FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Warning: Short disclaimer ahead.

Warning: The following story contains outbursts of rage and swearing.

---

"Jack?" Drake called from where he lay next to his mate.

"What?" Two voices replied from somewhere in the hall. Soon after two heads, one human, and one dragon, poked around the corner of the entrance.

"Dragon," Drake replied.

"Ah," the human replied, and his head disappeared.

"Jack, have you seen your brothers?" Drake asked.

The dragon seemed to ponder the question for a moment. He seemed to be turning out like that type of person. Always stopping to think. He might not be the most popular, but whoever the next councilman would love him as an adviser. Hell, if Farek suddenly keeled over without naming a successor, Drake would go ahead and nominate the boy. "I believe they are on the main shaft ledge again." The young dragon replied.

"Alright, thanks," Drake said, and watched the head disappear in the same direction the human had went. The human he'd been paying so little attention to these past eight months. They had slept together in that time, but they hadn't had any sex in that time. They hadn't even had any idle sensual talk between them. The kids had been around them too often. The children, all nine of them, had really taken a liking to Jack. They were with him almost all the time, talking and playing. That is, except when they snuck away from the group and went to the shaft.

"I'd better go wrangle up those escapees," Drake sighed, and slowly rose to his feet. "I know I told them that we'd start flying in the next couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean they should get some unsupervised practice."

Vera stood up with him, and followed out into the hallway. "It's probably Laris and Yaris again," she said. "They certainly have grown, haven't they? I think they could handle the basics now, even if they could get an inch of wingspan in a week."

"I know they could handle it, but do you know how confusing it would be to teach them all separately? I'd have to remember who can do what and who needs more work where and it's just too much."

"Hey, hey," Vera said slowly, licking his muzzle affectionately. "I could always help you, you know."

"No, no, I don't want you to have to worry about a thing," Drake replied with a smile. "They're going to be great fliers, just like their dad."

Vera smiled back. "Okay, I won't worry about it," she replied, and headed over to her nest. "Don't forget to go hunting soon."

"As soon as I deal with those two rogue doms, I'll go hunting," Drake replied.

Vera gave a small chuckle, and then drifted off to sleep. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to curl up and join her. Raising young was exhausting, even if Jack took care of most of the babysitting. He couldn't do much on his own to discourage wandering off, though, so Drake had to come in and keep them in check. They can't afford to lose any of them to accidents. They were far too precious, both personally and as an asset. The sooner they put fresh dragons into the mating cycle, the sooner they could repopulate. Drake gave a small sigh as he watched his mate sleep, then turned to track down his two eldest.

****

"Okay, so where were we?" Jack asked, once again seated in the center of the half-circle of small dragons. He enjoyed babysitting Drake kids, no questions. They reminded him of his own kids, who he probably wouldn't get to see much anymore. It wasn't that he was trying to replace them, but it was a nice reminder of what it was like to be with them.

"You were telling us about how you met dad." One of them replied. One of the females, who lay excitedly just to the left. She had a beautiful hide of glimmering rose scales. She was probably, in his opinion, the prettiest of them all. Her name was Isa.

"Right, right," Jack replied. "So, I was running down the path, away from the bad guys, when I came to the side of a big lake. I left the path there, hoping that they wouldn't be able to find me. It was really dark, so I could barely see anything, myself. Surely, the bad guys would be just as blind as I was. I ended up at the base of a tall mountain, so I climbed all the way to the top. The farther away from the path I got, the harder it would be for them to find me. I made it to the top, but I was really tired from all the running. I had to stop for a minute, to catch my breath and think about what to do. I couldn't go back to a town or city, because the bad guys would find me-"

"What's a 'sit-ee'?" One of the children asked. He was always asking questions, the most inquisitive one. He had a brown hide, and his name was Richter.

"A city is where a lot of humans live together," Jack replied. "It's kind of like this place, but there can be many, many more of us. Thousands, sometimes even millions of humans."

"Why would you want to live there? It sounds crowded," Another male asked. His voice was pretty feminine for a male, though Jack didn't care. It would surely deepen as he got bigger. He was Stone, because of his flat grey hide.

"Well, that's true. Some cities are really crowded, dirty, and smelly. They're not that nice. But other cities can be really exciting places. There is always something new going on every day, and you'll never be bored."

"I'd like to see one of these 'sit-ees' one day." One said. He was the second largest sub, and a bit of a loner. He was usually very quiet, and would probably one of the people you'd want to take advice from, one day. Fittingly, his name was Sage.

Jack smiled. "Maybe I can show you around one, someday."

"But I thought you couldn't go there?" A female asked. She was the largest female. She was wider than she was long, but it wasn't fat. She could probably wrestle Laris or Yaris to the ground, which would very much like to see. Her name was Wesh.

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there," Jack laughed. "I'm just getting to the good part."

All the children seemed to shift forward, closing the small gap between them. If he got them any more interest, he may have to start throwing them off.

"Anyway, I was on top of the mountain, resting, when I saw a shadow run across the night sky above me. It was massive, truly a sight to behold. And for someone who had never seen a dragon before, it was pretty scary. And, of course, that dragon was..." Jack looked up, and saw Drake in the doorway. He had the two larger children, Laris and Yaris, in front of him, and was herding them towards the rest of the group. "Your father, and your two missing brother. How was adventuring, boys?"

Neither of them spoke.

"Well, to be completely honest, you didn't miss that much," Jack replied. "Have a seat."

The two children seemed to hesitate at the offer, but after a few shoves from their father, had lay down near the back of the group.

"Good, now why don't we continue," Jack said with a smile. "So, your father circled a few times, then came down and landed right in front in front of me. Like I said before, he was really scary. He even wanted to eat me!"

"Dad! You were going to eat Uncle Jack!?" The last female asked, appalled. She was the smallest of the whole group. A very petite build, the opposite of Wesh. On the other hand, she could easily outrun any of them, and was very agile. She was Nell.

Drake chuckled and gave a shrug. "I was running, too, back then. I was hungry, and he was such an easy meal. Also, he wasn't your uncle back then."

"Nell, don't hassle your father," Jack replied. "I understand what was happening to him."

"But he didn't eat you, right?" Richter asked.

Jack laughed. "No, of course not. Though, it was pretty close. He was about to eat me, but the bad guys came, and he hid me from them, so they wouldn't find us. That's when we decided to team up against the bad guys, and we were going to go and talk to their leader. We could tell him to make them stop coming after us, so everything would be fine again. But it was late, and we couldn't do anything for that day. So, we found a nearby cave, and we-"

He looked up, and saw Drake standing in the doorway, his face hard. Jack had been about to narrate their first time having sex to his children.

"We slept," Jack caught himself. He looked up again, and Drake smiled at him before disappearing down the hall. "It was really cold, so we slept close together. But we definitely slept."

"Jack, why do you smell like dad so much?" Jack asked. The young dragon was the largest sub, and the most mature. He lacked experience, but he accepted things well, and didn't ask overly-obvious questions. But more importantly, he was Jack's best friend, besides Drake. They spent all their time together. They fit together so well, Jack and Jack.

"Well...it's cold at night," Jack lied calmly. "We humans get cold easily, so Drake helps me stay warm at night. Your father and I both like our personal space, believe me, but some sacrifices must be made so I don't freeze to death up here."

"Are you freezing to death now?" Isa asked, a concerned expression on her.

"Stupid. If he were freezing to death, wouldn't he have said something about it early?" Yaris said, with an approving nod from his twin brother to back him up. Yaris and Laris were the only two doms in the family, and easily a foot larger than their brother, Jack. They had, to no one's surprise, taken up the roles of the bullies, with Yaris in the lead. Both Drake and Jack had been trying to work them out of this pattern, since both of them had had trouble with doms pushing them around.

"Hey, take it easy, Yaris," Jack called. "There are no stupid questions."

"Is this a stupid question?" Laris asked with a chuckle. He may mostly be Yaris' wingman, but he got his two cents in every once and a while.

"Thank you, Laris. Excellent exception," Jack replied sarcastically. "Don't worry, Isa. I'm fine when the sun is out. Speaking of the sun, it's almost set. Let's head back to your mother, and see if the catch is in yet."

Jack led the way as he stood up and headed towards the door. Jack quickly appeared at his right flank, as he always did. The others clumped together and trailed behind them as they flooded out into the hallway. They had annexed a cave a few spaces down from Vera, so it was only a short walk back. Jack could tell that raising the children exhausted her, and after watching Vanessa go through the same thing, he was sympathetic to her. So, when he charged with holding the children's attention, he tried to do it as far away from her as possible, so she could rest.

"Ssh, we have to be really quiet, because your mother is sleeping."

"I'm not sleeping!" Vera said suddenly, he head shooting into the air and looking around wildly. When her eyes finally settled on Jack and the procession of young dragons behind him, she smiled. "I'm awake."

"Sure you are," Jack replied with a grin. The children suddenly broke from their muddled grouping, and spread out around the room. Isa, Rose, and Wesh went to their mother's side, while Stone, Richter, and Sage went over to the right side of the room. Yaris led Laris to the back corner of the room, which was their preferred spot. Only Jack staid by his side.

"You probably shouldn't get so attached to me," Jack said to the small dragon as he sat down against the nearest wall.

"Why's that?" Jack asked. "Don't you like me?"

"Of course I do," He replied, putting his arm over the dragon's shoulders. He couldn't quite reach the other side anymore. "It's just, you might want to meet other humans later, once you're bored with me."

"What's wrong with other humans?" Jack asked.

"Well, most humans don't even know that dragons exist," He said. "You've hidden so well that regular people wouldn't know what to do if they saw you. You could be as friendly as you always are to them, but it would turn out like when I first met your father. Just the shadow flying over me made me want to turn and run."

"But dad tried to eat you." Jack replied. "I wouldn't do that."

"Maybe so, but the human won't know that. You're a giant lizard with big teeth and claws. To the human, making friends is the last thing on your mind."

"Well, maybe I could change that," Jack said, though it sounded like he was just thinking out loud. "If other humans saw us being together, maybe they wouldn't think that dragons are so bad."

"I guess we should get on that, then," Jack replied. "I won't be around forever. If I get sick up here, it'll be hard to get through it. I probably don't have medical coverage anymore, so I won't be able to get help from the other humans."

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"Well, let's just say that you can put a price on life," Jack replied.

"Do you ever wish that you could go back?" The young dragon asked. "Back to your own children?"

"I'm sure I'll be able to go back and see them again, someday," Jack replied. "Besides, I'm happy where I am."

The faint sound of padded footsteps appeared from down the hallway, and in a matter of moments Drake appeared in the door. He had four deer carcasses thrown over his back, which he deposited in the center of the room before taking one for himself. "Dinner has arrived, everyone," he announced.

The young dragons broke from their respective groups and gathered in a wide ring around the pile of bleeding meat. They respectfully waited as their mother came forward to claim her meal, but once she was clear, the feat began. Blood, meat, and fur flew everywhere as the nine youth gorged on the ragtag pile of food. It was always feeding time that reminded Jack that these beautiful creatures were, first and foremost, predators. And with terrible table manners, at that.

"Here's your piece, Jack," Drake called, and Jack barely had enough time to raise his arms as a chunk of venison came hurtling towards him. He always took his meal from Drake's meal. It was just the way they had settled on. Jack never ate too much, and the dragon was more than happy to give such a small amount of food to someone so dear to him. Then again, when the dragon population increased, and food grew scarcer, that small amount of food would become a lot more important. Jack may have to start hunting for himself, or else other kinds of meat may start appearing in their diet. More familiar meat.

"Drake, have you ever eaten a human?" Jack asked suddenly.

"Huh? Uhh..." Drake hesitated.

"Don't lie to me, Drake. This could become important soon," Jack said.

"Yeah, I ate a human before," Drake replied, shame heavy in his voice.

"You didn't like it, did you?" Jack asked.

"Not really. You get all salty when you sweat, and it's too wet to begin with," Drake said. "I guess if you ate it quickly, before it noticed you, it might not be as bad. It's not my favorite, though."

"Okay, good," Jack replied.

"We're not going to run out of deer, Jack," Drake replied, reading his mind yet again. The dragon had been getting rather good at it over the past six months. "Not for a long time."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He may have gotten a little too worried about something so far down the road, but it was important to think about. He might have to make some serious moral reconsideration if he was suddenly offered human steaks as a meal. With the immediate problem taken care of, Jack was able to focus on his meal. He was fairly hungry, despite only walking a few feet and telling a few stories. He did have to answer a lot of obvious-seeming questions, which do take their toll. Regardless, his eating time was on par with the ravenous pack of children now lying strewn about the cave floor. Most of them were curled up and asleep, while the few remaining were talking quietly in their own loose coils.

"Come on, Jack. It's time for bed," Drake whispered as he walked past Jack and towards the exit.

Jack nodded and followed enthusiastically, eager to get some rest after the long day.

****

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to flight school!" Drake announced, pacing back and forth between his muddled mob of children and the open shaft behind him. "Flying is not just a way to move around and hunt. It's an art. It's a way of life. Now, someone tell me the most important thing about flying."

"Flapping your winds?" Stone called out.

He chuckled. "Close, but not the most important. No, the most important part about flying is to think about flying. That's what sets us apart from them!" Drake exclaimed, jabbing a melodramatic claw in Jack's direction. He was sitting against the wall, watching the proceedings casually.

"He's making it all up," Jack replied with a wave of his hand. "I can think about flying all I want, but I'm not going to magically float into the air and start doing somersaults."

Drake smiled, but otherwise ignored the comment. "You see, if you think about flying, concentrate on flying, it's easy," he said. "But if you're thinking 'gee, that's a nice wall', you're going to smack face-first into it."

After waiting a moment for the children to stop giggling, Drake continued. "Now, about teaching you to fly. I don't have to do anything. You are all born with the knowledge of how to fly. It's called instinct. I'll still be here if something goes wrong, but otherwise, try not to hit each other."

He leapt off the ledge again, and flew in wide circles as he watched the children shuffle towards the edge. They all look hesitant, and most certainly nervous. None of them seemed to want to be the first to take the leap of faith. And while they had faith in their father, they also had faith on the hundred-foot plummet to the bottom of the shaft. It was, of course, Yaris, who took the first leap. And when his wings caught the air and he pumped himself upwards, Laris soon followed. It took a moment more before the others realized that he wasn't dead, and then they, too, leapt from the ledge. Soon, all nine of them were flying in circles like a flock of bats. It was nothing but a flurry of tiny wings going around and around, with Drake hanging just below them, in case one dropped. But nothing happened, and for a good half-hour the young dragons flew.

"Alright, now that you've got a handle on this, let's try and reach the next ledge up," Drake called.

All of them were feeling bold now, and there was little difference between the highest and lowest person. And while it looked like a bit of a struggle, and a few of them dropped a few times before getting the hang of it, they all made it to the ledge, eventually.

"I bet you that I can make it all the way to the exit, up there," Yaris said from where he now sat on the ledge.

"I'll get there first!" Laris shouted back, and they took off towards the gaping hole in the wall.

The climb was about fifty feet, but their determination carried them up a good forty before they began to flounder. Their wing beats became frantic, unsynchronized, and they began scrambling with their legs, as if they could get a purchase on the air. It was, of course, Laris, who dropped out of the race. He began to descend in slow, easy circles back down to where the others stood watching. Drake was also waiting on the level, waiting to see if the boy would fall out the other side of the exit, if he made it there at all. But Yaris was perseverant, headstrong, and strong just about everywhere else. He would probably end up succeeding Farek as councilman, or Kale as a jerk to the subs.

"Way to go, Yaris," Drake called up to the dragon, who was now panting while clinging to the edge of the exit hole. "Just hold your wings out and glide back down."

"Hey Dad, one of those 'things' is up here," Yaris called back down. "One of those things that Jack is. What do you call them? Humans!"

"There a human up there?" Jack called from where he still sat three levels below.

"Yeah, but it's not like you," Yaris called back. "It's all...curvy, and it's slimmer, too. Doesn't look very strong, to be honest."

Jack couldn't see what had happened, but the moment that Yaris looked back out the exit, he had suddenly dropped from the ledge. He had his back down, his wings straight out in front of him as he plummeted. But Drake was faster, and got under the small dragon long before he passed his level.

"God damn it, Jack! Why the hell are you living at the top of a god damn mountain!?" A familiar voice shouted from the entrance.

"I'll go get her," Drake groaned, and set down his son before flying up to the exit. Jack watched anxiously for the figure to come into few, and when she did, it took his breath away. Vanessa was held in Drake's right hand, and was quickly descending towards him. But instead of dropping her off on Jack's level, he grabbed Jack as he passed and put them both down one level lower.

"We'll only be going up, so we shouldn't disturb you," Drake said quickly, and then returned to his children.

"Who are all the mini dragons?" Vanessa asked, sitting down heavily against the wall and taking off her climbing pack. She was completely decked out in mountain climbing gear, which made sense since she had just climbed a mountain.

"Drake's kids," Jack replied, still a more than a little stunned that she was standing in front of him.

"Oh," she said, pulling a water bottle out of her pack and sucking it back in a few gulps. "It's good to hear he gets to try again."

"Yeah," Jack replied. "But, why are you here? How did you find me?"

"I've been here before, remember?" she asked. "And as for why I'm here. I'm here because you never came back to me."

"Oh, Vanessa, I'm sorry," Jack said. "Drake got his kids from that mating season, and he can't leave until they are grown up."

"It doesn't really matter, anymore," Vanessa said, placing the empty bottle back into her pack and zipping it up.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"Oh, right," she replied suddenly, as if she had only just remembered. She unzipped her pack again, and pulled out a few sheets of paper, and a pen shortly after that. She handed both items to Jack, who stared bewildered at them for a few moments before she added. "Just sign on the dotted lines."

"But these are..."Jack began. He couldn't seem to muster the strength to finish the sentence.

"Divorce papers, yes," Vanessa replied. She sounded very serious and official. Jack didn't think that it suited her. "It's time we officially split up, Jack. You left almost two years ago, and I'm ready to forget about this. About you."

"But, what about the kids?" Jack asked.

"I think it would be best if you didn't see them again," Vanessa replied. "They think that you abandoned us, and they've already filled the void with Chuck."

"Is that his name?" Jack asked. "Chuck?"

Vanessa nodded.

Jack took a deep breath, and finished it with a long sigh. He stared down at the sheets of paper in his hands. He tried to read them, but they were just words at that point. Nothing coherent. All he saw were those damn dotted lines.

"Does he make you happy?" Jack asked.

Vanessa nodded. "Very much,"

Jack sighed again, and then put the pen's tip against the page. Then he began to write, slowly, deliberately. Each pen stroke tore out more of what made him human. He had nothing left of his old life now.

"Well, look whose back," Kale's voice called from down the hallway. "Just couldn't stay away, could you?"

"Kale, you womanizing son of a bitch," Vanessa replied kind-heartedly. "I'd love to stay, but I've got to get back."

"Oh, come on. I know you want to stay for round two."

Jack's eyes shot up from the paper in front of him, burning with rage. "You raped her?" he asked quietly.

"Oh please," Vanessa replied, snatching the signed papers and the pen from Jack's grasp. "He tried, but I shut him down."

"Come on. If Vera wasn't there, I would've screwed you good," Kale replied with a smirk. "Kind of like how I screw your husband."

"Oh really?" Vanessa asked, eyeing Jack with interest. He hadn't moved at all from where he sat. Even his hands were still molded to the shape of the pen and paper. "Well, that's his business. And he's not my husband anymore."

"Damn, that must've hurt," Kale said. "Come on, Jack. I'll make you feel better. The eighth month mark is about when I start to get...frisky. You could help too, heartbreaker."

"Like I said, I've got to go," Vanessa said, and glanced up at the exit high above them. "And watching you getting it on with my ex isn't really my cup of tea."

"I'll take you home if we can have a threesome with your new mate," Kale said. "I'd like to show him how a real man does it."

"Less of a man, more of a sex-crazed monster," Vanessa replied. "I'd rather get myself home."

"It can be dangerous out there for a lone woman, especially one as fertile as you," Kale replied. "I hear that the wolves do good gang-rapes."

"Fertile? Is that a compliment, Kale?" Vanessa asked with a chuckle. "I didn't know you had that kind of clean talk in you."

"Oh, come back to my room and I'll show you just how dirty I can be," Kale replied with smile.

"Shut the fuck up!" Jack screamed. He launched to his feet and began to pace back and forth between them, both of whom had stopped to stair incredulously at him. "What the hell are you doing? You just divorced me, and now you're letting that sex-obsessed asshole hit on you? I thought you said you were happy with the man you had back home?"

"Jack, I-"

"Get out of here! Go! Leave! If you stay here, you're sure as hell going to have a one night stand with him, and then so help me I'll tear up those divorce papers while you're moaning like the slut you are."

"Jack, that's not your decision to make," Vanessa said. Her voice was totally calm, and he hated that right then. "You left me, remember? And I love Chuck, but I can't marry him, because the damn lawyers say that we're still legally married. But you were never coming back, I always knew that. The kids knew that. I want my life back, Jack!"

Jack didn't know what to say. He hadn't really planned for her to say something back. He had just hoped that she would turn away, or slap him, or even go with Kale. He just stared at her, a little stunned and a little afraid. Because what he had just said, he could never take back.

"Let me take you down, Vanessa," Kale said quietly. "Get you out of here."

"Thanks, Kale. I'm glad to hear that someone in this mountain is understanding," Vanessa said acidly, and then she was gone. She was held gently in Kale's hand as he flew her up and out the entrance. All Jack could do was stare at the gaping hole, and wish that he hadn't been such an idiot.

"I'm sorry!" He screamed after them. "God damn it, Vanessa, I'm sorry!"

"She's gone, Jack," Drake said, suddenly behind him.

Jack stumbled backwards, his eyes locked on the empty exit, until Drake's arm was against his back. As soon as he felt that contact, he collapsed, falling into Drake's open palm and bawling. He barely noticed when Drake took off, cradling him in his arms like an infant, and headed down up towards their level.

"Children, return to your mother," Drake said quietly as he passed. "Your uncle and I need some time alone."

Drake found it awkward to hobble down the hallway on three legs, but he managed to do it for Jack. He kept the quaking man close to his chest as he turned into his cave and got into the stick bed that they had made together after Vera had gotten pregnant. Lying on his side, he curled his arms around Jack and hugged. He hugged as tightly as he could without snapping him like a twig. He hugged to squeeze all those tears out. And Jack hugged back, clinging tightly to Drake while he bawled into his chest.

"He hasn't cried like this since I tried to eat him," Drake thought sullenly.

For a half-hour straight, Jack cried. There was no ebbing, no slow trickle down to his last tear. He just stopped. Drake was afraid that he had cried himself into dehydration, but he still felt spongy enough. His face and eyes were red and swollen, though. Drake moved down to gently lick his face clean, cringing a little from the salty taste of his tears.

"Drake, did I make the right choice?" Jack asked suddenly, his voice hoarse.

"What do you mean?" Drake asked, worried about where this was going.

"When I chose to stay with you," Jack replied.

"Jack," Drake sighed. This wasn't going to be easy to deal with. On one hand, Drake really hadn't wanted Jack to stay with him. He felt that it would have been better if he'd stayed with his family. But he had four hands, and the other three were glad that he had stayed.

"You have a family now, Drake," Jack continued. "You have a loving mate, and nine children. Nine! My family is all gone. I don't belong down there anymore, but I never really belonged up here. I'm not a dragon, I shouldn't be here."

"Jack, my answer is yes," Drake said softly. "You may not belong in this mountain, or with the humans, but you belong right here, with me. No one has loved me like you do, ever. Vera's a good friend, but she's not like you, Jack. She likes me because I'm not someone else, but you like me because I am me. I never want to go through life without you."

For the first time in what felt like ages, Jack smiled. And as Drake smiled back at him, the black on his scales began to pale, and finally brightened into a full-blown yellow.

"Your scales, what happened?" Jack asked.

"A dragon's scale oil can change colours to reflect their mood. I promised myself a long time ago that I'd never, ever, show my emotions like this. But I'm going to break that promise for you."

"Drake," Jack said quietly, and buried his face into the dragon's chest scales again. He was already used to the feeling of the oil running through his fingers and over his skin, but the change in colour made so much of a difference. It just felt good. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jack," Drake replied.