FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I had become the wealthiest man in town, possibly even the region, overnight. I had only told one person anything even remotely close to the truth about my new found wealth, and that was my old blacksmith master. I told him I had found the dragon's lair, and snuck off with some gold, but not what I had actually done for the dragon to get it. With the help of one of his banker acquaintances, and a little gold, I was able to fabricate a legitimate origin for my new wealth. As far as anybody knew I had inherited it from a distant relative, but I made sure nobody knew the true extent of my wealth. Using my new fortune I purchased myself some secluded land on the far outskirts of town. I had a modest two story home built, nothing too extravagant, and a stable to keep some horses. I settled happily into my new solitary life of leisure. I still occasionally tinkered with blacksmithing, but mostly I cared for my horses. I had always wanted to own some and found I had a knack for breeding them. It also helped give me a somewhat reliable source of income, not that I needed it. My life was perfect, despite the degrading things I had done to earn it.

Almost a year has passed since my visit to the dragon's lair. I was settling into bed for the night in my bedroom at the back corner on the second floor of my home. The weather was pleasant, and both sides of my window were partially swung open to allow the breeze in. The light of the full moon bathed my room in a soft glow. I sighed deeply, and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I was startled by the sound of tapping on the window. My eyes flew open, and I stared at the ceiling. Had I imagined what I heard? I was afraid to look, but the tapping repeated, and I heard what sounded like somebody clearing their throat. I slowly turned my head towards the window, then my eyes widened in shocked surprise. It was the dragon. He had swung the sides of my window open the rest of the way, and grinned when he saw me looking at him. His red scales glittered in the moonlight, and his massive head filled the window.

“Ah, you're awake! My apologies for disturbing you. It's been so long since we saw each other, and I thought I would drop by and say hello! I do hope you don't mind!" the dragon said. I sat up and stared in disbelief. Was I dreaming?

“How did you know where to find me?" I asked nervously, my mind was racing. What could he possibly want? Did he want his gold back? Had he come to eat me after all?

"I've been keeping an eye on you! I correctly assumed you would use your new found wealth to build yourself a new home, and I simply kept a look out during my daily flights for signs of any being built. Also you might not realize it, but you now have a very distinctive odor after our time together! I sniffed around here one night and caught your scent. I decided to give you some time to settle in before I paid you a visit" the dragon explained to me.

“Why are you here? What do you want from me?" I asked, beginning to panic.

“Calm down, I can tell you're worried, you absolutely reek of fear! If it makes you feel better, I promise not to harm you. Remember, a dragon always keeps their word!" the dragon assured me. I had to admit, I felt somewhat better after he said that. I climbed out of bed and hesitantly approached the window, clad only in my undershorts. The dragon's golden eyes glowed in the moonlight, and his grin grew even wider as I cautiously came closer.

“You still haven't told me why you've come" I said.

“First of all, would you please tell me your name? It was very rude of me not to ask when we first met! If I'm being completely honest, I had expected you were going to end up in my stomach, so I didn't think it was important at the time. My name is Xarn by the way, or at least that is what I've heard humans call me in the past. I liked the way it sounded, so I decided to take it as my own. For all I know it could mean filthy sky lizard!" Xarn said with a chuckle.

“Xarn" I said, sounding it out. Xarn nodded to confirm I had pronounced it correctly. “Well Xarn, my name is Richard. I guess it's nice to formally meet you" I said.

“So polite, even back in my lair when you nearly became my dinner! I like that about you!" Xarn said with a laugh. I smiled weakly.

"So Xarn, is this really just a social call then? I appreciate that you waited until after dark to visit, people would definitely talk if they saw you come here!" I said.

“I will admit, this isn't just a social call. I've been thinking about our time together in my lair, and wondered if you might be interested in…offering your services again?" Xarn asked. My mouth dropped open in shock at his request. “Just a moment" he said, and his head briefly disappeared below the window sill. Xarn reappeared, and tossed a large leather sack through the window, which hit the floor with a heavy thud. The impact caused the floorboards to vibrate briefly beneath my feet. I looked at the sack, then back at him with uncertainty. The dragon nodded, and motioned towards the sack with his head. I approached the sack and knelt down, undoing the cord that tied it shut. I opened it, and as I half expected, it was full of gold coins. The sack was probably twice as large as my pack that I had carried out of Xarn's lair.

“Are you going to eat me if I can't make you cum?" I asked sarcastically. Xarn threw his head back and laughed.

“I apologize that our first meeting was so stressful for you. I promise not to eat you, I think I would actually feel bad if I did at this point!" Xarn told me. Crazily enough, I actually believed him.

“I will admit, I've at times thought about what I did to you, then what you did to me after" I confessed to the dragon. I shivered slightly as I thought back to writhing uncontrollably in his firm grip as he pleasured me with the tips of his large forked tongue.

"So, you would be interested then?" Xarn asked eagerly.

“I…I don't know" I said with uncertainty, rubbing the back of my head as I looked at the large sack of gold coins. It wasn't like I needed the gold, but I had to admit, I found myself tempted by his offer.

“I brought something with me that should make things even more interesting! Come outside, let me show you!" Xarn offered. With a resigned sigh, I pulled on my robe, and went downstairs. I came out the front door to find Xarn sitting nearby waiting for me. Resting on the ground next to him was a giant glass flask containing a softly glowing purple liquid. The flask was nearly as large as me, but would have looked normal sized in Xarn's large hands.

“What is that!?!" I asked in surprise.

“Just a special magical potion a wizard acquaintance of mine has whipped up for me! He's always in need of gold for his research, and as you are well aware, gold is something I have plenty of! I thought it might spice things up for us!" Xarn said excitedly.

“What does it do? Are you sure you can trust a wizard?" I asked curiously, as I cautiously approached. Xarn laughed at my question.

“I trust his desire for more gold! After all, if he were to poison me he wouldn't get the second part of his payment! Instead of telling you what it does, why don't I just show you?" Xarn picked up the flask, pulled the cork stopper with his teeth, and spit it to the side. With no hesitation, he put the flask to his lips and tilted his head back, draining it rapidly. When it was empty, his muzzle wrinkled in a disgusted grimace, and he stuck his forked tongue out.

“Tastes bad?" I asked.

“Probably the worst thing I've ever tasted, and I once ate a dead skunk after being dared by one of my clutch mates when I was a hatchling!" Xarn exclaimed. The dragon suddenly dropped the flask then clutched his sides and groaned loudly.

“Are you ok?" I asked with concern. Xarn nodded and gritted his teeth as he clutched himself.

“I'll be fine, the wizard said to expect some discomfort when OOOMF!" the dragon cried out and collapsed to the ground, then began to writhe in pain. I cautiously approached, unsure what I could do to help him, then gasped in shock as a purple glow enveloped him, and Xarn's body began to shrink before my eyes. The dragon continued to thrash as he rapidly shrank. I held my hand over my mouth, and watched wide eyed as he shrank down until he was a bit smaller than one of my horses. The glow faded, and Xarn lay on the ground panting heavily. I rushed over and knelt beside him, placing my hand on his heaving side, and gently stroked his warm soft scales to comfort him.

“Xarn, are you ok? You shrank!" I said in amazed disbelief. The dragon chuckled weakly.

“All according to plan!" Xarn said confidently, and rolled on to his stomach, then pushed himself back up onto his feet. He sat back on his haunches, looking down at his body and forelegs, then at me, his eyes wide with amazement.

“You're not that much bigger than me!" I exclaimed in wonder. Xarn grinned at me as he placed his hand on my shoulder, then suddenly pulled me against him. He bent his head down and pushed his muzzle against my neck and sniffed loudly. He gave me a long slow lick along the side of my neck and face.

“Now we can have some real fun!" Xarn practically purred. He curled his forelegs around me and licked the side of my face again. His long tail wound tightly around our legs, binding us together, well his hands eagerly groped my upper body.

“Whoa Xarn, wait, let's slow down" I started to say, but was cut off when the dragon pressed his lips roughly against mine, then quickly slid his long tongue between them. He brought his hands up to grip my head as his large tongue leisurely explored my mouth. I did my best to fend it off, but it was much longer and stronger than mine, and I was powerless to evict it. His tongue curled firmly around mine as I pushed against his chest, but his grip was like iron. After Xarn finally had his fill, he withdrew his tongue and licked across his muzzle.

“I've always wanted to try kissing!" Xarn said with a grin. He unwound his tail from our legs and released me. I stumbled back from him and fell to the ground, landing hard on my ass. Xarn dropped back down on all fours and sauntered towards me.

“I'm starting to see what you have in mind" I said warily, as Xarn sat down on the ground next to me. “Are you going to stay that size permanently?"

“No, the wizard said the potion should only last around 24 hours. Now are you going to invite me in, or did you want to do it out here in the yard? Don't tell me I drank that foul tasting potion for nothing! Xarn exclaimed, then grinned and winked at me. He raised his foreleg and offered his hand to me. Sighing with resignation, I took it, and he helped me back to my feet. As much as I hated to admit it, the idea of sex with Xarn was starting to appeal to me. In his temporarily smaller size, his head was only slightly higher than mine, and his back was just above my waist when he was on all fours.

“Would you like to come in?" I offered politely, and Xarn laughed and nodded. I hadn't closed the door when I came out, and Xarn didn't even bother to wait for me, and went into my house before me. I lit some candles as Xarn explored. The moonlight provided some illumination, but I assumed Xarn was able to see just fine in the dark.

“Very nice, so much cozier than my lair! I like that you've stayed humble with your furnishings and decorations!" Xarn complimented me as he wandered through and examined my home. He wasn't wrong. Despite my wealth, I had decided to keep my furniture simple, it had all been made by the local tradesfolk. Xarn paused to look at a stone dragon carving on my mantle. The likeness to him was undeniable. “This statue is particularly nice!" he said, then turned to grin at me.

“Well, it is thanks to you that I have all of this. I'm not exactly proud about what I had to do for your gold, but I am grateful to you for it" I told him.

“Very thoughtful of you to have something made to remind you of our time together!" Xarn said. I could have sworn I heard a hint of pride in his voice.

Are you hungry Xarn? I have some steaks in my cold storage down in the cellar if you would like?" I offered.

“That would be lovely, you are such a considerate host!" Xarn exclaimed as he headed into my dining area, and took a seat on the floor by my dining table. I headed down to my cellar and retrieved two large steaks. I also grabbed a bottle of wine, in case that was something that would interest him. I brought up the plate with steaks on it, and placed it on the table with the bottle of wine.

“It will just take me a moment to get the stove going, then I can cook these up for you" I told him. Xarn snorted in amusement at me.

“Nice of you to offer, but cooking them won't be necessary. I prefer my meat raw and bloody" Xarn said with a sinister grin. I merely nodded, and picked up the plate and placed it in front of him. The dragon nodded his thanks. Picking up one of the steaks in his hands, he tore a large chunk from it with his jaws and quickly swallowed it down. He made short work of the two steaks, and licked his hands clean once they were gone.

“I didn't know if wine would interest you, I brought up a bottle if you would like some?" I offered.

“How very kind of you!" Xarn said, and motioned for the bottle. I removed the cork, and slid it towards him.

“I can get a cup or bowl for you, I don't know what's easiest for you" I said, but Xarn shook his head. He picked up the bottle and put it directly to his lips then tilted his head back. I watched in mild amazement as he drank the entire bottle in one continuous gulp, a rivelet of wine ran from the corner of his jaws as he rapidly drained the bottle. With a satisfied sigh, Xarn thumped the empty bottle down on the table, wiped his muzzle with his forearm, and unleashed a resounding belch. He quickly held his hand to his mouth, looking almost embarrassed.

“Excuse me!" the dragon said with a chuckle. That was a wonderful meal, thank you very much!"

“Probably don't get a meal like that very often I imagine" I said.

“Indeed, most of my meals are usually still wriggling as I swallow them, though the lack of fur and bones is definitely a nice change!" Xarn said, his tongue emerged and licked across his muzzle.

“Do you… eat most of your prey alive?" I asked with morbid curiosity.

“Most of the time! Usually its mountain goats, deer, the occasional unfortunate bear, or wolf. When it comes to bucks with horns though, I generally bite their heads off first, those antlers are not pleasant to pass!" Xarn said with a laugh. I couldn't help but shudder as I imagined Xarn biting off a buck's head, then casually spitting it to the side as he had done with the cork from his potion flask. A somewhat awkward silence fell as we looked at each other across the table. After a moment, Xarn stood up and came over to me where I sat at the other end of the table. He sat on the floor beside me, and placed his hand on my thigh, rubbing it briefly before sliding it up towards my crotch. He leaned over and gently licked the side of my face. I caught a strong whiff of the wine he had drunk, but doubted he was even remotely inebriated from it.

“Dinner was wonderful, but I think I'm ready for my dessert now" Xarn said softly, as his scaled lips brushed against my ear. I shivered slightly as his tongue slid out and ran along the edge of my earlobe. “Why don't you give me a tour of that bedroom of yours?" He gave my thigh a firm squeeze then released it, and headed towards the stairs, stopping to look back at me expectantly.

“Ok" I agreed in a daze, then got up and joined him at the bottom of the stairs.

As we came into the bedroom, Xarn was rubbing affectionately against my side as we walked together, then we stopped next to my bed.

“Well, how do you want to do this?" I asked shyly. Without a word, Xarn roughly shoved me onto my bed. I landed on my back, and before I could sit back up, the dragon was between my legs, pulling my robe open and tearing at my undershorts with his claws and teeth. “Hey, those are my favorite undershorts!" I protested loudly.

“I'll buy you a new pair!" Xarn snarled lustfully, practically panting in anticipation as he tore the tattered remains of my shorts off of me. With my shorts gone, the dragon took a long slow lick across my groin, then nuzzled my hardening cock with his muzzle. Without further delay he engulfed my cock in his jaws, his tongue quickly curled around it, squeezing and sliding across my length. Drool ran from his jaws, and his hot moist breath tickled my groin as he eagerly sucked my cock. I moaned with pleasure, and gripped his head with my hands as he bobbed it well he firmly sucked on me. I hooked my leg over his shoulder, and rested my foot on his back between his folded wings. I didn't last long against his ferocious oral assault, and with a loud groan, my load spilled into Xarn's mouth. He did not relent in his sucking, and devoured everything I had to give. I breathed heavily as I lay there sweating profusely. My cock slipped from Xarn's jaws and he slowly licked his muzzle. Before I even had a chance to recover, I felt the dragon's snout rooting beneath my balls, and sniffing at my taint and ass. He brought his hands up to grip my thighs, and spread my legs further apart as he inhaled deeply of the aroma from between my asscheeks. I felt his long tongue slither through my ass crack, the forked tip trailed across my twitching asshole. After a few firm exploratory licks, he thrust his tongue directly inside me, causing me to cry out with pleasure as its length rapidly slid into me. His tongue seemed endless as it continued to burrow deeply into my insides. When he was his normal size, the forked tip of his tongue he had slid into me was much thicker than the much smaller nimble tongue that now slurped lewdly against my inner walls. I writhed with pleasure at the feeling of that long tongue winding its way through me. Xarn gripped my thighs tighter to keep me from squirming away as he feasted on my backside. Just as I was about to cum again, Xarn quickly slid his tongue from me, pulling me back from the edge of another orgasm. I lifted my head to see why he had stopped as Xarn stood up and leaned over me, his hands came down on my shoulders, his weight pinning me firmly to the bed. I glanced down between his hind legs and saw his long blood red cock had fully emerged from its slit. A steady stream of pre ran from its tip, and it twitched eagerly in anticipation. Xarn leaned his head down and gave my sweaty face a lick.

“I'll do my best to be gentle, but I can't make any promises. It's been such a long time!" Xarn panted, as his tongue dangled from his jaws.

“Was…you're last time when we were together?" I asked, becoming somewhat worried. Xarn simply nodded. I was slightly apprehensive for what was to come, but smiled nervously and nodded. Xarn grinned, and brought his lips to mine, kissing me firmly. His tongue slipped between my lips briefly, then he lifted his head again. I felt pressure on my shoulders as Xarn slid me towards his waiting cock. I felt the slick tip slide between my asscheeks, and he paused to line himself up better. His cock jabbed gently against me until it caught on the rim of my asshole. The dragon slowly brought his hips forward, and the pointed tip of his cock began to sink into me. I gritted my teeth at the intense pressure. His tongue had been soft and yielding, but his cock was hard, and forced my body to yield to it instead. I brought my hands up and gripped Xarn's forearms tightly. He smiled down at me as he slowly continued to push himself into me. Xarn had done his best to fight his instincts so far, but the impossibly tight grip of my asshole on his cock caused him to growl with lust. With a sudden rough thrust, he drove himself the rest of the way in, burying himself completely in me. I cried out briefly in pain, but the pain quickly dissolved into pleasure at the feeling of his ridged cock stretching me open. Xarn threw his head back and growled loudly with pleasure, his hands gripped my shoulders even tighter, the clawed tips of his fingers sank into my flesh slightly, drawing blood. I squirmed slightly in discomfort from his claws digging into me, but the pain was a distant cry to the pleasure I felt. Xarn slightly loosened his grip on me, then began to slowly thrust against me. I felt slight discomfort at first as his cock slid partially out, then stretched me again on the following return thrusts, but soon the discomfort faded. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the sensation. Xarn's pace began to increase, and my eyes flew open in fear when he suddenly snarled loudly, then darted his head beneath my chin to close his jaws around my neck. Fortunately he did not bite down hard, his sharp pointed teeth dimpled the skin on my neck. His long tongue slithered frantically across my throat as he continued thrusting into me, his thick drool ran down the sides of my neck. His breathing grew heavier, his pace quickened, then with a final violent thrust, and a slightly alarming further tightening of his jaws on my neck, he erupted inside of me. We both moaned with pleasure as we orgasmed simultaneously, my load spurting onto my stomach. The intense heat of Xarn's semen spraying inside of me felt practically scalding. The dragon's hips quivered against me as he orgasmed, and like back in his lair, it seemed like it would never end. Finally, his cock stopped twitching inside of me, and Xarn removed his jaws from my neck, then collapsed on top of me. He rolled onto his side, dragging me with him since his cock was still deeply inside me. His eyes were closed, and he smiled contentedly as wisps of smoke drifted from his nostrils.

“Wow, that was…unbelievable" I said as I ran my hand gently along his side. Xarn chuckled and opened his eyes. A look of alarm came over his face when he saw the blood on my shoulders and neck.

“Oh Richard, I'm so sorry! I did my best to fight my more base urges, but it seems I may have gotten a little too rough with you!" Xarn said with concern. He leaned his head towards me and began gently licking the bloody cuts on my shoulders and neck. My puncture wounds weren't particularly painful, but the feeling of his warm soft tongue was incredibly soothing. I closed my eyes, sighing softly as I enjoyed the feeling of his tongue sliding across my skin. Before I realized it, I had drifted asleep from his tender licking.

The sound of birds chirping caused me to awake. For a brief moment I was totally confused. I was wrapped in a firm scaly embrace, and heard the sound of quiet snoring. My head rested on Xarn's slender neck, and his head rested just above mine. My arm was draped over his side, and at some point during the night his cock had slipped from me and retreated back into its slit. I reached down to feel behind myself, and found my asscheeks and crack were sticky with dried semen. My robe had fared much worse. I raised my head and glanced down to see a large dried puddle of semen on it that must have run out of me when Xarn had pulled out. I lay my head back against his neck and sighed contentedly, curling my arms around his neck. I felt Xarn's body shiver slightly as he stretched, his arms tightened briefly around me then relaxed.

“Ah, good morning Richard! I must say, I could really get used to sleeping in a bed! Much more comfortable than the ledge in my lair!" Xarn said cheerfully.

“Good morning Xarn. I'm glad your potion didn't wear off during the night, that would have been a disaster!" I said with a chuckle.

“I'm sure if it had, and the shrinking process was any indication, my thrashing would have most likely woken you up!" Xarn said. “I don't know about you, but I'm starving! What's for breakfast?" he asked with a grin. After cleaning myself up, then pulling on a new pair of undershorts and some clothes, we headed downstairs. Sunlight flooded the lower floor of my house, it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. Xarn took a seat on the floor by the dining table in the same spot he had last night.

“More steaks? Wine or water?" I asked.

“I would love some more steaks, and I certainly wouldn't say no to more of that wine!" Xarn replied with a grin. I nodded, then went and fetched a couple more steaks and another bottle of wine for him. For myself, I simply had some buttered bread and water. Xarn again made quick work of the steaks and wine, but managed to refrain from belching loudly this time.

“I have some chores to take care of in the stables, would you like to come with me?" I offered.

“You don't have any servants to do them for you? What good is all of that gold if you don't spend it!" Xarn exclaimed, looking surprised that I did my own chores.

“Despite the gold, I'm still a simple man, and I like to do things for myself. Are you coming or not? I have to feed the horses and put them out, then clean the stalls" I said as I got up from the table. Xarn sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes.

“Fine, I will join you. I suppose it will be interesting to see your daily routine" Xarn said, rising to his feet and following me out.

My stable was large, but actually only had three horses at the moment. It could have easily housed five times as many. The horses were not pleased by Xarn's presence, initially panicking when they first saw him, and caught his scent. But when Xarn settled down on the floor and crossed his forelegs in front of him, they began to settle down once they realized he wasn't a threat. It also helped that he had walked in with me, and I showed no fear of him.

“Your horses look like they would be delicious!" Xarn commented, and licked his muzzle.

“I would consider it a personal favor if you did not eat my horses" I said sternly.

“You could always buy more!" Xarn complained, then rolled his eyes and sighed as I gave him an unamused look. “You're no fun!" he said in a huff, and rested his head on his forelegs.

I fed the horses, then put them to pasture. With them out of the way, I cleaned their stalls. It didn't take me long, and I finished quickly. Xarn rose back to his feet and followed me out of the stable.

“I hope you don't mind if I spend the day with you. It's probably safer for me to stay here until I return to my original size. It would be just my luck to run into another dragon before then!" Xarn said.

“I don't mind, it's nice to have some company. I usually like to take a walk in the woods after my chores, care to join me?" I offered.

“That sounds nice, I would love to" Xarn replied with a smile.

Other than the chirping of birds, the woods were quiet, and we walked in a companionable silence. At one point we stumbled across a doe, who raised her head in alarm upon seeing us. Xarn crouched and tensed his muscles as though he would go after her, but then relaxed and chuckled.

“Instincts almost kicked in there for a second!" the dragon said. “You're lucky I'm so small right now or you would be a squirming bulge in my belly!" Xarn yelled after the doe as it bounded through the trees. I laughed and patted Xarn's back. After a long leisurely stroll through the woods we returned and had some lunch. More steaks for Xarn, and I even cooked one up for myself. We shared a bottle of wine, then went outside again. I had a long bench by my front door, and I settled down on it. Xarn hopped up and laid down next to me.

“You do have quite a lovely place here. It's no mountain lair, but it will do" Xarn said, then rested his head in my lap. I was a little surprised, and tentatively stroked his head and neck. The dragon sighed contentedly, and I realized he had fallen asleep. I continued stroking his soft scales well I watched the horses grazing. The warm weight of Xarn's head on my lap was quite pleasant. I closed my eyes, and soon dozed off myself.

I was startled awake when Xarn suddenly raised his head from my lap and grunted loudly.

“Wha? What's the matter?" I asked groggily. Xarn got to his feet, jumped off the bench and quickly moved out into the yard. The sun was getting low in the sky and I wondered just how long we had dozed together. Xarn cried out as he slumped to the ground and clutched his sides. I assumed the potion was starting to wear off. Xarn grunted in pain and discomfort as he writhed on the ground. The same purple glow from earlier began to appear around him, and I watched with fascination as he began to grow back to his original size. After a few moments, the glow faded and Xarn lay on the ground breathing heavily. He shakily climbed back to his feet and looked over his body, then down at me. He sighed with relief and grinned when he saw he was back to normal.

“That wizard definitely earned his gold, I may even have to throw in a bonus!" Xarn said and laughed. I smiled up at him. He lowered his head down to me, and nuzzled my chest with his once again enormous head. “Thank you for a wonderful evening and letting me spend the day with you" he said gratefully. I scratched the scales on the top of his muzzle, and he gave a contented sigh before raising his head again. Xarn went over to collect the giant empty flask where he had dropped it by my house, then picked up the equally giant cork and stuck it back in. “This flask was almost as expensive as the potion! I suppose I should return it" Xarn mused.

“You can take your sack of gold with you, I honestly don't need it" I said to him. He looked at me in surprise, then smiled.

“I want you to have it, it pleases me to give it to you" Xarn said.

“If I had known how good having sex with you would be, I wouldn't have wanted it anyway!" I exclaimed, and smiled. Xarn threw his head back and laughed loudly.

“Thank you Richard, I appreciate that! Thank you once more for a wonderful time, I will visit again soon!" Xarn promised, as he extended his wings.

“So long Xarn, I look forward to it!" I said, and waved as the dragon took flight into the darkening sky. I would never have believed it after my first encounter with him, but I was disappointed to see him go, and couldn't wait to see him again. I headed to the pastures to bring the horses in before going in to make myself dinner.

Almost two weeks had passed since Xarn's visit. I had just come out of the stable after finishing my chores, and as had become my habit, I scanned the skies. I sighed with disappointment, and also with worry over his absence. I was considering traveling to his lair to check on him when I was startled from my thoughts by somebody calling out to me. I looked down the path leading to my property to see two men approaching. They were rough looking, and both wore tattered cloaks and worn leather armor. Swords hung from their belts. I felt a sense of unease as they approached.

“Good morning!" One of them called to me, and grinned menacingly. “My associate and I are merely stopping by to relieve you of any unnecessary wealth you might have accumulated! We consider it our civic duty to help those who have more money than they know what to do with. If you cooperate, then we won't have to hurt you… too badly" the man said, as he pulled his sword from its sheath. I was immediately starting to regret my seclusion, my nearest neighbor was miles away. I started to back slowly towards the house, when a deafening roar echoed across the sky. The men turned in surprise to see Xarn streaking from the sky towards them. The man who had drawn his sword dropped it, and trembled, paralyzed by terror and unable to move. The other man had the sense to turn and run. As Xarn swooped in, he grabbed the man who hadn't run in one hand, then easily caught up to and snatched the fleeing man in his other. With his prey in hand, he veered sharply straight up into the sky. The fierce gust of wind created when the dragon had flown by me nearly knocked me off my feet. I looked up to see Xarn circle overhead, and could hear the terrified screams of the men in his clutches. As I watched, he tossed one of the men into the air, letting him free fall briefly before swooping down after him and snapping him out of the air in his jaws. Xarn's aim must have been a little off, because seconds later a severed arm thudded to the ground near me. Its fingers twitched briefly before stilling, causing me to grimace in disgust. Xarn circled back, and glided in for a soft landing near me. The man who remained in his clutches moaned in fear, and struggled futilely.

“Good morning Richard! So wonderful to see you again!" Xarn called to me cheerfully. “I noticed you seemed to have some intruders on your property, I do hope you don't mind me dealing with them." The man in Xarn's hand had stopped moaning, and stared at me in shock.

“You…you know this dragon?!?" he said in terrified disbelief. “Sir, I assure you we were only jesting, we would have never actually hurt or robbed you!" the man practically babbled. Xarn lowered his muzzle to the man and sniffed him, then took a long slow lick across the side of the man's face. The man closed his eyes, trembled in terror, and began moaning again.

“Mmm…delicious!" Xarn rumbled menacingly

“I wish I could say I believed you, but I'm afraid I don't" I said regretfully. Xarn gave me a questioning look, and I simply shrugged at him. He took my indifference as permission, and an evil grin spread across his muzzle. He stripped the man's sword belt from him with a clawed finger, then tilted his head back as he lifted the man up and dangled him over his yawning jaws by his cloak. The man shrieked in fear and frantically kicked his legs.

“Please sir, I'm begging you! Spare me!" the man screamed. Xarn paid him no mind. He extended his tongue and wound it around the man's flailing legs and hips, then dragged him into his jaws. I watched with a mixture of fascination and disgust as a large squirming bulge slid down the dragon's neck. The bulge vanished, and Xarn sighed with satisfaction and licked his lips.

“I wasn't expecting to get breakfast when I came to visit, how thoughtful of you Richard!" Xarn said with a chuckle. The dragon's eyes darted to the severed arm on the ground. He quickly snatched it up between his large fingers, then tossed it into the air. His jaws snapped loudly as he caught and swallowed it. “I must be getting rusty, I usually get them all in one bite!" he said with an embarassed chuckle.

“Are they…still alive in there?" I asked with morbid curiosity. I thought I could see faint signs of motion against the scales of Xarn's belly.

“The fellow missing his arm might have expired from his injury, but his friend is still quite lively and squirming! If it's any consolation, he will suffocate long before he begins to be digested" Xarn assured me, then belched loudly. His tongue snaked out to lick off a splotch of blood from the side of his muzzle. I shuddered to think that that could have been my fate. We were distracted by the sound of more footsteps coming up the road. Xarn swiftly moved himself in front of me and turned, his body tensed, ready to spring. It appeared another bandit was coming, but was unaware of the fate that had befallen his comrades. He stopped and visibly gasped when he saw Xarn. The dragon snarled and growled menacingly. The man immediately turned and fled. Xarn was about to pursue him when I called for him to wait. He stumbled slightly in stopping himself, but didn't give chase. Xarn looked at me in confusion.

“Why don't we let that one go? That way he can tell his friends and I don't think I'll have to worry about any bandits for a while" I said with a chuckle.

“Hmm, a wise decision I suppose. But should they give you any more trouble, I will hunt down every last one of them and make sure they die screaming in agony!" Xarn exclaimed angrily, his breathing grew heavy as his agitation increased, and smoke billowed from his nostrils. I put my hand on his foreleg, and my touch seemed to calm him down.

“I didn't realize you were so serious about hunting bandits" I said teasingly.

“When they threaten a dear friend of mine, then it becomes personal!" Xarn said passionately, then almost looked embarrassed by what he had said.

“Oh, I'm a dear friend now am I?" I said, and raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. Xarn sighed and smiled back.

“I must admit I've grown very fond of you, and would feel terrible if anything were to ever happen to you" Xarn confessed, and lowered his head to nuzzle my chest. He gave my face an affectionate lick, his huge tongue coating it in saliva, then leaned his head against me. I laughed as I wiped my face.

“I feel the same way about you Xarn. I'm so thankful you showed up when you did. I thought you would be back sooner, and I was beginning to worry about you!" I said as I gently stroked his muzzle, and leaned my head against his brow.

“I'm sorry for making you worry. I had to make the trip to see the wizard to give him his payment, and arrange for another potion. It's a very long trip" Xarn told me apologetically.

“Oh, another potion? I'm flattered that you think I'm worth the terrible taste and discomfort!" I said with a smile.

“You are absolutely worth it! I also have him researching a spell for me that will hopefully have the same effect as the potion. He's charging me a fortune, but the convenience will be well worth it!" Xarn told me.

“Well, if you need some extra gold, let me know, I have plenty. Maybe I'll give you a loan!" I said jokingly. Xarn laughed loudly and sat down next to me. He reached over and draped his large hand across my back and pulled me gently against his side, then curled his tail around us.

“I'm so glad I didn't eat you when we first met" he said, and sighed happily. I laughed, and could only agree with him.