Leyline - Chapter 2

An unexpected discovery

In the still twilight dawn, everything seemed sharper now to Aedan, from the brush of twinkling dew on the grass and pine needles, to the slightest motion of ants crawling through the underbrush beneath his feet. As they left camp, they tread carefully still, as only the foolish would forfeit caution in the moon's waning light, where shade and shadow became one.

Finding none on the mountain itself, they traced their way back to the stream where Aedan had killed the Stag which led him to all this trouble in the first place, and knelt beside the stream to fill their waterskins for the day's journey, twilit grey gradually giving way to the lush pine green and mottled brown of fall.

It was almost dawn, and the moon stood at its lowest as Aedan approached the cascades of icy water tumbling down the rocks to gather in mirror-like pools before running off again. As he crouched beside one, a startling sight froze him in place. Starkly glowing yellow irises stared back at him from his reflection, and as he leaned closer, slitted pupils that were at once alien and familiar to him. Then he looked up to find Zireda already beside him, then turned back to the water, then back to her again. Their eyes were the same now, he was certain.

Placing her paws on his shoulders and gazing intently at him, Zireda answered the question stuck on his lips, “Those are not werekin eyes, Aedan, but they are… beautiful," she smiled and licked over his nose, “I believe I know the reason for your new sight, but it is something you must come to understand on your own. Come, we should gather water and make haste home."

Aedan pondered that for the short moment it took to fill them unable to look away as the waterskin began to overflow in his hands, then finally shook himself out of reverie and said: “I should wash myself. I'd hardly want to return to Beldur in this state, and perhaps I just need to get used to the sight of myself now." Zireda nodded in agreement.

After what they had already been through together, Aedan felt only a hint of embarrassment as he undid his clothes before her. They stepped in the river together, wading out towards the center where the water just reached his chest, letting it soak away the dirt, sweat, and sticky remains of the night. Whatever the change in his eyes, he was still clearly more than human as he shivered slightly against the cold, before he felt the warmth of fur at his back as Zireda wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding him close to her chest as she licked lovingly over his neck.

Gladly, Aedan twisted around and returned the embrace, only now noticing their difference in height with a blush as he found himself pressed between two soft fur covered breasts with smaller teats rubbing lower against his belly, arching his neck back to kiss her snout as he used the moment run his hands through the thick fur along her sides and the warm skin underneath.

Zireda only grinned and hugged him tighter, turning it into a proper kiss as she pressed her muzzle against his lips, curling her lengthy canine tongue around his and pulling him into her maw in a breathless moment, before gently releasing him with a pleased growl, “We should walk back to the shore, there will surely be time so we can get more, intimate, when we are less pressed for time." Aedan grinned at the suggestion, warmer now despite the cold.

They soon reached the cool sands again and Zireda stepped first out of the water, glancing back with a slight smirk as she knelt on all fours and shook out her fur in a rather wolfish manner, tail flicking this way and that; Aedan could hardly keep himself from glancing between her legs at the tempting display as he blushed harder with another grin, shaking his head as he moved a little off to the side to avoid the flying droplets, drying off quickly enough himself in the arid mountain breeze. Finishing that, he busied himself gathering brush and set up a small fire for the remaining night.

* * *

While Zireda went out hunting, Aedan sat by the river to fish until her return. He used this short solitude to think about their future, about the vision, about what Zireda saw after the ceremony.

Perceiving approaching fish right before the lure kept his senses occupied and sharpened reflexes, despite its relaxing nature as well. He could see them well before they fell for the bait with barely a twitch on the cord before pulling free his catch.

Another two hours passed before Zireda returned with the sunrise at her back, greeting him with a full brace of wild hares under each arm. She sat next to him and watched inquisitively as Aedan topped off the small pile of fish next to him with a fat river salmon to his luck, then they set about cleaning and dressing their respective kills and catches, preparing dinner from a few over the fire and tying up the rest in makeshift sacks of cloth and leather, the winter air plenty chill enough to keep the meat fresh for now.

As they tore into their meal in the growing sunlight, Aedan came to realize he was absolutely lost in this part of the forest.

“We can still follow Beldur's trail. I am familiar to his scent, although it was several years ago I spoke to him." Zireda suggested, reclining back from the fire with a full stomach, “But first a much needed rest. It will be easier to track him when the sun has fully risen."

With nothing left to do for the remaining night the odd pair snuggled close to each other in wavering coal-red glow, dispersing the cold of the mountains with their warmth.

Another strange dream

As Aedan passed into that vivid realm between sleep and wakefulness, he felt instead as if casting off the binds of a deeper slumber, dreams and memories not entirely his own rising to the surface, and with a start he awoke, all four scaly limbs flailing, vision a blurred deep red in the light. This time however, his focus drew in a pool of roiling lava nearby, radiating welcoming warmth against the dark stone-ribbed walls curving upwards around him. Impulsively he inhaled the ashen odor, and felt safe in the lively glow, not so different from himself.

He looked down to the dark rippling glass of a raw obsidian floor, a shattered mirror of himself as it blended with the metals of the rock in patches here and there. He studied himself then, a fine drake indeed even if his tail were a bit on the stubby side, with a shocking coat of scales like blue fire covering him from snout to paw, the crown of his head a smooth curve without horns as of yet.

Peering closer into the specular surface, he noticed small pairs of red blinking back at him from the high shadowed ceiling above, and he carefully tilted his head back to see for himself the small furred creatures dangling overhead. Their long ears hung upside down, leathery wings wrapping each small bundle of fur as he twisted his head to match their unusual posture, and still others crawling over each other in the oddest ritual as they seemed to clean each other with licks and tiny claws of their own, softly squeaking back at him dismissively. He snorted and turned back to the cave.

A wall of scales brushed his snout as he brought it back down, blocking the light of the fire pit to cast him in shadow. He let out a small screech of happiness at the sight of his father, and immediately latched onto the small mountain, the scales offering endless claw-holds for his paws as he scaled his way up an arm to the dragon's neck, the echo of a rumbling chuckle reaching his ears as his father lifted him up toward the lofty ceiling,

“They are bats my young drake. Mostly they keep out the bugs and pests that would infest a warm cave like ours, though they have a strong affinity for the sweeter blood of dwarves, and humans when they venture too far into the dark, for the light blinds these flying rats."

“What iz a human?" the little one asked, watching in fascination as the crowd of bats scattered away, tilting his head to look back into the large slitted eye staring back at him, “Why vudzey et blud?"

Carefully the dragon lowered himself back to the floor, “It is good that you are full of questions little one, so like your mother, yet even I don't understand the nature of a bat, perhaps they simply like the taste, and there is plenty of food to be found when bats prey the skies. Humans you will see soon enough, when you grow older, bony little things, though the crunch has a nice snap when you can avoid their sharp tools"

He gripped tightly to his father's horns as they walked away from the fire pit, the breath of air flowing from the passage ahead leading toward the best part of any day, flight in the open skies

Answers

Aedan stirred from sleep at the break of dawn as always, somewhat slowly though for having stayed up so late, stiff muscles and bones bending grudgingly to his will as he shifted and stretched against the warm furry form surrounding him. Zireda remarked that he slept somewhat uneasy and asked him whether he had a nightmare. He answered, rolling to his feet to grab his traveling clothes: “Just another strange dream as I've had since before I remember."

Zireda smiled as she rose up to her paws as well, making her own stretches beside the smoldering leftover coals of the night's fire: “Care to tell me?"

“Not really, though I doubt it's anything significant, just strange. But no, I don't mind telling you." Aedan told her every detail he could remember, and Zireda chuckled a bit as she listened to the hatchling dream.

“I have had similar dreams as you at times, though I've never heard of a human to experience them. The vision I had may have something to do with it though, and I think Mother can explain the nature of such dreams better than I. They do have meaning, but it is not the same as a normal dream; they are real, in a sense neither dream nor fantasy."

Aedan nodded, “I'd love to share our dreams someday then, if only to learn, but the sun has risen above the mountain ridge now, and we still have some distance yet to go."

Together they decided to wander east, following in the general direction of Aedan's home behind the ridge, still hoping to cross either into familiar territory and find Beldur's tracks. Zireda carried most of their catch from yesterday, to Aedan's protest, though she would have none of it, and still managed a brisk pace though the dawning light.

Around afternoon they wandered into dense brush at the tree-line of a particularly sharp depression, animal paths formed by several trails and broad-leaf maple trees beneath the pines. Aedan finally recognized the valley by the peak above it, the same he had used to survey the area the day before his fateful encounter with the wolves; and sure enough, they found his own tracks leading the way back as they reached the top. It would still take until at least evening for them to return.

* * *

They reached the house in the late evening with the sun still at their backs, a bit of smoke rising from the stone chimney, and long jagged shadow-claws reaching out from the forest behind them across the clearing surrounding Aedan's home. Zireda glanced around the house and its surroundings curiously: “This is where you and father live?"

Aedan nodded and scanned the area himself, finding everything as when he left: “It is may be a humble life for us, but the forest provides for our needs, and there has never been much else I could ask for. Beldur is a great teacher, though don't let him know I said that," he chuckled.

Entering through the front door together, they found Beldur standing by the table, still preparing dinner from the rich smells greeting their hungry trail-sharpened appetites. Beldur looked to Aedan then to Zireda with a knowing glance as he stepped out of the kitchen to meet them: “You're back, and with enough food so we won't have to hunt for the rest of the month it seems. Since Zireda is with you, I trust all secrets have been laid aside between us now. I cannot ask you to forgive me for my part in this Aedan, it was never a side of me I meant for you to see, and my mistake nearly had you killed.

Aedan shook his head, laying aside his burdens as Zireda did the same: “I do forgive you, and I understand. I'm not sorry about what happened, however strange it is. My actions were my own, and the werekin are not a cruel people, they really know how to throw a celebration. They were almost familiar to me somehow, and now I know the reason. But there is more that happened after you left, and much I have to ask about."

Beldur stared at him for a long moment, and then noticed the change in Aedan's eyes, softly glowing against the faint light, before he looked to the same eyes in Zireda: “Aye. Then I am glad you returned him safely to me Zireda my daughter, it has been too long since we were together at the last lunar rites. Let us eat since dinner is almost ready, and I shall answer the questions you have, and probably more, there may not be another time."

They carried their kills out to a smokehouse to keep them well preserved for the rest of the winter, lighting the slow-cooking embers before returning to the kitchen where a freshly caught boar that day had been prepared by Beldur.

“Well, as you know, Aedan, you are not my son in flesh and blood. When you were little all you knew was that you lived here, with me, and I have taught you all I know of the sword and of living as I have known it, as much as I could without being able to show you more than stories of the greater world. I wish it could always be that simple."

Beldur paused and stared into the fire before going on, “It should have been, but magic can be a strange and twisted thing, as much as the miracles it can produce. As the first signs of non-human traits have begun to show, you must now claim your birthright: You, Aedan, are the son of the Dragon Queen Esin, and ArduRu, the lord of all dragons."

Aedan widened his eyes in shock, countless questions racing through his thoughts, “How can this be? It was never told that dragons mingled with humans, werekin sure, but dragons?" He stopped and exhaled slowly, glancing back at Zireda: “The blood of two species, royal blood no less…? I can't… I don't believe that."

Beldur nodded, then stood up, withdrawing a key from his pockets as he walked over to a small iron-banded lockbox on top of the fireplace. The lock turned, and he pulled out a ring of finely woven gold and silver strands inlaid with a series of spiraling flawless blood rubies, attached by a thread to a scroll as he returned to the table: “Shortly after your birth, Esin brought you to me and left that ring, her signet ring, to you, as evidence of your heritage together with this scroll, a written testament that would make you an heir to the throne should she perish, if you chose to follow that path. As for your dragon father, they have very different customs, and your new sight is proof enough now. There is no doubt, Aedan; you are the heir of both man and dragon-kind." He continued after handing them both to Aedan: “Keep them hidden with you; there are those who would desire such a title. Besides that, your birth name is not Aedan, but ArduSin, in the tradition of the dragons."

He then looked sternly at him, then at Zireda: “Keep your namesake hidden as well until you have met with your parents, though most people would not recognize it, there are many who still fear them. Do you have any questions, Aedan?"

Aedan shook his head silently; there was so much to think about and he didn't know where to begin, still reeling from the events of the last few days and now this.

Beldur turned to Zireda: “As for the other answer, Aedan, you have already met my daughter Zireda. You are not wrong by her eyes, dragon blood also runs through her veins as much as that of the werekin, and she has five winters more experience on you. There is no one I would rather entrust your safety to."

He paused with a sigh then continued, “While you were away, a messenger arrived bearing news that we are to take passage to the royal court at the capital as soon as possible. I have no doubt of the urgency, but first you will both go to Zireda's mother to let her know our daughter is well and will travel with us, I know she will be able to answer your questions better than I Aedan."

Zireda gave a nod: “I had a vision from the Moon after the ceremony; she compels me to follow Aedan. I have not discerned why, but I am doubtless this is the path we are to follow. I will go with you, whatever the danger along the way. Someone has to protect him," she chuckled

Beldur grinned as well: “Hopefully that won't be necessary daughter, though the road can be treacherous. And against anything short of a demon, Aedan is well equipped to handle himself. I'll expect you back with him in three days, but tonight we can rest."

* * *

They stayed up a few more hours as they finished their meal before heading to sleep. Aedan tried on the signet ring curiously, finding it barely fit around his little finger, which he supposed made sense for his mother's hands. Strange thinking of someone he'd never met as his parent now. He secured it around the scroll again and placed it back in its box by the bed as Zireda stepped in behind him.

“It is difficult to accept, isn't it?" she asked with a gentle voice and smiled: “I thought the same when I was about your age. Yet you aren't alone as I was. If there is anything I can do for you, just tell me."

Aedan nodded: “I would just be grateful to have you sleep by my side again. It's all so complicated now, dragons, wolves, secrets, prophecies, and only a few short days ago I was a simple hunter." His mouth twisted in a wry grin, “Even gods and demons don't seem so strange an idea now."

Together they lay on his old bed, Zireda still dwarfing him with her fluffy bulk as he nestled in close to her and dragged the covers over. She licked his nose in affection wrapping her arms tight around him again, and slowly his eyes closed to the warm beat of her heart; he was not alone with his fears and he could share his worries, dreams, maybe even his whole life with her.

Seeing Mountains

“We will take some time to reach my mother's territory on foot, at least two or three days if I remember the way correctly," Zireda warned. Together they sat around the table for a light breakfast of fresh apples and smoked meats with cheese before departure.

Beldur nodded across from her: “Still, Aedan should know your mother; he is of your kind now. As much as I wish to see her again, there is much left here to make ready for the greater journey in the meantime. I don't know how long it will take before I can return either, so I will ask our tribe to guard the surrounding woods as well. The Queen commanded 'as soon as possible', but travel conditions are always changing; a few days will not be missed. I will take responsibility if there are any consequences."

Already well-packed first thing in the morning, there was little else to make ready as they finished the last scraps of food. Aedan was glad to finally have proper travel clothes again as he threw on a sturdy leather jerkin, picking his pack by the door. He embraced Beldur once more, Zireda doing the same in her wolfish manner before following after Aedan as they stepped out across the threshold together into the silent still calm of morning.

* * *

First they wandered south towards the river again following it downstream with the current, away from the werekin's mountain range to the northwest down towards another surrounding ridge.

Aedan was glad Zireda seemed to have an idea where they were, because their surroundings became increasingly unfamiliar to him as they trod further down unbeaten animal paths. The river slowly widened alongside them as they passed, within a few hours the distant shore was soon enshrouded in the cool mountain mists save for the treetops.

He still had plenty of questions left unanswered that kept leaping to the front of his mind, especially of Zireda's mother, but the silence was comforting in its own way, and kept them both alert; 'the road is treacherous to the unwary traveler' as Beldur always told Aedan, and indeed had played many tricks and tests over his training to drive the point home. Aedan still remembered the last one where he had gotten himself caught like a common fur-trapper dangling head over heels by a rope latched to a tree. As they reached the plains before the eastern foothills of the mountains by mid-evening, they made camp there by a lakeside where the one river met another flowing down in the opposite direction, forging a greater one flowing south.

Beldur told him in the past that these are part of the Impassable Mountains, home to dwarves and dragons alike. Aedan had seen the mountains at a distance once or twice for sure, but standing there before them was a humbling experience, eminent peaks stretching far above the clouds.

Another fire prepared for the night, Aedan wondered whether her current form was her real one as they sat beside each other against its warmth: “Is this werekin form your natural state? I can't help thinking about what Beldur said now that I know my parents." He examined her closely while he asked, seeing nothing that would distinctly hint at dragon under all the fur.

Zireda smirked and answered back with a rumbling chuckle: “Well, being born of two races, there really isn't a 'natural' state; I'm comfortable and capable running with wolves as much as I am flying with my dragon kin, and both have been more than willing to accept me, being creatures of the earth first as opposed to you humans who separate and divide themselves from nature and each other. Beldur is one of the few that understands and does not fear us, though as one of the original Durzngaezryn, that road to peace was paved with blood."

Blinking then in comprehension, Aedan asked carefully: “The Dragon slayers you mean? But I thought they were forbidden by the pact with the dragons themselves decades ago?"

Zireda shook her head: “Slaying a dragon was declared illegal same as murder, yes, but as with murderers there are still those who hunt renegade dragons beyond the reaches of the imperial arm. And many of them are former soldiers or mercenaries from the dragon wars. As a result of the pact which ended the conflict, many of them lost their only source of income, and some their right to military service ever again, so ruthless and destructive had their skills become. In spite of the sanctions, fear is still a powerful motivation, and there are many farmers, soothsayers, alchemists, and wealthy lords who are more than willing to pay for the riddance of a bothersome beast, for that is all they can see dragons as. The same can be said of those who would hunt werekin, though our packs do protect us for the most part."

Aedan nodded in understanding, “Beldur was a dragon slayer and he chose to settle down instead. It's sad others have chosen a different path, though he never did explain much of how he came to live here."

Zireda smiled: “You, and I, should be grateful for that. Beldur set aside that life five years before the pact was formed, at the cost of his own standing in the empire, and exile for desertion. The last dragon he was tasked to kill was my mother. And as you might have guessed from where we are now, she was once a fearsome guardian of these impassable mountains, the gateway to the dragon realms during the war. In his search to find her he came across Taalnarn and his tribe, and as fate would have it, he also killed a sacred beast of the Moon, one of the great Bruins. The werekin descended on him then as they did to you, though without such merciful intentions, yet again the Moon spared his life.

She paused with a dark look before continuing, “Beldur went mad then; it was against everything he had fought against to become such a beast, it tore open all the old wounds he had hardened his heart against by slaying dragon after dragon. He ran deep into the mountains, trapped in this reviled werekin form, until one day he stumbled unknowingly across my mother's cave, falling asleep half frozen in the dead of winter. She could tell what he was, but my mother took him in for whatever strange reason. When he returned to consciousness, Beldur no longer remembered what his past life had been, memories shattered by his new existence. It would be several months before they returned to him, and some years before he could make sense of it. Learning how to live again from my mother changed his heart forever; Beldur could not reconcile the past with his new life, but neither did my mother hold any resentment against him for it, and in time, that simple acceptance became something more for both of them. That is the story my mother taught me."

Zireda looked back at Aedan with a smile again, “Not long after that I was born, and Beldur decided to stay for good. Besides which, my existence would have broken the moral code among dragonslayers, and would have had serious penalties, even treason in that time." She chuckled, “Life has a twisted imagination it seems; the child of a dragonslayer is the daughter of a dragon, and the hidden prince of the empire is the offspring of its enemy. Together we could destroy the world."

Aedan laughed somewhat wryly as well as a thought came to him, “I wonder whether Taalnarn knows about your 'little' secret."

Zireda nodded: “He does, and news travels as fast if not faster among werekin. I think it is partly why I was chosen as an Oracle, though Moon does not reveal everything in so many words. But I am not the only oracle, so my absence won't bear any burden on our tribe."

Together their eyes followed the setting sun to the first stars of dusk, finishing the last of their meal before lying down to sleep in the dwindling ember's light.

* * *

Zireda was up first, gently shaking Aedan awake in the early morning as the sun began to rise. Stretching to ward off the previous day's exertion, they quickly dispersed any traces of the camp and loaded up for the road heading north.

Climbing up past the foothills and into the mountains again, the path soon turned to sparse shrubs and rocky terrain. The tall slopes rose up around them in a powerful, almost threatening stance, distant peaks fading into the atmosphere familiar yet distant from his own. It was small wonder the dragons would find their home here he thought, guarded by such magnificence with all the sky to their advantage. He imagined one of their kind being atop one of those spires could see even the far cities of the west held in legend and tradesmen tales.

After a sharp rise which left even Zireda breathless, they finally reached the beginning of a lower ridgeline, able to take in the breadth of their surroundings with the sun sluggishly carving its way toward noon. The river they camped at the night before was but a thin line before them now.

Zireda spied out a path finally while they took a short break. Cautiously, Aedan asked: “Anything unusual here?" She shook her head: “Nothing at all. There's the usual patrol of werekin along the riverside opposite where we camped, the herds of deer and wild game, birds following their flocks, though I had hoped we would already find larger clawings along the rocks here, Mother used to carve them out while hunting to scare off any wandering two-leggeds or otherwise."

Aedan shrugged: “Perhaps the animals have changed their patterns over the seasons; winter has come rather early this year. Beldur taught me to discern the motives of an enemy when he trained me in the sword, dragons would not be so different."

Zireda tilted her head: “That is possible, and in any case we have our way again. Father did teach you the art of dragon-slaying then?"

Nodding slowly, Aedan replied: “He did, though his way is more an extension of the warrior mindset than skills meant for hunting dragons; Beldur was a soldier before the war began, and I would not harm any of our kind out of malice. He taught me that knowledge in case it was ever needed. 'A warrior must always be prepared, but the best battles are the ones never fought', I can still hear his words even now."

They took rest on the hill for the afternoon, plotting the route ahead: “We're about halfway done. If you wish to hunt something fresh, this would be a good spot; dried meat, fruit and nuts all taste the same after a few days."

Aedan checked the string of his bow and counted his arrows: “Well I could use some archery practice. Is there anything you'd like?"

Zireda shook her head: “Take whatever you can get. I'll stay here and keep watch. Be careful, Aedan."

* * *

And so Aedan took off for the hunt. The trees were thick as he descended a ways back into the valley, light on his feet as he followed after the faint trickling of a small stream they had passed by on the way up. Eventually he brushed through the prickling pine needles to a lush clearing with the rushing water not far beyond, and chanced upon a rare sight.

A large form was crouched by the water's edge on two avian claws and two lion-like paws with a pearly white feathered head, pale graceful wings, and a thick dark golden fur fading to black stretching across its back down to the tufted tail tip. A great beak curved towards him as the gryphon's head suddenly snapped back to silently regard him with cold blue eyes.

Aedan slowly backed into the tree-line, keeping an arrow nocked but lowering his bow as the feathered beast cocked an ear in his direction, letting out a low keen before it dashed out into the clearing and quickly leapt into the air with two powerful wing-beats.

Aedan narrowed his eyes as he walked back into the open and took note of its heading. A gryphon by their camp could spell trouble for them, especially Zireda. It was well known that gryphons covet females of other species, cursed creatures of ley magic that they were, all thought to be male. Still, Zireda surely knows how to defend herself if need be he thought, and soon dismissed the thought as he turned back to the hunt again.

Striding up to the small stream, he checked the ground for fresh tracks, and was glad to find more than only claw marks left behind; the gryphon had probably been following after the same deer tracks. Instinctively Aedan looked back to the sky, but couldn't make out anything more than the fluffy white clouds slowly turning a golden amber in the waning light.

Shaking his head as he found further marks leading away from the water, he started off into the dense foliage again. Before long he caught a faint rustling up ahead through a vein of tall spindly-tangled bushes, without thorns thankfully as he crouched low and slowly worked his way in. The rustling went silent then, before a feathered head broke in to the side, knocking him over with its massive beak as it assaulted him with a great lick across his face.

“Shoo away! I am not a female nor am I interested in the likes of you," Aedan protested. The gryphon screeched and nudged him with its beak, pointing somewhere, Aedan felt, as if to show him something, “Well you've already ruined a perfectly good hunt evil bird," Aedan responded with a defeated sigh: “I may as well follow you."

The gryphon chirped happily as it nuzzled him again, then turned away and stalked off into brush again. Aedan rolled to his feet and followed shortly after. It was definitely a wild one bearing no sign of possession that he could tell by sight or temper.

After some time of traipsing about through the woods again to the top of a sharp rise, the gryphon finally led him to yet another small clearing, and within the densely clustered tree trunks Aedan found a wide nest stuffed with leaves and branches more than large enough for two of the feathered beasts. Off to the side was a generous stash of fruits and greenery of the forest. Aedan stumbled towards it as the heavy beak nudged him forward with a soft warble.

Aedan tilted his head back in bemusement, “Why would you want to share your food with me? I'm of no use to you, nor am I a female, and I would know if I had ever met a feather-brained fiend like you."

The gryphon shook its head and lets out a small belch. Aedan shrugged with a sigh and took up some of the more edible-looking berries, stowing half away in a leathered pouch for later as he sat and ate beside the strange bird for a while. It sat there too and watched him unwaveringly until the sun has stretched down to the treetops, then it arched to its haunches with a cherry chirp and took off, leaving Aedan alone in the fading dusk.

He quickly packed on his gear, gathered his bearings easily thanks to the elevation, and tracked his way quickly back to camp, finding Zireda waiting calmly for him, laying in the grass to gaze at the moon and starlit night.

“Any luck?" she asked and remarked: “I've seen a gryphon flying over. Fortunately, it didn't have any interest in me." She grinned at that: “Though if it tried, I'd flip it beak over tail."

“Well that is a coincidence." Aedan chuckled as he sat down beside her: “I saw a gryphon in a clearing. It probably was the same; gryphons are rare enough and never travel in numbers. This one was rather odd though; it followed me and let me to its nest, and then let me take some of its food. Scared all the other animals away, so it was better than nothing, but a strange bird all around; I've never heard the like of it."

Zireda narrowed her eyes: “That is very strange; As far as I know, gryphons only do this with those they consider a potential mate. We might become followed by it, though a gryphon could be rather useful if properly trained."

Aedan shook his head ruefully, “Well it's not so surprising I suppose, a lack of mates would drive anyone to desperation, much more a magic-induced gryphon. I've never heard of training either though; they're far more intelligent that most wild creatures. How do you mean?"

Zireda chuckled: “It would need a strong and, flexible, trainer to be sure. There are rumours of an organization dedicated to raising trained gryphons as their mounts. Perhaps we could do the same, or search them out if it proves too much trouble to handle on our own, either way it already likes you."

Aedan shook his head again with a smirk: “You're brave; I give you that, though I can't help but worry for your sake."

Grinning toothily, she answered: “When I need your help then you'll truly be a warrior. I carry the blood of dragons and wolves in these veins. I was born a huntress. Let us eat and be on our way; half the journey is already behind us."

Aedan guessed from the gamier flavor that Zireda had found some wild deer to hunt, though a little roasting over the coals and some salt made anything taste delicious. Thought of the gryphon and the possibilities of training it kept running through his mind, though he shuddered slightly at the thought of it.

It was already late by the time they moved on, and within an hour or two the sun would soon sink beneath the mountain's edge. Zireda lifted a claw toward one of the closer peaks, pointing out a valley diving down before a sharp cliff that hanging out to one side. “Mother's cave lies at the base of that cliff hidden just across that gorge. Holding to this pace, we will reach the bottom by sundown."

* * *

As Zireda predicted, they arrived at the valley's edge just as the sun had crested over a distant ridge, lancing fiery flares of astral brilliance across a star-filled sky. Rocky cliffs stretched away above them along the mountainside, crumbling weathered rocks lying at their feet.

Aedan groaned, “Why must dragons burrow their caverns so high?" Aedan protested, but he pressed on.

“We should rest here for the night, the cliffs are an easy flight for a dragon, but can be perilous on foot. Nature is the best defense as always" Zireda explained, “Mother told me this was the practice even before the Rockfall. It protected the dragons from predators on the ground and helped them survey their territory for potential mates and prey."

“Looking from down here, I can see why. But what is, was, the Rockfall?"

“According to the legends of dragons, ancient even by their lifespan, a great boulder once fell from the heavens burning with an unearthly flame, and engulfed all the world in flame. Only the dragons were spared as they sensed the danger and fled within their caverns."

“Interesting…" Aedan pondered as they walked a bit further before stopping for the night, watching the landscape submerge into the amber glow of the setting sun.

Into the cave

After a short, though strenuous climb the next morning, they finally reached the yawning cave mouth, stark cliffs just behind them. A cavernous underground tunnel system stretched off beyond the invading rays of sunlight, branching in myriad paths before them, partially natural in some areas, and claw-hewn from the stone in others. The entrance could hardly be spotted from anyone outside the valley itself, recessed back into the mountain as it was.

Aedan followed after Zireda as she waved him along with a smile. The worldly noises from without became silent as they passed further in, paws and leather soles echoing with dull pats against the smooth rock floor, though the wind carried its voice with them long after, reverberating throughout the depths. As the sunlight faded, a softer glow soon surrounded them, rippling striations of luminescent earth striking out along the walls. Whether nature or magic, Aedan was at a loss to say as his eyes traced endless patterns overhead, and he soon had no difficulty finding his steps as the now slitted-pupils adjusted to the weaker radiance with ease.

The winding path Zireda picked out from memory eventually brought them to a greater gallery, wide pillars bearing the weight of the arched ceiling while their sharper relatives dangled from the ceiling and jutted out from the floor as so many teeth. Strange carvings lined the walls to either side and on the roof above, dragons most common among them and writings of a language entirely alien to him as they passed on again. He followed Zireda off to a side tunnel leading further on where she stopped at the edge and sniffed the air, then placed a paw on his shoulder as she whispered: “We should approach silently; my mother's scent is strong here, it may be that we picked one of her 'best' moments for visiting." Zireda grinned crouching low next to him, and Aedan returned it with a slanted smirk, staring back at her somewhat nervously in response. A dragon was nothing to be trifled with he knew, a mother far less.

She picked her next steps carefully as she made her way into the passage, tail swishing by just before his nose as Aedan followed close behind doing his best to mimic the stealthy silence of padded paws. They held still when they heard a low growl echoing up ahead, wolf ears atwitch, but as they stood patiently still, the growl slowly shifted to a rumbling purr, one of lust rather than rage. A warm glow gradually rose from the darkness as they moved towards a sharp bend, and the passage widened up around them as they made their way around. Stranger noises became far more apparent with the growls, separating into two distinct voices before they finally came within sight of the end. Zireda strode out into the light, well at home in the caves as Aedan tentatively peered past her into yet another broad swath of rocky cavern, awash in bright fiery warmth to his weakened eyes.

The next sight his eyes turned to had him wishing he stayed back within the tunnel, trying to look away from the two dragons with a reddening blush, mating furiously but a stone's throw away from him, and loving every minute of it from the heavy cries reaching his ears.

A brilliant white dragoness lay spread out on her belly before them; undoubtedly Zireda's mother he now knew, a pearlescent glow to every shimmering scale and stretch of wing reflecting the orange salamander of a drake wrapped around her, the ivory horns crowning her head clutched gently between his teeth, tail clutched tightly with her own as he forcefully thrust a thick hard spear of pulsing dragonflesh into his female with many a lustful groan.

Two black horns curved back from his eye-ridges, another smaller pair growing in between them. A long scar ran down the side of him facing Aedan, irregular scales tracing a jagged line to the tensing haunches. By size alone, the drake was probably older than Zireda's mother; females usually taking precedence in magnitude as queens, he was her equal, if not a bit larger, and using every bit of weight to his advantage from the looks of it.

The restive pair continued their ordeal as Zireda and Aedan stepped fully into the room, slowing but a moment as the dragoness greeted them, “Ah…" looking back with another growl as the male carried on again, “You're back, my daughter…mnnngh, and I see that you brought a umnng… visitor hahh, with you."

Aedan nodded anxiously her, glancing away to either side, only to find two slightly smaller dragons staring curiously back at him, both at least twice his height. The inheritance of scales made a striking lacework pattern of brilliant orange over the lustrous white pearl of their mother. And both were sporting dripping hard lengths of dragon cock between their legs as his sight dropped lower, blushing even more furiously as she continued.

“You've returned in the middle of a most important lesson." She explained, arcing back against the vigorous thrusts of her mate with another growl: “Though I'm sure you well remember your own experiences my dear."

Zireda nodded, holding back a slight chuckle with a paw as she glanced over at Aedan: “Yes, mother, your lessons have always been quite thorough. This is Aedan, my father's foster son. As you can see by his eyes, he is a half-dragon as well. His fire was locked away, but through another twist of fate, he was brought to the wolves, and by her power Moon has set it free again."

The orange male locked its eyes onto Aedan's a moment, hilting himself deep within his mate a moment as he tilted his head: “Those are indeed the eyes of a dragon, but what of the rest of him? He still looks like one of those poor humans."

Aedan shook his head, speaking slowly as he met that fiery gaze with trepidation: “My sight came only after meeting the wolves, whether this fire you speak of will grow or spread, I do not know, but memories of dragons have already come to me through dreams in the night, if that is any sign." His words showed doubt, and more than a little of his fears. The siblings eyed him curiously as well as they approached, though they kept to a respectful distance away.

The orange male nodded: “Well no different than Zireda as a hatchling I suppose, though the changes may be more rapid for you already grown. There will be pain, and more than a little awkwardness once you have your wings, but bear with it. I'm glad Zireda has found you; the changes will be much easier with her guidance. My name is Vinarthun and this is my mate Nirmareni. Your journey here was a peaceful one I hope? The last of the two-leggeds to make it out past the river was a wayward dwarf some seasons ago, and the wolves are a pleasant, if wild company now and again."

Aedan replied, trying to hold back his embarrassment at catching them so tied up, “Glad to, err… meet you, Vinarthun, and Nirmareni. The journey was safe enough, and uneventful save for one. We were stalked by a gryphon along the way, one with white feathers and a dark, golden-like fur. It approached me finally and shared some food before turning away again, a silly bird if anything."

Vinarthun chuckled: “… and a blackened beak too I think. I repelled this one a full moon cycle ago as it tried to sneak up onto Nirmareni; at least it remembered that lesson." He then looked to both the smaller dragons, “And so our own lesson must also continue lest my dear Nirmareni become restless. These are my sons, Ardi and Mero. And you, Aedan and Zireda, are free to watch or act accordingly."

The weight of that thick draconic length sunk into his mate with a messy squelch as he thrust powerfully against her hinds, Nirmareni digging her claws into the smooth rocky floor to little avail as she cried out in lusty draconic pleasure once more. Aedan could only watch in awe at the fearsome, lewd, yet majestic sight as he stood before them, pants noticeably tightening from his own growing arousal.

Zireda on the other hand chuckled as she proceeded to remove her scant pieces of clothing beside him, crouching down to her four paws and closing her eyes while a soft aura of moonlight grew around her.

Aedan slowly stepped back from her a bit, eyes now torn between the two spectacles, then entirely focusing on Zireda as her form shifted and began to grow. Fur drew back into the hardened white scales of her mother, the jawline of her muzzle sharpening to a more reptilian arc as her ears gave way to graceful lengths of shimmering silver horn, paws stretching out into proper claws as a trail of thicker plates rounded over her chest, trailing into the finer scales over her thighs and up to the grooves of white lustrous wings spilling forth over her back easily twice her length, and a smooth sharp whip of a tail snapping out behind her in contrast to the thick brush of a wolf.

She turned to him and giggled, stretching her paws and arcing her back with a pleased prrum: “Surprised, Aedan? This is how I've spent the majority of my life."

He eyed her from muzzle to tailtip, shaking his head in amazement, “If I'm to become even half as beautiful as you are, I doubt that I'll ever want to turn back. All those years learning and hearing stories of them from Beldur, and now I'm finally living here with dragons, it's far more than I could have imagined."

Aedan being the only one with clothes still on, he quickly decided to do the same. The caverns had only gotten warmer as he and Zireda had tracked further, in spite of the winter without, and he found the still, slightly musky air quite comfortable now as the heavy leathers came off. A querying chirp brought his attention back to find two curious muzzles staring at his nakedness.

Vinarthun chuckled as he waved a paw towards Aedan, “As you can see, Ardi and Mero, humans carry their fragile equipment on the outside. We dragons keep them well protected within, though a properly aimed kick can still bring down a stronger drake." The younger dragons peered between Aedan's legs and then back between their own hindlegs for comparison, twin red tips peeking forth already from scale-plated vents.

Ardi tilted his head back at the orange male: “Why are they different from us?"

Vinarthun blinked, and then responded: “Our bodies, though warm to the touch, are naturally cooler so that we may contain the breath of fire, and so you and all our kind are born from eggs which we guard jealously. Humans, among the other two-legged races, are much warmer, they burn up quickly in this life, and so their young are born wild and screaming into this world, ready and fighting to live."

Aedan nodded as he looked back at them with as much interest, a bit puzzled at the explanation though he decided it was best not to argue with a dragon: “I think I'll just watch for now…" He smiled with a bit more confidence: “And I am curious of the way of dragons myself, though I don't know how I could return the, err, favor…" He slowly stepped closer to the mated pair, climbing onto a larger rock nearby to sit and watch.

Vinarthun's attention had returned to his female as he resumed rutting her with a dismissive grunt, shoving his way back under her tail with a growl as used his own to coil around and curl it high over her back, putting the dripping underside back on display for his 'students'.

From Aedan's reddening point of view, the twitching pink folds of the dragoness were massive, flushed with arousal to a hot crimson against the otherwise shimmering white scales as they were so lewdly stretched around the equally massive spear of throbbing dragon flesh, thick veins and ridges bulging obscenely along the slick shaft down to the knotted base where it stretched back into a gently pulsing slit. As the scaled haunches slowly drew back, a flared tip parted the loosened hole with burst of hot fluids, lined with soft barbs around the edges that made for a messy squelch as Vinarthun thrust back in, grinding that heavy knot in and splaying her folds wide open for them.

Nirmareni's tongue lolled out in bliss as her claws scraped across the floor, and Aedan could only watch with rapt attention as the thick base slowly swelled larger. The orange male let out a deep rumbling prrum as he rolled and bucked harder at that, throwing her full weight against her with a sharp clap of sticky scales as he forced the heavy knot against her folds again and again until with a shuddering growl he slammed against her, followed by an audible schlorp as that swollen knot finally parted her walls, sinking deep within those trembling lips. He roared harshly, filling the female with his cum judging by the bulging vein rapidly pulsing along the underside of his shaft.

“Ah…" Vinarthun sighed: “I am now lodged deep within Nirmareni, and would, were she in heat, coat her awaiting eggs with my seed, giving spark to new life. This is how you were conceived my sons, and how you also may father future generations of dragons should you seek a mate." He shifted his hips with a pleasured prrum, shaft locked firmly within that trembling vent as he bucked against her again: “As you can see, it will take some time before she is properly seeded, and if you are as well-endowed as your father, you will be able to feel the tender ring of her womb much deeper within clutching tight around the tip of your dragonhood, ensuring a healthy clutch. An experienced female like your mother makes this a most… overwhelming sensation"

Aedan stared with amazement at translucent orange trails of dragon cum leaking out around the taut seal, vivid against Nirmareni's shimmering scales. Perhaps it was related to the orange color of his scales? He didn't quite know how to ask while they were otherwise occupied.

Vinarthun gave a toothy grin: “While we wait, perhaps you'd like some practice at mating for yourself? I am sure Zireda would be happy to assist you. And perhaps our guest as well, if you feel up to it, Aedan?" nodding toward his spot on the boulder.

Aedan stared back dumbly before slowly raising a grin in response: “It would be an honor; though I'm not sure how much 'assistance' I would be to a dragon."

Nirmareni gave a panting smirk: “Well if you've had experience with the werewolves, I think you should be able to accommodate at least a lesser drake. The tailhole of a male is not so different from that of a female, isn't that right dear?" nuzzling back at her mate. Then she turned her eyes back to Zireda and her brothers: “If you wish to try with your sister, you should aim higher for the smaller vent at the base of her tail, not the slit. Being a half-dragon, she may retain the ability to carry eggs regardless of heat, and I don't think she wishes to have hatchlings just yet."

Zireda shook her head and smiled over at Aedan: “I'll wait and find my own mate for that I think, though I won't mind a humping or two under the tail." Having said that, she padded over to Mero on the left, prrumming warmly with a sultry grin as she licked his muzzle before turning about grazing her tail lightly under his belly as she dropped to her forepaws, lifting that tail invitingly overhead.

Aedan chuckled and shook his head at the tempting sight, following suit as he walked over to Ardi, who was looking back at him with an equally eager and nervous expression, for a dragon at least Aedan thought. As he stopped before Ardi, and slightly bowed not knowing how to properly greet a dragon, the scaly muzzle pressed against his chest with another prrum, licking and nuzzling affectionately over his skin with a warm tongue.

He reached his hands around and rubbed tentatively over either side of those smooth eye-ridges with a smile, gazing back into golden irises, “Wolves or not, it will be a bit tighter than most females, as I am still a 'growing' half-dragon, and skin is far weaker than scales; be gentle with me."

Ardi slowly nodded back to him silently with a small smile stretching that muzzle as Aedan turned around as well and knelt down; hands and knees pressing to the rocky ground as he looked back over his shoulder with a reassuring grin, though his legs were still shaking a bit as he slowly widened his stance for the drake.

Mero snorted in what Aedan assumed was draconic laughter beside them, and then sauntered over to Zireda, nuzzling against her raised tail with a familiar prrum before slowly descending down to the finer scales at the base as he pressed his muzzle against beneath it. His arousal from watching their training had already driven out the hard dripping length of his maleness, and though little by comparison to his sire, it still surpassed that of any human, and rivaled the greatest of the wolves, well adorned with fleshy barbs circling the tip and thicker ridges bulging down to the base.

This might hurt, Aedan thought as Ardi parted his legs further, not that he could stop the firm twitches of his own growing arousal betraying him as he felt his rear tighten slightly with anticipation.

Smirking knowingly, Zireda arced back into Mero's slick attentions with a lustful growl as she teased, “Don't be so envious. I'm sure Ardi has plenty for you to enjoy..."

Aedan blushed heavily as she said that, and felt a hot breath against his backside before a scaly muzzle nudged its way between his cheeks as the drake imitated its brother, a slippery appendage making its presence known as the soft tapered tip of a warm tongue slicked against his pucker, then gently pressed in.

Thankful for the preparation at least, Aedan did his best to relax as he was gradually filled with the wet slithering warmth of a dragon's sinuous tongue, and to Ardi's credit, the drake was very attentive in working his tense pucker open, like a lewd massage really as Aedan thought about it, able to focus on little else in his current position as he closed his eyes and yielded to the enthralling sensations spreading through his nethers, listening to Zireda's heavier moans beside him.

With little warning, that luscious length was tugged free of his ass with a messy slurp, and Aedan only realized how hard he was when that tongue coiled lightly around his pulsing erection, making him gasp as it dragged down and then up between his hanging orbs, squeezing around each of them with a smooth caress as it left them, soon replaced by the feeling of firm pawpads as Ardi gripped around his hips and mounted him.

Aedan glanced beside him with a grunt from the added weight, eyes widening further at the strained tension on Zireda's gritted teeth as he found Mero already sliding deep under her tail, the moist lips of her vent already dripping with arousal, leaving a small puddle on the stone.

He looked back underneath himself with growing trepidation, and stared at the full length of hard dragon dick aimed between his legs now, the flared head gently pulsing as it throbbed and brushed upward, leaving a sticky bead of pre along the underside of his own firm arousal as Ardi brought his hips further up, sliding that heavy girth between his cheeks, the hot cumvein pulsing threateningly against the tight ring of his pucker as it ground against him. Then those hips drew back again with a low growl finally as Ardi brought the tip to rest right against his tender well-loosened opening, a spurt of hot pre drooling along his crack, and then the drake carefully thrust forward, popping the head in with a soft schlick.

Vinarthun and Nirmareni, still tied together above, watched the paired drakes contentedly in each other's embrace as the pleasant sounds of mating filled the cave once again.

The stretching hurt as that hot length of dragon flesh forced its way in, but not as much as it did when the werekin had taken him. Aedan groaned, grateful that the young drake was taking its slow, sweet time stuffing each hard pulsing ridge into his rear. A dragon's heat was quickly proving to be far more than the relative cool of a night with the werekin, lancing into him and raising a hot flush to his cheeks, forced his tightening muscles to yield before the drooling tip as it shoved forward to fill the wanting void, and before he could realize it those smooth scaly hips were soon resting against his rump.

Surprisingly, the overwhelming warmth was more tolerable to him now than the beginning, and a tentative clench brought a soft moan to his lips as he felt every inch of that girthy dragon dick throbbing within his ass. Ardi sharply shoved forward in response with a startled hiss, no doubt lost in his own pleasure Aedan thought hazily, the heavier ridges along the underside rolling right against his prostate as they coaxed a thick bead of pre to drool from the achingly hard shaft between his own legs. The rising growls beside them soon drew his attention away though as he turned his head to see.

Mero had rapidly accelerated his approach with Zireda, having already found his rhythm as he shoved her claw-scrapingly against the hard stone, scales connecting sharply with a wet smack, hot arousal dripping messily from her empty trembling lips in sympathy for the lewdly stretched pucker above. “Nng, harder Mero, fuck your dear sister …." Aedan could hear her rumbling moan, watching in awe as she arced back against the drake's chest and nipped an earfin, wings tense and tail curled high as her half-sibling hunched himself close over her back and quickened the pace further still with a warm prrum.

He was abruptly brought back to the reality of his own situation as Ardi licked over his neck with a softer prrum, slowly drawing that heavy length back with a wet schlorp as the first ridge popped out, and slipping right back in as Aedan inevitably clenched around its exit. The easy roll of the drake's hips slowly picked up as he repeated the motion, and Aedan had to wonder if he hadn't done this before, though such coherence was shortly tossed from his foremost thoughts as more and more heated dragonflesh continued to slide back and forth within, sawing those fleshy ridges against his prostate with determined intent now as Ardi threw his full weight behind each thrust.

A rumbling growing growl rose from the drake above him as something much thicker began to pry open his pucker even wider, and with a groan Aedan realized he was in for another knotting experience as that throbbing length plunged into him again. On the next thrust Ardi shoved forward and ground that heavy bulge into his ass, finally piercing those taut muscles as they gave in with a messy schlop, leaving him gasping for breath, eyes closed tightly as he clenched hard around the base, filled so completely as hot tremors ran through his body and hot pre now drooled copiously from his own neglected shaft. What finally set him off was when Ardi tentatively tugged back from the seal of his pucker, the knotted base rolling right over the tender nub of his prostate as searing pleasure shot straight down his shaft, pulsing wildly before spurting hot ropes of cum over the stone floor as Aedan made a strangled voiceless cry.

Ardi couldn't hold back either as the rippling walls pulled him back in and kept him firmly locked inside the human, instinct taking over as the young drake rutted desperately against the few inches the knot would allow, dragging Aedan back and forth into his thrusts, and with a last resounding growl his claws dug into the stone as he buried himself trembling within, hard and pulsing with hot torrents of thick dragon seed.

All Aedan could do was to moan and take it as he only came harder still, unable to resist against the onslaught of bliss within and without as he gazed blearily to the side, finding Zireda well tied up in equal shuddering torment, mouth hanging open as she panted heavily against the floor, and giving a sharp grunt every time Mero bucked against her as hot streams of her own sticky arousal ran from her dripping lips down her hindlegs to pool on the slick stone, their tails tightly entwined together, teeth pressed firmly against scaly neck to hold her.

After the two lusty drakes finally came to rest against their partners, a pleased prrum sounded out above them, echoing across the cavern with another wet schlorp and a messy splattering of vibrant orange seed as Vinarthun finally pulled free of Nirmareni.

The proud arousal of a grown dragon on full display was truly an impressive sight for Aedan as he allowed himself to stare openly now, his loosened pucker giving a tender twitch in comparison to the thick girth already stuffed within as Vinarthun stepped beside his mate and stretched knowingly, still hard and dripping despite their earlier activities as those thick ridges pulsed with lust, well over thrice as large as the others.

Nirmareni gave a sly grin and gently rolled to her back, legs splaying wide open as she snaked her head between Vinarthun's legs and nuzzled against his sticky shaft with a warm satisfied prrum, letting it roll between her eyeridges and over her snout before snapping it between her lips as she suckled up over the throbbing tip.

Sliding a paw over her soft-scaled belly down to the now cum-painted slit along her nethers, Vinarthun continued their education with a restrained grunt, “As you can see, my seed bears a distinct orange coloration," Bright orange ropes of seed drooled messily from within and without as he sunk two claws in and spread her folds apart for emphasis, “But your own and that of most species would normally be a clear to milky white. And as for female dragons, they are not so very different from that of humans when it comes to their gender other than scale and strength. They are most sensitive just within the top of their slit, but a clever dragon knows the deeper, more satisfying depths within,"

He idly twisted his paw around within, soft sticky pawpads pressing against her lips as he burrowed those two claws within, dragging and rolling with the motion of Nirmareni's hips as she responded by arching back against his paw, sucking harder around the thick dragonflesh stuck in her muzzle with a renewed moan.

Gently, Aedan tugged against the tightly sealed shaft in his rump, a slight swell having grown in his stomach from the virile young drake. Ardi responded by nuzzling against his cheek and slowly leaning back, until with a sharp growl, the first heavy bulge popped free, quickly followed by the rest of the slick length, the head followed by a messy spurt that left Aedan trembling and gasping as hot dragon seed finally spilled down his legs.

He slumped to his side to catch his breath just as he felt Zireda do the same beside him, the two drakes doing the same to either side as the four of them watched the lewd, colorful display together in hazy afterglow. As they lay against each other, hearts beating together, Aedan came to realize he'd never felt more at home in all his time spent with Beldur. A great father, and even a great teacher, still he was not the same as family, and Aedan had only met these strange creatures this morning. Perhaps his visions were more than just dreams, and he a dragon a heart.

The slick noises eventually drew his attention back to the gaudy pair, Nirmareni's graceful pearly tail twisting and arcing in pleasure laced with orange streamers against the dexterous manipulations playing along her dripping pink folds as Aedan recovered enough to ask, “So… why is your seed orange?"

Vinarthun chuckled as he kept his mate occupied, “Well I don't think there's any harm in telling you some of my history, and Ardi and Mero should know the origin of their scales. For a time, I used to live far in the south, farther than any voyager of humans or even elves has dared cross over the southern seas. The islands there are a paradise to dragons both for the hot ocean breezes and the plentiful and exotic wildlife that lives there. Beyond the black sands along the shores that are perfect for baring scales to the sun, many are covered in lush forests filled with fruit-bearing trees and greenery unlike anything found here. Many free-living dragons seek to mate there and unite in the warmth of the sun, beyond the rule of dragons and hominids alike. We dragons call these dense, wild forests the Gardens of Vendiri."

He gently bucked against Nirmareni's tempting muzzle with a rumbling growl as he continued, “It is named so not only for the natural heat, but also for the wild fruit that grows there, among them a bright fiery orange sphere laced with red veins, which is both sweet and incredibly sour depending on the tree, both highly desirable to a dragon's palate. The delicate, juicy flesh is intoxicating after the first few bites, afflicting male and female alike with intense arousal burning with lust like the fire of Vendiri herself, and is said to yield hatchlings even to those born infertile. The displays of pure draconic bliss that played out while I was there…. it's hard to describe in words, and time slips away from you in those warm tides of ecstasy."

And with that he gritted his teeth in a heavy prrum, thick pulses of seed rolling down his shaft to rush over Nirmareni's tongue in sticky spurts as she gulped it down, bucking and arcing back against his relentless paw with a lusty moan, hot juices of her own and trails of orange seed drooling messily down her pearly tail. He resumed with a breathless pant, as he slowly pulled back, painting her snout with a few last strands of dragon cum, “Most dragons never stay long enough to experience the few side effects this fruit has, the weather can be capricious at times making it unsuitable for nesting and raising young, and some of the local wildlife are inherently dangerous to weaker scales. I was a lone drake at the time though. With no mate or family to return to, I spent many summers drifting from island to island, wherever the wind would carry my wings, or the water my scales.

Once I was as pale as your mother, but consuming the fruit daily, it slowly bled into the roots of every scale, growing in to replace the old ones as they shed. The unusual colouration made for an attractive sight among the dragons that ventured south, especially the males to my tail-lifted surprise, and with no small amount of vanity at the time I kept eating the fruit almost exclusively, until after a particularly vigorous encounter with a lovely sapphire dragoness and her crimson mate, we found that my seed was indeed as orange and sweet as those luscious spheres that had become my obsession."

He looked to Ardi, then to Mero: “What I hadn't realized was that the fruit could also become addictive. The day after that encounter I found myself on an island without any such fruit, and with a great storm on the horizon I had no choice but to remain and seek shelter. That night brought strange and twisted dreams, and a desperate need to have more of the fruit. I awoke shivering, blood running feverishly hot as I felt driven to fly out in search of more, and against the howling winds I took off into the darkened sky. It was the last I would see of the islands.

Plunging into one of the great thunderheads in my blind desire, the wind turned against me, casting me about like a falling leaf never reaching the ground. I felt lightning arc across my scales, and the fury of the storm turned blacker than night around me as consciousness faded into oblivion. Somehow my life was spared though, and I awoke on the shores of this continent, sun-bleached crabs picking the seaweed stuck between my scales, and I vowed on those sands never to return and touch that fruit again."

Finishing his tale, Vinarthun settled in reverse over his mate, pressing his forelegs between her thighs to keep those legs spread wide as he looked pointedly at his sirelings together with Aedan and Zireda, paws slowly stretching the cum-drooling folds as he spoke, “My seed however has no such addictive qualities, and makes for a truly delectable dessert, especially taken from a female. Come and drink of the river from which you were born Ardi and Mero, Zireda and guests welcome of course."

Ardi and Mero looked at each other in nervous flushed excitement a moment before Mero took the lead and sauntered his way over, throbbing inches of dragon cock still dripping between his legs as he carefully climbed over his mother's tail, wider than he was at the base, though soft along the tender underscales as his forepaws sunk in slightly, hindpaws just barely touching the floor to either side. His dragonhood slid up against something warmer and softer than dragonscales however as he leaned in closer to the glistening well of cum, and with a furious blush he realized the tip of his shaft was pressing right against her tailvent.

The next second though his maw was flooded and covered in luscious orange cream as a paw slipped and he fell face first against her folds, gulping desperately against mouthfuls of seed as he tried to extract himself to the soft paw-muffled snickers of his brother behind him and the rumbling grin of Vinarthun above. He couldn't pay attention to any of them though with the hot slick flesh wrapped around his length as his cock was now entirely sheathed in his mother's rump. With a startled growl that cut off to little more than a sticky squeak, his shaft tensed and bulged before spurting weakly, thoroughly robbing him of any dignity at being first.

The sweet tasting cum made up for it he decided, licking his lips as he finally managed to pull free, lowering his head to avoid their eyes as he stepped aside for Ardi, who was still doing his best not to laugh.

Vinarthun turned to Ardi then, pressing his wide snout to the smaller drakes as he growled menacingly until the laughter stilled, and with no room for questioning replied as his glare broke into a roguish grin, “You shall clean up your brother's mess first."

Ardi slowly nodded, immobile until Vinarthun chuckled and licked over his muzzle. Then he returned the grin and leapt onto Nirmareni's tail as well, sliding himself down more easily with shaft locked in its slit until his paws reached the tender sticky scales of her tailvent, gently slipping a paw to either side as he spread that pucker open to some resistance, still more than large enough for his tongue and muzzle to fit. As he watched, the pink flesh tensed and fresh seed spurted against his maw, which he rapidly licked up before going to work, slippery tongue coiling in to collect every sticky drop of seed it could find, diving in deeper still until his smooth scaly snout was pressed right against her pucker, taking in the warm cum-laced scent.

Eventually, he pulled back with a satisfied prrum admiring his paw-work, then pushed himself further up to her splayed sex, carefully gripping his hindlegs around her tail to avoid Mero's mistake before dipping his snout into the orange stream for a taste himself. Several messy neck-guzzlings later, he drew back with a satisfied hiccup and slid off to stand beside his brother.

Aedan stepped over next and took a lick as well, climbing over the slick scales as best he could without slipping too much. It had a much sweeter taste to his tongue than the tangier salt of the werekin, and he couldn't help but lean in to take a longer draught. Zireda followed shortly afterwards, drinking her fill as well with enthusiastic intent until she too slipped off with a pleased grin on her orange painted lips.

“Lesson finished." Vinarthun commented and rolled on his side, letting his mate clean his slit and receding member.

* * *

Aedan awoke on his back with a start, groaning slightly as sore muscles twitched anew, centering on his backside. He couldn't remember having had any dreams overnight, but then he was caught in a strange position as he felt a soft paw across his chest and brushed against smooth warm scales to either side, not to mention he was still naked.

Slowly the memories of last night's revels came back to him, carefully extricating himself with a slight grin as he noticed both Zireda and Ardi beside him with Mero behind his brother as they slumbered on, softly prrumming in alternating rumbles that echoed around the cavern. Nirmareni was there as well as he looked up across a surrounding sea of scales, tail coiled languidly around them all, though her mate mas nowhere to be found, perhaps Vinarthun was a light sleeper?

Thankfully his surroundings were still lit in the pale constant glow of the surrounding luminescent walls, finding the rock where their traveling clothes were left after only a few minutes' wandering. As he stopped to pick up a shirt though, his arms brushed against each other, and he felt a certain roughness that was more than just skin. Aedan brought one arm up to his eyes, feeling with his other hand, and sure enough, there was a lacework pattern of lines running along his arm, raised bumps and slight ridges even as his fingers traced over the hardened skin. It didn't stop there either, as the pattern continued upwards over his shoulders and down his back, stopping at the waist only to continue further down his knees and shins.

I guess it's not just the eyes then… Aedan thought, and glanced at the pile of dragons sleeping nearby_… are these scales?_

He shook his head and then felt for scales over his face as well, definite bumps meeting his hands again over his eyebrow, now ridges, and tracing along his jawline and down his nose, all the bonier parts of his body seemed to be covered now. His clothes felt tighter too as he finally pulled the shirt on, long traveling pants stopping short of his ankles.

These changes are going to be more extensive than I thought…

A looming shadow suddenly dropped over him, stifling further thoughts as he looked up with a second start for the morning to find Vinarthun's golden irises peering down at him, stealthy for all his bulk in the otherwise silent cave.

“Those are indeed dragon scales Aedan; it is good to see you growing into your true heritage already." He chuckled to himself, leaning his muzzle in closer until one great eye was beside Aedan's head, rumbling breath hot with the tang of oranges beside his ear, “I imagine all those thick loads of dragon cum accelerated the process yesterday. Alchemists might trade a dear price for dragon blood, but the real healing power is in our seed if one is inclined to take a fresh sample, and direct application is so much more enjoyable. With your rare mix of bloodlines, clearly the essence of a full dragon brings out the nature within you. Glad you were able to join our little lesson."

Aedan looked back at those grinning scales with a small smirk, a soft blush rising to his now scaled cheeks again, only slightly less noticeable as he nodded in understanding, “That does make sense I guess, not that any of this makes logical sense, but then magic and mystical logic obviously follow their own laws." Out of impulse, he stretched out a hand to touch those firm scales, “I wish I could stay for more of your 'lessons', but you know from Zireda then that we have to be off at dawn."

The eye watching him closed for a moment in what Aedan realized was meant to be a wink as Vinarthun chuckled again, “Zireda has shown and shared much of you through her dreams, the inherited memories that all dragons share. Two half dragons, the first of their kind, it does seem almost fated that they should be together. Among humans I understand that the father is supposed to be protective of their daughters, but I rather think Zireda will be protecting you for some time until those scales finish coming in."

Lifting his head from Aedan's touch imperiously, Vinarthun rolled to his side, broad chest and scaly underside revealed to the half-drake as he gave another devious grin, “There is still time before the dawn however, hard as it is to tell down in this half-light. If you'd like to accelerate your growth further, I suppose I could provide the proper materiel for another lesson."

Aedan widened his eyes in understanding, looked around for a moment, making sure the others were still asleep, then grinned up at Vinarthun and said, “Well I did ask for it, though I don't imagine it will umm…, fit."

The orange one chuckled and rolled slowly onto his back, hindlegs splaying to either side as his tail flicked out of the way: “No need to worry about that, there are many ways, even for one of your stature, to appease a dragon." Vinarthun stretched one scaly footpaw out toward Aedan, obviously intended for him to be able to climb over the massive bulk of the dragon.

Aedan took the proffered paw, easily larger than himself, pulling and climbing over the powerfully muscled legs beneath the smooth scales, shades of orange gradually giving way to finer scales of a soft golden shade, and warm rippling flesh that twitched against his touch as he clambered up to the base of the dragon's tail.

A powerful masculine scent assaulted his senses as he came to rest straddling the thick girth, heavily tinged with the now familiar flavor of oranges balanced with heady traces of Nirmareni's intoxicating fragrance still fresh upon the subtly pulsing slit nestled between the two heavy thighs, a noticeable bulge hidden away just a pawspan above the soft pink flesh of a tailvent.

Vinarthun grinned down at him from above, flashing a wall of sparkling white teeth in contrast to the vibrant coating of armor, and motioned with his snout for Aedan to continue, “A dragon's weaknesses are not so different from you humans, though the manner is unique to each. You must find what it is that reveals their treasures."

Aedan smirked slightly at that, willing to play the dragon's game for the time being. Slowly, he placed a hand against the warm smooth slit hiding the powerful member, feeling the slowly throbbing pulse within with the rolling rumbles of Vinarthun's breath in the distant background. The slit was fully as long as he was tall if not more, and with no small sense of anticipation, Aedan carefully let his hand slip inside, quickly encased in molten liquid warmth.

With a slight gasp he pulled back, his hand wet with the dragon's fluids clinging in sticky webs. Shaking his head with a more determined face, he then set both hands between the outer folds and pushed through rippling silky flesh, sinking in up to his elbows before they met with firm pulsing dragon meat.

Vinarthun growled a low prrum of approval as he continued the lesson, “Even male dragons are as wet as a female when it comes to mating. At the highest altitudes, the air is thin and dry, and the thorough supply of fluids keeps the act most pleasurable for both, besides making for an even messier display when reaching the ground."

Even as he spoke, beads of pre were welling up against Aedan's tentative touch as he began to get a feel for the dragon's member. At first only the tips of his fingers could brush over the warm pulsing tip, but even that soft touch brought a surge of lust that left a full head of dragonflesh swelling into his palms. With a strange fascination, he leaned his weight in on his elbows and forearms, stretching the tender scaly slit open wide until he could see the neon orange tip and dark red cumslit within aiming back at him, darkening shades of red and purple glowing softly as constricting veins throbbed with lust.

Crowning the tip was a wide spaded flare, and Aedan could feel Vinarthun shudder as he circled his fingers under the edge, curling both hands around to the bulging underside below the tip that he knew to be most sensitive on himself, squeezing and stroking his hands over that thick pliable cumvein just beneath the surface.

Another growl rewarded his ears as the tip rapidly rose out of its slit, catching Aedan by surprise as throbbing dragonflesh forced itself against his chest, sliding straight through his arms and brushing against his chin while covering the front of him in a slick sheen of sticky pre and slit fluid. He blushed slightly as his own hard shaft pulsed weakly against the massive maleness before him; Aedan had to admit the sight alone was very arousing, pressed this closely it was nigh on overwhelming, the raw draconic power pulsing against his own fluttering heartbeat.

Aedan did his best to stimulate the mighty girth while it slipped further through his embrace; Thick, firm ridges and fleshy spines are making themselves apparent as they slicked between his legs and arms one after another, counting at least seven ridges in total thickening the whole way down until he could no longer touch his fingers together around it. The twitching tip stretched out over his head now, easily past six feet in length, and flexible too as he watched and felt it bend and curve slightly against his chest.

The last was still to come though it seemed as he felt a swelling bulge under his thighs. Aedan glanced down in amazement at the now vibrantly scarlet slit of the dragon's dick, then remembered the knotted base from the night before, though it seemed still reluctant to come out and play as of yet.

A chuckling rumble from above answered, “You have done better than to be expected for a human, but it will take more than that to finish me Aedan. For your particular needs though, we'll need a bellyful of dragon cum, so come around to the tip and we'll prepare to finish your education for the day."

Aedan nodded and carefully extracted himself from the underside of Vinarthun's dripping cock, then slowly picked his way over the scaly belly as it rose softly and fell with the dragon's breath, and turned around to face the budding tip again.

The head of the bulging serpentine length slowly twisted down until level with his head as Vinarthun said, “Now for your part, simply lay on your back, then wrap your hands behind the tip and your legs around my cock, the rest should come naturally to you I think."

Aedan laid back as the fleshy drooling tip gently pushed him back on its own, sliding wetly between his legs and over his chest, smooth belly scutes at his back. Then following Vinarthun's instruction, he wrapped both hands around the mighty length and hooked both feet around the weighty girth of it all, barely crossing around the underside.

The dilated pulsing cumslit at the tip stared back intimidatingly in front of him now, but with a nervous chuckle he gently tugged his fingers around the crown, bringing it down to touch his lips. He gave a testing suckle against it, and was immediately assaulted with a thick spurt of orange dragon pre flooding his tongue, causing him to swallow down the sweet, tangy mixture. Taking a gasp for air he pulled back, catching another spurt across his nose as his legs involuntarily twitched, squeezing the slick flesh against his own.

The dragon rumbled approvingly behind him, the deep vibrations carrying through the scales of his belly to shudder against Aedan. After a moment's thought he tried again, this time leading with the tip of his tongue first, slowly licking the bead of fluid already welling up again before carefully pressing his tongue through the slitted tip of the dragon's dick and sealing his lips around the soft velvety exterior. Then he proceeded give a proper sucking, arms and fingers pressed around the head to keep the slick tip firmly in place against his mouth while he attempted to control the flood with his tongue, curling and slipping around within for the best angle as spurt after sticky spurt raced down his throat, eagerly swallowed.

Aedan's efforts brought a firm reaction out of Vinarthun, hips bucking and rolling that throbbing cock against smooth slickly-coated skin as he growled out his pleasure above. With barely controlled effort, the dragon managed to calm himself to a tail-straining arch of his hips, slowly grinding himself through the human's grasp as he watched the lusty display, not wishing to wake the others so soon.

***

One however it seemed had already awoken to the muffled grunts and whispers. She slipped out from her hiding place behind the rocks a short distance to the side of the enraptured pair and silently padded toward them.

The massive tail didn't even twitch as she leapt onto Vinarthun's scales, distracted as he was, but both human and dragon froze in place as another voice disturbed them in the otherwise quiet cave, “Well you two are up early, I see Narth has offered more of his lessons. Please don't stop on my account, I'm just here to watch and maybe offer some assistance, some of his training can be hard to grasp, though he does have some weak points…"

Laying just below the base of the tail with them now was Zireda, her half-dragon form unmistakable even in the dim glow of the odd cavern-light, and she was grinning smugly up at Aedan and Vinarthun behind him as she held her muzzle on top of her clasped paws.

Vinarthun half growled at first, then chuckled to himself, lifting a paw to stroke down Zireda's back, “You've learned your own lessons well to surprise an old dragon like that. Don't spoil the lesson for Aedan though, his scales are just now growing in as you can see, and he needs all the experience he can get."

Zireda replied with a toothy grin, tail twirling languidly behind, “I only intend to draw out every drop of experience that can be gained from your teachings." Before the old drake could let another word in, she dipped her snout out of sight behind the throbbing spear of dragonflesh looming before her, and gently kissed smooth scaly lips to the pliant, ruby star of his pucker.

Nothing more than a sharp prrum of approval reached her earfins she noticed, though Aedan was caught rather unawares as a particularly large glob of seed splashed against his face. Zireda chuckled to herself at that, spreading the tender flesh apart with her paws as she then washed the warmth of her tongue over the tight ring, then slipped stealthily inside as it yielded to her lewd ministrations.

Vinarthun shuddered visibly under her touch, prrums turning to heated moans as she worked that slick, velvety length within, slathering slippery saliva deep within. She had learned of this particular weakness of his long ago, on one of the many occasions she had caught Vinarthun 'attending' himself, and always found it entertaining to watch the massive drake writhe like a hatchling again.

For the second time this morning Vinarthun found himself straining to hold back again, fully hard and pulsing against Aedan's warm flesh and squeezing tight against the ensnaring length invading his pucker. Suddenly though, the second one disappeared, leaving him on an ever so inviting edge.

Then, warm paws wrapping around the twitching base of his shaft, and that sticky snout and sensuous tongue pressed against his swollen slit, sliding under the edge and around the heavy knot straining within, and not to mention the constant teasing presence of Aedan's tongue within his cumslit, were barely registered in comparison to the firm, tapered, scaly girth gliding through his loosened pucker with a smooth satisfying ssschlick.

Zireda's tail thrust home a second time right against the tender swell of his prostate, and through tightly clenched teeth, Vinarthun bucked his hips once, twice, and with a heavy cave-rumbling growl unleashed spurt after thick drooling spurt of dragon cum, the first half-dozen or so straight down Aedan's throat before the human let go in a sputtering seed-covered mess against the dragon's belly as powerful orange geysers of dragon essence continued pouring over him, his own small release entirely forgotten in the chaos.

Aedan was utterly drenched by the time the lusty dragon finally calmed down, listening to the fading, messy sounds of Zireda's enthusiastic tail-fucking with a slight bit of envy as he cleared the film of cum from his eyelids. A tail of his own would be useful in many ways he had yet to think of it seemed, and he began to look forward to the course of his own transformation and all its possibilities as he sat on the cum-splattered scales of a true dragon.

The touch of a paw on his thigh stirred Aedan from his thoughts however as Zireda slipped up unnoticed beside him. She nuzzled against his ear and whispered as she started licking the cum from his face, “Is your curiosity now fulfilled? I think Vinarthun has fallen asleep again. Come, let us return to the others; there is a wonderful mountain lake to wash up in once everyone has awakened." From the slow reverberations and stilled paws, he could tell she was right.