Breeding Zara
#9 of Shaman Squirrel Chronicles
This takes place about 16 years after "Endru's pet."
And for those who have read my other Shaman Squirrel stories, and are wondering, yes. This is the mating that produces Zara's daughter, Noraxia.
Endru, a 38-year old Shaman Squirrel, had just been let off near a very remote cave after being transported there by his family's trusty companion Zara, a 120-year old Cygnan mammalian dragon. He was beginning a 10-year hiatus as a hermit, something Shaman Squirrels have an obligation to do. He was to live in the remote cave for 10 years, living off the land. Where he was, there were no sapient creatures for hundreds of miles. While away on this leave, he had entrusted his father Oaktooth to train his daughter Byelka in the ways of the Shaman Squirrel.
At the entrance of the cave, Endru was petting Zara on the neck. "Wish me the best, Zara," said Endru. "And send my regards to my father and my daughter."
Zara nodded. She was going to miss Endru, but knew she would see him again in 10 years. Then, she took one last glance at Endru before taking off.
Endru waved goodbye at the beautiful dragoness, before sitting on a rock ledge just outside the cave to take in the new heavily forested scenery in front of him.
Zara, while gracefully flying her way back home from dropping off Endru, knew she was being followed. She sensed that most of the creatures following her were unwelcome intruders, except for one. There was something changing in her which was the reason why she was being followed.
It was evening when Zara arrived home. Exhausted from her long flight, she fell asleep in the backyard of Oaktooth the Shaman Squirrel, oblivious and apathetic to her pursuers who were circling overhead. Because she was much larger than them, her pursuers kept a safe distance. They too were exhausted from following Zara, so they found roosts in the forest to sleep.
Byelka, the daughter of Endru, was a 14-year old Shaman Squirrel in training. She got up earlier than usual. She could not help thinking about how much she was going to miss her father. Her grandfather Oaktooth was still asleep. Byelka had blueberry scones for breakfast, then headed outside. She looked up to see five dragon-like creatures circling around like vultures, practically eclipsing the moon Mornius. "What are they doing?" she asked herself.
She went back inside. "Grandpa, wake up," she said. "Something peculiar is going on outside."
Oaktooth, the 62-year old shaman squirrel, got up. "What is it?" he asked.
"Just take a look outside," said Byelka.
Oaktooth walked outside, looking up. "Oh, my," he said. "It's time."
"Time for what?" asked Byelka.
"Time for our Zara to breed," said Oaktooth. "I knew her first heat was coming, before she left with Endru. Those five Cygnagons up there are males." Occasionally Cygnan mammalian dragons are called Cygnagons for short.
"They're so small," said Byelka. "I think I'd break their backs if I tried to ride them."
"Males are a lot smaller than females," said Oaktooth.
Byelka and her grandfather went to the backyard of the cottage to see Zara staring at the sky. "She's looking up at them, alright," Oaktooth said. "When she chooses one, she'll fly up after them."
Sure enough, Zara was positioning herself to take flight, staring intently at the males circling around in the sky. And then, she was off.
Byelka noticed Zara pursuing one of the males, but she was aggressively nipping at his tail. "I guess she wants him!" she said.
"No, actually," said Oaktooth, "she's rejecting that one."
"So how do I tell which one she wants?" asked Byelka.
"Wait and watch," said Oaktooth.
They both watched as the rejected male gave up and flew away. Then Zara started to behave aggressively to the next male, nipping his tail until he flew away as well. She repeated this aggression until there was only one male left. Then she and him flew around each other in an elaborate mating dance.
"She seemed so mean to those other males," said Byelka.
"That's just nature's way," said Oaktooth. "I'm sure she didn't intend to seriously harm them in any way. But looks like she chose her suitor."
Two flying creatures, one very large and the other much smaller were in harmony in the sky, gracefully and playfully chasing each other, circling and making figure eights.
"It almost makes me dizzy watching them fly around in circles like that," said Byelka.
After a few minutes, Zara and her diminutive new mate landed elegantly in the backyard. "You don't have to watch what's coming next if you're too squeamish about mating," said Oaktooth.
"I'll watch," said Byelka. "Look how cute the little male is!" Although much smaller, male Cygnagons have proportionally larger eyes than females, giving them an almost infantile look. The chosen male was mostly light brown, with a dark brown mane going from the top of his head to the tip of his tail.
"He's a charming one alright," said Oaktooth. "Zara chose well. But he looks pretty young; I'd say only 5 years old. Usually males are ready to mate by the age of 10 years. Hopefully this little guy can accomplish the task."
"How long do they live, Grandpa?" asked Byelka
"Females; up to 750 years, males seldom 100," answered Oaktooth. "So it seems to make sense the males are ready to mate at a much younger age."
Zara squatted down in a lordosis position, raising her tail in the air. The little male walked on all fours around Zara as if inspecting her. Byelka giggled when she saw the male's large testicles jiggling as he moved around. The sperm tanks looked like they should belong to a male creature several times larger than himself. "How is he able to fly with such, um, baggage between his legs?" asked Byelka.
"They retract into the abdomen during flight," said Oaktooth.
Then, the male stopped, and began to sniff Zara's nether region. He clearly liked what he was smelling, as his pink erection was gradually leaving his shaft. Clinging on to her right hind leg, he climbed her leg to just below her tail, his hind legs standing on her heel. He was so much smaller, that he had to stretch his entire legs so that they were roughly the same length as Zara's thigh. With one foreleg, he grasped her massive tail, and with the other, he grabbed the horn on her right hip. His penis started poking Zara's rump several times until finally finding her vagina, sliding in deep.
Zara closed her eyes half way, and let a moan of pleasure as the tiny male was thrusting in and out of her with great vigor, his over-sized testicles swaying back and forth. There were moments when he would hold his entire length in her for a few minutes to ejaculate large quantities of semen, large testicles pulsating during each ejaculation. Then he would be continuing to thrust in and out again.
"They will mate for several hours a day for ten days," said Oaktooth.
"Why do they have to mate so much?" asked Byelka.
"Because females only become receptive once every 100-150 years, and a male is only likely to mate once in his lifetime," answered Oaktooth. "For that reason, a successful mating is extremely important to them."
A few hours passed, and the male was exhausted, and his testicles were noticeably smaller from draining sperm. Oaktooth and Byelka had gone into the cottage to do other things before the Cygnagons were finished mating for the day. Then the two squirrels went outside to see the male cuddled up next to Zara, who was grooming him. "Aww, that's so sweet," Byelka said.
"She will be practicing motherhood on the male during courtship," said Oaktooth. "They still have more mating to do in the next 9 days."
"Looks like he's nursing her!" Byelka said, noticing that the male was suckling on one of her teats. "I didn't think she had any milk."
"It's not milk," said Oaktooth. "The fluid in her teats contains a protein that helps him produce more sperm faster."
The remaining days had passed, and the two Cygnagons were finished mating. The Shaman Squirrel and his granddaughter went outside. Zara had a large quantity of sperm dripping down her legs, as well as a coagulated plug of hardened sperm in her vagina. The male Cygnagon was strutting around with his head held high because he knew he had accomplished something very important.
"That's got to be the proudest creature I've ever seen!" said Byelka.
"Well, looks like he's done the deed for sure," said Oaktooth. "There is a very high probability that Zara got pregnant. I'd say a certainty."
"How long do we wait for the baby?" asked Byelka.
"Their gestation is three years," said Oaktooth. "The male will stay with her during that time while she is still practicing motherhood on him."
"Three years!" said Byelka. "That's too long."
"Patience, Byelka," said Oaktooth. "Patience. You know you have to wait ten years for your father to return. That's an even greater lesson in patience."
"Yes, Grandpa," said Byelka.
"Patience is always good," said an older female voice. They looked around to see a female squirrel older than Oaktooth.
"Hi, great-grandma!" said Byelka.
"Hello mother," said Oaktooth. "You missed a rather exciting event."
"Well, so did you," said his mother, Ashflower. "Today is my 100th birthday."
"My apologies, I totally forgot," said Oaktooth. "So, happy birthday, mother! But considering the events of the last 10 days, it can be hard to remember certain things."
"That's perfectly understandable," said Ashflower. She looked at the little male Cygnagon who was snuggling up towards Zara. "That little fellow would make a great pet to have in the Gwen Memorial Library."
"Are you sure he's quiet enough to live in a library?" asked Byelka. The library in question used to be a cottage belonging to the neighbor of Ashflower's mother Redra.
"Why of course," said Ashflower. "Male mammalian dragons are usually pretty quiet."
"Shouldn't he stay with Zara another three years?" asked Oaktooth.
"He can always come back to her now and again," said Ashflower.
By evening, Zara had dropped the coagulated plug of excess sperm from her vagina, indicating she had been successfully fertilized by the male. Ashflower picked it up, holding it in both paws. "This is edible, you know."
"Indeed, it is, mother," said Oaktooth. He turned to Byelka. "Want a piece?"
"Um, I think I'll pass," said Byelka.
Ashflower brought the sperm plug inside, and washed the excess dirt off. Then she set it on a plate on the kitchen table, and filled three wine glasses with homemade blackberry wine. "Time to celebrate," said Ashflower, as she, Oaktooth and Byelka sat at the table.
"A toast to two wonderful events," said Oaktooth, hitting his wine glass with his mother's. "The breeding of Zara, and your 100th birthday. Happy 100th, mother."
"You know, I wish Endru was here to celebrate with us," said Ashflower, before chewing a piece of chunky sperm plug, and sipping wine to wash it down.
"So do I," said Oaktooth. "But I think he could use some time away."