FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was only once Abe reached the top of the cliff that he began to fully appreciate how hard climbing back down was going to be. While it hadn't been a particularly hard scramble up, he had gotten too comfortable and pushed himself. As he surmounted the edge and rolled over onto the grass, the cost of it all caught up to him: where he wasn't riddled with scrapes, he was sore to the point of dysfunction. A particularly dynamic move—in hindsight, one he never should have attempted alone—had pulled something in his shoulder. And as if the world, too, were conspiring against him, the supposedly partly cloudy day was beginning to look more and more like rain.

Abe placed himself some distance from the edge and lay down on a nearby patch of grass, wincing as he let the back of his head rest in his hands. Climbing down in this state would be risky, especially if it began to rain halfway through. Descending wet rocks wasn't something he'd chance even if he was feeling great—it turned even the safe parts treacherous, and he wasn't equipped for it.

Hopefully the weather would clear up in a few hours. It would be evening then, but he could hardly complain about a bit of rest. He'd planned on staying up here for a short while anyways, if only for the expansive view: one-hundred and eighty degrees of uninterrupted horizon, where the tops of verdant evergreens became so numerous and distant that they blended into a shade of green that went all the way to the road many miles out. There were no rumbles or artificial hums here—just the rustling of leaves in the wind, interrupted by the occasional bird call.

Abe shivered. The sunlight had felt good on his bare chest, but there was getting to be less and less of it as the clouds rolled in. He'd planned for half a day in good weather; he wasn't prepared for a brisk evening. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

Something rustled in the brush a ways behind him. Something big. Abe froze. Bolting was a bad idea; not only did he have nowhere to run to, but that would only encourage whatever had found him to pounce. If it was something that could pounce. His mind raced with the possibilities. There were mountain lions in the area. Bears, too.

Ignoring the soreness, Abe stood up slowly and scanned the direction where the noise had come from. Once he saw what it was, he could figure out what he was going to do. If he could see what it was. He strained his eyes.

Movement! Something green strode towards him.

"Hey there!" it said.

A dragon. Abe was used to seeing dragons in pictures and videos, but this was the first time in real life. Not that it helped calm him. Dragons were people, but they were still predators. This one's incidental camouflage only helped to reinforce that message. Against the background of the pine forest, their scales seemed to blend into the surroundings. He had to repress the primal urge screaming at him to get away.

As Abe's adrenaline began to fade, it was replaced with apprehension. He was in the middle of nowhere. Seeing a strange person—dragon or not—all the way out here was quite the circumstance. It was unlikely enough that their meeting might not have been chance. But regardless of the reason, Abe felt a modicum of relief. Dragons were easier to reason with than mountain lions or bears.

"I'm Balt," the dragon said.

Abe paused to decide if it was wise to respond. He decided it was. "Oh, sorry. Abe."

The dragon grunted an acknowledgment. "Beautiful view, huh?"

"It is."

Balt trotted over and sat down on his haunches, a good few meters away from where Abe was lying down. "You climbed up here?" Balt nodded towards his gear.

"More of a scramble, really. There's a trail just below—"

"I know. But I've never seen anyone use it. And I didn't expect to see anyone do so by themselves."

Abe gave Balt a sidelong glance. "I told people where I was going. And I've done this one before. It's fine." He wanted to kick himself the second the words had rolled out of his mouth. He just confirmed to the dragon that he was indeed alone. At least he had mentioned telling others where he was.

"Hey, no judgment." Balt shrugged his wings. "Only you can decide how much risk you're comfortable with. That's what I think, at least."

Abe felt himself relax just a bit. Maybe he was over-thinking this. Surely there were plenty of benign reasons a dragon would end up here at the same time. He kept Balt in view out of the corner of his eye anyways, even though he knew it was a waste of effort. While they were roughly the same size, minus wings and tail, dragons had evolved to handle much higher gravity than Earth's. If Balt wanted to hurt him, there would be no contest. And that was ignoring his own state right now—his left arm still wouldn't raise above horizontal. Perhaps being cordial wasn't a terrible idea.

"Just how often are you out here, then?"

"I live here," Balt said. "Well, near here. A bit into the woods." He pointed his tail back towards the brush he had emerged from. "I was on a walk and saw you. Figured I'd come say hello."

"Oh. Well, hello."

The dragon chuckled. "Hello. Do you mind if I stay awhile? I do enjoy the view. And I don't see people out here too often."

Abe made a weak gesture with his hand. The tendons felt taut in his forearm. It was a public place, after all. And he could hardly stop the dragon. He almost said as much aloud, but it didn't bear mentioning. There was a certain animal quality inherent to such a strength difference. Even unsaid, it underscored everything. And yet there was nothing to be done about it.

The sky was overcast in that bright kind of way that was still hard to look at. The wind seemed to have picked up as well, beyond the point of a breeze. It could have just been the elevation. But if had looked like this while he had been at the bottom, Abe wouldn't have even started the climb.

"Do you think it'll rain?" Abe asked. "It wasn't in the forecast."

"Wasn't it? I thought there was a chance, if I'm remembering right."

Even a small chance of rain wasn't worth risking. It only took one slip. Even a short, awkward fall could break something. Abe pursed his lips.

"Are you alright?" Balt asked. "You seem a bit on edge."

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting to see anyone out here. Plus… you're the first dragon I've met. In person."

"Really? Well, you can relax. I'm not going to bite you." Balt made a low, polyphonic laugh. It was distinctly nonhuman. "I'm surprised, though. We've been here long enough. You're liable to stumble into someone eventually."

"Well, I stumbled into you. Or you me. But I guess you meant besides this." Abe shook his head. "I live in a pretty rural area. There are no dragons around."

"Too flat," Balt guessed. "Flat places are boring."

Abe chuckled. "True enough. That's why I come out here."

He glanced back out towards the horizon. Even with a gray sky, it was a serene place. It was high enough to make the world seem bigger. The trees were so countless they blended into a fuzzy sea of green, interrupted only by the occasional sparkling lake. The road was somewhere out there, but from this angle and distance the landscape seemed untouched.

A soft sniffing sound distracted him. Abe turned and and saw Balt's snout not six inches from his head. He recoiled instinctively.

"Sorry. I forget my manners." Balt looked away, abashed. "You're the first person I've seen in a while. I've maybe lost some of the little socialization I had to begin with. Towards dragons and humans. Not that being a hermit is an excuse, just—"

Abe blinked. "You're out here all by yourself?"

"Ever since I arrived. It's been a decade, now, I think?"

A decade. Dragons weren't humans, but they were still social. A decade of isolation was bad for anyone. "But you talk to people, at least?"

Balt cocked his head. "Not terribly often. Certainly not face-to-face."

"Oh, come on. Surely you need to get food—"

"Grocery pickup. I did try walking the aisles myself, once. The people were nice enough. But it's not a space built for dragons, and it shows. Everything is too high up, and don't even get me started on shopping carts. The selection is a bit human-centric too, but I get by."

Abe knitted his brow. "Don't take this personally—but why are you here, then? Instead of a city, or somewhere else that's better about that stuff?"

"I wanted a place that was quiet. I got it. It's not a hard place to live, just a slightly annoying one, if you're a dragon. And I get it. I'm the only dragon around who visits that local store. They're not going to change just for me, and they get my business despite it all anyways."

"Oh."

"Don't go feeling sorry for me! It's honestly not that bad, especially after I renovated my place. Human toilets are not especially convenient." He chuckled and looked out to the horizon. "It is worth it, though. If just for this."

The pair stayed there for some time. Abe shifted his arm every few minutes, when it started to fall asleep from resting his head on it. He couldn't tell if it was getting better. He wasn't worried about Balt, now, at least.

He now began to understand why Balt had gotten so close to him, before. Curiosity was not so easily restrained, especially as Balt seemed to be dozing off. Abe crept closer, until he could make out every scale on the drake's flank. There was a certain volume and detail there that a screen could never replicate. Pictures of dragons, too, tended to be clean, if not doctored. Balt had none of that. His scales were clean but unpolished, and some of the scales were speckled in different shades of green.

Balt had mentioned that he had done fair bit of flying, and it showed. Even folded, his wing muscles were well-defined, situated on broad frame that was only slightly bigger than Abe was. That chiseled head was almost cute.

"Don't let me keep you here," Balt rumbled. "I honestly might fall asleep."

Abe stumbled backwards and collected himself quickly. "You're not. Actually, I might be stuck up here, for a while."

"Still scared of the rain?"

"Yeah. I pulled a muscle, too."

The sky still looked like it might open up any second. It was funny; had climbed down earlier, it probably would have been fine. He'd manage if he went slowly enough. But it was impossible to know ahead of time if he'd get caught in a deluge partway through. Maybe going right now was the right decision. But the sky still looked like it might open up any second.

"I don't suppose you know any other ways down?"

"Hm." Balt gestured toward the western part of the cliff. "There's a switchback about ten miles that way."

Ten miles. Abe shook the water bottle clipped at his hip—it was half-empty already. Sunset was fast-approaching, too. He'd end up walking in the dark, which was a bad idea without a clear trail.

"Anything closer?"

"Not if you don't want to climb."

Abe had left his phone in his car. It wouldn't have helped if he had it, anyways—there was no signal out here—but if he didn't check back in with anyone tonight, someone would come looking. In that sense, there wasn't real worry. Images of being airlifted flashed through his head. Such a rescue was excessive; he was sure he'd feel good enough to climb down tomorrow. But if he didn't check in… well, his friends would assume the worst. And rightly so. That was the whole point. Still, he would rather not place all that worry on them.

"Any other ideas?" Abe asked. "You know the area better than I do."

"Not off the top of my head. Sorry. It's not something I think about too often—I can just fly down."

"Right. Oh, wait—"

"No, no, no. I know what you're thinking. That is a bad idea."

"Why? You can carry things while flying, right? You pick up groceries. Surely you've carried heavier things too?"

"In convenient, fifty-pound increments, sure. That's manageable. Human-sized increments? No. That wouldn't be flying, that would be a controlled fall."

"A controlled fall would be enough! C'mon, I'm not even that heavy. At least give it a try? Heft me? You can back out if you think it won't work."

"You seem really eager to put your life in my claws."

"Life? I think you sell yourself short. I've seen videos of flying competitions." There had been one video where a dragon had lifted two hundred kilograms. Granted, they had been more muscle than dragon, but Balt had a lot of that definition between his wings and down his back. "And you look… strong. Do you think you could do it?"

Balt looked him over, giving the faintest hint of a smile. "Maybe. I do fly a lot." But then his expression hardened. "What you suggest is dangerous, though. For me and you. Unlike those athletes, I wouldn't have the luxury of being able to drop you if it's too much."

"Of course you can say no. I guess it is maybe risky. But I'd be really grateful. Hell, I'll even pay you. My wallet is just in my car—"

But Balt shook his head. "Material risks call for material compensation. Bodily risks, however…"

Abe blinked. Bodily compensation? A quirk of language, surely. "Ask away. I'm not really in a state to do any heavy lifting, but if you want help with chores, or work, or—"

"That's not what I mean. I saw you eying me earlier."

Abe frowned. Maybe it wasn't a quirk of language. "You did it to me, too—"

"So it's mutual."

"—only because you're the first dragon I've ever seen in real life!"

"Well then, this is your chance to get up close and personal. Get me off, and I'll do my best to fly you down."

Abe gave the dragon an incredulous look. The offer caught him completely off-guard; the thought of doing anything sexual with Balt hadn't even crossed his mind. But now that the seed was planted, it was all he could think about.

Balt had presented it as a transaction, which was a little worrying, but Abe pushed that part to the side for now. If Balt had just asked him to get him off, without any other context, would he? He'd have thought his own answer would be no, especially as he had just met the dragon. But now that the situation was here, now, and entirely real, he wasn't sure. The thought was exciting in a naughty way.

It was just the two of them; there would be no judgment or consequences. Not that there would be, anyways. At least not serious ones. It would hardly be the first such interaction between humans and dragons. Those had happened before dragons had even immigrated to Earth. While some still had puritanical leanings towards the whole thing and the legal status of such unions was a subject of fervent debate, interspecies relationships were accepted in most places. That much wouldn't be a problem.

Abe was hardly an expert in dragon anatomy, but he had some exposure. He had looked at dragon porn, once. Or several times. Admittedly it wasn't the greatest place for learning, but if there was anything he felt comfortable taking away from those surprisingly well-produced videos, it was quantity. Drakes produced so much that Abe was certain it had to have been faked. Dragonesses were so wet that he came to a similar conclusion. But every video he found had that same excess. And if that was normal for dragons, then it was neither fake nor excessive, was it? He understood the appeal well enough. He now had an opportunity to experience it firsthand.

Frankly, the only part that really bothered him was the sexual tit-for-tat. It didn't feel quite right to treat such a thing as transactional. Perhaps it was a cultural thing, and such sentiments were different for dragons. That didn't make it feel entirely right, but it was an excuse. He could choose to ignore that part, treat it as a bonus rather than a trade. Would that change anything?

Balt caught his expression. "Sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have even offered—just bundling all the bad ideas together, I guess."

"No. I'll do it," Abe said. The words had come out before he could stop them. At least he had said something. If he had slowed down to really think about it, he'd have frozen instead.

Balt's ears perked up. "Wait, really? I didn't actually think—"

"Stand up before I change my mind." Abe felt his voice tremble, but he was committed, now.

Balt scampered upright, his claws ripping up a fair bit of the grass in the process. "You're sure?"

"I thought you were the one who wanted this."

"I mean, yes, but…" He glanced out over the cliff, then ducked his head back to Abe. "Okay, okay. A deal's a deal."

Abe brought himself to his knees. He was actually doing it, then. There was soreness in his thighs, but as long as he didn't move too much it was fine. His arms seemed to be doing better.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Balt asked.

"Just… step over me and hold still."

Balt did so, and Abe examined the underside of the dragon. Verdant scales lined his underbelly, getting finer and finer until the surface was nearly a rough skin near his tail. He remembered that dragons had genital slits; there was nothing external here. And Balt did not seem terribly aroused.

Abe found the crease, just between the dragon's hind legs. Balt's scales were most fine there. There was still time to back out. Then again, any time would work to back out. Balt seemed almost as nervous as he did about the whole thing; Abe didn't fear retribution from the dragon if he stopped early. He started rubbing.

"Ooh, right there. That's it…"

Abe kept rubbing. For a while, there was nothing to show from it except for Balt's vocal pleasure from the action. Then something soft pressed out of the slit and into Abe's palm. Abe moved his hand aside to give it space. That sleek, pink breeding tool, with a urethra wider than his pinky finger, eased itself out inch by inch. It was thick at the base but tapered to a blunt tip in the front, and the whole thing glistened with natural lubrication.

Abe's heart skipped a beat, but he continued rubbing absentmindedly. The whole situation was surreal. That was erect dragon penis hanging just a few inches from his face. He hadn't even seen a dragon before today, and now he was pleasuring the very first one he met. It was one of those things he hadn't expected to happen in his lifetime, let alone on a solo excursion in the middle of nowhere. But it was real, and it was happening right now. Hell, he had made it his job to make it happen.

Even though the dragon's cock was now on prominent display, Abe avoided it for the moment, instead continuing to rub around Balt's slit. He'd have to move on eventually; this was just postponing the inevitable end. But Balt didn't seem to mind. If anything, he was encouraging him with the way he pressed his hips into Abe's hands. The reason why became clear as his knot popped out.

Balt's knot was a bulbous, veiny thing the size of a small apple. Abe hadn't forgotten that dragons had them—he remembered that from his occasional porn viewing—but he had failed to take that knowledge and apply it to this particular penis in this particular situation. Without the knot, Balt had a perfectly suitable amount of penis. With it, the whole thing was imposing.

Abe pulled his hands back. This was his last chance to back out before he officially gave a dragon a handjob. Rubbing around Balt's slit wouldn't be enough anymore. It was supposed to be a slippery slope; he had already gotten Balt worked up, already started warming himself up to the idea of getting the dragon off. Hell, he could feel himself getting hard with the anticipation of it all. Now all he had to do was wrap both hands around that slick, tapered cock of his and stroke until Balt came. Easy. So why did he feel frozen?

Abe forced himself to start slowly: one ginger tap with a finger. The touch drew back a gossamer strand of the drake's natural lubrication; the whole surface was coated in a thin sheen of it. Surely Balt could penetrate anything he wanted to in that state, regardless of how dry it was. And dragons were almost unilaterally stronger than humans. Abe shuddered at the thought. Balt didn't seem the type, at least, but the thought made Abe feel all sorts of different ways.

"You good?" Balt rumbled.

"Yeah."

Abe looked at the glistening cock in front of him—in awe or trepidation, he still wasn't sure. He let his hands hover by the shaft, open and trembling. Then he pressed in, curling his fingers around the curve of Balt's penis, feeling that clear lubrication seep into the cracks between his fingers and coat his palms. It felt exactly how he thought it would: wet, warm, and with the slightest give while still being erect. He knew as well, in that moment, that his hands wouldn't leave until Balt was entirely spent, not only because of the way Balt's natural fluids clung with this strange suction, but also because of the throbbing Abe felt trapped in his own shorts at the thought of the dragon drenching him in cum. His heart skipped a beat. He could make it end that way. It wasn't even a fantasy.

The first stroke went smoothly. Abe's hands moved without friction, squeezing lightly but not carefully. Balt managed to keep still for the first few passes, but he ended up thrusting into them shortly after. It was funny; at that point, Abe could probably just keep his hands there and let Balt handle the rest. But it didn't feel like a fair way to interpret their deal, and he was quickly finding that he couldn't have both hands wrapped around a slippery dragon cock and not stroke.

The pair found a cadence, with Balt thrusting in time with every three of Abe's quicker strokes. Abe found the rhythm easy to keep, and the soreness wasn't so bad from this angle with his arms in front. He was directly in the line of fire. Abe felt his own erection strain at his shorts. He could move out of the way, but it felt so naughty to keep the business end pointed squarely at his face. Besides, Balt would warn him when he was close. Probably. Something in the back of his mind tickled at not getting a warning, and then tickled his groin. He could go further.

Abe slid one of his hands further down Balt's shaft until he was cupping his knot. That part was sensitive, he knew. He started sliding his hand left and right under it. He'd be gentle. Though not too gentle. He gave a soft squeeze.

Balt's subsequent thrust broke their established rhythm, forcing Abe to lean back in order to avoid getting his right eye speared with dragon cock. The motion threw off his balance, and Abe found himself knocked onto his back, having let go to break his fall.

Balt took their position change in stride, barely missing a beat as he kept thrusting, rubbing the underside of his cock all over Abe's bare chest. Abe shuddered at the dragon's powerful, smooth thrusts, and at the warm sensation left behind by his natural lubrication. He didn't remember deciding to lay his hands back on that swollen length, but he found that he had and had resumed stroking automatically.

The dragon's chest was mere inches from his own. Balt was so close, physically. Probably sexually as well. There was no way Abe would be able to roll away without his shoulder knocking into Balt's bulk. Not that he wanted to roll away—he was just as hard as Balt was, though his own erection was still locked away in his shorts, and the messy way he suspected this might end was no small reason why. Why was this so hot? He'd have to figure that out later. In the meantime he was content to just enjoy it.

Each one of Balt's thrusts had a fair amount of downwards motion, and Abe had given up against trying to keep the tip from rubbing onto his collarbone, smearing pre all over the upper part of his chest. That gave him an idea: there was another way he could get Balt off. The dragon hadn't specified a method; Abe had only started with his hands because it had been easy and seemed the obvious choice. But now, with the dragon's cock rubbing pre almost up to his chin, it seemed a waste not to go further. Especially while his own arousal was straining against his clothes. This was a rare chance; He'd kick himself later if he didn't live it to the fullest.

Abe opened his mouth, sliding Balt's cock in on his next thrust, feeling the girth widen and spread his mouth further until the tip poked against his soft palate. He barely believed himself—it had been so spur of the moment, but here he was, vision filled green scales and swollen flesh, giving a blowjob to the dragon he had just met.

Balt grunted. "You didn't have to—oh, that's good."

Abe beamed inwardly. He'd have made an expression, but most of his mouth was occupied, and keeping his teeth tucked safely away required a surprising amount of focus. Tongue was the name of the game. Abe focused on the underside of Balt's cock, for that was most of what he could reach with his tongue. The dragon's frequent thrusts helped push his coverage further, but Abe had trouble suppressing his coughing and sputtering. To Balt's credit, he took the hint and restrained himself.

Abe retasked his hands to work on what was left exposed: one for the remaining bit of shaft, and the other solely for the knot. It was beginning to feel familiar; he barely even noticed what his hands were doing, as they were only doing what they had done before. Instead, it was his mouth he focused on, letting the tip of his tongue slide back and dance over Balt's cock tip, shuddering at the sheer diameter of his urethra and imaging the volume it could produce, and the rate at which it could do that. He was about to find out just how real or fake those videos had been.

"It's coming," Balt growled.

Balt had given him that moment to pull away—and Abe, at that point, wasn't sure if he would or not. He felt the time since that growl of warning pass in halves, like some Zenonian paradox, a chance to pull back at each splitting, except each time he wouldn't, and so the thought would come around again later, faster, more urgent—

But by the time Abe felt Balt throb in orgasm, it was too late to do anything but take it. The first jet of cum came out at an inhuman rate and inundated his mouth with warm, gooey seed. He let the cock fall from his lips, out of shock rather than recoil, though it was too rigid to drop and remained pointed squared at his head. A thick string launched itself audibly across Abe's scrunched face, from forehead to chin and halfway back up again. It was too viscous to splash or splatter; the dragon spunk simply clung heavily, plastered webs covering his field of vision. He closed his eyes defensively, leaving his mouth agape and drooling.

The smell hit him next. The pungent aroma of dragon cum was in his nose because dragon cum was in his nose. It was not merely an overbearing scent: it was the only scent. In a vacuum, Abe wasn't sure what he would think of it. Certainly he wouldn't be able to place it. But now that he had associated it with copious amounts of dragon spunk, he was drunk on it.

Another long, laminar shot. Abe turned away from it, inadvertently exposing a clean side for Balt to cover, which he did thoroughly. The shock had worn off now, and Abe briefly considered getting away, but he couldn't remember the last time he had been this aroused. Maybe he hadn't ever been. Staying wouldn't hurt; he'd have to clean up regardless.

Balt kept cumming. Abe dropped one wet hand down to his pants and rubbed at his own erection. He had expected it to feel good, but he hadn't expected it to send him over the edge. As Balt began to wind down, the next couple of spurts hitting softly and with less volume onto Abe's chest, Abe felt his own cock strain painfully against his shorts in orgasm and shoot a few spurts down the length of his thigh. If it wasn't for Balt's copious comparison point, he'd have said he made a mess of himself. But relatively speaking, it was nothing.

As they both settled down, Abe swallowed what fair amount of Balt's seed was still remaining in his mouth. It slid down his throat slickly. He couldn't say if there was a taste or not; the texture was thick and gooey and warm. Then the let his head fall to the grass below and exhaled in release. He had been holding his breath.

"Oh… you didn't have to do that. Though I'm glad you did." Balt opened his eyes and took one look at Abe, whose skin was more cum-covered than exposed. "Oh no—I'm so sorry—"

"It's fine." Abe wiped off his face with his hands, which helped stop things dripping, but he'd need a shower to get it all. Or multiple towels.

"You're sure?"

Abe nodded. "It's… kind of hot, actually."

"What, being a complete mess?"

"Yeah. Especially one that's yours." He cracked a grin. "This is all your fault, really."

"What can I say? I was pent up. And your hands and tongue were such an unexpected delight."

"Hah."

Balt stared at Abe's tented shorts. "You know, we don't have to stop here. My house isn't that far off—"

Abe shook his head. The air felt cold. "People will look for me if I don't get back tonight. And a deal's a deal, no?"

"It is." Balt looked over the edge of the cliff. "I'm sorry, by the way."

"You still on about the mess?" He flicked some of it off his hands and onto the ground. "I told you, it's fine."

"No—I mean the way I asked. Making it a trade. We were eying each other, and I thought it would be bold, and it just kind of… came out that way. I'm not sure what I was thinking."

"Apology accepted." Abe smiled. "It's okay. Honestly, if you had asked without any string attached, I think I might have ended up looking like this"—he gestured to his chest—"anyways. I enjoyed it."

"Does that mean I don't have to fly you down, then?"

"Hey, hey! That's not what I said!"

"Just kidding. A deal's a deal. Still, you're sure you're comfortable with this? It might be a bit… rough."

"It's fine."

"Okay then. Why don't you stand over by the edge of the cliff and hold your arms out. T-pose."

"No riding?"

"Not unless you want to fall off. This will be a lot more stable for me. It's how I usually carry things. Now face the cliff. I don't want you flinching when I go to grab you."

Abe turned around hesitantly, spreading his arms to the side. A few rain droplets began to fall.

"Good, good. Now, I'm going to grab your upper arms tightly, okay? Don't complain if you get a few scrapes. Better that than the alternative. Oh, and there will be a bit of whiplash. Tense your neck as best you can."

Abe heard Balt walk away. He closed his eyes. The soreness in his shoulder was better now—raising it wasn't much trouble at all.

Then there came the sound of what Abe knew was a dragon running towards him at takeoff speed. It got louder and louder, and then Abe was knocked face-first over the edge of the cliff.

He fell for a moment, but Balt's dark form frantically flapping above him and the stabbing, reassuring pain in his shoulders and meant it surely had worked. Balt hadn't been kidding about grabbing on tight, though.

Balt was descending like an elevator going down too fast, not quite in freefall, but not quite in control either. The ground rushed up at them faster than Abe was comfortable with. They were going pretty fast, too. Did dragons usually land with all four legs? How was this going to work?

The answer came all too quick. Abe winced as Balt threw him backwards, which was hardly a comfortable experience but canceled out a bit of the flight speed. He hit the ground on his back, knocking the wind out of him. The landing spot was a clearing with soft soil, but for all Abe could tell it might as well have been rock.

A few moments later, Abe heard crashing and cursing a ways away. He lifted his head. It seemed Balt had hit a pine tree.

"Balt?" Abe croaked loudly. "You broken?"

"Ow," came Balt's cry. "Not sure. I think I'm fine? You?"

Abe groaned and let his head drop back down. "I'll live."

Balt grunted, shaking off a few pine needles and getting to his feet. He walked to Abe. "Same, but I think I'll be feeling this for a week, or two, at least. Landed kind of awkward." He took a good look at Abe and started chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I just forgot you were still plastered with my cum."

Abe raised his head to look down at his body. He really was. The flight had knocked some of it off, but his whole chest was still covered in a thick, milky-white film. His face surely looked like that as well. He couldn't help but laugh along.

"You can stand, at least, right?" Balt asked.

"Should be able to." Abe got to his feet. Most of the pain was in his back; the bruises there were sure to run through a wide gamut of colors over the next few days, but that wasn't going to stop him from walking back to his car.

"Well,"—Abe tugged at his waistband—"it's getting dark. I've got a bit of a walk, so I should really get going. Thanks for getting me down here in one piece."

"Of course. Sorry it was a bit rough. And thank you, for… everything else." Balt looked away.

For the briefest of moments, Abe considered asking if Balt wanted to go again. There was going to be cleanup regardless. He knew he wanted it, and suspected Balt did too. But his excuse to leave was an honest one; the sun was already setting and he still had a two-mile walk ahead of himself. He hadn't planned for a night hike.

Still, the thought of leaving Balt behind hurt. He'd have to come back, at least. Maybe they could even figure something out for later.

"Balt… I don't want to just leave it here. With us, I mean. Actually, do you have a phone?"

"Not on me. At my place, sure. Why?"

The realization dawned on Abe like a falling anvil. Getting down had been the only thing on his mind—he hadn't even thought of asking Balt if he could borrow his phone. Maybe it was because he didn't associate dragons and phones, but it was such a stupid oversight in hindsight. He could have gone with Balt to his place and called his friends, told them he was okay. He could have gone with Balt to his place and waited out the rain. Balt had even made the offer; they'd have spent the night together. He'd have felt sore the next morning, but for entirely different reasons than now.

"I'm just dumb. It's alright." Abe sighed. "I'm going to give you my number, though." He pulled his map out of his pack and ripped off a corner, scribbling a few numbers on it. "Give me a call, if you want." He handed the paper to Balt.

"I will. And let me know if you ever come out here, again. For climbing, or something."

"Or something. It's a deal. See you around, Balt."