{"sf1_id":15613,"sf2_id":"1YAVO601","title":"A Dragon needs...","author":"Archie Pelago","words":678,"posted_at":"2006-12-02T15:11:00.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Bizarre","Dragon","Mild Violence"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/15613-a-dragon-needs","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/1YAVO601","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=15613\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"A Dragon needs...  \n  \nby   \n  \nArchie Pelago  \n  \n  \nA dragon needs a human princess in its lair. Not even the armor-clad,   \nhorse-mounted knight who approached the ancient castle ruins knew why.   \nThe ruins were mossy and crumbled, ravaged by time and nature. Only   \ncreatures not of Man's realm would find comfort there. Even wolves   \nprefered the softer comforts of the woodlands to this forbidding skeleton   \nof a long-forgotten kingdom.   \n  \nA dragon needs a place to hide its human prize. The princess would   \nbe tucked away in the most well-protected, most isolated portion of the   \ncastle. The knight instinctivly knew this as he tied his nervous steed to a   \nstone column near the castle's entrance. He unsheathed his massive   \nsword, designed to kill dragons, and ventured forward.  \n  \nA dragon needs room to fight off those that would rescue its most valued   \nproperty. The twenty-foot-tall red dragon was in what once was the main   \nhall of the castle. The roof had collapsed long ago, giving the dragon plenty   \nof space. It sat on its haunches, spread its huge, leathery wings and roared its   \nchallenge to the steely-eyed knight. The knight whispered prayers for victory   \nand charged the massive, scaly beast.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;A dragon needs to defend itself. A huge stream of white-hot flame blazed   \nover the knight's head. Even though he was armored from head to foot, the   \nknight felt the dragon's fiercest weapon at work. The knight dodged blast after   \nblast of fire. When he felt he was close enough, he leaped, sword poised to   \nskewer the dragon's heart.  \n  \nA dragon needs to fly. The wings pushed the dragon well out of reach of the   \ndetermined warrior. A few flaps and the dragon shot up through the ruined roof   \nand flew out of sight. With the dragon out of the way, the knight felt dissapointed   \nthat he did not kill the creature. After all, he came here to gain reknown throughout   \nthe lands by killing dragons and rescuing their human prey. He shrugged, sheathed   \nhis sword and set out to liberate the princess from this evil place.  \n  \nA dragon needs to tie up the princess, lest she run off while the dragon sleeps   \nor hunts. She was bound to a fallen slab of brick wall. Within a few moments, she   \nwas free. The woman was lovely with her white cloth gown and long raven hair. She  \nthanked him with a smile and voice that were as lovely as an angel's. The knight grin- ned. Perhaps on the way back to her rightful home, he would have his way with her,   \nif she was truly so grateful for her rescue.   \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;A dragon needs to be sly. When the dragon heard the clang of brick against metal,   \nhe knew the knight had met the fate of so many that tried to rescue the woman he   \nloved. He came out of hiding to find the princess undressing the knight that she had   \nknocked out.   \n  \nA dragon needs to feed. He blew a small puff of flame into the roasting pit, just   \nenough to start the cook-fire burning, but not so much that the now-dead knight on   \nthe spit would burn up. After all, the princess liked her meat slow-cooked. She need-  \ned the flesh of her own kind, something her father could not control. She was quietly   \nbanished, but soon found comfort in the company of the dragon.  \n  \nA dragon needs companionship. His loneliness was becoming unbearable until   \nshe stumbled upon him in the forgotten castle. He didn't care about her feeding habits,  \nas long as she stayed with him. Besides, knights usually arrived here on horses, which   \nwere always delicious.  \n  \nA dragon needs a future. After both their bellies were full, the fire was extinguished.   \nAs the sun set and the air cooled, they snuggled together in the castle's great hall. While they gazed at the stars, he felt an inner peace seldom felt among his kind. As long as knights felt the urge to rescue princesses and slay dragons, the years ahead were well secure for both of them.   \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;A dragon needs security.  \n  \n  \n  \n\n"}