FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

For what it's worth, I believe that things can change for the better. All I need to do is put some effort to make it happen… But man makes his plans, and the Universe laughs at them. And its laughter echoes through the empty halls of my mind, rattling cages previously never bothered, inside of which my darkest fears are imprisoned.

Chapter I

The hamsterwheel of routine starts over again. Waking up, shower, dressing up, repugnant meal of a breakfast, and coffee strong enough to make one hear one's heartbeat pounding in the ears, then drive to a district where underground train network is dense, then taking the sub to work, where people like me spend their days being treated like crap, and the only way to climb up the invisible career ladder is to do some hardcore bootlicking where it matters. The central office building, sometimes referred to as The Office, was a place that employed trained scholars to do some advanced market research. The job was tedious, mentally exhausting and other employees just as revolting. But the most disgusting person of all is The Superior, or superior superior, as everyone would often refer to him, who is the absolute deity of The Office. For whatever reason Arthur was still working there, it was certainly not the superior whatever. Work in his case was not something he would do because he felt this was his calling. It was something that he was quite good at and something that had to be done. Having graduated from god-knows what kind of school, he was a specialist in high demand. Thanks to his parents, he now could supplement his household without any significant problems such as unemployment. But such daily life had its toll on mental health as being ordered around was no pleasure. Work for Arthur was a chore. Days like this one was proof of that. With an emotionless face he was sitting at his desk, listening to one of his superiors yelling at… him, maybe? Or perhaps one of his colleagues. He had no idea nor any intention to find out. Some stupid office junkie was telling him what to do with his life – it wasn't something he appreciated. Hence Arthur, being an open-minded fellow, chose to play dumb and ignore most of the technicalities of the situation. All he could think was how much he wanted to go home. Of course, not before paying a visit to Sum Ting Wong, who was the most revered vendor of the Chinatown. Despite being completely legal (not really), he could provide one with almost anything from antique furniture to rare animals, homeopathic medicinal substances, silverware, jewelry, weapons and so on. Arthur was only interested in paperwork, especially some of the older books or on rare occasions, even first-print classical novels. Sometimes Mr. Wong would treat Arthur, his faithful long-time customer, with a bottle of old and well-preserved red wine. It was those long nights of reading and sipping quality wine that Arthur enjoyed the most. For all he knew, it was how entertainment was at its finest, although despite the popular opinion, since some of his co-workers preferred to spend their nights accompanied by cheap prostitutes. He would tell himself that is the only reason of staying in this wretched city where everyone was a “Capitalista Mundi", or capitalist by soul. “Sounds stupid, but poetic", Arthur thought to himself whilst sitting in a crowded subway train, his addled and numb mind now clearing up after leaving the office. The idea of living to be valuable had ceased to disgust him years ago when he decided to adopt minimalistic world views and go with the flow. Subway train was surprisingly suitable place for bearing acute philosophical ideas about the modern world. For once, one finds peace upon realizing that arguing in favor of his own opinion is a waste in this environment rich in self-absorbed people. What's best is to agree with everyone's arguments so as not to waste any more time talking to people one rather would not talk to, and as soon as they cease observing, do as they please regardless of previous altercations. A pained sigh escaped him as Arthur fought for his own mentality this very moment. It was all so hard – staying here, instead of leaving this place and going away. Somewhere where people held more value, other than means to make money, where the finer things in life were appreciated. Whatever the reasons, he felt lethargic with regards to his presence. His thoughts dwindled as the train came to a stop. Next one was Tribula Hearth, the biggest square in Chinatown, and arguably the most beautiful in the entire metropolis. Also, it's where he left his car, so one way or another he had to make a trip there. As soon as the rig stopped, the entire train emptied rather quickly, considering that Chinatown wasn't even the last point of public interest on the route. Next few stops were the suburbs, where few of the biggest shopping centers and brothels resided. Exiting the underground, Arthur emerged into an assault on one's senses. The heavy scent of spices lingering in the streets, blindingly bright neon lamps and noises from all around – music and haggling. Wasn't long till Arthur managed to escape this plethora of distraction into Mr. Wong's store, a seemingly small shop, no different from all the others across this part of the city. Of course, he knew that whoever was trusted enough would be let into the other compartment where some of the rarer stock was displayed. As soon as he entered, he saw an old Chinese man approaching, once again, no different from any other, but perhaps a tad older.

“Hello, Mr. Hunter".

Arthur bowed his head.

“Greetings. I am here for the same…" He couldn't finish as he was cut short.

“Yes, yes, the same reason as every Friday, you know I never grow tired of you. Just like I always have something stockpiled for my favorite customer, as well as a gift that I was lucky enough to get my hands onto."

Arthur genuinely suspected another bottle of some extremely old and rare wine, such as 1923 vintage Jungarten he received a year ago. That bottle alone was worth a few thousand, which was a reasonable fraction of what Arthur spent here over the years. However, the possibilities were endless.

“Do tell", he said as he observed Mr. Wong beckon him to follow deeper into the warehouse.

“I will show instead".

As they walked, Arthur saw some woman hand-feeding a Bengal tiger in one of the dimly lit rooms of the strange complex of rooms and corridors. The scene was… perplexing, at the very least. Mr. Wong saw his amusement but waved aside with utter indifference.

“This is completely safe. That tiger was abused in circus somewhere in far east. It hadn't seen any compassion and was scared shitless of any human interaction. I'm having her rehabilitated into normal human-animal relationship."

No other conversation arose as they strode towards the so-known “Unmanned container". It was named after Mr. Wong announced that no one besides him is to open it. Arthur being a considerate customer, almost demonstratively faced away as Mr. Wong went to open the large metal box. A moment of rustling, several old man-sounding grunts, some metal-to-metal collision clinging, a weighty cardboard box being dropped on the floor and then the creaking sound of large metal doors closing, the latter sound echoing throughout the entire length of the corridor. Finally, Arthur felt entitled to take a glance at whatever Mr. Wong was willing to show, sell or bestow upon him. The cardboard box was surely stacked full of books, most probably being old and surprisingly well-preserved prints of classical literature. Arthur didn't even have to open it to know. What momentarily piqued his curiosity was whatever Mr. Wong had nestled inside his palms. “Certainly not wine", Arthur thought to himself.

“This I had my supplier dig up somewhere in ancient temple of China. It was in ruins and it was kind of archaeological site, so few artifacts could make it out of there without some flags getting raised. I had this one confirmed a forgery for the record and thus discarded. But believe me, it is as real as such baubles get."

He showed Arthur an old ring, seemingly made from silver. The oddest thing about it was its shape – when put on a finger, it would look like a small silver dragon with blue trim would have wrapped its tail around it. It looked truly exquisite, and although Arthur wasn't someone who fancied such attributes of history, he felt like the ring wanted to be in his possession, somehow.

“I've heard rumours that the temple it was found at belonged to dragons when they lived seemingly out in the open, but still in one of the most inaccessible territories of that continent."

Dragons… wait, dragons? Arthur quickly perused his recollections of whatever he knew about those mysterious creatures. First of all, they did exist, doubtlessly. Furthermore, they were not fond of being seen, as they were really good at hiding and had no desire to be discovered or bothered. Something about magic as well, but that was probably just a legend that was given rise to somewhere during the last Great War. Arthur had no idea what to believe, also he had no hope that this would be either valuable or “magical" or worth retrieving by its original owners, hence why it was left behind. Must have happened during the last peril, when tired of warring with humans, dragons managed to disappear completely. One day, General Hinning of the Royal Fleet was planning an attack on one of the cave systems where dragons were known to be camped, and the next day, said attack has proven that they are nowhere to be seen. Nowadays, only dubious reports or sightings come from hermit monks of the far and middle east. His train of thought was briefly interrupted by the merchant.

“You're staring, Mr. Hunter."

He averted his gaze from the ring. Arthur was now convinced it meant something other than piece of silver.

“Oh, am I?", he muttered mostly to himself. Arthur had no idea why this discarded piece of paraphernalia had so awkwardly grabbed his attention.

“I take it you are interested?", the vendor inquired. Silence. Arthur's eyes were still glued to the shiny bauble resting in Mr. Wong's palm.

“Mr. Hunter?"

“I am interested, if it wasn't obvious already. Can we work on arrangements? Not to be rude, but I have a finite number of Friday nights in my life, and I assume you have other business to attend to."

Mr. Wong sighed, in the dim light of the storage room he looked even older, the weak illumination emphasizing his wrinkles.

“Box is 437, there's a second edition of Dostoyevskyi's “Idiot" inside as well as some other meaningful texts. I'm sure you would agree, were you to be aware of the contents. As for the ring, I already told you it's a gift."

Arthur looked the old merchant in the eye as they exchanged goods, currency and other pleasantries. Mere moments later Arthur had the reading materiel hauled to his automobile and the ring clenched in his palm. He still had no idea why this meaningless piece of jewelry appeared so interesting to him. Time will show.

Chapter II

Most Friday nights post-10PM in the city exhibited empty streets and complete absence of pedestrians. Today was no except a few homeless people and hookers. No different than any other city, aside from more hookers and less homeless. All in all, usual and uneventful journey home, if one omits the constant presence of previously obtained ring in his thoughts. Arthur couldn't help but think of it all the time. It was perplexing and even agitating. He secretly hoped it had meaning beyond his comprehension, at least his geeky side did. It was about time he made a turn towards different his driveway when he noticed that entire neighborhood had been under complete blackout. That had the instant effect of purging the stupid ring from his conscious thoughts. He had more pressing matters to deal with, such as how to make his reading night possible with undeniable absence of electric power. Although it was entirely possible Arthur would have to skip his reading entirely due to this inconvenience, whatever were the reasons that caused such blackout. “Man makes plans, and the Universe laughs at them", Arthur thought to himself and seriously considered leaving his headlights on before tidying up the living room that had windows facing the driveway, but promptly decided against it. He wasn't the kind of person to go back to the Stone age due to lack of electricity. “Who do they think I am?", a famous quote appeared in his thoughts, as to marvel at the absurdity off the situation. Considerably more than mere moments later he realized that he had still been sitting in his car without any intention to move towards his home. Vague and misarranged thoughts stormed in his head as he unusually slowly walked towards his porch. As Arthur reached for his keys in his pocket, his fingers brushed past the cold silver of the ring. The Ring! But what about it? The reality was making fun of him. For who knows which time in the last hour a seemingly foreign thought appeared in his head, urging him too put it on. Without a second of contrary consideration he complied as he felt the metal circle surround his ring finger of his left hand. He sighed as the tar-black darkness greeted him upon entering his home. No, his house. He wasn't comfortable enough to call this place home. It was mentally limiting and not comfortable enough. For yet another instance his train of thoughts was interrupted by inexplicable eerie presence of something arcane of origin. How else would one explain the darkness that not even the dim light of moonlight seeping through his windows couldn't punch through. The night held secrets away from his eyes and the feeling of some presence proved more than just a hunch as he observed a pair of burning red eyes ominously staring at him from the darkness. He suddenly realised: there was a dragon in his house. And apparently, it was pissed. Arthur felt getting weak in the knees, unable to move, his palms were sweating like a slut in a church. Silence. Low, guttural growl emanated from the opposite side of the room. Arthur heard a strange, almost otherworldy but barely recognizable feminine voice speaking in a weird guttural language he could most closely describe as severely agitating:

“Ithra fvor thrnash ghuth dael…"

He didn't understand a word, he didn't want to. In fact, all he wanted is to get the hell out of there. But he felt the ring twitch, as well as himself muttering

“What?"

Another angry growl, followed by another undecipherable tirade:

“Firghnath fvor hredth ghuth dael".

Once again, Arthur felt out of his body, suspecting that the stupid ring had him behaving like that.

“What is it?"

The dragon now probably confused stepped into the light to reveal its white fur and long whiskers. But the red glowing eyes still had his attention.

“Thrith vhirna'athel" – he heard again, words of the dragon giving him goosebumps and making him sweat more profusely than before. But all of a sudden he felt his own anger rise like a tidal wave. He felt his legs step forward and himself saying menacingly, almost shouting:

“This is my house, you need some ring that belongs to ME, SO I AM CALLING THE SHOTS!"

Whatever happened there, it worked. The dragon sat on his haunches and its eyes ceased to glow.

“Okay".

Yet another excruciating moment of utter silence. Silence that does not explain things, silence that prevents explanation be voiced. Arthur expected to feel his stance to strengthen, but he felt even weaker. Through the faint fog in his eyes he saw the dragon move towards him.

“The ring is speaking through you, it's seeping your strength. You need to remove it or it will kill you."

Whatever fog clouded his mind, it dissipated and Arthur felt like complying – he pulled the ring off of his finger and felt himself relax. Now there was only the dragon to deal with. A little draconic problem. “Some people have rats or cockroaches, and I have dragons" – Arthur thought to himself, barely abstaining from voicing the thought.

“I understand you desire to know more but there's only so much I can tell you. I don't suppose you want to keep the ring anymore?" – the now soft feminine voice inquired.

“You're right, I don't", he said as he loosened the grip of his fingers on the ring. The dragon, which was obviously female, stood up and approached, but Arthur reflexively stepped back.

“Come on, are you still afraid of me?", she asked, tilting her head slightly. Arthur felt like avoiding any conversation.

“Just take the ring and get out."

Her facial features curved into a grin of some sort.

“Eager to see me leave so you could go mate with your female, I see."

Arthur's fingers clenched around the ring once more. This beast was making fun of him in his home. He had every right to be as angry as his was. He remembered how the ring made him feel – powerful. He desired to feel it again, to put the ring on and show this despicable lifeform which one is the superior species. He observed that the white-furred dragon noticed his agitation when she stepped back and sat on her haunches. When she did, Arthur then noticed she had a faint scent of cherries.

“Sorry, my ring is making me say this", she explained as she fiddled with her paws to remove a ring from one of her talons – it was very similar to the one he had, except for his ring was engraved in blue, hers was in red and glowing slightly.

“I was given this one and sent to retrieve yours. It's a Warriors ring and it's a powerful item one has to bond with to make it work. Mine is just a precaution, in case you bonded with yours and we had to fight. Seems like yours was retrieved at the temple of the White Ancients, judging from the blue trim. I will destroy it if you give it to me."

She eyed Arthur over, waiting for his response.

“What if I don't give you the ring?"

The dragon sighed, as if having feared for this.

“Then you'll have to go with me to where my kin resides and you will be taught how to bind the ring to yourself so it wouldn't kill you in your sleep or force you to mercilessly butcher everyone you ever loved."

None of the possible outcomes was pleasant, including the first one, so Arthur briefly ran over the possibilities in his mind. For once, he didn't feel immediately threatened. This outlandish beast was offering him a respite from what seemed to be the entire world as he knew it. A possibility to visit someplace arcane, where no human has ever set foot. A reason not to show up for work for a few months, maybe even few years. An experience most unrepeatable. Partially against his subconscious nagging him to try his luck with the beast his hand stretched out, the ring laying on his palm. The dragon then turned to lightly grip the ring with her talons and moments and a puff of smoke later it was gone. So was Arthur's chance to go to places. She then did the same thing to her ring.

“Why would you do that?"

“I told you, it's a dangerous thing, also, it was just a precaution. They don't grow on trees, like you humans say, but I prefer not intentionally avoiding sleep on my way home."

“And where that would be?" – Arthur inquired, honestly not expecting a response.

“You are going there with me. No way I'm allowed to let you roam free after everything you've seen and heard."

For the second time today, Arthur felt weak in the legs. He was going where?! The utter displeasure to anything abrupt forced him to voice his conscious opinion.

“I… I refuse to. I have my life here, I have my home, my job…" – he couldn't finish as he was bluntly interrupted.

“You don't even call this place home, you know it. Oh, and since you love your job so much…".

He was astonished: this obviously very vulgar beast was keeping tabs on him and somehow knew what he thought of his current position in society. Or… it was something else entirely. But the possible alternative was just too crippling to think about.

“How did you…"

“Your body language, doofus. You even walk like you are undesired in this very building. You still have your shoes on and I suspect you take them off only for bed. Oh, and why do you have two separate alarm clocks in your bedroom? Is it because you have no problems waking up to go to the job you l…"

“Okay, I understand. But that doesn't mean I'm going anywhere. I'm not going to blindly comply with some beast's demands…"

This previously pleasant or at the very least benevolent conversation had already became a shouting match. Arthur was now at least as pissed as she was when they first came face-to-face. Although he doubted his eyes were glowing red, but it was pretty damn close to that. He expected her to respond with some kind of witful shit, but all she did was looked down to the floor. But Arthur was pissed enough not to care about insulting her.

“You come to my house, and even forgetting the entire ring thing, you wreak havoc upon my life, one way or another. I'm not going to turn everything upside down just because you or someone you answer to told me to."

When she spoke, she was completely calm and very silent.

“You will go with me. And you will do so because you want to. You do realize that what I'm offering you is an escape from the life you hate and fail to admit that you do."

She was right and it was mentally numbing for Arthur to admit it. But to leave everything behind, seemingly permanently…

“Let's say I agree, what then?"

Upon his words her eyes sparkled back to life. She lightning-fast stood back up to all fours.

“Either we go now or I wait till dawn if you have some things to take with you. But know this – you are not moving. You are leaving. Means you only take what you absolutely need. This means you leave your devices, your personal papers or whatever, and most certainly…" – her voice dropped down to a murmur – “You do not take your toothbrush".

Arthur didn't know whether she was joking or not, but his frenzying thoughts prevented him from considering that. But his curiosity got the better of him.

“Why are you so opposed to my toothbrush?"

“That's why" – she said as she opened her maw to show off rows of teeth – it was slightly intimidating but even in the darkness they were glistening with whiteness.

“These teeth never saw a toothbrush" – she added as she licked her lips.

“You know that people use toothbrushes because they must to unless they want to get some horrid diseases some time in the future, right?"

“I just vaporized two ounces of meteor silver, don't you think I can keep thirty-two human teeth clean for one human lifetime?" – she added as she tried her best attempt at “Oh, you" face.

“Sheesh, sure, whatever" – Arthur muttered to himself as he rifled through his possessions. Clothes, his little personal library, electronics, everything he was leaving behind. God, if only this morning he knew this would happen, he would dread returning home. He sat in the middle of the room, his legs crossed, and felt her nudge him from behind.

“Well, any thoughts?"

Arthur sighed. She wished to know his thoughts, so he might as well let her have it.

“You smell like cherries."

“Excuse me?"

“You asked whether I had any thoughts. Well…"

“Forget it…"

Moments of unpleasant, tensing silence continued. Arthur managed to realize he didn't need to take anything at all. He heard her silent and somewhat humble voice from behind:

“This is my arousal you sense. The cherries, as you say. Every dragon has their own scent, it's how we recognize each other. I even probably left some stains where I was sitting. My ring…"

That was the literal last drop. Having been intimidated enough that he was on the verge of mental instability, Arthur felt entitled to say whatever he wanted, whatever he thought, and most importantly, whatever was necessary to keep his own dignity intact.

“Don't blame your ring for this!" – Arthur yelled. “It's gone and it doesn't have any lingering effects otherwise I would have felt it too. Your perversions don't interest me at all and I might not be going anywhere after all!"

He felt like he had every right to be furious because now it was entirely possible that he might get… violated in his own home. But his claims were sincere, at least he thought so. This disgusting, feral and mentally degraded being had invaded his home and scared him shitless at first and now is threatening to… whatever it was she, no, it was planning to do to him.

“I'm sorry. I am in heat" – she stated bluntly.

“I don't give a shit. You're leaving. Now."

She stood up on all fours, slightly shaky, almost struggling to keep up. Arthur spun around himself to observe her snout, quite wrinkled with fury, tower above him. As the dragon shivered slightly, he saw a drop fall on the floor right under her hind end and the cherry scent was now almost heavy in the air.

“You don't understand, do you" – her voice now had a strange menace to it, quite fear-inducing, even so that Arthur feared she might act upon her previous unvoiced desires. “When you get old enough to mate, when you enter first heat, start looking for a mate, and the next thing – you are mobilized and sent to retrieve a dangerous relic from some idiot that was stupid enough to get his hands on a piece of magically imbued dragon jewelry and smart enough to get away with it from interspecific custodian organizations. AND NOW PUTTING UP WITH YOUR SHIT TO TOP IT OFF!" – she was snarling, her eyes started glowing blood-red again. And though Arthur was a bit more accustomed to her presence by now, she still scared him like hell. With his heart racing and sweat rolling down his chins he slowly put a hand on her nose to feel her soft and moist texture on his palm.

“I'm sorry, but what I'm supposed to do?" – his voice was almost inaudible, so that she had visibly twitch her ears to make something out of it.

“If it was up to me, I'd leave you to die."

“Well maybe you should have, because then I wouldn't have to put up with your bullshit!"

“You only have to put up with me saving your hide. Oh, and was it that hard? Do you feel burning up from inside out? Because, well, I do! And if you don't do anything about it, I will make you."

Arthur sat back down on the ground and turned away. She growled at his indifference.

“Leave."

“Or what?"

“Or one of us takes a beating."

His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles went white. Through the storm of dreadful emotion in his head he realized that whatever he was feeling urged to do was the ultimate act of self-destruction. The haze was suddenly dispersed as he was head-butted and pinned to the floor. He kept his eyes shut.

“Might as well be you" – she stated in a sulky voice followed by a growl. What Arthur didn't expect was what she did next. Instead of closing her maw shut around his neck she started… licking him. Her tongue was warm and slimy, wherever it made contact it electrified him and began enkindling his own arousal, her fur felt soft and fuzzy, and while she did that, her other paw gripped lightly onto his groin. The scent of cherries, and now something else, too, was making his head swivel. Having expected something entirely different, Arthur felt violated, and despite remembering her previous tirade, he decided to follow up on his intentions. He quickly swung his arm and smacked his elbow into her snout, just above the nose. That did it. She jumped back with a yowl and that gave him a moment of respite – enough to stand up. Arthur even considered trying to run, but he quickly shook that thought as the dragon obviously had large wings laden with fur on top and feathers on the bottom – no way he could outrun her. He then noticed his shirt had been partly ripped open. The dragon noticed it too, as she looked him in the eye – hers were now glowing cyan blue.

“I will take all the beating in the world if it means that will get you naked."

She took a step forward and Arthur took a step back.

“What can I do to make you leave?"

“There is only so much you can do, and nothing would make me go. I'm burning up inside out here, and you are the only male in close enough proximity. I will have you take me, and you will do this willingly."

Arthur froze in place – he didn't even move when she approached him and pressed her snout into her lips. Her saliva had a well-pronounced cherry flavor minus the sourness. When she pulled back, she looked him in the eye.

“My name is Theia, and you, Arthur, are going to help me."

He meant to ask how did she know his name, but considering what she already knew about him, name wouldn't be the most privacy-violating thing. The dragon then kissed him again, this time she pulled him tightly to her chest, wrapping her paws around him. Arthur finally gave up – if it will get her to leave, he was willing to do almost anything. But then he heard her voice in his head. She was doing something to him. Again.

“Sex in dragon society means nothing. We don't even need to like each other to mate. But kissing is what only mates do. That is because dragons can concentrate their magical energy on their tongues and licking each other means trusting each other. Because then I can speak directly into your thoughts. I can also make you really aroused. And I know you hope I will leave after we're done. I will, if you still want me to afterwards."

Arthur felt tension rise in his pants and haze in his head. Every time he inhaled, the thick scent of cherries was powdering his brain with arousal. He still didn't feel like completely giving in, but he hardly had a choice. Arthur once again heard her voice in his head.

“When I had a look around your residence, I noticed your bedroom is spacious enough, and the bed is big enough to accommodate us both."

“Which bedroom?" – he tried to answer in his head, but she didn't seem to have heard him. So he lightly pushed away from her maw.

“Which bedroom?" – he asked again, this time vocally.

“How many there are?"

“A few, some of them I use for storage. Excluding those, there are four."

“I meant the one with a painting of some hay bales and naked human females."

She then swiftly grabbed him, and literally flew up the stairs – something Arthur considered impossible. She barged into the room, rolled mid-air and dropped into the bed with him still in her soft embrace. Theia scratched her rear paws lightly against him to slide his breeches down, and moments later Arthur was completely bare against her soft fur. Needless to say, it felt exquisite, especially now that he could do some exploring of her body. Reluctantly he grasped her shoulders lightly and slid his hands down to rub under her wings that were now covering his back, eliciting a purr from her.

“It's how I wanted you the moment you stepped inside" – she confessed.

“It's how I hoped I wouldn't end up."

“Is it that bad?"

Arthur sighed, he was all but comfortable in this situation. Although her body felt foreign, it was really pleasing to lie in her embrace. What bothered him most was his general position – he was about to engage in impromptu heat remediation that he was quite opposed to.

“Let's just get this over with."

She smiled at him – the sight of that alone warmed his heart in ways he couldn't explain, as if she felt something to him.

“You speak like this is a chore. But it is not, and don't try to convince yourself to the contrary. I will make sure you enjoy this so much you wouldn't ever forget it. Now quit dragging this out – I have half a mind to roll over and force myself upon you."

Arthur sighed – even after all that happened he was still extremely uncomfortable with this. Now perhaps more subconsciously so. Careful not to hurt her wings with his knees he moved slightly backwards whilst caressing her flanks. “Here goes nothing" – he thought as he aligned his erect shaft for her entrance. The intense aroma of cherries was hazing his thoughts and sharpening his senses. He looked up to see her gaze locked on him, then looked down to examine her most private of areas. Where her fur parted he saw her pink lips nestled between her thighs. Not giving it much thought he reached to touch her only to have her swing her tail to swat him lightly with some fluff on the end of her tail.

“First time must be proper. Later you will be able to do anything you want."

Without a word he once again aligned himself to her entrance and gave a light thrust to part her folds with the tip of his girth. Theia clenched on him immediately, forcing a groan from him. She was very hot, tight and soft all at once. By now her purr was on the verge of becoming a growl, and a feral one at that. Another light thrust and another inch or so of his mating organ disappeared inside her. She moaned and gripped his shoulders more tightly. Arthur was about to pull out – he meant to go very slow, but she wrapped her hind paws around him and gave a squeeze. He tried to resist, but his efforts were for naught as she had him hilted instantly and his form completely surrounded with her snow-white fur. His senses were overwhelmed by all of it – the heat, the wetness and tightness. It was almost too much for him, but he managed to grasp control of himself. Although his resolve now finally broken by the wet embrace she held him in, Arthur felt that she was taking things too fast.

“If you don't go slower, I might be spent before you are."

“If you do, we have all the time in the world to try again, and again…" – her voice trailed off and grew into a growl as he gave a slow yet forceful thrust, parting her tunnel of love and already bringing her closer to her peak. He felt it all, as she held her whiskers on his neck, just below his jawline – another suspicious act of magic, no doubt. He felt her stirring his senses beyond his will. She wanted him so, so much, and she was willing to convince him of that. Arthur began a rhythmic movement, every time he would plunge himself into her depths, she would shudder and press him to herself harder, until she had closed her wings around him. For him it felt like he was in a world of their own, darkness and fur of her every part surrounding him, the only thing that was present was his task at hand and her soft moans that were getting louder as her breathing grew more labored. Arthur's thrusts increased in speed and in strength as he approached his own release, the intense pleasure racing throughout his entire body. He felt Theia's heart racing in her chest his head was resting against and due to whatever she did to him when she kissed him he knew that she was nearing her peak, too. His movements grew more ragged and less controlled as he was driven by primal instincts – something he had never experienced before. She lightened her grasp on his shoulders slightly to arch her back and press her snout to his lips. Arthur expected her to say something the way she did before, but instead of words he sensed her feelings and emotions. She had a strong desire for him, that much was obvious, but what he didn't expect is her realization of him – she considered him her mate, no different than any dragon she would have chosen if not for her assignment. Arthur even slowed down slightly to think, but she urged him to continue, to give into his own desires. Before she could pull away, he reached to rub behind her ear and whispered between heavy breaths:

“I want you as much as you want me."

Theia ran her tongue across his neck, sending shivers along his back. Her grasp on his shaft grew increasingly stronger and more pleasuring, so that each time she clenched on him, he was forced to arch his back, effectively burying himself deeper between her heated folds. Both were balancing on the edge of release, and as soon as she pulled him close to herself, the dams broke. Arthur felt like passing out, it was getting hard to breathe, and he couldn't think clearly as he spilled inside her, his senses overwhelming him completely. He could barely hear her continuous and forceful growl through his dulled comprehension of his surroundings. On the outside, she had drenched his groin with her fluids long before, but on the outside she was getting tighter and hotter around him until she let out a deafening roar as her wings fluttered around him and her paws pressed him to her furred chest. And then it all froze. It took Arthur a while to realize that he was still inside her, she had him surrounded with her furred wings and she was panting heavily into his ear. And he had also committed to bestiality, everything aside. Surge of self-loathing from within him was quickly drenched by Theia pressing her snout into his lips.

“Thank you" – Arthur heard her voice in his head, clear as ever. When she pulled away, she looked him in the eye once again, and saw confusion creeping upon him.

“What now?"

“Now we follow up with the plan. You come with me, and I can have the druids work something up regarding you. Something to help you fit in."

“Like what?"

“I don't know, a tail and a pair of wings, for starters."

“Do you mean…"

“Yes, you literally being one of us is not impossible. But the question is whether you want to."

As if she hadn't already changed everything he stood for, now she aims to alter something fundamental – his shape of being. Aside from being skeptical, paranoid and anxious, he was also curious.

“How does this work?"

“Long story short, body is assaulted with primal magic, and in order to accommodate, it needs to change to something that can withstand it. Otherwise it will be destroyed."

“So, you try to kill me and hope that I survive."

“When you put it that way, it sounds really terrible, but technically, yes."

“Is there any other way?"

“There is. But it puts more of our kin at risk of death. Me, for instance. It goes like in old-fashioned human fairy tales. We swear love to one another and live happily ever after. If it doesn't work, one of us doesn't truly love each other. Like most other things this sounds really stupid, but when you think of it, where else humans get the ideas for what you call fairy tales from?"

Arthur sighed – it was very confusing, as if his body desired to evict him. He felt foreign, “a stranger to his own claw". It would probably be nice, living with someone you love ten times as long as he usually would. But it all felt too good to be true. And he just met Theia today, how would he know whether he loved her. As she said, sex meant nothing. And now when she put everything into perspective, neither did the kiss she used to ascertain their partnership. She desired him, that much was obvious and proof-tested, but did her feelings towards him go beyond desire?

“And what if we… don't?"

“Dragon magic is not a thing to be toyed with. If it doesn't work, the energy used in it has to go somewhere. And as primal rules dictate, it by its nature chooses to follow up destruction. To sum up, all magic is destructive. You just bend it to do something else, is all you do. Most experienced mages, called Kha'arat are sometimes able to implement failsafes. Say, the spell doesn't work and magical energy concentrates to stop your heart. What they can do is to channel the energy into secondary purpose, one that is easier to designate then your primary. All put together, if it doesn't work, we die, as in most other cases."

It was so much to take in. All this otherworldy stuff to process. As his very own feelings started to come to light, it was clear he wanted to try to him – Arthur previously understood that he hated his current situation and couldn't bring himself to admit it. Theia helped him with that, but now she was offering him to uproot his life, start anew and have a purpose. But the process to get to that constantly threatened with death. Next, there was his lack, or to be more accurate, complete absence of technical knowledge considering whatever Theia was suggesting. What he managed to grasp whilst conversing with her was that the magic she was describing was simply manipulation of some kind of primal energy. In simple terms, “science that was beyond human comprehension". Furthermore, the question of his own lethargy. Who knew if he was ready to turn his life around, perhaps it was better the way it was. Or simply he wasn't ready to change anything. All these questions racing in his mind, and here he couldn't utter a word. Moments later he noticed she was slumbering under his embrace. A slight shift in position was enough to wake her up.

“Huh? Did I fall asleep?"

“Seems like so."

“I was more tired from our previous activities than I realized. What were you thinking about?"

“Everything“ – no better word to describe the chaos in his head.

“Everything?" – she inquired while softly kneading his shoulders and moving her hips slightly, all that enough to remind Arthur what they just did.

“At least everything you previously said. All that “me becoming like you" stuff."

“I'd say you can worry about that when we get there, but you really can't. It's not a decision to be made lightly, but if you don't want it, I shouldn't take you with me."

“What? But why?"

“There are certain rules in action that disallow relationship between fundamentally different. As much as it pains me to say, we are fundamentally different. Although, not entirely, as we just proved by choosing each other for mating. But there have been instances long ago, when dragons would choose humans for mates. Even with our magic, it was impossible to extend your kinds' lifespan beyond one hundred and twenty-something years. And when dragons fall in love, they do so for life. Imagine, someone you love dies and you still have ten times as much to live as you lived together. Choosing something else is impossible, as you've been already marked by your soulmate, so what then? To live a millennia in solitude or take your own life. Majority took the latter option, in some cases it was so problematic that our numbers dwindled in some parts of what you call Asia. Of course, it was a very long time ago. That's why our elders forbid human-dragon relationships. Simply because such partnership means literally everything and when it's gone, too much is lost to be able to carry on."

“Is it… is it how you feel about me?"

“I honestly don't know. I believe neither do you. We just indulged in our carnal passions, thus for any way we misjudge our feelings to one another we have only our afterglow to blame. Not that I mind."

“What are my… our options?"

“Well, take your time to decide, but don't drag it out too long, as I have my other duties to attend at home. I wish to know soon enough whether you will accompany me on my way back. And if you are very confused, there is another way, more tasking, in some ways, even excruciating, albeit more definitive."

Arthur once again slightly shifted in position as his legs were getting numb. She was twitching too, as his flaccid member, still covered in their mixed juices brushed past her sensitive areas. She let out a grunt at the slight irritation, but Arthur felt her nethers instantly flush with heat. She was still sensitive and thus eager, so another “heat remedy session" was more than possible. But thoughts of desires had to be momentarily put aside, as the small matter of how the remainder of his life will unfold was at discussion.

“Do tell."

“Well, there is a dungeon. Yes, spooky, creepy dungeon in the middle of dragon territory. Thing is, it's a partially natural phenomenon where the primal energies we control seep from the depths where they originate. If you manage to tune into them, they reveal your own energies, probably what you humans call “aura". Although even some of your people claim they can read them, they don't really know what it is. But when you do tune into it, so do I. If we are made for one another, as I believe we are, or at the very least, hope so, it will flush you with said primal energy and you will become one of my kind. If we are different, well…"

“I will die?"

“Actually, I don't know. Nobody does. The dungeon is a part of a cave system that has been blocked for centuries due to a cave-in caused by an earthquake."

“All of this leads to some sort of puzzle. One thing is more difficult than the other. As if I already hadn't to make the most important decision of my life."

“I think this is a problem for another day. For now, let us simply forget everything menial and enjoy each other's company. Preferably in a way we previously did."

“Easy for you to say – forget everything. Only if I could…"

“Pfft, humans" – she snarled at him playfully as she kissed him again. From that moment on, the rest of the night was a blur. Time will show what happens next. And whether anything happens at all.

To be continued…