Salt and Oil
Usually when you wake up underwater, you are drowning. Sometimes, you wake up a sea dragon.
Usually when you woke up underwater, you were drowning.
But he could feel gills. Just behind his cheeks, he could feel water filtering through his neck, filling oxogen into his lungs and body. Not yet opening his eyes he let consciousness enter his body - this was going to be one hell of a morning.
He could confirm that he was in water. Salt water, by the...taste? Smell? He didn't know, it seemed like both. That was the only thing he was sure of, that he was in salt water and that he had gills. Considering his last thoughts before he blacked out were his cars breaks giving way and flying over the cliff towards the ocean, the salt water made sense. The gills...hey, he wasn't going to argue.
But as he began to try and move, he was starting to grow concerned.
One - There was something coming out of his back. Two, his fingers...well, they didn't feel like his fingers. And his toes felt like his fingers did - a different length and with too much nail. Three, his legs and arms wouldn't bend right.
Also, he had a tail. That was a problem, right there.
Okay. First order of business. Get to the surface. He managed to open his eyes, preparing for the sting of the ocean and...it never came. He seemed...yeah, he seemed to have his eyelids still closed, but he'd already opened them. Right, he had nictitating membranes over his eyes. That seemed so logical, that made so much sense. Because of course he'd happen to have those now that he was a sea creature.
Weird statement, that. " Now that he was a sea creature." He hadn't been prepared to have to make that assessment.
Back on topic. Swimming. Awkwardly he began to paddle up, the faint light seemingly kilometers above. He fumbled for but a moment before familiar instincts began to flow into him - one's he had never known, but seemed like he'd aways felt. Convenience was greatly appreciated - he was now paddling with his webbed fingers splayed, his wings folded to his body tightly, his tail thrashing and propelling him and great speed.
Bursting from the surface of the water in seconds and into the open air taught him that he had not yet been gifted the instincts for flight and he made a rather spectacular belly flop onto the surface. Wincing at his aching tummy, he rubbed the throbbing scales with one claw.
Okay, time out. He'd just rubbed his scales. With his clawed hand. He checked his reflection in the water as his gills folded flat and he began to breath through his nose.
Okay, yep. He was a dragon. And he knew his Pathfinder dragons - that was a brine dragon in the young adult stage - the point where dragons stopped being something non-heroes could deal with. Hatchling, wyrmling, juvenile - those could be dealt with by NPC's. Young adult, adult, wyrm - those were hero only.
He was a dragon and here he was, going over stat blocks. Fuck that. He was going to spend a while getting his body fully calibrated and then fly to that coast he could see in the distance, where the sun was rising red and lighting the clouds above a beautiful pink.
He was a mutha-fuggin dragon.
This was the third happiest day of his life, even if he was hallucinating in a coma. He pinched his forearm - nope, not a coma. That was pain and blood. This was real. One hundred percent, real. He was a dragon.
And now...to try and fly with some dignity.
===========
After resigning dignity to a future development he'd managed to fly for a short time before landing back on the ocean and paddling though the water. It felt more natural and was way easier - but then, he was a sea dragon.
Sea dragon. He couldn't help himself and giggled at the thought.
The shore was close now. He could taste the mud and moss in the water, smell the molds and pollens in the air. He was nearing a swamp, a deep, vast one...full of animals, plants, life...and something else he couldn't quite place. He lapped up the water several times, letting the flavor settle over his tongue as he felt his sharp, knifelike teeth.
That taste...it was like he should know it...but that was something he was being denied.
The depths of the ocean quickly turned to silty shallows, the continental shelf giving him perch. The fresh water mixed with the salt but felt so different on his scales...it rolled off so slowly and felt so heavy. Not playful and fun like the ocean, it was fleshy and thoughtful. He paddled into the marshes, the muck pooling around him and bringing warmth to his aching body.
Where saltwater had been a natural place of triumph, a kingdom where he alone was ruler, the swamp was the warm embrace of a lover in a distant den. It tickled and teased, it oozed and eddied. With a laugh he dipped his head underneath, tasting the moss in his gills and coming up with a head covered in reeds and shallowgrasses.
He laughed like an idiot at his reflection, his roar echoing out over the mists.
The marsh was still foggy, the rays of the sun barely touching them as it rose. It couldn't have been more than early morning - wonderful. A full day to play and explore. He'd never felt such a rush, such a drive as he did now, his pace increasing. With his crown of muck he swam though the lakes, sending the little fish off in fright and tasting the bugs on his tongue. He smelled the frogs, the flowers, the rot in the stumpy trees. As the morning fogs faded and the suns rays fell down upon him he found a rocky perch and climbed out, shaking the marsh from his back and fanning his wings and tail so the sun could fall upon them and filter into his blood.
He sat for a long time, watching as the morning flowers opened for the sun, their vines struggling to carry them closer to that nurturing warmth.
Small birds fluttered and danced, some passing near him curiously, some flying far above, their music carrying down to his ears.
A little trickle of water carried off a chunk of moss he'd broken from a stone, filtering in the shining silt to the streams and off towards his ocean.
He'd never just...watched.
How had he never done this?
He spent a long time in his thoughts before he first caught the smell - something, not that wonderful taste from earlier but something similar. He cocked his ear ridges, listening carefully and wondering what it was - and he caught the careful creep of steps.
Not turning his head, he focused. It was coming from to his left...there were two sets of steps. Little ones, as light as a frog hopping from lilly to lilly, little clicks of metal and shallow breaths. Curiosity overwhelmed him and he looked - and thanks to a tiny flicker in their movement he could see a pair of brown-scaled kobolds cowering behind a log.
He tried to say hello, but the now alien words caught in his mouth. His tongue caught their taste, clearer now - one tasted...male. There was a salt, a musk to his scent - and the other was female, like a memory of that taste from earlier that had ensnared his mind.
He tried again and failed, a grunting hiss coming from his strange voice. He gave up and slowly stood, walking with precise, easy to hear steps towards the side from which he couldn't see any hint of them. He sat on his rump and faced away from their position, then gave a sort of "harump!" and looked away with his neck held stiffly.
A minute passed.
Then, the kobolds crept out from their poor hiding place and cautiously walked around to where he could see them. The larger, the male, stood in front of his female defensively, but the fright on his face made it clear he knew it was a useless gesture. He wore only a loincloth, which allowed his taunt muscles to shine in the light, the oils of his flesh majestic. The female wore a more complicated skirt like garmet with a number of hanging leather straps with small charms, seashells, coins, and flowers affixed. Both had small bone knives tucked into their belt.
He slowly lowered his head to look at them from their level. Each one was only the size of his head...he was at least the size of sixteen or seventeen of them. He'd proven himself no enemy earlier when he offered to let them escape, but he still couldn't believe they'd trust him this much.
The females tongue flicked for a moment.
He flicked his tongue as well. Their taste was already familiar on his breath, their scent in his nose one he'd never lose. He found his mouth curling into a smile - and the look brought them from the kobolds as well, relief covering their bodies as the reptiles bared sharp-toothed grins.
They quickly began to gesture in the direction from whence they had came. Perhaps their tribe was nearby? Or a city? He'd soon find out - and he'd be a pleasant traveling companion. He flicked his left ear then turned his head left, his right ear then right, then both down and ducked and both up and raised. Then he lowered his head to the ground.
They were so cute when their jaws were dropped in shock.
The male was bolder and climbed on first, grabbing his ears. He growled slightly and twitched him and the kobold moved farther down to a more comfortable spot. The female joined, putting her arms around the male and - WOAH. THAT WAS A VERY NOTICEABLE MOISTNESS THAT APPEARED BETWEEN THE FEMALES LEGS WHEN THE MALE LET OUT A PROUD GROWL.
Great. He had horny kobolds on his head.
Wait a minute. That was great! He was a dragon!
With a laugh he leapt to the air, flapping with enough force to raise them high into the air. The kobolds screamed for a moment, then joined him in laughter as he leveled off at a hundred feet up and began to fly. His passengers tugged left and he turned, ambling to the side. After several course corrections he finally found the way they wanted and headed there, the ends of the vast marsh beyond the ends of his vision.
There were hills, large rocks, and dense island forests, but the marsh must have been massive. He'd been to bayous before and that is what this had to have been. They passed by a small camp, where he could see other reptiles, lizardfolk by the look of it, making breakfast - he let out a roar and sent them into a panic as he passed to the side, drawing laughs from the kobolds.
The flight didn't take long, their destination quickly coming into sight. On a large isle a great walled city, like a mossy celtic run, rose above the marsh and trees into the air. The outer walls were not hight, but were strong and the top was covered with sentries with long-dead watchfires. Towers and halls rose inside the city, the space between filled with shanty villages and watery catwalks. On the far side a large, step pyramid rose, like an teotihuacan temple with great hall behind. The large bronze doors rose fifty feet and were wide enough he could pass through if they were open and with the size of the hall he'd have plenty of room inside - the scent.
The scent, the taste, the ... thing! From before, he could now feel it, stronger than ever, coming from the palace.
Below he could see thousands of kobolds peering up, shouting in awe. The city was the size of Rome, like an ancient metropolis - it could have held tens of thousands. He hadn't noticed before but outside the walls were vast farmland - he'd flown over too quickly to notice before.
This city...this was a mighty capital.
The kobolds communicated that he should land at the base of the temple steps in a large wooden courtyard. He complied, fanning his wings and letting gravity parachute him down, gliding in majestically as the kobolds who had occupied the area before fled. This area was richer than the lower places, it's buildings finer and with many merchants. The ruler here had collected all the status to her.
There was a female dragon nearby. He finally got it.
He set his head down so his riders could disembark, the two tiny scales shivering from the cold wind but obviously proud of themselves. He gave each a quick flick of his tongue, drawing a cute little squeak. He then heard something from the temple above and turned his attention to that - the great doors were opening, pulled by teams of kobolds by rope.
And then, she emerged.
She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. A black dragoness, she stood tall in the morning night, her scales and spines and horns glittering like the night sky - he could taste the oil on the air and tell from the flat patches that she'd had her servants oiling her scales - the thought brought a fire to his loins in an instant, though he felt a strange control over his arousal. She waited for a moment, letting herself be seen by all in her ultimate glory, before looking to him - her gaze fell over him, so strong it was like the touch of her claws, but so subtle that it threatened to draw a growl of pleasure from his throat.
" Who are you that comes into my territory, saltscale?" Her words were not ones he had heard before, not ones as the kobolds had spoken, but were ones his soul knew. The rumbling sound was the sweetest music, the hiss and snap of her tongue playing with his heartstrings like a cat with string.
It was his turn to speak, his duty to say his name and present himself to her.
" Rawr." he said simply, as if the name had always been his.
" And why do you come here? What tempted you to bask in my magnificence?" Her tone was haughty but not cold, her ego as familiar as the pride he'd felt in the oceans not hours ago.
" When I woke from my dreaming in the seas I was lost, far from what I knew." replied Rawr, rising to his full height to tell her his story. Her tongue flicked, tasting his scent, her nostrils flaring slightly and an acid smell in the air. " I sought the air and shores away from my deep bedding and found myself drawn to the swamps by something more powerful than I had known before. I found your servants and offered to be led, not knowing what brought me but dreaming of it deeper than life. And now I find you, what I had sought without knowing."
" Your tale pleases me." she said with a low, rumbling chortle. " And now, tell me...what will you do now that you have found me?"
" Submit my neck to your grace and wish for your mercies." The words were ones he knew to say as he bent his head to the side, baring the vulnerable flesh on his neck, his gills twitching slightly from exposure. There was an order and tradition to this act, one that had been followed so many times before the words had fallen into his mouth. She took her first step, ebony talons clacking on the stone step. She took another, lowering himself down to his world, coming besides her.
Her smell in his nose, the oil in the air, the strength of her bones and hide...he drank it in, feeling weak besides her. His body was stained her marshes, not his sea, his armor unkept by any slave.
She licked long his neck, where she could kill him with a bite - and he would have let her as his spine turned to flame, his mind blank to all but her.
" I find you pleasing, Rawr, and offer my mercies." she said, drawing back and looking to his face. He turned to match her gaze as she spoke the final line. " My name is Bilibatori and I have felt you since you first came into my marshes and swamps, where I am the lone ruler of all. I invite you to my den, to sup and speak, as a friend."
She turned and began to climb the stairs back to her palace, her tail curling and undulating in air as she slithered, showing for a single teasing second beneath - but hiding before he could see what his eyes watched for.
Suddenly, that feeling, that knowledge from before, was gone. He didn't know what to do. He glanced to the side, to the kobold couple that had brought him. The female smiled and nodded to the palace. He turned and followed behind Billibatori, the tip of her tail teasing her scent though the air before his snout.
They passed inside and the doors shut behind him.
He barely had a moment to take in the grand hall before him, built of unbreakable stone for the dragoness, before she pounced him and forced him to the obsidian floor, licking again at his neck and tickling at his gills as her tail entwined with his. He was helpless beneath her, his back to the ground and belly to the air, as she stood the victor above him, the warmth of her hide mingling with his.
" Tiamat, you have no idea how long it's been since anything with a dick came my way." she laughed, lapping his neck. " You, saltscale, are a sight for sore, aching hips."
Oh yeah. He was pinned beneath her, submitting to her mercies. Being a dragon rocked.
" So, um, okay." he mumbled, taken off guard but loving it. " I'm sorry, this is...um...well, I'm rather new to...well, everything thats about to happen. So, be gentle?"
"...you can't be serious." Billibatori pulled her head back, looking deep into his eyes with those flat black orbs...he almost felt himself fall into them, but her shock kept him out. " A male with a tail like yours? A virgin? Virgin dick, right here. Beneath me."
" Uh...well, yeah." he said with a nervous, embarrassed chuckle. " ...that a problem?"
It was at that point he felt her first droplets land upon his crotch, his aching slit straining for him to release it. More followed, dampening his scales in a way even the water couldn't.
" Oh Tiamat, no, it is not." laughed Billibatori above him, her tone high and gleeful. " Well, get yourself ready - I am going to teach you the ways of a female and break you into my loyal sex-slave."
" ...pretty much already there." he said, licking at her neck. A rumbling purr went through her as her eyes lidded and hips bucked down, their nethers grinding together. He felt himself emerge from his slit and into her, his eyes going blind with pleasure as he felt his body bind to hers.
She roared in triumph for several seconds, then turned down and clamped around his neck, his sensitive throat held in her teeth with powerful care. She rose slightly, the cold air outside of her torture on his cock, but she stayed only moments, pumping down again, then twisting around him with subtle spasms and slides.
He was not going to last.
He didn't know how long she fucked him. That was the term - they were mating, they were having sex, but she was riding him and fucking him with desperate gusto. All he could do was whimper as she slammed him into the ground, the tightness around his dick binding her power to his very soul. Their tails twisted and wrapped in delight, her dominance and his submission playing as she handled him like a toy, a tool, like he was her property.
As he came she bit, cutting her mark into his neck for all to see, for all to know. He was her servant now, in mind and soul and body.
They lay for minuted, intertwined, as they panted for spent breath.
" Sorry." he muttered, regaining speech slowly. " I-it was-"
" First time." she said, a broad smile on her fanged face and dreams in her hooded eyes. Licking his blood from her teeth she took a claw and tapped him on the nose.
" There has never been a male that lasted more than ten heartbeats his first time. Don't you worry - the feeling of your cum in my womb is reward enough."
"..." He paused, thinking of what she said.
" No, I'm not in heat, you fool - we've months before that to practice for the real rutting." She settled down onto him as she spoke, his dick starting to slide from her. There was a softness that had not been in her voice before, one that begged for even a short companionship - her loneliness had been long. " If you are up to being my mate, that is."
" Would you take me?" he asked, nipping at her ear a little and drawing a little sigh. " You barely know me."
" You've got a penis - thats enough to be my mate." she rumbled, twitching her hips downwards and eliciting a final burst of pleasure for both of them. After that, he felt himself pull back inside, their juices mingling in their pressed slits. " Don't know if I love you...thought I'd like to...but at the very least you can give me some fun and some babies."
He felt sleep overtaking him as her acidic breath flowed over him, mixing into the air in his lungs.
" I can do that." he replied. She nuzzled closer to him. " I'll need more training."
" And I can do that." she replied.
In moments they were asleep, snoring together as if one.