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2008 Gren Drake

The mountainside Bethann climbed was not a cliff; though not vertical, it was quite steep. Numerous large shrubs, trees, and a number of boulders stuck out from the surface. These were both a blessing and a curse; while they gave her something to grip and to hold, as well as something to lean against as she made her way up the seemingly endless mountainside, she often had to make her way around them, and was occasionally even forced to backtrack a distance to get around them.

She wasn't going to give up, though; she wouldn't let the mountain win. The lives of her people were at stake and if she did not find them a place of safety, a new haven, they would be slaughtered by the self-proclaimed overlord.

Somewhere in the heights of the mountain was a cave and in that cave lived the dragon who claimed dominion over the land that surrounded his lair--a claim that extended for almost ten miles from his home. It was fortunate for Bethann that he had made no secret of where his dwelling lay or she'd have had no hope at all of finding him, and thus, no hope of sheltering her people in his lands.

A bit of ground slipped from under her as she climbed, causing her to slid backwards. She stopped herself only after a good twenty or thirty feet. As she had slid, she had glanced down, the distance below her dizzying. The mountainside was far too high and too vertical for comfort, but she was willing to risk anything for her people.

She forced herself to tear her gaze away from the depths below her, and looked upwards. It wasn't that much further, only a couple hours more at most. The dragon was fortunate; he could simply fly to and from his home, not bothering with the steep hills or rocky terrain that surrounded it.

She'd heard rumors that this dragon was one of the less paranoid, less dangerous dragons. The unpleasant terrain provided him a kind of armor against those who would kill his kind; anyone trying to accrue fame or glory by killing dragons would seek out one more accessible. The thought of trying to make this journey with the weight of arms and armor made Bethann shudder, almost causing her to slip again.

It was just a little further. She could actually see the plateau the dragon's cave was said to be near and she watched it as she worked her way closer. Almost there, but the slope got steeper, more vertical, the closer she got. She was glad she had brought nothing with her; there was no way she could've gotten herself up to the plateau carrying anything of consequence.

At last, she made up, pulling herself up the last few feet onto the plateau. A low cave mouth was clearly visible at the other side and within was, presumably, the dragon.

She spent a moment composing herself, brushing what dust she could off and straightening the badly worn trousers and tunic she wore before she crossed the plateau to the cave entrance. Although it had been a few centuries since the human-dragon war, the two species still did not tend to get along. Strict lines had been drawn between the dragon's territory and human lands. Indeed, that was the whole purpose behind her trip: the overlord that had ransacked her kingdom, killing her husband and family, would be reluctant to cross into the territory of a dragon with an army. And if he did, the dragons would take offense and act to destroy him the moment they knew.

Unfortunately, without the permission of the dragon holding the territory, the same applied to her own people.

It was a few minutes before she had her breath back, but by then she had recomposed herself and felt as ready as she ever would to meet the dragon. They were not known to be sympathetic to human desires or needs.

She walked to the entrance to the cave with long, bold steps. Although dread filled her as she got closer, the need of her people pushed her on.

The cave mouth was squat and Bethann had to bend over, almost crawling, to get through. How the dragon could get through it regularly puzzled her and she hoped that the dragon really did live here.

The cave remained low for only a short span, then opened up into a yawning cavern. It would not have surprised her if her entire home could have fit inside.

The cavern was lit by a few balls of light that seemed to drift lazily through the air, casting dim illumination over everything and creating shadows that constantly shifted as the balls moved. A few bits of oversized furniture were scattered about, and a large chest rested near one side. Some process unknown to Bethann had rendered the floor quite smooth, though much of it was covered in large, crude rugs, and a number of tapestries hung from the walls.

Reclining in the midst of the cavern on one of the more plush rugs, in a pose more feline than she would have expected, was the dragon. He was smaller than she expected; although his pose made it hard to judge, she thought he appeared to be the size of a pony. Next to him was a low table with, of all things, a teapot and a cup; both were, to her eyes, oversized and crudely made, but there was no doubt what they were.

He was yawning when she first spotted him, his teeth visible all too clearly. As she stood up and started forward, his eyes seemed to focus on her. Despite this, he seemed to pay her little attention.

"Sir dragon, dragon sir," she said once she was ten feet away or so, bowing deeply as she did. "Please, forgive my intrusion into your home and life-"

"Stop that!" Bethann froze in place at the dragon's words. "I need neither your platitudes nor your worship."

"I apologize-"

"Just tell me why you're here. Nobody comes in, bowing and scraping, unless they want something. I'll tell you right now I have no treasure; what you see is what I have."

"I did not come seeking wealth, sir."

"I am glad to hear that."

"I am called-"

"I don't care who you are; just why you're here."

"Recently, my homeland was overrun by an overlord intent-"

"I will not fight for you; I am not a part of anyone's army."

"That is not what I was going to ask, sir. It is not your battle."

"Glad to hear it. Continue."

"The lord was slaughtered, along with his children. At least a hundred others have been killed in attempts to 'pacify' my homeland. I lead the survivors and we seek only shelter where he will not follow us."

The dragon looked her over. "So rather than show courage and honor, fighting to the last, you run from your enemy where you know he will not follow."

"I beg-" Bethann began, but stopped as the dragon scowled at her. "I mean, we would fight, but it would mean only that we would all die. At least by escaping we have a chance to survive."

"Commendable." The dragon nodded as he spoke. "Only a fool fights a battle he can not win."

She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you wanted..."

"What I wanted was the truth, not to hear what you thought I wanted to hear. Leave me, I must consider. You may wait on the plateau outside."

"Thank you, sir. I will wait." She took a couple of steps backwards, then turned and crawled back out of the cave.

Outside, she paced the width the plateau, alternatively watching the cave mouth and the sky. As she waited, the sun slowly made its way across the sky,

At least three, possibly as much as four or even five hours, had passed before she heard the dragon's voice echoing out of the cave, beckoning her to come in once more. She crawled back in, wishing that the roof of the cave mouth were higher.

The dragon didn't appear to have moved, and his eyes tracked her as she re-entered, not letting her out of their gaze.

"I have considered," the dragon said.

"Will you help us, sir?"

The dragon's lips curled into a long smile. "Straight to the point, aren't you? It is not so simple as that; if we are to discuss terms, we must began at an equal basis."

Bethann stared. The dragon's meaning was not clear; he was an apparently poor dragon while she was a penniless human refugee.

"Pardon, sir, but how?"

"I am exposed to you, even my smallest movement or twitch visible to you, nothing hidden." The dragon twitched one toe on his hind-foot. "But you conceal yourself, much of your body language hidden."

"Ah?" Bethann considered his words, deciding what he meant. "You want me to strip?" A strange way to start a negotiation, but if it was what it took to keep her people safe... Besides which, for all she knew about dragons, it could be a perfectly normal request for them.

"That would be a good start, yes." He nodded.

After hesitating for a moment, she sat on the floor and pulled off her boots, setting them to the side. These were followed by the long socks beneath them. Once more she hesitated, but at a nod from the dragon she sighed and continued. At no point did his eyes leave her body.

Unfastening her tunic, she removed it, and set it, neatly folded, on the floor of the cavern next to her socks and boots. Next were her leggings, these folded neatly on top of her tunic.

She shivered, both from the chill in the cavern's air and from the knowledge of her nudity, then looked up at the dragon. "Well?"

"Very good."

"I will stop at nothing to save my people."

The dragon nodded, the end of his tail twitching suddenly. "I am glad to hear that." He rolled onto his side. "Now come over here and sit by me."

Bethann settled onto the ground so close to the dragon that she could feel his body heat warm her chilled skin, his rough hide nearly brushing against her. With a lazy movement, he laid one foreleg across her lap.

"Now I will tell you the price for my permission."

"Yes?"

"I have only one condition," the dragon said. "Satisfy my lust."

"What!" Bethann tried to rise, but the fore-leg across her lap held her down. She tried to push it away, but was unable to shift it.

"That is the price."

Bethann could only gape. He would allow her people to shelter here for sex? Had he gotten the idea she was a whore somehow?

"Are you married?"

"Yes," she answered quickly. Then, "No, I suppose not. He was killed in the invasion." Not, she thought silently, that being widowed--or any other state of non-marriage--would make his 'price' more palatable.

"I am sorry to hear that."

There was a moment of awkward silence. The dragon moved his leg from her lap.

After a moment, she shrugged; the lives of her people were worth any price, and the longer she waited the fewer there would be to save. She told the dragon her decision as she stood: "I will tell my people of your agreement, then I will return here and you can do as you will with me."

"Wait," the dragon said. Though not loud, his voice echoed in the cavern. "First the payment, then you may go."

"I want to tell my people as soon as possible, to let them get started moving."

"Those are my terms."

She sighed . "Just tell me what to do."

The dragon ran a fore-claw down her thigh, eliciting a shiver from her. "Just get on your hands and knees; you need do nothing else."

As Bethann got into position, she could hear the dragon moving, getting to his feet behind her. She couldn't hear his claws against the floor as he walked; the plush rug beneath her covered the sound of his footsteps.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see (or even think about) what was happening. Several moments passed and she wished for a moment that the rug was not there, or that she dared open her eyes. She counted her heartbeats, trying not to think about what was about to happen.

Then she could feel the dragon's breath warming her buttocks. Something warm and slimy--the dragon's tongue, she decided--touched against her vulva, parting them slightly as it ran across, its tip brushing against her skin, discovering her clit.

Bethann trembled; the dragon's tongue felt so good! But she didn't want it to, she'd have rather it had felt lousy or unpleasant. The dragon was using her; that shouldn't feel good.

Between the saliva the dragon's tongue was spreading, and the moisture her own body was producing, she (or at least certain portions of her) where becoming quite slick.

She gasped as the tongue suddenly penetrated her. Then it was gone, leaving her almost wanting it back; not wanting it enough to say anything, to admit that she had enjoyed its brief ministrations, but enough thats its absence was well felt.

There were the soft footsteps of the dragon's clawed feet padding across the thick rug, ending with the dragon's hide against her back, his body heat chasing away the chill in the air. He pushed aside her hair with his snout, nuzzling her neck.

Once more she could feel something brush against her vulva, but she knew it wasn't his tongue this time; she could still feel his head near her neck. She grimaced, but refrained from shouting for the dragon to stop; the thought of her people stilled her voice. She could feel the dragon's member slowly pushed into her, penetrating only slightly before pulling back out.

Spirits alive! What was the beast doing? She wished he'd just get on with it and stop making it feel so good.

He slowly pressed himself just inside of her once more; as he did, she could feel his snout pull back, his tongue running along the back of her neck, leaving a trail of saliva. His tongue continued, past her shoulders down to the small of her back before beginning the journey forwards again. This return journey was accompanied by another short but agonizingly slow thrust of his hips.

Then there was something pressing against her chest, squeezing in between her breasts. She nearly screamed. It slid over her, its texture rough against her skin, curling and twisting, the tip teasing her nipples. The dragon's tail, she realized.

Hot breath warmed the trail of saliva on her neck as the dragon oh-so-gently nipped at the scruff of her neck, his deadly teeth barely touching her skin.

A hard ridge popped into her, taking her by surprise and causing her to gasp, her eyes flying open. Even before she had recovered from this surprise, the dragon thrust his hips forward, completely sheathing his penis within her. She could feel his rough hide strike her buttocks.

As the dragon drew back some, then thrust again, multiple ridges rubbed against the sensitive nerve-endings just inside her vagina. She realized that she was moaning.

The dragon's tail brushed lightly against her stomach and chest, the tip twitching against her nipples. Near its base the tail brushed over her clit irregularly.

She was painting, she realized, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Never had sex been like this; she had never realized it could. Why couldn't her husband (may he rest in peace) have been this capable?

It was as though her entire body had become sensitive, every twitch and brush of the dragon's flesh against her seeming to echo through her even as she felt him throbbing within her.

"Ready?" the dragon whispered between breathes, but he clearly did not expect an answer as his until-then even, steady strokes changed tempo, picking up speed. The gentle, loverly strokes vanished, replaced with hard, bestial movements, his hide rubbing roughly against her, against her thighs. His tail seemed to stiffen, pressing against her clit towards the end of his strokes.

Once more her eyes closed, the dragon's hard ridges seeming to overstimulate her, the pleasure nearly too much.

His tail pressed against her chest, lifting her slightly from the ground and pressing her into him. Heat flowed from his body, making it feel as though he were on fire. His teeth dug into her neck, piercing her skin and pulling her head back.

Her husband had never done this either, she thought even as she was reduced to inarticulate sounds and mumbles.

Just as it was becoming too much, she could feel the dragon tense above her, becoming ridged. His hips slammed against hers, embedding himself fully within her. No doubt she was being filled with his seed.

His teeth released her neck and she heard him roar, bringing a soft rain of dust down upon them.

Even the mere twitching that was all his member was doing inside of her now was enough that she careened off into an orgasm, the sensations seeming to reach down even unto her very soul.

Then she collapsed onto the thick rug, dampened by their combined sexual fluids, panting and trying to catch her breath. The fall partially pulled the dragon out of her, the sudden passage of the ridges out of her caused her to twitch on the ground.

She opened her eyes, and immediately she saw one of the dragon's forelegs on the ground next to her, its joints locked into immobility.

Bethann wished she had a towel or a cloth to wipe away some of the residue of the dragon's lust, or at least some of the sweat coating her, but there was nothing with which to wipe the encounter away.

"Satisfied?" she asked, sitting and turning to face the dragon. The tension had gone from his muscles, his joints no longer locked in place. His vibrantly-colored member was partially retracted once more into his body, but much of it was still visible and Bethann could only stare at it, amazed that it had been inside of her. It was a good thing she hadn't seen it earlier or she doubted she'd have been able to go through with the act.

"Entirely," the dragon told her.

She knelt next to her clothes and with a sigh, she began slipping them back over her body. No doubt she was staining them with the dragon's lust, but there didn't seem to be an alternative. She could hardly make the return journey naked. No doubt it would take long enough for her to get back to her people that any smell or discoloration would have vanished.

"If you have no further need of me, I will be on my way." She made a short, mocking bow.

"Wait," the dragon said and she turned to face him. "It would be best if you didn't run off just yet."

"Is there something else you want?" Did the dragon plan to renege on their agreement? There was nothing she could do about it if he did, so she hoped not.

"Nothing more. Rather, I thought I might hasten your journey. I could carry you to where your people are."

It took only a moment's consideration. Her personal embarrassment was less important than getting her people moving to safety as soon as possible.

"Then let's be off."

She crawled out the low passage. The dragon slipped out behind her, surprising her with the agility he showed making his way through the low cave opening.

She looked at the dragon with a raised eyebrow.

"Just stand over there by the edge."

It was only a moment's walk to the place the dragon indicated, but she had to fight down a wave of vertigo as she reached the edge. It was a long way down.

Behind her there was a sudden massive pounding and blasts of wind; the dragon was lifting himself into the air. Then something hit her shoulders with tremendous force, propelling her forward, over the edge of the cliff. She felt herself toppling forward, falling. She screamed, her eyes tightly shut so as not to see the encroaching ground.

After a moment it occurred to her that, despite feeling air rushing past her, she felt nothing but the dragon on her shoulders; were she falling, no doubt she would have at least bumped against a rock or tree.

She opened her eyes. The ground was passing swiftly far below her.

"Which way?" the dragon's voice boomed through the air.

She pointed. "That way!" Unlike the dragon's voice, her words were stolen away by the wind. He seemed to understand her though, as he swerved in the direction she'd indicated.

Now, despite all that had happened, she felt a core of joy within her. Her mission had been successful, and its only cost had been personal; her people would not have to pay the price. And what was more, she would soon be home with her people once more.

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The text of this story is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.