Magic and Truth
#3 of The Last Dragons, Revisited
Alrighty, the second installment of the new version of the Last Dragons is ready to be put online. I hope you enjoy it.
As always, comments are appreciated and requested.
Continued from 'The Love Of Ages"...
It took my tired brain a good while to realize I was no longer dreaming, but that was hardly surprising, considering what had happened last night, or at least, what I thought had happened. But even when I realized I was, in fact, awake, my eyes refused to open, my limbs not moving beyond tucking the warmth that I was curled up with closer to me. Strangely, that thought was what finally roused a response from my brain. Even thinking the slightest thought about the warm thing pressed close against me sent waves of delight through my soul, as if even acknowledging that it existed was a joyful event. It actually took me a few minutes more to realize why it felt like I was lying on a bunch of rocks instead of the soft sheets of my bed, but when the reason suddenly occurred to me, my eyes snapped wide open, concrete memories suddenly taking the place of the idle speculation with which I always reviewed my dreams. And when my eyes were greeted by the sight of a beautiful, red and gold anthro dragon curled up against me, with her head resting against my chest, I knew that I hadn't imagined or dreamed the events of the day before. Wonder of wonders, incredible as it seemed, I was a dragon, and far more important than that, I had the most beautiful and wonderful dragoness I could have imagined as my mate.
My look of surprise softened back into a warm smile a moment later when Pyre shifted a little in her sleep, letting out a quiet sigh, a look of utmost content coming to her face and I felt the sudden urge to tell the approaching day and the world at large to leave us be, and go back to sleep; to hold my mate in my arms until summer had turned to winter and then to spring once more. But, as usual, now that I was awake, I found it incredibly difficult to go back to sleep and I drew in a deep breath, a breath that was more fragrant than any I had breathed in quite a long time, the pleasing scent of my mate sweeping the last cobwebs from my mind. Finally, after lying still, doing nothing more than breathing for a few more minutes, I slowly shifted back, gently disentangling myself from my sleeping lover, taking care not to rouse her. I could probably have moved more quickly than I did, judging by how deeply she seemed to be immersed in dreamland, but I didn't help that I was reluctant to move at all, despite my restless spirit. When I had finally extricated myself and started to move quietly away from the churned up nest of dirt where we had spent the night, I stopped, finding that I wasn't quite free yet. Looking back, I found that my still sleeping mate had grabbed a hold of my white and silver scaled tail, snuggling up to it like it was a teddy bear. Smiling and shaking my head, I marveled at her for a moment, perceiving things I would never have seen the day before.
My mate was millennia old, carrying the memories of countless years in her mind, and yet she still seemed no older than I was, a sort of timeless, almost childlike innocence in her. Perhaps that was the nature of dragons, or perhaps it was simply that she had never had a chance to lose it, having assumed her tireless vigil so early in life. But whatever it was, I found myself feeling a strange mix of emotions seeing her in that light. Love was most prominent, a love so strong and so deep that I could hardly look away from her without feeling longing, but there was envy too, a desire to be so carefree even after so long a time. Still smiling, I gently tugged my tail out of her grasp, shaking my head in amusement as she curled up into a ball much like a cat would, using her own tail as a pillow. Taking a moment to look around the clearing, I finally was able to take stock of the place I found myself in. Looking at the way the tunnel that pierced the mountainside was oriented, I realized that the space where I stood could almost be considered a patio, a flat plateau that curved around the mountaintop near the 'door'. The largest flat space, a space big enough for a dragon in its feral form to curl up comfortably in, extended southward from where I stood, with a small path curling around the rock formation to the east and west, leading to smaller flattened spaces almost like the sightseeing platforms at the Grand Canyon.
Above me, the sky was just beginning to lighten as the dawn approached, the stars fading as the color returned. Stretching the kinks out of my back, I headed along the eastern path, walking out to its end. Stones stood around the edge of the small aerie, almost like a natural rampart and I stood for a few moments in their midst, looking down the valley spread out before my feet. Though the brightening sky was without a single wisp of cloud, the valley was filled with mist as the ground began to warm, obscuring all but the highest tree tops. The birds were only just beginning to awaken, so the world was silent, and barely a day ago, I would have called it a dead silence. But now, I knew better. The still air, though it was silent, was none the less alive with energy, the world awaiting the touch of the life-giving sunlight.
Just as the sky kindled red and orange, heralding the rising sun, a bird sang out, shattering the silence like the first notes of a symphony. The bird sounded like a finch, its voice one I had heard countless times before, but somehow, today, it was as if I had heard it for the first time and it was beautiful. And more, despite the fact that it was far off down the valley, it seemed almost impossibly loud in the aftermath of the predawn silence. Other birds began to join in, dozens of voices singing together, accompanied by the breeze stirring the branches and I stood with my eyes closed for a while, listening to the song. I had always enjoyed watching the dawn in the mountains, listening to the world come alive around me, but today; today it was different.
It was as if before I had been listening to only a few instruments, and now I heard the whole orchestra. But as the first golden edge of the sun crept above the mountains, and I felt the warmth of its rays hit my scales, the first breeze swept up the hill, bringing the aromas of the mountains to my nose, everything changed. My first breath of air reminded me of the green scent that filled the air when the sun shone after rain, but far more varied than it ever had been. I scented the dew that dripped from the ever sweet mountain grass, the piney aroma of living wood, and hundreds, thousands more that I hadn't imagined existed before. And every scent was distinct from all the others, bringing an image of what it belonged to, to my mind, a picture so clear and beautiful that it was like scent was the truth of its identity, not sight or touch. More than that, as my mind sorted the various smells, I began to recognize scents that shouldn't have existed, like the smell of summer sunshine and the fading scent of starlight. All of this made it an invigorating experience simply to draw breath. Heaving a great, happy sigh, I opened my eyes and looked at the world with a new sight, seeing elements I had never perceived, never understood before. Every single tree in the woods, every blade of grass, had its own shade of green, and every inch of sky its own hue of gold and red and blue. But all of it was washed in the liquid gold of sunlight; endless, wholesome warmth that seemed to soak into my flesh, warming up my body like a cup of hot tea on a cold morning.
And then, as I stood there, and the mist faded in the dawn, my mind seemed to pull back from focusing upon a single sense, and instead took all of them at once. And at last I understood, understood the way that the dragons saw the world, understood the true depth of what there was to see. There was almost a melody that danced through every living thing, a song made of sight and scent as well as sound. Everything was part of it, and every pulse of my heart was filled with it. While humans barely scratched the surface of being aware of it, and rarely ever glimpsed it, dragons were a part of it, and could hear it always. And as I stood there, truly seeing the world for the first time, I felt a tear run down my cheek, running along the outline of each scale before I caught it with one of my talons. Even that single drop of water held an infinite complexity and wonder for me; I could spend years watching the endless interplay of light that danced within it. And finally, as the teardrop fell from my claw tip, I looked down at the new me, admiring the body I now inhabited.
My human body had been fit and strong from my martial training but now, with everything covered in scales, my muscles were much more sharply defined and I marveled at the almost liquid strength that seemed to fill my body. On a whim, I bent down and seized a small stone from the ground, squeezing it in my grasp. Where before the stone would have cut my skin, now it crumbled into dust, not even leaving a scuff behind to mar my scales. Looking closer at my arms, I noted that the scales were more or less teardrop shaped, but they had funny, angular edges that allowed them to interlock and overlap over my flesh, much like to medieval scale armor. And that peculiar similarity made me suddenly wonder if that was where the idea had come from in the first place. I mean, the next logical step when you have chainmail and plate armor is not to attach a lot of tiny plates to the chain, especially when they were so hard to make.
Setting aside my musings on history, I returned my thoughts to the scales. Each of my scales was mostly pure, shining silver in color, but trimmed in white. But as I looked closer to them, I saw that there were actually tiny pearlescent veins that traced their way through the silver surface, veins that caught the fiery rays of the rising sun, making them look almost like miniscule rivers of lava. The silver surface around them reflected the light like a mirror so each scale looked almost like a painting of a fiery lightning strike over the waves of an ocean at sunset. The scales became finer as they went down my hand, until they were so tiny on my palms that they were almost indistinguishable from one another. Next, I held a clawed hand up before my eyes and flexed the fingers a few times, examining the sharp talons that now capped each finger. They were more or less shaped like a curving pyramid, each edge honed like a razor. Knowing how strong my arms had become, I had little doubt that they would be a danger even to others of my kind. After a moment, I paused and considered the significance of what I had just thought. I no longer even thought of myself as human, though I knew that that was still a part of me. I wasn't sure if that meant I was a full dragon or not, but somehow, it felt right to say, even in the quiet of my own mind, 'I am a dragon.'
A sudden itching sensation from a spot on my back brought me out of my musings and I reached back to scratch it, as I had done numerous times before, the motion automatic. A moment before my fingers reached the spot, it suddenly occurred to me to wonder how I was going to get to the itch when I was covered by a layer of hard scales. But just before I got there, my scales seemed to shift aside on their own, revealing the offending spot to my claws. The feeling of my scaly armor shifting around on my skin was so...well, strange wasn't quite the right word for it, but something like that, and on instinct, I began to ripple the scales on my arms in waves, producing an oddly satisfying clicking sound as they danced across me, almost like a percussion instrument. I was so absorbed in watching the scales shift and dance that I completely lost track of what was going on around me.
Fortunately, it is practically impossible to ignore the teasing caress of two red scaled arms across your chest, the sensation making me shiver so hard all of my scales stood on end, the draconian version of goose bumps. Peering back over my shoulder, I found that my mate had come up behind me, announcing herself by trailing her clawed hands across my ribs. I sucked in a brief gasp of pleasure when her breath curled under the scales on my neck, shuddering with the sensation as she kissed me. With my thoughts whirling around my head like a carnival ride, I turned around and all at once I had only one thought in my mind. I had thought that my mate was beautiful when I was a human, and after I had transformed last night, I had other things on my mind. But now, seeing her in the light of day, as one dragon gazing at another, she was...indescribable.
All the beauty I had seen in her was still there, but there was so much more. I could see details that no human could now, details that entranced me. Her scarlet scales were not just one shade. Rather, they were all different colors, hundreds upon hundreds of hues, all the shades of red at once, rivulets of different ones prominent in every scale. No two scales on her body were the same. And the golden scales, oh, they were purer than even the metal itself, as if gold had been named as a pale imitation to her coloration. And her eyes...they were like looking into the depths of the ocean, beautiful, mysterious, endless. Even the beauty of the sun drenched vista that had reduced me to tears moments ago paled by comparison to her. My mouth worked silently for a few moments as I tried to speak, tried to find the words for her, but I found that my voice had fled somewhere deep inside my body and was refusing to come out. I just stood there, my jaw hanging open, staring dumbly at her, my arms going limp at my sides, my wings rustling as they slumped.
"Well, well, silvertongue is tongue-tied." Scarlon teased, gently caressing my jaw line with one claw. Everything went out the window at her touch, every thought, every memory, everything. She smiled at the look on my face, and moved in for a soft kiss, her nimble tongue playing tag with my own inside my mouth. I had somehow managed to retain enough where-with-all to respond and soon, we were holding each other close in a passionate embrace, our scales pressed tight against each other.
Moments later, my nose picked out a new aroma, an aroma that brought no clear image to my mind. Instead, its spicy tones brought impressions, half formed memories that I only kind of understood. The strongest sensation was warmth, the same sort of fire that I had felt the night before, but there was more to it now. Comfort, the heartfelt sort of welcome one got when coming home, and the tingling excitement that came from anticipation. Whatever it was, the scent certainly got a reaction from me.
The usual stirring in my loins when I got turned on started up at once, only to be overshadowed a moment later by a new, oddly pleasant sensation down below, making me glance down when we paused in our kissing. The new sensation was the feeling of my member showing itself from within the armored slit where it normally rested, protected by my scaly hide. But, it kept right on growing past the length it had been the last time I had really looked at it. I hadn't been big before I had transformed, but I hadn't been exactly small either. But now, there was no question about it, I was large. My mate must have understood what was happening to me, because she looked down as well, gently stroking one hand up the length of my shaft, caressing the head with her claws, the motion making me shudder, a droplet of pre oozing from the tip. But, just as soon as she had begun her teasing, she stopped, making my unfocusing eyes snap back into proper focus at once. Her grin was almost evil when she pulled her hand back, motioning for me to follow her as she turned back to the path leading to the tunnel entrance. "Come with me, love. We shouldn't be out in the daylight like this. Even here, humans might see us and then we would be in trouble."
I managed to mumble something in the neighborhood of a statement of agreement, my voice only grudgingly cooperating with me, and trailed eagerly after her, my member slowly relaxing. My mate walked back inside the mountain but I paused a moment to scoop up my belongings as I passed the pile. I wasn't thinking too carefully about what I was doing and inadvertently tore big holes in my shirt with my claws, but I was well past the point where I would have cared. I turned back to find my mate waiting just inside the cave mouth and we walked in, side by side. Just as I passed the threshold, the sheer cliff side that had concealed the opening when I had arrived seemed almost to melt in reverse, startling me as it reformed, making the tunnel as black as pitch. But somehow, despite it being almost perfectly dark, I could still see the outlines of the walls, and I could see my mate as she walked on ahead of me, though it seemed that the world had lost every color except shades of silvery-grey.
Shrugging to myself at this odd phenomenon, I hurried to follow my mate, my body still more than a little excited. After about a minute's travel, we passed into a large chamber at least forty feet wide, a hundred long, and six stories high; easily large enough for several dragons in their true forms to curl up in its confines. When I entered the chamber, my mate was already halfway to the center, waving a hand through the air. At once, a ball of what looked like iridescent fire winked into existence near the ceiling, casting a pleasant light throughout the chamber. When my mate reached the chamber's center, she turned back to face me, and I almost stumbled on a loose stone, not paying any attention to the placement of my feet; to my mind, she was the very picture of desire, everything I could possibly want. I negligently dropped my belongings in a heap and hurried forward, all set to continue what she had begun outside. When I got to her, I trapped her in a warm hug, kissing her deeply, my member already starting to show itself once more. But, after returning the kiss for a few moments, she pulled back a little ways, putting a hand on my chest and pushing against it lightly.
"We will get to that soon enough, love." Scarlon said, a mischievous grin on her lips. "We have a few things that are a little more important to get to first."
"Now wait a minute." I said, feeling a heart shattering moment of disappointment kill my budding arousal. "How is that fair? It was your idea to begin with."
"I know," She said, kissing the tip of my snout. "But the elders were very clear when they charged me with this assignment. As soon as possible, I was to begin teaching the first awakened dragon how to handle certain things, so you don't accidently cause trouble."
"I don't think they anticipated what happened last night." I objected and she grinned lovingly at my statement. My heart melted into a puddle in my chest at the sight and she nodded.
"You are probably right." She said, "But this really is important. Of course, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can be all over each other."
"Okay, where do we start?" I questioned, my words coming out so fast they almost slurred together. Grinning and giving a slight shake of her head at my eagerness she motioned me closer and started talking.
"First, you have got to learn to harness your magic. All dragons can use it to a varying degree, but there is nothing in the world that is more dangerous when left on its own, so you have to learn how to control it." My mate said, and then waved a hand at a boulder that sat on the floor beside her. The stone immediately lifted off the ground and then began to shift, its surface flowing like water, becoming a variety of shapes of all different colors. "With magic, you can change anything about something, its shape, its color, even what it is on the most fundamental level." The rock suddenly became as clear as glass, like a giant gemstone, then flowed into a perfect globe of clear water. "It is an ability that is all too easy to misuse. Because of this, we dragons learned early on to teach our young ones to control every aspect of it, to separate our talent for it from our emotions as much as we could to keep an outburst from becoming something we would regret. Now then, to practice." When she said that, the stone reformed into its original shape and settled on the ground once more. "Take the stone, and raise it off the ground."
I concentrated hard on the image of the stone coming off the ground, but the boulder did nothing at all. I tried again, trying to use my mind to lift it off the floor, my brow furrowing as I bent all my will on the stone and still, it did nothing. Not even a quiver. Finally, I closed my eyes and hung my head, frustrated. The effort I had been spending on the task had been so great that my scales were standing out from my body, heat radiating out from beneath them.
"What am I doing wrong?" I asked and Scarlon smiled.
"You are thinking too much." She said and I cocked my head. "First, you have to let go of the thought that this is not possible.
"I know it's possible, I just saw you do it." I protested and she shook her head.
"No, you know I can do it." She corrected. "You are still doubting that you can. Don't worry, its normal the first time out."
"Okay..." I said, taking a deep breath and starting to concentrate once more. "What else?"
"Don't think about what it takes to do it, or what needs to be done to lift the boulder." She explained, nodding towards it. "Just, lift it."
Frowning, I stared at the boulder and sucked in a deep, calming breath, letting it out through pursed lips. Then, I shook my head, working to block out the little rational voices in my head that were already calculating the weight of the boulder, how much strength it would take to lift it and so on, as well as the quiet, traitorous voice that whispered that what she was asking wasn't possible. Closing my eyes, I listened instead to the sound of my breathing, each breath bleeding tension out of my body. Finally, I let go of the situation, let it fade away in my mind.
Instead of the boulder and the task, I focused my mind on the tropical island my parents had taken us to on vacation a few years ago. I had taken to wandering the shore one day and I had been lucky enough to find a secluded cove where there were no people. I remembered how I had sat down on the white sand and stared out to sea for hours, finding immeasurable peace in that place. Delving into the memory, I allowed the day to come back to me, the sound of the waves crashing at my feet filling my ears. The heat of my frustration became instead the warmth of the sun on my skin, and the earthy scent of the cave became the scent of salt and the warm waters of the bay. Finally, I smiled, my mind as tranquil and peaceful as that day had been. Opening my eyes, I looked at the boulder and lifted it, as easily as if I had taken it in hand, the stone rising off the ground easily. What was more, it took no more effort than it had to form the thought.
"Well done." My mate said, looking at me with a curious expression on her face. "I don't think any dragon I have ever known has done it that quickly." Struck with sudden inspiration, I grinned and quickly shaped the stone into a perfect replica of my mate as I had first seen her, every detail exact, down to the individual scales on her hands, barely pinpricks on the statuette. Then, just for fun, I made it move, stretching and preening as it hovered in the air. Scarlon's eyes went wide, a look that I might have called suspicion appearing on her face. "Goodness... I'm impressed. Usually it takes months or even years for a dragon to be able to do that. I wonder..."
"Yes..?" I asked when she didn't finish the statement. When she still didn't answer, I playfully made the statue's face assume a questioning expression, guiding it over so it was looking her in the eyes and she snorted, grinning amusedly and waving the statue away from her.
"Okay, okay, you can stop showing off." She said and I reformed the boulder into its original shape with an easy grin, setting it back on the ground. Beaming with my success, I looked at her expectantly and she waved for me to follow her. "Come have a drink of water, it will refresh you before you try what comes next."
Scarlon led the way to a pool in the back of the cavern and then went down on all fours, dipping her muzzle into the water and drinking in a long, slow draft. I followed suit and immediately discerned three things. First, dragons can hold their breath a very long time, as both of us drank in long drafts that would have left a human gasping. Second, the pool was more like a well, deep and cold, drawing water right from the heart of the mountains. And third, I must have been dehydrated, because when my snout broke the surface, I was suddenly so thirsty that I swallowed about a liter of water in one long drink, followed by another one almost as long. When I finally came up for air, sitting back and breathing deeply, wiping the dripping water from my lips, I looked over at my mate and she grinned, lounging back and watching me contemplatively.
"Well, it is clear to me that we needn't bother with the rest of the exercises." She finally said and I cocked my head to the side in an unspoken question. "They are meant to prepare you to do what you seem to be able to already. I think what we need to do next is teach you to alter yourself. That skill is actually a lot harder for dragons than altering other things is."
"May I ask why?" I questioned and she shrugged.
"Actually, no one is sure." She said, "It just is." Settling into a cross-legged position, her tail curling around her, she continued. "What you have to do is to look inside yourself. All magic users, regardless of what they are, can access the raw flow of magic energy, which is how they use magic in the first place. A good place to start is whatever you were doing just before you lifted the boulder. Once there, you sort of feel around for the power. It's hard to explain more clearly than that. When you find it, use the power to change the color of some of your scales. Give it a try."
Nodding, I mirrored her position, closing my eyes and laying my hands palm up on my knees. It was a classic meditation position, one I had assumed many times, and my body settled into it with ease. Then, I closed my eyes and brought the memory back. It was easier this time, the sensations closer to the surface. Soon, I was at the beach once more, watching the waves crash onto the sand. But this time, I did as Scarlon had advocated and felt around for the power. Honestly, I had no idea what I was looking for, but it actually didn't take long to find it. After a little while, I accidently brushed up against some sort of barrier in my mind, a barrier that hadn't been there before my transformation. That first, light touch let loose a tingling burst of energy in my mind and I knew I had found it. The energy was exciting, like the feeling of touching a nine volt battery to your tongue, but all over your body. I smiled, touching the barrier again, pushing a little harder against it, the burst becoming a constant flow and, as I had done before, I simply commanded the scales on my right palm to change. Nothing happened at first, the scales remaining white and silver. But then I understood what my mate had said. Gathering up all the stray, tingling motes of power that had scattered themselves through my body into a bundle with my mind, I directed it towards my hand, the tingling intensifying there while it vanished everywhere else and then, suddenly, I felt the energy vanish. Cracking one eye, I looked down and found that the scales I had been seeing in my mind were now green, shining like emeralds. Scarlon grinned at me and nodded as I showed her my palm, but then, a few moments later, the color seemed almost to evaporate, replaced by my normal coloration.
"Why..?" I began and she answered without me needing to finish the question.
"Dragons are unique in the world." She explained, "For just as we are far closer to the world than humans are, as I am sure you know, we are also a part of magic. It sustains us so we will never starve or die of thirst, though even we have our limits. Using magic requires energy, so we have to rest to recover it, although we can also gain it back from eating and drinking in most cases. But be that as it may, as a result of our connection to magic, changes to our forms, even small ones like changing the color of a few scales, require a constant flow of magic to maintain. The only exceptions are forms like this, and our true forms. For example, if I was to take on a human form temporarily, I would have to constantly maintain the flow of energy or I would revert to this form. You and the others like you have the benefit of being born mostly human, so your human self will also not require energy to maintain it, since it is natural for you. So, really, it is not as important to perfect this skill right now. But the basics are what are important in teaching you to take on your true form."
"Alright." I said, following her as she got up to her feet, walking back towards the middle of the cavern, a slight shiver of anticipation running down my spine. "How is it done?"
"Simply enough." My mate replied and her body suddenly shimmered once again, swelling into the much larger form I had first seen her in. With my draconian senses, that form looked so much more primal and outright correct than the anthro form she had been in. "Taking on the human-like form, what you may call our anthromorphic form, requires that we contain the magic, restrict its flow behind a thick barrier of our own will. What you need to do, therefore, is release that strict control. Your instincts will do the rest."
Nodding in reply, I closed my eyes for a moment, easily locating the barrier within my mind once more. But this time, I didn't just brush against it to get a little power to use, instead I pushed against it with all my might. Magic flooded into my body, the tingling sensation washing through me, becoming so strong it was like I was being tickled all over. But as hard as I was pushing, the barrier seemed to constrict around me, refusing to let me have what I needed. Then, I understood without having to ask what I was doing wrong. I was over-thinking it again. Immediately ceasing to push, I backed off, only barely touching the barrier. And then, I relaxed, letting go of every conscious thought. At once, the barrier seemed to pull me in, drawing me through it and into the stream of magic. And then, suddenly, I wasn't me anymore. I wasn't a dragon, or a human or even some combination of the two. For the briefest instant, I was magic. The feeling lasted only for a moment, the tiniest shard of time, but it was exhilarating. It is impossible to say how it felt, no words matching the experience. Everything and nothing at the same time is about as close as I have ever gotten to describing it.
And then, all of a sudden, I was me again, or rather, I was what I was always supposed to be. The first thing I felt was a sensation of unimaginable strength as my spirit returned to my body, immeasurable power at my fingertips. And more, there was knowledge too, most of it I wouldn't have been capable of understanding as a human, or even as an anthro dragon. But something I understood immediately was why dragons took such care with their magic, why it had been such a big decision to share it, even in small part, with mankind. To us, the entire world and everything in it was so small; so fragile, so easily broken. It was as if the whole of life on earth was suspended within a net of tiny cords, cords that could be broken with the ease of cutting a single cloth thread. One wrong move, one incautious decision, and the whole thing fell apart. Then, finally, I opened my eyes and found myself staring at the floor beneath my feet.
The first sight I saw was my arms, and I at once marveled at the change that had come over them. They were each as thick as a mighty tree, the muscle and sinew so strong that I honestly couldn't think of something that would withstand them. Looking back at the whole of my body, I immediately noticed some significant differences between my mate and I. One in particular was the sheer size of my new body. As large as Scarlon was in her true form, I was easily half again as big. What was more, while my mate had smooth scales along her spine and tail, I had a row of very sharp spikes of bone, the smallest the size of one of the large stalagmites that lined the cavern, including a cluster at the tip of my tail that would make it a formidable weapon if it ever came to combat. As if the tremendous, sharp teeth in my jaws weren't enough, more spikes lined my chin. Then, I flexed new muscles that felt like cords of spun steel and stretched out one great wing to examine its surface. The membrane itself was made of very fine scales, armor that streamlined the flesh and would make me even quicker in the air than the fastest bird. Along the top of the wing were another row of short, curving spikes that looked quite nasty. Like the other spikes, these too were missing from Scarlon's body and it took the scientific part of my mind a few moments to guess the reason. Before dragons had refined magic and discovered the mate bound, males probably had to fight to defend their right to mate, hence all the natural weaponry.
'Speaking of mates...' I thought, feeling my love's gaze upon me. I looked up and grinned at the look on her face. Her eyes were wide open, her amazement obvious. From her expression, I gathered that my size was not normal, but also not wholly unexpected for her. A strange suspicion worked its way into my mind as I remembered the unfinished question she had spoken earlier. But, even as I pondered that, a far different instinct rose in me, a different statement, spoken in the voice of my mate overriding the concern. Stretching languidly on instinct, I showed off my powerful new body for the smaller female and the spicy scent immediately returned, suddenly far stronger than it had been as she inspected me. And seeing the sudden glow in the smooth scales of her cheeks, I knew that she too had remembered her earlier statement, about what would come after I had learned my lessons.
Grinning broadly, I walked over to Scarlon, not even noticing that I did it on all four limbs as if it was the normal thing to do, nuzzling the hollow of her throat with my snout, giving her a gentle lick that made her shiver. Moving gently enough that my spiked jaw didn't hurt her, I nuzzled my way up the curve of her neck and rubbed my head affectionately against hers, giving her chin a lick. Somehow, it didn't feel right to kiss like a human in this form. Instead, I was going on instinct, which was easier than you might expect. The spicy scent that had filled the air was getting stronger with every breath, and it was intoxicating to me, wiping away all the nagging doubts and questions that I had. Something primitive and primal was awakening in my mind, some remnant of the ancient dragons, from the wild centuries before mankind existed. Strangely, I felt distinctly inclined to let it take over, despite the fact that I didn't know exactly what it was planning. My mate didn't seem to mind, letting out a pleased growl, rubbing her head against mine in reply, then, she lowered her head, tucking it under my chin in an almost submissive gesture that was ruined a moment later by the feel of her eyes going wide, the spicy scent suddenly filling every breath, overwhelming everything else. The thing that had caught her attention became clear a moment later when I realized that my member had emerged from hiding once more and I glanced down my body at it in surprise.
While everything was more or less proportional on my body, it seemed that the corresponding increase in size did indeed extend to every part of my body. My equipment was huge, so big that I briefly wondered if it would fit in my mate's nethers, considering I was quite a bit larger than she was. But, judging from the scent that was coming from her, and the fact that her body was giving off a heat like a furnace, she wasn't going to give me a choice in the matter. And then, despite the primal thing that was in almost complete control of me, I wanted some say in what was about to happen and I pushed it back a little, reasserting myself. Instead of jumping right in with wild, feral sex, which was the clear direction this interlude was going, I shifted a bit, rearing back on my hind legs and leaning over my mate, one hand on each flank. Grinning broadly, I dragged my claws along her sides, dipping my head down to lick along her neck, the combination of sensations making her shiver, ripples running through her heated scales like waves. When my claws found her ribcage and my tongue traced its way along her sensitive wing membranes, she let out a sound that was halfway between a growl and groan, her back arching, her head pointing towards the ceiling in delight.
By the time my claws completed the journey to her back legs, she was trembling, each breath shuddering through her clenched teeth, her tail lifted towards the ceiling, presenting her nethers for inspection. When I saw the bright red folds of her glistening sex, and scented the strong aroma of a horny female, the primitive thing that had arisen in my mind at once tried to seize control, to leap full upon her and mate her with all its might, but I forced it back once again, backing off of my mate as I did so. I paused for a moment, a strange and tantalizing idea coming to my mind and Scarlon looked back over her shoulder at me, the look on her face sort of vague, her scales flushed with blood, waiting for me to take charge. Grinning at her, I moved forward, nuzzling her slit with my snout, drawing a deep breath of her scent and she shivered once more, an animalistic moan escaping her throat at my barest touch and my grin widened. This was going to be fun. Slowly I opened my jaws, my dexterous dragon tongue slipping from between my teeth, the tip delicately curling against her crevice.
My mate's whole body shuddered at the touch, her head lowering almost to the floor, a hiss of surprised delight coming from her jaws and I pushed my tongue out a little more, trailing it against her flesh, exploring her at a leisurely pace. She was sopping wet with arousal by now, and for the first time, as I dipped my tongue deeper into her, I truly appreciated a dragon's heightened sense of taste. This was a delightful nectar, better than any other, desire exploding in my body with every lick. But this was only the beginning of my idea, the first touch of foreplay. After a few more moments of exploring her, my tongue suddenly dived deep into her, curling into the inner walls of her passage and my mate let out a surprised gasp at the unexpected penetration. For a moment, her walls tensed up, and I wondered if she actually liked it, but that doubt was put aside a second later when she lowered her torso, spreading her stance a little wider, pressing her hips back against my jaws. For a few moments, I pressed deeper into her, instinctually seeking one specific spot I knew I would find deep inside her. Suddenly, she lurched forward, hissing in pleasure once more, her whole body shaking and I grinned to myself, knowing I had found it. Withdrawing my tongue just a little, I prepared to provide her with one more reason why I deserved the nickname of silvertongue.
Using muscles that I hadn't even possessed as a human, I sent waves rippling along the length of my tongue, and she lurched forward once more, her eyes rolling back into her head as my tongue tip flicked delicately across the hidden spot I had found, the rest massaging her passage in ways that made her shudder. Before long, her walls were spasming around my tongue, as if in a perpetual state of climax, though I could tell she hadn't gotten there quite yet. But the spicy scent of arousal was only growing stronger by the moment, and her wonderful taste was making the primitive part of my mind writhe against my control, making it hard to concentrate on what I was doing. Finally, I couldn't hold it back any more and I relented, giving it what it wanted. Withdrawing my tongue from my mate, I took a moment to lick my chops, licking up the tasty fluid that had accumulated there. My mate didn't seem to have noticed that I had stopped, her eyes still closed in bliss, though her passage was becoming still once more, no longer rippling wildly. Then, my own eagerness at what I was about to do making me tremble, I rose up on my hind legs once more, my wings flaring wide so I only rested a fraction of my bulk on my mate's back.
My new body seemed to need no further instructions on the subject, my rigid member pressed against her opening as I moved into position, my front paws resting on her shoulders, the tip parting the outer folds of her passage, almost pulsing in anticipation. My mate at once seemed aware of what I was doing, her body shifting position once more, her tail curling around my middle like a brace, her chest lowering, her rump raising. Panting at the nearness of my mate, I pushed myself slowly forward, gradually sinking my member into her slit, gently overcoming the resistance of her smaller passage. She let out another hiss as I entered, one that seemed half of desire, half of pain and lowered her head towards the ground, gritting her teeth as my increased girth stretched her. When I got my head into her, I finally paused, allowing her to adjust to the size.
Gradually, the resistance slackened around my shaft and my mate's head came up, her jaw visibly relaxing. After another few moments, she looked up at me and nodded. Nodding in reply, I resumed the slow, steady pressure, pausing now and again when she winced, but finally, my hips were flush to hers and I was hilted in her. It felt wonderful to be so deep in my mate, my entire body on fire with pleasure and desire, but there was a far more pressing concern that made my own mind take control once more. For a while, it seemed like my deep penetration was too much for Scarlon, the dragoness' body held rigid, her tail clenching around me like a loop of rope that had been tightened as far as it would go. She was trembling, her eyes closed, jaw set hard and it immediately occurred to me that I might have hurt her. But then, suddenly, she made the truth known. Her hips bucked a little, making my tip graze her cervix, causing her to shudder, a moan of pleasure filling the cavern at the motion and I knew what she wanted, knew that far from being hurt, she had been waiting for me to go on.
Taking care to keep the pace slow and gentle at first, I began to thrust into her, withdrawing and pushing back in as smoothly as I could, trying not to make her jump, but that was an exercise in futility. My shaft had stretched her so tightly that I couldn't help but stimulate every spot in her passage on the way in and out, inevitably making her jump and twitch like she was being shocked. She was soon squirming beneath me, almost writhing with every movement I made, each thrust setting off a series of tiny orgasms in her, so many that she was gasping and hissing with every breath, her mouth hanging open as I began to speed up, the primitive side taking over once more. Soon, I was thrusting hard and fast, hunched over the red dragoness, my front paws under her hips, clutching her back to my chest, panting as the pressure of a climax built in my loins. I only had one objective now, one thought in my head, a driving purpose that was so important, so all-consuming that there wasn't room for anything else. I could have stopped breathing and I wouldn't have noticed, let alone cared.
Then, suddenly, the pressure reached a point where it could grow no further. For a few moments, I was in turmoil, conflicting desires pulling me in opposite directions. On the one hand, the pressure building in me was almost to breaking point, making it hard to breathe, hard to do anything at all. But on the other hand, my mate was obviously enjoying herself, her fluids dripping down her thighs as the tiny orgasms built with every thrust, the look on her face filled with absolute ecstasy. But then, all of a sudden, as my rhythm began to get ragged, I felt her breathing catch, her eyes closed tightly, her walls clenching up on my penis and the decision was made for me. At once, the pressure exploded in my body and I drove my rod as deep as it would go, a deafening roar filling the cavern as I came, a hot sort of tickling sensation rolling along my throat from somewhere deep inside as a roiling ball of flame surged from my mouth. And a moment later, a second roar echoed along with mine, a second stream of brilliant fire mixing itself with that coming from my throat as my mate climaxed, the feeling of my seed flooding her womb to overflowing pushing her over the edge. The combined roar was so loud that dust trickled down from the ceiling, the echoes alone making the air shiver around us.
And then, after what seemed like an eternity, it was over. I felt myself going limp, even my draconian strength depleted by our loving. Instead of slumping forward and trapping my mate beneath my bulk, I used what little strength I had left to tip myself in another direction, slowly slumped over to the side, the impact of my huge form crushing several boulders into dust, my wilting equipment sliding from my lover as I did so. In that moment, I didn't feel up to doing much more than breathing and I lay as I had fallen, my limbs all tangled together, looking over at my mate. She was still in the position she had been in while we had loved, crouched down with her chest on the ground, her rump in the air, tail still twined around me, a small trickle of seed escaping her crevice to trail along her left thigh. But her eyes were closed and her breathing was just starting to calm down. Then, as I watched, she slowly slid forward until she was lying flat on her belly, her breaths coming more and more slowly until she was obviously asleep, her breathing deep. The look on her face was one that I would cherish for many years to come, a strange mix of relaxation, fulfillment, exhaustion and above all, pleasure. But I knew I wasn't far off from joining her, my mind already starting to slide into the strange realm of draconian dreams. Even the fact that the flames we had breathed had melted a dozen stalagmites into a pool of glowing stone failed to make an impression on my mind. But as my eyes closed, my last sight that of my mate and I lying in a tangled heap of multicolored scales, one last, odd thought came to my mind. 'This is going to make one hell of a story...'