her lips when she felt his wet tongue drag slowly up the middle of her pussy without delving into it. Her heart raced and her back arched as her dragon kissed the apex of her womanhood, his smooth, scaly snout quickly becoming covered in her arousal. Her skin broke out in goosebumps as he breathed in her scent and his war. breath gently caressed her groin. The way he slowly stroked his tongue across her crease made her become moist and her thighs clenched around his head as she blissfully groaned. He always seemed to know how to drive her wild, while some of her previous partners had often tried to set her off quickly, he instead took his time and worked with her to bring her pleasure. Only once she angled her hips to follow his tongue did he begin to press the muscular organ into her quivering passage.

He could feel her tense around him, the walls of her vagina squeezing around his intruding tongue as he stroked across the most sensitive areas of her body. The dragon smiled to himself inwardly at how wet he had gotten her, the mixture of her arousal combined with his saliva letting his tongue slide effortlessly deeper before curling up and stroking across her G-spot. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a soft but needy groan, but before she could blush in embarrassment, his tongue drove back in and repeated the motion. Keenis rocked his snout gently from side to side as he stroked her walls with his tongue, and while he could feel his slit tighten, focused on her pleasure.

“Gods, Keenis,” Meg moaned as she scrunched up her eyes and arched her back. His tongue stroked again and again through her passage, before slipping out so he could swallow. The sense of emptiness was fleeting as he growled low in his throat and immediately returned to delving his tongue back into her. Her heart fluttered at the deep, resonating sound, and she arched her back while rolling her hips to give him better access. Her buttocks lifted from the bed as he dutifully continued to lap at her soaking pussy, and while holding the position wasn't comfortable, she couldn't stop a breathless moan from escaping her lips. He rumbled his approval at her affirmation and, as her muscles began to protest, used a paw to grab and slip a pillow under her bum to keep her at the pleasurable angle. Her heart melted at the fact he was so in tune with her needs and swore as he swirled his tongue across her sensitive folds.

“Better?” he asked after withdrawing his tongue once again to swallow. When she frantically nodded, he plunged back into her to resume stroking her sensitive walls. Meg's fists gripped the sheets tighter as he rubbed his top lip against her sensitive pearl and her whole body tensed in ecstasy when she felt the vibrations of his low needy growl. Keenis knew she was close; the telltale signs of her toes scrunching up, her breathing becoming loud and ragged, and her thighs gripping his head tightly were all signs that she was coming close to the edge. He felt her rock her hips against him desperately and ground his nose against her clit, beginning to flick his tongue in and out of her faster and faster.

“Fuck–Keenis!” Meg cried as her climax threatened to overwhelm her. “Don't stop–don't–gods! Yes!” she wailed without a care for who could hear her. It felt an exhilarating and giddy rush through her body, as if she was on the edge of a cliff and looking down while he continued to plunge his warm tongue into her and curl it upwards as he dragged it back out of her, only to repeat again and again. Her knees shook, and her back lifted off the mattress as the tension built and built in her body, before she was sent over the edge. Her body shuddered and her hips rolled against him as she came undone, her vision blurred, and the overwhelming sensation of bliss washed through her body like the waves crashing on the nearby beach.

While her passage clenched and shuddered around his tongue, he continued to lick and slurp at her folds with ravenous hunger. Every stroke of his tongue and gentle grind of his snout against her clit caused her pleasure to spike and her cheeks flush as he prolonged her release. Only once she was gasping for air did he relent and slow back down to a gentle drag of his tongue through her vagina while still curling his tip upwards with every withdrawal, just the way she had taught him. Slowly and gently bringing her back down to earth, he continued until her thighs relaxed their grip on his cheeks. He withdrew his tongue to lick her wet pussy clean and then cleaned his own lips with a quick swipe before swallowing. Looking up at her, he smiled as he saw her blissful expression and how she was panting for breath. Lifting his head from between her legs, he gave her folds one last long lick from bottom to top before placing a kiss on her lower belly. Tracing gentle kisses and nibbles up her chest and towards her collarbone, he let out a deep, low purr as her hands wrapped around the base of his head and pulled him down for a hug.

Meg hooked her legs around his shoulders and embraced his head and neck in a tight hug. Despite his size, his weight wasn't uncomfortable and she felt safe and secure as he put his head and neck across her body. She felt his neck slowly expand and contract with each long breath he took, and the hypnotic rhythm helped her relax until she wasn't sure where the comfortable daybed ended and she began. “Keenis, that was… that was amazing,” she whispered before placing a kiss on the underside of his jaw. “Thank you,” she added, enjoying the sounds of the ocean waves crashing on the beach.

“You're welcome,” Keenis murmured and shuffled his hips so that his painfully erect cock wasn't touching the ground. “It was a good appetizer for lunch,” he added with a throaty chuckle.

His movements didn't go unnoticed by the spent human, and her hands guided his head back so that she could look him in the eyes and place another kiss on his lips. “Want me to take care of you?” she asked and saw his eyes widen slightly before his expression softened.

Keenis smiled warmly and gave her a subtle shake of his head. “You don't have to,” he murmured and leaned into the kiss as she pulled him closer. Despite his cock throbbing in protest, he knew that she was always lethargic after climaxing, and it would take a not-so-insignificant amount of effort for her to service his dragonhood. “Besides, you said something about ribs for lunch?” he added and chortled as she playfully swatted his snout.

“Drakes and their stomachs!” Meg exclaimed with a giggle and snuggled her cheek against the softer scales that ran under his jaw. “But thank you,” she added softly and kissed his jawbone. “How about after we get you measured for a harness, we come back and maybe… if you're good… I try some of those things that ‘ness offered,” she whispered between soft kisses and smiled when his body stiffened in excitement. “Just not that wine thing–”

“Oh gods no!” Keenis interrupted and pulled his head back so he could look her in the eyes and kiss her forehead. “Besides, we don't have any decent bottles anyway,” he added with a snort and grinned as she giggled. “We should probably get a move on then.”

“Okay, swim, lunch, harness, and then come back here for naughty times,” she listed and giggled as he grinned at her childish language. “But when we get to the tailor's, I don't want you to just agree with everything to get out of there quicker. Okay?”

“Yes ma'am,” Keenis replied before tilting his snout to kiss her cheek and then collarbone. “Or, we could skip the harness altogether–” he smiled as she used both hands to push his snout away with a scoff and released his shoulders with her legs.

Meg watched as he lifted his head and neck up off the daybed and stood up on all fours. Dangling at full length between his hind legs was his flaccid shaft, and she felt a sense of obligation to return the favour. But when she looked up to his face, she saw that he had been watching her, and he simply smiled to reassure her that he was okay. Her limbs felt heavy as she extracted the pillow from under her and as she lay across the daybed, contemplated resting for a moment longer untill Keenis chuckled.

“Come on Meggles.” He murmured and lowered his head down to her chest. She giggled as he flicked his tongue across her neck and when she wrapped her hands around his horns in a hug, he slowly brought his head back and pulled her into a sitting position. “Adventures await.” He added with a chuckle and kissed her on the nose.

Keenis stepped back from the daybed to give her enough room and offered her a partially extended wing to hold onto, as she pulled herself off of the low mattress to stand up. Seeing her look around, he extended his neck and collected her discarded bikini bottoms before curling his neck to offer them to her. However, as she went to take them from him, he gripped the delicate fabric with his lips and prevented her from taking them until she glared at him with a smirk. Releasing the garment with a grin, he watched her retie one of the knots on the bikini, slip it up one leg, and tie the other side to keep it in place.

Meg felt giddy as the large drake watched her dress. The way his eyes roamed her curves and form always made her feel adored by Keenis, and she couldn't help but smile under his loving gaze. “Is the sunscreen still in your harness?”

“Um… no, I don't know where it is,” he said in a deliberately unconvincing tone. He grinned sheepishly as she glared at him and walked over to where he had laid out his harness. The drake always had a place for everything, and after searching one of the shoulder pouches in his harness, Meg extracted a bottle with a banana on it. “Oh, look, you found it,” he added with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“Keen bean. Not all of us have the luxury of your sexy scales,” Meg retorted, squirting the white liquid into her palm and rubbing it over her body. She knew she would need to reapply it once they finished swimming, but being cursed with fair skin and red hair, anything to stop her burning was a necessity. As she smeared the cream across her arms and neck, she turned to look out over the water and took in the view. Being built on the tip of a small peninsula, the villa offered unobstructed views in three directions of the ocean stretching out to the horizon. She heard the drake take a step towards her and smiled as he sat down on his haunches and lifted a forepaw to help apply the sunscreen over her back. In spite of his distaste for the smell. “Thank you, Keenis,” she said warmly and looked up at him. With the hand she had held the bottle with, she lifted her crimson hair to give his paws access to the back of her neck and leaned into his touch. While his paws lacked the flexibility of her hands, she enjoyed the tender moment as he did his best to help. Thankfully his toe beans weren't as rough as they were when she had first met him, and she was proud of him for taking her advice to use a decent paw balm. “You know, it would be a shame if we missed our flight home, and there wasn't one for another week,” Meg said warmly and heard him snort in amusement. “The director won't be happy, but he wouldn't dare fire his golden boy.”

“Golden boy, pfft,” Keenis chuckled while slowly stroking her back. “I don't know about that,” he added while thinking about how the conversation would go down. When he had made his intentions to leave the military after his first tour, the promises of leaving with his medical license were quickly tied up in red tape and lost in administration technicalities. However it was clear to himself, and the rest of the military doctors, that the drake no longer had any fight in him and was of little use to them. After a few weeks back in country, he was allowed to leave but was no closer to being an accredited doctor than he had been when he joined.

Returning to the family home, he tried to distract himself by applying for scholarship after scholarship to try and find an affordable path to becoming a doctor. He knew that his chances were slim, as his abilities were often misunderstood and he had even considered settling for a role as paramedic until he received an invitation for a meeting. His mother had insisted to come with him to sit down with the Dean of medicine at one of the larger universities in the city of Liberty Scales, but thankfully relented when he told her it would look unbecoming.

Keenis could still remember arriving at the University and exploring its grounds, as he tried to find his way to the dean’s office. The campus was very close to the city’s eastern markets and while the dorms were only designed with human students in mind, there were discounts available for dragons to rent apartments nearby. After meeting with the Dean and explaining his story once again, he had been stunned when he had been offered a scholarship. Unbeknownst to him, the university was trying to attract more dragon students and believed he would be a perfect candidate for their promotional material. The school had been eager to have him succeed and allowed his military training and service to count towards his studies, however even though he had their support, he threw himself at his classes. The teachers quickly noticed his hard work and after much persuasion, allowed him to enroll in more than the recommended number of units per year.

He knew that some of his fellow classmates resented him for being rushed through the usually long and expensive course, but he didn't care. The more he studied, the longer he stayed up each night pouring over his textbooks and the more he exhausted himself each day, the easier it was for him to find sleep each night. After only a few busy years and a doctoral thesis in record time, the drake had been presented with his final exams to obtain his medical license and had scored in the top percentile of his peers. Needless to say, his parents had been proud of his achievement, but between receiving his final results and his graduation ceremony, he had been presented by the university at countless galas and fundraising events. Each event he had smiled politely, followed the instructions of the Deans and nodded as they told his story for him. Each time he had thanked the school for the opportunities they had provided, despite remembering that the same university had rejected his application when he finished school.

His lip twitched as he remembered the photos were to be used on the university's website; they had wanted to emphasize their commitment towards supporting veterans and offering a way to receive accreditation for civilian jobs. Therefore they had insisted he wore a replica military harness complete with his actual medals, a mortarboard perched between his horns and a stethoscope around his neck. He remembered the photographers watching him with concern in their eyes as his trembling paws struggled to tighten the harness around his shoulders but thankfully they hadn't said anything. While the plate carrier wasn't the same as the one he was issued, its weight brought with it the memories of being back in the desert and those he couldn't save. The contrast between his sturdy nylon harness and the silk mortar board felt silly to the drake, but once the photographer explained the look they were going for, Keenis posed against the blue screen as instructed. The final images showed him standing regally, with his wings tight against his sides and paws evenly spaced against a split backdrop of a battlefield and a classroom. Inspirational slogans were strategically placed to draw the eye of potential students, calling them to rise to the challenge or otherwise better themselves by enrolling at the university. However, despite the many corrections the talented photographer had made behind his computer, if one looked closely at the university's golden student, it was still possible to see the hint of pain in the drake's blue eyes.

Meg could feel his paws slowly circling on her back, even after the sunscreen was applied and when she looked up, could see him lost in thought. She lifted a hand and stroked the side of his neck to bring his attention back to reality. “I wasn't being serious. As nice as it would be to stay out here forever,” she mused and saw his lips twitch in a smile.

Keenis nodded and took a deep breath of the salty ocean air. “It would be nice,” he murmured and watched the waves crashing on the shore. “How about we come back here next year. Make it a thing,” he added and looked down as she pulled his neck down to her shoulder and hugged him.

“I would like that,” she said and kissed the side of his thick neck. Together they stood and watched the waves until she gave him a soft squeeze and patted the side of his neck. “Swim?” she asked and when he nodded, turned to toss the bottle of sunscreen onto the daybed. Noticing that her book had fallen from the bed, she bent over and picked it up to check that the bookmark hadn't fallen out. Satisfied that it had stayed where it was, she turned it over and wiped a hand across the cover to remove a few grains of sand. Looking up at her was the handsome picture of one of the main characters: a drake with white scales and a frill that ran from his head to his shoulders looked back at her with a determined expression.

Placing the book down on the edge of the bed, she turned and watched Keenis lazily stretch his body and wings. The green drake kept his hind paws planted in the sand while stepping forward with his forepaws to straighten his back and then extended his neck and tail to full length. His member had all but retreated into his slit as he spread his tan wing arms and flared the long spindly ‘fingers’ in his wings. He smiled back at her as he saw her watching and stretched further until finally stepping forward with a hind paw and fluttering his wings closed. “Shall we then?” he asked with a smile and a small nod of his head to invite her to his side, and together they walked towards the cool, refreshing water.

As they entered the ocean and waded further into the deep water, Meg began to lose her footing as the waves lifted her up with every surge and, as they continued on, she began to struggle to keep up with the drake's taller strides. “Want a ride?” Keenis asked, and when she nodded, he lowered himself further into the water. Without a saddle to hold onto, she struggled to get a grip on the wet scales of his smooth neck and thanked him when he used a paw to help lift her up onto his shoulders. Straddling his muscular neck, she felt his muscles tense and roll under her as he stood up again and continued to walk further into the surf. Once deep enough, he began to float and used his long tail to sweep through the water and propel them further away from the shore and past the point where the waves were breaking.

Looking down, Meg was amazed by the clarity of the water and watched as small fish and crustaceans scurried away from the dragon. The heat of the sun quickly became a distant thought as the cool water lapped at Meg’s waist while she rode on his back. Submerged up to his shoulders, Keenis tucked his paws up close to his body and curled his neck in a tight shape so Meg could wrap her arms around it in a loving hug. Smiling back at her, he enjoyed the moment and tried to commit the details to memory as she smiled back up at him while squeezing his neck with her soft hands.

Something splashed next to them, causing Keenis to snap his head around and frown as he saw a small disturbance in the water begin to dissipate. At first he had thought it was a trick of the light but as he lifted his head higher, began to see dark shapes circling them under the water. “Did you see that?” he asked, focusing on the shapes moving around them and tensed as they came closer. His eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on one of them before hearing a huffing noise from the left. Whipping his head around, he tensed as he saw another of the dark shapes slip through the water with its triangular dorsal fin above the surface. His lips curled back into a snarl and his wings mantled as he tried to swim away from the creatures, only for them to swim closer and closer. Without the ground under him to kick off from, launching into the sky would be difficult but not impossible.

“Dolphins!” Meg squealed as another breached next to them and huffed through its blowhole before dipping below the water again. “A whole pod of them! Look!” she added in glee and watched in wonder as they emerged from the water around them.

Keenis breathed a sigh of relief and folded his wings tight against his sides so Meg could get a better view of the creatures. He had read that aquatic dragons often swam with dolphins to hunt schools of fish together but had never thought he would have an opportunity to swim with them. Lifting his head higher, he saw the dark shapes under the water swimming north and turned to swim with them. His tail splashed across the top of the water as he swished it back and forth to try and keep up with the aquatic creatures but quickly discovered that the dolphins could out-swim him with ease. As he built up speed, more and more of them began to breach closer to him and he took this as a challenge to swim faster.

“This is incredible!” Meg exclaimed as she released her grip on his neck so he could lean his neck forward and use his whole body to propel them through the water. His shoulders and back rippled under her as he undulated from side to side to try and swim faster. Together they gasped and laughed as one dolphin launched out of the water ahead of them, for a brief moment they saw the water glistening on its gray hide before it crashed back into the water and dove down into the depths.

While he was nowhere near as fast as they were in the water, it was clear that the creatures didn’t mind. They each dove down under the waves then with a flick of their tail and leapt out of the water only to crash back down again. Each one seemed to be trying to outdo the last as they dove down under the surface and launched higher and higher into the air.

Meg knew that Keenis was fit, but after a few minutes of sustained swimming, she could feel him begin to slow. Leaning to one side, she reached under the water and stroked his neck. “Care to show them how it’s done?” Meg asked, nodding towards another dolphin as it launched into the air.

“Okay, take a deep breath,” he called back and glanced towards her as she hunkered down over his neck and closed her eyes while gripping his neck as tight as she could. With a flick of his tail, he plunged under the water and built up as much speed as he could. Despite Meg trying to keep as low to his neck as possible, he could feel the increased drag of her on his shoulders and glanced back to make sure she was okay. The nictitating membranes that covered his eyes made his blue irises appear gray, but when he saw her with her eyes closed gave his tail a frantic pump and adjusted his trajectory back towards the surface.

The ocean's surface erupted as Keenis and Meg launched out of the ocean and into the sky with her holding onto his neck. However unlike the dolphins who fell back to the water, Keenis spread his wings at their apex and flapped his large wings downwards. Droplets of salt water were sent flying as he beat his wings again and again to build speed before he settled into a glide just above the water's surface. “That was awesome!” Meg exclaimed in joy as she grinned from ear to ear. The wind felt cool against her skin as it chilled the ocean water, but she didn't care as adrenaline continued to pump through her veins.

“That was fun!” Keenis retorted between pants for breath. Looking down, the pair watched as the pod of dolphins continued to dance and play in the water below them, each one trying in vain to take to the sky like he had, before finally giving up and diving deep underwater.

“Thank you, Keenis,” Meg squealed and hugged his neck tightly. “Best day ever.”

“You're welcome, Meggles,” Keenis said warmly as he caught his breath. Looking back towards the shore, he noticed how far they had traveled from the island. With a small twist of his tail and a rock of his wings, he gracefully adjusted their course towards land and onwards towards their next adventure.