Spirit of Hospitality
Featuring: Ciel the Terra Dragon [♂] x Seridyl the Plains Dragoness [♀]
July 9th, 2017

Lightning arced across the overcast night sky in brilliant flashes that illuminated the underbellies of the clouds and the dense forests below. Thunder followed soon after the initial flash, rolling above the clouds before crashing in an earthshaking explosion as if the armies of gods battled above them.
Caught in this downpour high in the sky, was one unfortunate dragoness, who began her migration to a new nest at just the right time, but found even dragons were susceptible to the unpredictability of the forces of nature. Golden scales reflected the flashes of lightning and illuminated the navy stripes and tawny mane of Seridyl, as she allowed herself to drop from the sky to a lower altitude; for her safety, and the safety of the unborn clutch she carried with her. Her ears folded from frustration and the force of the wind against them as a bolt of lightning flashed before her and illuminated the scenery below. What she saw caused her to bank harshly to one side and quickly change course, her tail flapping and bending wildly behind her in an attempt to keep balance.
This was human territory. Miles of untouched forest had given way to plains, and in the center of it, a massive human settlement. Watched over by a grand castle and walls of stone and iron were several dirt roads and a good number of farms and settlements dotted around the landscape. Seridyl didn’t know the name of this region, it’s policies or it’s people, but in that quick flash of lightning, she could tell that being detected by them would be a possible risk to her health, or other innocent dragons in the area. Tall, grey stone walls lined with human weaponry towered above brick houses and outlying farms, protecting them from raiders, rival cities, and more often than not, dragons. If any of the wall patrol saw her, it usually meant hunting parties would soon be sent into the forests or mountains for dragons that otherwise brought no harm, and Seridyl didn’t want the blood of another dragon on her talons because of her irresponsibility in being detected.
She hastily found a clearing and landed, shaking off the rainwater and folding her wings in, putting her head down to minimize her silhouette before getting her bearings. Hundreds of cut stumps and stacked logs surrounded her; she had landed in one of the city’s lumber camps, luckily at this hour and in this weather, it’s employees were asleep, but the risk was still there. Anyone in the camp could look out a window and see a large horse-sized figure, and quickly conclude that horses didn’t have wings, nor horns, nor long slender tails and raise the alarm to the city guard for a dragon sighting.
So far, no alarms had been raised. The only light was the lightning above, and the iron-covered candle lamps that hung on the city walls. The only sounds were the rolling thunder, and the torrential rain. None too eager to press her luck, however, Seridyl quickly retreated back into the uncut forest, seeking refuge in the trees. She would travel on foot for a short time, at least far enough to get out of sight of the humans before she returned to the skies. From there, she would head towards the eastern mountains where she would be safe to continue her journey.
She set off, the sounds of snapping twigs and rustling leaves cloaked by the sounds of the storm as she stumbled into the brush and foliage, nowhere near as agile on the ground as she was in the air, despite her lithe draconic form. She grunted and panted in frustration as she struggled to make it through thick patches of low hanging branches and exposed roots that tried to hinder her every step, and stones and logs that pressed against her gravid belly, forcing her to slow her pace and take more caution.
As she clambered through the forest, the storm only intensified. Seridyl didn’t think it was possible, but it was, and she was in the thick of it. Amidst the flashes of electricity that illuminated the sky, a few funnels began to swell beneath the fat grey bellies of the clouds, the early signs of a tornado about to be born. She had to get out of the area quickly. The fate of the humans didn’t concern her; but attempting to fly in tornado-force winds was a recipe for disaster. The mountains in the east would provide sufficient cover from the wind, but she had to get there, first, while still avoiding prying eyes and bolts of lightning.
She persevered, and pushed her way through the cover of foliage until she was far enough away from the human city to feel safe in the open again. The moment she had space to spread her golden wings once more, she did. Water poured down her shimmering scales heavily, and soaked her mane to the root, but no amount of water could drench the fire in her heart, her determination to find safe haven for her unborn clutch. Her wings spread wide and she leapt into the air, struggling to catch wind beneath her wings in the whipping wind, and then suddenly catching too much. She was jerked backwards by a gust of wind, then upwards, where she staggered a bit, her wings unsynchronized and struggling to work in tandem. With a stubborn growl she pushed forward, using all her available energy to drive her wings down together and forward into the frightful storm. She made the weather work for her, flying low and fast towards the mountains, seeking refuge from the gale winds in the rougher terrain.
Navigating the monsoon winds over the plains was bad enough, but as Seridyl began to ascend to climb into the mountains, it was even worse. The wind sheared off rock faces and beneath her body while she flew face-first against the rain, each drop stinging her eyes and nose as she continued her dogged flight.
Eventually, her dragon-determination won out over the relentless storm, and she entered the mountain ranges, finally finding refuge from the endless cyclone. She began to laugh to herself as she folded her wings and landed on a stone outcropping, watching the storm rage overhead but feeling mostly rain now, rather than beating winds and dodging lightning. She laughed out of relief, flexing her wings and taking the time to relax from the strenuous effort it took to get up here. So occupied with her victory, she didn’t notice the new dragon approaching her from behind until they opened their maw to speak.
“It’s not a good night to be out flying, my lady.”
It was male, and unknown to her. Seridyl spun around defensively, nearly whipping him with her tail as she growled, “Get back! Don’t come any closer!” She flared her wings and flashed her wicked teeth.
The majority of the male’s tough scales were ochre, with a dark violet covering his softer belly and legs. It was clearly a Terra Dragon; one that had lived in the mountains since his birth. Dark, royal purple crystals of varying size and shape jutted from his flanks, shoulders, and tail, the four horns on his head also displaying the same jagged and asymmetrical properties of crystal. The end of his tail, in particular, drew Seridyl’s eyes out of fear and respect - three wicked looking stones fanned out like blades, each one sharpened to a vicious edge. If this male wanted to attack her, he could have done so; her body was soft compared to a Terra’s tough hide and brutal stone attacks.
And yet, the male did not contest her posturing body language. Rather, he backed up apologetically, giving the female her space. “I did not mean to startle you, I apologize. I simply believe it would be wise not to fly tonight.”
“Really? You think?” She spat defensively, huffing in frustration, “How was I to know my route took me through tornado plains?” She found herself warily stepping back from him as well, fearing what he may intend for a female that had intruded in his territory, no matter how nice he seemed; the jagged stones covering his body did nothing to make him more appealing to be near.
“Tornadoes?” He blinked in surprise; he hadn’t seen the forming funnel clouds that Seridyl had seen. “I did not mean to offend, miss. I’m merely concerned for you… And your belly.” He gestured with a violet-dipped paw to her slightly round stomach.
She frowned at him, growling again and closing her front legs to hide her belly. “That is not your concern.”
“Perhaps not. But with more and more dragons becoming prey to the humans and finding themselves hung from chains over city gates, I feel the well-being of a gravid female is in all of our best interests. Unless you disagree?”
Seridyl swore under her breath. She couldn’t argue with that. Dragons were usually solitary creatures, so pregnancy was rare, and the humans had begun hunting them for fame and glory; slaying a dragon - even a whelpling - was a status symbol coveted by peasants as well as kings. She conceded that risking harm in a storm of this magnitude was foolish. “Fine. What are you suggesting? You have another idea?” She remained wary, wings still half-flared and ready for flight, the pouring rain dripping from her wings and drenched mane in streams.
“Not at this time.” He shook his head and began to turn his body away from her, “It smells and looks like this storm will take some time to pass. I’m hereby extending an offer of hospitality - you may remain here in my abode until the sun shines again, and you can then take your unborn young elsewhere.”
She narrowed her eyes and did not budge. “What’s the catch?”
He furrowed his brow at her, “Did your broodmother teach you no manners? I’m offering you a shelter from the storm. If I wanted something from you, I would have been forthcoming with it. If you have qualms with it, a ‘no thank you’ or a simple departure would suffice.”
After a moment’s pause for thought, she folded her wings and stepped forward. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long journey, and I was almost spotted by the nearby human city. I’m not usually one for asking for help, either, nor stumbling into territories that aren’t mine. I’m Seridyl, and… thank you, for the offer.”
The male chuckled, “When it rains, it pours, does it not? True of life, true of the weather. I am Ciel. It’s been a long time since I’ve met another of my own, far-flung as you might be.” He beckoned her towards his cavern with a nod of his head.
She bowed her head silently and relaxed her posture. Flaring and threatening would do her no good here, and would be no way to ensure this male’s amiability. The ‘far-flung’ comment felt somewhat tongue-in-cheek but he wasn’t wrong, either. He was a Terra Dragon, and she was a Plains Dragon. They were cousins, though their blood was where the similarities ended. He was offering, and she saw no reason not to take it. Following him inside, she soon found refuge from the rain in Ciel’s lavish abode.
Carved with years of time and meticulous care, Ciel’s home was the depiction of his love of the mountains. The walls were smooth, but strong, and the floor was spacious and wide. Finely cut opalescent crystals jutted from the walls and seemed to contain some sort of magic that illuminated the area like a torch would. The ceiling hung high above them, more than enough room for most dragons to spread their wings comfortably, or even get a running start inside the cavern to take flight outside. All along the walls and in several side caverns of storage, were all the treasures that Ciel had horded over the years, an indication of his interests, as well as his age. Finely-crafted stoneworks from the humans made up a surprising bulk of his collection. Stone and marble figurines, statuettes, and even chunks of wall. Some looked unremarkable at first, broken, or in pieces, but upon further inspection had soothing or curious patterns inside, revealed only because of their broken state. Gemstones and geodes made up much of his collection as well: amethysts, tanzanites, sapphires; all bearing some similarity to the very crystals that grew on his scales. Their origins were most likely mixed, many of the finds from far off lands, showing the lengths Ciel was willing to go for his hoard.
Her inspection was interrupted by his voice, which reverberated off the cavern walls and startled her from her daydreaming. “Seridyl, was it? I don’t assume you’re from the nearby plains at the foot of the mountains? I’ve not seen you around here before.”
She shook her head, falling back on her laurels in the center of the cave clearing. She leaned back and began to wring the water from her mane and comb it with her talons with little success in getting back to the previous pristine grooming she had before. “No.” She said bluntly, with no further elaboration.
Ciel stared at her, then frowned. “Where were you headed?”
“North.” She almost stopped there as she grew tired of his questions, then decided her pomp would do her little good in the end and attempted to make more conversation, “I thought the northern plains would be a safer place to make a nest. The south coast was starting to be colonized by humans, their ships and scouts would have little trouble finding me, especially if I were raising a clutch.”
Ciel nodded, “Indeed. It is good that you chose to migrate. I would suggest you wait until tomorrow to continue, however. You’re free to rest here - I trust you won’t pillage any of my treasures?”
“N-no!” She was taken aback by the very thought. She was above such petty thievery. “What do I look like to you?” She snipped at him.
He lowered his head apprehensively again. “Forgive me. I’ve not had kin in my den in several years, and the last one who was here was a Plains Dragon as well, like you, and made an attempt to saunter off with some of my most valuable pieces. I shouldn’t condemn you for his actions, but I must protect my horde as well.”
She lowered herself again and sighed, “No, no I’m sorry… The pregnancy, the journey, it’s all taken a toll on me tonight. I don’t mean to be so unfriendly, truly.”
“Then rest, sister Seridyl. Tomorrow your journey begins anew. A rested mind should make everything clearer.” Ciel retreated to a hollowed out chamber of stone where he lie with his head up, watching Seridyl to be sure she actually was there to rest, and not to take advantage of his hospitality.
Under his vigilant gaze, she felt uncomfortable moving or attempting to lay any sort of claim to an area of her own, so she simply lay where she sat, folding her wings in close to her body and curling her body up, wrapping her tail around herself. Her once silky, tawny mane was tangled and damp, and would take a frustrating amount of effort to repair, she was chilled to the bone from the rain, and after all this, she found herself taking refuge with a stranger - a male, no less - simply waiting out the storm. She felt like she’d made no progress, or worse, like she’d actually left more behind than she’d gained.
She avoided Ciel’s distrustful gaze and closed her eyes. Sleep came with less trouble than she anticipated, being more exhausted than first assumed from the battle against the storm and the anxiety of the nearby human city.

Come the next morning, Seridyl woke with a start, and a slight panic. Her eyes darted around as she reacquired her bearings. She had forgotten where she was, and thought for a moment she’d sleep-flown or been kidnapped. Feeling slightly silly for herself as she remembered the night before, she shook the sleep from her head and did the same for her wings, stretching them out before letting out a waking yawn and uncurling her entire body to stretch.
“The worst of the storm has passed.” Ciel was already awake and greeting her at the entrance to the cavern. He’d been awake for some time. ‘You’ve been asleep several hours past sunrise, Seridyl. The day is overcast, but you should be able to make good distance if you leave now.”
She drew in a breath and rose to her feet, bringing her wings back into her sides. Looking behind him, she could see the sky was completely overcast, dull grey clouds stretched into the horizon, but the rain and wind had ceased. It was no wonder she slept in, it was as dark as dawn, with little sun to penetrate the layer of clouds above.
“What of the humans in the east?” Seridyl asked, “No alerts to dragons in the mountains?”
Ciel chuckled, “None to speak of. Quite the contrary, there was indeed a tornado last night, it touched down right outside their city where they cut their lumber. Almost the entire camp was destroyed, their buildings are in pieces. I dare say they’re a bit too pre-occupied to worry about dragons right now.” He smirked, seeming to take some joy in the destruction of troublesome humans.
“Are you… familiar with them?” Seridyl asked, picking up on his destructive glee.
He shrugged, “I’ve observed them for many years, since they first settled there. The lumber camp housed many of their oldest buildings and residents. It was from that lumber - those several miles of pure forest - that built much of the city we see now. I don’t much mourn their loss. Much as I tire of the eyesore of destroyed forest, and yearn for it to grow back in time, they are resilient; I’m sure the camp will be working again in a few moons time. I consider myself lucky they get stone from another quarry, and not at the foot of my mountain.”
Seridyl let out a small chuckle as she took up a position beside him outside his den, “Indeed, indeed. And you do all you can to stop them from coming up here, I’ll bet.”
Ciel chuckled, “I guess you could say that. The occasional ‘natural rock slide’ seems to be enough to deter most explorers from coming up this far. They seem to have declared the area dangerous, and that’s good enough for me.”
The wind was audible in the sky as a low, gentle howling that cut through the mountains and whistled over the cliffs and stones, but there was no rain to accompany it. She had the sense that the storm would soon return in full force, and this was simply the calm before it. “Yes, well, I should get going. I don’t want to get caught in another monsoon like last night.”
Ciel nodded once, “Quite. If you do find yourself in bad weather again, you should seek shelter. Your journey will eventually end and you will be where you were intended to be; there’s no need to cut it short with a lightning strike or broken and battered wings.”
She gave him a warm smile and drew a breath. It was about time she left. “Goodbye, Ciel, and thank you for your hospitality. My unborn nest thanks you, as well.”
This made him smile, and he bowed his head with dignity. “You do me too much honor. Goodbye, may you find the perfect nest for your clutch, Seridyl.”
And with that, she lept into the air with a heavy flap of her wings that brought her airborne, before pushing forward and allowing the calm wind to catch her, and bring her to the skies. As she left the male’s territory, she counted her blessings as she looked over the plains and saw the path of the tornado from the night before - trees were uprooted, buildings were shattered and it’s pieces strewn about the otherwise unremarkable landscape for miles. She was fairly certain she would have avoided the whipping winds without Ciel’s help - it was only by chance that he inhabited the mountains she took shelter in - but to find another with a hospitable nature was a rare and valuable find. One thing in particular that he said before their farewells had stuck with her: “Your journey will eventually end and you will be where you were intended to be.”
It was odd to her that he had said it like that. It wasn’t ‘where you intended to be’, but rather, ‘where you were intended to be’, as if implying some divine plan. For all the dragons Seridyl had met in her life, one that seemed to believe in fate was unusual. Dragons had always been masters of their own fate, controlling their destinies through sheer force of will or brute strength and magic prowess. Very rarely would a dragon acknowledge a force that was beyond their control.
She shrugged off her thoughts, deciding that she was over-thinking on something irrelevant and returned to flight, heading north over the mountains as fast as her wings and the wind would take her.
Her thoughts drifted as she glided through the air, losing half the day in flight with errant thoughts and daydreams. Though the sky was overcast and the wind occasionally shook her flight, she found herself soothed by the intense quiet of the uninhabited mountains and stillness of the clouds.
So relaxing, in fact, that she didn’t even register the disturbance in the air behind her until it was too late. In the blink of an eye, what was previously a calming and simple flight for Seridyl turned into a whole different world. Something had brutally collided with her, grabbing her flanks and tail with claws tearing at her scales. She let out a pained roar as her wings seized up; she began to fall from the sky, kicking and turning her attention to the aggressor in an attempt to free herself from their grasp.
She had wandered into the territory of another dragon, - or rather, four of them - a pack of wyverns that had chosen to attack the intruder on sight with no questions asked. Two of them had tackled her midair, one clamped on her tail with his teeth, and the other using his taloned wings to latch onto her side and flank. With a fearsome kick of her powerful hind leg to the head of the wyvern attacking her tail, she dragged her talons across his face, causing him to shriek and release her, plummeting back to the ground. Seridyl didn’t wait to see if he regained flight in his descent or if he collided with the ground; she had one more to take care of. First, she made sure her own descent was slowed, synchronizing and flapping her wings in the air to allow her to hover before attacking her assailant. She turned her upper body back towards him, slashing frightfully down upon his snout with her taloned hands. She struck him, and he released his grip and joined the other in descent.
The victory was short lived, however. The other two that hadn’t joined in the first strike had been circling just out of Seridyl’s reach, but upon seeing their allies fall, immediately tagged into the fight to avenge their brethren. One of them shrieked in a wild, gravelly voice, “This one is weak!” The other cried as well, “This one has no mate!” Then, to make the situation more dire, the other two that Seridyl had shaken off had regained their fight and were coming to ravage her as well. “Kill!” They called, “Kill the interloper! Her flesh and eggs will feed us!”
The final battlecry from the savages hit her where it hurt the most, demoralizing her. It was four against one, and they were going to gut her and kill her children! In desperation she let out a fearsome roar that brought a wave of fire from her mouth, her saliva turning into magma as she lashed out against the feral beasts. She managed to scorch the wing of one of them, but it did nothing to frighten the flock away. It shrieked but continued it’s charge. Within moments, all four of them were upon her, and Seridyl scrambled to get away, to save her unborn clutch at any cost. She dropped into a nosedive straight towards the ground and managed to avoid another grab or scratch from the wyverns for now.
She plummeted towards the ground in a controlled fall, hoping to gain enough speed to outrun them in a swift dodge that would hopefully discourage them. Just before she hit the ground, she pulled up suddenly, an incredible force of air beneath her wings that put enormous pressure on her joints, but the adrenaline and fear dulling the pain. 
All her hopes for escape swelled for a moment, only to be dashed a moment later as she felt one of the feral dragons clamp his teeth onto her right wing, causing it to seize up and send Seridyl into a spiraling descent. She let out a pained cry as she twisted her body to one side to avoid landing on the precious cargo in her belly before slamming into the rocky ground below. She hit the ground with earthshaking force that jarred her bones and shook her vision. 
Within mere moments, the murderous beasts were all upon her, and her fate was certainly sealed. Anger, rage, defeat, sorrow, and fear all consumed her at once and nothing came from her maw but a singular shrill cry of terror as she felt one of the beasts clamp his teeth into her flank.
“This is it!” Her panicked mind thundered over the sound of all else, “This is death. Damn it all, why wasn’t I stronger? Faster? Why did I come this way?” Raced her thoughts, cycling through all the regrets, failures, alternate endings that could have been; and her children, oh, by the fates, her children... She would be dead long before she witnessed what happened to them - A minor liberation to be spared the sight of her gutted corpse strewn about and the eggs torn from her body, shells still soft as they were smashed open and the contents devoured.
Another wyvern jumped on her shoulder and clamped his teeth on her neck, preparing to deliver the killing blow.
A flash of white blinded Seridyl. The sound of blood rushing and her heartbeat through her head deafening her. Her life flashed before her eyes as she felt the rush of endorphins of assured death flood her mind to grant her some kind of peace. Was this the white light some claimed to see upon passing from this mortal coil?

In a few moments, her senses returned to her and she realized the light was not celestial in it’s source, but dragon. A fearsome roar boomed over the cries of the wyverns and it appeared that all the sky was filled with fire. The wyverns looked up in fear, scrambling off of Seridyl to defend themselves, a gesture that proved to be their blunder. One of them stumbled into the stream of fire and was quickly cooked alive, the scales on his body splitting and pineconing under the intense heat. Another charged forward only to be gruesomely impaled through the chest by a magically-formed stone spear. The other two saw the impending carnage and turned to flee - another was struck down by the very bringer of the others’ deaths.
Ciel had reappeared, and unleashed what could only have been described as unholy retribution upon the beasts. With surprising dexterity for a dragon of earth, he grabbed one of the fleeing wyverns straight out of the air and threw it to the ground, rearing up and slamming the brunt of his body’s weight onto it’s neck, ending it’s life swiftly and painlessly; much more than could be said of the other two.
The fourth successfully fled, but with the immediate threat gone, he was of no concern to Seridyl’s savior. Immediately his battle posture fell and he approached her with fear and worry. “Lady Seridyl! Are you alright‽”
She simply blinked, staring through him with the thousand-mile stare, unable to process what had just transpired. “W-what…”
Ciel spread his wings out, fanning air onto her and reaching down to gently tap the side of her face a few times with light slaps to bring her to her senses. “Lady Seridyl! Say something!”
“I-I’m alive? W-what? How? Ciel?” She stammered, still not fully recovered from the confusion and chaos of her near-death experience. She looked around, seeing the corpse of the wyvern that had been roasted alive, and the other lifeless body of the one that had been impaled on stone. Her gaze turned to herself, head craning this way and that, scanning her body for injuries. It should have been her dead on the ground, but alas, she was not. Her eyes snapped back to Ciel and she voiced her confusion. “Did you… Follow me, Ciel?”
He sighed of relief and folded his wings in again, “Good, you seem okay, albeit a little shaken up… Yes, I followed you. Call it premonition or luck, but I saw the course you were following, and feared you would run into trouble. The ferals are dotted all over this range, and inadvertently intruding on their territory is dangerously commonplace.”
She huffed and shakily tried to stand, her legs wobbly and almost buckling a few times under the influence of the brimming adrenaline, an effect that also made speaking in coherent sentences difficult. “I-I don’t know what to think of that. A-a strange male, f-following me.” She licked her lips several times and began to pace around in circles, doing anything she could think of to stop the shakes that dominated her voice and body. “F-following me! You could’ve… Could’ve… I mean they could’ve too. But y-you! I d-don’t know you!”
Ciel backed up slightly and sat on his haunches raising his talons apologetically, “Lady Seridyl, please calm down, I have no ill intentions. You’ve just suffered a great trauma and you need to relax, you’re safe now!”
“T-this is the perfect time for you to take advantage of me though, isn’t it? Isn’t it‽ I can’t fly, I can’t fight, I’m gravid-”
Ciel backed away further, raising his voice only to speak over her, “Y-yes, Lady, it’s the perfect time for me to take advantage of you, absolutely. I could very easily do anything I wanted to you and there wouldn’t be a soul to fight my story. But you’ll notice I do no such thing.”
The beginnings of his ramblings almost slipped past her, the rushing blood in her head drowning out some of his speech, but it sounded like he was agreeing with her! The nerve! The arrogance! The… The last things he said. Seridyl lowered herself like a stalking tiger, her body and head low, watching him intensely, her body still trembling from horn to tail as the fatigue from the battle had still not fully left her.
They sat in intense silence for minutes - long, painstaking minutes - staring into one another's eyes, any slight motion from Ciel raising her guard slightly further. Would he really not harm her? It almost felt like a trap. He could have had these wyverns attack her, disable her, leave her vulnerable for him, but… He had killed them in cold blood. No one would agree to that… Unless he wanted to kill the witnesses to the horrendous act he wanted to commit.
Nothing happened. They sat, almost as if they were stone. Ciel’s posture was lax and forgiving. Almost maddeningly so, almost like he was letting his guard down just because he thought Seridyl was no threat.
In truth, she may not have been a threat to him, and she figured that, but she remained on guard. The post-battle adrenaline had drained from her bloodstream enough now that she could think more clearly. “Tell me again…” She paused to ease into the newly shattered silence, “Why you followed me.”
Ciel nodded and hesitated in his answer, if only to avoid himself looking too eager. “When you left my abode, I saw you fly off to the east. I considered this mostly safe, until I saw you bank northbound, right before you flew out of sight over the mountain peaks. I knew that if you continued north, you would encounter the savage wyverns, and possibly be in danger. Accuse me as you wish, Seridyl - you and your clutch would have been a feral flight’s dinner right now if not for me.”
She growled. She wasn’t angry at him, or his words. She was more angry that he was right, and she knew deep inside she had no case against him. He had saved her. Of that there was no doubt. And he had not harmed her. Even if he had ulterior motives, she could not see them at the time, and the death of her and her unborn children would have weighed much more heavily on her spirit in the afterlife, had he not come to her aid. “Dammit… Damn you. Damn you.” She ranted, mumbling in aimless anger. She wanted to be angry, she felt like she should  be angry, but she knew she had no basis. “Fine.” She spat. “What now?”
Ciel nodded in calm acceptance of her anger. “You may return with me to my abode again and rest from the experience you’ve had, or you may take flight once again. I would advise you head eastward, this time, until the ocean begins, before travelling north again. The open sea sounds dangerous but it’s uninhabited enough that you should be safe, at least for a ways. If you do that, this will be our official farewell. I cannot give you more info than I have, and I cannot come to your aid again.”
She looked to the ground, the first time she had taken her eyes off him since he’d rescued her from her assailants. She thought long and hard, a minute passing before she looked up to him again. “How dangerous is it that you know for certain in the north-east range of here?”
“Moderately. To the north I know for a fact there are more wyvern clans. They battle amongst one another often, and this would be the most unsafe path to take from here. To the east are very few threats. You may encounter errant, rogue dragons, but they’re far from the dense cluster of the northern wyverns because they are not strong enough to survive the infighting. Other than that, there are no human settlements or creatures that pose a threat to dragons such as us. Goats, eagles, and some leopards.”
Seridyl sighed a long, weary sigh. The last of the adrenaline had drained from her body, quelling her shakes and her racing mind, and leaving her utterly exhausted. The strain on her muscles began to show and she felt sore in her legs, her wings, her neck. “Fine… You win. Your logic is infallible and your motive unknowable for now. I am battered, and I am not safe here, nor am I fit to fly far again…” Her voice fell soft. “Take me back to your home.”
Despite her silence, Ciel knew what she had said. “Very well. Do you remember the way, or shall I lead?”
She shrugged, her weariness conveying into defeat and apathy. “I don’t… just, you lead. I’ll follow.”
He nodded and bowed politely. “Very well. When you are ready, come. If you feel faint, make a noise to me and land, we will stop.”
“I won’t.” Was all she said in vague reply, before leaping into the air and with great effort, achieving flight with a few strained flaps of her wings. “Get a move on, then.” She said in a tone that was almost an order.
Ciel nodded quietly and spread his clawed ochre wings once more and joined Seridyl in the air, saying little more before taking the lead and heading back south, towards his cavern home.

Seridyl followed silently. Warily. Watching the vicious spikes on his back and tail as she glided a safe distance behind him… 

In a time that felt shorter than the trip that had brought Seridyl into danger, they arrived once again at Ciel’s home, just as the sun touched the highest mountain peak to the west. Ciel landed first, and Seridyl cautiously after. He turned to her to speak, folding his wings in.
“I know you’ve had a rough day, Lady Seridyl. Please, consider the entirety of my home yours for the duration as a gesture of goodwill and hospitality. Help yourself to my foodstores to replenish your energy and you may rest in my gem room if it soothes you.” He nodded curtly before turning away from her once more without awaiting a response.
Seridyl blinked in confusion. “W-what? Why are you suddenly so open?”
He looked back over his crystal-spined shoulders. “I cannot expect you to trust me if I do not trust you. I will take that initiative. Besides, you’ve shown yourself not to be malicious thus far. I will take that as a good sign.”
“You mean I’m weak,” Seridyl snapped back without a moment’s hesitation.
Ciel rolled his eyes at her, “Our strength doesn’t matter because we are not fighting.”
“But I failed against those wyverns; you could-”
Ciel let out a low growl and spun around, staring Seridyl down. “I could do a lot of things, Lady Seridyl, but I have not and will not! I’ve done nothing but offer my hospitality and aid to you and you have done nothing but fear and second guess me since you got here - it’s engraved all over your scales and in all your words. If you don’t want my help, then you’re more than welcome to leave, but stop wasting my time and do not test my patience!”
Seridyl flinched, stepping back a step before looking to the ground dejectedly. Her posture weakened and she let out a soft sigh. “You… You’re right. I haven’t been much of a model guest, have I?”
Ciel simply chuffed, wordlessly turning away from her again to retreat into his den.
Seridyl took his exhalation as silent agreement and simply nodded before following him inside again. “I’m…” Her voice cracked, she cleared her throat, “I’m sorry.”
Ciel returned to his resting spot from the previous night, sighing softly and his voice soft once again. “Don’t be. It’s wise to be distrustful at times; but one must have some confidence in their ability to judge the character of another and decide if that distrust is warranted.”
“I understand,” Seridyl joined him in his area of the cavern, sitting before him. “That’s why I apologize. Is there a way I can make it up to you?”
His wings twitched and he looked away from her in thought. His eyes turned back to her, “For now, rest. You were quite battered in the attack. We’ll worry about other things after you’ve recuperated, and we make sure you’re not too beaten up, alright?”
Seridyl’s mouth slanted a bit and she looked away with a bit of disdain. She felt guilty and upset, hating the idea of herself being the very guest she would loathe to shelter, and just leaving it without recompense. But he was right. In the flight back to Ciel’s cave, her wing phalanges and shoulder joints were sore from where she’d been grabbed and thrown into the ground. It didn’t hinder her flying this night, but if they were to swell or if adrenaline had concealed a more severe injury, it would be more obvious tomorrow. Looking back to him, she gave him a single nod, “Very well…” She trailed off, licking her lips and attempting to improve her relations with a bit of chatter, “Is… Is your offer of me sleeping in your gemstone hoard still valid? Is it true that some of your crystals can promote healing?”
He smiled, picking up on her effort to mend their rapport. “I believe it to be true, yes. Some do, some don’t, but I’ll leave it for you to decide. Rest with my horde. Tell me how you feel come morning.”
Seridyl bowed her head respectfully and turned away without another word. She didn’t want to look too eager to be in the presence of his treasure; she had been utterly distrustful of him, and yet he was offering her this luxury. She knew that she had no malicious intent, but now she felt she had to prove it to make up for her poor manners, and had the chance to do so. She kept her head and wings low as she left his sight around the corner to the opening that contained his treasure to rest. Upon turning the corner and feeling his gaze no longer reach her, no eyes upon her, she was overcome by the sudden surge of weariness that he said would come. The day had passed, the battle was behind them, and now that she had the opportunity to rest, she suddenly felt like her entire body was going to give out beneath her.
Many dragons might have been tempted to plunder this horde; Seridyl had no such inclinations. Partially due to pride, but mostly due to fatigue. The moment she curled beneath the monolithic amethysts and sapphires, she could feel… energy coming from them. When she closed her eyes, she could almost hear them resonating with an unknown power, and was soon lulled to sleep, faster than she’d ever been before.

 Morning came with surprising speed, and Seridyl’s eyes opened with the rising of the sun and the tinting of the sky to the soothing blue of a sunny day. She blinked her eyes open with little effort, almost immediately taken aback by just how rested she felt. She felt… utterly rejuvenated! She stretched out like an awakening wildcat, and that, too, felt abnormally satisfying. With a yawn and a hum she rose to her feet, all her aches and pains from the trials of the day before miraculously absent.
Ciel was there to greet her upon her waking. “Good morning, Lady Seridyl. Did you rest well?”
Her gaze turned to him, and she smiled. “Y-yes, actually. I’m…” She looked back to the crystals and gemstones embedded in the walls and nooks of the cavern. “Recharged.”
Ciel laughed softly, “It’s no secret that the earth’s most beautiful formations, these colorful stones of the rainbow’s colors… they can heal. Even some select few humans are starting to realize that letting the natural world influence them, rather than influencing it themselves, promotes healing, and peace.”
Seridyl chuckled amiably, with heart, “Perhaps someday they’ll be tolerable.”
Ciel returned the chortle, “Indeed! If they were to stay on course, absolutely. But, small steps, no?”
She nodded sweetly, “For now, yes…” She trailed off, looking away with a bit of abashment. “Thank you, Ciel, for letting me sleep here. It really helped.”
He bowed his head, “Think nothing of it. I knew the best way to help you, and it turned out to be the best way to show you the power of the earth as well.”
Seridyl nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “Many never think of earth as a healing element. They believe water and air are the only elements that bring renewal.”
“Nothing could be so far from the truth. Each element brings destruction and renewal in equal parts. Fire is passion as well as fury. Water is a river just as much as it is a typhoon. Wind is a gentle summer’s breeze, and a vicious tornado. And earth?” Ciel nodded to the largest crystal embedded in the stone: a grand purple sapphire that hung from the ceiling. “It is an anchor, as much as an earthquake. The gems bring grounding, drawing upon pain and negative energy like lightning, drawing it into the earth and dispersing it. You feel it; I can tell.”
Seridyl beamed at him, a wide smile, the most friendly she’d given to him yet. “Yes! I can’t thank you enough… How can I repay you?”
Ciel shook his head politely. “No need. Your cordiality today is reward enough. What say we enjoy a meal together from my stock, and then see about getting you back on your journey? You have a nest to lay.” He gave her a warm smile.
Seridyl blushed, “Yes, true… And I should thank you properly for saving my clutch, as well… We’d be a pile of meat, if not for you…”
“Bah,” Ciel turned away, “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself for a long time if I hadn’t helped you… The death of whelplings at any stage is a tragic loss to dragonkind. Enough of such somber matters, let’s find something to eat, yes?”
Seridyl nodded once, with a smile, and followed Ciel with a new trust.

* * *

The next few days were spent on Seridyl’s recovery, time which was also spent on the two getting to know one another better. After the circumstances of their meeting gradually faded away, it began to show that they actually connected quite well. Their speech became more open and less strict, their postures relaxed around each other, and they quickly learned one another’s personality quirks and traits.
Seridyl found him quite agreeable, even humorous at times, with his dry wit and subtle jokes that would make one wake up in the middle of the night with a chuckle. She even found herself hoping that after her initial standoffishness had passed, he found her agreeable as well.
With Seridyl’s wings recovered and her flying unhindered by her injury, part of their daily routine was looking for escape routes that would allow her to find a new nest… Unfortunately, to Ciel's frustration, he was beset on all sides by danger.
They landed back at his cavern, and Ciel growled to himself, falling back on his haunches and looking to the sky. “I confess, it’s been some time since I last left my den for any considerable distance like this. More dangers have made their home in my range than I had realized…” He looked to the ground. “I’m sorry, Seridyl.”
She sighed, slouching her shoulders and folding her wings as she sat before him. “I suppose it’s alright… Not your fault. Still, I need a place to raise my clutch,” She cleared her throat and touched her enlarged belly, “Time is running short, you know.”
He was quiet for a short time, then looked up at Seridyl with some sorrow in his eyes. “I see only two real options that would grant you any chance of a nest,” He paused, to let her prepare, then, “You can go back the way you came. The humans are a threat but you can get past them under the cover of night; I’d rather take my chances with them after sunset than I would packs of rabid wyverns or the wizard tower in the mountains, they’d find you any hour of the day with ease. The ocean would offer you nothing for miles, and the human city and its province to the east is too large - too dangerous to traverse without resting.” He stopped, to let her absorb that information.
She nodded solemnly, slanting her mouth but remaining silent. She hated the idea of returning back from whence she came, after coming all this way. An idea struck her, and her wings twitched and her eyes widened for a moment, but she decided to see first if he perhaps had the same idea. “Okay? And the second option?”
Ciel looked away with some abashment, even awkwardness. “The second option…” He hesitated, licking his lips and drawing a few breaths before starting on a different track, “You are a plains dragon, but the plains and mountains are not… too different, wouldn’t you agree? Both land based, both carnivorous, though our camouflage and dens are different… Perhaps we could work out some sort of, erm… Arrangement?”
Her mouth turned up into a smile; he did, in fact, have the same idea she had. “I stay with you? I was thinking the same thing, honestly. Beset on all sides by danger, I’m heavily pregnant, but you are the only sanctuary within miles of here. The choice seems quite clear, doesn’t it? I’d be quite the fool not to take refuge where I find it after all this searching.”
Ciel tried to hide his smile, turning away and straining his muscles to not look too pleased, but it was obvious he liked this idea as well. “Quite the fool indeed.”
She couldn’t help but giggle. Was that a flirt? He wanted her to stay? Perhaps this truly was the answer. “All this time searching, and the solution was here the whole time, mm? Funny how that works out.”
“Such is life, no?” Ciel met her eyes with a warm smile, “So… is that acceptable? I will use my earthen magics to carve you a room in my abode, if you wish it, or I can craft you one separate from mine in this area, if you’d prefer.” He nodded with resoluteness, he was completely willing to oblige Seridyl a new home.
His generosity warmed her heart; he’d been this way since the beginning, and she’d done nothing but take. Ideas rushed through her mind on how she could ever thank him, and one stood out that made her blush and grin to herself, but for now, she would spare him some trouble in adjusting his way of life for her. “I will… rest in your horde or foyer for now, if that’s alright?”
“Absolutely not,” He shook his head, but his voice was one of concern, rather than anger, “If you’re going to live here, you deserve your own space. I won’t have you resting on ground that-”
She interrupted him, “Hush,” She said, smiling sweetly, “Just one night? I want to sleep on it. It’s my decision, and it’s not from guilt or anything, trust me.”
“But-” Ciel’s brow furrowed in worry,
“Trust me,” Seridyl insisted.
Ciel bowed his head and conceded with a reluctant sigh. “Fine. But tomorrow I will craft you a den of my own choosing whether you like it or not!” He chuckled a bit, sounding like a guardian or parent for a moment.
She nodded without another word. If he liked her ‘gift’, he wouldn’t have to lift a claw.

Night fell, after an unproductive, lazy day. That was nice to Seridyl, and she suspected Ciel appreciated the time off as well. For the past couple weeks they’d done nothing but ration food and plan and work and fight when they invariably stumbled across danger. Now that they had agreed to live together and the situation wasn’t considered ‘temporary’ anymore, they worked in tandem for food and space, relieving much of the stress of organizing and sorting tasks.
In their time together, as Seridyl relaxed with the passing time, she had begun to find Ciel quite sweet, even attractive. His stony, bladed exterior belied a protective and gentle soul, a stereotype about Terra Dragons that seemed to have proven true. Her mate had perished before her migration that led her here, and she caught herself entertaining the thought that Ciel could perhaps make a good father for her whelps - the parenting of both a plains mother and a terra father could make very versatile dragons in the future… As night fell, she put her planned ‘gift’ into motion.
In the foyer of his den, Ciel and Seridyl began their goodnights. “I still detest the idea of my new companion sleeping in less-than-optimal conditions, but because you insisted…”
“Actually, are you dreadfully tired tonight? I had, ah, one more thing I wanted to do tonight.” She looked away bashfully and fluttered her wings a bit.
She’d done a good job at keeping her intentions hidden up until this point; Ciel tilted his head and raised a brow at her, unable to discern what she was implying. “Erm… No? I suppose I can stay up a while longer. It is late though, not much more to do in the day, is there?”
“No, but it’s not something I wanted to do in the day, so no worries.” Her voice became softer with each word, and she stood, approaching him submissively with her head down until she gently grazed her horned head along his chest.
“I don’t…” He froze, and she could almost hear the zap of the connection being made in his head. “Oh… Oh! You’re feeling… amorous?” He cleared his throat.
“Mmm, you could say that,” she hummed, “Maybe I simply think we should practice being close to one another, if we’re going to be living together?”
He took her affections without complaint, even leaning back into her before replying with a soft voice, “I’m willing to bet there’s more to it than that, dear…” Gentleman as he was, he wasn’t about to turn away this female for her advances. Not after how long he’d been alone in these mountains.
“Rrf…” She cuddled up to him closely before sitting in front of him and gazing up into his eyes, “Maybe I find you captivating, charming… sexy? Maybe I wanted to thank you for all your generosity?”
He grinned down at her, “Keep this up, Seridyl, and you’ll learn something else I’m ‘generous’ with.” His wings twitched and curled forward, shielding both he and Seridyl behind them and leaned down to bump his nose to hers affectionately.
They both quickly became more bold with one another, days of built up sexual tension coming to a point now, and beginning to boil over.
She brought her body against his.
He wrapped her in his wings.
She touched her nose to his.
He kissed her.
They didn’t even make it back a couple meters to Ciel’s den; they simply began their romp right where they stood. Seridyl presented her side to him, and he pressed his chest against her, his weight focused under her wing, bowling her over onto the ground; a dominating gesture she happily took, falling onto her side and letting him hover over her. He was firm with her, but sweet.
He climbed over her, his taloned hands on all sides of her, standing over her between her wings, mounting her. She lay there obediently, furry-tipped tail swishing softly while she smiled up at him, giggling playfully. The energy between them crackled, tense and heated. It had been a long time for both of them, and the bonding they’d shared over the past several days was finally coming bearing fruit in a big way.
Seridyl flicked her tongue out at him as his nose touched hers, letting a slow rumble roll in her chest. She noticed he was quick to mount her, and showed no hesitation in draping his wings over her; a sign of his desire to mate and claim her. “When was the last time for you?” She grinned.
He laughed with a bit of embarrassment, lowering his body and letting himself rest slightly on her back; enough to cover her, but not to crush her or her swollen belly uncomfortably. “I… lose track of time. Am I appearing over-eager?”
“Well, you-”
“Because I am.” He interrupted her with that surprisingly bawdy comment, and lowered his hips to meet her flanks, letting his scaly slit rub against her back and coax out his shaft from within. His head leaned forward and nuzzled her crown as he whispered, “I’ve never seen a plains dragon as absolutely gorgeous as you… Let alone have one present herself to me. I plan to take full advantage of your offer, my sweetness.”
Something about the way he whispered - the volume, the tone, the dripping desire that belied the gentle murmur - sent her to a surprising height. A shiver shot up her spine and without thinking, she swung her tail to one side and raised her rump in the air, pressing it up against his loins, giving him permission to rut her. “C-ciel… your voice.”
His laugh was quiet and deep, the way he kept doing these things directly next to her ears was riling her up like she couldn’t believe; no male’s voice she’d heard had been so appealing at a low volume. All the romances and sweet nothings of her past mates didn’t shake her vision or raise her tail the way Ciel’s did - he truly was a force of nature, in more ways than she first realized. “What about it?” He replied, still using that seductive volume with his snout near her head.
“R-really? You don’t know?” Seridyl began to shake her hips a bit, brushing her backside against his growing length.
Her motions pulled from him a slight moan and a shudder, “O-oh Seridyl,” He exhaled into her mane and gave her a nudge with his nose, “S-sorry. No, I don’t know. What is it?”
“Just… your voice!” She leaned her head to one side, allowing him at her neck, which he treated himself to, gracing her with several long, wet licks and some dragon kisses as well.
“I need more than that, sweet one,” He murmured against her throat, the sound of it and the breath on her scales coaxing a croon of delight from her. 
“Oh gods… Take me already, you seductive mountain of a beast…”
He laughed more heartily, shifting his weight on her back and hugging her chest with one of his talons and pulling her back against him. “Well, I’ve never had anyone gush so much over my voice,” He dropped his tone again and intentionally made himself sound as seductive as possible, “But, you said the magic words, sweet Seridyl… Keep those flanks up and spread for me…” He gave her a nip to her throat, and dragged his teeth over her scales softly. Behind her, he adjusted his hinds into a better mating position, arching his back and angling his hips and his cock to press under her tail where he began to grind and prod her. 
His aggressive foreplay was a real treat for Seridyl, his roughness refreshing and growing her need, though a bit worrisome too; she’d heard mountainous dragons like him could be a bit brutal in their breeding if given the chance. “B-be a little careful, okay? I’m still gravid.”
“Don’t worry,” The hand he had around her chest came up and trailed a claw down her throat, “I’ll be sure not to harm you or your eggs, dearest, and you’ll still enjoy it. Promise.” He kissed her and his thick, ridged dragon shaft found her flower, his tip nesting in her slit, but not penetrating just yet. “Oh, look what I’ve found,” He growled deviously.
“Rrf…” She quivered at his words dripping down her throat, and his precum beginning to drip down her belly and thighs. “Y-you’re making a bit of a mess, so soon?”
“Hah, well… Having you underneath me is getting me a bit riled up, Seridyl.”
“Make something of it then, big boy,” She edged herself backwards, letting his tip push it’s way into her slit. He was larger than her, so he had to be a bit more gentle, and was more than happy to treat his new lover to his best.
“Oh I will, sweetheart…” Clutching her chest, he carefully pulled her back and firmly pushed his hips forward forcing himself into Seridyl’s labia in one firm but smooth motion.
There was a spike of what was both pain and pleasure as the larger male’s girth stretched her far more than she’d expected. She let out a yelping gasp and clawed at the ground. Ciel slowed down a bit, but didn’t stop entirely, still trying to get himself rooted in her. “Stop me if it gets too much, dear… But if you keep making noises like that, you’re only going to get more.”
“Mmph, is that a promise?” She growled seductively, trailing it into a singing croon, “Come on then, don’t leave me waiting~” She hummed, “You have to welcome me to your territory proper, Ciel, right?” She giggled.
Her dirty talk was working. He said nothing in response, only exhaled sharply as the warmth within Seridyl’s core enveloped his length, gripping him in tight muscles. He released her chest but moved the free hand to her hip, where he gripped her and pulled her more into his loins, looking more and more animalistic as he came nearer to hilting her. He grunted, wings twitching and folding, stretched out and forming a sort of tent over Seridyl, cloaking most of his actions and blanketing her in the shade of his span.
Seridyl let out a strained whine and grunt as it seemed the further Ciel penetrated her, the thicker he became. “G-gah… You are a big boy…!” She panted, trying to laugh, though the way he was taking her breath away made it difficult.
Finally he was hilted with her, with a rumble and a low growl, he hugged Seridyl’s hips and gave her one firm thrust up under her tail, rooting himself in her deeply.
She yelped and her legs trembled at Ciel’s final bucking, the pain snapping through her body, then quickly fading again and giving way to dull pleasure again. “AAah! Damnit, Ciel… I hope that’s your deepest…”
He panted, laughing softly and catching his breath, “Yes, all for you… You’re a tight little one, Seri… That’s a treat in itself.”
“Nng…” She grunted, having trouble spreading her legs and lifting her tail far enough to accommodate the larger male, “Just be gentle from here on…”
“You don’t need to tell me twice, love, don’t worry so much. We’ll get you conditioned nice and slow.” He trailed his words into a seductive growl, and, now hilted, he pressed his body to hers in an embrace, and started to press his hinds against the ground to mate her.
The worst of the initial penetration had passed and Seridyl was treated to a growing gratification. His fluids were thick and plentiful from years of lacking female contact, and soon she was adding her own arousal to the mix, making his breeding very slick - and very messy. As Seridyl relaxed and gave into his mating, trickles of fluid down her thighs soon became rivers pooling at her feet, and his grasp on her body tightened as they melted into each other, the sheer delight of letting off such pent-up desires infinitely satisfying. Within only a few minutes, Ciel had begun a rhythmic and surprisingly gentle rutting, and Seridyl found her legs growing weak for a different reason and her chest pressed against the ground as she decided to completely succumb to his breeding. He was concentrated, not moaning, but panting heavily behind her, and that alone sent shivers up her spine and clashed with the sensations of the nerves tickled in her slit.
Ciel did a good job keeping his promise; he was surely growing more and more aroused as Seridyl’s cavern squeezed around his shaft, but he continued his gentle, rhythmic pace while cradling her in his crystalline arms and wings from behind. His scales and protrusions were jagged and stony like his domain, and yet he took great care not to scuff the more delicate frame of his new mate.
Seridyl felt more than welcomed in his clasp; she felt wanted. She could feel herself melting into bliss beneath him and his enveloping body weight, and let out a long, singing croon, ending with a yelp as she felt him bite into the back of her neck in a dominating gesture. His love-bite gripped her neck in his teeth, but didn’t break the scales; he just wanted her to know she was well and truly his.
He was getting closer to the edge with every passing moment - Seridyl could tell - His shaft was growing thicker and his motions becoming less gentle, the pleasure of his long-awaited rutting driving him to go faster and harder. Having drooled slightly on her neck while it was gripped delicately in his jaws, he released her, cuddling his head into her instead, and letting out a creamy, bawdy sound that sent shivers down Seridyl’s spine, “Guhh… S-seridyl… I can’t… hold back.”
She felt her face flush with heat, and upon hearing his words, her tail slithered down his side and wrapped around his own, and she subtly inched herself backwards, inviting him in more, her words a song to his ears, “Don’t hold back~ You’ve waited long enough…!” She halted and froze, taken by surprise with a sharp inhale as without warning, Ciel let his warm seed bloom within her. His grip around her torso squeezed and his wings raised and fluttered slightly, overcome by the intensity of the climax. A taloned hand reached around and grabbed her chest, clinging to her, and keeping her pressed against his loins as he deposited his seed.
For all his effort to have her catch every drop, such a long time without female companionship tends to make more of a mess; as his rigid shaft pumped into her, thick globs of white seed rolled down her thighs, racing to the ground against the heavy drops that slid down her belly or just dripped from her cavern, creating a sloppy puddle between her feet.
She panted and moaned ever so softly, her talons digging at the dirt, relishing in the new heat swelling inside her. The sensation tickled her every nerve, every sensibility, she felt herself weak in the knees, and could feel herself starting to lower to the ground, her mind too scrambled to form coherent sentences despite how much she wished to praise him. “G-g… good…” She managed to stutter.
More out of breath than his lover was, Ciel only grunted in response, his wings limp at his sides and his hands running randomly over her body as he cuddled her aimlessly in blissful afterglow.
Together they stumbled and fell over as Seridyl’s legs gave way beneath his dead weight and post-orgasm weakness, and Ceil was too fatigued to catch himself either. His spent cock fell from her slit with a lewd, messy sound as he stumbled out of her and a hefty load of warm cum spilled out. Entertained by their sluggish, drugged movements and the goopy mess they left behind, they both collapsed together, laughing through their exhaustion and quickly falling asleep tangled in wings and scales.

The next morning came later in the day; despite being outside of Ciel’s sheltered den, the events of the previous night left Seridyl worn out enough to sleep in for a good few more hours into the day. As she opened her eyes and stretched out her arms with a yawn, rolling onto her belly and feeling last night’s ‘deposit’ still warm beneath her tail, she looked around to find Ciel already awake, sitting not too far off in the shade of his mountain, brooding. Tilting her head and rising from the ground, she stepped towards him, concerned. “C-ciel? Are you alright?” She made a meek little smile and tried to crack a small joke, “I figured you’d be more excited to wake up with a new mate.”
A small, forced smirk turned up one corner of his mouth, and he exhaled a quiet “heh”, but his gaze didn’t meet hers. He opened his maw to speak, but no words came out.
Noticing his apparent distress, she approached closer, with more urgency, lowering her head in affectionate submission and sitting beside him. “Now, that’s not-”
He interrupted her, “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you, my lady.” He looked away, as if trying to hide his face.
Seridyl’s brow furrowed and she leaned forward to try and follow his face, ‘my lady’, he’d said, though they were supposed to be mates now. “W-what? What is it? There’s another, isn’t there? A kind soul like yourself surely would never be truly alone…”
“No!” He finally turned to face her, intensity in his eyes, “It’s not that at all! It’s…” He sighed, exasperated, trying to find the proper words. “I don’t deserve you. I used deceit to make you stay…”
She squinted at him, staring for a long time. When he didn’t elaborate, she growled, “Well? Spit it out then.”
He swallowed and sniffed. With a sigh he looked up to the sky, still finding things to use to avert his gaze from Seridyl. “There’s an old path through the mountains that the humans used to use to transport goods up north, but… They found better ways, and the path fell derelict. It’s still safe from much of the creatures that roam these mountains, for it’s perpetually cloaked in the shadows of the ridges above. It’s been deserted for years… If you want a way out, take it as far as you can. You will find sanctuary.” He looked down as he finished his speaking, eyes closed and accepting his certain fate.
Seridyl’s tongue pressed into her cheek and she looked around in thought. She was surprisingly… not angry. Not as angry as she expected she would be. “Why’d you hide that from me?” She asked, calmly.
His eyes opened partially, looking to her, then back to his feet. “It’s been what feels like an eternity alone, here. Mountain dragons like myself are typically more used to such solitude but… It’s a meager existence sometimes, you can imagine. And before you wonder, no, rutting you wasn’t any part of some… lecherous bawdy scheme I had to ‘let off steam’ or what have you; truthfully I was overjoyed to have such a lovely female in my presence, treating you the best that I could provide was my highest priority.”
She slanted her mouth and shrugged with a sigh, “No… the mating was my idea, perish the thought… But were you so lonely that you had to trick me into staying a little longer? When were you going to tell me if we hadn’t coupled?”
He cringed, looking quite ashamed of himself, “I suppose I was, yes. It’s so far out of my character to deceive another but… Having company was so nice after the long decades alone, I would have hated for it to come and go in a matter of days… As for when I planned to tell you… I don’t know. Just a few moons to share stories under and flex my voice again, I suppose. Long enough for my desire to socialize to be sated.”
“And then I lifted my tail, and you feel bad about taking it.” She added. “All this crisis because you wanted a friend for a while?”
“And I used lies to get it.” He sighed. “Listen, I’m ashamed of what I did; if you wish to leave, do so. You’re already gravid, you won’t have any more-”
With the agile and quick dexterity of a plains dragon, she reached up and swiped at his maw, smacking him square in the cheek.
Caught off guard, he stumbled to one side and chuffed, looking to her in surprise, but slinking down in submission.
“That’s for lying to me. I promise you I would have had a better reception if you’d simply asked.” She huffed, looking insulted.
“Y-yes, my lady, I-” She cut him off a second time.
“But you went through great lengths to take care of me, and my unborn clutch. You saved my life though you had no obligations to do so. You shared with me your home, your food, and your treasures, none of which must have been easy to come by. You were willing to shelter a pregnant female as if she and her eggs were your own.” She stared at him, a twinkle in her eye.
He seemed oblivious to her insinuations. “I don’t understand.”
A small laugh escaped her muzzle. “I’m saying if ever there was a safe ‘sanctuary’ for a female and her nest - like the one you believe lies at the end of that path - I’ve already found it here. Unless, of course, you’re wishing me gone.”
His eyes seemed to light up and he quickly swooped in and was eager to take her hand, “N-no! I wish you to stay… But… You would honor me with your residence after I… lied to you?”
She sighed, “Since my mate perished, my life has been nothing but struggle and strife. My original objective was, specifically: ‘to find a safe haven to have my clutch’, not to complete a journey to a specific location in the north. I visited many other dragon’s nests on my travels, but none were as welcoming as yours, not by far. I think your deceit - for being such a harsh word - gave me pause, just long enough to stop my endless wandering and realize that to leave this sanctum would be foolish.” She paused to let him absorb her words, then leaned forward and gave him another cuddle into his chest, “You’ve shown me I can continue north, but I choose not to.”
He shuddered as she brushed her head against his scales, and with a sigh of relief, she could feel every muscle in his body relax from a tense state. His wings raised and wrapped around her, encasing her in a dark, loving shell where she felt him kiss the crown of her head. “Very well, my love. There are no words for my joy, but I will make it clear in my actions. I still have a home to build you - to build us, and our clutch.”
She pulled from him and looked up at him with sincerity sparkling in her eyes, but playful mischief on her face as she joked with him.

“Get to it then, Ciel. You have an expecting mate.”

* * *

Months passed, and with determination and dedication, Ciel and Seridyl made some impressive sweeping changes to their humble mountain abode. Ciel’s heirloom treasures remained where they were, but they hollowed out another cave specifically for hoarding masses of food, with the intent to keep it stocked with cured meats for two adults and some whelps in case food became short. The living space in the cavern was expanded vastly, and a branch of tunnels led to a hatchery of sorts, where Seridyl could nest safely when the time came.
In the final days, the gravid Seridyl was unable to assist much, as soon her primal nesting instincts began to encroach on her as her whelping seemed imminent. She became agitated and moody, began digging holes and generally acting restless around the territory.
Ciel, despite being wracked with the anxiety of impending parenthood, handled her with grace and dignity, keeping everything as perfect as he could (though nothing was ever truly perfect to a whelping dragoness) and remained unflinching at her hormonal outbursts and mood swings, loving her unconditionally.

This one fine day in spring, in particular, was going to be especially unique… It was sunny and mild, a far cry from the storm that Seridyl evaded to arrive here so long ago, and Seridyl was bolting this way and that, hastening in and out of her whelping room restlessly. Ciel sensed something was off with her - more than usual - and goaded her into resting in the hatchery while he brought her food.
It was definitely time. While Ciel departed for a short time to fetch some food for his mate, primal instinct and hormones seized control of the pregnant Seridyl and she managed to carve herself a slight depression in the stone ground, large enough to fit her body and presumably the eggs she was about to lay. She circled restlessly, falling to her belly and dragging it along the ground as her body coiled into a shield for her incoming clutch, her scaly slit already becoming wet as she positioned it above her improvised nest.
She began to breathe heavily, feeling her core muscles start to contract, and it commanded all of her focus. She didn’t see Ciel return with nourishment in tow; that wasn’t important to her right now. She could feel her vent begin to stretch open, bringing with it a flood of fluids once used for breeding, now used to ease the passage of her eggs.
Coming back to seeing his mate nesting right before his eyes, Ciel dropped everything. Not bothering to store or sort any of his haul, he hurried over to her with wings outstretched as if they would speed him on his way to her. Without hesitation he joined her, coiling himself behind her and shielding her and her nest with his wings, taloned hand stroking her shoulder carefully, each limb trembling with the surge of adrenaline and anxiety. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do; despite all his years and life experience, caring for a whelping female was not exactly something he did regularly, and he hoped that if she required something, she would tell him, otherwise he would guard and caress her to ideally comfort and soothe her under this stress.
Seridyl whined and started to pant as one smooth, golden-tan egg began to emerge from her slit, slowly but surely, struggling to pass from her at the widest part of the shell, but as soon as it overcame that apex the rest of the egg slipped from her effortlessly, wetly, and harmlessly into the small depression she’d dug for it and it’s impending siblings.
Ciel’s curiosity had been stolen by seeing the egg drop from her slit, and while she was laboring to pass more, he found himself watching with a strange mix of distaste and intrigue. She was left gaping after only the first egg; whether this was from stretching alone or another egg behind it keeping her canal open, he was unsure, but he’d never seen her so… wide. She’d been so slick but tight when they mated, it was hard to believe she could spread so much. His caressing and stroking of her scales and wings slowed as his mind became more occupied with watching the process of his mate lay her nest.
Sure enough, another cream-colored egg began to crown at her slit, wide and bulbous, the slick, clear fluid seemed endless as it glistened around each egg, dripping in stringy bridges and heavy drops from her vent.
Seridyl whimpered and grunted between panting, flexing her talons and digging grooves into the stony ground with each stroke, “C-ciel…” She huffed at him, looking over her shoulder.
He snapped from his trance and met her gaze, “Yes my dear? Anything?”
“Come here…” She let out a sharp exhale as he came closer.
She kissed him passionately, sweetly, breathing through her nose so as not to let the kiss fall away too soon. Ciel closed his eyes and his scaly lips matched hers perfectly and their razor teeth may as well not have existed in the tenderness of his caress. 
Together they stayed in a muzzle-locked embrace for a few delightful moments before Seridyl winced and barked with pain and Ciel’s eyes were shocked open with an uncharacteristically strong headbutt from Seridyl’s horns. He retreated back from her somewhat with a hand to his snout where she’d hit him though his wings were still draped over her, and he stared at her with some bewilderment.
Without so much as taking a second look at him, Seridyl’s neck curled back to the ground and she rested, breath still labored and growled up at Ciel, “I love you, but I’m having second thoughts about you and I being mates if this is my future.”
He took a moment to fully grasp what she meant by that, then realizing she was being sarcastic, chuckled softly at first, turning into a more hearty laugh as he laid with her hugging her close, “Sorry to hear that, my love… And I’m sorry to say it’s very likely your future, too. I forgot just how wet you can get and how much your heavy breathing turns me on.” He smirked as he rested his head between her horns, watching as another egg fell from her spread scales below and clacked softly against it’s sibling.
“D-damnit…” Seridyl whined and bucked her head weakly as if to make another playful attack on Ciel, but the discomfort of a third egg caused her wings to flutter, her body to shiver, and make all of her muscles weak. “No dirty talk… While I’m nesting…” She managed to say, “You wouldn’t want me… so much after this loosens me up, either.”
He was almost insulted, to hear her think that he would be any less sexually attracted to her after laying a nest. His long, slender tongue slipped out and licked her snout from where he sat above her, “To the contrary, my love…” He lowered his voice to a whisper as he lowered his snout to her ear, “You could lay a hundred eggs and I still think I’d want to put a couple more inside.”
The shiver that came from Seridyl hearing his words was a mixture of both discomfort and pleasure, and the third egg surfaced from within her gaping slit and passed with more ease than the previous two, the ring of healthy, hard draconic eggshells meeting in the nest an exotic sort of music to Ciel. She opened her maw to speak but failed, instead clenching her teeth and uttering out the words, “Get back to me… on that. Divines, I hope I’m almost done…” She forced out a labored laugh.
His arm stayed draped over her shoulder, talons gently grazing over her scales while he comforted her during her whelping. A heat of embarrassment and desire came to his cheeks as he realized he’d emerged from his own slit while watching her and the bit of dirty talk they’d engaged in; he knew now - or right after she was done - was hardly the time to mate again, but the idea of taking that gaping wide flower of hers, feeling her tender flesh, loosened by the strain of laying a clutch, wrapped around his most sensitive appendage wouldn’t leave his mind. “I didn’t hear a ‘no’,” He sung playfully.
Seridyl managed a more forceful, but still superficial - headbutt backwards, her horns harmlessly grazing the scales on his neck, “Shut up for a minute, will you?” She huffed and labored, a fourth egg crowning, the pool of slick, viscous nectar that smoothed their exit from her uterus forming a considerable pool inside the basin of eggs; more than Ciel could imagine being used for mating.
He chuckled at her playful jab and obliged her request to let her focus, but he couldn’t shake from his mind the tantalizing thought of how it would feel to be inside of her at this very moment. The way he caressed her scaly shoulders became slower and more intimate, turning into just a single talon grazing between the scales and over the base of her wings and down to her chest. The golden-winged shell he’d made for her closed in and it became more of a wing-hug than a simple blanket of comfort, and his arm began to wrap around her chest as well in a loving, full-body spooning hug.
The golden dragoness rumbled in her chest, still panting from the physical exertion of laying her nest, oblivious to the change in his posture, looking down into the small basin at the four eggs, solid cream-tan like their mother’s scales, each glistening in the light from the sun shining on the slick, slimy coating of their mother’s fluids. Her breathing slowed as she managed to catch her breath after a couple minutes of nothing. Ciel watched as her vent returned to it’s mostly closed state but was still visibly loose from the spreading the clutch of eggs had caused.
“Are…” He started slowly, giving her a little nudge of her cheek with his, “Are you done? A healthy nest of four?” He couldn’t contain his smile, his words almost songy, that was a very promising clutch size for dragons, if even two failed to reach maturity - and there was plenty of time to take measures to prevent that happening - two would remain and the dragon race would live on.
Seridyl laughed in short huffs between breaths, eventually graduating into a more boisterous laugh of both delight and relief at the now ended labor. “Hah… Yes, I think so. I’m done. They may not look like you much when they hatch but… I think you’ll be a superior father, all the same.” She cooed softly and in her newfound bliss, closed her eyes and cuddled back against him.
Ciel’s heart swelled at this compliment and a shiver went through his body, causing his wings to flutter slightly. “I… You honor me, my love… I’ll do my best to make this home the best for you and our clutch.”
“Your love for me is a good start to a harmonious family.” Her eyes opened again and she gave him a sultry look. “Speaking of: you mind telling me what all that was about?”
“A-all what?” He stammered a bit, playing dumb, remembering full well how he’d become so amorous during her oviposition, and futilely hoping she was referring to something else entirely.
“Come on. You know.” She teased him, readjusting herself against his body so she was lying on her front, concealing her belly and her newly full nest of eggs beneath it. With both wings folded against her back, one of them whipped out to bat at him in a way a human would playfully punch another’s shoulder. “Were you…” She squinted at him and smirked with amusement, “Were you aroused by me laying eggs, Ciel?”
He could feel himself flush as blood rushed to his face, the thin and more vulnerable ochre scales on his face and throat staining a faint shade of violet as he stumbled over a response, “I- uh. I uh. I mean, well… It’s just that you’re so beautiful, so sexy. Your laying eggs was so… Messy.” He looked away, his large scaled hands folding over one another bashfully.
“I know you like it messy, Ciel, that’s not a secret. But while I’m whelping? By the sky, I still feel more than a little... ‘loose’, and even a tad empty after passing all those huge eggs. Surely you can’t care much for a gaping female - You would rather give me a day or two to recuperate after that so I can grip your girth better?” She batted her eyes at him, as if she already knew the answer and was just leading him on to make him admit to his dirty little fetish.
And it worked. He bit his lip anxiously. He wanted her spread as she was, he wanted her still wide and weak from the labor of the eggs. Allowing himself a moment of unrestrained lust, his eyes met hers and dimmed seductively, voice lowering to that of a male with a salacious plan. “Grip is all well and good… But you know, sometimes a light touch is the most sensual.”
Seridyl licked her lips and her golden wings fluttered slightly. She let out a stretch with a slightly lewd moan of relief, putting on a bit of a show for her mate; she cuddled up against him with her whole body, lifting her rump in the air and keeping her head low to tease, “I’m so wet, Ciel. Absolutely soaked. Stretched, too, from passing that huge clutch, I could sure use some… ‘attention’ there. I don’t even think I would mind if it, maybe...” She trailed off in a bit of a tease, lowering her voice to a sultry whisper, “Got me pregnant again~?” She sung to him.
As those final words dripped from her maw, her gaze meeting his with eyes glimmering with her dirty mind behind them, barely a moment passed before he began to move himself into position to rut her. In a strong, swift motion he reached over her to her shoulder, holding her there to keep her steady while also using her as an anchor to pull himself up off the ground and onto her back… A maneuver that would have gone better if she’d been prepared.
She stumbled and giggled, nearly toppling over but retaining her footing. Her claws scrabbled the ground slightly as she teased him with the possibility of escape while also taking their romp away from the nest of fragile eggs. Knowing he’d act fast and rough, she only stepped a few meters forward before crouching her chest close to the ground, rump still raised and gaze over her shoulders, “Almost~! Come on~!” She sung to him playfully.
With a riled growl, he stumbled after her, his grip slipping and wings flaring as she got a bit of distance away from him. In moments he was on his feet and his muscles ripped and tensed as he lunged after her, covering the few meters between them in one leap and grabbing her flanks with eager claws like a rutting wolf. Getting under her tail was a simple task, taking it forcefully in his teeth and tossing it over his head while he used his grip on her hindquarters to pull her closer while bringing himself in, the motion of his hips and rush of lust coaxed his teal green, prehensile cock from its scaly slit.
“A-aahn!” She yelped a bit as her claws scraped the ground as she was pulled backwards and felt the jolt of his bite on her tail. “O-oohh, C-ciel!” She quivered, his eagerness an incredibly arousing sight to her. During her pregnancy, he’d been more gentle with her for fear of putting too much stress on her body or her clutch. Most of their nights were gentle love-making; occasionally they got a bit more eager with a day of teasing or vigorous foreplay but never anything like this. “Eager, are we boy?” She crooned, wings opening to allow him under.
He grunted, “You never were fragile, though your belly was for a time… Now I can take what I want from you.” His words rolled into another growl as he mounted her, allowing himself a place beneath her wing as he kept her rump hitched up and his drooling unsheathed length lapped at her slit before forcing aside one of her petals to allow it in. With a lewd and satisfied grunt, the heat and slickness of her vulva immediately enthralled him and he threw his body’s weight into her once again, immediately burying his shaft inside her all the way to the base.
She cried out in delight, her whole body jostled by his intensity. Immediately her hind legs felt weak and her wings went limp, draping gently over her mate. She allowed herself to relax a bit, knowing that he would keep her in whatever position he pleased to get his satisfaction - a fact that only added to her excitement, and glazed his maleness with her arousal.
Already, Ciel felt like he could barely contain himself. He clenched his teeth and eyes, hind legs pumping forcefully as his loins bucked and slammed under her tail, each time hilting his full length inside her. The sensation of her stretched walls, her loosened vulva, her soaked entrance, drove him wild. It was true she didn’t grip as hard after laying those eggs, but that just made it all the better. Rather than a tight grind against her walls, each thrust was smooth and easy, the ribs lining her cavern brushing against his shaft like the most gentle fingers, each coated in her hot honey that made each movement a caressing delight. He pounded himself into her so vigorously because it was the only way to extend his stamina for this sensation - if he’d dared to be gentle with her and attempt to savor that tender feeling, he’d have already reached his climax, so he continued to have at her, his own wings spread out in a dominating stance, legs splayed as he kept her as still as he could with his claws around her thighs while he sated his lust with her body.
Being the tool of his relief was possibly the most enjoyable thing Seridyl had experienced since her first impregnation by her previous mate - and even that could hardly compare to Ciel’s breathtaking romance. She was unsure if her mind was simply clouded with lust or if she was truly made weak by the thought of being her mate’s ‘toy’ to be used as he pleased at any time without warning or permission. Focusing on one single thought was difficult as between their energetic panting and moaning filling the air, mingling with the scent of their sex, and the intense jerking of Ciel’s control over her hindquarters, mixed shocks of pained-pleasure shooting through her body disrupted any coherent thought. She was his, fully, and she would be until he’d finished with her, and even then it was a possibility she’d be seeing this kind of attention a lot more in the near future.
Heat poured off of their scaly bodies from the exertion of their mating, and Ciel remained blissfully unaware that in his feral hunger for her, he’d salivated enough to seep through his teeth like a beast that had caught it’s prey. He growled deeply and licked his lips, giving a bit of a nip to Seridyl’s cheek. “I-I can’t hold back…” He huffed, his own legs growing shaky and his grip on her thighs starting to falter.
Seridyl let out a sultry hum and between breaths, she moaned, “Then don’t, my sweet… Just let it-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Ciel let out another thick growl and clamped his maw around her neck in a dragon’s love-bite as with what strength he could muster on the edge of his climax, squeezed her flanks to his body and forced his shaft up and into her as deep as it would go, until their scaly slits kissed with thick fluid between them and every muscle in Ciel’s frame tensed up and wings fluttered, all of his body telling of the orgasm that began to pump and flood into Seridyl’s wide and well-used hole.
Seridyl’s eyes widened and she gasped, clenching her teeth and splaying her wings in the air as she felt the rush of thick cum flood into her cavern. Even their closeness and his girth couldn’t keep this much mess inside, and she shivered in delight feeling a steady trickle of warmth slide down both of her legs. “C-Ciel…” Was all she could mutter, a tone of impression overlaid with exhaustion and bliss.
Her words barely registered with Ciel in the trance of his earthshaking climax. His entire body stayed tense for a few minutes, growling and drooling with his maw on her neck. His claws pressed against her scales but failed to break them even as he continued to thrust up into her with quickly waning energy, each buck of his hips managing out a bit more seed, as though he were trying to compensate for the amount that had spilled out of her gaping slit. Eventually he began to release her, coming down from his bestial rutting trance, his teeth releasing her neck and becoming gentle licks instead, and his claws on her thighs became messy caresses with scaly paws.
For a while, they sat there in wordless, exhausted panting, humming or cooing at one another while they caught their breath and regained their senses. Ciel remained on his lover’s back even after his length fell out of her where it hung, dripping wet beside her equally soaked slit, and his mating stance became just a hug. After a few minutes, Seridyl broke the silence, raising a hand to caress her mate’s cheek and draping her wing over his neck, “Feel better, my love? Now that you’re empty?” She grinned at him.
He laughed softly through weathered breaths, contemplating his next words before speaking, “I… I’m not sure if I can put it into words, my dearest. I’m sated, yes, but that simply doesn’t do justice to describe how absolutely perfect that was… how perfectly you wrapped around my shaft, how perfectly you took every drop and became my breeder so willingly…” He paused and gave her a sweet nudge with his cheek. “I didn’t hold anything back. How was it for you?”
Seridyl swooned a bit and sighed wistfully. “I’ve never been taken like that before… Can…” She bit her lip, hesitating. Would she really want to be bred like that again? She wasn’t sure why she hesitated, as in her mind the answer was a resounding ‘yes’. Lowering her head coyly and her voice falling to a seductive whisper, she continued, “Can you promise me that you’ll take me like that… more often?”
Ciel’s entire body seemed to quiver at the passion and craving in her request. His grip on her tightened and he couldn’t restrain a soft moan at the way those simple words had impacted him. “Name the time, my breeder.” He rolled that final word from his throat with a bit of a growl.

 “And we’ll make sure you stay gaping for a long time to come…”