Swallowing Pride
#1 of War
Swallowing Pride
The battle was long over when Tiberius finally woke. The wolf pushed himself up, shaking the snow off his back, and trying to work some feeling back into his body. Lying on the snow touched ground for any length of time numbed him. His armor was frozen and stiff, though by rapping his knuckles on it, he saw the cold would do no lasting damage. No doubt only the insulation of his fur had saved him from hypothermia. During the battle, he had been hit over the head by one of those staffs the leopards were all armed with. The spinning shaft hit him hard across the helmet and knocked him out. By now, the battle had long passed, and he found himself alone on what had once been the front line. His helmet had absorbed most of the impact, saving his skull from being crushed, but now it was simply crushed into bent metal. The visor was smashed and any closer would have bent inwards towards his face. No sense in wearing it, so he casually took it off and dropped the worthless weight to the snowy ground.
Other than that, his armor was mostly fine. He checked his arming sword on his belt. The cold had made the blade stick, and it took a while for him to work it out of the sheath. His shield was still on his left arm. He whacked it with his sword to be sure it was still strong before returning the sword to his belt. He found his halberd a bit forward from it, it too was fine. Wolves were simply good weapon makers. There was little that could damage the weapons. The last he sought was a crossbow. He wasn't an archer, but he knew how to use it, and it may prove useful. He found one, cold and spent after some searching. He picked it up, looking it over, and took an arrow off the body of one of his kind's fallen archers. Loading the bow and pulling the wire back, he made sure it would fire. Wolf engineers had developed past the hairpin trigger, and this one boasted a trigger protected by a ring of steel to prevent misfires. Setting it at the small of his back, he looked himself over.
The wolf knight was tall and well built, his somewhat slim girth accented by the shining plate armor that covered his body. Over his chest was his tabard, mostly black with a deep green trim and his personal mark on the chest. His fur was brown, while his muzzle, ears, half his tail, forearms and forelegs were still brown much, much darker. His eyes were a nice green, just a bit bloodshot from how long he had been going without sleep. He spent some time rubbing them. By how the bodies fell, he took it that the battle had moved forward while he was unconscious. He looked around, shivering a bit at the coldness, before heading off in that direction.
It was a long walk, with a lot of nothing. He didn't like not having company, and hoped with each step to find a fellow wolf, knocked out but not dead. But all the bodies of wolves and the snow leopards they fought littered the grounds were dead. The leopards wore armor at times; chainmail under their clothing, but for the most recent battles they wore only cloth to match the grounds they inhabited, skillful camouflage. Just to be certain, he stabbed one of the bodies through the chest with his halberd, and indeed, it struck no resistance. The leopards were skilled fighters, adapt at surprise and cunning and their odd weapons, and perhaps the wolf knight could have respected them, but they were the enemy.
When heard snow crunch behind him, he instinctively turned, swinging his halberd in a wide horizontal arc. Amazing, if he had his helmet on, he wouldn't have heard the crunch of snow, nor seen the leopard duck beneath the swing and roll backwards over the ground. This leopard, like all the others, was dressed in white and grey camouflage clothing that matched his spotted fur, a bit baggy and loose to allow freedom of movement, and was armed most readily with a long staff. What would have been a pitiful weapon in any other circumstances, Tiberius had seen those same staves crack skulls and crush spines. Other than that, hanging from his belt had to be a dozen small knives. Kunai, the leopards called them. Interesting weapons. Sort of like daggers, but more multi-tools than anything, made for stabbing, climbing, and prying off plate armor. They were like any other small dagger save the ring at the end of the pommel. A small bit of cloth tied to the belt attached the pommel to the leopard's clothing. The leopard's face was covered with that same white and grey camouflage cloth tied tight around his face.
The leopard backed away, holding his staff behind him, waiting for the right moment to attack. Finally, he dug his staff into the ground and scooped a powder sheen of white at the wolf knight, who lifted his shield and swung his halberd defensively. When he lowered his guard, snarling and looking around, the leopard had disappeared. Tiberius growled, looking around, sniffing the air but the coldness killed his nose. Instead he listened for any sound. Ears swiveled forward, trying to ignore the whistling of the air and his pounding heart. But now the leopard seemed to be more wary and careful. The wolf kept turning, swinging in a wide arc to try to catch the leopard, who had seemed to disappear.
Tiberius began to back away, holding his halberd out like a spear and his shield up. He hated fighting leopards. They were so elusive, it was nearly impossible to kill one. He lifted his shield a bit higher, looking at the small mirror on the inside and catching sight of the leopard with his staff over his head. Tiberius pushed his shield over his head, blocking the swing. He twisted, smacking his shield into the leopard's side and knocking him away. Again, the leopard rolled a good distance before getting to his feet. Tiberius swung, and the head of the halberd hit the staff as the leopard instinctively lifted it. There was a whisper over the snow and the sharpness of the halberd's axe cut through the wood. The leopard spread his arms, and threw the two halves of the staff at the wolf, who again lifted his shield, growling at the attack. Again, when he lowered his shield the leopard had already gotten to his feet and pulled two of the daggers off his belt. He leaped, twisting with a kick to the wolf's shield and forcing the wolf a few steps back. He was going to swing again, but a large shadow cast out the light.
The wolf knight had barely looked up when a huge crimson claw took hold of him. His head popped right between two the gargantuan toes while a third hooked under his groin. He dropped his halberd, and when he was suddenly lifted up, his shield slipped off his arm. The plate armor around his chest and shoulders struggled to retain its shape as the immense claw tightened and he was lifted off the ground higher. He felt like he was going to pop. Groaning loudly, he looked to his side, and saw the leopard clawing and fighting hard. "Calm down," Tiberius called out. "He's got us for now."
Tiberius clenched as the grip tightened around him, then it relaxed. He looked to the claw that held the leopard, and his eyes followed it up the thick thigh to the haunch and hip. Reaching the groin, he looked along the stomach and chest and finally to the long, serpentine neck. This was a big dragon. A big, big dragon.
The claw kept his arms pinned to his side, making it impossible to draw his sword. Even if he could, and cut his way out of the grip, the fall would kill him. They were at least a hundred feet up.
"Helel," he heard shouted at him. He looked to the leopard, who shouted again. "My name is Helel."
The wolf sighed. "Tiberius," he shouted, over the heavy beat of the dragon's wings. Looking forward to where the dragon was flying, he saw a large mountain climbing to the sky. He cast one last look to the leopard before closing his eyes and waiting.
Upon arriving at the cave, the dragon flapped his wings, sustaining a distance of ten feet above the ground. The claws around the wolf released him, and he free fell, landing hard with a loud clank of his armor on the ground. Sitting up, he instinctively reached for his sword, but thought better of it. For now, the dragon wasn't paying attention to him, and perhaps it didn't realize he was armed. The wolf knight watched as the dragon shuffled to what seemed to be a cage made out of tall stalagmites driven deep in to the ground, with one of the cave's walls serving as a back. The leopard gave a loud snarl, before he was dropped into the "cage". There was no closing at the top to keep the captured inside. Conceivably, the leopard could climb out and escape. Conceivably.
Tiberius stood, and drew his sword, holding it ahead of him at the ready. The dragon looked to him, licking its long muzzle with its serpentine tongue. Tiberius growled, drawing his sword and holding it at the ready. The dragon spun around, the tail moving fast and whipping the wolf knight in the ribs. He hit the cave wall about ten feet away with a loud crash, and slunk painfully to the ground. The dragon was upon him in an instant. Sharp, dexterous claws cut through his armor and tore it aside. He clenched his jaw, waiting for pain, but at most there was a gentle tickle on his fur. He looked up to see the dragon squatting over him, eyes locked and focused and tongue sticking out of the corner of its mouth. Tiberius slowly looked around for his sword, and saw it shining where he had been standing. His eyes also wandered to the leopard in the cage. He took off his head wrapping, showing the pale fur and white hair underneath. Tiberius squinted. He noticed the leopard taking off his shirt next and setting it aside, then ripping two of the kunai off his belt. Tiberius didn't need a perfect view to know what the leopard was doing. He had heard leopards could use their daggers to climb, but Tiberius had never seen it. The leopard would jam the kunai into the wall, and then rise and step on to it and jam another into the wall higher. It was fascinating to watch him work, and focusing, it kept Tiberius' mind off what the dragon was doing.
Nude now, Tiberius looked to the dragon, who scooped the wolf up into his fore claws. It brought the wolf up to its lips and slid out its tongue, running the moist appendage over Tiberius' face and chest. He looked away, barely holding his gorge. The dragon exhaled, and the foul breath washed over his face. He looked away, trying to keep his nose from being caught in the draft. Again, his eyes wandered to the leopard. He was using his two blades to climb. Quite an impressive feat, both the durability of the blades and the strength of the user. Still, it must have been a hard climb, and the leopard was probably exhausted from the battle and the travel. The tongue moved between Tiberius' legs, and he bit back a snarl. His head darted around, his eyes clenched tight shut. Slowly, his eyes opened as the tongue moved back to his stomach and began tasting his belly fur. His eyes caught the leopard's, who had turned back to see if the dragon had noticed. It would have been so easy to scream out and warn the dragon of what was happening, and turn its attention to the leopard instead of him. The dragon would stop its revolting exploration and the leopard would suffer this fate. Instead, the wolf knight swallowed his words and let the dragon play.
It was unbearable. The revolting smell of the dragon's breath and the feel of its tongue. He did what he could to let his mind leave. He did his best to think about his sweet mate back home. She was so beautiful. Soft, snowy white fur and long ebony hair down her back and to her tail. And that cute little black ring around her eye, as if for no other reason than to break the monotony of her fur. He thought about the warm embrace of his mate, his sweet Payel. She was a warrior, like him, a sword wielder and archer. Guessing what the dragon wanted to accomplish, he focused on the memory of his mate. It helped. He felt his penis stiffen. The dragon gave a low purr as he tasted the wolf's excitement. Disgusting creatures, dragons were. The lowest of beasts, driven only by their two hungers. Looking down, Tiberius saw the plate scales at the dragon's groin start to part, and the slimy pink flesh rod push its way out. One hand still held Tiberius and pressed him to that horrible maw, while the other drifted to the groin and started to rub.
Helel reached the top of the cage and again, caught his breath. He looked to the dragon to be sure he hadn't been seen, and found the oddest sight he ever would. Shock and revulsion swelled inside him as he watched the dragon suckle the wolf and coddle his own heat rudely. The wolf seemed ready to cry, gagging and clenching his eyes shut and looking around as if there would be some sort of escape. Again, he caught the leopard, and then turned his head to the cave's mouth.
The dragon's mouth suddenly opened wide and his fingers fed the wolf's upper half between the lips. The instinctual howl was muffled by the wet insides of the dragon's mouth and warm embrace of his throat. Helel muffled his own scream by putting his paws over his mouth and clamping his mouth shut. The dragon simply pumped himself harder. Out of his mouth, Tiberius' legs kicked feebly, and Helel could just make up the long tongue curling around his thigh and tail. The dragon's two fingers caught the flailing feet, holding them together, and then pushing him in deeper. The neck stretched far, almost hitting the roof of the cave, creating a nice straight path for him to travel. Helel watched with morbid fascination as a large lump slide down the scaly throat. It wiggled and pressed, and the dragon just gasped and swallowed again, pushing the tiny lump until it disappeared into its chest.
The dragon's tongue licked over his long muzzle. He leaned back, using both claws now to work his thick penis. He shivered and moaned gently, and looked to the cage, slurping a bit of drool. He waddled over and peeked inside, wanting the sweet taste of leopard to accompany the delicious squirming in his belly, but he found the cage empty. His large head weaved over his neck, snarling, and still trying to keep the delicious fullness of his penis as he searched for another aid.
Helel held his stomach, trying to ignore the smell of dragon musk, in the air. It was like getting hit by a mace. The smell, and the image. He just wanted to crawl up and die, or at least leave, but instead looked back to the dragon. It was facing deeper into the cave, sniffing and searching, erection throbbing rudely between its legs and before its tail. Helel quickly moved to where the wolf knight's armor lay in pieces. He scrounged through it, at last finding the crossbow. It wasn't hard to figure out how to use it; Helel had seen it plenty of times. Aiming may prove a problem, so he approached the beast, who was now snarling and rubbing himself, trying to keep the sensation up until he could properly relieve himself. The dragon turned around to face the sound of paws on the ground. Helel took a deep breath, closing his eye and aiming, then squeezed the trigger with his bare finger. It was a blessing that the dragon was so big really. Its eye was a nice big target. If it was any smaller, Helel doubted he could make the hit. But the arrow flew a true path and ran into the dragon's eye, and the dragon stumbled back, screaming. Helel squatted, drawing his two knives from the sheaths on the side of his shins. About the length of the forearm, with a guard over the knuckles, they were standard issue for the army.
The stomping feet and massive penis were equally as deadly; either could crush him if he weren't careful. Reaching the blind spot under the hind legs of the dragon, Helel swung the knives in a wide arc, stabbing into the dragon's scrotum. He twisted the blade, then spread his arms, opening a wide gash so the swollen testicles nearly fell out of. Twisting and stabbing, he drove one of his blades into the still erect penis. The dragon roared, squirming and falling over onto its side. Helel jabbed his other blade into the dragon's penis, before starting to back away. The dragon howled and screamed, thrashing on the ground. Helel looked around for something else, something to finish the job, and noticed the wolf knight's sword resting on the dark stone.
He picked it up, and nearly fell over. It was a heavy weapon, much heavier than anything he carried, and he had to hold it with both hands. The dragon snarled and howled, thrashing about. Helel moved slowly, carefully avoiding the thrashing arms and claws, and when he reached ten steps to the dragon's underside, he lifted the sword and charged forward. The sharpness of the blade's tip couldn't cut through scales however, and it bounced off. Helel rolled to his side to avoid the crushing claw of the dragon. Spying the dragon's neck, he approached quickly. With all his strength, he lifted the sword over his head, and jammed it down. The sharpness and weight of the blade cut through the thinner scales on the flexible neck. Helel retched and twisted, opening the hole and cutting the throat and jugular open. The smell of the hot, foul blood was sickening, and he backed away, covering his mouth.
It was overwhelming. Helel looked away, wanting to throw up, which after bending over, he did. The dragon writhed a bit, gagging and still clawing, though much feebler.
Helel looked to swollen belly of the dragon. Then, he looked down to the last kunai on his belt. Gagging on the smell that filled the cave, he drew the blades and walked to the belly. Closing his eyes, he jammed the blades into the scales, trying to get under the plating. When it was, he started prying them off. He exposed quite a bit of the soft skin, dropping the thick scales to the ground, before retrieving the knight's blade and running it into the now exposed skin.
The leopard cut and twisted the blade, working the hole bigger. Pulling the sword out and throwing it aside, he took the wound in both paws and started prying and working deeper and deeper. Oh, the smell. And what he was doing, eviscerating a dragon that he had seen masturbate with a helpless wolf in his mouth. He stuck his hand in, groping for something furry, and finding it, yanked.
His first sight was a furry head, matted brown fur clinging to the skull. Helel yanked again, pulling the wolf's torso out of the reeking gut before Tiberius finally came to life, clawing and gasping for air, choking on fluids the leopard didn't want to think about. The wolf crawled forward, gagging and vomiting sticky yellow muck.
"You dead?" Helel asked, as he retrieved his two butterfly knives from where he had dropped them.
Tiberius blinked, and looked to the leopard weakly. "Not quite yet. Going to finish it?"
The leopard looked to the knife passively. "No."
"Thanks. For getting me out of there," Tiberius muttered.
"Thanks...for covering me." Helel chuckled. "Besides, I think you've suffered enough." He sighed. "So...you should really take a bath or something."