FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Part 1

She was the lady of her domain which stretched from the rugged coast to the east, all the way to the high mountains of the west. Much of this land was dense forest and she had fought tooth and claw to drive other dragons from taking what she had claimed. Although not the oldest of her kind, this dragon's impressive 500 years had given her strength and magic enough to see off those who came looking for trouble, self control enough to tolerate those who merely passed through and the wisdom to quickly know the difference.

Her hide was covered in dark green scales, which were almost perfectly diamond shaped, had protected her well over the centuries. There were scars there too, breaking the continuity of her otherwise perfect hide, but she wore them proudly. From the top of her head, down between her bat-like wings, to the tip of her scaly tail ran a single row of soft spikes of a paler green than that of her scales. Her throat and belly were covered by an even paler set of hard leathery scutes which ran down to the base of her tail. Finally her head sported a pair of unusually long elegant horns which curved twice subtly along their length.

Over the centuries she had met several dragons who had wanted neither her territory nor to merely pass through. She had accepted a couple of the stronger of these rogue males as her mate and they would continue their journey as she cared for her clutch of eggs, such was the way of dragons. It was unusual for a male to help raise young as it was unusual for a female to accept such an intrusion into her lair. But she had raised two broods of hatchlings in her long life and would no doubt raise more over the coming centuries. Each of her children had eventually flown the nest searching for territory, a mate, riches or adventure but she still held love for each one in her own way.

But right now she was happy to lay on her hoard of precious and semi-precious stones, coins, jewellery and other trinkets and hunt the plentiful game in her territory. She was fairly typical of her kind and was perfectly happy not to encounter another living creature, other than her prey, for decades.

She rose from her light slumber as the sun itself rose in the sky and stretched out her broad leathery wings. Her lair consisted of a few chambers of various sizes, the deepest held her hoard and was hidden and protected by both conventional and magical means. Only a couple of her children would know how to circumvent her wards but she was not concerned. It was the height of bad etiquette to steal from your parent's hoard, she'd taught them better than that. Her sleeping chamber was quite close to the surface and more importantly had plenty of space to fully stretch her impressive wings.

Today was a day like many others, she had eaten within the last few days so today she would patrol her territory and make sure there were no other dragons or otherwise seeking to cause her any trouble. She left her home by one of the two entrances and after briefly surveying her domain, she took to the sky. It was early spring and the air was very clear and still crisp from a cold winter still clinging on. It was not long before she spotted a distant mote in the slightly cloudy sky and changed course to see who and what it was and why they were here, in her territory.

Part 2

Her wings took the dragoness high into the sky as she drove herself upwards and onwards. Her scaly green hide glistened in the sun as she approached the intruder from behind and above. Now she was closer, she could see that this was a gryphon and a young one at that. With no intention of attacking, the dragon slowly descended towards the young avian and kept herself slightly to his right flank so the sun and wind would not give her away.

As she approached, the green dragon smiled. She did enjoy the look of shock on the faces of intruders who did not sense her until she announced herself. Suddenly finding a huge dragon within fire breathing range made both gryphon and fellow dragon more pliable and it became easier to measure their honesty. Now close enough to hear each other speak, she noticed this gryphon was also wearing some kind of well-fitted leather harness with a light satchel at the front.

"A 'civilised' gryphon in my territory? Intriguing.", she shouted in Low Wurm above the rushing air. Most gryphons seemed to speak Low Wurm well enough.

The effect was exquisite. He flung his head around looking for the source of the sudden, inexplicable voice and upon seeing the dragon his eyes and beak opened wide. His wings seemed to have conflicting ideas on the best direction to flee and the result was that he lost a little altitude and looked like he'd been mildly electrocuted.

"Don't try to flee. I can burn your feathery wings off.", she shouted as she managed to cast her larger shadow over him. Then she added, pointing with a claw, "Land in that clearing. We can talk in more 'civilised' tones."

Having a simple command to follow and not being on fire seemed to calm him slightly and the startled gryphon started to descend towards the clearing. The dragoness made an effort to keep him in her shadow, reminding him of her larger size and continuing presence. He had fine skill in the air, as most gryphon's did, but it was raw and unrefined, he was a young adult at best. His talons and beak were a fairly ordinary pale orange, his body fur dark brown, but his wings were quite distinctive. Most gryphons have two or three tones of feathers but this intruder had a full range from lightest browns to almost black.

He landed near the edge of the clearing and she took her own place at the centre. He looked nervous, no, he actually looked terrified. His beak was agape, tongue panting, head held low, eyes wide, brown furry ears alert and fidgety. Even his lion-like tail was flicking this way and that, she tried not to laugh.

"Please lady dragon, I meant no trespass and merely passing through.", he spoke in broken High Wurm. She cringed slightly, every word he spoke butchered the language of her ancestors. She couldn't help but appreciate the attempt though.

"No more! Your High Wurm is worse than what little gryphon I know.", she growled. He lowered his ears and slowly chuckled nervously while she pondered what to do next.

"Well, I can see you're carrying something important for your employers. I know enough about the affairs of the 'civilised' races to know they could only afford a gryphon for the most important information.", she spoke so calmly that it worried the gryphon even more, but he nodded nevertheless.

"In that case, you may pass through my territory as long as you do not hunt and you bring me word of any others you see while passing through.", she pointed a claw to the south before adding, "Wait on the peak of my rocky hills, I shall come to you for the information."

"R- Really? You're not going to kill me?", he chuckled nervously again.

She rolled her eyes and quickly pointed to the sky in the direction he had been heading. He wasted no time and launched himself back into the sky and drove his wings as hard as he could. After a while he dared a glimpse back but she was gone.

Part 3

The green dragoness smiled as the flashes from the storm lit up the cloudy sky and reflected in her deep blue eyes. It was late afternoon and the storm had appeared from nowhere as it sometimes did this time of year. The clouds had rushed up from the south and soon the sky was as dark as night, aside from the frequent flashes of lightning. She always enjoyed a good storm, safe from the rain and not willing nor able to fly in such conditions, she watched one of nature's greatest shows.

Above the pounding rain and even above the thunder she heard a slightly muted screech. The storm forgotten and her mind alert, she reached out her magical senses and searched for the source until she found a familiar shape down a little away from the base of the rocky cliff that formed part of her lair.

"What is he doing here?", she muttered to herself.

It had been a couple of years since she had first met the 'civilised' gryphon who had been playing courier through her territory. She hadn't minded too much as long as he understood that hunting or settling down would result in a swift death. He had passed through once every couple of months or so since then and she'd kept a watchful eye on him.

Once he'd even done as she asked and reported seeing another dragon near her territory. As it happened, she had been a young female looking for territory of her own and was easily scared off. Even the bravest dragons wouldn't dare tangle with someone over five times their age. But now the young gryphon was back, brazenly approaching her lair in the middle of a powerful thunder storm. Something must be wrong, but regardless, it was best to keep all intruders on edge. She quickly stepped out into the rain, spread her wings for effect, let out a massive roar and filled the sky with fire.

"You dare approach my lair!", she growled down towards the cringing gryphon.

"L- lady dragon, I was caught in the storm...", his words trailed off as another flash of lightning lit up the sky.

He looked soaked through, miserable and more than a little terrified. She sighed, this gryphon had never been a threat and it was clear that he'd been caught by surprise in the sudden storm. By the time the storm had passed, assuming he survived the exposure and once his feathers had dried out, he would need to eat. Better that he dry out sooner and be on his way the moment the storm passes.

"You'd better come in before I change my mind.", she growled slightly as she turned back into the cave.

His ears perked up a little and he scrambled at the steep slopes nearby until he found purchase enough to reach the cave entrance and then he reluctantly entered and dark tunnel.

It was not far to the first cavern and she was waiting there for him. It was very dark and, as his eyes adjusted, he could just make out her shape laying near the back of the cave. It was large enough for them both to settle and have a comfortable distance between them, but only just. He carefully began to shake the water out of one soaking wing and the dragoness sighed.

"I assume you're a gryphon who lacks any magic?", she asked casually.

"Yes. My mother had magic and trained me, but I never developed any of my own unlike my brother.", he said in a slightly forlorn tone. He suddenly felt warm and could sense foreign magic entering his fur and feathers. The water that had soaked into his body rapidly evaporated and escaped the cave into the stormy skies outside. He bowed his head and opened his beak to thank her but the large dragoness interrupted.

"Don't thank me, I just don't want my cave stinking of wet gryphon. Once the storm passes you will continue on your way.", she said dismissively.

He slowly chuckled nervously. There was a another flash and the wind whistled through the cave as the rain intensified. She wasn't going to sleep with him here in her lair, so she might as well find something to keep them both occupied.

"But while you are here little gryphon, you will improve your High Wurm with me. I cannot have you assaulting any other dragons' ears."

So as the storm raged on, the dragoness and the gryphon talked in the ancient language of dragons and she tried her best not to cringe too much at his terrible pronunciation.

Part 4

"Chicken.", the young gryphon said in the civilised trade tongue after a moment's pause.

The green dragoness thought for a second, searching her memory for what she'd last seen maybe a hundred years ago and for the right words. She was still getting to grips with the strange syntax of the trade tongue. At first it had been her teaching him how not to butcher High Wurm, the far more intricate of the dragon tongues. But as his skill increased and his pronunciation improved, she desired to learn some of the numerous languages that he knew. This was quite a number, including a few that the civilised races spoke. So here they both sat, on a slightly rocky cliff, soaking up the sun and making conversation in which ever language was being taught at the time.

"Those are awfully small.", she replied and then added with a smile, "Even for someone your size."

He opened his beak as if to speak but then closed it with a snap, he wasn't taking the bait. The scaly reptile's smile broadened. Although not quite twice as large as he was, the dragoness was still larger and certainly physically and magically more powerful. He wasn't exactly afraid of her any more though, they'd spent far too long talking on and off over the past year for that. Instead, he'd developed a healthy sense of awe and still trod carefully at times.

"You asked me what my favourite civilised food was, that's it.", he said matter of factly. His stomach grumbled almost inaudibly and he frowned.

"I suppose I should be going.", he added slowly as he stood up and stretched his feathery wings in the afternoon sun. The air was filled with a burst of every shade of brown as his feathers suddenly spread out to their full extent. The gryphon stepped to the cliff's edge and looked out towards the distant horizon. Her smile faded and she quickly stood, reached out a fore leg and lightly sank her claws into his rump to grab his attention. He flinched only slightly and turned his head to glance back at the dragoness. She let go and casually walked up beside him as he looked back at her. She silently gazed out over her domain for a moment.

"As you may not hunt in my territory, I will hunt and you will share my kill. Then you can stay.", the scaly dragoness said reverting back to Low Wurm and then quickly added as though an afterthought, "So you can teach me more of the trade tongue."

"I- Are you sure?", he said genuinely surprised, dragons didn't make a habit of sharing their kills. She turned and looked at him with her piercing blue eyes and glared slightly, he swallowed as a reflex. Why did he always feel like prey when she did that?

"Oh, did I make that sound like a choice?", she said lightly as she turned back to admire her territory and plan where best to start her hunt. He folded his wings against his flanks and bowed his feathered head.

"Thank you, lady dragon.", he said in almost perfect High Wurm. She didn't turn back to him and instead merely smiled, he really did have a knack for languages. One deer won't make a difference she thought, just this once.

Part 5

The snow lay thickly on the trees and rocky slopes around the dragoness's lair. Winter had the land in its tight grip and had not loosened that grip for many weeks. The temperature had climbed slightly over the last few days while the skies held their next snow fall eagerly awaiting their cue to unleash another wave. It was still bitterly cold though and she had been pleasantly surprised when the gryphon had arrived earlier that day. Even with all his feathers and fur, he still complained about the cold.

"I must just be used to the stone heaters in the stables.", he said after another failed attempt to convince her to use magic to make a fire. He was a civilised gryphon and although that didn't mean he was physically any different to feral or wild gryphons, he had grown up and still lived very closely with humans and the other civilised races.

"They keep you in a stable?", she exclaimed slightly offended.

"No, no, they just call them that. They're specially built for gryphons.", and then he quickly added slightly louder, "And they don't KEEP me! I go where I choose and pay to sleep where I like."

"You are a good little gryphon.", she purred mockingly. He didn't rise to it and instead looked thoughtful for a second.

"If they knew you even existed, they could probably build something similar for dragons. They'd have to make them much bigger of course...", he mused to no one in particular before continuing, "... to accommodate your vast egos."

Her eyes widened and then narrowed as a mild growl escaped her throat. He began to chuckle a little nervously but was cut short as she pounced on him without warning. He was knocked over onto his back and she quickly pinned him below her greater weight.

"Is that so?", she said casually, her snout only a few inches from his bird-like face. He didn't reply and they stared at each other for a moment. He was amazed at how warm she was against his belly, this was the warmest he'd felt in days. The stone heaters in the stables couldn't compete.

If someone had told him that she was going to growl and then literally pounce on him today, he would have assumed that he'd be feeling fear right now. But he would still have made the journey. Instead, he felt nothing but comfort and safety as he lay trapped on his back beneath her, how could he be afraid of her?

His mind objected to the idea, but his talons moved gently around her chest without his permission and her eyes widened a little. He moved his head up and to the side of her's and nuzzled her neck and reptilian frills affectionately.

"W- what are you doing?", she asked hesitantly but didn't pull away. He'd never heard her be unsure of anything before, it caught him off guard and he quickly pulled his head back.

"I'm sorry... nothing...", his furry ears dropped low and he turned away, unable to look the green dragoness in the eye and then tried to crawl out from under her. She pressed her body down harder fixing him firmly in place with one simple motion. He looked back and suddenly couldn't read her at all, everything they'd been through over the last few years, every conversation they'd had, every joke told, every kill shared, still left him dangerously unsure of what she was going to do. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't lose her.

She looked down at the young gryphon and saw his alarm and her mind span as though caught in a tempest. Her body had wanted to push back gently as he'd pressed his beak against her neck and then nuzzle his soft brown mane. She felt his talons against her flank and she felt the warmth of his furry body seeping through her belly scutes. He was just a gryphon, she was a dragon, she was nearly five hundred years his senior, he just didn't mean that much to her.

Her brows furrowed slightly and she cringed inside, as though her body was offended on his behalf. So what did he mean to her? Even now, they were in the cave she normally slept in, one warded tunnel away from her hoard. No male dragon had ever even seen her lair, let alone slept in it. She worried about him when she hadn't seen him for more than a month or two and delighted in his conversation. They'd hunted together and she trusted him more than anyone... nearly anyone ever before.

"L- look... I didn't know what I was doing... it was a mistake... I- I'm a fool...", he stammered. He looked genuinely terrified, that same look as the day they'd first met. But she didn't see a frightened gryphon, she saw a dear friend, a friend she was offending with every moment of indecision. The closest of friend, a trusted companion, but her lover? She closed her eyes and smiled fondly at a distant memory. She especially should know better than to judge him just because he's a gryphon.

"I hope you don't really think it was a mistake.", she said softly, opening her eyes again. The tempest was gone, faded, and her thoughts now clear. He looked scared, confused and relieved all at the same time. He opened his beak hesitantly to speak but she placed a single claw over it and he stopped.

"Don't say anything. My handsome little gryphon.", she said so quietly he almost didn't believe she'd said it at all. She wasted no time and nuzzled her snout into his thick mane and for the first time ever she noticed that his scent was exquisite. His talons slowly explored her flanks and his beak gently nibbled around her sensitive ear frills.

In that moment, she suddenly didn't care that he was a gryphon and nor he that she was a dragon. You have a lot to answer for, little-big brother, she jokingly thought to herself before she turned her full attention to her new lover. Then the two of them became lost in the passion of the moment.

Part 6

The dragoness woke slowly from a comfortable place in her mind and the first thing she felt was the gryphon against her body. Her lover, her mate. They were belly to belly and their limbs were lightly tangled together, she couldn't remember waking up and feeling so content ever before. Although he was smaller then she was, she had never before felt the way she had the previous night. None of her brief encounters with male dragons had ever left her feeling so satisfied.

There had been no rush, no urgency to their mating. They had explored each other's bodies, adored each other's bodies and it had felt like the most natural thing in the world to let this male, this male that she loved, take her. She relinquished her body to him and his to her and the night had been consumed by their passion. Then they had just held each other, staring breathlessly into each other's eyes, no words needed to be said as they fell asleep wrapped in each other's embrace.

But as she slowly woke, she felt something niggling in the back of her mind. She loved him, she may well have avoided it for a long time, but she now accepted the fact willingly into her heart. But that was not the problem, what they had done was wrong. Dragons and gryphons should not mate, could not mate. Although it was almost unheard of, what if in a few weeks time she was carrying their eggs? She would have to smash them, eggs born of both gryphon and dragon must not be nurtured. The oldest and most important of the laws observed by dragons and gryphons alike.

She could do it, she would do it. But for how long? If it continued, if the two of them could produce eggs? How long would it take before destroying her own eggs destroyed her too. She closed her eyes and tried to push the thoughts away, she had woken up so happy and now she was frightened of what the future held. She needed fresh air and daylight.

She opened her eyes and slowly, carefully extracted herself from him. He seemed to be a deep sleeper and didn't even react, she smiled, my silly little civilised gryphon. Then she frowned, what if he hadn't been taught the old laws? What if they had been lost through the short life spans of gryphons? He would hate her for what she'd have to do. She needed air, she felt trapped, she couldn't breathe in here.

She quickly left the cavern and headed to the surface. The sky was bright but the sun had not yet risen above the distant horizon. She took a few slow deep breaths but they didn't make her feel any better. There had been fresh snow fall over night and she felt as cold as her icy domain. Everything seemed so simple last night, just following her instincts, now she just felt sick.

"Cold morning.", he said in a slightly subdued tone and her body tensed up, she hadn't even heard him approach.

"Yes.", she said matter of factly. 'Hug him!' her mind told her. But she couldn't even bring herself to look at him. She opened her mouth to tell him everything but nothing came out and she just closed it again. There was a pause and she heard his feathers ruffle quietly and a talon pawing idly at the ground. She was both excited and terrified about what they had done and she couldn't sort through her conflicting emotions. She shook her head slightly at the turmoil in her mind.

"I should go.", he said slowly and shook out his wings before launching himself into the sky. 'Call after him you stupid lizard!' her mind screamed at her. She took a step forward towards the cliff ledge and felt her wings tense, ready to take to the air, to chase him, to go after him. But what would she say? That they couldn't be lovers? That what they did wasn't right? That she didn't want him? She did want him, but she was scared of the price they might have to pay.

'Then tell him!' the voice in the back of her mind urged. But instead her head dropped low and she closed her eyes to stop herself from watching him leave. It felt like he was flying out of her life. Perhaps that would be best, she thought gloomily as her body began to shake slightly. She got up and retreated back into her lair, she wished it would all just go away. She didn't want to feel like this any more.