FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Story and all characters (c) 2006-2007 Yancarlo Ramsey. Please do not redistribute without written permission.

This is a work of adult fiction. If you get caught reading it, don't blame me.

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Soaring high above me through the bright blue cloudless sky, the dragon's scales glittered blue-green in the sunlight. His compact yet powerful body rippled as the musculature controlling his immense spread of wings flexed beneath his armored hide. And there behind him was another, a female, slightly larger and with scales the color of polished brass. I let out a soft sigh as I watched them flying together.

I knew them, of course. The female was Shalindra, one of my sisters. And the male flying ahead of her was Choramoran, a distant cousin. They had been courting for months now, and seemed no closer to making up their minds. Not that this was unusual. I only wished that there was someone interested in courting me. But I seemed to be the 'odd one out', the only mature female of the most recent generation who was left without a potential partner. Everyone told me to give it time. After all, I had a long life ahead of me. There was no need to be too eager. I should enjoy life, take the time to learn and to grow, and be happy for my friends, not envious. I just needed to be patient. But patience... That is not something I'm very good at. I have been called hasty, even reckless, and not just by elders.

The expression on Shalindra's face when she looked at Choramoran... The way she sometimes just stared off into space, lost in thought... The growing sense of satisfaction and contentedness which seemed to surround her like an aura... I wanted to feel those things for myself. Usually it was just an idle curiosity, at most a dull longing. But on a few rare days, like this one, I wanted it so badly that my heart seemed to burn within my chest, as if I'd swallowed the secretions of my own flame-juice glands, and somehow caused them to combust within me without being neutralized by the chemicals in my stomach and saliva.

I lowered my head from watching their flight, and looked down at myself, as I had done so many times before. It was no secret that I was dissatisfied with my appearance. Oh, there was nothing wrong with my shape, of course. The differences in build between dragons really aren't all that pronounced. We can't afford to carry much excess weight, and the muscles needed for flight dictate the shape of much of our bodies. Nor was there anything wrong with my size, which was fairly average for a female of my age. I was an adult now, and while I would continue to grow, it would be slow and nearly imperceptible over the short term.

I was nearly twenty-five meters from nose to tailtip, that length divided into approximately even thirds between my tail, my body, and my head and neck. My wingspan was over thirty meters, and each wing was a good eight meters from leading to trailing edge at the widest point. My front legs were wiry but strong, and my hind legs were slightly stronger and thicker, to help launch me into the air. Standing on all fours, my back, where it humped up slightly at my wingshoulders, reached over six meters high, and my head on its sinuous neck could rise far higher, especially if I reared up on my hind legs and used my wings and tail to balance.

Despite the feminine swell of my ribcage and pelvis, both far wider and more muscled than a male's, I looked streamlined, sleek and smooth. The only sharp bits on my body were the talons on my fingers, my toes, and my two wingthumbs curling up from the main joint of each wing. My head was a sleek, blunt triangle almost three meters long, similar to that of a snake, though dragons have eyelids and flexible lips. Also, dragons' teeth aren't nearly so curved, and their tongues come to a single point, rather than being forked. My five meter long neck also was rather snakelike, at least until it reached my body, where it widened slightly. My legshoulders at the front sides of my ribcage were somewhat narrow, of course, but my chest barreled out just behind them to make room for my wings and their powerful muscles. My wingshoulders were set close together on my back, which provided the necessary leverage for the great flight muscles that bulged out as they traveled down the sides of my chest and around to my keel-like sternum. My ribs began to narrow again as they approached my waist, which tucked in smoothly but noticeably behind them. It then flared out again as it reached my hips, though not to nearly the same width as my chest. My tail, slightly narrower than my neck at first, tapered off smoothly from my rump, causing my hips to seem a little prominent, and ended in a flat diamond shape, the flaps stiff with light cartilage to catch the air and help keep my tail from dragging in flight.

I couldn't disagree when people told me I had a very attractive build, one which would make mating and egg-laying easy. But so far, for all their assurances of that, it hadn't done me any good in finding a mate. I had always thought it was because of my color. My scales were brown. Plain, dark, unpatterned brown. Tree-bark brown. Mud brown. They wouldn't even hold a decent shine. No matter how much I polished my armored hide, it still seemed dark and dull. What good was an attractive build if it was covered with such plain scales?

Everyone told me that my coloration had nothing to do with the fact that the available males had ended up courting all the females except me. That there just hadn't been one who was 'right' for me. That I should wait for the younger dragons to mature, because surely one of them would take an interest in me.

I sighed heavily and curled my tail a little more tightly around my legs. Yes, I thought, surely if there were no other available females, some male would be willing to take an interest in someone like plain Nualadorani... But I didn't want a male who would court me simply because there was no one better to court. No doubt he wouldn't be very attractive either, or would have some personality quirk that had made the other females reject him...

~

Now, when I think back on that time, I realize how naive I had been. I hadn't even considered that these thoughts could be turned on their head. It is not physical attractiveness that makes a long term mating relationship work, and just as males might have unpleasant personalities, so could females... Even physically attractive females. But the idea that an attractive and pleasant male might not be happy with one of the more attractive but less pleasant females was far from my mind, and if someone had told me that, I likely would have shrugged it off as just one more attempt to cheer me up with what I saw as false hopes.

My attitude and frequent moping were probably the real reasons no one had taken an interest in me. Or perhaps one had, at first, but turned his attention elsewhere when I failed to see it. At any rate, such reflections are little more than a curiosity now. Even were it possible, I would not seek to change the events of the past. Rather, I shall end this commentary and continue to recount those events...

~

I stood up and took to walking, turning away from the mountain, away from the other dragons, disappearing under the cover of the canopy of trees above me. Their branches brushed against my back and wings at times, some of them even snapping off as I passed, but I could barely feel it through my tough, hard scales, and I paid no attention. I was brooding, and wasn't about to let such minor distractions as breaking tree branches interrupt me. Which may explain why I didn't notice that I was approaching the edge of human-claimed lands.

I had spent several hours simply walking in the easiest direction, snaking my head, neck, body, and tail between the trees, though trying to avoid clearings that would leave me visible from the air. I didn't want company right then. Not that I thought anyone would be likely to notice me, but in such a foul mood, I knew I wasn't fit for company. Or perhaps I was just fooling myself, and wanted to make myself hard to find out of some perverse desire to see if anyone missed me enough to bother following my trail through the forest, rather than simply doing a quick sweep through the sky. I was leaving a path of crushed and broken vegetation behind me, making no effort to hide my presence or my path. Whether I simply didn't care, or wanted to be followed, I'll never know for certain. But I was not followed.

Eventually I came to a place where the trees began to thin. And up ahead, I could see an open field. I didn't want to go back, so I turned at an angle to my previous course and followed the edge of the forest for a while, going back to my brooding. And so it happened that my inattention led me to walk right past the large tree, not noticing the two ropes tied around its base. Until I heard the soft gasp. I froze, not even putting down my raised forefoot, and quickly turned my head back to look for the source of the noise. That was when I saw it. The human, staring at me with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Humans... Disgusting creatures. Their exposed flesh wriggles like a grub when they move. They're so vulnerable to injury, so fragile. Their skin is even translucent, to the point where one can see the color of the blood in their veins... It was enough to make me shudder. And they were so arrogant! They insisted on claiming large tracts of land as their own, exploiting everything they came in contact with, cutting down the lovely forests and pushing out the animals we hunted for food... And they even worked together to attack the occasional dragons who made their presence known too freely, or who didn't relocate when the ever-expanding areas the humans claimed began to encroach upon their homes.

Not just that, but they tried to steal the products of our hard labor - our gems, our shiny metals, crafted into lovely items with which to adorn our bodies or decorate our lairs. Frivolous things, but things we put a great deal of time, effort, and care into, things that were precious to us simply for their great beauty... And what did they do when they found our real treasures? When they didn't completely ignore them, they often destroyed them. Stupid creatures.

This one was standing against the side of the tree. The side that had been away from me as I approached. The odor of its flesh was strong, and quite different from that of most animals. It smelled of sweat and dirt and woven fabric and many other things that were hard to identify through its own scent. My nostrils flared as I caught a faint trace of blood in the air, as well. I grimaced and turned away, beginning to move again.

But then something stopped me. Something wasn't right about this. I looked back once more, studying it for a few seconds. What was it doing here? Was it... bound to that tree? Why would it do something like that? And then the strange part came. Perhaps it saw something in the way my expression changed to puzzlement, the way I paused in thought... Regardless of the reason, it closed its eyes and bowed its head, as much as it could while bound with its arms tied back around the trunk of that tree. And then it spoke.

"[I beg your pardon], honored Dragon. My hope is that you will forgive this [intrusion] within your [territory]. My intent was not this, but I did not receive choice..."

(Translation Note: This account was originally written primarily in Draconic, with occasional use of Common to indicate words or passages which were spoken in that language. It was translated into this Common-only version at a later date. Text which was originally written in Common has been enclosed in marks [like these] in order for the distinction to remain clear.)

Its voice was almost as deep as a dragon's, and though it was not loud, I could hear it plainly. While I may be young, I have had many years to apply myself to study and learning, including knowledge of humans and their ways. And yet I was startled to realize that though some of its words were in its own language, which I understood, the creature was also speaking the tongue of dragons. Its pronounciation was terrible, and its phrasing odd, yet I could understand what it said!

Shocked, I just stared at it for a few seconds. I estimated it was just under two meters tall, though I later learned that its actual height was 178 centimeters. Its skin was pale, where it showed, though its torso and much of its limbs were covered with cloth. At the top of its head was a shaggy brown mop of fur - no, I reminded myself, they called it 'hair', because of its length. There was a wound on the left side of its head, just in front of where its hair began. An ugly purple mark, surrounding a thick trail of crusted blood. It appeared somewhat swollen, and the sight of that injury made me shudder.

Finally I turned toward it, curiousity bringing my head closer to the creature, despite my revulsion. What had it meant? It had no choice about coming to this place? How had it become injured, or tied to this tree? And how was it that a human had learned our tongue? I decided to give voice to the last of these questions first, as that was what surprised me the most.

"How did you learn our language, human?"

"I learned your language from one of your books, honored Dragon." Its head remained bowed.

I bristled at the thought of a filthy thief like this laying hands on some dragon's books. I was tempted to slay it then and there. But perhaps I could recover the stolen book... "Where is this book?"

"The book was taken away from me, by the people who are responsible for bringing me here."

People? Oh. It meant other humans. Just great, I thought sarcastically, and wondered if it was even worth the effort. "Where did you steal it from?"

It raised its head and opened its eyes to look at me. I saw that its eyes had brown irises that matched the color of its hair. "I did not steal it, honored Dragon. I found it in an abandoned cave, along with a number of others, apparently left behind by the former occupant. There were signs of items having been removed, so I believed the few remaining books had been seen as without value..."

Without value?! I was appalled. Who would leave behind books of any sort? But if this was true, then it was no fault of this human's for taking advantage of someone's carelessness... Perhaps I would not kill it after all. I wouldn't want to get my talons messy for no reason. And then another thought occurred to me, and my demeanor changed again. "You're lying. There are no books to teach a human our language."

"Honored Dragon, your statement may be true, but what I said does not contradict it. I believe the intent of the book was to teach my language to a dragon. It compared the pronounciation of words and letters in our alphabet to the letters of yours, and from this I was able to determine how to pronounce yours. Though, as I listen to you, I can tell that I am not doing it as well as I thought I was." It made a soft barking noise which it repeated twice as the corners of its mouth curled up. Was it amused by the situation?

I stared at it for a few seconds. What it had said was logical, and seemed possible, but I wouldn't have expected a human to be so clever. Still... "Why are you here? And why are you... restrained, like that?"

It grimaced. "The answer to both questions is the same, honored Dragon... I am tied to this tree because I kept, read, and learned from the books I found, rather than burning them as the laws of the [church] dictate."

I drew back in shock, which rapidly turned to outrage. I leaned forward again and brought my head very close to its face, letting my hot breath wash across it as I replied, "Your laws demand the destruction of our books?!"

Its eyes widened slightly, and I watched its throat wriggle as it swallowed. Sickening. But then it replied in a voice that seemed as outraged as my own had. "I would never do so, honored Dragon! I do not agree with the [church], and I will never burn a book no matter what it contains! I kept them secret, I studied them, and when I found one which contained words I recognized, alongside their draconic translations, I was... [overjoyed!] Very happy! I have spent years learning to read and speak this language so that I might learn from the wisdom contained in your works. And I would still be doing so if I had not made the mistake of studying notes which I had written in draconic while in a public place where an official of the [church] happened to see them! When he realized what they were, he had me tied, [beaten], questioned, and now, left here to die, whether from lack of water or as a meal for some animal, knowing all the while that my most treasured possessions are likely on their way to be cast into a [sacrificial] fire!" As it finished, its eyes were leaking small trails of water, and it coughed, its breathing sounding somewhat labored.

I drew my head back again, stunned by the vehemence of its response. My legs lowered my body to the ground as if by their own will, though with my long neck, I kept my head level with the human's tiny face. It took me some time to sort through this new information. The creature's rapid breathing slowed, and it looked at me again, meeting my golden eyes as the water dried on its cheeks. I looked back, my pupils widening and narrowing slightly, but before I could decide what to say, it spoke again.

"Honored Dragon... If you plan to kill me... I would ask that you do it quickly, and end this torment. If--"

As it spoke, I reared up, staring down at it, and then interrupted. "Why should I slay you? By your own words, you have done nothing to harm any dragon. If your own people think you should be slain, that is no concern of mine." And yet... something within me had decided that it was, indeed, my concern.

The human let out a long breath, closing its eyes for a second before replying. "What the majority believes is not always what is true, honored Dragon. Most humans believe, or are taught, that dragons are evil creatures and that their written works are [blasphemous]. None dare to openly challenge this belief, because they fear they would be killed for doing so. As I was to be killed. But if you have no desire to kill me, then I beg of you, will you cut me loose from this tree?"

I almost interrupted it when it spoke of dragons being evil, but realized that it was only speaking of the beliefs of others. After a moment, as I could see no harm in freeing it, I stood and moved closer, then reached up to the lower rope with my right forefoot and snipped the rope between the sharp talons of my finger and thumb, releasing the human's legs. Then I did the same to the rope holding its arms back along the sides of the tree trunk.

It almost fell, stumbling forward, and I stepped back quickly to avoid it. Just because I saw no reason to let the creature suffer and starve didn't mean I wanted it to touch me. But it managed to gain its balance, standing on its two feet as was the human way, and then slowly lowered itself to the ground to lean back against the tree while working on the ropes where they remained tied to its wrists. I saw that they must have been tied very tightly, or that the human's skin was even more fragile than I had thought, because there were dark marks and dried blood under the bindings. And I could smell that what it was doing was reopening those wounds.

I held out one talon toward it, and it stopped, looking at me for a moment before holding up its wrists. I carefully slid the talon between rope and wrist, then once again used the sharp edge of my thumb talon to snip it open, freeing that wrist, then doing the same to the other. I grimaced at the look of its wrists, and rubbed my talons on the ground, hoping to clean them of anything that might have become stuck to them from touching the creature.

"You have my most humble gratitude, honored Dragon..."

I frowned, my eye ridges shifting slightly. "You need not use such formal language, human. My common name is Nualadorani."

It bobbed its head up and down - a nod is what that was called - and curled up the corners of its mouth. A smile, yes... the human was pleased or amused. It did sound pleased when it spoke, if I was any judge. "Nualadorani. Thank you. My name is Adrian, of the Farshallan clan. I would be honored to have my name spoken by a dragon..."

The way the human spoke almost made me feel embarrassed, and my reply came out more gruff than I intended. "Adrian, your attempts at flattery are as unnecessary and misguided as they are irritating."

"My apologies, Nualadorani..." It lowered its eyes to the ground, sitting forward and resting its elbows on its knees, clasping its hands together in front of itself.

"Your apologies are equally unnecessary," I replied, in a softer tone. "I do not expect a human to be familiar with our ways."

"I would like to become familiar with them..." It looked into my eyes again.

I didn't know how to respond to that. Flustered, I hesitated for several seconds, blinking at this strange creature. "... You? A human? Would learn the ways of dragons?"

It bobbed its head again, slowly, and its voice was soft, yet somehow intense as well. "I am fascinated by you, Nualadorani, both your people, and you yourself. I have never had the opportunity to speak to a dragon, though I have dreamed of doing so for years... It would be my... my [fondest wish] to speak with you at greater length, perhaps on future occasions, or even to visit you, to learn from you... I have no place among my own people now. I never truly did, but now... If I went back to that village, or was found, alive, by anyone who knows my name, I would surely be killed. There is no one I can turn to who will aid an [outcast] like me. I would have to travel far away, as news spreads quickly, and [rumor] is even faster..."

The human's words had the sound of truth to them. And yet... It was such a wild concept, I couldn't figure out what to make of it. To speak to a human? But I was already doing that, wasn't I. To meet with this human again? There was no purpose to be served by that. Or was there? I wasn't certain. And to take it to my home willingly, so that it could steal my things? No, it had expressed no interest in my fancy jewelry, or my unique sculptures, or anything at all other than my books. But that was even worse, wasn't it?

Our books... Our knowledge. This one seemed to understand how precious a treasure that was. Its claim that it refused to destroy such priceless repositories seemed honest enough, considering the situation I had found it in. But would this one try to steal books it was freely given access to? Especially when there were so many more available? I certainly wouldn't, even were I of a mind to steal, though who knew how the mind of a human worked. But it hadn't asked to be taken immediately to the royal archives, had it? It had asked only to speak to me... And something inside me was urging me to agree.

So I stayed... and we talked. Until the human... Adrian... grew tired, and hungry. We arranged for a second meeting, at a spot not far from there, in three days' time. And then he - I had discovered that Adrian was male, and that he had not known I was female until I told him - he departed to hunt for food, and I took to the air, uncaring of who might see me as I flew back to the mountain in which I and many others made our homes.