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(edited 12/10/08 for font correction and version update)

Cill made her way back to her lair with James following behind, his eyes straying to the base of her tail as it wove from side to side. He occasionally caught a glimpse of the tight-lipped area beneath it and wondered just how one went about mating with a dragoness and what happened if she didn't enjoy it afterwards or if you stopped too soon.

Realizing he didn't have a clue he thought about asking Nokala, but would her father actually give hints to a human wanting to hump his daughter?

He pushed these thoughts aside as Cill walked up to an apparently featureless cliff wall and scored a slow circle with a talon. There was a flash of yellow light and an opening appeared, wide enough to let her in easily.

She turned back and smiled at him before going inside, not knowing what to expect he followed her in carefully.

The floor of the lair had a covering of fine white crystalline sand that reflected the warm light from the twin glowing globes hanging from the ceiling. Looking round he saw a large, neat pile of dry bracken, soft heather and other vegetation covered neatly with the blanket he had given her earlier.

Up against the wall was a small rickety table with some large ancient-looking scrolls laid out upon it. He smiled at her and looked round.

"Nice place ', he said nervously, his eyes straying to her bed before trying to find something else to talk about.

"So who is this Marre you mentioned before?" he murmured before walking over and looking at the table, not recognizing the markings on the strange looking scrolls at all.

Cill busied herself, shuffling some new ferns beneath her bed and trying not to feel awkward. *He is an ancient dragon, no-one really knows how old except him and he wont say* James nodded and smiled "This is a nice cozy lair you have" he added honestly, feeling the warmth building in the air as he relaxed slowly. "I take it you know him well?"

Cill slowly clambered onto her bed, making sure it was comfortable and well arranged under her. *He is an old friend of our clan.* she said. *One of my teachers for awhile and I know I can always ask him for advice without judgment* "And I take it he knows of...us...now?" James asked delicately, Cill nodded and stretched languidly out on the bed, unaware at the effect it had on James, echoes of his previous nights dream returning to him

"What did he think" James shifted uncomfortably on the sand, trying to ignore the urgent demands from his loins.

*Ithink he was puzzled too* Cill mused, licking a talon slowly, unconsciously putting on a show for him, displaying her best features, as she would naturally do to a drake partner.

"So do dragons only meet at this council or do they have gatherings or parties where they talk and dance?" James stretched his head up, his eyes following along the sleek lines of her body.

Cill grinned toothily at him, *Oh we do have family gatherings and occasionally there are neutral fairs set up so we can trade safely with other clans*. She cocked her head at him *But what is this 'dancing'? You have mentioned it before* James blinked; it had not occurred to him that she would not know "It's er... where people move to music. It's a way of getting to meet others who you wouldn't normally be able to speak to", he flushed as he tried to explain it. "We were taught at a young age, my father insisted we knew how to play at least an instrument and to dance properly at balls" Cill nodded, *We know about music...but I've never danced before, could you show me?* Standing up slowly and adjusting his breeches a little James nodded. "Of course", bowing to her slowly and moving out into the room he demonstrated a few basic moves on his own, feeling a little foolish as he did so.

"Its easier if there is music or you have a partner to dance with"

Cill nodded and slid off her bed *How do you do it with a partner?* James held out his hands "Here, put your paws on my hands and move with me, try not to step on me though", he added with a grin up at her.

Cill moved up close and moved in slow steps with him. She had a natural lithe grace and James found himself enjoying the sensation of teaching her as they slowly waltzed round the lair. *And what purpose does this have for humans?*, asked Cill as she looked down at him, carefully making her way round, keeping her tail curled so she wouldn't knock anything over. "Well, it's only done between males and females usually". He replied, gently letting his palms slide against hers as he spun her in a slow circle, glad the lair had plenty of room for maneuvering in. "And if the female likes it...she may consent to spend more time with the man" he looked up at her, a little red in the face as he explained.

*So it's a human mating ritual then?* she asked with a glimmer in her eye as she moved carefully with him

. "Well...put it like that, yes", he puffed, "There are usually other men about and she has her pick of them though"

Cill nodded and moved closer to him. James was tall at 6'2 but he only came up to her shoulders, which meant he pressed against her breasts as they moved together.

*So the female gets to choose her mate in the human world?* her curiosity getting the better of her.

Nodding in agreement James smiled up at her "Many times yes, though sometimes her father may choose someone for her to marry instead, for family reasons or such".

James waltzed her closer to the bed, "Such pairings don't seem to have much love in them though...I am not high enough in my family to have been offered such and I don't regret it", he grinned up at her, "I wouldn't be here dancing with such a delightful dragoness if I had"

She met his gaze and purred softly, *And what else do humans do in their mating rituals?* she asked meaningfully, her gaze smoky.

James gulped "Well its complicated... usually the male isn't allowed to be alone with the female in case he lets his desires get the best of him and attempts to force himself on her or in rare cases the opposite occurs"

He spoke with the limited experience he had had in the past and what gossip he had picked up in conversations behind the stables and during eavesdropping back home with his friends.

Cill blinked down at him as she rotated easily with him *But surely the strongest male fights others for her favor and she is pleased to mate with him as her hatchlings would be stronger*

Coughing a little James shook his head "It doesn't always work like that. If the men fight, it can lead to injury and if a man is injured then he cannot work to feed himself or his family and may starve. So we find other ways to challenge each other such as games, tournaments and contests".

He slowed and stopped the dance with a grin "My thanks for the dance milady", leaning up to kiss her on the snout again. Surprised, Cill let her tongue slip out a little, catching him on the mouth with a delicate touch.

"Mm...try that again", he chuckled as it brushed along his lips gently. Cill nodded, and stood still as he met her slowly, running his tongue along hers in a subtle caress that sent shivers through her, savoring the sensations they both felt until he broke the kiss with a gasp.

"Oh boy..." he said with a grin, "I think you just taught me something else new", Cill flushed a little under her scales, her cheek ruffs warming. *As you have for me... that felt...good*

He reached up and stroked her neck "I need to learn as much as I can about dragons to be able to please you", he was flushing himself now, and he would never have been able to say that to a woman.

Cill growled lustfully and pulled him close, *Then learn fast*, she murred into his head. *I want to learn about humans too...*

He felt her body warm under his chest and smiled.

"So how do I get your father to take me to this elder who wants to see me?" his hands roamed slowly over her smooth hide, his shaft straining his breeches at the closeness of her and his rapidly growing desire.

"I don't want to use the whistle he gave me if it's not an emergency".

Cill nodded and lay back on the bed slowly, feeling a warm glow growing within her *I can ask him for you, but we should go down to the lake again as he wouldn't fit in here*

James frowned, "He's that big?"

Cill nodded, *Dragons grow slowly over the years*

He kissed her again "Then shall we go and see him and hope he doesn't turn me into a cinder"

Cill nodded and got to her feet, he noticed that she was equally agile on all fours as well as on her hind legs when she sat back.

She padded towards the door and opened it, he followed her through it and back out into the daylight. Walking beside her he rubbed her neck and marveled at the feeling of her hide, thinking of how she would feel as he slid along her body... he groaned inwardly, he couldn't hold out much longer and he got the feeling she was nearing the same decision about him.

Nokala looked up from his studies and blinked as Cill's voice made its way to him "Father?"

"Yes Cill, what can I do for you?" he replied.

"James is here with me, and he wants to meet Marre"

Nokala frowned, it was a little soon but if the lad felt ready for it, why not?

"Very well, I'll let Marre know and be with you shortly"

"Thank you father, we are by the lake", she sent an affectionate thought back and closed the link.

*He'll be here soon* she said turning back to James *Don't be scared of Marre, he likes to bluster a lot but he has a heart of gold*

James nodded nervously and scratched her neck to reassure himself, she leaned into the scratching with a purr "Another ticklish spot?" he asked with a chuckle, his fingers pressing in firmly.

He doubted he could push hard enough to hurt her and so ran his nails over her as well, she arched her neck and guided his hand along the contours of her shoulders to her wings, feeling the powerful muscles leading to the pinions.

"Do you fly a lot Cill?" he asked, feeling her relax under his caress, "Mmmm... No... It's easier to use travel spells but we can fly well if we have to", her eyes half closed as she enjoyed the massage.

There was a loud rumbling chuckle from nearby,"Keep that up lad and she'll melt into a puddle on the ground".

James flushed and spun, not seeing anything until a swirl of mist revealed Nokala. Swallowing hard he followed the length of the beast from the tail tip along up the ridged spine and the mighty horned head, the paws alone were the size of ponies he realized.

"Um.", he stammered, meeting the gaze of a full dragon male at the height of his powers while trying to measure him mentally ...at least sixty feet long and his wingspan. James balked at this point; surely, it would have to be over 100 feet?

"H-how on earth did you manage to squeeze all that into a human size", was the question that sprung to his lips, he flushed as he realized the impertinence of the remark and stepped back a little.

Nokala rumbled amusedly "It wasn't easy...mass transfer and inter-dimensional loci aren't easy to manipulate in confined spaces, it also takes up a lot of energy"

He leaned down and focused his penetrating gaze on James "So...you think you're ready to talk to the elder mmm?"

James steeled himself, not giving into the dragonfear, damned if he was going to faint again.

"I think so yes, if he is willing to talk to me", be polite he thought to himself, he just caught you fondling his daughter and hasn't toasted you yet. His heart was hammering loudly in his chest though and he was not convinced he was safe.

"Very well then", Nokala extended a huge half-closed paw, the talons looking like bars "Step in boy..." Gritting his teeth James stepped forward, expecting the paw to grasp him tightly as her mother had done but instead he found himself enclosed gently and lifted up.

"Well done", said Nokala quietly, winking at him with the eye furthest from his daughter, "You have the courage I thought you possessed", turning to Cill he grinned down at her.

"I shall return your boyfriend here once Marre's finished explaining about dragons to him"

Cill nodded, feeling hot once more around her cheekruffs.

"Yes Father, can you apologize to mother for me for what I said", she looked a little downcast.

"You must do that daughter... ", Nokala said seriously, "I know she is headstrong and abrupt, but she cares a lot for you and you need to tell her your feelings... do you understand?"

Cill nodded, after waving to James then turned and loped back to her lair.

James looked up at the massive dragon and smiled weakly, "Er...How do I address a dragon elder?"

Nokala blinked, "Just call him elder Marre, but don't stand on ceremony," he grinned toothily, "You're almost clan at this point"

Nokala rumbled softly and they vanished from the lakeside leaving no trace of their departure except for some strangely crushed plants and a lingering scent.

Marre looked round for Moona as he waited for Nokala and the odd human. He was strangely anxious at the thought of actually talking to a human this way, in all his years he had never heard of a female dragon bonding with a human and even stranger, the human bonding back.

Shaking his head, he thought it could only be worse if a male dragon fell for a human female but surely, that was just as much impossibility, and then he chuckled to himself... now there would be some surprises.

"Moona!" he thundered, calling for the elf.

"Yes master?" queried the young elf apprentice appearing suddenly beside him.

"Bring in one of your chairs", said Marre, "seems we're about to meet with Cill's would-be human lover in a few minutes.

"Here? but why?", said Moona, his black ponytail flapping as he ran in with a chair of his own.

"He wants to know about dragons... and well... maybe it's about time we started talking to humans properly". He shoved the chair next to the loungers with a talon and sighed. "And you are to stay away, no ears at keyholes or against walls... he doesn't know about elves yet and I want to find out exactly why he has fallen for a dragoness and vice versa before he learns about the other hidden races", Marre chuckled and looked up at a bottle on the shelf.

"We have plans for him if he proves to be worthy of her"

Moona followed his gaze "What is that scale for master?" he had only caught a glimpse of it before it had been carefully placed on the highest shelf.

Marre grinned, "Either ultimate salvation or final destruction" he said as Moona gaped at him.

"Now...be off...oh, bring us some mugs of ale too... I think this human will need a buffer in him to cushion the shocks", he laughed and tapped his talons together as the elf dashed in with a dragon-sized mug and a smaller elf one before scooting out the door and closing it behind him.

James felt the transition of the travel spell as a peculiar coldness that permeated him entirely then was seemingly gone in an instant, blinking after the sudden shift he took in the size of the cavern they had arrived in.

It was a little overwhelming as it was the largest room he had ever seen and the walls were covered with an assortment of shelves, bottles and jars filled with... things and drawings by the dozen, the air was full of strange odors but dominated by the mixed-herb scent of dragons that he was coming to recognize.

Looking round curiously he saw an obviously ancient blue dragon staring down at him as if he was some new specimen to be stuffed into a jar and studied.

Marre's scales were dull and flaking and as he moved closer, James could see that his eyes were slightly filmed over and pale bluish.

. Nokala lowered his paw to the ground and let James step from his grasp, feeling a little light-headed and trying not to show it he bowed fluidly before the new dragon.

"Greetings Elder Marre, I hope you are well and that I am not imposing upon you unduly at this time", that should do for starters he thought to himself, not too fancy but respectful.

Marre nodded as he looked down at the human, "Not at all", he rumbled, "Please ...Be seated...", he made his way to the lounger and lay along it with a relieved sigh as James walked up to the chair.

Marre grinned at Nokala, "You don't have to hover over him Noka. I'm not going to eat him".

Nokala chuckled back at him "I'll believe that when I see him in one piece afterwards... don't step on him either... it would upset Cill", he turned his massive head and grinned toothily at James.

"Listen to the elder and I'll come get you when you are both finished" and with that he was gone. Marre reached down and took a sip from the tankard, "Have a drink", he offered, the smaller tankard appearing next to James's chair.

"Thank you Elder", he said gratefully, sipping the cold beer slowly and wishing he wasn't sweating in fear, certain that the dragon could smell it..

"So..." said Marre, "What do you know think you know about dragons then?" odd way of phrasing it thought James.

"Um... you eat meat, are able to fly, apparently have magical skills and dislike humans intensely?' He slipped the last in as an afterthought... wanting to find out what the reaction was, Marre stared at him steadily before taking another sip and nodding slowly.

"I remember a time when the first humans arrived here..." he said quietly, "we didn't take much notice of them at first as all they did was chatter, eat, fight and breed. However, over the long years they slowly learnt and grew strong. We still weren't alarmed as we saw how small they were and how far they had to go before achieving any level of ability that could threaten us", he sighed.

"We were wrong in many ways, humans tend to kill what they do not understand or fear...and we were fearsome. Oh yes...for we had our own laws and customs to protect and it wasn't long before they brought us into conflict with humans, killing their food and occasionally treating them as food enabled them to unite against us and that has led to the deaths of many dragons and humans..."

James nodded in his chair as he listened.

"Very few humans ever spoke to us. Those that did were usually killed by their own kind", he fixed his gaze on James..."Never in our history that I know of have a human and dragon actually gotten as close as you and Cill have. It is highly disturbing to a large number of our kind and I am sure it would mean your swift death if they knew your location... and many of your human counterparts would also refuse to accept it", he shifted on the lounger and took a deep drink of ale.

James nodded once more as he realized what Marre said was true. He could not tell anyone in the Keep about Cill, as it would likely raise an army to wipe her out.

"However", Marre continued, "This situation continued for many years with both species gaining and losing in small skirmishes until we dragons learnt the spells of invisibility and shape shifting that allowed us to infiltrate and influence events without undue loss of lives on either side"

James looked startled "You mean you didn't want to kill us off?" he said,"if we were a threat to you, you would have been justified in destroying us... I've seen what you can do and it wouldn't be hard for you".

Marre sighed and rubbed his snout with a paw. "We don't kill things wantonly lad, only to eat - and we raise our own herds mainly now. I admit there were some who voted for the wholesale destruction of humans but we are a patient race. We stood back and watched in hope that you would one day achieve a level of civilization that would enable us to co-exist peacefully".

He tilted his tankard back and took a deep draught of ale; this wasn't going to be easy.

"We still don't think you've reached that level... but here you stand, a scrawny human who is, lets face it... in love with a very attractive dragoness"

James flushed, could everyone read his mind here? "And who has managed to give her those same feelings in turn. Do you know anything of dragon reproduction? no... of course you don't, well then..."

James sat there pink to the roots of his hair as Marre began to give a detailed account of how dragons mated and reproduced. How a female came into season and became receptive to a male only at certain times and that though they could mate at any time like humans, eggs were produced only during the heat cycles.

He went on about how dragonesses laid their eggs and how they required the female to keep them warm using their flame by heating rocks until they hatched after several months.

James slowly came to realize just what he had done; this made the pig incident fade into insignificance. He had not only put himself and Cill at risk but the fragile truce between humans and dragons into jeopardy as well.

"So you see lad... you are going to need to be energetic and well... very enthusiastic if you want to stay with her and keep her happy too"

He reached up and carefully pulled down a small bottle full of thick liquid and placed it beside him, then with great care located a tiny vial on a string and placed it with the bottle.

"Another thing", he looked at James with suddenly sad eyes, "You humans have remarkably short lives, Cill is an adolescent dragoness at 50 years and won't be fully adult for another 50 or 70 years, by which time you will either be dead or too frail to compete against other dragons who desire her"

He said this with a bluntness that shook James and made him look at the floor for a time, swaying his foot back and forth like a student being scolded in front of a class.

"I don't care about that", he finally said, looking back up at Marre.

"If we only have a short time together I will make sure to use it properly and make her happy, I don't know if you approve of us but I feel this is meant to happen somehow,"

Marre grinned, "Good... we don't know what will happen if you do mate with her. Carlina is frothing at the mouth but we are keeping her quiet ... Nokala is more pragmatic, he knows you won't be round that long if it goes wrong"

James went pale at this, "What?" he blurted out.

Marre grinned at him, "Don't worry...but remember that in any species the most dangerous sex is the female. Carlina will have no choice but to accept you as a member of the clan if you and Cill take that final step but she will dislike it intensely so don't go provoking her unnecessarily"

James shook his head rapidly, he was not going to go anywhere near her if he had any say in the matter!

Marre reached down for the bottle and lifted it slowly "One last thing, Cill has potent magic, she is still learning but we have no idea of her potential as yet. She is a gifted female but has to break through to the next level of her powers. A good mate will help her relax and overcome those barriers she does not realize she possesses"

He shook the bottle, the liquid within making a glugging noise, "This is .a... form of massage oil", he said, "The next time you see her, get her to lie down and give her a rubdown with it, it will be good for both of you" his grin turning sly "As well as reducing any chafing you might experience"

James felt his whole body grow warm at the thought, "And then there is this..." Marre murmured while lifting the tiny vial, "Dragons like scent so put a tiny dab of this somewhere on your body - And I mean a tiny dab." He said meaningfully.

James took both from the dragon and nodded, "Thank you elder Marre, you have given me a lot to think on and consider"

Marre skimmed the surface of the boy's thoughts and grinned, in a couple of days he would see what happened, for better or for worse... he had a feeling of hope though and thought that a very interesting time was approaching for both species.

James strung the vial around his neck and took the bottle in his hand, "Do you have any further questions James?"

Marre asked, "If- if Cill and I did mate, we wouldn't have chil-hatchlings would we?"

Marre leaned down closely, "Of course not, what a silly idea", he replied, telling his first outright lie in centuries, in fact he did not know what would happen especially with Cill's magic in flux. However, he did not want to scare off the lad, after all... what were the odds?

James felt the sudden thud behind him as Nokala appeared.

"Well, he's all yours Noka", said Marre "He knows as much as he needs to know and I what I feel was safe to tell him"

Nokala grinned at the elder "And he's still standing too...well done" His eyes flicked rapidly to the bottle and then up to the small vial hanging round the humans neck "Shall we go then?", he asked James, making the small cage with his paw once more.

"Thank you again Elder Marre", James said with a bow towards the elder dragon "I shall try to follow your advice and not disappoint you or Nokala", stepping boldly into the dragons fist he waited for the shift back home.

The same chilled sensation left him more quickly as he found himself at the lakeside once more.

"Well met James," said Nokala as he opened his paw slowly "I'm sure things will work out well, have faith and follow Marre's advice" and with that the great dragon was gone.

James sank to the turf and let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling the adrenaline that had been keeping him upright drain away leaving him limp as a dishcloth. He staggered to his feet and managed to walk to where his horse was waiting. It took him several tries to get into the saddle and point the animal towards the keep but he slowly trotted home with a smile on his face

Marre looked up as Nokala reappeared in his laboratory, "Something on your mind Noka?" he asked mildly

"Was that vial what I think it was you devious old dragon?' asked Nokala with a grin.

"It was just in case the lad had any doubts about Cill's affection for him" Marre tried to keep the smile off his muzzle.

"So you're going to send him in there with drake musk on him?" Nokala grinned widely and clasped the old dragon in a hug as they both roared with laughter at the scene conjured up in their minds.

Back in her lair, Cill gnawed on a talon and came to a decision, sending a tentative thought out to her mother she hesitantly made herself known "Mama?" she murmured "Are you alright?"

She picked up the sense of sadness her mother was feeling and sent some affectionate thoughts to her, "I'm sorry I yelled at you mama", she whispered.

"I know dear", replied her mother, "I'm sorry if I interfered in your life but I was scared for you. Humans have brought so much fear and pain to us"

Cill nodded to herself, "James isn't like that though. I can tell he would not harm me"

Carlina sighed and wrung her paws "I hope so dear... "She hesitated "Do you really want to mate with him Cill?" she asked, fearing for the answer.

"I think so mama, it feels right and his heart is good and I know he wants me as much as I want him"

Carlina shook her head in dismay, this was going to cause trouble, but she could not interfere, not only had she broken dragon law by forcibly reading a sentient's mind without their permission ,she could drive her daughter away even more.

"I can't say I'm happy about that..." she murmured, "But if you need me... you know I am here for you if you want advice or feel like talking"

They shared a warm mental hug and Cill lay on her blanket thinking about her decision, she was feeling as if something was building in her and she didn't know what to do about it.

She crooned softly to herself as she thought of James, rubbing her breasts with one paw and sliding the other down to her swelling sex, writhing slowly she imagined his warm skin against hers and his strong hands caressing her. The images flashing through her mind, his words claiming her as his mate and his desire to be with her suddenly making her peak in a rippling climax that she moaned out loudly, his name on her lips as she fell asleep whilst hugging his blanket to her chest.

James slowly made his way into the mess hall and sat down for supper, trying to ignore the looks his fellow novices gave him. "So...did ya find anything interestin' out there today James?" Joe asked casually, noting the lad looked rumpled, pale and sweaty.

"No, just the usual trees and animals" James replied, wondering if he looked as bad as he felt.

"You just look a little rough there tonight" James nodded "Well I rode a lot, it tends to get you hot " the other novices laughed coarsely at this as if It was the funniest thing they'd heard all day.

James finished his food and walked back up to the bar, smiled at Jane and headed upstairs to bed, feeling the others eyes on his back all the way up the stairs.

Sitting at the table, Joe was concerned. The boy had not had sex with anyone; he knew the sight and smell of a satisfied male.

James gave off more the scent of fear, so what the hell was going on? Thinking back to what James had said previously he wondered, perhaps the lad is getting training from that deadly looking man.

As master-of- arms for the keep, he made his mind up to talk to him again and get to the bottom of this mystery, especially as it was making the other novices nervous too.

Someone had spread rumors of him keeping a woman in the woods but he knew the forest well enough to know there was not a woman staying in it for miles around. He smiled as he caught Jane's eye and she gave him a saucy wink in return so he was able to forget about his peculiar novice for a while.