Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Chapter Text
If there was one thing Kam considered himself an expert at, it was taking things that didn’t belong to him. He was light-footed, stealthy and knew exactly how to go about even the most troublesome job simply because he had been doing it for so long that it was all he had ever known. It was second nature, a talent he would never lose and the sole thing he only thought he would truly understand for the rest of his life. It was why now, as he sat at a vanity that had seen better days with its half cracked mirror, that although perhaps the word expert wasn’t the right terminology, Kam would definitely consider himself very knowledgeable when it came to dragons.
It didn’t matter that he had only ever dealt with just the one, the last two years had revealed a lot of their kind to Kam enough that if he did have decent enough handwriting, he would definitely write a book about them that would take months to get through.
A little ways both slightly up and behind him curled up in the nest like a cat, lay Falán. As if an eagle and a snake had been blended together with dark sorcery, Falán was a delicate pale green with their scales like that of a snake; smooth and flat against them, yet enormous off-white wings sprouted from their back like a mighty eagle. A crest of feathers of the same colour adorned Falán’s head before they thinned out and ran along their back like a dorsal stripe to almost the very tip of their tail. Dangerously sharp talons tipped their feet, often clacking on the ground as Falán’s walked. Their forked tongue was wider than Kam’s palm, but it narrowed at the tip and scented the air like a true lizard. Chartreuse eyes would gleam at Kam, and he could see so much emotion in them it would sometimes startle him how they were not set in the face of a human.
Kam had met many people from all walks of life, yet none of them were as genuine as the dragon nearby.
Kind and understanding, intelligent and beautiful, Kam felt himself one of the luckiest alive to have found one such as Falán. It didn’t matter that they were not human, Kam had quickly learned that didn’t matter to him like it might to someone else. Falán, his dragon, was all he ever wanted, all he needed even if he hadn’t known it at first.
The large open space of the nest area was sparsely lit will sconces that peppered the walls and cast flickering shadows across every surface. The fire pit in the centre was mostly embers, yet Kam could still feel the warmth gently caressing his back. He had just finished cutting his hair, something he had definitely improved at doing and now didn’t look like he was simply hacking at it in an effort to keep it short, and as he set the small blade on the table to admire his handiwork, he was pleased. It was out of his eyes now, much shorter at the back of his head than it was at the front. It suited him, his longer fringe fell more over his right eye than the left, gently framing his face. It had only been two years but he looked more…grown up.
Kam smiled when he heard Falán shift in the nest, the sound of feathers rustling and scales sliding together. A deep sigh was exhaled with enough force that smoke billowed up from Falán’s nostrils where it twirled towards the ceiling of the cave before evaporating.
Kam had been told about this behaviour, warned about it almost, yet seeing it was altogether different. Falán was tired, lacking their usual energy and ability to talk for hours on end for simply one reason and one reason only;
They were producing eggs.
It still wasn’t something Kam fully understood how Falán did it. His dragon was, in a way, a little bit like how he thought of himself. Falán could create eggs inside themselves, where they would lay dormant and unfertilised should they never meet another dragon to bring them to life. If they did, then Falán would be the one to carry the eggs to be laid. However, Falán could fertilise them themselves if they laid them in another dragon or in Kam’s case, him.
When Kam had first met Falán, they had already made their clutch of eggs so Kam had completely missed the growing process by decades. This time however, he was getting to see the entire thing right from the start. Falán had warned Kam that they would be tired easily, as producing eggs took a lot of energy, but Kam wasn’t ready for just how mopey and needy Falán would get.
It was endlessly fascinating. And hilarious. And maybe just a little bit annoying.
Getting up from the vanity and climbing into the nest, Kam kicked off his boots and pulled off his shirt. Now clad in just a loose set of cotton pants, he sidled up to the resting dragon and pressed himself as close as he could to their warm side. A wing rose up and out of the way to let him do so before lowering back down when Kam was in the perfect spot. It was like a huge feathery blanket. Kam never needed any sort of other covering in the nest when Falán’s lungs produced a constant source of heat to keep him warm, their wing a pleasant weight.
“Are you okay?” He whispered the question and watched one green-gold eye slowly open. Falán’s narrow pupil was unfocused for a moment before they caught up to the question asked and fixed on Kam just beside them.
Yes, darling, I am fine.
“You sure?”
Quite.
Short and sharp responses was all he had been getting recently. Though Falán didn’t exactly have an attitude, producing eggs was obviously laborious. It almost reminded Kam of pre-menstrual mood swings, not that he had had any of those for years, but the grumpiness and lethargy was still the same.
“You wanna maybe go flyin’ in the mornin’? See how you feel?”
I am not sure I will have the energy but yes, we shall see how I feel.
“I worry about you, never seen you like this before.”
At that, Falán shifted a little, their tail folding further around and body bending more to cocoon Kam in such a way that all he could see was dragon.
Do not worry darling, this is a natural reaction to the process. It will not last much longer, I promise.
“Yeah, I know.” Kam sighed. At the end of all this, Falán would have eggs ready to be laid.
And that place, would be inside him.
The thought of it made Kam press his thighs together where he lay on his side. Now was not the time to be thinking about that just yet, but that didn’t stop the memories of two years ago from flooding to his mind. They had been here, in the nest, Kam on his back on the little mossy ledge that had enabled Falán to press themselves over him before pushing inside him. They had sex a lot, fuck, Kam had never had so much sex in his life since they had met, yet because eggs were few and far between it had taken Falán all this time to produce another clutch. He had agreed long ago that he would carry them again and he swore he could feel the phantom sensation of them releasing inside him to round out his belly. They hadn’t exactly been heavy, but they definitely had a weight to them, had let Kam know that they were there with the several weeks it took for them to gestate fully.
He must have groaned or made some other small ridiculous noise of arousal because he heard Falán breathe in, clearly able to scent how Kam felt on the air. The wet sound of their tongue quickly flicking in and out backed that up.
And just what are you thinking about, mmm? The teasing edge to Falán’s voice made Kam grin.
“I think you know.”
Oh? Falán uncurled themselves a little so they could better see Kam. Come up here. They gestured with their angular head to their front and Kam obliged, getting to his hands and knees and crawling forwards until he was sitting with his back to the nest and the dragon right in front of him. For the first time in weeks, Falán’s eyes were sparkling at him. Maybe the eggs were almost ready?
No words were said between them as Falán regarded him. Their gaze raked over Kam’s naked torso and clothed lower half, undressing them with their eyes before Kam caught his bottom lip between his teeth and slid the trousers off. He was wet, so he spread himself for Falán to see.
“I was thinkin’ ‘bout you…thinkin’ ‘bout those eggs of yours.”
Mmm, Falán sighed. I cannot wait. You looked so good full of them, they belonged inside you just as these ones will too.
“How many do you have this time?”
Another six. Though with these being so fresh, I have a feeling they might grow a little bigger. How does that make you feel?
Boldly, Kam dipped a finger inside himself, pulling his hand back to hold up in the fading light and demonstrate just how wet he really was. “That’s how it makes me feel, silly dragon.” He had a second to gasp when Falán leant forwards to lick Kam’s finger, the gesture so simple but so lewd at the same time. Kam would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little touch-starved, and with potent arousal alighting his veins, he braced himself back against the nest and closed his eyes. He did manage to watch Falán dip their head down between his legs, but couldn’t keep himself from tipping his head back when their warm tongue invaded his hole, slithering up inside him in repetitive licks that pressed deep. Falán could reach much further than Kam could with just his finger and it was intense. He was ridiculously aroused, the need to orgasm and scream a frightfully painful desire.
Angling his hips forward to give Falán better access, he felt the dragon sigh in the deepest recesses of his being. Their telepathic link still blew Kam’s mind, especially in moments of such intimacy like this. It was as if he could feel Falán’s pleasure as his own, which only added to the sensations and pushed his rapture higher and higher until he was yelling with it. Kam still preferred getting railed with a cock so big it kissed his cervix, but he couldn’t refuse that clever tongue when it got to work, and Falán was giving it their all.
Feathers bunched underneath Kam’s hands as he grasped the crest of Falán’s head, teetering on the edge of orgasm until a smooth nose was pressed against his clit whilst their tongue worked his insides and lapped at his core. Head going fuzzy for a moment as he came, Kam felt himself cough with how dry his throat had become as he yelled his pleasure to the cave, the sounds bouncing off the walls and yelling right back at him.
“Fuck, that was amazing,” Kam breathed deeply as he came down and Falán gave him a final few licks. “Stop, stop, I can’t go anymore.” He laughed as he pushed their head away.
Mmm, I shall never tire of your taste. You know, if you lasted a bit longer, I could definitely do that for hours.
Kam spluttered, heat rising to his cheeks. “I last long enough!”
I am just teasing. Licking their lips, Falán nudges Kam’s cheek with their nose before offering to help properly wash him clean but Kam bats them away.
“I can do it, it’s okay. You just rest.” He pressed a kiss to the space between Falán’s beautiful eyes and saw the appreciation in them. Licking him out didn’t take much effort on Falán’s part, but getting up and moving around was obviously still not appealing.
Kam was counting the days until it was time for those eggs to go where they really wanted to be.
***
Supplies were getting low in the cave which meant one thing; Kam would need to go into the city. He didn’t really speak to that many people anymore, he had no need to when Falán knew the answer to every question he asked, however the dragon did encourage Kam to get out and about and interact with his own species purely for sake of continuing human social graces. Not that he had that many to start with!
Kam had stocked up enough on food and other supplies to last him the couple of weeks it had taken for Falán to do what they needed to do, but now they were getting low enough to make him chew his lip when he checked over the bags of things he had initially bought and found them almost empty. Still conservative with his spending despite the veritable gold mine in the next room over, Kam only bought what he deemed worth it…which was very little.
He was however, craving the type of bath that involved a lot of bubbles and scented foam that he simply couldn’t do in the teal pool in the cave’s centre. The water was ideal for bathing in, but Falán also drank from it occasionally, which had Kam feeling like adding bubbles to it would be an insult. Mercifully, Falán had finally perked up and sat back on their haunches like a cat surveying their territory before beginning the painstaking task of preening their feathers. They licked the required ones that they deemed dirty, despite them looking immaculate to Kam, before carefully threading them through their front teeth and whittling them back into place.
Dragons were proud, haughty creatures that wanted to look their best at all times. Maybe they were scaly cats after all?
Kam stood nearer to the edge of the mountain’s sheer drop than he would have two years ago. He wouldn’t say he was cured of his apprehension about heights, but he was a lot more confident. He had seen the ground both up close, so very far below and everything in between that although it looked different from every angle, it was still the same. Spring had sprung, as the saying goes, and even high up on the edge of Icewall Peak, the air was warmer than it had been several weeks ago. The last of the snow and ice had thawed, and although the very peak of the mountain and its entire eastern side that faced the frozen ocean would always be encased in ice, the remainder of it that overlooked the city and rolling valleys beyond was back to its mix of slate grey and dappled green. Wildflowers bloomed, bees buzzed and mountain hare leapt between the rocks that jutted up from the mountain at awkward angles. For the first time in a while, Kam was actually looking forward to some time spent in the city below.
Are you ready? Falán appeared behind Kam, slowly unfurling their wings and letting the steady breeze get underneath them. The wind still held the slightest chill as winter made its exit, but it otherwise lacked the bitter ferocity it wielded in the depths of winter.
“I am, indeed.” Kam shrugged the backpack on and made sure the buttons on his jacket were done up. “You need anythin’?”
Falán shook their great head. They never needed anything that they couldn’t get themselves, but Kam always asked. Just in case.
Let us take the long way down. It has been a while since I have flown.
“That’s the damn truth.” Kam chuckled as he climbed onto Falán’s back and gripped the dragon’s sides with his legs like he might a horse. With a few steps forward, Falán leapt off the edge of the mountain and the sound of mighty wings beating pushed them up and away from the ground. The feeling of gaining altitude so fast still made Kam’s stomach drop even after all this time, but he pushed the sensation away with the sheer joy of soaring through the skies. Falán banked gently left when they deemed themselves to be high enough. Kam could hardly see the ground from how high they had gotten, but the slope of Icewall Peak was still as clear as day. The scattered clouds gave a clear view of the way the hardly trodden path wound its way up the western face of it, the little stopover trade post still as sturdy as ever, weathering the winters and dealing with them as it always had done. Kam could even make out the shrines that dotted their way up the mountain and recalled the first time he past them, wondering what they were and encountering that haggard old woman he was still convinced had been some sort of witch or shaman. Falán paid them no mind because they saw her often enough when circling the mountain that they claimed she had simply become part of the landscape.
Kam hadn’t seen the old lady in a while.
Hunkering down on the dragon’s back as Falán picked up speed and flew around the back of the icy mountain that gave it its name, Kam spied the sheets of ice that made up the frozen seawater.
“Do you know what’s across the frozen ocean?” He asked them.
A distant land, inaccessible in every way apart from the sky.
“Have you been?”
I have, a long time ago. Long before I found my mountain.
Kam pressed himself as close as he could get to Falán’s scaly skin as they flew over the ice. The winds here were still freezing as they battered the eastern side of Icewall Peak to keep everything in sub-zero temperatures. Falán must have sensed this, as they quickly angled closer to the mountain and began making their way to the other side. Icewall Peak was theirs, something that Kam always found amusing considering how the entire city below also considered it as such. It had been there, looming above the people below, for far longer than anyone could remember. Generations lived and died and still didn’t know how long Icewall Peak had been there. Or what was truly dwelling at its highest point.
Kam was glad that the people below respected it enough to completely leave it alone lest they discover both the extraordinary wealth and danger alike residing in it.
Finally drifting lower in a lazy circle into a field of bright green grass, their usual drop-off, Falán landed carefully and folded away their wings when Kam dismounted. The city’s main gates were the southern side of the pine trees that lined the winding trade route that went further north to the coastline, and they offered the perfect cover for Falán to land and let Kam get off so he could make his way into the city as if he had walked up the road itself. He could already pick up the scents that the city held; horses and hay, smoke and lead from the blacksmith, meat sizzling on a grill over open flames. The ability to detect these little things had only increased since he had met Falán, and it had him wondering if some of Falán’s advanced senses were somehow transferring into him and heightening his own. Turning to Falán, he reached out a hand to press it flat against the dragon’s nose.
“See you in a few days?” Kam didn’t need long to get all the things he needed, but Falán insisted he take a few days to himself, or perhaps to meet up with old friends.
See you in a few days. The deep melodious voice of Falán rang true and clear in Kam’s mind and he smiled, watched the dragon push off from the ground and into the air, their enormous wings creating lift with such ease it was always a graceful thing to watch. Their minds still connected wherever Kam went in the city, he didn’t feel the separation anxiety he had done in the beginning when they first started to part for days at a time. Kam was human and regardless of how much he didn’t admit it, he still required human things. He needed food and rest every day, needed fresh air and the sun and definitely needed exercise that didn’t always involve him screaming his pleasure to the cave ceiling. A brief time apart also allowed Falán to do dragon things, as Kam put it. Depending on the season, they would either sleep for far longer than Kam could in one go, or disappear for days at a time, having flown north or south or wherever Falán felt the need to go. The telepathic connection wavered, as expected, when his dragon got further away, but Kam could always feel the moment it grew strong again. Falán definitely went hunting, as when Kam returned to the cave each time, there was a fresh kill, once again an animal matching the season with what was available, and Falán would place the carcass near the fire so it would slowly roast to Kam’s liking. He was grinning to himself like an idiot as he walked through the city’s gates, musing over how compatible they really were; human and dragon, so different but so similar.
The city was bustling with life when Kam got to the main square. With the weather warming, melting the snow and the ice, the trade routes became safer to traverse by foot or horse, prompting regular trade to return and encouraging the exotic traders to make an effort to travel further to reach the city. A hub of noise and somewhat organised chaos, Kam expertly wound his way through the crowd and was struck with a feeling of déjà-vu so fierce, he had to stop by a street corner to experience it.
He recalled himself and Alec zipping through a crowd like this, barely out of the cusp of childhood and learning to swipe pockets and cut purses before the victim knew what had happened. There was a distraction tactic involved; Alec would trip in front of the target, make a bit of a scene, then whilst the target was fussing over Alec, Kam would casually walk behind them and cut their purse from their belt with the sharpest knife he had. Swift and silent, he would disappear into the crowd only for Alec to find him moments later so they could head back to the hole in the wall house and count their earnings.
Good times.
The thought of his long-time friend made Kam yearn to see him again. It had been too long, a good few months, but they both led busy lives and Alec had taken a liking to heading out on jobs that involved travelling about the country rather than the city. If he was lucky, Kam would be able to catch him here, at home, at the old house Kam once lived in too, grew up in with the old gang.
Kam still hadn’t told anyone about Falán, not even Alec. His closest human friend had absolutely no idea that the map he had swiped from the master scholar of the city a couple of years ago had led Kam to finding his partner, albeit not a human one. What would he say? What would he think? Kam had no clue. He held no plans to share his secret with anyone, no matter how he sometimes wished there was someone he could talk to about it all, and he doubted Alec would judge him for it. It was just the fact that he was human and Falán was a dragon that made their relationship so out of the ordinary.
At that moment, Kam wondered if the library would have any information at all on Falán’s kind as a species. He doubted he would get any help on the physical side of their relationship, not that he needed it, but maybe there would be some other information pertained to dragons as a whole? It couldn’t hurt to try.
Bypassing the main street and heading off towards the grand library, Kam intended the visit here to be brief before he would try and see if Alec was in. An old building, one of the oldest standing in the city, was all granite walls and marble floors, a place familiar in ways that Kam remembered from his time as a servant boy under the royal court’s command. He had been sent here on numerous occasions to polish the exact floors he was walking on now. How ironic that it was he was here, his much nicer leather boots compared to back then lightly tapping the almost mirror-like floor; it seems the royal court had found someone who was doing almost as good as a job as Kam once did.
His reading miles better than it was just two years ago thanks to Falán’s efforts, Kam found navigating the alphabetical and category order of the library no trouble at all. He had grown to like the smell of paper, reminding him of the mini library Falán kept in a corner of their cave. Watching the dragon handle the old books with incredible care, especially as they opted to use the dexterous tip of their tail to do the page turning rather a sharp talon, was something Kam would forever find fascinating.
Much to his relief, there were books on dragons. There was one which was an account of a great battle between man and beast that lasted weeks until the knight of the tale finally prevailed. Another was a list of sightings, none of which were recent of course. One book which piqued his interest was a sort of bestiary, a brief collection of three different types of dragon that had been seen or met in combat. There were dragons that thrived in icy climates with bright white scales and buried themselves in the snow. There were dragons inhabiting the arid deserts of the southern lands that spat acid and could hypnotise you with frilled crests that unfolded and overwhelmed your senses. There were dragons of the sea that dwelled in the deepest oceans, dragging ships to the ocean floor and providing every sailor with a watery grave.
Oddly, there were no dragons like Falán. There were no creatures of a snakelike body with an eagle’s talons and wings. No scales and feathers combined were on any of the pages.
A gentle cough of someone clearing their throat caught Kam’s attention. An aging woman, one of the librarians, was watching him several feet away, a handful of books stacked in her arms.
“If you want to read that properly, I suggest you rent it out like everyone else.” Ah yes, Kam had literally been standing there reading the damn book like it was supposed to be free of charge to do so.
“How much?”
“Three sovereigns.”
“Three sovereigns?” Kam sputtered. “It’s a silly book about dragons of all things, why is it so much coin?” Kam had more sovereigns and gold and gems that he knew what to do with back at the cave, but he hadn’t lost of his sense of propriety just because he could buy whatever he wanted.
“That’s why it’s so much coin,” the woman replied. “Stops people reading it.”
“It’s that bad, is it?” Kam turned the book over in his hands and studied it closer. It was old, written by someone long dead, but was informative enough should the reader be a hunter of scaly beasts that breathed flame and has Kam had just discovered, acid and ice too. He also knew that all the librarians had to read the books that they were given or acquired to prevent any overly sensitive or damaging material from getting out. So either this lady, or another, had looked through it at one point.
“Oh it’s just stories really. Maybe those creatures did exist at one point, but they certainly don’t now, especially around here.”
Kam could’ve laughed, but he didn’t.
“Anyway, what’s a nice kid like you looking up dragons for, huh?” She questioned him with an eyebrow raised. But Kam was ready for that sort of remark and he shrugged one shoulder.
“Wanted to read some stories, help out a friend who writes music for a tavern around here. Something a bit scarier, you know?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Tavern wenches aren’t enough entertainment these days that the bards are now singing about dragons? What has this world come to?” She didn’t seem to be asking Kam these questions as she finally left him alone and wandered off. Kam knew that the mention of bards and lowly taverns would make the snooty librarians bugger off.
Deciding he had had enough reading done for the day, he stocked up on some dried goods and fruit that had yet to ripen, before heading in the direction of the alley that housed the green door. Worn and faded, it was marked with some carvings that told other thieves and lowlifes that there was nothing worth taking within. It wasn’t wrong, the goods that Kam used to take and the others still swiped never stuck around. They were quickly sold on to cover their tracks and muddy the trail so they could never be found again.
Still knowing the specific knock to make the guard aware that a fellow gang member was at the door, the slat at the top slid back to reveal none other than Greta, the dishevelled and grouchy doorwoman.
“Who’s there?” She bit out, obviously not recognising Kam with his longer hair and tidy appearance. He didn’t think he had aged that much, but he would agree he looked more mature, dare he say.
“It’s Kam,” he waved at her. “How you doin’, old woman? Still grumpy I see?”
Some surprised mumbling after the slat was put back into its place and the sounds of the locks being unbolted were all Kam heard for a moment until the door finally opened.
“Holy shit, where’ve ya been stranger?” Greta pulled him into a one armed hug which he gladly returned.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s been a while.”
“Damn right it’s been a while! The lads will be so happy to see ya!”
“Are they here? Is Alec in?”
“They’re here, Alec’s back later tonight. You stickin’ around or what?” She looked at his bag slung over his shoulder, laden with goods.
“Yeah I can stick around.” He let Greta take his bag and store it away whilst Kam got reacquainted with his old friends. There were new faces now, but many remained the same.
When the night had taken over the city, Alec finally returned to the house and the moment he set eyes on Kam, who waved nonchalantly, he was tackled in a hug, glad that it was just the two of them at this late hour.
“I’ve missed you, buddy.” Alec said when they parted. Was it Kam’s imagination, or was Alec blushing slightly? He looked Kam up and down quickly. “You look really great, I like your hair longer.”
“Oh, thanks. I was worried with it this long it would look a bit…you know, feminine.”
“Nah, no way. It looks good.” Alec moved to sit at the little table in the kitchen and Kam followed. It was the exact place they had rolled out the old map Alec had stolen.
Speaking of the things he had gotten up to on the occasions he came down to the city by himself was easy enough. It kept Falán out of the conversation because they weren’t involved, so Kam spoke freely of the things he had seen and places he had been. It was nice listening to Alec too with his carefree way of speaking and gesturing with his hands when he really got into something. He was a little more mature looking too, his green eyes wiser and his body a little stronger. When he brought the wine out, the conversation took a different turn that Kam hadn’t been expecting.
“So, how’s the love life?”
“My what now?” Kam nearly choked on his wine.
“You know? Love life. Anyone comin’ and goin’? Significant others? Unless there’s a new name for it now.”
“Ha! Yeah I wouldn’t worry about that, it’s not really my style.”
“I’m surprised.” Alec downed the rest of his wine, served in a tankard for the lack of a proper glass.
“Why’s that?” Kam queried.
“Oh you know? Someone who looks like you shouldn’t have any trouble finding someone.”
Kam stayed quiet at that statement, the irony of it rolling around in his mind. It was so because he had genuinely always had, prior to meeting Falán, found it difficult to engage with others in such a way. Sometimes, people couldn’t figure out if he was male or female and if they got it wrong, they were disappointed. The fury that Kam would initially feel would then be mixed with trepidation; what if he had come across in a certain way? Alec had never seen him as female, regardless of what was actually between his legs and Falán pushed that boundary Kam had always believed in even further by being able to be both biologically male and female at the same time. Kam considered himself as such, always had done, and although the conversation had taken a serious turn with Alec, he was suddenly both glad and aware that his longest and truest friend looked at him for both what he was and what he believed himself to be.
However, as he watched Alec down his wine, he suspected that it was the alcohol making his tongue loose, like it did with so many others.
“Someone who looks like me, huh?” He couldn’t help but chase the question, his curiosity a burning bright thing.
“Yeah.” Alec coughed into his hand but said nothing further. He didn’t need to, not with the way he was looking at him. It made Kam shrink back into his chair a little. He wasn’t into his friend that way, and there was no way Alec would be into him like that, right?
Mercifully, the conversation shifted again and nothing further was said on the matter of what they had just spoken of.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Summary:
“There is someone special in your life, someone you didn’t expect to find.”
Kam froze.
“What?”
“You found someone, dare I say something, that you were not looking for. You were looking for something else when it happened, but you are so very glad that you found them instead.”
“How do you know this?” Kam’s voice barely got out at the primal fear twisting and quickly forming in his gut. “Who’ve you been talkin’ to?”
Chapter Text
Bidding Greta and the gang a hearty farewell in the morning, Kam headed to the market once again, this time having Alec accompany him. He didn’t have a current job on the go, which meant he had all the free time in the world, as did Kam for the next two days. As they walked among the merchants and traders, Kam found himself keeping a third eye on the sky, though he never physically saw Falán. Instead, he felt the dragon in the deepest recesses of his mind. Although they were not exceptionally far, they were far enough that it took concentration to feel them, which meant they were not at the cave. That was fair enough, Kam thought, during the development of the eggs Falán had been excessively tired and lethargic, so they were simply making up for lost time by flying around and exploring what lay beyond the vicinity of the country.
He would have to ask Falán to take him there one day, to show him what they have seen.
His fingertips traced over his lower abdomen, flat and smooth as it usually was and Kam bit his lower lip before he could stop himself. By the time they both got back to the cave, Falán would surely be ready to lay the eggs they had been creating.
He was pulled from his thoughts when Alec grabbed his arm.
“Look!” He practically squealed in excitement when he drew Kam’s attention to where he had been looking. Three lavishly decorated caravans pulled by stocky black horses came to a stop in the square of the market. Two painted with green bases and the third with blue, intricate red and gold patterns had been elaborately and painstakingly adorned to every surface and edge of the cylindrical shaped house on wheels. “Travellers from the far south,” Alec explained. “They must have taken those and the horses on a ship to get here.” At the furthest south of the country beyond the harbour was nothing but a great expanse of ocean, even more so than what was to the east beyond the frozen sea. Falán had explained it was hot there, sometimes the sun in such a fierce mood it would bake the earth and set it on fire without a dragon around to do it for it. It was a long, long way to travel.
Kam watched them roll to a stop, the drivers pulling taut the reins and the horses obediently ceased their jog. The people around them in the market had naturally parted for them, some eyeing them suspiciously as a few people in hooded and brightly coloured robes exited from the caravans themselves and began to casually set up their little stalls as if the crowd wasn’t watching them like a hawk.
“I’ve never seen the likes of them before.” Kam retorted as he fiddled with the strap of his satchel.
“I’ve heard of ‘em, haven’t ever seen ‘em before either. A guy I was talking to at a tavern the other night mentioned them though, said that they’re sorcerers, psychics.”
“Magic users?”
“Yeah, dark magic. Apparently, they can tell the future, predict your death and see right into your soul.”
“What a load of shit!” Kam threw his head back on a laugh.
“You don’t believe it?” Alec questioned.
“Of course not! People learn because they read, Alec. They study and they look for what they wanna seek. Not ‘cause they’re sorcerers or some shit like that.”
Alec side-eyed him. “No offense brother, but what would you know about studyin’?”
Kam smirked. “Maybe I talk to guys in taverns too.”
A beat of silence passed between them before Alec burst out laughing, clapping Kam on the back. The mild tension he had felt in his core instantly released.
“Come on Kam, there’s this store I wanna check out in the old town. Though you might have to restrain me if you don’t want me to steal from it.” Alec gently pulled on Kam’s sleeve in the direction he wanted to go and Kam followed. Sparing a glance back at the southern traders who were halfway through setting up shop, he caught the eye of one of them, a woman of the most bronze skin he had ever seen with peculiar pale eyes that looked so very out of place. A shiver ran down Kam’s spine when she held his gaze, pausing in her action of lifting a wooden crate from the ground.
She winked at him, the tiniest smile tugging one side of her mouth.
By the time darkness had fallen and a couple of tankards of ale later, Kam was feeling more than a little bold on his way back to the inn he was staying at as he passed the main market square. It was quiet now, the air still a little cold but pleasantly so on Kam’s flushed cheeks. He could feel his head clearing with each breath he took, but he still paused by the colourful caravans on his way past. They looked harmless enough, angled in a semi-circle around the shop they had set up, it appeared that they sold ornate jewellery and exotic foods that you couldn’t get around here without paying a very high price for it. The three black horses that had been pulling the carts were tied up next to the caravan to Kam’s furthest right, nibbling hay and dozing in the late evening stillness. The two eating paused when Kam stopped, lifting their heads with their ears pricked forwards. Kam could see their nostrils flaring for a moment as they regarded him with intelligent brown eyes, their stature so unlike the horses native to this country. Their manes were thick and stuck right up as if they had been styled that way though Kam could see it was naturally grown as such, their coat a deep obsidian that he had never seen before and so thin like it could have been made of velvet.
“They like you,” a woman’s soft voice made Kam jump a little in his staring contest with the animals as she emerged from the centre caravan, the one painted blue underneath all that red and gold. “And that’s a good thing. Javed and Hiba always let me know when they don’t like someone.” Her accent was peculiar, lilted and light, it was musical and delicate as it carried to Kam’s ears.
“I’ve not seen traders like you before,” he said instead of responding to her remark of her oddly named horses. “And I’ve lived here my whole life.”
“I know,” the woman said, making Kam narrow his eyes. “It has been such a long time since we were here. I forgot how cold it is.” She pulled her forest green robe tighter around herself. “Would you perhaps like some tea? It’s grown on the hills surrounding my village, the freshest brew you will ever taste.”
Kam didn’t doubt that it would taste nice; the tea grown here was bitter and too strong. “Sure.” It was what he said instead to her question, ignoring his somewhat better judgement of following her into her caravan. They were in the middle of the market, there were armed guards circling the area to stop thieves in the night like he used to be – what harm could come to him? She probably would just try and sell him something the moment he stepped inside.
Instead what Kam found, was a tiny little setup consisting of a bedroom, a living room and a kitchen all squashed into one place that couldn’t have been more than eight foot long and six foot wide. There was a lot going on; shelves of books on the walls, a cabinet with glass doors shoved into one corner full of jade ornaments, rolls of parchments in a cursive flowing script all over the bed and a strong smell of jasmine from an incense burner that left a lithe fog in the caravan and made Kam blink several times to adjust to it. In the little kitchen space against one wall of the caravan, the woman shuffled about and took a decorative looking silver teapot off a stove burner.
“Nice place.” Kam tried to make the compliment sound genuine but worried it didn’t come out as such. He had been taught to clean up after himself from a young age, to remove any trace of where he had been, so to see such a mess in someone’s personal domain made his skin itch. The woman didn’t reply, simply sat herself at the cherry red, circular wooden table in the centre of the space and poured the dark liquid into matching cups that sat upon its marred surface.
“Don’t you need to add milk?” Kam questioned when the woman set the teapot aside, took a seat without waiting for Kam to do the same and immediately lifted the teacup to her lips.
“Not this tea,” she smiled at him. “Trust me.” It was a bold statement from someone he had just met, but Kam set down his bag and took a seat opposite. He had just watched her pour the stuff and she had drank it herself so it couldn’t be poison. So why were his hackles raised and the hair on the back of his neck standing up? The tea was oddly sweet, full of flavour that told Kam it definitely wasn’t from around here and could never hope to be grown here either. “I’m Esmeray, by the way.” She announced.
“Kam.”
“Nice to meet you, Kam.”
“…yeah, you too.” He looked around the caravan again, eyes trying to make sense of the mess he saw everywhere he looked. “So, what brings you here?”
“A scent on the wind, a whisper in the trees.”
“…okay.” Kam stifled a laugh by sipping the hot tea again. Maybe this woman really was some sort of magic user who was also clearly off her rocker. It would be exactly as Alec suspected, as he had said so earlier in the tavern hardly an hour ago.
“And what are you sellin’?” He tried to move the conversation along as it was quickly apparent that this woman, Esmeray, was more than happy to simply stare at him as if he was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.
“Selling?” She parroted. “Well, I suppose we are selling something aren’t we? This tea for example, precious metals and gems. The literal fruits of our labour from the place we come from, so far away.”
“Why come here?”
“There is always something interesting going on here, wouldn’t you say?”
“I guess.” Kam shrugged one shoulder. Damn, this tea was tasty. Maybe he could convince Falán to try some too?
“We also sell the truth.” Esmeray continued her prior response. “We sell the information that people want to know.”
“Like a fence?” Kam’s eyes widened a little.
“Ha! No, not like that, we do not trade in information that people wish they knew, but what they already know.”
“What good is that?”
“You wish to understand what I mean?” Esmeray tilted her head at him, her pale eyes narrowing. “I know a great many things. I can see them laid before us like the words of a novel.”
Kam huffed, incredulous. “Yeah, right.”
Unperturbed, Esmeray put down her teacup and opened one palm, resting it upwards on the surface of the table. For a moment, neither of them did anything until Kam’s brain finally caught up with what she was asking. “What sort of trader would I be if I sold my goods and got nothing in return?”
Fumbling in his pocket, he placed two silver coins in her palm and hoped that was enough, having no idea the price she was asking. A smirk at the side of her mouth gave Kam no indication as to whether it was or wasn’t the right amount, but she pocketed the money anyway.
“Give me your hand.”
Placing down his teacup, Kam warily offered his right hand. Esmeray carefully took it, quickly turning it over to display the slightly rough skin of Kam’s own open palm. She traced the lines of his hand with a long fingernail which caused a sense of electricity to surge up his arm, the hairs of his limb standing up and gooseflesh reaching his elbow. The ticklish sensation continued as Esmeray moved to trace other lines of his palm as if she were connecting them with an invisible line that only she could see.
“You have had it rough,” she announced. “Life wasn’t easy at first, not for a while, but you made it. Through guile and wit.”
Kam swallowed, the urge to rip away his hand an almost overwhelming need but something stopped him from doing so. Esmeray traced the longest line his palm had to offer, running from the heel of his palm where it connected to his wrist, before it went up and curved off to the right above his thumb.
“This line here,” she explained. “This tells me how long you have to live and this,” she caressed another one running in a gently curving line across his hand from right to left. “This tells me your health.”
“And…are they…okay?” Dumbfounded as to how to word such a question, it was all Kam could think of to put it and hoped Esmeray would understand what he meant. Thankfully, she nodded.
“Oh yes indeed. Yes, to both. A long life of good health is the bare minimum of what humankind can dare to hope for.” Well, that was good news, Kam surmised. He went to pull his hand away but she held onto it. “I’m not done.”
“…sorry?”
Instead of responding straight away, Esmeray looked up at Kam and fixed him with a level glare. Her forefinger pressed into the middle of his palm, again creating the bizarre sensation of electricity flowing through his veins.
“There is someone special in your life, someone you didn’t expect to find.”
Kam froze.
“What?”
“You found someone, dare I say something, that you were not looking for. You were looking for something else when it happened, but you are so very glad that you found them instead.”
“How do you know this?” Kam’s voice barely got out at the primal fear twisting and quickly forming in his gut. “Who’ve you been talkin’ to?”
“The things I talk to, you cannot see.” She pressed harder into his palm. “What are you afraid of? Do you fear the truth?”
“No.”
“Ah I see,” Esmeray blinked, a slow action that swept long eyelashes over her caramel skin. “You fear others knowing the truth. You worry what they will think of you, of what you have done.”
“Tell me how you know this!”
“It’s written all over you, it’s written in the stars. There are very few who can see these hidden verses, these truths, that make up who a person is.”
Kam could feel his heartbeat racing in his chest, throat tight as it held his voice from spilling any of his secrets. Whoever and whatever this woman was, she was exactly as Alec had said the first time he had seen her and the others like her setting up their stall; a sorcerer, a user of the darkest magic that could infiltrate the mind.
“Don’t be afraid,” Esmeray assured him. “It is no place of mine to judge another for their actions, nor any place of mine to share what I can see. Those who know, if any, deserve to do so. Have earned the right either through force,” she slow blinked again. “Or by fate.”
Rooted to his chair by the revelation that Esmeray could see everything he had done in his life just by touch alone, he finally forced his voice to speak, forced the cotton in his throat to clear.
“My partner,” he whispered. “They would find you most interestin’ to talk to.”
“As I would them!” Esmeray smiled, a genuine response to his statement and she finally released his hand. “Personally, I have never had the luxury, the honour, of speaking with one of the draconis.”
“The what?”
“The draconis. Dragons, as you call them. They go by so many names depending on where one is from. I felt something different in the air the moment I stepped foot on solid ground here, but I had no idea what it was until I saw you earlier. You smell of dragon, your body, soul and mind are full of the scent and taste of the draconis and their fire.”
Kam blinked, at a loss for words as he took in what Esmeray was explaining. In a way, it tied in with his musings on if Falán’s abilities had somehow mingled into his own, woven into the fabric of his being through their close intimacy. It was the discovery that yes, this was very much the truth that had him so awestruck. Relieved to be able to talk about it after so long, Kam found his voice once again.
“I wondered that,” he began. “I wondered if after…what we did, had somehow made me a little more like them. I can see better, hear better, smell things better. I feel Falán in the back of my mind all the time.”
“Falán…” Esmeray tasted his dragon’s beautiful and exotic name on her tongue. To Kam, it sounded even better hearing it spoken from someone other than himself. “You are so very blessed to have met them.”
“It wasn’t planned, but I guess you already knew that.”
She chuckled. “That I did, I felt your…fear. Yes, your fear. That was what you felt at first. Absolute terror for your life, wondering if in that moment that you were about to die when you were so not yet done with living.” Hearing his experience with how he met Falán recalled without actually verbalising it was incredibly surreal, but intrigued by Esmeray’s abilities, he let her carry on. “Distrust, suspicion. Those are what you felt next and I’m sure they felt the same of you, though that is just a guess.”
“I suppose that could be true,” Kam replied. “I did try to steal from them. I wouldn’t trust me either.”
Esmeray smirked at him then. “Well, that changed quickly, did it not?” There was a teasing edge to her voice that instantly had Kam flushing in embarrassment that definitely made his face go as red as a tomato.
“Shit. I guess you saw that, huh? That wasn’t planned either! It-it just happened, you know? I didn’t really know what was goin’ on and then…and then I did but I didn’t do anythin’ to stop it and then I had to carry-” Kam bit his tongue, ceased his rambling before he could dig himself a deeper grave.
Esmeray said nothing, just watched him with a slightly fond expression on her face. Though she looked older than Kam by a number of years, he found it difficult to guess her age with how smooth her skin was, the only creases being those of around her eyes. And if there was one thing you didn’t ask a lady, it was her age.
“Have you met others like me?” Kam eventually asked. He knew there must have been, as Falán had been with a human so very long ago now, though it had been even longer since they had been with another dragon.
“There was one, a daughter of a nobleman of the desert lands to the south where I’m from.”
“What happened to her?”
“She still lives,” Esmeray confirmed. “Just as you will, long after your human years are behind you.”
“My…human years?”
“Yes, Kam. A dragon is a creature of magic, old magic that is different from the kind sometimes used today. In creating the deepest intimate bond, the very essence of their life-force has blended with your own.” A moth attracted to the flickering lanterns illuminating the caravan space stopped battering itself against them and settled into the palm of Esmeray’s hand when she held it steady for it. It rested calmly, as if it was always meant to be there.
“The magic that dragons hold is bone deep in the elements. There are many different kinds of them, just as there are birds of the sky and fish in the sea. Some, like yours, breathe fire, others breathe ice that freezes the blood in your veins and the water of your eyes. Some are scaled, some have no other limbs but their wings, some live deep in the darkest oceans and some are even feathered.”
Kam, absorbed in the information being fed to him, suddenly realised something that Esmeray, despite her powerful abilities of clairvoyance, had not yet detected Falán’s physical appearance.
“Falán has feathers,” Kam pointed out before he could stop himself. “A crest of them on their head that fans out and presses flat down. And their wings, they’re like that of an eagle.”
Esmeray raised her eyebrows in what appeared to be pleasant surprise. “Then you are most fortunate to be in the company of the rarest dragon of them all.”
Kam chewed on his lip, brows slightly drawn. He suspected as such, but having it confirmed was a mixed blessing. It was why Falán was the only one of their kind for not only miles around, but the long years between their last meeting with another of their kind. It made Kam feel a little remorse for his beloved partner; he couldn’t imagine not seeing another human being for as long as Falán had lived.
“How do you know so much about dragons if you’ve never seen one?”
Esmeray looked at the moth in her hand which as if on a silent command, flew away and straight out of the door at the back. Free of the insect, she leant over enough to reach the bed nearby and pulled a heavy looking book from under the rolls of half unfolded parchment. She offered it to Kam after dusting off the surface.
“I retrieved this from our storage back home after we felt the change in the air,” she explained. “It’s a compendium, a collection of records of mortals who have encountered dragons and their various forms.”
The answer to all Kam’s questions was potentially in this book. His trip to the city’s library earlier in the day had been fruitless, yielded nothing but stories and unanswered questions but now luck, and perhaps fate, was on his side. Kam took the book, placing it on what little space there was in front of him. Maybe he could borrow this? Or perhaps buy it? It wasn’t like he was short of money these days.
Going to fumble in his pocket for the sovereign satchel he did have on him, Esmeray held up a hand.
“Please,” she gestured to the book. “Take it.”
“Take it?” Kam sputtered, inwardly laughing at himself for how much his attitude towards receiving free stuff had changed. Two years ago, he definitely would have tried to steal this book if he knew of its existence, if he had never met Falán. “I couldn’t. Surely you must want somethin’ for it?”
“Though I am just a humble servant of man, I know when something should belong to someone else and this,” she reached over to tap the worn leather book. “This belongs with you. You are far more experienced than I am in this, and it feels right to give this to you.” She folded her hands in her lap and smiled at Kam who still found himself overwhelmed with what he had been presented. Life had taught him that nobody gave out anything for free without wanting something in return, but it didn’t seem that Esmeray wanted anything that he could give her. She had tapped into her abilities enough tonight to obviously reveal knowledge that she didn’t expect to find, but was jubilant that she had done so. Perhaps that was payment enough?
“Besides,” she continued when Kam struggled to express his gratitude in words beyond the stunned look he was sure was on his face. “There are some bare pages nearer the back. Perhaps you could add your own take on what you have experienced?” There was a glint in her eye that suggested she wasn’t talking about the hours of conversation Kam held with Falán on a daily basis.
***
After three days of the bustle of the city, Kam’s bag was heavy, his body tired despite the hot bath he had taken last night and he craved the serenity of the cave and the cool touch of the aquamarine pond in the cave’s core. But most of all, he missed Falán. He missed the rough feel of their most scaly of skin, how it resisted being stroked the opposite direction in which it grew. He missed the unimaginably soft feathers on their head that ran down their neck in a thin stripe before billowing out into mighty wings. The last couple of nights, Kam had spent the late hours of the evening going through the detailed book in which he had acquired and was most eager to show it to Falán and see what they thought. Though they had their own library in the cave, there was nothing like this kept within. And why would there be? A dragon had no need of a book that described their own kind in the same way Kam had never owned nor read a book about the functionality of humans on a biological level. There were obviously things out there like that, medical grade books that healers used, but nothing that Kam needed.
He hadn’t been ill or unwell in two years. Not since he had met Falán.
Musing to himself at just how much the dragon had rubbed off on him, he felt their presence before he saw them. He was outside the city now, in more or less the same spot as he was dropped off; behind the pine trees on the city’s edge and off the beaten track of road leading into it. Green hills that got deeper in colour every day with how quickly spring was arriving with grass that now grew up to Kam’s knees was all that faced him. Falán’s presence in his head was like the fire they breathed, the wood smoke and char they tasted of. Heavy and thick, it filled Kam’s senses until he was sure he could taste it on the back of his tongue until he finally heard and then saw Falán drop out of the clouds above. Despite their size, they were as silent as an owl hunting in the night. Wings spread, Falán circled lazily above, shifting through the gentle winds to angle themselves down and closer to the ground. They did one more lap, a tight circle that was clearly them showing off as Kam watched with rapt attention, before pulling up sharply and landing gracefully, hind talons touching the ground first before their fore ones did the same.
Hello, darling. Their deep but smooth voice rang loud and clear in Kam’s head as if it were spoken aloud. Kam said nothing, had no need to as he dropped his bags in the grass and took the four steps to close the gap between them. Cradling the dragon’s head in his embrace, Kam’s heavy sigh matched that of Falán’s as they blew a puff of smoke from their nostrils that quickly evaporated in the cool air. I missed you, too.
Kam chuckled. He was glad that the dragon could read him like the books they kept. He needed no words to voice his thoughts with how easily and strongly Falán must be able to feel them.
I have something for you. It was obvious then to Kam that Falán held something clasped carefully in the talons of their right foreleg. I saw it and for some reason, it made me think of you. I was lucky to have found it in perfect condition compared to the many other items accompanying it that were broken beyond repair. Bringing their leg forward and opening their talons, Falán revealed what they had found for Kam.
It was much smaller than Kam first realised, looking tiny and so delicate when surrounded by the sharpest of claws.
A flower, encased and suspended in some sort of clear viscous liquid that made it float unwavering in the bottle it had been placed in a permanent sort of stasis. The flower itself was unlike anything Kam had ever seen. Its stalk was a thin dark green and bare of leaves, about three inches long before the flower head bloomed in an odd mix of beauty and peculiarity. It had only four distinct petals that appeared more leathery than the soft texture he would expect from flowers. A deep mix of burgundy and white in random splashes, the two colours were an exploded palette of dark and light, speckled and splashed as though accidently created. One petal stuck straight up, two either side to the left and the right and the fourth was curved under towards Kam, hooked like a talon.
It was as beautiful as it was bizarre. And most definitely not of this country.
“Wow, Falán it’s…incredible. Where did you find it?”
A shipwreck to the north had one half of it dragged to the ocean floor, the other discarded on the reefs. Much of the cargo had floated up from the depths and when I saw it from above, I simply had to take a closer look. Of course they did, Kam smiled. When dragons saw something they liked, they simply had to have it. No matter what it was.
I landed, the area deserted and long forgotten to humans. I was rifling through the wreckage to see if there was anything worth saving when a lockbox floated towards me, asking to be opened. Inside was this, perfectly safe from the harm the salty water might have eventually caused its container, or seeped beyond the seal keeping it in such perfect condition.
“What sort of flower is it? I’ve not seen anythin’ like it before.”
You would not have, for it is not of this land. It is a type of flower called an orchid. They are exotic and beautiful, found in many different colours and shapes. They sell for a great deal of money when taken from their homeland. In this orchid’s case, it was saved from withering away by the liquid that preserves it, the seal that stops it leaking out. It will never die, so long as the bottle never cracks. It will be perfect, and beautiful, for a long time to come.
“Thank you.” Kam replied with deep sincerity and pushed his face between the space of Falán’s green-gold eyes. They dropped to a half lidded state, their third eyelid quickly sweeping back and forth to clear them. “I’ve never been given a flower before.” He admitted softly. Someone had tried once, a typical bouquet of roses that were already starting to wilt. Kam hadn’t liked them, had not wanted them and especially not from the one who had tried to woo him in that way. In hindsight, they were simply not special enough, too mainstream for what Kam discovered were rather exotic tastes.
You are most welcome. The pleased hum of their voice was threaded with a pride of being the first to offer Kam such a gift. He didn’t expect that he would ever enjoy receiving such a thing, but once again, his dragon continued to surprise him.
“I have something too, though in a way, I suppose it benefits both of us.” He turned back to collect his bags and pull out the book of dragons that had been weighing heavy both literally and figuratively. It didn’t have a name, it was simply a tome of knowledge passed through countless hands. There was nothing else like it in the world according to the strange woman from a far off land who had given it to him.
A book? Falán sniffed at it with flared nostrils. It smells of so many things.
“It’s full of many things. It’s…about dragons. It has records of other species and what seems to be all the times humans have encountered them.”
Eyeing the book with prudence, Falán looked up at Kam. Let us go home. I am most interested to see what is written within.
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Summary:
Your womb will not be empty for long, my love. They crooned softly and Kam did moan that time, unable to stop it before the sound started. I will fill you up, just like you want, like you need.
“Fuck…do it already. Fuck me.” He lifted his hips up to get the point across, but the dragon chuckled deeply.
But I have not even started.
Notes:
I draw your attention to the tag "cervix penetration" because it happens. A lot.
Chapter Text
The compendium of dragons of which he had been gifted had taught Kam a great many things in the short time of his owning it. Many of them, unsurprisingly, Falán knew of. Though they had not seen another of their own kind for a long time, they had met other dragons in more recent years.
“Has another tried to challenge you for your mountain? Is that something another dragon might do?”
Only once. They did not succeed, obviously. Falán looked incredibly smug as they lay next to the fire pit in the centre of the nest area’s living space. Kam had added extra wood to it that Falán had collected during their days apart, and it came in very useful to illuminate the cave as though a thousand candles were burning at once. It was ideal for reading, especially when the book in question was old and tired, the handwritten words often faded and difficult to read. Kam had sat himself between Falán’s front legs, his back to the dragon’s chest and their head peering over him. Twisting around to see the smug look on their face made Kam laugh, the sound echoing off the cave walls.
“Somehow I knew you’d say that.” His dragon, no matter how pleasant and compassionate, was still a dragon who could terrify and destroy. If they wanted to.
The only one to challenge me to anything recently, is you Kam.
“Oh yeah?”
Of course. All over a gold ingot.
Kam grinned at the memory. What had come over him, he would never know, even to this day. He was much like Falán in that aspect, that shiny things and treasure of all shapes and sizes caught his attention like it would a magpie, but to actually try and steal right from under a dragon’s nose? That had taken some real bravado. Or stupidity. Kam still wasn’t sure which one had won him over that day.
And now here they were; somewhere Kam didn’t think he would ever be, but was so very glad to have found himself.
He returned his attention to the book in his lap, flicked through some sketches of a dragon that dwelled in the sea – what were the chances he would ever meet one of those! – and stopped on a new section that had one word at the top of the page for its title.
Reproduction.
Kam swallowed.
Well, this will definitely be your favourite part, no? Falán teased and Kam felt himself flush hard, his cheeks warm.
“Sh-shut up! The whole book is interestin’, not just this bit.”
Oh? But this is the part you enjoy the most. Falán lowered their head next to a sputtering Kam, mischief glowing in their eyes that made Kam shove his shoulder into the dragon to get them to stop looking at him like that.
After a few moments of Kam trying not to focus on the arousal making him bite his lip and frown hard at the book, he read on about the various ways dragons could reproduce. It mostly detailed how they did it with each other, including detailed drawings of what the inside of an egg looked like with a little hatchling growing inside it.
“They look kinda…squashed. That can’t be comfortable.”
I can assure you that they are comfortable, temporarily of course.
Kam knows what Falán says is the truth. He remembers the feel of the hatchling dragons shifting about in their eggs when they had barely days before they were to be laid. He could feel how restless they had become, despite not actually hatching for another number of weeks after. Perhaps they knew the difference between inside Kam and out of him?
“You were once like this,” Kam ran his finger over the drawing. “I find it hard to imagine.”
Yes, there was once a time that I could neither fly nor exhale the flame as I do now.
Kam read on a little further until his eyes refused to make sense of the words any longer. He had gotten much better at reading, but it still tired him. However, reading about all of this begged the question and the discussion they inevitably needed to have.
“So um,” Kam cleared his throat when he had put the book down and lay against Falán’s warm side. “You’ve finished makin’ the eggs?”
I have.
“And…?”
Falán made a sound of amusement. And they will be ready to leave me very shortly. Just a bit more time, not long at all.
“Sorry I keep askin’ about it.” He admitted bashfully.
It is quite alright, Falán hummed deeply, the sound resonating in their chest. You did not know that you would enjoy it so, therefore you are keen to experience the process again.
“Well, when you say it like that!” Kam laughed. They weren’t wrong though, Kam hadn’t immediately known or truly understood what was happening until it was well underway. In fact, the knowledge that he happily spread his legs and let the dragon have their way with him so easily in the first place still made heat crawl up the back of his neck. Kam didn’t know he was into such things until they were literally presented before him.
And he had dived right in and never looked back.
***
The final touch of cold had been chased away by a warm spring sun with such consistency that even high up on Icewall Peak did the air feel like it did down on the ground. Kam had been down to the city a few more times, making sure he hadn’t missed anything in his preparation to carry the eggs once more. He was oddly nervous. This wasn’t like the last time where everything had gone unsaid until the last moment; this was planned and thought out and Kam found himself thinking about it so much that Falán finally pulled him up on it.
You are now overthinking this, my love. There is no need.
“I just wanna be prepared.”
You already are.
Kam bit his lip. “I don’t feel it.”
Trust me, Falán shuffled closer to Kam on the hilltop they both sat on, raised one wing high enough that the back of his neck was shielded from the warm sun. I do not believe that every human is as compatible as you. Otherwise, everything we have done would be something people understood better, talked about it greater detail.
“I guess you’re right.”
Blowing a puff of smoke from their nose, Falán stood up. Let us return, they said. Let me prove that you are as ready as I know that you are.
Kam swallowed, fierce arousal threading through his veins. “Oh yeah?”
Oh yes, indeed.
Allowing that burning feeling, that desire, to flow through him, Kam stood and without a moment of hesitation, approached Falán to grasp the feathers adorning their shoulders where their wings sprouted from before throwing a leg over. The dragon didn’t need to be told twice, pushing off from the grassy hill that overlooked the little beach area they had found a couple of weeks earlier. They would have to come back here sometime, on another day when their urges were not so fierce.
When Kam found himself in the solace of the cave once more, for the countless time, he stood in the nest and raised a hand to lay it upon the arch of Falán’s wing.
“You are so beautiful, you know that?” He ran his hand down the raised wing, walking along it until he reached the end.
You may have mentioned it. A lilt in their voice, a teasing edge.
“Well, I’m gonna say it again,” Kam smiled. “I was never lookin’ for much in my life before you. Only keepin’ an eye for when the next take would come in. I wasn’t lookin’ for anyone or anythin’, but yet I found you.” He reached Falán’s tail, where a silver chain had been purposefully wrapped around it. Touching it gently, he graced the surface of delicate, light green scales that seemed as thin as paper, but was as strong as steel.
You found me. Their deep voice encompassed Kam’s mind, the telepathic connection always so incredibly clear in their moments of intimacy, it was like Falán was inside his whole body, not just his head. Circling the dragon slowly, Kam kept his fingertips light as he caressed up the dragon’s other side, over their folded wing to their shoulder, from their neck to the crest of off-white feathers on the back of their head. The space between their eyes and down to their nose was smooth, the scales so thin, though Kam knew they were just as tough as the rest of them.
When Kam reached their front, chartreuse eyes boring into him that made him feel so exposed, he took a couple of steps back to lean against the edge of the nest. He reached for his shirt, slowly tugging it over his head and letting it fall to the floor behind him. His trousers were next, and Kam made sure to hold the intense eye contact as he pulled the thread holding them up loose. He knew what made Falán tick, just as Falán knew what made Kam do so too, and the human emotion that was desire was written all over the dragon’s face. The thread of danger, the edgy thought that got Kam off was that at a moment’s notice, Falán could take advantage of him. They were a dragon, so much stronger and faster and he was only human. It was a thrill, a dark one, knowing that Falán would never do such a thing, but they could, if they really wanted to.
Kam liked to be held down in place as he was taken. He liked when it hurt a little bit, when his partner was stronger than him and could push him to his knees or pin down his arms as he was fucked hard enough to make his eyes water. Falán had not taken long to realise this, and it was the unspoken agreement between them that this type of sex was what they both enjoyed the most. It was, most definitely, in Falán’s dragon nature to be domineering, to take what was theirs and when it wasn’t, to make it theirs to begin with.
As it was now, Kam stood naked before the dragon, waiting for what they would do. He could see their cock, dark pink and as long as his own forearm, perhaps longer, dropping down from the slit between their hind legs. It made Kam’s mouth water.
Lie down. The gentle command pierced Kam’s thoughts and he did so without question, shifting onto his back onto the smooth ground of the nest. Spread your legs, keep them apart. I want to taste you.
A long, slow breath released from Kam’s lungs as he tried to calm his racing heart. Falán had had their tongue inside him what felt like a million times but the feeling always felt so new. Forked and long, it could reach far deeper than Kam could with his finger. It licked up his thigh, tracing saliva that cast a wet sheen in the glowing light of the cave that the wall sconces and fire pit cast. Kam squeezed his eyes shut, bit down on his lip to stop his sounds escaping him as Falán licked over his mound and to his lower belly, their tongue dipping into his navel.
Your womb will not be empty for long, my love. They crooned softly and Kam did moan that time, unable to stop it before the sound started. I will fill you up, just like you want, like you need.
“Fuck…do it already. Fuck me.” He lifted his hips up to get the point across, but the dragon chuckled deeply.
But I have not even started.
That changed quickly when their tongue pressed inside Kam. He was so wet, so aroused, that he knew he wouldn’t last long enough for Falán to lick him out as long as they wanted to. It was something they particularly enjoyed doing, admitted they could do so for a lot longer if Kam could physically stand that sort of touch for more than ten minutes or so at a time. It was as much bliss as it was torture as Falán swept their tongue in a firm line from his hole to his clit, the movement confident and unwavering. Breathing faster and faster, feeling his pleasure crest, he held on as long as he could before he came. As he did so, writhing in place and tensing his limbs, Falán pushed their tongue up inside him, as far as it would go and held it there to feel the clenching and unclenching of his walls. As dextrous as his own finger, their tongue wriggled from side to side until Kam had to shove at Falán’s held less overstimulation be the death of him.
In his hazy afterglow, he felt the flexible and strong end of their tail wrap around his middle to move him from the soft nest floor to the mossy ledge, into the prime position for him to take the eggs. Arousal swept through him again, made him clench around nothing as he looked down his naked body to watch Falán move over him.
He felt soaked, Falán had made a mess of him from just their mouth alone, so things were going to get even messier when things really got underway. Letting his legs fall apart as wide as they would go, he braced his feet on the curve of Falán’s hind legs as the dragon moved up and over him, their heavy cock swaying tantalisingly close to his hole, close enough he could feel its warmth. He raised his arms to grip Falán’s forelegs, his blunt nails gently digging in to anchor himself.
“You said you have six eggs, yeah?”
I did say that, but that was in the beginning.
“There’s…you might have more than that?” Kam swallowed at the thought of more than six eggs, though it didn’t put him off. By the end of his pregnancy, he had gotten very big, the eggs having grown inside him as the baby dragons had done so inside their shells. They had made his hips and lower back ache a little, but had not been anywhere near as painful as what he expected. One or two more surely couldn’t hurt?
Do not worry, Falán reassured him, I know you can take them, should there be more. You will be surprised at just how many will fit.
Kam didn’t get a chance to respond, as Falán pressed forwards right then, the tip of their cock smearing his juices over themselves. They intentionally missed the mark, were practically grinning when Kam opened his mouth to complain. So he reached down to grab the dragon’s cock in one hand and bring it to his entrance. It was wide enough that he couldn’t quite reach his fingers around it, was wet and shining from his own excitement and whatever sort of lubricant Falán produced within their body.
The moment the tip pressed inside, Falán made a sound, like a deep hum, and with a little shift of their hips, slowly pushed forwards to slide their way in. Kam cried out, throwing his head back to the moss underneath him at the feeling. He bore down against it, determined to have it all inside him as quick as possible. However, Falán was content to drag the process out. As they carefully drew back, they pushed in another inch before drawing back again. Inch by exquisite inch, the dragon pulled intense sounds from Kam. A steady rhythm was being created, a timeless dance between lovers that was both familiar and new ground at the same time. Having sex with a dragon would never get old, especially when it was this beautiful dragon. Nothing would ever compare or be better than Falán.
“Ah! That’s it, that’s it!” Kam made sure to push his hips back against Falán when they thrust forwards until a pinch of a sensation behind his navel told Kam that Falán’s huge cock had reached his deepest part. Moaning, he revelled in it, loving the sensation that it created. This part of him could not be touched on his own. It was a part of him that nothing had ever touched before until Falán had come along, but now that it had, it had awoken something in Kam that he didn’t know he enjoyed. Falán bottomed out every time they had sex, but they were always careful with him. This time however, his cervix was a target, an obstacle that needed to yield.
Relaxing in the dragon’s scaly embrace, Kam shouted his pleasure to the space of the cave, the sounds of his rising voice echoing off the walls and bouncing right back at him. The thrusts quickened, the wet sound of skin on thin scales slapping together almost as loud as his voice.
“Deeper!” Kam yelled. “Fuck me harder!”
Falán did.
His vision whiting out for a moment, Kam’s orgasm washed over him in a tidal wave of sensation. He gripped Falán’s scales of their forelegs as his channel clenched hard on the cock inside him. Falán growled, the sound reverberating into Kam’s bones as the dragon’s pleasure radiated through his mind at the same time. It dragged his orgasm out, made it last for longer than it normally did and though it couldn’t have been more than a handful of extra seconds, Kam was out of breath by the time it ended, was sure it had lasted an hour. Slowing their thrusts to allow him to catch his breath, Falán kept the insistent press at his cervix, the organ buzzing under the assault as it loosened and relaxed.
That is the way, Falán whispered. Loosen up for me, let me in.
Kam grinned, head lolling from side to side. He spared a look down, able to see in the relative darkness that Falán’s drooping wings caused, a feathery shield cast around them both. Bottoming out, there were just a couple of inches spare at the base of Falán’s cock that the dragon couldn’t push inside unless…
“Wait, slow right down.” An idea flooded his mind and would not go until he gave it a try, consequences be damned at this point. “Hold yourself at the end of me, right at the top.” The weight of Falán pressed into him, the tingling sensation behind his navel a constant thing when the dragon did as he asked. It was fucking intense.
What do you have in mind?
“Do you think you can fit all of yourself inside me?”
I am all in the way inside you.
“No, I mean all the way in. I feel loose enough, I’m sure you can get the tip through if you tried.”
Falán didn’t immediately respond and instead seemed to think about what was being asked of them. It is something I have thought about, yet did not think possible. They shifted their hips, the sensation causing ripples of arousal throughout as Kam’s cervix was massaged in a circular motion. Green-gold eyes caught his, bright even in the darkness. If it causes you pain, I will stop. You must say if it hurts, do you promise me?
“Yes, I promise.” He trusted Falán with his life. They were both in the agreement that sex could be as rough and untamed as it could get, so long as they were both enjoying it. Kam raised up a little to press a kiss to Falán’s nose which caused a puff of smoke to rise from their nostrils, something they did in amused affection.
Very well.
Relaxing as much as he could, something that Kam found only a little bit tough with how aftershocks of his orgasm still threatened to make him start screaming all over again, Falán wiggled their hips from left to right before shifting forwards. The press at his cervix went from a tingling sensation to a more insistent bite, but he made no complaint. It didn’t exactly hurt yet, but it could if Falán wasn’t careful. The delicate organ gave a little and the dragon groaned in pleasure just as Kam did so too. It was about to give, any second now, another nudge and they would be inside…
An odd pop made Kam gasp, made his hand fly down to his lower belly to press over his navel. “Holy fuck,” he gasped. “You fucking did it.” He reached down between his legs to make sure, white hot arousal ripping through him when he found nothing to touch between them apart from his own skin and Falán’s scales.
And now, Falán shuddered above him, I can lay our eggs straight to your womb. Why have we not tried this earlier?
Kam huffed out a laugh and tried to shrug at the amusing rhetorical question, only managing to move one shoulder when the feeling of the first egg making its way to him stopped his thoughts. With no gap between them, the egg instantly dropped from Falán’s cock straight into Kam’s waiting hole. He cried out as it split him open, pushed apart his walls as it made its steady journey up inside.
I will make them go slow, so you will feel every inch of their journey to you. Falán must have read his mind, Kam had just been revelling in the slow climb the first egg was making. He lowered both hands this time to his belly and closed his eyes, the sensation better felt that way as Falán contracted lazily which made the egg go further in. He couldn’t put into words how good it felt, didn’t even know where to begin to describe it.
When the egg reached his cervix, Falán held it there for a moment. The dragon dipped their head down to lick a line over his collarbone before gracing lower to his nipple. Kam gasped loudly, writhed in place a little as Falán went from one nipple to the other before working their way back up to the side of his neck. A third orgasm was quickly approaching, Kam was sure the moment the egg was released inside his womb he would be screaming to the heavens again. He could feel Falán practically grinning in smug pleasure as Kam’s rapture became their own. With another contraction of their cock, the first egg, definitely bigger than he remembered being, pushed through his cervix with relative ease and settled in his womb, its heaviness and size making his belly instantly rise. With his eyes closed and his hands on his lower section to feel the way it felt both inside and out, Kam came hard. He rocked in place as best he could and could only sputter and shake as a second egg entered him.
I dare say you are taking them even better than last time.
“Practice.” Kam managed to choke out as a third egg was deposited inside him. A smooth curve to his belly making his skin a little taut. “Damn, these are bigger.”
They are younger, Falán explained in a husky voice laced with pleasure. The previous ones had been inside me for a long time, had waited for so long for you to come and help them.
The eggs were coming in a quicker succession now, pulling a fourth orgasm from Kam as he was impregnated. The eggs rocked against each other as they were laid, his womb expanding to accommodate them. He could no longer see where they were connected with the rise of his belly in the way and Kam made a surprised sound when after six eggs had been nudged inside him, a seventh was travelling up his channel. It sent intense arousal through him in a fierce burst of pleasure.
“Give them all to me.” He moaned, not knowing where what he was saying was coming from, but what he said only seemed to encourage the dragon. They mumbled something back, something about how good he looked so full of eggs but Kam didn’t catch the rest of it. The seventh egg slid up and up to rest heavy against his cervix. He was tired, his strength waning, his throat dry and legs aching from the position of where they were half wrapped around Falán. But the egg needed to get inside his womb with the others, which Falán made it do so with a short and sharp thrust forwards, contracting at the same time to squeeze it out of their cock and into Kam. The egg landed inside him with a soft thud, the other eggs shifting around to make room.
Oh, Falán made a surprised sound, going very still as Kam forced his eyes open.
“Somethin’ wrong?”
No, nothing is wrong but…they shifted their hips a little and suddenly an eighth egg quickly entered Kam’s hole before he could so much as make an equally as surprised sound.
“There’s another?”
There is. So matter of fact was his dragon as the egg glided in. Stretched so wide and muscles so loose, Kam’s body offered no resistance as the egg travelled up, his walls gently squeezing around it of their own accord to help usher it along. His cervix had no problem with the eighth egg either, a weak fifth orgasm making Kam’s eyes water as the egg was laid into his womb. He felt heavy and sated, like he could sleep for a month.
Holding themselves as still as they could, Falán came in hot bursts, their seed flooding his insides and covering the eggs. Kam felt their nose nudge at his cheek before their tongue licked at him again, the gentle display of affection a contrast to what was going on inside him right now. Hot streams of come filled the remaining space between the eggs, rounding his belly into a smooth curve so he could no longer see the bumps and shapes the eggs created when pressed against his skin. They jostled a little further, making Kam whimper at the sensation as Falán continued to come. Extra eggs meant extra seed, that much was to be expected.
Carefully, so carefully, when Falán finally stopped coming, they began the task of pulling out. Unsure if his cervix would simply snap back into its tight former self, he pressed his legs together and clenched just in case. Remarkably, no seed spilled out, no eggs tried to escape. Now that they were where they needed to be, they weren’t going anywhere.
A feathery wing covered his naked body as he was helped down from the mossy ledge and into the centre of the nest. Kam could feel Falán’s exhaustion just as he could feel his own. “Clean up in the mornin’ yeah?”
On this occasion, I agree. A moment of silence passed between them, content and comfortable before Falán spoke again. I am sorry about those last two eggs. I did not feel them until they were already there, and by then it was too late. I could not stop them.
Kam laughed. “Don’t be sorry, I totally asked for them. I did say ‘give them all to me’ did I not?”
Yes, you did say that. But still…
“It’s fine, gorgeous. You said I could take them and I did.” Kam ran his hands over himself. He was definitely bigger than last time. Kinky side ultimately pleased that he had been bred full of eggs, he sighed deeply and got comfortable against Falán’s warm side. “They feel good, they feel right.”
That is good, I am glad. Because also, you look incredible full of eggs. That classic dragon smugness rang through Falán’s voice and Kam grinned as he closed his eyes.
Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Summary:
“When it’s just you and I once more, I wanna see it. I wanna see what’s across that ocean, if you’ll take me?”
I will, Falán replied. It will not be an easy journey.
“No journey ever is, right?”
Absolutely.
“But that’s also what makes them so fun, right?”
Definitely. Falán lowered their head to Kam’s level, to which he took the opportunity to kiss the space between green-gold eyes. Anywhere with you is where I belong.
Notes:
Just a bit of domestic downtime before things start happening ;D
Chapter Text
“You know,” Kam began where he sat propped up against a rock at the mouth of the cave, the compendium of dragons in his lap. “This book, and that trader woman I met in the city, both say that your kind of dragon is the rarest of them all.”
Falán stretched from where they had come to stand next to Kam, before lying down proper. I have never truly thought about it, but I suppose that does explain why I have not seen another of my kind for so long.
The blasé way Falán said that was not lost on Kam. He couldn’t imagine what he would feel like if their situations were reversed, if Kam was the one who hadn’t seen another human being for centuries whilst dragons were everywhere.
“Well, we’re changin’ that.” He touched the roundness of his belly where the eight eggs sat deep inside him. With the extra two compared to last time, he was understandably bigger than before and they still had some growing to do. But he could deal with that, he had wanted this, and it gave Kam a fierce bout of pride knowing he was adding to the population of Falán’s species of dragon. “I wonder where the others are.” Referring to the six new dragons they had made together the first time always made Kam’s chest ache a little. But Falán had explained that they would leave of their own accord, did not require the long term care like a human did. And they had been right, just like with so many other things.
They are starting their own adventure, their own story.
Kam smiled, feeling a little melancholy, but returned to the book to make himself focus again.
Beyond the detailed drawings and descriptions of each type of dragon that had been encountered, Kam had found accounts of battles and fighting, of losses on both sides. Occasionally, there was an account from an established knight who actively hunted dragons, wore armour made from their scales and bones and wielded a sword rumoured to be enchanted, especially effective in killing them. Kam didn’t enjoy reading those accounts, he only did so to learn everything he could, to garner every piece of knowledge as best he could from reading alone.
On the other hand, there were recollections of people establishing platonic friendships with dragons that lasted for the rest of the human’s lifetime. Some formed a partnership like that of comrades, war hardened and protective of what was theirs. Others were explorers and travellers, helping cartographers map out the world when it was still largely unexplored. Some smaller kinds of dragons, naturally grounded and without wings, were assistants in forges for smiths and to those working metal, still able to breathe a fire so hot it could melt tungsten, steel and titanium. The aquatic dragons helped explore the oceans and the darkest depths, reporting back to sailors of just what was down there.
There were so many examples of dragons and humans working together, not against one another.
“There has to be somewhere out there still like that.” Kam voiced his wondering when he read some examples aloud to Falán. The dragon tilted their head in thought.
I believe there must be, somewhere out there. But far from here.
“Would you ever want to look?”
Falán looked at Kam. What you ask involves leaving this country. Travelling to places far from here with no certainty in what you will find.
“Yeah, I know.” It was no simple task, but the thought excited Kam as much as it made him anxious. “And what about you? Could you leave behind your cave and all that lies within?”
Referring to Falán’s wealth was once a sensitive topic, but no more. Material things, they replied, can be replaced if they are lost. As much as it would irritate me for a moment to think of someone one day intruding here, exploring the world with you is something I could never say no to.
“I can’t imagine you irritated.” Kam laughed.
Oh, it happens, believe me. Falán puffed smoke from their nose, as they so often did when amused. Read to me some more?
Just about able to nudge his foot against one of Falán’s forelegs, Kam read on until he reached the section he had first found himself totally not on purpose skipping to when acquiring the book.
He hadn’t looked at this part in more detail yet, wanting to go through the compendium in the proper order it had been put together and it seemed right that this part was nearer the back. Descriptions of species and encounters all led back to the same question; where did dragons come from?
For the most part, it stuck to dragons being created with other dragons, as it obviously first started, but to Kam’s amazement, it didn’t take long for the story of how humans got involved to take over. He paused in his reading aloud when he realised what it was he was actually reading. It was the same story Falán had told to him, of the princess who befriended and fell in love with the dragon her father’s kingdom were constantly fighting.
“I don’t believe it,” Kam whispered as he touched the pages of the book and traced the fine words with his fingertip. “This is the same story.”
I thought it just a legend for the most part. How wonderful to see it featured here. Falán moved to sit alongside Kam to better see the pages for themselves. It is almost exactly as I recall. Incredible.
“There was magic involved,” the book confirmed. “I thought there might be, but doesn’t that mean…”
Not all humans are compatible. They must be touched with this same magic in some way.
“But this was eons ago, how is it possible that I am with you?”
Perhaps, Falán wondered, you are, in some way, a descendant of this woman? She produced the gift to create life with a dragon, to save their species. Perhaps it spread through her bloodline in the years that passed? Perhaps it encompassed her entire family on the female side, and not just herself? Most humans can trace their lineage back a very long way.
“I’ve no idea who I’m related to, I was an orphan, raised in a working house and then sold off as a servant.”
Mmm, Kam could practically hear the gears of Falán’s brain working, deep in thought. Your past is hidden from you. Maybe one day, we should seek what is lost?
“I never thought about it,” Kam replied honestly. “It never mattered, not after I grew up a bit. I was taught to look forward, not back.”
An astute lesson for sure, Falán agreed. But there is one thing the past can offer, and those are answers to innumerable questions. They gestured with their head at the book. Like now, we are both discovering things that we never thought we would find.
“Damn right, we are.” Kam shifted in his seat for a moment, the eggs pressing down on his hips in a way that wasn’t particularly comfortable. “I’m findin’ learnin’ about your kind to be a lot more interestin’ than my own though.” He read on, fighting the blush that rose to his cheeks when drawings that spared no detail adorned the pages. The descriptions were just as thorough, though clinical in their course, as though someone had simply watched the act happen and recorded everything in a methodical way. Like a scholar or historian might do. It was endlessly fascinating as it was arousing.
Kam learnt that not all dragons were laid as eggs like his own, some hatched inside their mother and were born as live young, a process that took far longer than what Kam had experienced. Around twelve weeks was all it took for Falán’s eggs to be laid and hatched, yet when they hatched in their birthing parent, they took months.
Ah, Falán mused, a slightly more unusual way of procreating, but nonetheless a method of doing so.
“That looks painful.” Although Kam could admire the detailed sketches of how the leathery shells naturally shed from their mother before the hatchlings spent more time growing, it did not look comfortable at all, especially considering how long it took.
It does look more difficult than what my kind offer. For that, I am suddenly glad. Falán shook their head which rustled all their feathers in the breeze that followed. Watching the action instead of holding the page in place, the pages scattered forwards at random, which caused a few sheets of smaller paper to fall out from the very back.
Picking them up before they could blow away, Kam was quickly enthralled by the find.
What is it? What does it say? Falán picked up on his excitement.
“Falán, this…” He quickly read the first couple of small pages. “This is, a journal entry by the looks of it. It’s been torn out of the book it was in and chucked in here.”
Written in first person, a woman described her experience with a dragon so very unlike Falán. Spiked and horned, bipedal with their wings being attached to their forelimbs and scales of a deep cerulean blue so dark it could be mistaken for black at first glance, the woman described the dragon in every detail she could. It helped paint a picture for Kam that he probably would have had a hard time imagining otherwise, but when he read the description aloud, Falán bristled.
“Somethin’ wrong?”
That dragon, Falán hissed. If I am not mistaken, I know that dragon.
“You…do?” Kam raised a brow. “You don’t sound happy about that.”
Read on, confirm my suspicions.
Kam did so. The woman, Anya, as she named herself, went on to write how she was offered to the dark blue dragon by the people of her village in an ancient annual ceremony that hadn’t taken place for centuries. The new village elder had decided to begin it anew, with Anya being the first choice. Unsure if the old dragon still lurked in the hills surrounding the village, scouting parties went ahead, searched for days until they finally found the dragon in sleep. Only Anya was able to wake them up, conversed with the creature about what the village had brought her here for, to which the dragon was most pleased.
Oh yes, that is him.
“Him? Who is it?”
Synrik, Falán spat the name out with a small blast of flame into the air. I cannot believe that lumbering beast is mentioned in this most informative compendium. As if he even deserves to be in it! Pah.
“Umm, Falán? Care to explain?” As amusing as it was to hear Falán speak with such distaste for the first time, it had Kam’s curiosity burning so hot he thought he might actually catch fire.
Synrik is another dragon.
“No shit! Do go on.” Kam elbowed Falán to get the dragon to focus.
Though he can produce young in both ways as I, he likes to be called as ‘he’ or ‘him’. I am not sure why. He was always rather simple-minded and easily pleased. Quite the brute actually, nothing like myself of course.
“Of course.” Kam had to bite his lip to contain his laughter at how irritated Falán had become. So this was what it looked like; like a pissed off, oversized feathered cat ruffling its feathers at the sheer mention of a name.
The ancient ceremony this Anya refers to was, or now perhaps is, something that was held purely for him. Synrik is lascivious and insatiable, always on the lookout for something to mate with, be it another dragon or a human, he did not particularly care. Though he never took anything by force in that way, he was not exactly…loving and tender. He was rough and had always liked it that way. His partners rode a thin line between pain and pleasure.
Kam looked back down to the journal of Anya. She was seduced by Synrik, though she didn’t mention how she felt about it. She didn’t say if she was willing or if she didn’t have a choice, but she did it anyway, and took three of Synrik’s eggs into herself, the first of his brood for the longest time. To Kam’s surprise, the baby dragons of Synrik’s species were born live. They hatched and grew inside Anya’s womb as a human child might do until they were ready to be born. The best part of six months after she woke Synrik up, she gave birth to three new dragons. The journal entry ended there, so abruptly that Kam looked to see if there were any more pages hidden away, but he found nothing.
“Well, would’ve been nice to know what happened next.” He turned the pages over in his hands and paused.
On the back of the last page, Anya had signed off herself as the writer in an elaborate scrawl and dated it.
“Holy shit, this was only four years ago. How is that possible?” Above him, he heard Falán sigh.
Because he has awoken, they stated simply. The village and the land it resides in is across the frozen sea east of Icewall Peak. I think about a three day flight and you will reach it, or a couple of weeks if one attempted to traverse by ship. If they made it through the storms.
Kam remembered asking what lied on the other side of the frozen sea and recalled that Falán had said they had been there, a long time ago.
The travelling woman from the south, what did you say her name was?
“Esmeray.”
If she came all this way, it is not too much to think she has also been east. That has to be how she came into contact with the author of this journal.
“Esmeray said she could…feel somethin’ in the air the moment she stepped off the ship onto this part of the continent. It was as if she could, I don’t know, sense somethin’. It makes sense that she could detect you and I by this magic that the woman of old times created.”
A common ancestor.
“Yeah, that. And it’s gotta be strong enough magic to be picked up at a glance, if you’re in sync with that sort of thing.”
As this Esmeray is.
“And Anya must be sensitive to it too, if she can be host to eggs.”
Precisely. When we first met, your scent was simply perfect. It was how I knew that the eggs would take.
Kam chewed on his lip as he thought over his next question.
“When our children have moved on,” he whispered. “When it’s just you and I once more, I wanna see it. I wanna see what’s across that ocean, if you’ll take me?”
I will, Falán replied. It will not be an easy journey.
“No journey ever is, right?”
Absolutely.
“But that’s also what makes them so fun, right?”
Definitely. Falán lowered their head to Kam’s level, to which he took the opportunity to kiss the space between green-gold eyes. Anywhere with you is where I belong.
“I love you.”
And I love you.
They stayed that way for a moment longer, Falán’s head held in Kam’s arms as he rested his own head against the smoother skin between Falán’s eyes. Clearing his throat, he released his dragon and moved to lay on his side, finding it more comfortable with the weight of the eggs off his hips.
“If you can stand it, I wanna hear about the other dragons you’ve met.” Kam grinned. “Tell me about them?”
Falán made a trill sound that resonated in Kam’s head that he identified as some sort of laugh.
Well, there are others far more tolerable than Synrik. But only a few.
Kam munched on an apple as he listened to Falán, wise and beautiful Falán, dig into their memories and recall stories from their long past, of a dragon as white as the snow who breathed ice instead of fire, of an ocean dwelling dragon who was blind to the light but saw as clear as day in the darkness and a dragon from the desert, their skin and scales jagged like the earth’s dry surface who when they opened their maw, lava and magma spewed forth like it had come from the volcano it dwelled in.
It made Kam want to leave tomorrow, to see if he could find them all.
***
Three weeks in, and it became obvious that the two extra eggs over the previous time were a strain to Kam’s inner muscles. He was roughly halfway through the egg stage, but no amount of pacing and floating for a couple of hours in the cave’s spring was helping. The dull pain often situated itself deep in his pelvis, far from his own touch at attempting to massage the aches away by rubbing his lower back and hips on the outside. One thing Kam did find though, was that sleeping helped. The side position he naturally favoured was still ideal, as all the weight of the eggs was removed from his hips for the duration, though he still sometimes found himself rolling over onto his back.
Another thing that took his mind off the aches that came with pregnancy was his libido was still very much intact. During his first pregnancy, Kam had only ever had the gall to sleep with Falán once and only when he had asked for it. Falán had explained that during that time, they were still new to each other, were still figuring out what made each other tick and what got them off. Kam very much enjoyed the figuring each other out part, and even two years later, sex still felt as incredible as it had done right at the beginning. It turned him on when Falán would nudge him into position, their deep voice taking on a huskier edge at the command to be still or spread yourself. White hot arousal made his nether regions clench hard enough that it made his own slick drip down his thighs, only for Kam to scream loudly in ecstasy when Falán’s clever tongue lapped at him, tracing the line of his wetness back the way it had come. Kam enjoyed being bent over the side of the nest as Falán took their position behind him, purposefully teasing him with their cock before Kam would eventually reach between his legs to line Falán up himself.
A quick push forwards and they would glide inside, only to quickly drag each exquisite inch back and setting a pace that had Kam seeing stars behind his eyelids.
The endorphins flooding his system chased away everything but the pleasure, leaving him a sweaty mess as Falán would come inside him and make him just as messy on the inside. They didn’t breach his cervix like they had done to lay the eggs as to not harm them, but they still pushed the head of their cock against Kam’s deepest part so when they came, it rushed inside his womb and covered the eggs. As if all eight of them hadn’t taken the very moment they had gone inside!
But right now, in the late afternoon after a lunch of rabbit stew and boiled potatoes – Kam had gotten rather good at cooking, if he did say so himself – he lay floating on his back in the cool water of the cave’s spring and stared at the glowing ceiling. Up above, reflective pieces of rock glittered the teal water of the pool right back at him, like a galaxy of stars in the sky had fallen into the cave and become trapped. Kam was sure that if he drew lines between the little diamonds shimmering at him, he could draw the outline of a dragon.
Better? Falán asked from where they lay by the pool’s edge, preening their already impeccable feathers.
“A little,” Kam sighed. “It’s definitely those last two eggs makin’ me ache. Guess my body was a bit surprised to receive them.”
Whilst you were sleeping last night, I did a bit of reading and managed to find an old book on herbs. I recall I found it from some caravans that had been ransacked by bandits, but they left this book behind as they would not have found much use for it.
“Oh yeah? Anythin’ useful pop up for aching back syndrome due to dragon eggs?”
Falán laughed, the sound frivolous and deep that came with its usual puff of smoke. Actually yes. We need to find you some cloves.
“The fuck are cloves?”
They are a type of herb that when grounded into a powder, can be put on your food or brewed into a tea. There was a lot of praise for them in this book about their pain relieving abilities.
“Sounds good to me! Where do we find them?”
That is where I hit a dead end, Falán grumbled. However, I believe you can purchase them from apothecaries in the city.
“I don’t know if a trip down to the city is a good idea with me like this.” Kam was naked where he relaxed in the water and his belly protruded up from it in a pale contrast to the teal of the water around him. “People will see.”
People only see what they want to see, what you want them to see.
Rolling over and kicking out so he touched the shallower side, Kam sat on a smooth rocky ledge and thought about it. The dragon wasn’t wrong; Kam had spent his whole life learning to show what he wanted people to see, whether it be a simple servant in the castle or professional thief of virtue. He had also spent a large portion of his life having other men believe he was one of them, albeit smaller and skinnier, but it worked. Most of the time.
Nobody will truly know what you hide inside yourself, they do not need to know. What do you think people will see when they look at you now, Kam?
He looked down at himself, the understanding slowly coming. “A pregnant woman?”
Precisely. Falán winked. For the first time in his adult life, Kam could use his androgynous looks and obvious state of pregnancy to his advantage.
“Maybe they’ll give me a discount if I put on a show? I’m pretty sure I can cry on demand.”
I do not doubt you can put on a fine show, indeed. Falán mused.
Kam leant back against another smoother part of the rocks making up the spring and stretched out his legs, appreciating the way the water was both cool and warm at the same time.
“I’m not mad at the aches though, guess they could be worse.” He raised his hands to press them carefully against his skin, deep affection making his heart stutter at the tiny shuffling the baby dragons responded with. A deep sigh from Falán made him look over at the dragon. “What?” He questioned.
It is pleasing to see you so content with them, Falán replied. I know we cannot truly compare this time and the first due to their stark differences, but knowing you wanted them and seeing you pleased to have them, makes me happy.
“I was happy the first time, though I get it didn’t look like it. I was just…shocked? Yeah, shocked, I was shocked to realise how much I cared for them.”
I know, darling. Falán crooned. I am so glad to have found you.
“Actually, I think we decided that it was I who found you.” Kam laughed.
Ah yes, of course. Falán ruffled their wings and stood. Now, why don’t you come out of there so I can show you just how glad I am that you found me?
Kam did not miss the suggestiveness of Falán’s tone. He could hardly climb out of the water fast enough to follow the dragon back to their nest.
Chapter 5: Chapter 5
Summary:
Green eyes locked on to his. Messy brown hair poking in every direction. Pale skin and a dash of freckles over his nose.
Alec.
“Kam! What the fuck is going on? Are you…pregnant? How is that possible? I saw you! I saw you a few weeks back and you were fine! How? How?”
“…fuck.”
Chapter Text
Kam kept his head down and one hand on his satchel strap over his shoulder as he wove his way through the crowd. It was like a dance, something that he had done a hundred times before, but now, he felt…a little delicate. It was the only way he could think of to put it. His cloak had the hood up to better conceal his face at first glance, but there obviously wasn’t much that could cover the roundness of his belly. He was extra careful to avoid bumping into anyone, more so than usual and Kam couldn’t help but think this was how real pregnant women must feel like. The ones who actually carried a real human child. Kam had decided long ago, that that was something he could never do.
It was a lot more fun with dragons, he had decided.
To everyone passing him, he must just look like a woman in the later stages of pregnancy at first glance, as nobody paid him much mind. He had gotten the cloves Falán had mentioned, they exactly matched what was in a book he had found in the dragon’s library and the woman who ran the apothecary he had purchased them from was more than willing to enlighten him as to how to brew them into a tea to take away the aches and pains that carrying offspring came with. Oh, if only she really knew what was inside Kam! That old lady probably would have fainted.
The gates out of the city were just up ahead and Kam quickened his pace. He looked up just in time to see someone veer close to him, a young man by the looks of it and definitely not paying attention to where he was going. Kam went to sidestep, meant to move out of the way but a horse and cart passed on his right and he had nowhere to go. His shoulder and the man’s shoulder collided harshly enough that it dislodged the strap off Kam. He cussed under his breath and bent down to immediately pick it back up, only to find another hand doing the same.
“Oh shit! Sorry ma’am, I didn’t mean it at all. You hurt? I’m so sorry.”
That voice…
Green eyes locked on to his. Messy brown hair poking in every direction. Pale skin and a dash of freckles over his nose.
Alec.
Kam was quite sure all his brain cells left him in that moment as he gaped at his friend like a fish out of water, as if Alec had sprouted a second head. He had said he would be out of the city! What was he still doing here? Because now that meant…
“Kam?” Alec spoke first when Kam’s words failed him. His longest friend had stood up, was offering his satchel by the strap as he had kindly picked it up to prevent Kam from stooping down too low. Because of course Alec would do that. He might be a thief, but he still had manners, and if he saw a pregnant woman needing help with picking something up off the ground then he was obviously going to do so.
Except Kam wasn’t a pregnant woman. And he didn’t need any help. And he definitely, most certainly, did not have an explanation for his condition that he thought Alec could deal with.
“Kam, are you…you’re…what the fuck?” Alec’s voice rose enough for passer-by’s to cast him odd looks. He was even pointing, his finger waving at Kam because his friend could hardly believe what he was seeing. He had every right to be confused; they had only seen each other a few weeks ago, just a handful of days before Kam went and got himself knocked up again, so of course there was no way he should be looking like he did even if he was carrying a very normal human child.
But dragon eggs did not work like that.
“I…I, umm…” Kam could still not find any words, but he did grab Alec’s hand to lower it.
“Kam! What the fuck is going on? Are you…pregnant? How is that possible? I saw you! I saw you a few weeks back and you were fine! How? How?” Alec looked around as if someone might prop up a chair for him to sit down on so they could explain to this to him.
“…fuck.” Kam bit out. “Not here,” he kept a hold of Alec’s hand as dragged his friend away from the main street lest the guards think something funny was going on. “Come with me.” He left no room to argue and mercifully, Alec didn’t put up a fight, was likely too bewildered to protest as he was dragged into the nearest alleyway. “This really isn’t what it looks like.” Way to go Kam, he thought to himself the moment that opening statement was out.
Alec’s brows couldn’t get higher. “No? Because from where I’m standin’, to me it definitely looks exactly like what you just said it isn’t.”
Kam huffed out a laugh, an action that made one egg more towards his right hip jostle and he had to fight the urge to press his hand against it, to soothe the baby dragon that clearly didn’t enjoy being woken from a nap. Instead he bit his lip and hoped that by taking a deep, calming breath that that would work instead.
“I know what it looks like, but that isn’t actually what’s goin’ on, believe me.”
“What are you talking about?” Alec was borderline yelling again, unable to contain his hysterics but suddenly, his face fell a little. “Are you sick or somethin’? Is that what this is?”
“No! No, I’m not sick. I’m fine, really.”
“You…are? You don’t look fine.”
“Trust me, Alec, I’m fine, I really am because I…” Kam cut himself off and heaved a sigh. “Look, I can explain, but you’ll think I’m mad. But if you’ll listen…then I’ll tell you. But maybe not here, yeah?” He gestured with his chin to a homeless old man, passed out drunk in the alleyway that Kam had dragged Alec into. He held Alec’s gaze and it wasn’t lost on him how ready his friend looked to bolt, to just run away and not listen to what Kam had to say. His silence and the look he gave Kam couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, but it felt so much longer when the tension between them was palpable and could have been cut with a knife.
“Alright,” Alec finally replied. “Let’s go to that old well, yeah? By that tree where we used to hide stuff in the hollow.”
“Perfect.” Kam knew the place, hadn’t been there for a long time but it held fond memories of when he first started out thieving and was learning the ropes. It was Alec who had showed him the old oak tree that leant heavily over the disused well on the edge of the city’s walls. Protected by the wind but somehow still about to tip over from the force of it, Kam awaited the day the tree would fall, though it never did.
Every now and then, he glanced behind him to make sure Alec was still following only to find he was. The relief he felt at his friend willing to hear him out was quickly squashed by the overwhelming anxiety of what he was about to reveal.
Kam hoisted himself up onto the edge of the well when they reached it, pulling off his cloak and bunching it in his lap. He did it for two reasons; the first being he didn’t have anywhere to store it and the second to hide his belly as best he could from Alec’s wary gaze. His eyes kept darting to it in mild alarm, as if he couldn’t figure out what was going on. No human child grew that much in just a few weeks, and if it wasn’t some incurable tumour then Kam could understand that Alec truly had no idea and was wracking his own brain for an explanation.
“Do you trust me, brother?” Kam asked, his voice coming out a little strained at the emotions swirling inside him. What he was about to reveal could make or break their friendship, would be the ultimate test of everything they had shared and done together.
The question, linked with the personal touch that Kam had added made Alec look up. They weren’t related by blood, but they didn’t need to be, not after everything. Alec fixed him with a level glare from where he had seated himself on a stone slab that had come loose from the well years ago, placed perfectly opposite Kam.
“Of course,” he replied. “But Kam, can you see why I’m freakin’ out?”
“I know, I know. I did too the first time.”
“The first time?”
“Fuck…” Kam smacked himself on the head. “Listen. Let me start from the beginning. Are you listenin’?”
Alec sat a little more upright. “I’m listenin’.”
“Do you remember that map you took from the library? From the king’s scholar?”
“Yeah.”
“And do you recall what it showed?”
Alec frowned for a moment before responding. “Yeah, treasure up the mountain.” He gestured his head in the direction of Icewall Peak that loomed to the east of the city.
“Yeah, well…I lied to you, Alec. I lied about what I found because I couldn’t tell anyone. Not only would nobody believe me, but I did for…someone else’s sake too. It upset me every day to not be truthful with you, it really did. But I had to.”
“Why, Kam? What did you find?”
Kam swallowed. It was right on the tip of his tongue, but the words stuck like cotton in his mouth. Alec frowned, but not in anger, in hurt.
“Look Kam, I know whatever is goin’ on with you is clearly not normal, but you asked me if I trust you and I do. I really, really do. So now why don’t you trust me?”
The question stung like salt in an open wound. Kam didn’t immediately respond and it was only when Alec went to open his mouth to speak again did it coming flying out.
“A dragon,” he whispered. “I found a dragon.”
Alec blinked. “You did what?”
Here goes nothing.
“I found a dragon,” he repeated. “At the top of Icewall Peak. I, like you, had no idea it was there and since that day, I’ve learnt that nobody knows that they’re there, and that’s how they like it.”
Alec shook his head a little, his hair flying across his forehead until he pushed it off his face. “Wait so…there’s a bloody dragon at the top of that old mountain and nobody knows about this? How is that possible?”
“Because they didn’t invade the city or anythin’, they were here before it was what it is now. Before anyone in charge now was alive, they were here long before their time.”
“You keep saying they, like this dragon is a person or somethin’.”
“Well, in a way they are. Their name,” Kam drew in a small breath upon the realisation that he hadn’t ever spoken his dragon’s name aloud to someone else before that he cared about. “Their name is Falán.”
Alec mouthed the unusual sound of Falán’s name, much like Kam did when he first heard it. “And…this dragon, Falán, how did you get away from them? What’s this gotta do with…this?” Alec waved his hand in Kam’s general direction.
“Well,” he began, reaching up one hand to rub the back of his neck. “I stole from them. That ingot?” Kam took a split second to decide not to reveal the enormous wealth that Falán had collected over their lifetime. “I took it, but had to run for my life. I didn’t get to the end of the cave before they blocked my path. I ain’t ever begged before, but I thought that…I thought I was gonna die. Burnt alive or eaten, I didn’t really think about which was about to happen. But obviously nothin’ did.”
“You escaped?”
“Umm, kinda?” Kam laughed when he thought about it. “Well, escape, isn’t the right word. I got let go, had to hole up there for the best part of three days first when a storm blew in that night, but was able to leave after.”
“How did you get out?” Alec leant forward in his seat.
“I…said I would do anythin’ if they let me go. I didn’t know what that was at first, only that when it was happenin’, I let it happen.” He looked down at himself in that instant before looking up at Alec.
A look of confusion swept over Alec’s face before the penny finally dropped. It must have dropped from such a great height in Alec’s mind, as he slowly sat back upright, back as straight as an arrow as dawning apprehension and clarity overcame his friend.
“Kam,” he began slowly. “What’s inside you?”
“What do you think, brother? I’ve spent the last two years in the company of a dragon. Dragons lay eggs. Baby dragons hatch out of said eggs. It’s not that hard to figure out, is it?” He laughed at how simple the way Falán’s kind reproduced sounded out loud.
Alec was pointing again. “You’re…you’re…you’ve got…eggs…as in like, actual eggs in you? How the fuck did they get in there?”
Kam exhaled through his nose. “Shit, do I really need to give you a ‘birds and the bees’ talk?”
“No! No, you don’t. I was just…trying to think about it and my brain can’t picture it.” Finally, Alec laughed and Kam took that for a good sign. “So, that first time, that’s why you wanted to leave for a bit, wasn’t it?”
“It was.”
“Damn. Here I was thinking you were just off being a sneak thief when actually, you were…laying eggs and having dragon babies. Who’d have thought?” He laughed again at his paltry understanding of the whole situation.
“Do you…think I’m weird?” Kam didn’t really mean to ask the question out loud, but it came out anyway. He said it quietly, almost asking himself more than Alec but Alec definitely heard him. His friend moved to hoist himself up onto the side of the well next to Kam, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Of course not, Kam. I’m your friend, you’re my best friend who I trust with my life. I might be a bit dull at times, but I can understand why you hid this. A dragon up the mountain, one who’s basically knocked you up and I’m guessin’ you live with now, is a pretty extreme situation but…I get it. I think.” He grinned to himself. “You always were braver than I.”
“And more stupid.” Kam added.
“Hey, you said it, not me!”
Kam felt the earlier tension release, even as Alec continued to question Kam on his current condition. He only had a bare two weeks or so before the eggs were due, but keeping the details of his and Falán’s relationship on the tame side, he explained how he had come to feel about the dragon, as Falán did for him in return.
“They’re the most intelligent being I’ve ever met. I’m not sure how old they are, perhaps a couple thousand years from how they speak about things they’ve seen or done, but they know so much. I didn’t know it was possible to have that much knowledge and have room in your brain, but Falán does. And they’re so kind and thoughtful, always there when I need them and even when I don’t realise that I do.” Kam went on to explain what Falán looked like.
“Like an eagle and a snake.” Alec had closed his eyes to picture it better, and Kam was pleasantly surprised to hear the exact same description come out his mouth to what had run through his mind when he had gotten a proper look at the dragon when they first met.
“This is only the second time,” he touched his belly at a slight movement. “But we planned this. I wanted them. It’s a kinda…weird little family that we create.”
“I’m happy for you, Kam.” Alec spoke quietly when a few moments of silence passed between them. Kam turned his head to look at him. “I’m glad you’ve found someone, regardless if they’re not human. I suppose it doesn’t matter, not with how you feel about each other.”
If Kam wasn’t mistaken, Alec almost sounded…morose, despite his statement. Then it clicked.
When Kam had come down to see Alec and they had drinks at that tavern, his friend had kept…looking at him from the corner of his eye. Kam could see it, but hadn’t known what it meant. He hadn’t really thought about it. But now, it was obvious, and he wanted to smack himself on the head.
Someone who looks like you shouldn’t have any trouble finding someone – that was what Alec had said in the tavern.
“Thank you,” he finally replied. “That means a lot. I’ve not actively spoken about this with anyone and whenever I thought about doin’ so in my mind, it was always with you. So…thank you. For understandin’.”
Alec returned the smile that Kam offered.
“I guess that leaves just one thing then.” Alec brightened and stood up.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. When can I meet your dragon?”
Kam blinked. He should’ve expected the question, but it still took him by surprise. “You…want to meet Falán?”
“Fuck yeah! I’ve never met a dragon before.”
“Alec, I don’t think many people have.” Kam laughed.
“Exactly, brother. So this is why I not only want to, but I need to. It’s officially on my bucket list.”
“Right.” Kam’s shoulders shook with mirth as he took Alec’s hand to help him off the side of the well. The afternoon sun was on its way to setting and when he concentrated, he could feel Falán not too far away, ready to collect him whenever he was also ready. “Come on then.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, I was on my way back anyway. Follow me.” Kam couldn’t help but laugh at Alec’s enthusiasm. It made him wonder if the situation was reversed, would he be as excited to meet a creature of notorious destructive power? Maybe.
Walking out of the city gates and along the road until it split into three directions beyond the pine trees lining the furthest field, Kam turned to Alec and told him to wait. He needed to tell Falán an abridged version of what had occurred before showing up with his friend in tow. Alec nodded and stayed quiet as he moved to lean against a tree, hidden from view yet Kam was sure Falán would be able to detect he was there. All of a sudden, he was nervous again. Maybe he should have waited a day or two to speak to Falán in private before dumping this information on them? What would the dragon say? What would they do? Two revelations in one day was not good for his nerves and he fought to calm his racing heart as he walked out into the large field, and waited.
It took bare seconds for Falán’s voice to ring through his mind.
Are you quite alright, darling? You feel tense. Falán dropped from the clouds a moment later, did a slow circle above Kam before swooping down to land gracefully in the field, as silent as an owl but for the gush of wind their wings created.
“I’m fine,” he replied when those wings were away and the air was still once more. “But I need to tell you something.” Kam pressed his palm flat to Falán’s nose and explained as best he could how Alec had bumped into him, leaving him in the unavoidable situation of telling his friend about everything.
Falán listened quietly, their head tilted and feathered crest flat against their head.
“I’m so sorry.” Kam whispered. “It was an accident. I shouldn’t have asked for you to bring me down to the city again, I should’ve just weathered the pain these eggs are makin’ me feel and just dealt with it like I did last time but when I saw Alec and he saw me, I just couldn’t-”
Shh, Kam. Do not stress.
“Are you mad?”
I could not be mad at you.
Falán didn’t sound angry, but then he had never heard them become so. However, they didn’t sound particularly happy either, and that hurt more.
“I’ve thought about tellin’ Alec so many times. He’s the only one I ever thought of doin’ so. He’s my friend, who I’ve known for years and I just…I just hated lying to him until I couldn’t anymore. Not when he was right in front of me and seein’ me like this.”
Before you, it had been a very long time since another human was told of my existence. It may take me time to become accustomed to this once more, but I shall. For you.
“I’m sorry.” Kam said again and this time, he felt his eyes burn dangerously.
Do not be sorry, Kam. Think about it this way; I never asked you to remain silent of what we share, you chose not to speak about it, kept our relationship a fiercely guarded secret for both our sakes and though I am glad you did so, I can understand how much it hurt to lie to a trusted friend. I did not expect you to keep us a secret forever.
“Because nothin’ stays a secret forever, right?”
Right. Falán had said that once, had used their own meeting as the best example that no matter how much one hides, they are eventually found. Do not cry. You trust in Alec, as he trusts in you. Is this not a great weight off your shoulders?
“I guess,” Kam replied. “I suppose I just wanted to tell him on my own terms, that’s all.”
We do not always get that luxury. Falán nosed his belly then which subsequently made all eight of the hatchlings stir in their shells.
“You can’t be doin’ that if you want me to hold a conversation.” He chuckled and smoke blew from Falán’s nose in a similar sound of amused exasperation.
I can smell him nearby. Shall we have him join us? Falán raised their head, their feathered crest standing up with it and tail swishing from left to right in the grass. It reminded Kam of a curious cat.
Knowing he had already been spotted, Alec had stepped out from his hiding spot, face pale and lips set in a grim line. He couldn’t hide his fear and apprehension, which Kam could understand. The look Alec had on his face must have been the same that had graced Kam’s when he ran from the cave where Falán had been resting, covered in gold and gems.
“Alec, this is Falán. Falán, this is Alec.” It felt strange to be introducing them to each other; Kam had panned it out in his head for so long, in so many different ways. But none of that compared to the real thing, nothing compared to the soaring joy he felt at his closest friend meeting his partner for the first time, regardless of the look of terror in Alec’s face that was incredibly amusing to Kam.
Alec flinched and blinked hard, and Kam knew that was the moment Falán had created their telepathic connection to Alec’s mind so to speak to him. What he was surprised about, was that he could hear Falán’s words to Alec as if they were being spoken to him too.
Greetings, Alec, friend of Kam.
“Um, hi.” It was all Alec managed to get out. He was still several feet away, so Kam stepped over to his friend to rest a reassuring hand on his arm which Alec instantly gripped to anchor himself.
“Don’t be afraid. They’re not going to hurt you.”
Falán bowed their head a little, chartreuse eyes blinking slowly. A friend of Kam’s is a friend of mine.
“This is amazing,” Alec whispered to Kam, though Kam knew Falán could hear his every word. “I’m speakin’ to a dragon. A real dragon.”
“Heh, yes you are.” Kam grinned.
There is a sheltered area further up the field, a small glen of trees hidden from view. Perhaps we should go there? I assume you have questions.
Alec nodded and Kam was pleased to see his friend relaxing, even more so when they all fell into pace beside one another to head to the spot Falán mentioned.
He was glad he had bought snacks for the length of time he knew the three of them would be speaking.
Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Closing Epilogue
Summary:
Are you ready to see the world as only a dragon can?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kam spent the remaining two weeks before the eggs were due reading all he could of the compendium of dragons. It fascinated him to no end and finally, after some encouragement, when he reached its end and found the spare blank pages purposefully left so, he added some of his own knowledge. It felt right to be doing so and it excited him endlessly to be adding to such a niche piece of history. Kam simply couldn’t get over the fact that the journal piece had been put there in such a way as if it was meant to be found, and having been written so recently, he was certain that the mysterious woman with tremendous abilities who called herself Esmeray, had without a doubt placed it there. Which meant one thing; she had to have been given it in person by Anya. Or maybe she stole it? Kam didn’t get a sense that she was a thief. And how would she have known to look specifically in the journal of an ordinary village girl without knowing of the business she was involved with?
The group, or perhaps the right word was cult, that revered the dragon Synrik, had only just been revived and by the sounds of it, they had been busy. Anya had to be out there, in the lands across the frozen sea where Falán had last heard of the dragon’s activity and with the promise that they would go there once these hatchlings had flown the nest, left him looking forward to something more than he had in a long time.
At least, not since he had been looking forward to the moment these eggs had been ready for him.
Speaking of the eggs…
It came down to no amount of herbal clove consumption kept the aches deep in his belly away. Kam could feel it in his bones, giving in to the urge to nest like he had done before though this time, he welcomed it rather than be upset by it. The spare cushions and blankets strewn about the cave in what Kam felt an organised mess in the first place, ended up in the nest itself, padding the already comfortable area out with soft things that soothed him in a way he couldn’t describe. He had collected the feathers that Falán naturally shed over time in a glass jar on the vanity, so it was no surprise to him that the moment he spotted them sitting there idly, the jar was abruptly upturned to allow the feathers to float out so Kam could arrange them just how he liked.
Falán simply watched, a deep feeling of content practically vibrating off the dragon that fed through the link connecting not only their minds at this point, but also their souls. Kam decided not to point it out, knowing that Falán could feel the joy that Kam felt in his heart right back at them. It amazed Kam how such few words could be said between them now, how thoughts and feelings could be translated so much better than words.
But eventually, the time came. Falán had explained it would likely be in the night because as Kam knew it was as such, so did the hatchlings. Neither for the first time and definitely not the last, they were right.
Kam was bigger than the last time as he expected he would be with two extra eggs, but anticipating it didn’t make it any easier. The final week had been tough, the eggs not having much room inside him as the baby dragons did their last bit of growing. It threw his balance off to the point that Falán opted to carry him about the cave simply because walking was too much effort. Yet in the dead of night, Kam woke from his restless sleep to a drawn out ache in his belly that told him one thing; it was time.
Sitting up, he kicked his loose pants free and shuffled to the edge of the nest. When his back hit the edge, he turned around to haul himself to his knees and drape over the side which he found as comfortable as possible given the circumstances. This position also allowed gravity to do some of the work, but Kam quickly found his body doing most of it as the first contraction built into a pressure powerful enough to make him groan loudly, the sound bouncing off the cave. He was tired from the lack of sleep and constant backache, so the thought of how much effort birth was going to be was suddenly a bit worrying.
“Falán?”
I am here, darling. Be calm.
“Easier said than done.” Kam grit his teeth and tried to focus on where the eggs were inside him. Pressing one hand to his belly, he felt how low they were, gathering themselves tightly together behind his cervix and deciding who would go first. Kam could feel them clinking together, their undoubtedly shiny shells harmlessly rocking together as they shuffled and rubbed against one another. He bit into the side of his cheek when his own body forced them into action, the skin of his stomach tightening harshly with a contraction that made a pained sound escape his mouth. It was enough to make the first one push through into his birth canal and begin its journey out of him for good.
They were a lot more pleasurable going in, that was for damn sure.
Bowing his back a little and resting his head on his folded arms, Kam breathed out roughly and pushed. A rush of fluid, whatever it was that accompanied the eggs as they had been growing, dripped warmth down his leg that had him grimacing a little. However, it was enough to ease the first egg’s journey further down until Kam felt it pushing his slit wide. It hurt, a lot, but he endured it, pushing when the urge was overwhelming until the egg was free. It fell the few inches to the nest’s soft surface.
Kam fumbled blindly underneath himself until his fingers touched the smooth surface. Unlike last time, he could see it clearly when he moved it carefully in front of himself, his night vision so much better. Was this how Falán saw the world when it was dark?
A pretty pattern of white lines swirling in twisting and various directions adorned the surface of a bold vermillion shell. They seemed brighter in their colour than last time, something he suspected had something to do with how much younger they were, how much time they had spent inside Falán was a lot less than the first time. A classic ovoid shape and shiny like glass, the egg was so warm to the touch when Kam fingertips graced it. He looked over his shoulder to Falán and nudged the egg carefully in their direction, watching as Falán picked it up at the very tip of their mouth, fangs flattened back as to not harm it. They placed it next to them, their wing instantly coming down over it as they curled in a semi-circle around Kam’s back. The dragon’s presence was soothing, and Kam breathed out through the pressure building in his body that made the second egg push out of him.
He found a pattern halfway through, something that allowed him to anticipate when a contraction was going to happen and how long for. He held his breath for half of it and just as it was tapering off, breathed out roughly to quickly draw fresh air back into his lungs to keep from passing out.
You are doing so well. Falán whispered into his mind. Just two to go.
“The sneaky extra two.” Kam managed to see the funny side of their presence, regardless of how much his body strained to get them out of him. These two were grouped together, pressing against his cervix before sliding through it in a rush, one after the other. “Ow, fuck! The last two are right behind each other.” Kam voiced what was happening on the inside to Falán who drew their head closer to nuzzle at him.
Take it easy, you are almost there. The other six eggs were warming next to Falán where their lungs of fire heated them. The last two needed to join them, and Kam was overcome with the need to have them join their siblings as quickly as possible. Sucking in a breath, he pushed as hard as he could, doubling his efforts when the eggs had decided to come out together until at last, they fell free of him to the nest below.
Kam sagged forwards, energy spent as he gripped the edge of the nest he was sprawled over and fought to not pass out. The cool air was sharp in his lungs, his hair was sticking to his forehead as he felt the primary pains of labour leave him and the secondary residual aches were all that was left behind. Falán had quickly nudged the last two eggs into place in the centre of the nest, their warm body curled around them.
Kam? Are you alright?
“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine.”
Here, take this. A damp cloth was being offered to him. Kam took it gratefully, unsure of when Falán had retrieved it or if they had done so prior to this starting and he just hadn’t seen it. He ran the cloth over his face and neck, sighing in relief at its cool touch that felt nothing short of incredible. Sweat clung to him everywhere, he could feel it on his back and drying on his chest, but it didn’t matter. Carefully easing himself down, he took the offered help from Falán to shuffle over to where the eggs lay.
Eight shiny eggs nestled side by side, none of their patterns the same on each of them, they were as unique as a fingerprint.
Stay awake for moment, my love, I want to make sure you are truly alright.
Kam nodded as he lay on his side opposite Falán, the eggs in the middle of them. He kept the cloth pressed to his forehead as his breathing evened out and his heartbeat steadied once more. With the adrenaline rush over with, he was exhausted. His stomach felt funny with how it had shrunk so much and so quickly, and he couldn’t really feel much below his waist but that had happened last time and was to be expected. Kam felt himself relaxing further when he focused on Falán’s contentment until finally, he could no longer keep his eyes open, the scent of smoke and dragon and the feeling of safety and comfort sending him to a dreamless sleep.
***
“Come on, you can do it.” Kam whispered to the last hatchling struggling to break free from its shell. Snuggled both on his lap and next to his legs were the other seven, yet the eighth was slow to emerge from the egg and even more so to finally be free of it. Hearing the hatchling whimpering in distress and perhaps exhaustion, he went to reach out only to have Falán stop him.
We cannot assist, Kam.
“What? Why not?”
It is not our place to do so.
“I can’t just watch the poor thing struggle, that’s not fair.”
Falán lowered their head, tilting it just to better see the baby as its claws tangled in the membrane of the inner shell. It is almost free. It must find its own strength for this first challenge in life. If not, it will never be prepared for the many others that will follow. Falán nuzzled into Kam’s neck, their voice solemn. A dragon lives long, lives harsh and fiercely but also freely and true. They must pass the first test, or forever be haunted by it.
Heeding their words with difficulty, Kam occupied his hands by running his fingers gently over the half scaled and half feathered bodies of his newest offspring. The last hatchling finally kicked out harshly, the claws of its hind legs splintering the shell and the movement caused it to half roll onto its back where it lay, breathing deeply to start recovering energy.
Determined, Falán bent their head to lick at the baby dragon which seemed to bring it out of its reverie and back into action. Rolling over and standing on shaky legs, it nuzzled into Falán’s affection before turning its attention to Kam. Go to your mother, young one. A warmth threaded through the initial concern in his dragon’s voice that poured a soothing balm to the burning worry in Kam’s veins. Offering his hand to sniff, the hatchling waddled over to be greeted by its siblings with chirrups and squeaks before being permitted prime spot in Kam’s lap. Feeling it needed more attention than that, for it was always nice to be rewarded for hard work, Kam picked it up and was glad he had put on a shirt as tiny talons harmlessly nicked at the cotton, ever so slightly poking at his skin underneath as he held it in an embrace.
“Well done, little one.” He whispered, moving to lean back against the side of the nest, his family snuggling closer.
Like their first time, Kam tried to prepare himself for just how quickly dragons developed. In human terms, their first clutch would just about be leaving the baby stage behind, moving on into the part of an infant human’s life where the world suddenly became a lot more interesting. In dragons terms, those two years happened in a matter of weeks.
Kam found himself sitting on Falán’s back as the dragon held their wings open and pushed off the ground in a strong enough breeze that they seemed to float for a moment. Immediately, the excited squawks and raspy sounds of joy rang through the air as the hatchlings tried to copy their parent. They weren’t that great at first, struggling to get aloft and taking several attempts to get their balance. But of course they succeeded. A creature with wings belonged in the air and as their final flight feathers came in, the primary and secondary feathers growing into place, the careful gliding with the breeze turned into full on flight. The height of Icewall Peak and the sheer drop it had just metres from the mouth of the cave was ideal, the updrafts of air that swirled around the mountain making it easy for the hatchlings to both leap off the edge and then naturally be pushed higher by the currents. It was endlessly fascinating to see, to watch them master the art of take-off.
Landing again left something to be desired, but that was alright, they would learn.
Various shades of green scales, yellow-brown eyes and off-white feathers zipped both around the cave and in the air around it for weeks until the urge to explore and travel became an overwhelming thing in each hatchling.
They didn’t speak, didn’t need to when Kam could understand their feelings through the powerful emotional bond he shared with each of them. Their feelings of joy, happiness and delight were like shades of soft blue, pinks and purples behind his eyelids. Irritation, frustration and anger were hazy yellows and fiery reds whereas the curiosity and longing was a burning greenish-brown. Kam could see it happen mentally as well as physically, tried to steel himself against the sorrow it made him feel, but it was easier said than done.
The sun was halfway set, streaking golden hues through withering clouds as the spring was turning into summer and the heat of the day burnt them into nothing but mist. The sky was turning a rich inky blue with the onset of nightfall, but patterns of red and orange turned into a crisp magenta as the sun went further and further down, a couple of early stars not waiting any further before they revealed themselves.
Next to Kam stood Falán and on his other side, the last hatchling to leave was getting ready to do so. It was their youngest, the one who had the trouble leaving their shell. Somehow, Kam knew it would be this one that left the last; he shouldn’t have favourites but there was something about this one that made his heart clench fiercely. His youngest was going to be deeply missed.
Perhaps we will see them again, Falán hushed into his mind, helping to ease his gloomy mood. We remember where we came from.
“Where do they go?” Kam asked as he watched his youngest hatchling leap from the edge of the cliff and swoop gracefully upwards before circling Icewall Peak.
I do not know, Falán replied honestly. They make their own way, establish a life for themselves. It was akin to a human leaving the home of their parents when they were old enough. Kam had met plenty of people who had done just that, except with dragons it gave literal meaning to the term mostly applied to birds; fly the nest.
He didn’t say anything more, didn’t need to and Falán didn’t either as they stood side by side until the dusk turned into night. The youngest hatching, but by no means the weakest, flew higher and higher in their circling, a tinge of longing, like they didn’t really want to go but knew that they had to, bled through into Kam.
“I’ll see you again,” he whispered so quietly he wasn’t even sure he had spoken aloud. “I’m sure of it.” The slightest puff of smoke from Falán was the only indication that the dragon had heard him at all.
***
It felt strange to be pulling a thick winter coat over himself when the weather was so warm, but Falán had assured it was necessary for the flight over the frozen sea.
For today was the day. Today, after weeks of planning and some scouting courtesy of Falán who was checking to make sure the weather was kind enough to permit their journey, they would be flying east across a vast open ocean that was made mostly of ice. On the other side of that ocean, was the land that Synrik and more importantly, Anya, called their home.
With gloves and a hat to match, Kam picked up his leather satchel and hoisted it over his head to rest on his shoulder, the strap snug against his coat so it wouldn’t hang too loose. Packed with some essentials and Falán offering to carry a larger and even more packed bag full of clothes, a couple pairs of boots, his bedroll, more dried non-perishables and of course, the journal entry from Anya. Kam had tried to take the entire dragon compendium but Falán had insisted that it stay behind.
It is rather heavy and we may be doing a lot of sleeping under the stars rather than in the warmth of a nest. Do you want to be lugging it around the entire time?
No, Kam did not. It was that persuasion that finally made him simply take the journal pages and hide the book as best he could in the treasure room of the cave. Surrounded by gold and jewels, it looked drab and uninteresting.
But that was the idea.
Nobody has touched the tip of Icewall Peak for centuries and with Alec offering to at least keep an eye on it, listen out for any whispers of anyone so much as thinking about it, he promised to take care of it. Kam didn’t need Alec to explain what he would do; Alec had his ways.
Leaving his friend behind was another great difficulty Kam had forced himself to accept only when Alec had held him by the shoulders and shook him a little.
“Look at yourself, Kam. Your partner is a dragon! You are meant to explore and be free like them, be yourself. You’ve always been like that long before you met Falán and now the opportunity is right here.” Alec had pulled him into a hug then, fierce and strong. “I’ll be right here when you get back.”
Kam chuckled to himself now as he stood on the cliff edge and overlooked the city miles and miles below. He was the one having trouble letting go, just him. Nobody else.
Steeling himself, he turned to Falán, admiring the graceful arches of their wings held ready for flight.
Are you ready to see the world as only a dragon can?
He nodded, his curiosity and excitement twisting together and creating a swirling torrent inside him. He had never travelled outside the city, not properly and definitely not like this. Just what was in store for them on the other side of the frozen sea?
He touched where Anya’s journal entry lay on the inside of his breast pocket when suddenly a thought occurred to him.
“One day, we will have to go south too.” Recalling the fact that the trader, Esmeray, had definitely stated that she had met another like him who lived in her homeland, the daughter of a nobleman. Falán inclined their head from where they stood, knowing what Kam was referring to from the conversation about it the first night they had gone through the compendium together.
We have so much to see, they said. I cannot wait to show you.
“Then let’s get started.” Kam climbed onto Falán’s back and got comfortable as he felt the surge of excitement bleeding through the link between himself and the dragon. It matched exactly what Kam felt, despite the tinge of nerves, those of which were to be expected.
Falán leapt from the cliff edge, quickly gaining altitude and circling Icewall Peak – who knew how long it might be before they would see it again?
But eventually, the frozen ocean was all Kam could see ahead of them as Falán turned towards it and the rising sun of the dawn. On the other side somewhere was Anya and the village she was from, potentially another dragon and an entire culture based around rebuilding that of its kind. The flight might be long to reach it all, but it would be worth it, especially with the one he loved most in the world beside him to experience every moment. That was a gift all on its own.
Kam pulled his coat lapels up to better cover his cheeks and hunkered down as best he could.
To the east, Falán whispered, deep voice confident and strong. Let the journey begin.
Notes:
And so, we have reached another end to our dragon/human story! It's been just as fun writing Kam and Falán this time as it was the first, I hope everyone enjoyed a bit more of a look into their lives now that they know and understand each other far better than they did in part 1.
I wonder if anyone caught the Skyrim reference? I am nerd xD
See you all next time <3
-HWR
tehren on Chapter 1 Sun 16 Jan 2022 11:35PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 1 Mon 17 Jan 2022 09:25AM UTC
Comment Actions
tehren on Chapter 2 Tue 18 Jan 2022 03:22AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 2 Tue 18 Jan 2022 09:08AM UTC
Comment Actions
besinarkata on Chapter 2 Wed 19 Jan 2022 01:29AM UTC
Last Edited Wed 19 Jan 2022 01:30AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 2 Wed 19 Jan 2022 03:26PM UTC
Comment Actions
blackeyedblonde on Chapter 3 Sat 22 Jan 2022 03:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 3 Sat 22 Jan 2022 08:42PM UTC
Comment Actions
tehren on Chapter 3 Sun 23 Jan 2022 12:20AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 3 Sun 23 Jan 2022 02:08AM UTC
Comment Actions
tehren on Chapter 3 Sun 23 Jan 2022 02:25AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 3 Mon 24 Jan 2022 06:30PM UTC
Comment Actions
tehren on Chapter 4 Tue 25 Jan 2022 02:46AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 4 Wed 26 Jan 2022 08:20AM UTC
Comment Actions
tehren on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Feb 2022 03:30AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Feb 2022 08:05PM UTC
Comment Actions
besinarkata on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Feb 2022 02:06PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Feb 2022 08:10PM UTC
Comment Actions
rui (Guest) on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Feb 2022 06:29PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Feb 2022 08:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
rui (Guest) on Chapter 5 Thu 03 Feb 2022 02:46AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 5 Thu 03 Feb 2022 09:00AM UTC
Comment Actions
tehren on Chapter 6 Thu 17 Feb 2022 02:08AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Thu 17 Feb 2022 10:56AM UTC
Comment Actions
SphynxOfBlackQuartzJudgeMyVow (Guest) on Chapter 6 Mon 26 Sep 2022 05:39PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Mon 26 Sep 2022 09:59PM UTC
Comment Actions
Momma on Chapter 6 Tue 01 Mar 2022 01:31AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Tue 01 Mar 2022 09:57PM UTC
Comment Actions
Directionally_Challenged on Chapter 6 Wed 04 May 2022 07:34PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Wed 04 May 2022 07:39PM UTC
Comment Actions
PFDiva on Chapter 6 Fri 09 Sep 2022 03:04PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Fri 09 Sep 2022 03:08PM UTC
Comment Actions
CamelliaOleifera on Chapter 6 Mon 30 Jan 2023 04:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Mon 30 Jan 2023 05:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
CamelliaOleifera on Chapter 6 Mon 30 Jan 2023 05:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
secretmeister on Chapter 6 Sun 07 Jan 2024 10:46PM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Sun 07 Jan 2024 10:50PM UTC
Comment Actions
Blossompuff on Chapter 6 Fri 27 Dec 2024 04:19AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Sun 29 Dec 2024 06:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
Lyulf101 on Chapter 6 Sun 06 Apr 2025 08:38AM UTC
Comment Actions
HollyWasRed on Chapter 6 Sun 06 Apr 2025 07:09PM UTC
Comment Actions