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The Burning Earth: The Coming Storm

Chapter 1: A New Threat

Nights in the forest were always so peaceful and inspirational to Morgan. The sounds of crickets, the breeze of the wind, and the occasional sight of a forest wisp and the hooting of the owls at night reminded Morgan that her surroundings were teeming with life. To Morgan, long strolls in the forest allowed her to forget the loud noises and rude people at the village.

The forest was a place she could look for herbs for medicines, or forage for cooking ingredients. Sometimes, she would bring with her several canteens of water to water withering plants, or bring scraps of bread to feed the ducks in some of the creeks and ponds further from the village. Although she could sometimes hear the howling of wolves in the distance, she was never afraid of the wildlife. She preferred the company of animals to that of humans. She was never mistreated by anyone in the village, but cooking for hungry and drunk men could really wear her out. Usually on Friday nights, she would go into the forest with her pack and some supplies, and not return until Monday morning.

As it was already Saturday night, Morgan began to set up camp along the river. She had brought a fishing net, and with luck, would catch dinner. When she unpacked the net from her pack, it was tangled and had several large tears down the middle.

"Damn net. Next time I am bringing a fishing pole," Morgan mumbled to herself.

"Did someone say fishing pole?" a man behind her said, in a cocky sort of way.

Morgan looked behind her and saw a man in the tree line, holding a fishing rod.

"Seth! What are you doing this far from the village?" Morgan's voice was in shock as well as surprise. Seth was a tall, somewhat slender young man, with dark brown hair, and big brown eyes. He had visible muscles in his arms and torso from working in the lumber mill all day. He had the body of a soldier; however Morgan knew he had never held a sword in his life. She also knew Seth had a crush on her, but she viewed him only as a friend, and nothing more.

"Sorry if I startled you, but to answer your question, I followed you," Seth responded to her with an arrogant smirk on his face.

Before Morgan could respond, Seth muttered out, "Don't worry, I only came because Bill told me to go with you, but I was unable to leave when you did on Friday night. We are behind schedule at the mill, so I had to work a little overtime."

Despite being one of several villages in the vast, mostly uncharted kingdom of Lyria, Morgan's home village of Jeh's Crossing was the smallest village in the kingdom. Less than 40 men, women, and children called Jeh's Crossing home. The village was home to a lumber mill that produced timber for the capital city of Exikni.

"Why did Bill send you? I have been coming out here since I was 12!" Even though Morgan wanted to sound somewhat annoyed, she knew the old man was only looking after her. Ever since King Cole opened the kingdom to multiple races, more than just humans are now allowed to freely live in the area. Centaurs, goblins, Minotaurs, and supposedly, even dragons called the kingdom their home now.

"The man loves you like you are his own daughter, Morgan. He found you as a baby outside the village, and he took you in. He may not be your father, but he believes you are his responsibility. Besides, you are one of the only ones in the village he has taught the healing arts to."

It is true. Although Bill wasn't her father, she looked at him as if he was. Bill was getting old, and was almost completely blind. Maybe Morgan shouldn't be taking these trips anymore. She and Bill were the only ones in the village who could heal, and despite liking the culinary arts more than the healing arts, Morgan couldn't turn her back on the village clinic if they needed another healer. There are plenty of people in the village who can cook.

For a moment, Morgan and Seth just stared at each other. Finally, Morgan sighed, and beckoned him over.

"The way your hair looks in the moonlight is incredible. Your eyes also stand out," he chuckled, more to himself than to Morgan.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Aw, aren't you sweet. Now get over here and catch a fish with that rod of yours."

Seth still couldn't take his eyes off of her. The way the silver glare of the moon bounced off her face made her appear so radiant. Her flowing blonde hair touched her shoulders, and her glowing blue eyes lit up her face like candles in a beautiful, yet dark, room.

Even though Seth was a good looking man, Morgan felt like he was more of an older brother than anything else. "Since you look as if you saw the goddess herself and can't move your feet, I guess I will have to fish up dinner myself," Morgan said, and gave a nervous laugh. She grabbed the pole from his hands and began to walk back down toward the stream.

She noticed Seth wasn't following her, and turned around to see exactly what he was doing. She looked at him, and was startled to see the horror in his face.

"Don't move and maybe it will go away," Seth muttered in a hushed whisper.

Morgan slowly turned her head back toward the stream, and nearly fainted at the sight. Down at her camp, a large winged creature was staring up at them, the look of curiosity in its eyes. Though she could only really make out the silhouette of the beast, the glowing, yellow eyes were shining like twin suns in the night. Morgan had never seen any creature like it before, and knew almost immediately what it had to be. That was a dragon.

The three of them just stared at each other, not moving a muscle. Morgan couldn't believe her eyes. Although it was dark, the moonlight reflected off the creature. She could make out two large yellow eyes, looking directly back at her. They seemed to pierce right into her very soul. Morgan did not know much about dragons, only the obvious. They had wings, they resembled large lizards, and they could burn down entire villages with their breath. They also loved gold.

The dragon was the one who broke the silence. "I have been watching you, girl, from the sky, from the shadows, and from the mountains, for many years now. Although, I must admit I have never seen that one before." It lifted a claw toward Seth, and shifted it's almost paralyzing gaze towards him.

Seth remained silent. Morgan shifted her gaze to him, and noticed how terrified he looked. She had never known Seth to be afraid of anything. Once, when they were children, after a terrible storm Seth dove into the flooded river to rescue a little girl's kitten, and was nearly carried away by the current himself. But he saved the kitten and was seen as a hero in the villager's eyes.

Finally, Morgan looked at the dragon and said, as bravely as she could, "We don't want any trouble. Please do not harm us, and we will leave in peace." She did her best not to break eye contact, and as difficult as it was at first, she soon lost herself in the creature's eyes.

"Why have you been watching her for years?" Seth finally spoke up, but his voice cracked and he sounded as if he was punched in the middle of the throat halfway through his sentence.

"That is none of your concern. Though, I do apologize. I did not mean to startle you. I was only prepared to speak with her," the dragon said calmly, and nodded to Morgan.

"Listen, I have wasted enough time already. Your kingdom is in danger. I have seen many hooded men in the dark corners of the forest. One of them foolishly attacked me while I was hunting, and began muttering some form of gibberish. I took it as a threat, and after I 'took care' of him, I noticed his robe bore the sigil of the skull of a dragon with human skulls in the eye sockets."

Seth and Morgan both looked at each other with their mouths wide open. Surely, this beast was mistaken. That cult of demon worshippers had been dealt with decades ago. Anyone wearing their sigils was to be put to the sword immediately. The cult was taken that seriously.

"Yes, the demon cult has returned, and yes, they are performing their vile arts right under your king's nose. I wasn't sure how serious it was myself, until I came across an altar with the dissected corpses of centaurs. The air was thick with the stench of evil. I burned the altar to the ground, and flew off. I had no desire to approach any of the human villages, so I wasn't sure how to proceed," the beast told them as looked toward Morgan, and this time, he began to approach, slowly.

"I remembered that you would take long walks through this forest, and decided that I would entrust this information to you. You must tell your king of this immediately, before this cult grows powerful again," said the dragon, this time in a more serious tone. It looked at the two humans, and frowned. "I am sorry I didn't tell anyone sooner. Had I acted on this information a week earlier, perhaps this wouldn't be much of a big deal. But I have seen their numbers. They must have been recruiting heavily ever since the Great War ended nearly two decades ago."

The dragon turned away from the two humans, and began walking toward the river. "You must go warn your king immediately. I have some unfinished business with these cultists," was all the dragon said before it was in the air and flying in the opposite direction.

Seth and Morgan both looked at each other, nodded, and began to run back into the forest, towards their village.

Chapter 2: The Cult of Demon Worshippers

Korvorym flew through the clear, starry night, his shape illuminated by the full moon. Had he told them too much? They had a right to know about the cult activities happening right under their noses, but he wish he left the part about watching the girl out. He didn't mean to sound like he was stalking her, but he made a promise, and had no intention of going back on his word. As far as he was concerned, giving ones word means something important to him, and if he backed out of it, it would show the world he should never be trusted again.

Still, Korvorym couldn't get over the sight of the woman. Morgan, he believed was the name her guardians chose to give her. The last time he had actually seen her up close, she was just a baby. And human babies were not cute in Korvorym's eyes. He couldn't take his eyes off her pair of deep blue eyes. They were as blue as the deep sea, yet in the moonlight they were as bright as a clear sky during the day. Her wavy, blonde hair sparkled in the night, almost looking silver. He had never beheld such beauty in his life.

Korvorym knew all about Morgan. He was asked to watch over her by someone very special to him, and he would rather die than go back on his word. He was amazed a person, and a human at that, was capable of acting like Morgan. The way she cared about wild beasts, the trees, and the Earth was simply amazing to him.

He pushed those thoughts away, and decided to focus on the task at hand. He knew where one of those cultist camps was located. Deep in a valley where they were hard to spot to any wondering being. From the air, their camp was in as plain sight as blood in a pool of water. He began to fly in that direction.

These were the people who planned to engulf the world into another war: A war of disease, demons, fire, and hell. It was only luck the races of the world were able to beat the cult last time. Demons, giants, eight legged monstrosities, and human abominations were the enemy then. Korvorym knew. He fought against them in the Great War. But now, all Korvorym saw were a bunch of pathetic humans in red robes.

"Pathetic." Korvorym muttered to himself. They don't even have any of their monstrosities with them, at least from what he could tell. Korvorym knew the rules of the kingdom well, having suggested this rule himself. Anyone wearing a red robe of the Cult was to be put to death right then and there. Although Korvorym would rather not burn cultists today, the law was the law, and he had no intention of allowing this heresy to spread.

Before Korvorym got in range of the camp, a sudden jolt of pain in his left wing caused him to veer off course a bit. He looked at his wing and, to his utter shock, noticed it was folding up against him. It was only a few seconds later when his other wing was doing the exact same thing. Something, or someone, was doing this to him. It wouldn't be long until he crashed down below, right into the encampment. He tried to glide his way into a softer landing, but the rising suns glare was in his eyes, and he crashed right into a tent.

By the time Korvorym awoke, the sun was already high in the sky. He must have been out for a couple hours. He looked at his surroundings and noticed he was chained up into a cage, his body completely enclosed in some large, metal box. Only his head and neck were free. He had some type of muzzle around his mouth, and couldn't speak or use his fire to kill any of these men.

"Ah, awake at last, are you beast?" A cold, emotionless voice echoed from above him. The person who spoke must be on top of his cage. He couldn't arch his neck around to see, and when he tried, blood escaped from his neck. He must have cut his neck from the fall, or these cultists had some fun with their fancy little butter knives. If his neck was this bad, he didn't even want to know what the rest of his body looked like, although he could feel pain in his chest and underside. He must have broken a few bones.

"You will not look at me unless I give you permission, beast. Oh, and thank you for giving your blood to my men. Dragon's blood is a very valuable resource needed for our rituals," the cold voice said as he began to laugh.

Another voice came from behind Korvorym, this one sounding like it belonged to someone much younger. "Master, its wounds are severe. If you intend to keep this thing alive, we will need a healer."

Are his wounds really that bad? He couldn't inspect them himself, but his body was aching. Korvorym tried to ask these men what had happened to him, but his muzzle only let out muffled moans.

"Be quiet, beast! You will not speak unless I give you permission! You will learn your place before long!" This time, the cold voice sounded much more intense, as if yelling. Then again, humans had such small, tiny voices; it was hard to tell sometimes when they were yelling.

In an instant, Korvorym felt something inside his body snap. He moaned in pain, and fought back the tears. The cage shook a bit at his thrashing about. What was this man doing to him?

Korvorym saw a hooded man land in front him. He could only see his mouth; the rest of his face was shadowed beneath the hood. The smirk on his face made Korvorym's blood boil. "Try to speak out of turn again, beast, and I will break another one of your ribs!" The man looked in Korvorym's eyes and began to laugh in a most sinister way.

"Ah, you are wondering how I am harming you without actually touching you. It's the same way I brought you out of the sky," the man said, his voice as cold as ice. He slowly began to smile again, and with a snap of his fingers, another bolt of pain surged through the dragon, this time in his tail. It wasn't long before Korvorym began to lose consciousness.

The hooded man in the red robes turned and faced another cultist. "You! Send our 'pets' to the nearest village, and burn it to the ground. Bring back one person who is capable of healing injuries. Kill the rest, and display their bodies the way we discussed. That fool of a king will then know that we have returned, and we will not stop until the world is in flames, just as The One has foreseen."

Before losing consciousness, Korvorym knew the nearest village was Jeh's Crossing, Morgan's village, and there was nothing he could do to get there. He had failed his mission. And he would never be able to forgive himself.

The pain is what woke Korvorym up; the searing pain of broken bones all throughout his body. The pain was much worse than it was before. Maybe his body was in shock, and was no longer. He wasn't sure; he knew nothing about that kind of stuff.

Korvorym hadn't eaten since before the night he spoke to Morgan and her friend. It must have been at least two days since then. His body ached; the need to stretch was almost unbearable. Even more unbearable was the gnawing hunger he was feeling in his empty gut.

The thoughts of his needs quickly vanished when he saw her. There she was, huddled against a tent not 20 paces from where he was. She looked awful. Her clothes were tattered, her hair was a mess, and she had bruises all over her body. Morgan must have been the healer they retrieved from that village. But that must mean... No wonder the girl looked the way she did.

Morgan saw that the dragon was awake, and slowly began to crawl over to his cage. "We... We weren't fast enough," She told him, as she was trying to force back tears. "They killed everybody!" was all she could say before she broke down right in front of him. All Korvorym could do was look at her. His muzzle was still in place around his jaw, but he stretched his neck out so his head could nudge at her, in a sympathetic gesture.

"Get up, woman! I'm looking forward to another go after this morning!" A boisterous man said, happily, as he lifted the girl up by her hair and dragged her into a nearby tent. This infuriated Korvorym. How dare a man do this to the one he was supposed to protect.

Korvorym was helpless. There was nothing he could do. He heard muffled screams coming from the tent, and began to tear up. When he gets out of here he is going to devour that man. Even though Korvorym promised himself he would never eat another person, for personal reason as well as they are all bones and no meat, this was a special exception.

It was much to Korvorym's surprise when Morgan stumbled out of the tent, covered in blood. She was carrying something shiny. She frantically limped to Korvorym's cage, and plunged the device into the contraption around his muzzle. It snapped off, and fell to the damp ground. She had removed that horrid thing from him!

"Morgan, I am so sorry this has happened. Thank you for removing that thing from my face," was all Korvorym could say before she cut him off.

Morgan held a finger to her lips, and quietly whispered, "Shh, they will hear. I am going to unlock this thing. Can you fly?"

Korvorym tried to move his wings inside the cage, and could move them as much as the space allowed. "Yes, I think so," he mumbled to himself, as he felt his iron cage open up. He was finally free.

The dragon turned to Morgan. "Look away, you don't want to see what I am about to do." Before Morgan could even turn her head, Korvorym tore into the tent near where they stood, and with 2 bites, devoured the shocked, and wounded jailer. Though he hated the taste of humans, his growling gut finally stopped it's moaning at least.

"Get on my back. Use my tail to climb," Korvorym told her while he grinned. It wasn't the first time he had a person ride him, and as much as he hated the idea of a human mounting him as if he were a pony, this was no time to be annoyed. She just saved him from an unspeakable fate, so she earned it. Luckily the rear of his prison was facing the forest. He started moving slowly toward the tree line. If he took off in flight right now, that awful man may bring him down again. Every time he moved, his body ached. Korvorym hoped a few broken bones wouldn't be too terrible in flight.

By the time they were at a safe distance, Korvorym took to the skies. He decided to fly low, as it was still somewhat light out. The pain of flying was almost unbearable. Korvorym noticed his tail looked awkward, and the end of it dangled uselessly. That bastard, he thought to himself.

It wasn't long before Korvorym flew to the river, where he first spoke to Morgan a few days prior. The moment Korvorym hit the ground, he collapsed in exhaustion.

"I need to rest a moment. I feel as if half the bones in my body are broken," Korvorym bellowed, and quickly fell into a slumber.

Morgan stared at the sleeping dragon, and took his sight in. This was the first time she had actually seen this dragon in the daylight. He was covered in beautiful bronze scales, with dark brown blotches all over his back. The sunlight bounced off him as if his body were a shiny object. The underside of him was covered in a somewhat lighter color, similar to the color of wet sand at a beach. He had many scars all throughout his body, particularly on his belly. He had 2 large horns on the top of his head, pointing backwards, and along his neck were about 6 long, thin, needle like spikes. She guessed these would flare up if he were angry. On each side of his face was strange, cartilage like appendages, sticking straight out to the side. Morgan guessed that these were his ears, as they seemed to move about when a sudden noise like the chirping of a bird was heard in the distance. He was relatively large. He was about as tall as two horses put on top of each other, and from head to toe, easily about 25 feet, maybe even longer. Morgan wasn't the best at estimating measurements. His neck was rather long as well, probably 5 feet in length. She didn't think she could wrap both her arms around his neck completely, as it was wide as well as long. When they were flying, his wings stretched out very far. He appeared to have six limbs, but she heard stories about dragons or wyverns or whatever those other flying reptiles were called who only had 4 limbs. He must have been a different type. His long tail was meaty towards the base of his body, but slowly got thinner towards the end. Sharp fins lined the top of his tail, similar to the fins of a fish. Each fin looked quite menacing. The end of his tail had 2 very deadly looking spikes, almost like a trident without the middle point.

For a moment, she pitied the man in the tent. She didn't kill him, only used his dagger to cut his tongue out. He had to have still been alive when the dragon ate him. The thoughts of pity were quickly washed away when she remembered what he did to her that morning. He deserved that fate, and more.

Morgan tended to the dragon's wounds a little bit back at the cultist camp, although they wouldn't allow her to look for any herbs to use. This was no matter. She was at the river, and at this river grew amazing flowers she called White Crowns, although she knew that wasn't the name of them. When smashed up, these flowers were amazing at mending injuries, and even tasted very good for a healing plant. Bill told Morgan these flowers were magical, because when consumed, their effects lingered in the body for a day, and would remedy any wrong doing to a skeletal structure.

At least, that was what Bill had told her. Morgan had never actually used these flowers on anyone before. She had used them in a recipe for her favorite soup, though. They added a unique honey taste to any recipe she could think of.

After gathering a handful of White Crowns, she returned to the slumbering dragon. She took a small rock from the ground and began to crush the flowers into tiny bits. She set a few other stones up to make a small hole in the ground. She didn't have a cup so this would have to do. Morgan added some water from the river to the mixture, and began to mill the flowers and water together to form a sort of pasty substance.

"Mr. Dragon?" Morgan felt like a fool. Did she just call him 'Mr. Dragon?' Then again, he never told her his name.

Korvorym opened his eyes, and noticed Morgan staring at him with some type of mixture in her hands.

"What is that?" Korvorym stared at the mixture, but decided to take it anyway. After all, evidently Morgan had some knowledge in healing.

"This will help the pain and may even mend your broken bones," Morgan told him, with a smile. She heard him sigh. He put out his scaled hand like foot, and Morgan dumped the contents into his grasp. Korvorym tossed the mixture in his mouth, and was prepared for the bitter taste of healing herbs. But there was no bitter taste, only the taste of sweetness.

Korvorym began to lie his head back down against the rocks when Morgan began to speak, "You should come into the tree line; you won't be so exposed that way."

She had a point. Besides, the damp forest floor was bound to be more comfortable then jagged stones and rocks along the river bank. He started to rise, and slowly began to make his way to the tree line. Morgan followed alongside him. "I am going to go forage for food. You seem to have already, uh, eaten, but I haven't. I will be back in a few minutes. Okay?"

Korvorym nodded. Whatever she gave him, he was feeling a little dizzy. He found a nice spot that was covered in leaves, and collapsed. Not as cozy as his den, but this will suffice for now, at least.

Morgan returned after a few minutes and sat on a tree stump near the sleeping dragon. She had found a few nuts and berries, but nothing remarkable. Still, this was the life she loved: foraging for food, not staying in some cramped little room with a bed without cushioning, or a bustling village street below her. Well, her draconic companion seemed to be snoring rather loud, but it was still a peaceful scene. She wished she had a canvas and some paint: a sleeping giant predator at peace in the tranquil forests of Lyria.

Morgan was tired as well. The cultists at the encampment beat her when she refused to come with them. The way the dragon was sleeping on his side looked comfortable for him.

A deep voice startled her. "Come over, I know you want somewhere comfortable," the dragon said, yawning halfway through the sentence. Morgan was too busy staring at the dragon's underside to even realize he was looking directly at her. She got up and walked over to him, and he put his front leg around her and held her close to his chest. She was more or less sitting up against his chest while his front leg crossed over her lap. Even if she wanted to leave, she wouldn't be able to. She was completely locked in place. He wasn't as cold as she thought he would be.

Morgan leaned her head up against his chest, and could feel his beating heart. Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she looked to her right, and almost gasped at the sight. In between his back legs, a dark pink spear was poking its way out of a slit. Though she didn't have a real knack for measurements, once it stopped growing, it had to be around 14 inches long. It was wide and fat at the base, and slowly got thinner towards the tip, until she saw the spear shaped head, which was probably a little smaller than the size of her fist.

Morgan couldn't stop staring at it. As weird as it seemed, she found herself getting a little turned on. She finally turned away. Morgan had never seen the genitals of a male before, unless she counted that bastard back at the encampment, and that one looked like nothing more than a dried up fruit compared to this one. She looked at it again. This time she felt disgusted with herself. The lewdness at what she was thinking made her shake that thought out of her head. The pain of the events that had just taken place came back into her mind, and caused sadness to swell in her heart. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 3: A New Journey

Morgan woke up to the sound of screaming. She looked around, but saw no one. Morgan shut her eyes and sighed. It was her who was screaming. She blinked her eyes in shock, and slowly took a deep breath. Morgan took her hands and wiped her eyes. The moon was out, and was shining through the trees directly on top of her. She could feel the dragon's breathing against her back and turned to face him. He was staring right back at her, his piercing yellow eyes gazing right back at her own. Though she couldn't tell, it almost looked like there was sorrow in those big yellow eyes.

"Looks like we slept through the end of the day right into the night," Morgan said softly. "That was the first few hours of sleep I have gotten in a few days. I am sorry if I woke you."

"It is fine. It is late, and under the cover of darkness, I can fly you a greater distance. We are now well rested, and should get moving," the dragon replied in a stern voice.

What about him though? Morgan was concerned for his health. He barely managed to fly out of that encampment. Had the White Crown mixture helped him at all?

"Are you fit for travel? I don't want to wear you out. I can wait longer if you need more time to rest," Morgan said as she bit her lip. She really hoped that medicine mended his bones. She had no idea how she would mend them otherwise. The anatomy of a dragon was foreign to her.

Korvorym smiled. A few hours before she woke up, he was stretching his wings and felt no pain from his chest anymore. Whatever she gave him helped him tremendously. Perhaps there really was magic in those plants, but his race used those flowers for other purposes.

"As a matter of fact, I feel like I could go back to those cultists and burn them all to the very last man!" The dragon shouted, not caring who or what heard him. Of course, he wasn't being serious. He wanted to get as far away from those cultists as he could. Korvorym wasn't a coward, yet the power that cultist had over him truly terrified him. It reminded him of what happened in his past.

"I think I need to get to the capital city of Exikni and warn the king as to what is happening. Seth and I didn't get the chance," Morgan told him, and forced back tears when she mentioned Seth. He didn't deserve to die like that. She had last seen him being dragged off by some sort of vicious beasts.

"Well, climb my tail and get on," the dragon told her.

Morgan approached his rear and without even realizing it, looked at the slit where that monster came out a couple hours ago. She quickly looked away, and climbed on his back. Before she could even settle in, they were already in the air.

Korvorym was amazed. Morgan was not terrified of flying. She didn't scream now and she didn't scream when they flew from the encampment. During the Great War, Korvorym flew some of the bravest men he knew into battle, and they sometimes even screamed when he jumped into the air. She did not scare easily. Even when that bastard was dragging her into his tent, she had the look of defiance in her eyes and face. Korvorym admired her greatly for this. She almost had the heart and courage of a dragoness.

They quickly ascended, much higher than the last time. Although it was dark, the view was still incredible. Morgan wondered what would happen if they flew up to the stars. Could they be little gems the gods put in the night sky? She laughed out loud at the thought.

The dragon snaked his neck back toward her. "What's so funny? You better not be thinking about my penis. I saw you looking at it before you fell asleep, and I saw you looking at my slit before you got on top of me."

Morgan froze; her laughter came to an abrupt halt. She had never been more embarrassed in her life. Luckily, the moon was behind a cloud, otherwise the redness on her face would have been visible from miles away.

"Well, if you didn't want me to look at it, maybe you shouldn't have allowed it to come out. It was rather hard not to notice, what with it being 5 feet away from me," Morgan told him in a serious tone. Before he could remind her that she was peaking at him before getting on top, she quickly added, "I was actually thinking of something silly; something about the stars."

"Wondering what would happen if we get too close or try to touch one?" Korvorym laughed, more to himself than to Morgan. "Every hatchling dreams of flying to a star and adding it to their little hoard of treasure. But no, it isn't possible. They are too far up in the sky."

Morgan smiled, and shook her head. "Are you comparing me to a dragon hatchling?"

Korvorym simply gave a chuckle. He hadn't seen a hatchling in years. The last time was probably more than 20 years ago. Hatchlings were always fun, with their constant nagging, and ridiculous questions. Many dragons would grow weary of being nagged by hatchlings, but Korvorym just had an aptitude for children.

They flew for hours, until night became day, and the sun was high in the sky. The view was even more amazing in the day. Morgan had no idea just how vast the kingdom of Lyria was. Trees and mountains in all directions, though she believed she could see the coast to the west. The dragon started to descend. He had been rambling on about how he was hungry, and how that jailer barely even filled him up. Morgan was getting a bit hungry as well, and could also use some water.

They landed in a small clearing, after what seemed like hours. The dragon circled the area multiple times to make sure there was so danger. The location was perfect. There was a small pond as well.

Morgan dismounted the dragon and headed for the pond. She heard the dragon tell her to stay here and he will be back in a while, though she was already drinking from the clear, sparkling pond. Something caught her eye to her right. A few feet away, a funny looking tree was growing. What was one of these doing all the way out here? She was told they only grow to the Far East. She quickly harvested the little nuts from the tree and began cracking open their shells, and eating the green nut inside. She loved the taste of pistachios.

After she had eaten a handful of them, she went back to the pond and began to undress. She hadn't bathed in days, and she wanted to clean the dried blood from her face and hands. Her clothes were already ruined, and covered in dried blood as well. It didn't matter, she knew getting them wet now would only make things worse, and she could easily catch a cold if she wore wet clothes into the night. She had no intentions of flying on the back of a dragon naked.

Morgan had forgotten how nice the water felt. The pond was somewhat cool, but it didn't bother her at all. She only wished she had a bar of soap with her. After a few minutes, she got out of the pond and sat upon a small boulder. She squeezed her hair dry, and decided to use one of her socks to dry the rest of her body. She didn't think she would need it. They were only about another day away from Exikni. She couldn't keep her mind from going over all the things she wanted to do when she got there. Buy food at the bakery, get new clothes, and maybe buy a pair of boots. And get soap. The thoughts quickly blew away when she remembered she didn't have any money.

The sadness that crept in from the thought she didn't have any money was replaced with pure terror when she saw that the dragon was about 20 feet away from her, staring at her with his mouth open. And of course, Morgan could easily see the pink spear under his belly. Below his head, a dead deer lay motionless on the ground. It must have fallen from his mouth. Morgan just stared at him and he stared back.

Korvorym looked her over, even though he was trying to fight the urge not to. Her mammary glands immediately caught his eyes. He couldn't take his eyes off those, round, fleshy mounds. Each one had a small pink nub at the tip. He knew those were what they called nipples. His eyes then looked a little lower to her stomach. She was skinny, though not in an unhealthy sort of way. She had nice curves. Korvorym liked the curves more than anything. Below her stomach, he spotted two, pink lips, moisture gleaming inside them. They were almost calling out to him. He couldn't shift his gaze away from her sex. He had never seen a naked human woman before. Just as he couldn't turn his eyes away, Morgan couldn't turn her eyes away from his own mating organ.

Finally, Korvorym was able to break free from her visage of beauty. "I am so sorry, I brought some food back and I saw you like that and I just couldn't turn away," Korvorym looked down at the deer, clearly embarrassed. He looked back up at her, and saw that she was still staring below his underside. Korvorym lay down on the grass, as if attempting to hide it. Morgan snapped her head back up, as if free from some sort of spell. She grabbed her shirt and quickly put it on, and walked over to where the deer carcass and the dragon were. She stopped right in front of the dragon's head, and looked down at the carcass.

Korvorym was in disbelief. His face was a mere inches away from her uncovered sex. The smell of her scent filled his nostrils. Had she forgotten to put her pants on, or was she just teasing him? Morgan seemed to have gotten the hint, and let out a gasp as she ran back to the boulder where her pants were. She quickly put them on, at first she put them on backwards she was going so fast. Korvorym started to laugh. His laugh started to turn into a series of laughs, and before Morgan knew it, he was on his back rolling on the grass laughing. His exposed mating tool was flopping around as he rolled and laughed. If she wasn't so embarrassed she might be laughing as well.

Morgan crossed her arms and looked at the laughing dragon. "Laugh it up, Mr. Erection."

The dragon started to laugh even harder, "Is it Mr. Erection now? That's better than, what did you call me before? Was it Mr. Dragon?" Korvorym finally started to calm down and rolled back on his belly.

"Well, you really never told me your name. What else am I supposed to call you?" Morgan asked.

Trying his best not to respond in a smartass kind of way, Korvorym decided to be honest. He looked at her in the eyes, and smoke in a voice full of pride, "My name is Korvorym, but you can call me Kor. That is what my human friends called me."

Did he say human friends? So this dragon was actually known to humans at one point. Morgan decided not to ask him any more questions. She was starving, and even though she didn't care for venison, that deer was calling her name.

"Well, I am pleased to meet you Kor. My name is Morgan, but you can call me Mor. That is what my dragon friends called me." Morgan couldn't help herself, and burst out giggling almost before she finished talking. The dragon started to laugh as well and began to smile.

"Good one, very funny. Now what were those nuts you were eating earlier?" He asked her, as he began to use his claws to cut the fur away from the deer carcass.

"They are called pistachios. At least that is what I was told they were called." Morgan tried to explain they also had shells you had to crack open. She had eaten those pistachios at least 15 minutes ago. Just how long had he been watching her? She decided to not ask him, and instead led him to the little tree.

She demonstrated on how to open them, and told him that the green nut like seed is what you want to eat. Of course, Kor didn't listen, and instead shoved at least 20 in his mouth and started to chew.

"No, you don't want the shells!" She tried to get him to stop, but he gently pushed her back with his front hand like foot. She stared back at him, looking in his yellow eyes. She could hear the crunching of the shells as he was chewing, and he finally swallowed.

"These are not bad. Definitely better than those peanuts I have had before. Those things almost made me vomit," he told her as he made a funny face, as if to show his disgust.

Morgan hesitated at first, but asked him anyway. "You do not like peanuts? What is wrong with you! Back in my village, I could make these little bars with smashed peanuts, sugar, and caramel, and cooked them in an oven. They were so good!"

Kor looked at her for a moment, and then asked her a question she should have seen coming. "Could you make those with these things instead of peanuts?" He looked away from Morgan, and began sniffing the tree for more pistachios.

Morgan never even considered what pistachio bars would taste like. She had only had a few pistachios in her life, but something told her that a pistachio bar wouldn't taste that good. Though, while she was here, she may as well take as many pistachios as she could. She walked over to the tree and began to fill her pockets with the nuts.

"I honestly do not know if that would be tasty or not, but seeing as how much you like these things, even with the shell on," Morgan smiled at him. "I suppose I could try to make them for you sometime, once we get to the city. I need caramel and sugar as well."

Morgan motioned to the deer carcass. Kor had already skinned it, for the most part. "You know, with some salt sprinkled on it for seasoning, and a nice cooking spit, that could really be tasty," she told him. Alas, she didn't have salt, nor did she have cooking equipment.

The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. Kor looked up, and saw storm clouds coming from the North. "It looks like a storm is headed this way. We should eat and be on our way," Kor told her. He looked at the bloody carcass, and then looked at Morgan. Her face looked a little bit disgusted. "I normally eat meat raw, but I suppose I could roast this for you. You may want to stand back."

Morgan heeded his advice, and took a few steps away from the carcass. Kor opened his mouth, and a steady stream of hot fire scorched the carcass and the ground it was set on. With a few wing beats, he easily put the fires out, and began to cut into the carcass with his talons. He tore out a chunk of flesh, and tossed it to Morgan.

Morgan happily took a bite of the meat. It was a little plain tasting, but her growling stomach didn't complain. She looked up at the dragon and saw that he easily popped the rest of the corpse into his mouth and swallowed in a single gulp.

"I usually could eat about 4 of these things, and would still be hungry, but I can eat my fill once I get you to safety. Now get your ass back on top of me," Kor told her.

Morgan blushed at what he just said. If he was a human, she would have started laughing at him right then, but seeing as he had no idea at what he just said could mean something else entirely, she did as he asked. Within a few moments, they were in the air, and flying in the direction of Exikni.

Chapter 4: The Fields of the Vanquished

They had been flying for a couple of hours now. It would have been close to supper time back home. Morgan thought of how she would have been cooking Bill some mashed potatoes and gravy, with a little biscuit to dip in.

Bill.

The man had raised her and loved her like she was his own daughter. The man who had took it upon himself to teach Morgan his craft. The man who was utterly helpless as those things came into the clinic and eviscerated him. Morgan will never forget the sight of those things feasting upon his body. The thought of it sent chills down her spine.

Morgan forced those images out of her mind. Bill wouldn't have wanted her to remember him by how he died, but rather how he lived. She shut her eyes and tried to sleep, however difficult that would be while flying on the back of a dragon. Korvorym broke the silence.

"Are you okay?" He asked her. The tone of his voice was genuinely sympathetic. She opened her eyes and noticed a tear had landed on his scaly back. He must have felt it drop.

"I don't know if I am okay, to be honest. I sometimes get the images of what happened out of my mind, and I feel normal again. Then they slowly creep back in and I am forced to relive everything all over again." Korvorym could feel her hands rub against his backside. "I was the only one they spared at my village. Not even the children were spared. Seth and I arrived to the village in flames, and bodies were everywhere." Morgan paused a moment, and then let it out. "I saw the kind man who raised me from a baby, even though I wasn't his to raise, suffer a horrible death."

Morgan wasn't sure, but she believed the dragon let out a surprised gasp. "He is dead then? Bill?" Korvorym looked behind him, at Morgan; his eyes were glistening with sadness. He knew Bill?

"Yes. He is dead. As is Seth, Mr. Brewer, Tamara, and Benjamin. All of my friends." Morgan let out a sigh. "You knew Bill? He raised me like I was his own. He was the closest thing to a father I had."

Korvorym turned his head away from Morgan. "I never knew my parents either," he told her, dodging the question. He didn't want to talk about Bill right now. He only told her about his parents to make her feel a little better. Thankfully, the woman didn't press him for any details, and remained silent.

They began to fly over terrain that was drastically different than the forest. Here, there were no trees or grass. The soil was black and looked as if death itself claimed this part of the Earth. For miles in every direction, there was no living thing below them; only dead trees and what appeared to be destroyed siege engines. This had to be the site of a very large battle.

"The Fields of the Vanquished," the dragon said, although it sounded as if he was saying it to himself, rather than Morgan. "This was the location of the last battle during the Great War. Here, the cultists used unforgiveable magic in an attempt to make this part of the planet uninhabitable. They almost succeeded." Korvorym looked at Morgan. "Yes, I fought in the Great War, along men, goblins, dragons, and other races. It was many years ago, but it feels as if it were yesterday. Many living creatures died that day, Morgan."

Morgan looked back down at the black fields. It looked as if a massive forest fire burned through this part of the kingdom. Morgan's gaze fell upon what appeared to be a large crater.

"What is that crater over there? It looks as if there is a cave below the surface of the Earth and it caved in," Morgan asked the dragon. She couldn't take her eyes off the crater. It looked so familiar to her, and gave off a vibe that made her want to be as far away from it as possible.

Korvorym glanced over at the large crater, but quickly turned away. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. The painful memories of loss and regret all came back to him when he stared at that crater.

"Maybe I will tell you what that is another time. Not now. If you do not mind I would like for us both to be silent until we reach green land again. Close to a million beings lost their lives in the blink of an eye below us, and I would like to pay my respects by not speaking as if their corpses were not there," Korvorym said firmly. He didn't mean to sound harsh when he said that to her. "I witnessed a lot of death and pain here and I want to be as far away from this place as soon as possible. I hope you understand, Morgan."

She did. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see the way Jeh's Crossing looked right now. She gently rubbed his neck with her hands, as if she was trying to rub his sorrows away.

Her touch made him feel calm, and the sadness that was creeping in to his soul was washed away at the feeling of her warm hands. Gods, that feels good. It felt as if her touch was flushing all the sorrow, hatred, and other emotions from his body. The pain went away and Korvorym decided to focus again on the task at hand. He promised him. He gave his word he would watch over her. Her safety was all that mattered to him now.

"The city of Exikni is right ahead of us, only... It is so dark. Usually it is lit up with lights." Korvorym landed directly in the city square, and was stunned to find that it was deserted. The entire city appeared to be a ghost town.

"Where is everyone?" Morgan asked, as she looked at the cobbled road and noticed items scattered here and there, as if people were leaving in a hurry and decided not to come back for them.

Korvorym looked around, alarmed at the sight of the empty city that was at one time bustling with activity. "Morgan, take what you need from that shop and come back here. We need to leave as soon as we can."

Morgan looked at the startled dragon, and saw the concern in his big yellow eyes. She nodded, and headed inside the general store. The store didn't appear to be looted. It looked as if only the necessities were taken, and in a hurry. She grabbed two travel packs from a shelf and began stuffing one with clothes, and the other with soap and basic survival gear. She hesitated when she grabbed a fishing net, and instead grabbed a detachable fishing rod. She also grabbed a basic dagger from a display case. She headed for the door and shut it on her way out.

She started to head for Korvorym when she saw a familiar sign in the corner of her eye. She looked at it and smiled. Morgan ran back inside the general store and grabbed another travel pack, and headed to the shop across the street. This shop was the candy store.

She filled her pack with caramel, a sack of sugar, and other sweats. Morgan grabbed a few lollipops and a few bottles of her favorite beverage. She loved these drinks. They were carbonated, sugary, liquid goodness in a glass bottle.

Korvorym noticed Morgan running towards him with another bag filled with stuff. He wasn't in the mood to be making any sarcastic pack mule jokes, so he helped her get back on his back with the rest of her travel packs, and he was airborne again in a few seconds.

For a long while, none of them said a word. Korvorym didn't know what he was going to do now. His plan was to drop Morgan off and warn the king about what has happened, but from the looks of things, the king already knew. And he chose to flee.

Korvorym didn't have much of a choice. He was going to fly Morgan as far away as he could from Lyria. His only concern was that Lyria was the only kingdom he was aware of that offered safety for dragons. He could very well be killed if he was found in another kingdom. Many humans tended to forget what the dragons did for them during the Great War. Outside of Lyria, they were still hunted for sport and fun. Korvorym decided he would fly to the neighboring kingdom of Tiberia.

Tiberia wasn't as vast as Lyria, but it was just as sparsely populated. Unlike Lyria, Tiberia was filled with hills and plains, lakes and waterways, and teeming with mountain ridges. It wasn't as beautiful as Lyria was from the air, but it was the perfect place for a dragon to live. Korvorym had only been to Tiberia once, and it was in his youth.

When they crossed the border, Korvorym was thankful for the cover of darkness. He wasn't comfortable flying in unfamiliar skies. Whenever he saw the lights of a settlement in the distance, he would turn in a different direction.

He looked behind him, and saw that Morgan was sleeping. He had no idea how she could sleep while in the air, and at risk of falling to her death. She really was brave. He started thinking about her; the way her naked body looked, how she freed him from his prison, her embarrassed expression when he told her to get her ass back on top of him. Korvorym laughed to himself. He said that on purpose to see if she blushed. And she did. Surely that must mean she was at least somewhat interested in him? He had grown to love her over the years he watched her. He was always wondering if she would love him back if she knew he existed, but was always too scared to show himself to her.

In fact, he meant to approach her the day before he spoke to her for the first time, but he chickened out. Perhaps her village would still be intact, and all those people would still be alive if he had had the courage to war her about the cult the night she left her village, instead of the night after.

"Everything happens for a reason," Korvorym whispered to himself. The old bastard, Bill, had once told him that. He still didn't really believe in that saying, but maybe he was right. Korvorym still couldn't believe Bill was dead. He fought alongside him in the Great War, and he was tough as nails then. Korvorym was sure that he could even survive being set aflame by a dragon's fire. And those cultist bastards gave him a coward's death.

Korvorym turned his thoughts to the present, and saw a promising location to rest, and maybe even stay. Inside the wall of a very high cliff, a large dark cave entrance could be seen, as well as a waterfall gushing out of the dark hole.

When Korvorym approached the massive cliff, he noticed many more holes in the wall, but this one was the biggest and the only one with water coming out. It was perfect. No human or any other creature could get up here unless they had wings. Korvorym flew into the hole and began to tidy up. He carefully woke Morgan up and told her where to put her things. She slid off him, and did as he asked, and began to rummage through her packs.

Thankfully, the cave was unoccupied, and had more than enough room. He couldn't make out the origin of the source of the water, but he did see a small hole in the back wall that was much too small for him to get through. He turned his head around and found himself staring right at Morgan's rear end. She was busy rummaging through one of her bags, so he decided to just admire her form.

"There it is!" Morgan exclaimed happily. She pulled a blanket out of the bag, and turned around and saw the dragon immediately turn his head to look at the wall. She unfolded the blanket and put it down on the dry, bare cave floor, and sat down. She rolled onto her side and looked at Korvorym.

"Come over. I know you want somewhere comfortable," she said the exact same thing he said to her a few days ago. He laid his head down next to hers, and sprawled out on his belly. Morgan could feel his hot breath escape from his nostrils and touch her face. She was already shivering, but it felt nice as it acted like the warmth of a flame. He unfolded his wing and put it over her body, as if it were a blanket.

"Good night Kor," Morgan said as she yawned.

"Good night Mor," The dragon whispered to her as he closed his eyes.

Chapter 5: First Experiences

That night, Morgan dreamt of Korvorym. She dreamed that they became lovers, and spent many years in this cave. In her dream, she had no shame in admitting she had fallen in love with a creature that wasn't human, and had no shame in showing her love for the rest of the world to see. She dreamed that Seth and Bill and all her friends from her village were there, even the ones she didn't like, and that they were all happy that she had found love, regardless with who she had found it with. Though she had been having nightmares lately, this was the first dream that was a good dream. It was a happy dream. She didn't want to wake up, and was a little irritated when the sounds of birds singing caused her to open her eyes.

Korvorym was still fast asleep, and he was slightly twitching a bit. It looks like he was having a dream, as well. Morgan hoped that it was a happy dream, like the one she had, and not a nightmare.

The cave was a lot more illuminated during the day. The sun was shining into the mouth of the cave, and she was able to more easily see her surroundings. Morgan walked to the mouth of the cave, and saw a lonely tree that was growing awkwardly on the side of the cliff. She smiled to herself when she saw a birds nest filled with hungry little hatchlings, all singing loudly.

Morgan turned around and headed back into the cave. Korvorym was still sleeping, but his twitching had stopped. She walked past him and began to follow the small stream of water. At the back of the cave, there was a small opening that appeared to lead to the source of the water. However, the sun's light didn't reach back this far, and it was too dark for Morgan to even considering crawling back there.

She walked back to where the blanket and the sleeping dragon were and sat back down, and leaned up against Kor's side. Every time he breathed in, his chest would expand, causing Morgan to rise with it a bit, and every time he exhaled, she would sink with his deflating lungs. Morgan could hear his heart beat from where she rested her head. His scales were rather cool right now, and felt as if they were hard as a rock. Yet they were smooth, and beautiful to look at.

Morgan decided to let him sleep. He had been flying nonstop for the past day, and for all she knew, that could have been very tiring for a winged creature. With the sound of his heart beating, and her rising and falling against the side of his chest, Morgan started to doze off again. Before sleep took her, she mentally told herself she would tell Kor of her feelings for him when they were both awake.

Korvorym finally awoke, and with a yawn, opened his yellow eyes. He could feel Morgan lying up against his side. He turned his head back to look at her, and his heart warmed at the sight. Her head was facing his, yet it was up against the side of his body, as if he was a pillow. Her eyes were closed, and she had a slight smile on her face. She looked so peaceful. For one who had endured so much pain and trauma in such a short period of time, she seemed to be doing alright.

For a long while, Korvorym simply looked at her. Just looking at her put him in a better mood. She was still wearing her bloody, linen shirt, and a pair of torn, poorly made pants. He saw she was missing a sock on one of her feet, and her shoes were off and nestled between her packs. Korvorym wondered what was in the third pack she got, but decided to let it go. He didn't want to pry into her things. For all he knew, it could be some sort of human feminine hygiene product or something like that. He did notice the small dagger that was tied to one of the packs. For all the years he had watched her walk in the forest, he had never seen her carry a weapon. Maybe the encounter with the cultists did affect her more than he thought.

Korvorym turned his gaze back toward Morgan, and saw that her eyes were open, and she was looking right at him.

"Hey," Morgan said in a very soft voice. Her mouth turned into an ever greater smile, and she brought her hands up to his chest and began to pet him.

Korvorym chuckled to himself. What was he, a cat? Still, he enjoyed the attention, and he loved the feeling of her hands on his scales. A funny sounding squeak escaped from his mouth as her hands started to tickle him. Korvorym began to laugh, and began to shift his body uncomfortably. Damn. He was hoping she wouldn't find out he was ticklish.

"Alright, alright, stop tickling me. I am afraid if you keep doing it, I may, oh; I don't know, roll over and crush you. On accident, of course." He let out a low moan as she began to rub his side.

Morgan giggled out loud. "You think this feels good, I should give you a full body message sometime," Morgan told him, and continued to rub the side of his chest. "In Exikni, they had these spas where women would massage your weary muscles, and would rub you down with lotions, all while you were being treated like royalty."

Korvorym liked the idea of being treated like royalty. But being poked and prodded by humans all day would probably get on his nerves a bit. Unless, of course, the women were all like Morgan.

"I think I would like that very much sometime, if you don't mind, that is," Korvorym told her.

"Do you like getting your belly rubbed?" Morgan asked him, grinning.

"Okay, now you are treating me like I'm some cat or dog, or some other furry little beast. I am a dragon, not a furry little pest. I do not know if I would like that or not," Korvorym replied, his voice rather husky sounding.

However, he wasn't sure if he would like her rubbing him to begin with, and he actually enjoyed that tremendously. "Oh, fine. Let me roll on my back though," the dragon quickly added.

Morgan stepped away from him, and he shifted his position over to where the blanket was. He rolled on his back, and propped his neck and head up against the cave wall. He looked at Morgan, and she looked as if she was unsure how to get on top of him.

Korvorym reached at her with his front foot like hand, and grabbed her and put her on his chest. The sight of her on top of him was making his heart beat very quickly. She reached down on his chest and began to rub her palms against his scales. Korvorym couldn't decide if it made him feel good, or if it made him fall more in love with her than before. Definitely both, he decided.

Korvorym knew this was making him hard as a rock, but at this point, he didn't care. He didn't try to hide his erection, and he felt no shame at having one to begin with this time. Morgan continued to rub his chest, and slowly began to work her way to his stomach. Any moment she would see she had a "visitor" longing to be greeted right behind her.

The feeling of her rubbing his stomach felt surprising nice. No wonder those little furry bastards liked it so much, Korvorym concluded. His heart was beating so loud, he could subconsciously hear its beating echoing in the cave. Korvorym closed his eyes for a moment, and was startled when he felt Morgan lay down atop his chest and hug him.

Morgan could hear and feel the thudding of his heart. She even pressed her ear up against his chest, just to hear it more clearly. To her, it sounded like a drummer was beating a drum nonstop.

Morgan gave out a small chirp when she felt something warm poke her bare feet. She froze. She knew what it was, and yet, she felt no shame whatsoever at wiggling her toes against it.

Korvorym opened his eyes at the sensations he was feeling. Looking directly back at him were Morgan's beautiful deep blue eyes, filled with love. Korvorym opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Morgan lifted her finger up to her lips, like she did back at the encampment, and made a "Shh" sound.

"Don't say anything, I will find a way to make this enjoyable for us both," she whispered at him.

So, Morgan was taking charge. If any dragon found out he let a woman handle him this way, they would tease him about it until the day he died. Still, Korvorym didn't care what anyone else thinks. He decided to let her do her thing, while he watched her intently.

Morgan opened her mouth, and began to kiss his softer scales covering his stomach. She ran her tongue along them, up and down his stomach. The sensations almost proved too much for him to handle. He had never felt or experienced this type of pleasure before. She then did the same to his chest area, using her lips and her tongue.

Korvorym moaned. By the gods, this felt incredible. He had no idea his underbelly was so sensitive. Korvorym watched Morgan as she licked and kissed an old battle scar caused by being pierced by a spear. She seemed to pay that area a lot of attention, as if the wound was still fresh and she was trying to clean it with her tongue, like how a dragon would.

Morgan looked back up into Kor's eyes, and saw nothing but love, caring, and of course, lust, staring back at her. She turned around and stared at the member looking back at her. It was exactly how she remembered it. Dark pink, about 14 inches in length, and it was tapered, yet at the tip, the part only inches from her face, looked similar to the head of a spear, and was slightly smaller than her fist. At the base, near the slit, were what looked to be a few bumps, though these were a purplish color, not dark pink like the rest of the organ.

Morgan tossed off her bloodied shirt, and took her pants and her one sock off. He had already seen her naked, so she didn't care for modesty this time. She felt his eyes focus in on her butt. Morgan was by no means a stereotypical beautiful fairy tale princess that old woman Jude often read stories to her about back home. Still, she felt she had a nicely shaped butt, and felt it was one of her best features. She knew it was curvy and in nice shape. Hiking through the woods over the years toned it rather well.

Morgan took a hand and smacked it against her butt. She heard Kor chuckle a little, as she began to crawl to where the base of his mating tool rested. She got a closer look at the purple colored bumps at the base. His shaft was rather fleshy at the base, and she reckoned she could barely wrap her hand around it, if not at all. Still, she reached out and began to rub the bumps with both her hands. She could hear Kor mumble something to himself, and he began to make a few low moans.

Morgan kissed the bumps and started to run her tongue along them as well. Before she could even reach them all, Kor began to speak to her.

"Morgan, I am getting near release," Kor warned her, his voice sounding like he was almost out of breath.

An idea popped into Morgan's mind. She was still a virgin. The man at the encampment wasn't interested in that part of her body, but a different part. She could feel liquid escape from her vagina, and drip on to Kor's pelvic area. If he could feel a tear drop, surely he was feeling this as well.

Morgan climbed back over to the dragon's belly, and grabbed the spear shaped head. It was nearly as hot as a flame, and seemed to respond to her touch by leaking a large glob of clear liquid. The member was rather prehensile like, but not completely. She guided the head to her already slick entry way, and shoved it in with all the force she could muster. It went in as far as it could, and Morgan let out a tiny gasp of pain. The warmth and heat it was putting off was an incredible feeling. She saw blood run down the dragon's tool, and knew her hymen had been torn, but that didn't stop her. With his spear inside her, she rolled over so her face was facing Kor's chest and began to kiss and lick at his underbelly. She continued to do this for at least another minute.

Korvorym could feel the pressure of his orgasm building, and could fee his member throb and twitch. He let out an incredible roar that shook the cave, and gave in to the pleasure and released his seed. He and Morgan were looking at each other the entire time. For a moment, he was worried the force of his ejaculation would shoot Morgan straight off him, but he only saw her eyes roll back into her head, and watched as she began to moan in a way he has never heard a woman moan before. In addition to his own fluids running down his shaft and splattering his scales, he felt hers drip down as well.

Morgan had never felt this feeling before. The head of his shaft swelled to a greater size inside her, and waves of fluid erupted within her like a volcano. The warmth of a hot fluid filled her instantly, and the sensation of the blast was too much for her to handle as her own orgasm erupted from her own body.

For a long moment, they simply stayed in this position. Korvorym was panting heavily, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, while Morgan was running a hand up and down his stomach. She wasn't touching him, but it looked like she was tracing his scales with her finger.

Morgan could feel the head of his shaft start to soften and ease its way out of her hole. What would her friends say if she told them she lost her virginity to a dragon? On second thought, she didn't care. Her friends were dead, and even if they were alive, it wouldn't really matter what they thought. She turned head around and saw the now wet and sticky snake like member slowly start to retract back into the slit; its own little lair.

She turned her head back around, and, looking back at the dragons amazing yellow eyes, Morgan began to speak, but was cut off. Korvorym held a finger to his mouth and made a "Shh" sound. Morgan gasped at him and playfully punched him in the stomach. She stretched out on him and closed her eyes, his breathing causing her to rise and fall. It almost felt like she was on a cloud. Korvorym was right. She wanted to enjoy this feeling while it lasted.

Chapter 6: A Surprise for Kor

A familiar rumbling noise woke the both of them from their slumber. The side of Morgan's face was rubbing up against Kor's stomach, and she was startled when she heard the rumbling sound again. She heard the dragon give out a sigh while she lifted her head up. She could easily smell the scent of sex in the air. It gave off a very strong odor. Although it didn't really bother her, she wished she had brought some scented candles with her. She reached down to her inner thighs and rubbed them. Her entire lower body was covered in dried sexual fluids, and the feeling brought back the pleasure they had each felt a few hours ago.

"Morgan, that felt amazing. I had never felt that way in my life. I wasn't even sure it was possible for my body to feel that that way," Korvorym told her, his face was marked with a serious expression.

Morgan looked back at him. It was dark inside the cave now, but Kor's eyes seemed to look like two candles floating in the darkness.

"I have never felt that way either Kor, it felt incredible to me as well," Morgan said as she crawled up from his belly all the way up to his neck, and hugged him tightly. "By the way, you should have seen your face. Your spines on the back of your head and upper neck all flexed out. It was a rather imposing sight."

Korvorym smiled at that. He didn't want her to ever let go of him. He had always dreamed of Morgan giving her love to him, but he didn't think it would make him feel so proud and content. Korvorym looked at Morgan's leg and saw a long stream of dried blood, reaching from her sex to her foot.

"Was I your first? I am sorry if I hurt you. If I had known, I would have..." Was all Kor could say when Morgan cut him off.

"Yes, it hurt a tiny bit, but the pain was immediately replaced with pleasure," Morgan reassured him, as she nipped at the scales on his neck. However, she was startled as this time, her stomach made a roar of its own.

"It is dark outside, Mor. I am going to go hunt some food. Will you be okay up her by yourself for a while?" Korvorym asked her, as he stroked her bare back with his clawed front hand, taking care not to cut her.

"Yes, I will be fine. While you are gone, could you look for a small tree branch? I want to use it for something," Morgan asked him, as she gently reached her head up and kissed him on his snout. He let out an exhale as warmth escaped from his nostrils, and blew her blonde hair back like a gust of wind.

Korvorym looked back at her incredible eyes. "Of course, anything for you," he whispered to her.

Morgan slid off the side of his neck and walked towards her backpacks. She heard Kor get up, and tell her he would be back soon. Before she could turn her head to respond, she heard the beating of wings, and he was already away from the mouth of the cave.

"He must have really been hungry," Morgan said aloud, and began to laugh, almost oblivious to her own gnawing hunger.

Morgan was rummaging through her packs, looking for a bottle of that sugary beverage. She was thirsty, but wasn't in the mood for water. Even though the cave water was very fresh, and tasted of minerals, she wanted something with a bit more of a kick to it.

She popped the cork off the top of the bottle using her teeth, and took a sip. The taste was exactly as she had remembered it. It was sweet and refreshing.

Although she was tempted to consume one of the sweet rolls she took from the candy store, she decided against it. She wanted to enjoy these sweets with Kor. Morgan couldn't help but wonder if the dragon would like sweets. He seemed to love pistachios, but didn't care for peanuts. That reminded her; she wanted to get an oven so she could bake some of those candy bars for him. Though she was almost certain they wouldn't taste good. She giggled at the thought of leaving the shells on the pistachios, just for him.

Still, she would need an oven, and she didn't bring any coin with her. She wasn't even sure if it was possible to bring an oven all the way up here. Kor could carry it and fly it up here, but they just couldn't walk into a town together and ask to buy one. Morgan had a funny image of Korvorym sticking his head in the front door of a shop and asking to buy an oven so his lover could cook him candy bars.

His lover. Morgan liked the title. Though she wasn't sure what dragons did to show their love for one another. Did they get married? The idea of a dragoness in a white wedding dress seemed comical to her, but anything was possible with these creatures.

Morgan decided not to think about such things. They had only known each other for a couple of days. Well, he seemed to know a lot more about her then she knew of him. Still, she couldn't get loving thoughts of him out of her mind. Was she falling in love with him?

"I think I am," Morgan said in a hushed whisper.

Morgan took her bloodied, linen shirt, and began to tear it. She didn't think the blood would ever come out of it, so she decided she would use the fabric as wash cloths.

Still naked, she walked over to the small stream of water that lead to the mouth of the cave, and dunked the fabric in the stream. It felt cool and refreshing as she rubbed the cloth over her body, scrubbing the dried blood and sexual fluids off her skin. She walked back to her packs and grabbed a bar of soap. The soap had the usual smell of roses, or some other type of flower. She ran it along her damp body, then rinsed off using the wet piece of cloth. When she was done, she dried herself using the dry piece of fabric.

Morgan squeezed the wet pieces of cloth to get all the water out, and then stretched them out and put them out to dry on a flat stone near the stream. The growling of her gut was making her feel a bit uncomfortable. She walked back to her packs and cracked open a pistachio and began to chew. When she swallowed, her body seemed to beg for more. Instead, she took another gulp of her beverage. Then a lightbulb went off in her head. It wouldn't be the most romantic of gestures, but it will do for now. She turned towards her packs and began to rummage through them again, until she pulled out a clean pair of socks and a rather ugly looking frock. She never did possess an eye for fashion, but she put them on anyway.

Under the cover of darkness, Korvorym flew through the sky like a flying shadow. Although he didn't want to leave Morgan alone in the cave, they were both starving, and hunting was a good way to clear his head a bit. Not only was he now fully devoted to Morgan, but he also had to deal with the task of protecting and providing for her. She was so helpless, at least to a mighty predator like himself. In addition to thinking of Morgan, he was also thinking of his home. What had happened in Exikni? What were those cultists planning? He had so many questions, but couldn't answer any of them. Surely they were no longer a threat. Maybe they were just remnants of that horrific cultist faction, or maybe they were just a bunch of idiots dabbling in magic they didn't understand.

Korvorym also started to think of everything he left behind in Lyria. He had to leave his own lair; his home, and everything inside it. Korvorym had amassed quite the hoard throughout his life, and nearly all of it was given to him as rewards for his service in the war. Thinking about it was making him homesick. He could probably never return. Those damn cultists may very well find his hoard and take it for themselves. The thought of it made his blood boil.

For a while, Korvorym simply flew around the night sky. He had forgotten what he was doing, until a familiar ache in his stomach reminded him. He located a stag, and easily dispatched it. The thing didn't even know what hit it when he came crashing down from above and snatched it away. Korvorym made sure it was dead, and carried it in his front foot. After a few minutes he located a boar, and did the same thing to it as he did to the stag. This time he held it in his other front foot.

However, Korvorym found a few targets he simply couldn't ignore: a few sheep, no doubt belonging to the nearby farm. These sheep must have gotten out of the farm, as they were rather far from the fence. Korvorym counted five of them, and was tempted to drop the rest of his kills and carry four sheep back. He loved sheep. However, he decided against it. He did his thing, and snatched two of them up, and held them both in his rear feet. Now all he needs is a branch for Morgan.

A branch was easy enough to find, but he chose to bring back a sturdy one. His lover deserves a branch of the highest quality. He could finally call Morgan his lover. With the branch in his mouth, and the food in his feet, he could now return to his new home.

Morgan was just about done setting up when Korvorym returned, carrying quite the load. He plopped the four kills on the cold cave floor, and grabbed the branch out of his mouth and handed it to Morgan.

"Glad you are back," She said as she kissed him on the snout.

Before he could try to kiss her back or respond, she turned and snapped the branch in half. She then wrapped the blood stained part of her torn up shirt around the snapped part of the branch, using a bit of sticky caramel to hold it together. It certainly wouldn't work quite like a torch would, but all she had to do was light up the room for a moment, so he could see what she did.

Korvorym watched her work with interest in his eyes. Finally he couldn't help himself and asked, "Would you do that to my branch next?"

Morgan looked up at him and sighed. "I just cleaned myself up! But, tomorrow I would love to play with your branch," She said while grinning up at him.

"Okay, can you light the fabric at the top on fire?" Morgan asked him, her eyes looked like that of a child who was about to watch something amazing happen. Watching him release fire from his mouth was really impressive to her. After all, she had just seen him a few days ago cook that deer carcass completely in a manner of seconds.

Korvorym looked at her. He was unsure what she was trying to accomplish. She clearly wanted light. He wasn't sure if she wanted light so that he could see what she had planned out, or if it was for something else. Korvorym's eyes were already adjusted to the darkness, and he could see what Morgan had planned out almost as well as if the entire cave was filled with light. However, he decided he would oblige her, seeing as how it would make her happy.

With a single huff from his mouth, the make-shift torch was ablaze. The room illuminated a tiny bit, and Korvorym acted surprised at the sight of the blanket they had been sleeping on was covered in treats. On one side of the blanket, there were pistachios mixed with caramel, with some sugar dabbled on top. There was also a bottle of some type of liquid nestled near the bars. In the center of the blanket, there were 5 rolls, each of which were glazed with white cream on the top. On the other side of the blanket, there were a few regular pistachios, and a half drunk bottle of a beverage.

Morgan set the torch down against the cave wall. The flame was still strong, but would soon die out. Morgan looked up at the dragon, as if waiting for his response.

"Mor, this was really nice of you. So that is what you got from that shop back in Exikni," Korvorym said to her, while he pointed a claw at the white covered rolls.

Morgan smiled happily, and walked over to her side of the blanket. "Yes, those and some other things, as well," she responded and shifted her gaze to the candy bars on the opposite side of the blanket. "I didn't cook those pistachio bars, but I did my best. I hope you like them."

Korvorym glanced over at the pistachio bars. "Mor, they look delicious." Korvorym was already burning the animal carcasses, but decided to leave one of the sheep fresh. He actually decided to keep both of the sheep the way they were after Morgan told him that she would eat a bit of the boar, and that would be enough for her. The deer was already burnt to a crisp, but it wouldn't bother him at all.

"After we eat, I would like to tell you something," Korvorym said to Morgan while watching her sip her sparkling beverage. She nodded at him, and made her way over to the roasted boar.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Morgan said excitedly. She ran back over to her pack, and pulled out a small jar of some white powder. "Let me sprinkle some of this stuff on your food, you will love the taste of it."

Even before Korvorym could speak, she was already sprinkling it on the boar, the stag, and, although she hesitated at first, she even sprinkled some on the uncooked sheep carcasses. Morgan took her portion of the boar, and made her way back over to the blanket. Before she could even sit down, Korvorym had already consumed the rest of the boar.

She was right. Whatever powder she sprinkled on the boar made it taste so much better. No wonder so many humans were fat. They knew how to make delicious food. The boar was teeming with flavor now, and didn't taste quite as plain as boars normally do to Korvorym. In fact, boar was one of his least favorite types of food. But this made it taste incredible.

"What do you think? Is it good?" She asked him, her eyes filled with joy at the possibility of being able to make something delicious for him.

"I was just thinking that I can see why so many humans are fat. Your kind can make mediocre tasting food taste incredible," Korvorym told her with a low chuckle. He then proceeded to eat the deer carcass, and then the sheep.

The stag and the sheep were both incredible tasting as well. He had never tasted food so divine. And he owed it all to Morgan. And her little jar of white powder. After chewing the last of the sheep, he made his way over to his spot on the blanket and slumped down. He took the bottle of liquid, and tried to mimic Morgan by pouring the thin end into his maw.

"Morgan, it isn't coming out. This wooden thing is in the way," he said impatiently.

Morgan crawled over to him. She had forgotten about the cork. She took it from his grasp and uncorked it easily then handed it back to him. She was hoping he wouldn't get frustrated and decide to toss the bottle in his mouth. As it was a glass bottle, that would be very bad.

"Now pour it in your mouth, but try not to spill it everywhere," she explained to him.

Morgan fought back laughter as half of it went into his mouth and the other half ran down his face and neck. She grabbed one of her wash cloths, and crawled back over to him. She started wiping his neck and mouth of the sticky liquid.

Korvorym finished the bottle, and made a belch. He then tossed it behind him where it landed in the stream of water, and floated away toward the mouth of the cave.

Morgan couldn't hold it in any longer, and started laughing. "First, you get it all over your face, then you let out a deep dragon belch, and then you carelessly toss it over your shoulder. You and Seth are so alike."

Although it hurt her a bit when she mentioned Seth, she quickly pushed the thoughts away. This was a happy time. She continued to laugh, and Kor joined in.

"You think that was a loud belch, you should hear me when I drink an entire barrel of ale!" Korvorym exclaimed proudly. "Speaking of belching, what exactly was that I just drank? It was very good! It was sweet and bubbly, and full of flavor."

Morgan took her last sip from her own drink, and set it down. "I am not too sure what it is called, but you are right, it is very good." When she looked back up, she saw that all of the candy bars were gone from his side of the table, and he appeared to be having a bit of trouble.

"The pistachio bars are good, but they are stuck to my teeth and the roof of my mouth!" Korvorym was probing his mouth with his claws, trying to scrape the caramel off his teeth and mouth. Every time he scraped some off, it would land on his tongue, and he would immediately swallow it down.

"Eat some of these, they will help," Morgan yelled and she started to throw a few of the cream covered rolls at him. He actually caught one in his mouth, but the other one hit him right in the snout, where it stuck to his nose.

Once again, Morgan was laughing out loud, though this time she was rolling on the cold cave floor. The look on his face when it hit him on the nose and didn't fall off was priceless.

"I am glad to see you think this is so amusing!" Morgan heard Kor say. When she looked up, she saw the dragon had taken the roll off his snout. He chucked it right at her, and it hit her right in the forehead, where it, too, had stuck.

"You little devil!" Morgan tore the roll off her face, and saw the dragon beaming at her, his mouth wide open. She tossed it and it landed right on his tongue, and he gulped it down without even chewing.

Morgan took the slightly wet and sticky cloth she had used on Korvorym earlier, and wiped her face with it. She was getting tired. Even though they spent most of the day sleeping, eating and then throwing food at each other in a rather dark cave was making her sleepy.

Korvorym yawned, which caused Morgan to yawn as well. "Do you want to sleep on top of me again?"

"Yes, I would like that, as long as your 'branch' doesn't sneak up behind me and scare me," Morgan said while she laughed, and Korvorym gave a chuckle of his own. Morgan started to clean up a bit, but decided she could do that in the morning. When she turned around, Korvorym was already on his back and beckoning her over with his front leg.

She walked over to him, and allowed him to pick her up and place her atop him. Morgan sprawled out over his chest and stomach. She felt Korvorym bring his wings over her, acting as a sort of blanket and protective shell.

Korvorym let out a low chuckle. "All we did today was sleep, mate, and throw food at each other. I think I could get used to this kind of life."

He was right. They were living the life she always wanted. She was living in the wild, amongst nature, doing whatever she wished. Morgan could get used to this kind of life as well, and she owed it all to Korvorym. However, Morgan did feel a little guilty about what had happened that led her to where she was now.

"What did you say you wanted to tell me, earlier?" Morgan asked the dragon.

Korvorym blinked. He had completely forgotten about that. "I'll tell you tomorrow. I promise."

He had in fact, meant to tell her about his relationship with Bill, and how he even knew her father and mother; and how they were amongst his closest friends.

"Good night, my love." Korvorym squeezed her tightly within his wings.

"I love you Kor," Morgan told him as she kissed him once on his chest, then laid her head and shut her eyes.

She heard him whisper back, "I love you too, Mor."

Chapter 7: The Monster

In the next few days, Korvorym became obsessed with the small hole in the back of the cave, where the cave stream was coming through. He didn't like setting up a lair in a location he didn't have free reign over. The hole was much too small for him to enter, but not Morgan. Part of him wanted to just bash the wall down so he could see where it led, but he feared the entire cave would collapse if he did that.

Korvorym handed Morgan the other side of the branch he snapped last night, and set it ablaze. "Are you sure you want to do this? We don't know where it leads. It could be home to a nest of hydras, or some other monstrosity," Korvorym said, and paused a moment, as if letting the idea of a nest of hydras sink in. "On second thought, I don't want you to go."

"Kor, I know you want to see where it leads, and so do I. I can easily fit through that passageway," Morgan reminded him. "Look, every few seconds I will speak to you. If I go a long period of not speaking, then something isn't right. If it goes too deep, I will come back. I will be fine. I promise."

Korvorym took what she said to heart. "Fine, then hurry up. This torch won't last long. And I have your word. You will be fine."

Morgan kissed him on the snout, and got on her hands and knees. Despite smiling at Kor voicing a sexual comment about how she looked on her hands and knees, she was rather nervous.

Caves always seemed to bug Morgan. She had once seen a cave on one of her journeys into the forest back in Lyria. She was painting a portrait of a sleeping bear at the mouth of the cave, when tranquility was replaced by horror. An enormous, 8-legged monstrosity rushed out of the cave, grabbed the bear, and retreated back into the dark abyss. Oh, how she wished she hadn't reminded herself of that moment.

She crawled through the space easily enough, and with torch in hand she stood up. The wall behind her actually appeared to be a boulder that fell from the cave ceiling. She spoke to the wall, and told Kor that she through, and began to explain her surroundings to him.

He didn't really seem interested in her surroundings, only if she was safe. It felt nice to feel so loved. Even though she had only met Kor less than a week ago, she felt like she had known him for her entire life. The path forward more or less looked just like the area near the mouth of the cave. Morgan proceeded a bit deeper until she saw what appeared to be a light source not too far away. She came to a right hand turn, and her jaw nearly dropped.

It was a massive chamber. The ceiling and the walls were filled with some type of clear crystal, similar to a diamond, lighting the place up as clear as day. A calmly moving waterfall was near the center of the chamber, giving off a sound that wasn't thunderous as most waterfalls were, but rather peaceful, similar to a fountain. The fountain-like waterfall was dumping clear water into a pool that was teeming with fish. There were even crystals in the pool, making the water sparkle. It didn't look very deep; if Morgan got in, the water line may come up to her breasts. This appeared to be the back of the cave. The waterfall seemed to originate from the sparkling ceiling.

This really was the perfect place to live. There was a spacious enough dry cave floor where she and Kor could sleep and stay dry, as well as plenty of other room. The only problem was, the damn boulder was blocking the entrance to this beautiful oasis. Maybe they both could move it. She had to tell Kor about this place.

Morgan started to turn, but nothing happened. It was as if her legs wouldn't move. As a matter of fact, her entire body couldn't move. She couldn't move her eyes, or even open her mouth to call for help. What had happened to her?

Movement against the back wall caught her attention, but she couldn't move her eyes in that direction. She did catch a glimpse of a pair of glaring, golden eyes.

"Aren't you a beautiful one? So young. So fresh. So pretty. I have not stumbled upon a tasty looking meal in a long time," a deep voice that definitely belonged to a male spoke to her.

Finally, the owner of the voice came into Morgan's view. It was a large looking reptile, and, besides the lack of wings, possessed an appearance similar to Kor, except its skin was pale, and its head and body were much wider. Although she couldn't see for certain, it appeared to be moving on multiple legs.

"I think I'll have some fun with you first. I haven't seen such a visage of beauty in decades. Maybe you will enjoy it more than the last girl who came here?" The creature told her quietly, his voice devoid of any emotion. "After I have had my fun with you, then I shall devour you, and satisfy my hunger. I swallow my food whole, but don't worry, you won't feel any pain. I promise." The monster stuck its face in front of Morgan's, and licked her with its large slimy tongue.

It moved its head up, until it was over Morgan. "The pretty ones always taste so much better than the ugly ones," It said, as it lifted a claw to her face, to caress it. Saliva started to run down her face, no doubt caused by the gaping maw above her head.

Morgan could make out a growing appendage on the underside of the beast. So, it intended to rape her, and then devour her while she was still alive. How lovely, she thought. Despite trying to stay calm, despair quickly came in over her. Kor will never know what happened to her. She never got to say goodbye, or look into his beautiful yellow eyes one last time. Maybe he would think she found an exit, and ran away from the big bad dragon, her feelings for him all a ruse so he would lower his guard.

Morgan started to cry; only nothing happened. No tear fell down her cheek; no sob escaped from her mouth. Never in her life has she felt so humiliated and defeated. She would take the cultists over this, any day.

Before the great beast could mount her, a terrible shriek filled the cavern. Morgan could see blood splatter against the wall to her left. Her heart swelled when she heard an all too familiar roar.

A terrifying roar echoed throughout the cavern. The sound made Morgan's ears ring. In a flash, she saw the monster collapse in a bloodied heap in front of her. The eyes of the beast were plucked out; trails of blood spilled out from them and ran down into the pool. Its mouth lay open, and its tongue was lying against the cave floor. Morgan got a good look at the monsters maw. It was packed with razor sharp teeth. Korvorym had just saved her from a fate worse than death, she thought.

Finally, Kor was in her field of view, his beautiful yellow eyes looking back at her. "I know you can hear me, Morgan. That was a basilisk. Their gaze paralyzes you for a few hours. There is nothing we can do except wait it out," he told her, his voice sounding like it was in a panic.

Korvorym's muzzle was soaked with blood, but he rubbed it against her frozen face anyway. To Korvorym, the way Morgan looked sent ripples of pain through his heart. Her face looked pale, as if she just saw something that disturbed her. Her eyes were open wide, and her mouth was shaped in a frown. He will never get that image of her out of his mind.

Korvorym whispered in her ear, "You won't be here alone. I will stay here with you until you get better."

Kor held Morgan close to him for the entire time it took for her to move again, which felt like hours. He had dozed off while clutching her tightly to his chest. Finally, her movement woke him from his slumber.

"Kor? Kor. I am alright. I can move again," She said faintly. "I actually think I could a while ago, but I didn't want to move from your embrace."

"No pathetic wall could prevent me from getting to you. You stopped talking to me, and after a few minutes I decided I would just bust the wall down," he told her sternly. "Then I saw you with that basilisk, and I lost control of my anger. I thought it may have bitten you, but then I caught sight of what it was attempting to do to you. I went into a rage."

Morgan slid down his belly, and landed on her feet. Her legs gave out completely, and she landed face first on the cold cavern floor, despite Korvorym's best attempt at trying to catch her with his hind foot.

"Ouch," she said, more nonchalantly then in an actual painful way.

Korvorym scooped her up in his front foot, and put her on is back. He then made his way to the exit of the chamber and back toward the mouth of the cave. "I was told the glare of a basilisk turns your blood to ice, so you can't move. All of your blood, except the blood in your brain, so you are still conscious while it devours you, whole and alive," he said, in a disgusted sort of way.

"Mor, you need to rest a bit and allow your blood to circulate until you can walk again. Lie down on the blanket and get some rest. I am going to go dispose of that monster back there," he told her, and gently grabbed her off his back and set her down gently on the blanket, kissed her on the cheek, and made his way back to the hidden chamber.

Kor was right. She felt so drained. Not necessarily tired, but she felt as if her entire body had just been plunged in cold water, only that she wasn't cold. She dozed off anyway, only to open her eyes slightly as she saw Kor drag the carcass of the monster that almost killed her through the tunnel, and eventually over the cliff.

A few hours seemed to have gone by, as Morgan awoke. She sat herself up on the blanket, and looked toward the mouth of the cave. She could still see the sun light making its way into the cavern, but it probably wouldn't be out much longer.

Morgan looked around, but saw no sign of Kor. She slowly stood up, and despite feeling wobbly and dizzy at first, she was able to stand up properly. She had wanted them to move into the hidden chamber, so she gathered all her belongings, including the blanket, and began walking to the now large hole in the wall. She passed the antlers of the stag Kor had eaten not long ago, and picked that up as well. Maybe he wanted to keep it as a trophy or something.

She walked down the cave until she came to the massive, glistening chamber. However, she wasn't alone. Korvorym was lying on his stomach in the pool by the waterfall. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was smiling. At least the blood stain from his snout was gone. Morgan started to giggle. He looked like a big scaly man in a bathtub, relaxing after a day of hard labor.

Her giggling didn't go unnoticed, and Kor opened his eyes, his own glistening pair of eyes looked like they belonged in that chamber. Now she knew how she didn't see the basilisk without realizing it. The entire chamber was filled with crystals, and its eyes were similar in appearance.

"Mor, come join me. The water feels so nice and fresh. I..." He paused. "Why are you looking at me like that? I enjoy relaxing baths too you know!"

Morgan took off her clothes, and joined him in the pool. The fish seemed to leave them alone, and a few even got swept up in the current that would lead to the waterfall at the mouth of the cave. She waded her way in the pool over to him, and leaned up against the side of his stomach.

"As I was saying earlier, I wanted to tell you about how I knew Bill. I am going to tell you about how I met him and what we went through together," Kor gulped, and Morgan could hear the sound from where she was. "I also want to tell you about a few others."

Morgan was curious to hear how he knew the man who had raised her. "Go ahead, Kor. Tell me your story. I really am interested to hear how you knew Bill," she asked.

Chapter 8: Fields of Fire

I was very arrogant as a youngster. I was hardly out of my adolescent years when I first heard about whispers about a cult of demon worshippers. Humans that practiced foul sorcery and witchcraft, who could summon dead, create horrible monsters in their image, and even create portals into the layers of Hell. I didn't believe it then, and neither did many of the dragons I was with. Even the eldest and wisest amongst my kind, Griloraax, didn't see the threat these cultists posed.

What you have to understand, Morgan, is that the cultists created their armies. Sure, they had many followers who were human among other races as well. But the bulk of their army was demons and twisted creatures they created using unknown magic. They were being led by an egotistical little prick named Justinius. At least, that is what everyone called him.

The clan I was with hailed from the southern human kingdom of Nomas, quite a distance from here. Our kind didn't look at humans in a positive light. We saw your kind as rude, selfish, and filled with bigotry. However, I am not ignorant enough to believe that my own race doesn't possess any of those qualities. You can imagine my surprise when one day, a single human riding atop a horse, rode up to our den. He wasn't wearing any armor of special equipment either.

He certainly was brave. Every member of our clan, including myself, surrounded the man. However, he showed no sense of fear. One of the younger dragoness's hissed at him, and asked why he wasn't scared. After all, one wrong move and he would become a pile of ash.

Morgan, I will never forget what that man said to us, "I am not afraid of your kind, dragon. I have looked evil in the eye, and none of your kind possesses that trait. An army of demons and monstrosities had just destroyed the kingdom of Jedus, across the Harrowing Sea. Every single living being that lived there was disintegrated, including dragons.

Jedus. Jedus was small island kingdom, filled with mountains and volcanoes. Morgan, Jedus was home to more dragons than any other kingdom combined. It was the location of our oracle, as well as where many of our gods dwelled, and where the greatest amongst us originated. It is said that Jedus is the place where my race was founded. It was also the land where our leader, Griloraax, the eldest dragon that has ever lived, hatched.

The rider went on to say that the kingdoms of men had formed an alliance, and were seeking other allies. Some of my kind refused outright. Many hated humans with a passion, and you have dragon slayers to blame for that. However, Griloraax agreed to the man's offer. I later found out that my clan was the only clan of dragons that accepted their offer.

Myself, I had every intention of going to war. Burn a few enemies, hack and slash with my claws. It sounded fun to me. Like I said, I was a head strong youngster. I spent a lot of time with the man on the horse, asking for stories of war and what not. As the cultists originated from every kingdom on the continent, there were hardly any battles. Just skirmishes. I became good friends with that rider, Morgan. His name was Bill.

Yes Morgan, 20 years is a long time for a man to change. At least it was for a human. He later explained to me that he was a diplomat and a healer, and would only fight if he needed to.

I participated in every major battle there was, which was only five. Before each battle, Bill had a healing station behind the main army line. After returning from scorching cultists and giants, I needed a break. It was at the Battle of the Ruins of Bralesk where I met two other good friends of mine. Bralesk was some old King, and his tomb held special meaning to humans, so the battle took place there.

While I began to fly away from the battle, two humans caught my eye below me. A woman, heavy with child, clad in leather armor and wielding a crossbow was charging at the enemy along with a young man equipped with chainmail and a two handed sword. They were all alone, and they charged into battle just like a dragon would, not caring about the odds. They were surrounded by demons. Not just any demons, but the scary, large ones that used a spear the size of a carriage in battle.

I couldn't just leave them there, so I turned around and helped them out. We killed all of them, though I did most of the work. I did receive a few scars though, mostly piercings from their spears. Only a few could pierce my hide.

We were in the middle of nowhere, and horns could be heard in the distance. Our right line had collapsed, Morgan. Any moment and retreating soldiers and hordes of demons and monsters would be at our location, so I got them both on my back and started to fly them to Bill's healing tent. The two of them were lovers, but whether or not the unborn child was his or not, I couldn't say. Still, the sight of a pregnant human charging into battle impressed me.

On our way back they thanked me for saving them. I learned that the two of them believed they were going to die and decided they were going to go down killing as many of the enemy as they could. The man's name was Aric, and the woman's name was Johanna. The three of us and Bill would become very good friends.

After I dropped them off, I went back and single handedly fought the demons at the broken line. Thanks to me, the line was re-established. I am not trying to brag, Morgan, but that is the truth. I even got a medal to prove it.

Johanna was a stubborn woman. She actually participated in every battle, except the last, despite her being with child. Although Aric would constantly try to get her to stop, she would not listen. I agreed with her, and told Aric the same. She had every right to fight for her freedom of living as much as everyone else.

The next few battles were similar, but more and more of our allies died. After each battle, I got a medal for going above and beyond the call of duty. I was the only dragon to receive these medals, although two of my kind received similar ones, but they were awarded to them posthumously.

Before the final battle, Johanna gave birth to a baby girl. She was unable to move, so she and the newborn stayed in Bill's tent. Despite being a father, Aric would not leave the front lines, although he wanted to. He and I often talked, about what it meant to be a parent. I told him I never knew my parents, and that I had no children of my own. I think Aric knew he was going to die that day, as he told me that his child would be put in a similar situation as my own. He told me that if anything happened to him and Johanna, he wanted me to take his child to safety, and give her a proper home. I didn't really get what he was telling me at first. Before the battle, I found out Bill had had a heart attack, and a carriage came by to take him, Johanna and the baby, among other wounded soldiers to the nearest hospital in Exikni.

The final battlefield would be named "The Fields of the Vanquished." Me and a few of the other dragons would fly above the battlefield and do our thing, while the humans, centaurs, goblins, and some minotaurs fought on the ground. The goblins invented some sort of magical ball, that when dropped, exploded into a burst of fire. A few dragons carried goblins into the sky, so they would drop their balls on the enemy. Not me though, I was given a special mission.

I later found out that Aric had been given a special mission, and that during the battle, I was to fly as his escort. The horns sounded and both armies clashed on the field. From the sky, there were at least a million men, beast, and demon fighting each other. It was an incredible sight. So many souls packed together.

Amidst all the chaos, I saw Aric easily enough. He was given a marked helmet to wear, so I could spot him from the air. Our target was the hastily constructed cultist portal. A portal they were using to bring demons into the world. Or so we thought. How wrong we were.

The target wasn't far, even on foot. In fact, Aric beat me to it, as I was having some fun roasting some giants and those creepy 8 legged monsters. By the time I flew over the scene, something terrible began to happen. The portal was actually some weapon, and it began to emit a shockwave. The shockwave incinerated everything in its path, and it was spreading fast. I saw our entire army, as well as the enemies, destroyed in the blink of an eye. Millions of lives had just ended. Even the dragons that were flying the goblins were killed as they just happened to be on the ground re-arming when the shockwave blasted through.

Aric was set ablaze, yet he was still running to the portal. I suppose he wasn't incinerated because he was so close to the origin of the blast, but I do not really know. Before I could swoop down to him, he lunged at the man in the center of the portal controlling the thing, and stuck his sword right through him. There was a great big flash of light that was so bright I had to turn away. When I turned back, there was only a single giant crater.

I didn't know if I should look for him, or cry. I wanted to cry. I did cry. I was the only living thing in the area. Or so I thought. The once green fields were now scorched black, thanks to the shockwave. As far as I could see, there was only black, scorched earth.

I had survived an event that killed millions, Morgan. I witnessed them all die, while I survived. I didn't know what to do, so I flew back to where Bill's tent once was. It was now a pile of ash. The shock wave got very far. The cultists planned to do what they did to Jedus to Lyria.

I flew to Exikni, where Bill was. It seemed like everyone knew what happened, which was surprising to me. I was seen as a hero in their eyes. No one even knew it was Aric who stopped the cultists. But I received the praise and credit. The King gave some speech about how dragons and every other race were welcome in Lyria, but I wasn't paying attention. I was only thinking about Aric.

I later found out that Johanna was dead. She stayed behind to fight, and got off the carriage at the last second, leaving her baby with Bill. Bill actually had plans to leave the child in an orphanage, but I convinced him to raise her as he would his own daughter. Thus, I flew the child and Bill to a small village where they lived for the next 20 years.

Nearly every day, I think of what Aric said to me, Morgan. He told me to watch over his daughter, and I intend to keep my word to him. He has earned that much. That is why I have watched you since the day you were born, Morgan.

Your mother and father were heroes, who loved each other very much. They sacrificed everything so that others may live. The Great War only lasted two months. It was called the Great War not because of its length, but because of the death toll. Millions of living beings were taken from this world, and I was almost one of them. So were you, Morgan. And I fear that history is going to be repeating itself soon.

After finishing his story, Korvorym looked at Morgan. He simply couldn't bear to tell her what had really happened that day.

Chapter 9: Jon's Enchantments

"I apologize if I was vague with my story, Morgan," Kor said, while looking at Morgan, who had been listening to him the entire time. "I am afraid I am not much of a storyteller. Maybe someday, I will tell you what happened in detail, but that is really the run down."

Morgan stared up at the dragon. She had shifted positions in the pool since he started telling her his story, and was now sitting on the dry cave floor with her legs submerged in the water.

"You told it well, Kor. I am glad to know a bit about my parents. I just wish I knew what they looked it," she said with a sigh.

An idea popped in Korvorym's head. "I can show you sometime! Back at my den in Lyria, I have a portrait of Johanna, Aric, and myself around a campfire near the Bill's tent. He painted the portrait himself, and gave it to me after the war."

Morgan started to smile with excitement. Bill loved to paint in his spare time, a love she also shared. She had always wondered what her real parents were like. Before now, she had always assumed she was left in the forest to die. Bill never spoke of them.

She beamed at him. "Very well, I would love to see the portrait, as well as see what your old home looked like."

"You would love my old cave. I had quite the treasure hoard I had amassed after the war ended. Some of it I got as gifts for my services in the war," Kor paused, but then gave a nervous laugh. "And some of it I acquired through other means."

Morgan didn't even want to know. Whether he stole it or not, she loved him, and nothing he could do now or have done in his past would change that. She pulled her legs out of the water, and walked over to where she set her clothes. She threw them in a pile, and got out a pair of linen pants and a blouse from one of her packs.

"Aww, don't put clothes on!" Korvorym pleaded with her, while walking out of the pool himself.

Morgan was taken aback by the plea. "What, do you just want me to walk around naked all day, and catch a cold?" She asked him. She then said while giggling, "Trust me; I am in a bad mood when I am sick. You would want to throw me from the mouth of the cave after a day dealing with me."

Kor looked her naked form over. Her mammary glands sparkled in the crystal light, her stomach glistened and shined from the pool, and the pink lips of her sex stood out like a beacon in the night.

Morgan simply looked at him while he looked her body up and down. She could see an old friend start to show itself from between his hind legs. He did tell her about her parents, so maybe she should pay him back.

"Come stand over here, Kor," she beckoned him over to where she was standing.

He did as she asked, and Morgan disappeared beneath his underside. He felt a familiar touch on his groin, and let out a slow gasp. Morgan was stroking it so carefully.

"Mor, after this I want to repay the favor," Kor said, in between gasps and moans.

Morgan didn't respond. She was too busy working her hands along his tapered shaft. His member was giving off a scent that drove her mind crazy. She decided her hands weren't enough, and took the spear shaped head into her mouth.

It tasted strange to her. It was very warm in her mouth, and felt smooth against her tongue. She tried to take more of its length, but the head of it was nearly all she could take, unless she could unhinge her jaws. She started to suck and run her tongue along the underside, but it was nearly too large for her to have the space needed to use her tongue.

Morgan started to use her hands as well. She used her right hand to rub the bumps near the base, and the other to stroke the rest of the length. She knew he was enjoying it tremendously, as he would occasionally try to thrust further into her mouth, but all that accomplished was nearly knocking her off knees.

"Sorry, I don't know what got into me." She heard him say, between pants and groans of pleasure.

She wasn't able to respond, and instead took one of her hands and rubbed his lower belly above her, then brought it back to his tool. She stopped using one of her hands on his shaft, and instead brought it to his slit, and rubbed the entrance to where the snake like member originated.

That seemed to help, as she could start to hear him panting faster. Morgan could feel a change near the base of the shaft, where her hands were rubbing the bumps. She could taste some salty liquid in her mouth, and knew it wouldn't be long until he released.

She continued this method for the next few moments, until she heard him snarl, and felt his spear-shaped head swell up in her mouth. With a throb, he erupted in her mouth, and despite getting a blast at the back of the throat, she easily swallowed it and pulled her head back, so the head was inches away from her face, and another few spurts of warm, sticky fluid blasted her in right in the face, and ran down her breasts and dribbled to her stomach and eventually the floor.

His seed was dribbling from her mouth, as well as dripping from her face. Below her was a large puddle of white fluid. Even though his member was now softening, she gripped it into her hands and squeezed, and was rewarded with a last spurt of seed that shot into her hair.

Exhausted from the activity, she slumped down into the pool of white fluid and rested there for a moment. She saw movement above her while Kor backed up, and he paused when he saw her.

"You have no idea how pleased I am at the way you look," Korvorym said in a whisper. She was nearly covered head to toe in his fluid, and it made him feel so proud, in a sense; almost as if he was victorious in some great battle.

"Now, it is your turn Mor. Don't clean up though, I like the way you are right now," Korvorym told Morgan. The sight of her like that excited him quite a bit.

Morgan did as he asked and felt his clawed feet spread her legs open. She was already quite wet at the activity she had just performed, but that made it a bit easier for Kor. He plunged his long tongue into her moist depths, and began to wiggle it around.

Morgan let out the loudest moan she has ever done. It caught her completely off guard. She wasn't prepared for the intrusion, but didn't mind it at all. Kor could invade her like this anytime he wished, as far as she was concerned.

Kor wiggled his long muscular tongue into her depths, tasting the sweet fluid on his tongue. He didn't care for the taste of humans at all, but this was one part that he enjoyed more than anything he has tasted before. She tasted sweeter than that bottle of liquid she had given him the night before.

Morgan wasn't sure if it was even possible, but it felt like his long tongue was all the way in her womb, but then she looked down; his tongue wasn't even fully inside her at the time. The sensations must be stimulating every area of that region, she thought. The work of his large, meaty tongue soon proved to best her, and she couldn't hold it back any longer.

While using his tongue, he grabbed the curves of her thighs with his front legs, as if to prevent her from escape. He heard her give off one last moan, and felt a gush of fluids discharge on his tongue. He savored the taste as long as he could while combing the small area for more fluid. After lapping up all he could, he pulled his tongue back from her, and released her from his grasp.

For a long moment, they both just relaxed on the cave floor, before Kor grabbed her and held her close to his chest, and spoke to her softly, "It will take more than a perverted basilisk to make me forget my love for you, Mor."

"Kor, after we get cleaned up, I want to look for a town. I want to get some things for our new home," Morgan told him while caressing the scales on his belly.

She had nearly been killed by a foul monster because he let her out of her sight, and now she wanted to head into a foreign human city? He didn't want her to do that. All kinds of bad stuff happen in cities. And he wouldn't be able to protect her in a human settlement.

"Mor, I think that would be a very bad idea. I don't want to let you out of my sight and go somewhere where I couldn't get to you!" He tried to plead with her, but he knew she was as stubborn as her mother. She wouldn't listen to him anyway, and he didn't want to annoy her by not letting her leave when she wanted to.

"Fine, but I don't have to like it," he sighed. "Besides, what would you want in the town, we have no money. My hoard is days away from here."

Morgan sighed as well. She had forgotten about money. She escaped from his grasp, and walked over to a roasted boar Kor had killed earlier that day. He must have brought it in the crystal chamber while she slept. Morgan grabbed some meat, and started to eat.

After eating, she jumped in the pool of water, and washed herself off, using her soap to scrub her hair and face. Korvorym was clearly enjoying the show, as a new erection was forming beneath his belly. She got out of the water, dried herself off, and put on a new set of clothes.

After she was dressed, she turned back to Korvorym, and looked in his beautiful yellow eyes and started to speak. "Kor, I love living like this, I really do. But I want some other things. I want an oven so I can cook for you. I want some torches I can place around here so I don't trip and break my neck. I want some pillows and blankets for each of us, and maybe a few shelves. And a cabinet where I can store some of my seasoning I use."

Korvorym thought of an idea, though he didn't really like it. He knew how they could get some money, and it was right in front of them. At first he thought of the crystals in the chamber, but he liked the way they looked and didn't want to remove any of them.

"Mor, do you still have the empty bottle your beverage was in last night?" Kor asked her, a smirk forming on his face.

She did. She was going to use it to store bottled cave water, so she kept it. She fumbled around in her packs, and pulled the bottle out. Just what did he have planned?

"Hold it out, just like that." He took his front hand like foot and put it in his mouth, where he used his claws to cut his tongue a tiny bit. Then he let the blood drip right into the glass bottle, until it filled up.

Korvorym looked at Morgan and saw her face was white. "Don't worry, it will heal. It was only a little scrape, Mor. I have been through worse," he reassured her.

Still, Morgan didn't like the idea of using Kor as if he were a cow to be milked for money. "I know dragon blood is valuable, but I don't know just how valuable. You could probably get some gold for that jar, I reckon. Now let's get out of here and get you your items," Kor said firmly. His voice was a little strange sounding, almost as if his tongue was numb.

With the jar of blood in her hand, she and dragon walked out of the crystal chamber and headed for the entrance to the cavern. Korvorym lowered himself politely, and Morgan grabbed ahold of his tail and started to climb to his back. Once she was firmly in place, he leapt out of the mouth of the cave and into the wild blue sky.

It wasn't long until they saw a walled settlement in the distance. Kor started to fly low, as if to attempt to hide from any eyes that may be watching. He landed in a cluster of trees on the outskirts of the town.

"I am going to go hunt, but I will try to be back here at dusk. If I am not, just stay here and I will get here," Korvorym said dryly. He sounded a bit thirsty, no doubt to his wounded tongue.

Morgan kissed him on the snout, and he simply nudged her. He probably didn't want to kiss her with a bleeding tongue. Before flying away, he turned back to her.

"Morgan, don't die. Please," was all he said before flying away.

Carrying the jar of blood, Morgan made her way to the town gate. Unlike a stone wall that surrounded Exikni, this settlement had a wooden palisade. It didn't surprise her. Tiberia was known to be a less developed kingdom than Lyria and the other human kingdoms. Only about a century ago, it was ruled by savage barbarian tribes, who still lingered in their brooding dark forests.

When she approached the gate, Morgan noticed that it was open, and not shut, However, there were two men in chainmail wielding spears at the entrance. For a moment, the spears reminded her of Kor's own little spear, but she shrugged the thought off. When she approached the two men, they didn't even look at her, but stepped aside so she could enter. She wanted to ask one of them for directions, or at least the name of the settlement, but decided not to. These men didn't appear to look like they were paid to answer questions, only to keep watch over the entrance to the city.

She made her way into the center of the settlement, the town square. The roads were merely dirt, and not cobbled like in Exikni. The town was abuzz with people doing their everyday jobs and chores. The smell of baked goods, meats, and even alcohol was in the air when she passed a few shops. A funny looking sign outside a shop that looked deserted caught her eye. It was wooden, but was lined with sparkling gem-like objects that glowed. The sign read Jon's Enchantments.

The sign alone was what lured Morgan into the shop. When she opened the door, a funny sounding bell rang, and a short, bald but bearded man appeared behind the counter.

"Welcome to Jon's Enchantments. I am Jon. How may I help you, miss?" The man behind the counter asked her.

He was a short man, plump man, with a white beard. He was wearing blue robes that looked like they were made of silk. His eyes weren't looking at Morgan, but at the bottle she was carrying.

Morgan cleared her throat, "I was wondering if you could tell me if you knew where I could sell a bottle of dragon's blood."

The short man's jaw dropped. "That is dragon's blood? Can I inspect it first, to see if it is authentic?" The man paused. "Not that I don't believe you, dear, but I have to verify if it is real, you see."

He took the jar and opened the cork at the top. He then walked to the back room, where Morgan couldn't see. A few minutes later he returned, his face alight with joy.

"It is still fresh and warm! Where did you get this?" The man asked, his face filled with excitement. "On second thought, never mind, but wait here. I will be back in a few moments." The man set the bottle on the counter and scurried off to the back room.

About 5 minutes later, he returned, and was carrying a large chest. "I know the blood is worth more, but if you take this amount as payment, I will offer you a 25% discount on any purchase you make here for as long as I am in business," he said as he set the chest on the counter, and opened it. Morgan nearly fainted at the sight.

The chest was filled with gold, gems, jewelry, silver, and other valuables. She had never seen so much wealth in her life. She thought he would give her a few gold pieces and tell her to shoo. She did not plan to make this much money from Kor's blood.

Morgan managed to get the words out. "I graciously accept, Jon." Then Morgan remembered that she still wanted to buy some things, and she couldn't carry this large chest with her. She decided she would hide it somewhere, back in the cluster of trees and return with some money from the chest.

Before she could leave, she saw some things that caught her attention. She turned back to Jon, and asked him about the items.

"Oh, those are everlasting torches. I enchanted them myself. Once lit, their fire will never fade, even if submerged in water," Jon answered her question. "Tell you what, I will give you 5 of them for 5 pieces of gold. Normally I charge 5 pieces of gold for each one, but you put me in a good mood!"

Morgan accepted, and paid him. Before she gathered everything up, she turned back to him one last time. "Jon, what is this city called? I am new here."

Jon looked up at her again, and gave out a hearty laugh. "Miss, you are in the city of Cairnor."

Morgan thanked him and headed back outside. She was holding the chest in both arms, and the torches on top of it. She must have looked crazy, carrying all this weight, yet she was so excited to show Kor. Despite having to stop and rest every few steps, she made her way back to the gate, where the guards gave her strange looks at everything she was carrying, and headed back to the cluster of trees on the outskirts of the town.

The sun was beginning to go down, but Morgan figured she had some time to kill. She opened the chest and looked at everything inside. The idea of starting their own little hoard popped into her mind. After all, this wealth belonged to Korvorym. It was his blood that made this transaction possible.

Morgan decided to bury the chest inside a tree stump, for the time being. She took out a handful of coins, put them in her pocket, and headed back to the town. There were a few other things she wanted to buy.

After eating his fill, Korvorym flew to the spot in the cluster of trees where he and Morgan were to meet. He wasn't sure how he would feel if she wasn't there, and he was alone. It was rather dark now, so he didn't have to worry about being spotted.

The cluster of trees was about half a mile from the town, and Korvorym could see the lights of buildings behind the wooden palisade. He was proud of the fact that he could see very well in the night, but not nearly as well as he could in the day. Still, the sight of Morgan in a clearing in the trees made his heart gush with love. He could see the moonlight bouncing off her hair. He landed right in front of her, and her startled expression indicated she hadn't seen him coming.

"What is all this?" Korvorym asked her with the hint of annoyance on his voice. He motioned to a small wagon near her that was packed with a large stone object, and a cabinet and a chest, while sacks filled with something lined the wagon.

Morgan only smiled innocently. "It is an oven, and some cooking supplies. I plan on cooking you some good food from now on. I don't know if you could carry all this though," she said to him, unsure.

The statement seemed to hurt Korvorym's feelings. "I could carry a giant if I wanted to, Mor! You better not be calling me weak. Now get on, I don't like being this close to a town."

Morgan obliged, and climbed on his back using his tail. All the things she had bought were in the wagon, but Korvorym lifted it off the ground easily enough. He didn't even seem to struggle at all.

Usually, Morgan enjoyed riding on back of her lover. This time, however, she felt nauseous. She did eat some type of meat back in the town, and maybe her stomach didn't agree with it. For the first time since they met, she closed her eyes while riding on his back the entire ride home.

Once they landed back in their den, Morgan vomited right in the stream that led out the mouth of the cavern. She could make out the pieces of meat in the pool of her stomach contents as they floated away.

Korvorym was just looking at her in shock. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Never eat the meat from that town. It was beef, which I love, but I think I will never eat beef again," Morgan told him, as she started to cough again.

"Mmm, beef. I could eat a cow right now, myself. I only found a few chickens..." was all Korvorym could say when Morgan vomited a second time.

Korvorym pitied her. An upset stomach was never fun. He gently guided her to the back of the cavern, where the beautiful chamber was, and helped her lay down on the blanket.

"I am just going to lie down a bit. It has been a long day," Morgan said faintly. "Why don't you go look in the wagon at some of the stuff I bought. Also, look inside the chest, as well. That is what I got for your blood. I was thinking we could start a little hoard together." Morgan tried to smile, but started to feel a bit sick again.

Korvorym looked her up and down, kissed her on the face with his tongue, which was now healed, and walked back to the entrance of the cave. He rummaged through the junk in the wagon, and found the chest, which he easily opened with his claws. His yellow eyes lit up at the contents of the chest.

Though he had a lot more treasure in his old home, he had no idea that a small glass of his blood could be so valuable. He wondered why, it was just blood after all.

He unpacked her oven, and put it on the spot where their blanket had once been. He then found the torches, and placed one above the oven, and placed the others all around the cave. He then lit them all with his breath, and the light really improved the environment. The end of the cavern didn't need any, so he put two in the hallway where the boulder had once been, one near the entrance to the cavern, and the other on the wall opposite of where the one above the oven was.

He then saw a cabinet Morgan had bought. How much did she buy? He placed that near the oven, but it was a bit hard to carry, as he couldn't find a good place to grip it.

The last things Morgan had bought were large sacks of white powder. Maybe this was the stuff she sprinkled on his meat that tasted wonderful? He was tempted to try some of it, but decided against it. He didn't want to accidentally puncture the sack and have it all spill out.

The last thing left was the chest full of treasure. Before taking it, he moved the wagon toward the mouth of the cave, as if trying to block anyone from trying to enter. He then grabbed the treasure chest in one if his feet, and awkwardly limped to the back of the cavern. It was only fitting a chest full of valuables was put in the shiny room.

Morgan, who wasn't yet sleeping, saw him and asked what he did with the rug she bought. Korvorym didn't remember seeing any rug in the wagon. He put the chest down, and opened it so the gold added to the shine of the room.

"You had a rug in there as well? I'll go back and check, though I don't believe I saw one," Korvorym said, as he hunched his shoulders down, and sighed, as if acting like he was tired. He was only doing it to annoy Morgan, who only laughed at his display.

"Aw, tired already. And to think, I wanted to 'have fun' tonight," Morgan told him while raising an eyebrow.

Korvorym dropped the act immediately, and ran out to the cave entrance. He heard Morgan laughing all the way from the entrance. Korvorym easily saw the rug in the cart, but missed it the first time as it was tied to the side of the darn thing. It was rolled up, which made it easier to carry. Korvorym headed back to the rear chamber. He arrived to find Morgan still awake, but looking like she was about to doze off.

Part of him was a bit bummed. However, they had already shared love that day, so he wasn't completely sad. He uncurled the rug, and put the soft side against Morgan. It looked a bit strange: a human sleeping on a blanket but using a rug to cover up.

He looked at Morgan, and admired her beauty while she slept. He hoped she wasn't sick with anything serious. Korvorym turned around and noticed her packs. He was curious to see what she had brought with her, even though it was none of his business. He couldn't help himself and opened one of the bags with a claw. At the top of the bag, he saw one of the White Crown flowers she had used to heal him. He knew the flower well, as they held special meaning to dragons, but he never quite realized she had brought some of them with her.

These flowers were magical. Once plucked from the earth, they never died. They could be destroyed from fire, or by being torn up, but they never died from lack of water or sunlight. If treated carefully, they would maintain their beauty for generations.

These flowers held a special meaning to dragons. Dragons didn't get married, or hold grand ceremonies like that ridiculous human tradition. Instead, when a dragon found another they truly loved, which was rather rare, the male would give the female one of these flowers, which the other kept as long as they lived. Morgan had already given him one, but not properly, and not knowing what they meant to him. Besides, it was tradition for the male to give it to the female, not the other way around. In fact, although it was rare, sometimes two males or two females would engage in this tradition. There were three of them inside her pack, and Korvorym thought that sometime, he would explain their meaning to Morgan, and give her one.

He pulled away from the pack and walked towards the entrance to the chamber where he slumped over, and started to fall asleep. He would guard the entrance to the chamber, so any intruder would have to get through him to reach his hoard. And to reach the woman he loved.

Chapter 9: The Dragon Slayer

"Mor, I want you to go back to that town and ask around for some news. I must know if word had gotten out about what is happening in Lyria."

Nearly a week had gone by since Morgan had first entered the town of Cairnor. She had wanted to return, and get a few more things. She hadn't even used the oven yet; she wanted to get more ingredients as well as cooking utensils before she used it. The one thing stopping her was the smell; the smell of the food from that shop. Just the thought nearly made her vomit again. Although she liked beef, she must have been given a bad batch that day, and she decided she didn't want to eat any more of it any time soon.

"I think I should as well," Morgan told him, as she rubbed his side. The two of them were lying on the blanket, which was on top of the rug she had bought a week earlier. The new rug made it much more comfortable to lie on, although Morgan preferred to sleep on top of Korvorym. Something about his warm scales, smooth skin, and beating heart made sleeping so much more fulfilling.

Neither of them had done anything sexual with each other since the day he told her his war story. Although they wanted to, Korvorym was acting strange for the past few days. He had caught whiff of a human scent, and had been on edge ever since. He had hardly even left her side since he first caught whiff of the scent.

The two of them got up, and made their way to the mouth of the cave. Although Morgan was feeling better, she still had some stomach issues now and then, normally whenever Korvorym brought home boar. She had never had an issue with the scent of cooked meat, but she couldn't even stand the sight of cooked boar anymore. She would only eat venison, which used to be her least favorite food. Now she loved it, no doubt thanks to her seasoning.

Morgan started to climb on to Korvorym, walking up his tail, and using his tail spines as footsteps. When she got to his back, she held on tight. With a running start, they were off. The feeling of being in the air also made her feel sick now, but she decided to simply deal with it. Korvorym was nice enough to fly easy and gentle, probably due to the fact that Morgan vomited on his back when he flew her around a little rough a few days ago. She had never seen the beast so freaked out over something like that. It took him hours before he would get out of the pool in the crystal chamber

The sun moved a little bit in the sky before they reached the outskirts of Cairnor, and landed in the cluster of trees. "Same routine as last time, only I will stay here. I don't think anyone will come all the way over here," Kor said as he nuzzled her face with his snout. "But if I am not here, just wait around for me." Before Morgan started to walk away, he had to add one last thing. "Be careful," he told her.

Morgan made her way to the palisade, where the guards, whose faces she didn't recognize, stood aside for her. She made her way through the streets, and thankfully didn't encounter the smell of cooked beef. She bought a sack of potatoes and carrots, and some herbs and spices. At last, she bought pots and pans. She wasn't able to carry all this, and bought a small wagon as well. While shopping for the wagon, she bought an easel and some paint.

While she headed down the street, she made small talk with some of the townsfolk, but none seemed to know anything about any devious things happening in Lyria. She eventually saw the familiar sign of Jon's Enchanting. She had wanted to go back in there and thank him for the torches. They were still lit, after all. She made her way to his shop and opened the door, the familiar bell ringing as the door opened.

Morgan saw Jon sitting behind his desk writing in some sort of ledger. "Hello Jon," she said as she approached the counter.

The small man looked up from the book, and smiled as he saw Morgan. "Well hello, miss. What brings you back to my shop?"

He was the only shop keeper she really talked to. The ones she bought the other items from didn't really make conversation, but Jon did. Maybe it was just because she had something he wanted last time.

Morgan looked at the man, but then turned her gaze to some of the curious items he had on display. "I just came here to thank you for the torches. They work wonderfully."

"Well of course they do! I made them!" He let out a hearty laugh. "Don't suppose you are looking for some magic soil? Or perhaps some socks that are waterproof?"

Did he say magic soil? Morgan loved growing things. She had her own little vegetable garden back in Jeh's Crossing.

"Magic soil? That sounds interesting. Is it for growing things?" Morgan asked him.

The little man made his way to the backroom of the shop, and returned with a pot filled with soil. The soil was red instead of black, which caught Morgan's attention.

"You can grow anything in this. It won't need water and it won't need sunlight. The soil itself is enchanted to provide both," the man said happily. "My father was a farmer, and this soil really made him proud."

With this type of soil, Morgan could plant some White Crowns back home. Unlike most of Jon's products, this one had a price tag on it. It was 10 gold, but due to her discount, Jon accepted 6 gold coins. Morgan took out six gold in her pocket, and the transaction was completed.

"Jon, I am just curious. Why did you want that bottle of dragon blood?" Morgan asked him. After all, she wanted to know why Kor's blood was so valuable.

Jon looked back to her, and his response nearly turned Morgan's blood to stone. "Dragon slayers. There have been reports of a dragon right in this area! They somehow can locate a dragon using their blood. This one paid quite a bit of coin for that bottle, and left in a hurry," Jon told her, and went back to writing in the ledger.

Morgan was out the door before he even finished. She gently set the pot in the wagon, and began to make her way to the gate. The guards gave her their usual look, and let her through. Morgan wheeled the wagon as fast as it could go until she reached the cluster of trees.

She gave a sigh of relief when she saw Kor sitting up, alert for any trouble. Morgan made her way over to him and hugged his leg tightly. A smile crept on her face when she heard his familiar voice.

"What's this? More luggage? What am I, your butler now?" Kor said and let out a low snarl. He didn't mind, but he liked to tease Morgan whenever he could.

Korvorym lowered his body. "Get on princess; I will take you and your luggage home immediately," he said, trying to sound as polite as possible.

Morgan simply stood there and smiled. She loved him with all her heart. Before he could repeat himself, she did as he asked, and was on his back in no time. When they returned home, she would share with him the bad news she received.

Korvorym grabbed the wagon and was off the ground in a few wing beats. The sun was still out, but its glare was slowly starting to vanish over the horizon. It wasn't long before they were home. At least Morgan didn't feel sick during that flight.

Korvorym unloaded the wagon while Morgan was still on his back. Morgan jumped down and headed into the crystal chamber with the magic soil. The thought of growing her very own White Crowns made her feel happy inside. Not only were they beautiful to look at, but their healing powers were legendary. She nearly dropped the pot when she heard commotion from the cavern entrance.

Quickly setting the pot down, Morgan made her way back to the entrance, only to see Kor backed up against the cavern wall, near where she was. She also caught sight of a large man wearing strange looking armor pointing a dangerously looking sword at Kor, while holding a very large emerald colored shield.

"You have a human woman prisoner, beast?" A husky sounding voice beneath the strange looking helmet yelled. "Quick girl, get behind me! I will protect you!"

Before Morgan could even respond, she felt Kor nudge her with his tail, as if telling her to go to him. She slowly made her way to the man, and he moved her behind him. She got a better look at the strange armor he was wearing. It was white, yet it didn't appear to be made out of any sort of metal. It looked a bit like the armor was pure bone.

Morgan heard Korvorym start to talk to the man. "Why are you here? How did you get up here? I have not harmed anybody," Korvorym said. He sounded annoyed by the fact that a man had entered his home without permission.

Morgan looked at Korvorym's great big yellow eyes. She was afraid for him. She had heard stories of dragon slayers, and of their skills as swordsmen.

"You have not harmed anybody? You have a woman trapped up here, with no way to escape! And never mind how I got up here. I don't even want to know what you have done to this poor soul," the man said in a harsh tone.

The man looked around, but kept his sword pointed directly at Kor; his shield pointed upwards. He must have spotted the stove and other items, but didn't seem to pay them any attention.

The man let out a small sigh, almost as if he had had an epiphany. "I see, you plucked this woman from her home and now you make her cook you dinner, and attend to your disgusting needs," the man then paused, and continued, "or did you?" He then grabbed Morgan by the arm, and slowly moved his sword to her throat.

He must have seen Korvorym's reaction, as he started to laugh. "Oh, I had a feeling this was more than a captive maiden."

The man suddenly stopped laughing, and his voice completely changed to a very dark and somber tone. "Are you going to do to her what you did to the last woman, Korvorym?"

It seemed like both Morgan's and Korvorym's jaw dropped at the same time. So many thoughts were racing through Morgan's mind. They must have known each other somehow. Morgan saw that Kor's eyes were wide, and the look of terror was on his face.

"Yes, you know who I speak of," the man said as he slowly lifted off his helmet, allowing his face to be shown for a moment, then covering it back up. "Her name was Johanna," he added.

"It's you! General Amero," Korvorym said in complete shock. "I thought you died from the shockwave."

The man, whose blade was still on Morgan's throat, was silent. What did he mean when he said that Korvorym did something to a woman, to Johanna, her mother? What was going on? These were the questions floating in Morgan's mind.

The man then spoke up again, "I saw your treachery that day, dragon. I saw you killed hundreds of my soldiers. I saw you rip into Johanna, the woman I loved but could never have. I saw you devour her body." This time, the man sounded as if he were on the verge of tears.

"I was spared that day on the battlefield, as everyone around me was killed. Perhaps the gods have a sense of humor. They spared me, a general, just so I could watch my soldiers die around me. I have devoted the last 20 years of my life hunting your kind down, monster," he said, this time with pure anger in his voice.

"You won't believe what a bottle of your blood can do, Korvorym. I performed a ritual that made you shine up like a beacon in the night, to my eyes only," he smirked. "You took the woman I loved from this world, Korvorym. And I am going to take the woman you love, so you can feel the pain I have felt."

Before the man could even finish, Morgan plunged her dagger right into the chink of his armor, where his neck was. He dropped his sword and shield, but before he fell to the floor, he hit Morgan across the face as hard as he could. In an instant, Korvorym was on him. He had him in his mouth, and was thrashing him around. Morgan could hear the man screaming in agony, as Kor's teeth clamped down, crushing the man's own bone armor into his body.

Morgan saw Korvorym run to the entrance to the cavern, and with a swing of his neck, he threw the dragon slayer as far as the eye could see. He quickly turned back to Morgan, and his face frightened her.

His spines around his head were all flared up, his ears were pushed back against his head, and his snout was covered in blood. He was panting heavily, his mouth open. Korvorym looked at Morgan for a few moments, and must have noticed her terrified expression. He then started to break down right in front of her.

Morgan had never seen him this upset before. Whatever he had done in his past, she didn't care. She had fallen in love with him, and that was all there was to it. Besides, the man could have been lying for all she knew.

She carefully approached him, and began to hug his neck. She constantly reassured him everything was okay. Morgan started to cry with him. She could feel his wing embrace her, and lock her in place.

Korvorym, still crying but not as much as before, decided to tell her. He decided to tell her his darkest secret, a secret no one knew, except the man he had just killed. He took a deep breath, and let it out, "Everything he said was true Morgan. I killed those men, and I killed your mother." He then added, "But it wasn't my fault! The man in the portal was making me do those things! I only regained control once Aric killed the cultist."

His confession stunned Morgan. He killed his own army, men who trusted him. He killed her mother. Morgan was surprised to feel not anger, but understanding. He said he was being controlled by the cultist, and she had no reason to not believe him. He wouldn't maliciously kill his own friends, she was sure of it.

"Korvorym, look at me," Morgan said to him, her voice stern. The dragon slowly turned his face to hers, and she looked right into his big, yellow eyes. "I have fallen so deeply in love with you. You are a good, loving being, who endured horrors in the past. Anything you have done is behind you, and I forgive you completely," Morgan whispered. The thought of him devouring her mother did upset her a bit, but if he was being controlled by one of the cultists, it wasn't his fault

While secrets were being revealed, Morgan figured now was a good time to tell him something, "I need you to be strong, Kor, for both our sakes. Something amazing, yet terrifying has happened." Morgan then whispered one last thing to him, "I think I am with child, Kor."

Chapter 10: A New Life, and a New Problem

For long moments, the two of them simply lie still. So many thoughts were racing through Korvorym's mind. His secret that he never planned to tell anyone was out, and the one person he never wanted to find out found out from another's mouth, and not his own. Yet she had forgiven him. The most important thing running through his mind was the news she had just told him.

It simply wasn't possible. They were completely different races. She must be carrying the child of the man at the cultist encampment. Or maybe she wasn't carrying a child at all. She told him what she thought was wrong with her. But come to think of it, she had been acting odd the past week. She would only eat venison, which he knew she didn't care for. She wouldn't even eat pistachios, which she loved. Korvorym knew nothing of human pregnancies, and he hardly knew anything about dragon ones, as well. Maybe she really was with child. Maybe she was carrying his child; his egg. Or would she even birth an egg?

Korvorym decided to stop pondering about it. The only thing that mattered now was that they were both okay. Morgan was still awake by his side, but she looked tired. Korvorym couldn't take her eyes off her stomach.

Morgan met his gaze; his beautiful yellow eyes, with their black slits in the center. They looked so peaceful right now, but she saw the way they looked when he launched himself at the dragon slayer. His appearance frightened her then, but he was so peaceful and docile now.

Morgan gently spoke, "It has to be yours, Kor. The man at the encampment never even came near me at that spot. You were the first and only one I had inside me." She paused a moment, then added, "I am nearly positive about this. I can feel the life being created inside me. I didn't realize it until yesterday, but I can feel the changes within me."

Korvorym gently rubbed her face with his bloody muzzle. "It doesn't matter how or when it happened, Mor," he told her as he stopped rubbing her with his muzzle and looked her in her beautiful, blue eyes. "If you are carrying my child, I will treat you extra carefully, so you can be comfortable."

"That means no more trips to the town for a while. I don't want you to go where I can't go. I will never leave your side. I will always be there to protect you and our child," he added. His voice was so calm and filled with love, it made Morgan embrace the side of his neck harder, yet more tenderly, without even realizing it.

Morgan kissed him on the neck, and tugged on his arm-like leg. He followed her to the crystal chamber, where he laid on his back and helped her get on top of him. Morgan crawled up to where his scaly chest and soft underside was, where she sprawled out on him.

She loved sleeping on him more than on the blanket. He was warmer, and even more comfortable than the blanket and rug. Korvorym lay on the rug, and Morgan laid on Kor. He folded his wings around her, and they fell asleep after an eventful day.

The next morning, Morgan didn't want to get up. She had been having good dreams, about raising a family with Kor. Korvorym had to move her off of him and onto the blanket, because he had to relieve himself. Morgan didn't mind at all, and went back to sleeping in.

Korvorym had thought about some things last night while Morgan drifted off to sleep. Up until he met Morgan, he had never mated with anyone else. There was a time he came close with a young dragoness in his clan, before the war, but it never happened. He actually hasn't been in contact with any other dragons since the war ended, although he knew there were a lot that lived in Lyria, no doubt due to them welcoming all kinds of races. He had often thought if his old clan was still alive, back where he grew up in Nomas. Surely Griloraax was still there.

Last night, Korvorym pondered the idea of taking Morgan to see Griloraax. He was a very old dragon, and was rumored to be the father of his species. In fact, he may be well over 10,000 years old. If Griloraax could see Morgan, maybe he could offer some advice. However, Nomas was quite the distance away, and Korvorym wasn't sure if he wanted his pregnant lover travelling. After all, humans were so squishy.

Korvorym walked to the mouth of the cavern. It was early morning, and the sun was still relatively low on the horizon. He could feel the air getting colder, as winter approached. The sounds of birds singing filled the air, and yet Korvorym ignored them and stared out beyond. The view was pretty magnificent. It almost felt like the cliff wall they were in was his own castle, and he was looking down upon his kingdom. The town of Cairnor was to the North, but it wasn't visible at this distance. Directly below him, at the base of the cliff, was a small creek that was no doubt formed by the stream of water escaping from the mouth of the cavern, and he could still see the corpse of the basilisk, which had washed ashore on the bank of the creek. He settled on his stomach, and simply looked out at the beauty of his kingdom

He thought about potentially becoming a father, about how his own parents abandoned him as an egg, and how lucky he was to be found by a clan, and not a predator, or worse, humans. Korvorym didn't want that for his child. He and Morgan would be there for the baby constantly, and they would show it the love it deserves. So lost in thought was Korvorym, that he had nearly forgotten he had to relieve himself. He didn't want to move, but he reluctantly got up and flew away to do his business, as well as hunt.

Morgan had gotten up shortly after Kor had set her down. She didn't like sleeping alone. The first thing she did was undress, and bathed in the pool. She had seen some of the fishes swimming below her, and thought about using her fishing pole sometime. However, the idea seemed stupid. If she wanted a fish, Korvorym could easily catch one for her.

"Mmm, fish," Morgan said aloud. As soon as she said that, she was immediately craving fish; fish with some chips on the side. Maybe smoked fish, as well. This was another strange craving Morgan was having. She had eaten fish in the past, especially while on adventures, but only if she was hungry or needed to eat. Now, the thought of fish wouldn't leave her mind. Her mouth was starting to water. She had a stove, as well as potatoes. Maybe she will try to fish one up, after all.

After she dried herself off and put on some clothes; a simple wool shirt and some linen pants, she rummaged through her packs until she found the fishing pole. It was a special detachable kind, so one could easily carry it around in packs. However, she couldn't figure out how to put the thing together.

"First the fishing net, now the fishing pole. Better off catching it with my own hands," she mumbled to herself.

She turned back to the pool and thought about diving in, but the idea of having to get wet and dry off, and undress and redress seemed to deter her. She will just wait for Kor to get home. While she waited she would go ahead and start the stove.

Morgan made her way back to the entrance chamber, and used one of the everlasting torches to light the oven. She hadn't even used the thing yet, but she had it prepared for when she did decide to use it. She grabbed one of the large pots, and put it on top of the oven. While the stove was heating up she headed back into the crystal chamber to plant the White Crown in the magic soil, and watched as roots formed, much to her amazement. The soil really was magical. She then quickly returned to the metal pot.

Being quite the experienced cook, she knew exactly what to do. She added water, sliced potatoes, shredded carrots, salt, some other seasoning, and started to stir. The only thing she needed now was the fish, if Kor would ever get back.

The second she started thinking of Kor, she jumped in fright when a very loud crashing noise was heard behind her. Her eyes wide, she turned around and saw Korvorym sprawled out on the cavern floor.

"They're coming," was all he could say, in between pants.

Morgan blinked in disbelief, a frown forming on her mouth. "Who is coming? Something is coming here?" Morgan wasn't sure what he was saying.

Korvorym caught his breath. He had been flying as fast as he could for a long distance, and was exhausted from the exertion in his wings. After a few moments, he was able to speak again.

"I was flying in the mountains, pondering things," Korvorym gave a smile as he looked at Morgan's stomach. "I then could hear the sounds of horns echoing throughout the mountains. I saw thousands of men, Morgan, and they were carrying the twin axes banner; the banner of Tiberia. They have an army, and are marching this way."

Morgan gave the dragon a funny look. An entire kingdom wouldn't send an army to slay a single dragon. Still, the idea of thousands of men who wouldn't hesitate to slay a dragon if they found one filled her with fear.

"Did they spot you, Kor? Did they see you enter the cavern?" Morgan asked, desperate for answers. She wasn't sure if this army was for them, or for something else.

"Probably, but if they spotted me they didn't break formation. They were marching, and didn't speed up or slow down when I flew overhead, and no, they didn't see me enter the cavern. They are less than a day away from here, but still far away, at the rate they are marching." Korvorym licked Morgan's face. "I have wings, remember?"

Korvorym continued to display his affection toward Morgan. "But know this Morgan; if they get too close to our home, I won't hesitate to defend it, and more importantly, you," he said in a serious tone.

Morgan smiled, and tried her best to reassure him. They were hundreds of feet off the ground. "I am sure an army can't climb up here, and if they did, we would just throw them out of our home," she said.

Korvorym backed his head away from her, and with a sigh, he said, "they have catapults Morgan. They could easily launch boulders up here and collapse the cavern in on us."

Morgan hadn't thought of that. The concept of warfare was foreign to her. Still, she didn't believe an army was coming to slay Kor. It just seemed a bit excessive.

"Look, let's just see what happens. Now, I need you to get me a fish from the pool," Morgan told him, her eyes filled with hunger. "Hurry up! I am about to pass out over here," she said with a laugh.

Korvorym did as she asked easily enough. He even pealed the scales off it for her. Surely she would reward him for that.

"I think I deserve a kiss for this," he asked as nicely as possible, while giving her the now naked looking fish.

Morgan smiled, and brought her mouth up to his snout, where he stuck the tip of his large, muscled tongue in her own mouth. The two of them continued kissing for a while. It was the first time Morgan had ever made out with anybody in this way, and she loved it.

She backed her head away, leaving his tongue in the air. "I am too hungry for all this affection. Let me eat first so I can enjoy it properly," she said while trying to sound a bit annoyed.

She saw the familiar sight of his erection starting to show. She folded her arms and looked back at Kor's face. He had a sad look, as if he were begging that she help him out with his problem right then and there.

Morgan sighed, "After I eat, I promise. But I am so hungry right now."

"I can feed you my home made milk, Mor. Maybe that would sate your appetite," Korvorym said, a smile creeping on his mouth. "Morgan could milk my organ."

Morgan couldn't believe what she just heard. "Keep talking like that and I will end up eating your erection and making you watch as I boil it in this pot!" She told him firmly.

Korvorym made a painful look on his face, and left the entrance to the crystal chamber, his tail between his legs. Poor beast, Morgan thought. Still, she wondered if his seed would sate her appetite. The thought made her giggle. Would that even work? She quickly shoved the disgusting thoughts from her head, and instead continued cooking.

Soon, the entire cavern smelled of her stew. At this point she didn't even care if it tasted good or not. She was going to eat it no matter what.

While it cooled, Morgan ate a pistachio. There were only a couple left and she wanted Kor to have them. Maybe the two of them could find some more if they ever returned to Lyria. Morgan then turned her thoughts to her parents, and Bill. She hoped that if they were in a better place and were looking down on her, that they would understand her feelings for Korvorym. Morgan gently touched her belly, and also wondered if they would approve of this situation she was in.

The stew was bubbling, and Morgan decided it had cooked long enough. Though it was very hot, she quickly wolfed down bowl after bowl, until hardly any remained in the cooking pot. She had never eaten this much in one sitting. Though it wasn't the best soup she had ever had, the taste of the fish sated her cravings for the moment.

Morgan had promised that she and Kor would have a little fun, so she started walking to the crystal chamber. She passed the torches on the wall, and noticed how they had been burning ever since Kor first lit them. They really did brighten the place up a bit. When she arrived at the crystal chamber she stopped dead in her tracks.

Korvorym was sitting on his haunches, staring at Morgan. In his mouth was a White Crown, the bulb aimed right at her. "What are you doing," Morgan asked her lover in a suspicious tone.

Korvorym got on his feet and approached Morgan, and stopped when his face was leveled with hers. He made a gesture with his head, and Morgan took the flower from his maw. Now he could speak without it falling to the ground.

"Morgan, when we dragons pick a lifelong mate, we give them this flower." Kor then stopped a moment, and resumed, "Yes, this flower. The ones you used to heal me. It is very special to dragons, and is considered to be like those rings you humans wear around your fingers when you get married. I am giving one to you, because I choose you to be my life long mate, Morgan. I will do my best to honor you. I will love you, and only you, until death takes one of us."

Morgan couldn't believe her ears. She loved him with all her heart, but she never thought he would do this for her. Tears of joy began to form in her eyes. She thought it might be the hormones, though she wasn't sure if she was pregnant long enough for the hormones to come in yet. She actually knew nothing about being pregnant, only stories she had heard from her home village.

She stared at the flower, then at Kor. His face was full of love, and she had never actually seen his face look like this before. If she hadn't even met him before, she might have even said yes based on his face alone.

"Korvorym, I am honored to be your mate. I accept your love for me, and... Well... I accept!" Morgan set the flower down and embraced the big beast. Happiness and joy were filling her body now. She had always wanted to get married, someday. Though she never in her wildest dreams thought it would be to a dragon.

Korvorym just had to ruin the moment, though. "So can we mate now?" He asked, in a tone that suggested he was running out of patience.

Morgan pulled back from him, and looked at him in the eyes, her face in utter disbelief. "That is so romantic, Kor. How could I say no?" Morgan replied to him in a sarcastic voice.

However, Morgan wanted to do it as much as he did. She quickly undressed, and gave him a little show. She smiled a little at how he couldn't take his eyes off her breasts.

She saw the familiar looking sight of his shaft, slowly escaping from its hiding spot. Morgan wanted to try something different this time. She had heard from her friend at Jeh's Crossing about a certain act that was really fun, at least for the male. And she wanted to do this for Kor, as he was the one who was brave enough to propose, if that was the right word to use.

"Okay Kor, I have an idea," Morgan told him as she flung her undergarments off. She hit him right in the face with them, and he gave out a small little snarl. He quickly shook them from his head so he could continue looking at her naked form.

"I am going to lie down on the blanket, and you are going to stand above me, and slowly lower yourself so your underside is only a few inches from me," Morgan said as she gave him the rundown. "But don't come down all the way, or you will crush me," she added, in a nervous laugh.

Kor did as she asked, and he seemed to have an idea of what she had in mind. Morgan was already in place, and he stood above her, his erection now poking at her. He eased his way down until he was on his knees, and was in the best spot that made him comfortable. He could feel her handling his shaft, as if getting it in position, and he soon felt the warmth of her body rubbing against it.

The head of his shaft was too big to fit between her breasts, but she easily fit the slim part below the head in between her round mounds. The head was now right in her face, and she looked down the dark hole of his urethra as clear liquid oozed out. She gently kissed the tip of the head, and with one hand on her breasts and the other above her on Kor's soft underbelly, she gave him the all clear to start thrusting.

Korvorym was already thrusting before she even told him to, as it was too difficult to resist. He arched his neck and looked underneath him, so he could watch what was happening. Every time he thrust forward, his spear shaped head would hit Morgan's tongue, which was now licking at it when it got near. To Kor, the feeling was completely amazing, and the sight of it was nearly as good as the feeling itself. He would have to find a way to pay her back somehow.

They continued doing this for a few minutes. Korvorym wasn't thrusting as fast or as hard as he could. He didn't want to be too rough, and this was a nice enough pace for him. He loved doing this, and was starting to feel pressure build up beneath his genital slit. The animalistic part of his brain started to kick in, and he started to lose control of his thrusting. He started to thrust harder and faster, until he felt ready to burst.

Morgan could feel his change in pace, and knew it would be any second now. She saw his spear shaped head start to get bigger, and the amazing sight of his urethra begin to dilate, readying itself for the flood of fluid about to escape. She could hear his heart thumping a little ways above and behind her.

Morgan was completely unprepared when she felt his shaft throb, and then shoot seed directly at her face. The force was so strong it nearly knocked her head back a few inches, which caused the next spurt, which was more of a rope, if anything, to fly directly over her, and almost went far enough to hit Kor's head, who was watching everything.

Morgan brought her head back up and started to let the fluid run down her face and neck, which in turn hit the blanket. His orgasm seemed to go on for a good while, until it eventually came to a small stop. Morgan did what she did last time, and squeezed his head, allowing an extra glob to flow directly into her mouth.

Unlike how they usually rested after mating, Morgan got up quickly and walked over to the pool. The stench of sex and fluid was strong in the air, and she felt very sticky. Her hairline was soaked with his semen, and she wanted to rinse it off quickly before she started to reek of it. Korvorym followed her into the pool to rinse off his shaft as well.

"Morgan, that was incredible. No wonder you humans are so numerous, the females are amazing at mating!" Kor said, still gasping.

Morgan turned back and laughed at that. She was glad he enjoyed himself. Even though she didn't get any pleasure, she enjoyed herself too, almost as if pleasing her lover pleased her as well. It felt so right. Besides, at least in her mind, women didn't need to have a climax at every opportunity. They had better things to do. And making her lover happy was one of those better things.

Korvorym snuck up behind her while she was washing herself. He placed his head on top of her own, and with his arm-like legs, clutched her close to him. He loved her so much, but he had something on his mind.

"Morgan, I want to take you to see Griloraax, my clan's elder," he said softly. "He will be able to answer some of our questions regarding your condition. I just know it."

Morgan turned back to him. She brought her hand up to his face, and gently caressed it. "Of course my love, I would love to meet him."

"Then it is settled. Tomorrow, we fly to Nomas," Korvorym said quickly.

Before Morgan could respond, a sound echoed throughout the cavern. They ignored it at first. It may have been a landslide outside. Then the same noise was heard again, this time slightly louder. The two of them looked at each other. Kor headed to the entrance chamber. Morgan got out of the pool, and without drying off, quickly put on her clothes. It took her a moment to find her undergarments, as Kor had flung them on the other side of the chamber. After getting dressed, Morgan ran out of the crystal chamber to see what was going on.

Morgan saw Kor at the entrance to the cavern, looking out beyond. When Morgan approached, she couldn't believe her eyes: Two massive armies were lined up against each other, and the sound of drums and horns could be heard. She could make out the twin axes banner of the army on the right side, the banner of Tiberia, but noticed the left side's army didn't appear to have a banner. In fact, the army on the left greatly outnumbered the one on the right.

"Looks like the Kingdom of Tiberia is finally attempting to get rid of its barbarian problem, but it looks like they bit off more than they could chew. They are going to be slaughtered," Kor whispered.

Morgan wasn't sure what they should do; should they just watch the massacre that was about to happen, or should they help in some way? A dragon could make this a fair fight. Maybe Tiberia would be more welcoming to dragons if a dragon helped them in this battle.

"Do you think I should help them Morgan? Those barbarians are savages, and as far as I am concerned, deserve to be wiped out," Korvorym said as he looked at her, almost asking for permission. The battle had already begun, and the sound of steel clashing could be heard all the way up where they were watching

Morgan looked at her love. She knew he could handle himself, but the thought of him getting hurt, or worse, almost sent her into a panic attack. But she had the answer he wanted.

"Kor, don't die," Morgan said as she hugged him. He kissed her on the lips and started to flex his wings.

"Don't die? Hah! I am well fed, I just mated with the woman I love, and now you get to see me in action," he told her, sounding cocky. "I will try to put on a good show for you Morgan, and I now have something worth fighting for."

And with that, he was off and flying right towards the battlefield at their very doorstep.