FSE

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The Boreal Forest in Canada is one of the largest coniferous forests in the world. With millions of square miles of land undisturbed by roads or other man made development, it is an easy place to disappear, and disappearing is exactly what William had decided to do. William had been part of a group of science consultants that had flown to Canada from England to assist in a case involving an oil company and somewhat militant environmentalists. The oil company had been seeking permission from the Canadian government to open test wells in the Boreal forest to search for new oil reserves. The environmental group had been adamantly opposed to this, and began taking action. What sort of action, William was never really aware of, all he did know at the time was that his life had somehow completely fallen apart. He had lost his job, been convicted of murder, and had been associated with a group of environmental terrorists, all in the space of a week. Which was impressive, because he had spent most of this week in a lab setting up equipment. Even when he had supplied evidence to suggest he was innocent, he had still been convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. Then when he was awaiting transport to the prison after the trial, all the police officers guarding him in his hotel room had been shot, and several men in black outfits with balaclavas and night vision goggles had burst in and tried to shoot him. William wasn't sure how he had escaped alive, but considering everything had been one long confusing blur, he had decided not to dwell on it. This had been five months ago. William now sat in his little camp somewhere in the Boreal forest, and was currently contemplating suicide.

William was a tall human, a little over six feet in height; his time spent in the forest had given him a lean and strong physique. His skin was tanned from spending most of his time outside in the sun. He had sandy blonde hair, tied back in a long ponytail with a piece of string. The large beard he had grown after five months of not shaving obscured most of his features. He had been fortunate that he had arrived in Canada in the early spring, meaning it was now approaching the end of August. This had given him enough time to prepare for winter. He had found a small clearing with a large rock on the edge of the treeline. This is where he had set up his camp. In his flight from strange assassins and the police, he had managed to steal a canvas bell tent and some hardwearing clothes from a camping shop on the edge of the forest. He had also salvaged a small wood-burning stove from a derelict cabin, along with some tools he had found wrapped in waxed paper in a mouldy chest. The tools had included a knife, a hatchet, a mallet and quite a lot of various lengths of string and steel wire. The thick paper had protected the metal from rust, but it had taken a while to get the knife and the hatchet sharp again. It had taken quite a lot of trial, error and hungry nights, but William had eventually figured out enough to survive. This had allowed him to gather food supplies (anything he could eat without causing himself illness) in readiness for the harsh winter ahead.

But he could only take so much. After five months he had reached his breaking point. He hadn't spoken a word for nearly as long as he'd been out here, and he was growing tired of fending off bears and the occasional curious cougar (perhaps it was the same cougar, he couldn't really tell). He was also growing tired of struggling to survive from day to day. It was safe to say he had a new found respect for people around the world who were forced to live like him, fearing for their lives every day, living with nothing but the bare minimum. William had always considered himself a humanitarian and an Environmentalist. It was one of the reasons he became a conservation scientist. But now... now he was sick of everything. He was sick of the trees, sick of the rocks, sick of his tent, sick of the birds, sick of that bastard cougar, sick of spending every day scavenging for food that could be stored without it going bad. He was sick of eating nothing but rabbit and roots and nuts and berries, sick of catching tiny fish in the small river that ran near his camp...

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He got up from where he had been sitting and surveyed his camp. The clearing wasn't particularly big, the rock he had pitched his tent next to took up most of it. The small area in front of his tent that was clear of trees had been swept free of pine and spruce needles, exposing the hard, dry earth. A few meters from his tent was a small fire pit with some logs smouldering away in it. He wasn't too concerned about attracting attention, as he was fairly certain he was the only human for hundreds of miles and when surrounded by over a million square miles of uninhabited forest and wetlands, the chances of meeting any other people was next to zero anyway. He walked over to his tent and picked up his knife and hatched, sliding them into his (now rather worn) belt. Setting off into the trees he made his way down to the river to check on his makeshift nets. All around his camp he had cut marks into the trees so he knew where he was going. Following the zig-zag marks, he was soon by the small river. The trees stopped about fifty yards from the water, giving way to large granite boulders. Clambering over the boulders he made his way down to the water. He carefully waded into the cold stream, grabbing his net and hauling them back to the bank. Today's haul was better than yesterday. There was a reasonably sized... fish, in the net. William wasn't sure if it was a trout or some other fish. All he really cared about was how edible it was. He dimly recalled that the Salmon spawning season was coming soon. September or October, he couldn't quite remember which. Either way, he hoped the fish used this river to spawn. Throwing his net back into the water and tying the line to a wooden stake wedged between the rocks, he began gutting the fish, making sure to throw the guts into the fast flowing water. The last thing he needed was a hungry bear coming to investigate.

Once he had finished, he got up and turned to return to camp. There was a cougar standing between him and the treeline. William grunted, pulling the hatchet from his belt. The cougar regarded him with grey-green eyes. William was convinced this was the same cougar that he had chased away numerous times. Maybe he was in its territory? William waved the hatchet and screamed at the big cat. This had always worked before, but this time the Cougar hissed back, showing off all of its rather impressive looking teeth. The cat began to stalk forwards, not taking its eyes off William. William shouted and waved his hatchet, but all this did was keep the cat at a distance. A slowly shrinking distance. It would be close enough to pounce soon, something William would really like to avoid. An injury from those teeth or from the cougar's claws would prove fatal out here. Without taking his eyes off the cat, William slowly bent down and placed the fish on the ground, replacing it with a heavy rock. He straightened up and hurled the rock at the cat. The cougar yowled, leaping aside as the rock smacked into the ground next to it. Looking up at William, it hissed loudly and leapt forwards. William's arm blurred, and the hatchet flashed through the air. There was a crunch and the Cougar fell to the ground, the hatchet buried rather firmly in its skull. William blinked. He hadn't really been expecting that to work. Then he whooped and did a triumphant dance. He had meat and fur! Then it occurred to him that he had no idea how to skin a cougar. He shrugged to himself, and pulled hit hatchet out of the cat's skull. Pulling out his knife he set to the sticky business at hand.

As autumn came, turning many plants from green to gold, William had begun to feel melancholic again. He tried to keep himself busy, push the depressing, defeatist thoughts away, but they always came back. He had actually nearly killed himself one day. He had climbed up onto the biggest rock he could find overlooking the river. He had drawn his knife, intending to plunge it into his heart. Then he saw the salmon surging up the river. His thoughts had rapidly turned from suicide to food, and had set about trying to catch as many of the enormous fish as possible. Some were at least five feet in length. He had managed to catch so many he had to dry and smoke them so he could keep them for the winter. But all too soon the salmon run was over, and William was left facing the grim darkness of winter. He knew bears would go to hibernate, but that just meant wolves would start appearing in greater numbers. He had only glimpsed a few wolves in the distance before, and he wasn't relishing the thought of encountering an entire pack. While the weather was still good, William often went for walks through the forest and up the mountains, stopping for sometimes hours at a time to gaze out over the undisturbed wilderness that stretched for as far as the eye could see. Yet every time he looked at the astoundingly beautiful scenery, he could only feel depressed. This view was the reason he had become a conservation scientist. This view was the reason he assumed his life had been torn apart. He sat now, on a rock up a mountain, gazing out over the sea of trees. Tears were rolling down his face and dripping off his beard. It felt like his soul contained a void. It felt like the only reason he was going through such great lengths to survive was because his body wouldn't let him just die. There wasn't a point to anything he was doing. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad spending life in prison? Then again, whoever had tried to have him killed could do it much more easily in a prison than out here.

Wiping the tears away from his eyes, he got up, picking up his walking stick. It was a sturdy piece of... wood. William wasn't a botanist, but he did know a nice hefty stick when he saw one. He was wearing the cougar skin around his shoulders like a cloak. He had practiced for days on rabbit pelts to try and get the tanning process right. He eventually managed and now had quite a collection of small pelts. It was a small triumph, but once the sense of achievement had worn off, he remembered why he was here, why he was skinning and tanning animals and the depression returned. As he picked his way down the mountain back towards his camp, his thoughts wandered back to England. He missed his home terribly. He missed his friends, he missed his girlfriend, he missed his dog, and he missed his bed. With a sigh, he tried to push these thoughts to the back of his mind, but the incredible loneliness that had been building inside him over the last few months remained. It was true what they said about humans being "social creatures". Maybe he could find a lone wolf and make friends with it? Or maybe he could find a lone wolf and end up having his leg eaten.

All too soon, the first snows of winter arrived, blanketing the forest in a heavy, freezing blanket of ice. William had been surprised at how much it had snowed in the first week. The snow had covered his tent completely, turning it into a surprisingly well-insulated igloo. He had also managed to bring down his first moose. It was only small, but waiting in ambush with sharpened stick and hatchet next to a track he had seen moose using before had paid off. That single moose had given him enough meat to last for quite a while. Keeping it fresh wasn't difficult either, considering he was now living in a giant freezer. Aside from these occasional foraging trips though, William found he spent most of his time huddled up in his tent, his little stove burning through wood as fast as he could gather it. Fortunately the sap heavy wood of the conifers that surrounded him burned rather well. He sometimes spent entire days just staring into the crackling flames, slowly becoming more and more depressed. The short days and long nights made the loneliness unbearable, and he often found he was humming tunelessly to himself to provide some sort of comfort. It was never enough though. One day he had left his tent, and stood naked in the snow, drawing random symbols with a stick. Another day he spent trying to stand on his hands, but all the blood rushed to his head and his nose started bleeding. Then one day he got up, walked out of his tent, climbed the mountain and began screaming into the wind. He didn't scream words, he just screamed. He poured all of his anger and sadness and depression and loneliness into his screams. He waved his clenched fists in the air, punched the snow and jumped up and down. He raged against the world with wordless voice, tears streaming down his face. Everything he had kept bottled up for nine months he now released. He screamed and screamed until his throat was sore and all he could do was croak painfully. He stood in the snow, panting. Steam rose from his head. He wiped a small bead of sweat from his temple, glaring at the beautiful scenery. Then he heard wolves howling.

The sunlight streamed through the trees, glinting off the snow. William lay in the snow, staring at the surprisingly blue sky. His ragged breath formed small clouds of mist that dispersed into the cold air. His left shoulder ached. The cold snow was helping the pain, but he knew he was done for. He could tell his shoulder had been crushed, and the puncture wounds didn't help. The snow had slowed the bleeding, but quite a lot of his blood was already freezing around him. He pulled himself over to a rock, grunting with pain he leant his back against it. He scooped up fresh snow and packed it around his shoulder. The pain was making it hard to breath. He felt light headed and dizzy. Lying in the snow around before him were three large wolves. All three of them were dead. The largest still had William's knife sticking out of its skull. William grinned to the whiteness. He had fought a pack of wolves, killed the alpha and two others. Sure, he'd received a crushing injury to his shoulder from a pair of very large jaws, and had several more bleeding wounds from where he had been bitten in other places. Given he was losing quite a lot of blood, he wasn't particularly surprised to see someone emerge from the trees, and begin walking towards him. He was clearly hallucinating, because the person was wearing nothing but a long robe that was open at the front, revealing a decidedly female form.

Her shape could be described as "voluptuous hourglass". She had large breasts and wide hips; the rest of her body was wonderfully chubby looking, with plenty of soft curves to draw the eye. Her face was round and kind looking, aside from the fact her eyes were completely black, and she had no nose. Her skin was brilliantly white, and not the white of a person who had spent too long indoors. It was the white of the snow that lay all around the, Her hair was as ice blue, and seemed to swirl around her head like a gentle blizzard. Her black eyes contrasted starkly to the smooth features of her face, making it seem as if her gaze was boring into his soul. Her robe appeared to be made out of pine needles, laid out in hundreds of rows to form the robe. The needles were not green though. They were golden brown, again standing out against the snow, and providing a superb backdrop for the beautiful curves of her body. William hadn't expected Death to look so beautiful, but here she was. Maybe. It could all be a hallucination brought on by blood loss and the early stages of hypothermia. She walked through the snow, leaving no footprints. It was like she glided over the surface of the frozen carpet, slowly coming to a stop before William. The pain made it difficult for William to focus, but she was definitely very naked. She reached out towards him.

"This is it." He thought (the first real thought he'd had in a very long time) and closed he eyes. He felt sudden warmth spread through his body, and the aching pain in his shoulder slowly vanished. After a few minutes of not much else happening, he opened his eyes. William was surprised to find he was still in the forest. The strange woman was kneeling in front of him, her black eyes regarding him with strange warmth and compassion. When he looked back at her, she smiled. She took William's hand in hers, and got to her feet, bringing William with her.

It was only once he was back on his feet did William realise his shoulder was healed. He gingerly touched it, and then rotated his arm a few times. He looked at the strange smiling woman. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He frowned ad tried again. This time it was only a squeak. The woman giggled, and reached forwards. Her soft, warm hand gently stroked over his throat. Warmth spread through his neck, much like it had with his shoulder.

"Try now." She said. Her voice was soft and beautiful. It had no accent that William could place, but it filled his ears like beautiful music. It had been so long since he had heard another voice; he couldn't help but smile, tears coming to his eyes.

"Wh... Who...?" he managed to choke. His voice was raspy and hoarse, a result from screaming and yelling, and not having spoken an intelligible word for nearly nine months. The strange woman smiled, placing a hand on his cheek. Her skin was unbelievably soft and smooth. Without a nose, or at least a visible nose, her appearance was strangely alien. She brought to mind pictures of spirits William had seen in books and on the Internet.

"So rugged and worn..." she said quietly.

Before William knew what was happening, she had placed a hand on his chest. He felt a urge of... something. It filled him with warmth and a strange sense of comfort. She took her hand away and looked at him expectantly. William felt his face itching, so he reached up to his beard to find the shaggy hair was falling away in large clumps. When it hit the snow it seemed to dissolve, vanishing into the air. Then he realised the same was happening to his clothes. Rather than fight it or panic, William let it happen. He was clearly dead. Maybe he was being prepared for whatever life came next? As his somewhat ragged clothing and scraps of fur fell away, he felt oddly... cleansed. He looked down at himself. He didn't feel cold, standing naked in the snow. After nine months of a surprisingly protein rich diet combined with incredibly hard work and exercise, William had an impressive physique. His shoulders and arms were broad and well defined, as were his legs. His chest and arms were less so, given they he used these muscles less when collecting firewood, or cutting down trees, or running from bears, or any number of things he'd had to do on a regular basis. The Woman was studying him, her gaze sliding over his body. His long blond hair blew gently about his shoulders. He ran a hand through it and realised it had been... combed?

William was snapped out of his reverie when the woman stepped up to him. She was tall. Slightly taller than William was. Enough so she had to tilt her head down slightly to look him in the eye. Her large, soft breasts brushed against his chest. William couldn't help but inhale deeply through his nose. She smelt incredible. It was like a combination of... of cloves and cinnamon, but also dried leaves and bonfires. The sunlight streamed through the trees behind her, revealing glimmering dust motes or perhaps pollen, dancing in the air around her. William could taste something sweet in the air. He felt very relaxed around this clearly supernatural figure. Maybe she was an angel? Or a Valkyrie? Did fighting wolves count as dying in battle? William's train of thought was interrupted when she reached up with a dainty hand, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from his face. The large sleeves of her robe prickled his skin.

"I felt your anguish. Your terrible loneliness..." She said. Her voice was truly glorious. It was like pure honey being poured into his ears. She placed a hand on his chest, he breathed in, her touch felt incredible, yet he didn't know why. Maybe he had been without company for so long? He was certainly beginning to feel certain urges he hadn't felt in a while.

"I... what..." he stuttered. He hadn't spoken to anyone for so long, he was finding it difficult to form a sentence.

"It was a cry from your heart I could not ignore." She said, placing her hand on his cheek.

"Who... are you?" William managed, his voice still hoarse.

"I have many names... I am everything you see, everything you behold. I am the Earth, mother to all life that exists on this world."

"Mother... Mother Earth?"

"If you like. I prefer Gaia." She replied with a gentle smile.

"Am... I dead?" He asked.

She laughed. It sounded even more beautiful than her voice. The more she spoke, the more he was in her presence, the more relaxed and at ease he felt.

"No my dear. You are very much alive." She replied softly, gently stroking his face. Her touch made him sigh with delight. The strange dust moats danced around them, glimmering in the winter sunlight.

"How?" he asked

"I healed you. Mended you. I have also seen your heart... seen your soul. Your pain and sadness called out to me... awakened me from a long sleep. Awakened me in time to see what has happened to my world, what my children have wrought."

Her tone changed slightly, becoming harder, perhaps angrier. But it rapidly softened again the next time she spoke.

"You awoke me, and for that I am truly grateful. In return, I offer a proposition."

William was slowly losing focus on the world around him, paying attention only to her voice. The sweet taste in his mouth was beginning to overpower his other senses. Her scent burned in his nostrils, making him slightly dizzy. All he wanted to do now was listen to what she had to say. She draped a handover his shoulder, moving closer. Her smooth skin brushed against his, causing him to gasp.

"I have felt for a long time what humanity... my children... have been doing to the world I have given them. It makes me so sad to see them squander my gifts."

Her lips were inches away from William's ear, her voice so soft and gentle. Her breath was warm and sweet, washing over William like a wave of liquid silk. His eyes began to glaze over, his body completely relaxed.

"Become my guardian... my champion. Carry out my will, become my right hand in this modern world, and I will erase your old life. I will fill the aching void in your soul. I shall rebirth you and make you whole again."

"Whhh... whhhat do you get... ooout of thisss?" William asked slowly. His voice sounded like he was trying to speak through treacle. His legs were feeling weak; his body shuddered as another wondrous breath washed over him.

"I get you, my dear. You obey me, you worship me, and you become my servant, my pet. My loyal subject. My lover, my companion."

William felt his knees buckle. He sank slowly into the snow, Mother Earth kneeling with him.

"Hhhh... Whhhyy?" he asked, trying to keep his head up and facing her. God she was beautiful. Her smile was enough to make him sigh with joy.

"Because I need someone like that. Like you. I created all life on this world from myself. Humans have all of my wants and desires. You crave pleasures of the flesh, because I crave pleasures of the flesh. You crave companionship, because I crave companionship. Everything that makes humans human stems from me."

William drew in a deep breath, inhaling more of the hypnotic, dancing dust moats.

"Do you accept my terms?" she asked, gazing deeply into his eyes. "Will you accept and be reborn?"

There was a pause as William slowly gathered his thoughts.

"Yes..." His voice was no more than a whisper.

Gaia smiled, pulling him against her body, enfolding her robe around both their forms. Her robe formed a cocoon, the snow melting away beneath them, revealing soft downy moss upon which she laid him down. The warmth of the cocoon and her scent were wonderfully intoxicating. Her soft flesh and smooth skin pressing against his battered and tired body was the most incredible thing he had ever felt. His arms seemed to be moving of their own accord, stroking and exploring her body. She smiled and sighed, a sound that made William melt. Leaning forwards, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and placed her pale blue lips against his. It was the most gentle; yet the most intense kiss William had ever been part of. Their tongues danced for what seemed like hours, until he felt her tongue pressing his down, holding it still. He felt a warm liquid fill his mouth, cascading over his tongue, tasting of sweet nectar. He swallowed, the liquid warmth spread down through his body as he swallowed more and more. A clear, honey coloured liquid oozed from between their lips, and Gaia broke the kiss. A strand of the nectar like substance connected their lips, which Gaia licked daintily.

"Make love to me, William. It has been so long." she whispered.

William wouldn't have declined even if he had complete control of his senses, which he was now lacking. His hands moved up her hips as she slid herself down his body. She was so soft and huggable William couldn't stop caressing her. A slight pinkish hue came to her cheeks as his hands made their way to her large, wonderfully full breasts. He squeezed them gently, stroking her white nipples with his fingers. It was like his body was on autopilot, touching and stroking her of it's own accord. His arousal was becoming intense now, his member was hard a throbbing in the warm, sweet air. Gaia let out a small, gasping moan, as she rubbed her warm nether lips against his member. William groaned with delight, feeling a warm wetness dripping onto his member. His eyes went wide and he moaned loudly when Gaia suddenly dropped her hips, plunging his member into her warm entrance. They stayed still for a few minutes, both of them taking a moment to recover from the glorious sensation that assaulted them. Gaia slowly leaned forwards so that her soft, heavy breasts were pressing against William's chest. William slid his hands over her hips, and gently squeezed her ample buttocks. His fingers slid between the cheeks, but Gaia placed a finger on his lips.

"Save that for later." She whispered, her voice coming in short breaths as she gently ground her waist against William. He nodded, and brought his hands back up, massaging her buttocks instead. She slid on of her arms under his head, cradling it as she kissed him again, more of the honey coloured nectar spilling into his mouth. Her other hand slipped under his back, down to his waist. She pushed upwards gently, forcing William's hips up, driving his pulsating member deep inside her. She moaned softly into his ear, her entrancing breath washing over him. She laid her next to his, gently kissing and nibbling at his neck, her quiet gasps as she rocked back and forth on top of him only made William harder.

Her grip on him was total. His mind was swamped with pleasure, and his body was trapped under hers. She held him still as she rode him. Despite the gentleness of their lovemaking, Gaia exuded dominance in all her actions. She pressed down on him, slowly moving her hips in a circle, barely lifting her waist. William's member was trapped in her achingly pleasurable pussy. It squeezed and massaged his member with incredible control and precision. His entire body burned with desire and arousal, his body arching whenever she pressed herself down on him. He responded to her touches like a computer responding to commands.

"Mmf... so close now..." She whispered, her voice filled with lust.

William could only moan with ecstasy, writhing under her exquisite form. Gaia suddenly let out a loud gasp, her warm, wet walls clamping around William's member. Gaia gripped him tightly, squealing into his neck. William shuddered as his own orgasm flooded over him, his seed spilling into her. Not as jets, but as a constant stream. It was the most intense, yet the most relaxed orgasm he had ever had. Bright spots of colour danced in his vision as his body jerked and spasmed under his soft, jiggly lover. As his orgasm faded, he let out a deep and satisfied sigh. Gaia relaxed on top of him, her cute and pudgy body resting on top of his. William could feel something warm and wet oozing over his crotch, as his cum was slowly released by her pussy.

"Mmm... that felt wonderful." She said softly, her intoxicating breath tickling his ear. There was a wet slurping sound as she lifted herself off him. William saw thick strands of cum and the honey coloured nectar connecting their waists like bridges. Gaia let out a sharp gasp as William's penis flopped free, accompanied by a gush of her juices and his cum. The scent was overpowering, William felt overcome by a desire to taste those juices. Gaia stood, and they were suddenly back in the forest, her robe resting on her shoulders. She smiled down at him, motioning for him to come forwards. He rose to his knees and shuffled towards her, gazing into those deep, black eyes. Gaia placed a hand under his chin, bidding him to rise. William slowly got to his feet, not once looking away from her beautiful, yet alien face. Her cheeks were flushed a pale pink.

"Now my dear... the time has come to be reborn." She said. Placing a hand on top of his head, she guided him down to one of her breasts.

"Drink." She commanded. William carefully took one of her nipples in his mouth, and sucked gently. His mouth was flooded with warm, creamy milk. He began drinking it down greedily. His body began to tingle the more of it he drank. Eventually, the flow of rich cream slowed to a trickle, and Gaia carefully pulled him off her breast, carefully transferring his head to the other nipple. She let out a small gasp as he began suckling on her other teat. The milk from this breast was different; it was sweet, yet strangely bitter. It made William feel sleepy and content. His vision started to go dark. Everything was blurred, black spots appearing at the edge of his vision. Without even realising it, William blacked out.

William felt warm and comfortable, a gentle rocking motion was keeping him soothed and sedated. The rocking motion eventually stopped, and he slowly opened his eyes. He was in a strange chamber, the details were hard to make out, but it was large and made out of what looked like differently coloured rock. The floor seemed to be dry packed earth. He felt something cool cover his legs. The cool feeling spread up his body, until he realised he was being lowered into a strange blue gel. It was thick and gloopy, surrounding his body with a wonderful wetness. He felt hands under his head, holding it out of the gel. He wished the hands would go, he wished he could feel the gel completely envelope his body. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and long thick tendrils rose out of the goop around him. They gently coiled around his arms and legs, slowly pulling them apart. William did not resist. He could feel the tendrils snaking around him, moving through the viscous slime with ease. One of the tendrils rose into his field of vision. It was a deep iridescent blue, shimmering with slime. The tip of the tendril was shaped like a torpedo. There was a wet slurping sound and the tendril opened in three 'petals'. The inside of it was pink and fleshy, dripping with the same sweet scented nectar that Gaia produced. Several smaller tentacles slid out of the larger one, and the whole ensemble lowered towards his face. The small pink tentacles pressed against his lips, which he parted obediently. The slippery tentacles slid into his mouth, the three fleshy petals closing over his mouth and nose, securing themselves to his face. The petals were long enough to reach around his face and lock together behind his head. A wondrous sweet taste flooded his mouth as the tendril began pumping a slow, steady stream of the fluid into him. It was different from the nectar Gaia had used. This was sweet, but also pleasantly salty at the same time. He felt the small tentacles glide down his throat, and wriggle up his nose. Becoming aware that the air he was breathing had taken on a warm sugary quality, his mind instantly fogged, all he could think about was how good this all felt. As the sweet nectar hit his milk filled stomach, a ripple ran through his body and his skin began to tingle. He felt something sliding between his buttocks, and offered no resistance when a slippery tentacle slowly pushed its way into his anus, settling itself in his rectum. He shuddered when he felt something warm and wet being pumped into his body. His cock twitched, slowly becoming erect. The slime around it felt so good. William tried to move his hand to masturbate, but the tentacles holding him were immovable. He felt something incredible slide over his hard cock just then. One of the tentacles had opened up and swallowed his length, petals closing carefully around his balls. He let out a sigh, allowing more of the sweet warm air to rush into his lungs. As the tentacle on his cock began to slowly massage him, the one in his anus began to vibrate gently, supplying him with intense, sexual pleasure. As he moaned through the tentacle locked against his mouth, he felt his head slowly lower into the slime. It closed over his head, his body now fully suspended in the incredible goo. Glazed eyes half lidded, he drifted in the goop, his body twitching with pleasure spasms as the tentacles teasing him continued their work.

Behind him, a large group of tentacles had gathered. These ones were different to the sleeker, pleasure inducing ones. They were thick and segmented, with three digits at one end, ending in needle like claws. They moved into position over his back, one resting at the base of his skull, the others positioning themselves along the length of William's spine. Two more gripped his wrists with those three digits, the two slender tentacles moving around, mouths opening, to press against William's ears. He felt a wet wriggling sensation in his ear canal, and then... utter bliss. The smaller tentacles worked their way into his brain, carefully beginning to rewire it. William was in a state beyond ecstasy, beyond pleasure. His mind was in a state incomparable to the deepest trance. Which was just as well, because the hard, segmented tentacles gripping his back and wrist, dug their claws into his flesh. Sharp, translucent needles shot out of the ends, piercing his flesh and entering his arteries and spinal column. The tentacle at the base of his skull carefully slid its needle into his flesh, and his brainstem. The flesh between the segments seemed to bulge briefly on all the tentacles, but it quickly settled. The needles were providing a steady injection into William's body. Any thought William had once had was now gone. His body twitched occasionally, but that was it. His half lidded eyes saw nothing, and his body only new transcendent bliss. Gaia watched him floating in he gel. She smiled and reached up, closing a lid on the large pod he was in. It was formed out of a strange organic substance that clung to the wall of the cave. It was a dark green in colour, and the whole thing pulsated like a vast organ. The lid was shaped like a large leaf, forming a tight seal around the lip of the pod. There was another pod next to this one, but it stood empty. Gaia sighed. She felt drained and tired. After so long asleep, much of her power had been drained by humanity's reckless destruction of the world. This process was taking more out of her than it used to. She walked out of the pod chamber, through a tunnel made from brilliant white marble. She entered a smaller room that was much cosier than the pod chamber. The walls and ceiling were dry earth, with roots jutting forth. The floor was covered in a soft, springy moss. A large raised area, somewhere between a bed and a throne sat in the middle of this room, made from the same springy moss. Gaia lay herself down upon the bed throne, sinking partially into the soft dry plant life. She sighed and closed her eyes. Blue light began to fill the room, rising from the floor, flowing into her body.

A few days had passed, and William's body was beginning to change. Bones were thickening and stretching, some changing entirely. His fingers and toes had begun to merge, forming four large digits on his hands and feet. His nails were growing longer, becoming harder and more claw like. His skin rippled slowly and stretched to accommodate his bulging, shifting muscles, growing larger as the tentacles slowly filled him with more transformative fluids. His skull was also changing shape, growing larger and becoming longer, extending out into a snout. His spine was out too, beyond his pelvis, growing into a tail. His skin was altering as well as expanding now. Scales were sprouting over it, laying themselves over the shifting and writhing muscle. His teeth grew longer and more predatory, forming sharp points, even on his molars. The tentacle in his mouth had to shift and squirm, trying to keep his mouth and nose covered. A pair of Ram-like horns began to grow from his skull, growing out rapidly, each horn curled forwards in perfect symmetry, the points curling back up just before his cheeks. His neck and shoulders bulged, muscles becoming thicker and more powerful to support the extra weight and to reinforce the natural battering rams. These changes were slow, however. As the days went by, William's body was trapped in a state of constant flux. Until over a month later, when he finally began to return to consciousness. His return to the waking world was like he was dragging a huge weight through water, neurons and synapses that had lain dormant for weeks were beginning to come back to life. His body twitched as control of his limbs was restored. After a few moments, he began to become aware of his surroundings. Everything felt cramped and small. Then he realised he couldn't breath. His body that had lain in a state of suspended animation for over a month suddenly burst into action. Her thrashed hard and heard a loud crack. He flailed his limbs and suddenly he was moving. A great surge of slime carried him out of the broken pod. He felt surprisingly cool air on his slime-covered body. He drew in a huge lungful of air, and began to cough violently, choking up a huge lungful of the blue goo. He shook his head and sneezed, trying to clear the stuff from his eyes and nose. He retched, vomiting up another puddle of the slime. This retching and sneezing went on for a few minutes before he collapsed on his side, panting heavily, sucking down huge lungfuls of normal air. He could hear soft footsteps approaching, but he didn't have the strength to look. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but all that came out was an animalistic whine. He felt a soft hand on his neck, and a sweet voice in his ear.

"You are reborn." Gaia whispered to him "Rest now. Rest and recover from your revival."

William tried to speak again, but could only produce a weak, chirping sound. He felt Gaia's hand against his... snout? His nose didn't feel like it was where it should be. But that didn't matter when warmth began to radiate from Gaia's hand; spreading through his body. Closing his eyes he drew in a deep breath, letting it out in a great sigh, slowly drifting off to normal sleep. Gaia knelt in the slime around him, taking in his new body. Powerful and sleek, his white scales glistened in the strange golden light that illuminated the cave. His large paws tipped with sharp claws twitched slightly as he slept. His breathing was slow and calm, that of the great beast he now was. She slid her hand over his thick neck, gently stroking around his cheek and jaw. His snout and jaws were long and powerful, his large canines poked out a little from his upper lip. The scales on his underside were similar to a crocodile's, smooth and soft but tough, like Kevlar, coloured a deep shiny black (a stark contrast to the glimmering armoured scales on top of his body). His body was about thirteen feet in length; his thick and powerful tail was as long again. The tip twitched, flicking small strings of slime into the air. Gaia smiled. Her new son was big and strong, just like she had hoped. It was fortunate he had been the one to wake her. His body had become toughened and resilient from the extremely hard few months he had been out here, meaning he actually survived the transformation.

"My son... My guardian... My lover..." She whispered to him. The dragon before her stretched in his sleep, letting out a soft trill.

William let out a contented sigh. He felt warm and comfortable. He didn't want to wake up at all, but sometimes your body just has had enough sleep. Slowly opening one eye, he looked around. He was in some kind of large, earthy cavern. It was dry and warm, and large roots jutted through the ceiling, and wound their way through the walls. He realised someone was gently stroking his head. He looked around and saw Gaia. His head was resting in her lap as she gently stroked him. Her eyes were closed and she was humming quietly. He grunted and tried to get comfortable again, but his body was awake now. Gaia slowly opened her eyes, her humming fading away. She looked down at him and smiled.

"Hey there sleepy head." She cooed.

William opened his other eye, slowly raising his head. He let out a huge yawn, his mouth opening much wider than he thought it should. Smacking his lips he blinked slowly, before looking around. The cave they were in wasn't huge. The floor was covered in soft mounds of silky moss spreading partway up the wall. A small globe near the ceiling was casting a soft golden light, like evening sunshine. Looking back at Gaia, William tried to reply. What he heard he understood perfectly, but it sounded like a rumbling growl of contentment. Gaia giggled at what he could only assume was his look of confusion. She raised a hand and part of the wall crumbled, revealing a pool of what looked like mercury. William peered into it, and a white, wingless dragon stared back. He stared at the reflection for a few moments. Then he looked down at his forelegs. Then he tucked his head between them to look at his hind legs and his belly. He raised his head and looked over his shoulder to look at his back. He gave his tail an experimental swish. A sense of delight filled him and he let out a happy growl, tail wagging back and forth.

"I take it you approve?" Gaia asked, watching from a large throne-like mound of the moss. The mirror slowly vanished back into the earth, the wall rebuilding itself. William took a few experimental paces around the cave. Walking on all fours was a novel experience but it felt so right. Everything about his new body felt right_._ He padded over to Gaia and nuzzled her hand affectionately, letting out a low trilling sound as he did so. She placed a hand on the end of his snout and rubbed his nose. William licked her hand as she did so, making her giggle again.

"You are so adorable!" She said with delight. William felt a sense of pride and happiness at this. He liked being her pet. It felt nice. Everything was suddenly very simple and easy. All he had to do was follow her instructions, he knew this instinctively. Follow her instructions and he would be rewarded.

"You know, 'William' is a surprisingly fitting name for a dragon." She said, standing up. Her abdomen was level with William's shoulder when she stood, making William a truly impressive beast. He was easily the biggest land predator on the planet now, larger even than a Liger. She scratched him affectionately behind his surprisingly small and delicate ears. The long thin organ twitched at her touch, and William made a sound not to dissimilar from a purring housecat. Except it was magnified by several orders of magnitude, and came from the throat of a giant reptile.

"I think I've found your sweet spot." Gaia said playfully, William chirruping the affirmative.

"Come with me. I think you need to stretch your legs." She said, walking away from him. A tunnel opened up in the earth walls, and Gaia stepped into it. William followed, his large four toed feet easily carrying him forwards. It felt strangely sexy to be walking around so easily and lithely on all fours. Padding up the tunnel, William soon emerged into bright sunlight. The air was incredibly cold after the warmth of the cave, but his body rapidly adapted, steam rising from his scales for a few moments before they reached equilibrium with the icy air.

Gaia was already walking away from him; gliding down the slope hat was in front of the tunnel. William turned his head and saw the tunnel opened up a few meters from a vast spruce tree. The tree was growing on a slope surrounded by other spruces, but this one was clearly the largest. Its trunk was like a wall, massive and broad. It rose through the canopy, much taller than the other trees around it.

"William..."

Gaia's voice drifted through the forest. William turned away from the tree and bounded through the snow towards he source of the voice. He skidded to a halt behind Gaia, who was stood on a rise overlooking the vast forest. He padded around and stood at her side. She placed a hand on his head and rubbed between his horns.

"Humans call this forest 'Taiga'. It is the largest biome on this planet and covers an area of over fifty million square miles, stretching across countries and continents." She said. William looked up at her with ice blue eyes, resting his chin against her hip.

"Although I suspect you already knew that." She continued, looking down at him. He swished his tail through the snow and trilled at her. She smiled and looked back out over the forest. She had taken all this information from his mind in the first place. Humanity had created some interesting words during her slumber.

"You will protect Taiga. In whatever land it grows. You shall be its guardian and my herald." She continued, raising an arm to gesture at the sprawling forest.

William snorted, bobbing his head with determination. From the dark recesses of his mind he recalled names, names of the places where this vast, coniferous forest could be found. Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, Mongolia, Europe... a truly colossal area. His confidence wavered slightly when he realised the scale of his new territory.

"Do not worry, pet." Gaia said, sensing his unease. "I haven't just given you a new body. You are my son. You are born from my body and soul. Born from the very life force of this planet. You are now as much a part of this world as I am. Travelling across continents will be no more difficult for you than strolling through the forest."

William licked her hand and whined.

"All right, all right!" Gaia said with mock exasperation. "Go, explore your new realm."

William launched himself from the slope, galloping down into the forest, rapidly picking up speed. He had felt a building urge to run since he emerged into the daylight. His body was incredible. He wove his way through the trees with incredible speed and precision, his large paws sending up clods of dirt as he pounded along.

The exhilaration William felt from running was incredible, every thing felt so incredibly right. His old life was all but forgotten as he raced through the trees, euphoria filling his mind as he went.

"...no more difficult for you than strolling through the forest."

What had Gaia meant by that? He decided to find out. Picking up speed he began to sprint as fast as he could (which turned out to be very, very fast).

"Russia...I am going to Russia." He thought, surprising himself at the clarity of the thought. Maybe it was because Gaia had given him permission to run wild and free? He had no time to think on it further, because at that moment, the ground around him appeared to turn into quicksand. With a great leap, he dived into the earth, continuing to run through the ground as easily as he could run through the air. William found himself racing through darkness, yet he instinctively knew where to go. Even under the earth with no light, William could see. He could see shapes appearing out of the gloom, outlined in a fuzzy blue light. Could it be that he was seeing the life force of the World? He could see great rivers flowing this way and that through the ground, arcing up high and diving down deeper towards the Earth's core. He soon found himself sprinting upwards. Had he traversed such a great distance already? No more difficult than strolling through the forest indeed! He was suddenly breeching the earth like a dolphin breeching the water. Earth and snow flew up all around him and he landed with a crunch on deep snow. He looked around. The scenery looked similar to the forest he had just come from, but it was colder. Much colder. His breath formed dense clouds of mist as he looked around. The forest was completely silent, not even birdsong. He moved carefully through the snow, ducking under trees and winding his way through the forest. He found the terrain was beginning to become steeper, and soon he was climbing up a steep mountainous slope. His four powerful legs carried him up the slope with next to no difficulty. A vertical cliff, rising up above the tree canopy, halted his progress abruptly. William raised one of his paws and studied it, turning it over, paying attention to his claws. They were large and pointed; strangely metallic in appearance. Looking back up at the cliff, he leaned back on his haunches, and leapt. To his surprise he found himself sailing through the air, past the cliff and up over the top of it. He landed at the top, his tail rigid with shock. When he could move again, he turned and looked over the edge of the cliff. At a rough estimate, William decided he had just jumped fifty feet into the air. Looking up, he saw the landscape around him was completely different. He could see none of the same landmarks or mountains he could see in Canada.

"I guess I really am in Russia..." he thought. Then a sound reached his ears. The sound of chainsaws and falling trees.

William felt an incredible surge of rage overcome him. His claws dug into the earth as he sprang forwards, leaping over the cliff. He hit the ground running, heading for the noise of chainsaws. He soon arrived at the edge of the forest, peering out from behind the treeline he saw huge swathes of forest had been cut down. Huge yellow construction vehicles moved over the frozen ground. He could see people in extreme cold weather gear moving around. As he watched, a huge drill was slowly hoisted into position. William squinted, trying to see if there were any signs giving a clue as to what they were doing (although William could guess quite accurately). Suddenly his vision zoomed in, and he was looking at the construction site in incredible detail. Apparently his vision had been drastically improved as well as his body. He scanned the vehicles but saw no sign of any company names. Then he spotted a row of cabins. Leaving one of them was what looked like a businessman and a government official. The businessman was shaking the official's hand. Then a few more men stepped out of the cabin. One of them was carrying a black attaché case. He handed it to the official, who got into a waiting jeep, and was driven off the site. William realised he was snarling quietly, his lip curling to reveal is long, sharp teeth. He knew exactly what this was. He used to campaign against this sort of thing when... when he... William shook his head. He couldn't remember when or why or even where he had fought against this kind of thing before, but he knew illegal oil drilling when he saw it. Slinking back into the shadows of the forest, he awaited nightfall.

He didn't have to wait long, the night came quickly at this time of year, and it was soon pitch black. Slipping out of the forest, he stalked through the stumps of trees, moving easily over the rough terrain. The temperature was so cold, ice crackled in his footsteps as he walked. He moved stealthily up to one of the cabins. It was full of workers taking shelter from the cold. He could clearly hear their voices, and despite the fact they were speaking Russian, William could understand them perfectly.

"How cold is it now?"

"Minus forty six degrees."

"Mother! That's cold! I wish I were back in St Petersburg."

"Don't complain, the pay is too good."

"Hah! Yes, my wife would skin me if I quit."

"Don't worry, we'll be back in time for summer."

William snuck away from the cabin. He wanted to destroy the machines they were using to destroy his mother's forest, but now he had a quandary. These people needed to work in order to support themselves and their families.

"I don't want to cause suffering..." He mused. Then he hatched upon an idea. He knew that with most of these illegal drilling operations, the workers were paid in cash, usually on site (he didn't know how or why he knew this, but he did). He spent a few minutes sneaking around the cabins, until he found one off to one side of the others. It had no windows and was made completely out of metal; and it had a heavy looking door with a large bolt and padlock. William circled the cabin, before walking up to the door. He sniffed the lock. Then took it in his teeth and ripped it free with incredible ease. He also found his paws were surprisingly dextrous as he could easily grip the bolt and slide it back. Pushing the door open with his head, he slipped inside. He was confronted with a surprising site. Tied to a chair was a girl. She looked to be in her late twenties. She was wearing cold weather gear, but he could see she was shivering. Blood streaked her swollen and bruised face. Her long brown hair was matted, hanging over her shoulders and face. William walked cautiously over to her. Her lips were blue and her face was pale. She was severely hypothermic. A pile of gear was stacked in one corner; there was a backpack with the words "Greenpeace" stitched into the fabric. William's body began to steam. The ice that had formed on the walls began to melt as the temperature of the air began to heat up. He walked over to her, curling his massive body around the chair. He sliced through her bonds with one of his claws and she slumped forwards onto his back. Adjusting her position with his tail, William carried her from the cabin and up to the forest. Once safely under the trees, he made a bed of pine branches, and laid her carefully on top of it, covering her with more pine and spruce. Then he turned back to the construction site.

Valeriya found herself gazing up at a dry dirt ceiling. That was all she could really see, considering the light levels were low. She felt wonderfully warm, but her body ached terribly. She became slowly aware she was naked, and there was something large, smooth and very warm lying next to her. The last conscious memory she had was of being tied to a chair and beaten savagely. Then she remembered the freezing cold. Had she been rescued? Had she been put with an animal to keep her warm? She knew that that was the best way to treat hypothermia. Remove the clothes and then use body heat to warm the sufferer. She came from the village of Verkhoyansk, near the Arctic Circle, so it was common knowledge. She lay there for a few more minutes. The bed she was in was extremely comfortable, and the blanket was unbelievably soft and warm. It took a few moments to realise everything she was lying on was made of a weird moss. She frowned, slowly sitting up; wincing from the dull aching that was slowly making its way through her body. She looked at what she was laying next to, slowly pulling back the moss blanket. She stared. Then she rubbed her eyes and stared again. Apparently, she was lying next to a huge, white, dinosaur. It slowly opened its eyes, bringing its large head up to stare at Valeriya with piercing ice blue eyes. Then it yawned. Its maw opened wide, revealing an impressive array of teeth. Its breath was also surprisingly sweet smelling, which was odd because from Valeriya's experience, massive carnivores had pretty terrible breath. She couldn't help but stare at it. She could see thick, powerful muscles moving under its hide like steel cables. She glanced up and saw it was staring at her. Then it did the incredibly unexpected. It leaned forwards and licked her face. Its tongue was long, thick and tapered to a point. It was also surprisingly smooth. It also left behind quite a considerable amount of saliva. It dripped in thick globules down her face and neck.

"Eeeurgh!" She exclaimed, wiping the saliva off her face. The dinosaur was now wagging the tip of its long tail. Then it let out a very reptilian sounding chirrup.

"He likes you."

"So I see..." Valeriya replied, not daring to take her eyes of the huge reptile. It got to its feet, stretching as it did so. It was a very cat-like stretch, accompanied by another huge yawn. The dinosaur walked around Valeriya and padded over to where the other voice had come from. Valeriya turned her head and saw a strange woman. Her skin was purest white, and her eyes were black as coal. She wore a robe made from what appeared to be pine needles.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Valeriya asked cautiously.

"You are in our little den, safe and warm under the earth." The strange woman replied. She appeared to be sitting on a throne made from the moss. The back of the chair rose up one wall of the cave, covering part of the ceiling. The dinosaur lay down next to the throne, resting his head in the strange woman's lap. She placed a hand on its head and started scratching behind its ears. The dinosaur started emitting a rumbling purring noise.

"Wh- What do you mean? How did I get here?" Valeriya asked, looking around. The soft moss covered the floor, and she could see no signs of an exit. The woman nodded her head to the dinosaur.

"He found you at the drilling site, then brought you back here." She said with a smile. "Such a generous soul... although that generosity did not extend to the men who beat you."

"You mean he..."

"I don't think we need to worry you with the details." The woman said. "You've been sleeping for over a month."

"What?! How is that even possible?!" Valeriya was understandably shocked.

"Simple really. I put you to sleep to allow your body to heal. You were in no danger of dying, so I let it heal naturally. Unfortunately you contracted quite severe pneumonia, so your recovery took longer." Gaia said matter-of-factly.

"Who are you?" Valeriya asked incredulously.

"I am Gaia. I am the Earth Mother. I suppose you might call me Mat Zemyla."

"I don't believe it." Valeriya said, crossing her arms. Which reminded her she was completely naked. She squeaked and drew the mossy blanket around her.

"So modest, Valeriya Yozhikov."

"How do you know my name? What are you?"

"I have already told you. It is up to you to believe it."

"I... but..."

"Not very thankful, is she?" Gaia said. William harrumphed in agreement.

"I... well... thank you." Valeriya said slowly, her cheeks flushing red. William whistled and hissed.

"He says you are welcome." Gaia translated.

"You can... understand him? What on earth IS he?"

"To answer the first, yes I can. To answer the second, a Dragon."

Valeriya blinked.

"Okay, I am definitely dreaming. Or maybe those bastards beat me into a coma. But there is no way you are... Gaia, and there is certainly no way he is a Dragon."

"You are not dreaming, you are not in a coma, and he certainly is a Dragon."

"S-stop it. You're lying!"

"Fiery one, aren't you?"

William chimed in with series of hisses and clicks. Gaia laughed.

"W-what did he say?" Valeriya asked, glancing at him nervously.

"He said that if I was lying, you would be dead." Gaia said with a smile.

"Okay... well... If this isn't a dream... and I'm not in a coma... can I go?" Valeriya asked.

"Oh my goodness no!" Gaia said waving her hand. "You've seen too much now. I can't have you spreading our existence to the world. It isn't ready for our presence."

"I promise I won't tell anyone!" Valeriya said desperately, watching William as he stood and stretched again. He was regarding her with his ice blue eyes. His tongue flicked out and licked his snout.

"Well now, that simply will not do." Gaia said, snapping her fingers. William stalked towards Valeriya, who shrieked and tried to dive away. William pounced on her, pinning her on her back, his large body resting gently on top of hers. He looked down at her terrified expression and licked her face. Despite her abject terror, Valeriya couldn't help but notice how soft and smooth his underside felt against her naked body. She wriggled and writhed, attempting to escape, but he was too large and powerful. She looked up and saw a strange orb on the ceiling. It looked as if moats of glimmering golden dust were falling from it. As she breathed in, a strange sweet taste filled her mouth. Her body began to feel warm and tingly.

"You see, every few millennia, a terrible disaster sweeps the planet, reducing the human population by a great deal. It allows this world I created to recover from 'civilization'." Gaia said, getting up from her throne and walking over to Valeriya and William. Valeriya's cheeks had turned pink, and her struggles and lessened.

"My dear William here awoke me, and I was shocked to discover how much damage had been done in such a short space of time since I last awoke. I fear I will have to cull the human race sooner than I had hoped."

Valeriya was still trying to resist as William stood, releasing her body. Gaia was quick to seize her, lifting her up into a standing position. Valeriya tried to push away but Gaia's grip was like a vice. Gaia leaned in and parted her full, snowy lips. Her sweet breath hissed out between her teeth, causing Valeriya to inhale deeply. Her body twitched with a sudden burning desire. Gaia pressed her lips against Valeriya, and unleashed a torrent of sweet nectar into the barely resisting human's eager mouth.

"There there..." Gaia cooed softly, breaking the kiss and gently stroking the human's hair. Valeriya was no longer trying to resist. Her body was beginning to betray her anyway, becoming relaxed and heavy. Gaia placed her carefully across William's large back, and he walked slowly from this room through a passageway, which had opened up in the wall. It was made from white marble and glittered with a strange blue light. They soon emerged in a large chamber carved from rocks of differing hues. On the wall was a large fleshy growth. Attached to the organ was a large pod filled with blue slime.

"Whhh... iss thaa..." Valeriya managed, her mouth barely forming the words.

"This wonderful pod will transform you into my second herald. The two most powerful creatures I ever created have always accompanied me. The Dragon and the Phoenix." Gaia said, carefully lifting her off William's back. "Humanity has worshipped and idolised these two creatures for thousands of years. The Dragon is a primal beast, representing power and destruction. The Phoenix is beauty and elegance, representing life and rebirth."

Valeriya could only gasp and sigh in response. Her ability to speak or even think clearly had been robbed by the powerful hypnotic effect of the nectar the Earth Mother had filled her with. Valeriya blinked slowly, and when her eyes opened she found she was suckling on one of Gaia's breasts. Warm milk flowed into her mouth. It was sweet and spicy as the same time, burning pleasantly down her throat and into her stomach. Her body began to tingle as she released the nipple, and carefully took the second one in her mouth. This milk was sweet and yet somehow bitter at the same time. All too soon the flow of milk slowed to a trickle, and she was carefully removed from the teat. Her vision was fading fast as a blissful drowsiness filled her body. She dimly heard a concerned sounding whine, and Gaia speaking to William. Her voice sounded like it came from far away, or she was speaking underwater. Valeriya only caught snippets of what she was saying.

"...may not be as strong as you... will survive... sure of it."

This was the last thing Valeriya heard before her body was engulfed in wonderful, thick, heavy wetness. She felt things squirming and writhing around her body, and something pressing into her mouth. Then everything faded away in a wave of intense, penetrating pleasure.

William's front paws rested on the edge of the pod. He was watching the tentacles bind and penetrate Valeriya. He winced as the thick, segmented tentacles thrust their sharp needles through her flesh. Her face looked so serene as her partially lidded eyes glazed over.

"I hope she will be okay..." he thought "I kinda like her."

Gaia reached down and scratched behind his ears, causing him to rumble with delight.

"Do not fear. Her will to survive is strong. She will become your sister soon enough." She said with a knowing smile. William looked back into the pod, before climbing down and letting Gaia pull the hard lid across.

"What do I do now?" he trilled. It was still strange hearing his voice emerging from his mouth as a variety of reptilian grunts, whistles, hisses, chirps and growls yet being able to understand it.

"Hmm... spring will be here soon. Spring brings increased activity from humanity. I fear just patrolling Taiga will not be enough. You must look after the entire northern hemisphere."

William let out a startled chirrup.

"A daunting task I know, but the longer you spend exposed to the planet, the more your power will grow. That is how I created the world, for us to use. We are higher creatures and these "laws" humanity applies to itself shall not apply to us. Now go, increase your power. I will summon you when your sister is born."

William licked Gaia's hand affectionately, before turning to lope out of the cave. Gaia looked back at the pod. It was a good thing their brains got completely altered during the transformation. Giving humanity the amount of willpower they currently possessed may have been a mistake. But the Dragon and the Phoenix were hardwired to be completely and utterly devoted to her. She would give humanity a chance, a single chance to repent for their sins, before she unleashed the full fury of her power on them. 'Mother Nature' was what they called her, and soon they would see how cruel she could be.