The Sacrifice (Karo x PatientOne)

Anyone unfamiliar with the town would see the feasts and events of the day as a celebration. Friends and family gathered to share meals, one of the grandest of the year, and exchange stories and pleasantries.

It was a strange custom for what was really more of a funeral than anything.

The tradition had started only several years before, when news of a dragon taking up residence nearby reached them. The first year had been a scramble, dragging a young woman from her family to be offered to the beast. Without so much as a farewell, the last the town saw of her was the city militiamen dragging her out to the woods to meet her fate.

They were more prepared the next year. As the seasons grew colder, summer lazily coming to an end, they sent yet another to the wilds, never to be seen again.

Tess fidgeted with the slice of bread on her plate. Food wasn't really what she wanted to be thinking about right now, the rest of the meal sitting untouched in front of her. Even after the town council had announced her name the previous week, none of this felt real. Not until tonight, until the feast, and until she caught the mournful eye of her father every time she glanced up to him.

Conversations flew past, her only response usually a smile and a nod. What she wouldn't give for just a few more days.

The sun began to fall far too soon. As the light changed to a dull golden glow, two of the town's militia motioned to her. It was time.

She nodded, adjusted the loose braid that kept her chestnut locks away from her face, and stood to follow them. She did everything to keep her head up, and to keep the rest of the gathered townsfolk to see that her hands shook, and it took every ounce of strength to keep her jaw from quivering. This was some sort of honor, after all, her sacrifice ensuring another safe year for her friends and loved ones.

A sullen silence fell between the trio as they made their way out of the village, and near the entrance to the dragon's lair. A pair of trees served as the sacrificial altar, and the two men strapped Tess's wrists in place with heavy ropes to ensure she wouldn't run once they had left.

"Gods be with ye," one of them muttered as he pat her shoulder, neither saying another word to her as they turned to make the trek back to the village.

She shivered at the slight breeze that passed by. Night fell quickly this time of year, and with that, the various predators that lurked outside of the village would be out in force. She closed her eyes tightly, every sound from behind her potentially the warning of her demise. If the dragon didn't end her, she had no doubt that the wolves or whatever else stalked the wilds would make an easy meal of her.

The first year that Koda had found his new home atop the massive mountain he honestly hadn't even been aware that there was a human village within his territory. He'd simply spent most of his time clearing out rubble and making a home for himself. The first time the villagers had sent a female his way he'd been shocked more than anything and had no real idea what to do with her so he didn't really pay much attention to her. Something he still regretted to this day as she'd run away late in the night. He hadn't thought much of it till he was looking around in the woods for a good tree to carve out for his bed and some other small things and found her body in the woods. She'd been mauled by something and had a look of utter fear and loneliness etched on her lifeless face.

Koda had buried her in the most beautiful place he knew, a waterfall right behind his cave and tried to keep that place clean simply out of respect for the female he'd ignored. The second female he'd paid more attention to. Tried to make her feel comfortable and tried to help her. However she too had passed but she'd actually come to like it there as he took care of her and her needs. She'd died from slipping when out for a walk and took a rather long fall off of the more steep sides of his home. She too had been buried at the waterfall, her grave held a white flower. Koda wasn't really too familiar with human customs so after Sadie died, he spent most of his time watching how humans acted with one another, staying out of sight he watched their behaviors and how they treated one another. Looking specifically at couples. Seeing how they were with one another, how they were affectionate. The sex was kind of different with each couple. Some were soft and affectionate while others were almost angry at one another.

Sadie had taught him a lot about sewing and cooking his food and about keeping his place clean. She'd taught him how to read and clean up his speech too. So when the time came for the next female he was actually asleep when she first came to his cave but as her scent got to his nose his head came up and he looked through the dark mouth of the cave. From the outside his home was just another cave. Inside it was warm and actually, thanks to Sadie, it was comfortable. Standing up to his full height he walked out and looked down at the female with his best attempt at a smile. Having a muzzle made a smile rather difficult. Looking around for a moment he reached out but stopped as he didn't want her to think he was going to eat her. He had a good two feet on her so he was a lot bigger than her. Moving to the side he motioned inside.
"It's cold outside. Go inside."
He said as he walked in and used a short burst of his own fire to light some torches and candles, lighting up the inside. There was a good stack of gold pieces and gems off to the side. A pile of furs and soft cloth, surrounded by a detailed wooden frame for a bed. A bear fur carpet and a few books sitting off to the side, all things that Sadie had done.
"What is your name?"

This was it. This was the end. As she heard the footsteps approach, she flinched back. Her eyes closed tightly, and every muscle in her body tensed. Even in the dying light of the day, she felt the dragon's shadow looming over her.

And then...nothing. Except for a voice.

"It's cold outside. Go inside."

She uncoiled from herself as the low sound reached her, and she took a few moments to comprehend what had been said. Was she dead already? This was not at all what she had expected, though she wasn't exactly sure WHAT she thought would happen out here. Still shaking, she rose to her feet. Even if he seemed non-threatening, she wasn't about to get on the dragon's bad side.

Just cutting off the breeze eased the chill in the air as she followed him inside of the cavern. Once the tiny flames of the candles shed flickering lights on the room, she found herself pinching her arm to be sure this wasn't some sort of strange dream. Whatever she thought would happen, this was far from it. In fact, though the furnishings were somewhat rough, the dwelling was cozier and cleaner than many in the village proper.

"I...erm..." she stammered as she looked around, shying away from the beast as she realized how close she was standing to him. He towered over her, and she had no doubt he was capable of thwarting any attempts she made to escape. "Tessa...Tess. Everyone calls me Tess," she said slowly, cautiously raising her gaze up to meet his eye. "I...I didn't know dragons could talk...or...read." she said as she glanced to the bookshelf.

Koda walked around and sat in the furs and clothes that made up his bed. As he looked at her, he made sure to repeat her name inside his mind a few times.
"Tess it is."
He said as he looked at where she was looking when she mentioned not knowing that Dragons could read.
"We can't...usually. Sadie taught me."
He said as that was the first time he'd said her name out loud since she'd passed. He really did miss her. When she finally warmed up to him, she was probably the only friend he'd had in a long time.

Looking to the surrounding furnishings he motioned to the lamps, the little table and shelves as well.
"She helped me make those too...as well as taught me to sew...cook. She too seemed surprised that I had no interest in eating her. Most dragon's don't eat humans. You leave a very bad taste on the tongue. Your blood is very metallic in taste and your skin is very...bitter. It's disgusting to be honest."

Which was true. The reason most humans assumed that Dragon's ate humans was that some of his kin were enormous and when biting something they often times just swallowed it whole. What humans didn't know was that the Dragon would often times force itself to vomit to remove the human.
"I'm Koda."
He said as he made sure to be polite and give his name as well, something else that Sadie had informed him of was that when someone tells their name, it's polite to give your name as well.

Seeing her as she seemed cold he stood up and removed one of the furs from the end of his bed. Walking over he draped it over her shoulders and walked over to a large pit in the back of the cave. Opening his mouth a ball of fire shot out and lit a stack of wood in the pit to increase the heat.
"Are you hungry? I have some fish that I caught earlier...I'm not sure how to make them taste better. Sadie didn't get to teach me how to..sea....seas...."
He wasn't sure of the word that meant putting stuff on the fish so that it had flavor.

"Season?" She couldn't help but finish his sentence for him as she caught him struggling for the right word. It reminded her of the children back in the village, mimicking their parents and traders that came through, often trying for words that were far too large for them to comprehend.

Even with the fur over her shoulders and the warm fire in front of her, every inch of her was tense, ready to run at the slightest hint of threat. Even though he, oddly enough, seemed pleasant company, she had trouble letting herself go at ease. Even just his casual display of spitting fire caused her to flinch away; if she angered him, she had no doubt she'd ignite just as easily as the lumber had.

"I...I thought that's what dragons did. Eat people. Burn villages. It's what all the stories say," she said. She couldn't help but feel like he was luring her into a false sense of ease. The moment she relaxed, that's when he'd strike, show his true colors. What he was trying to gain with all of this, she couldn't say, but the thought send another shiver down her spine.

"Koda..." she repeated his name slowly, let it play off her tongue as she familiarized herself with it. "I knew Sadie, we sent her last year. We were sad to see her go, we all loved her very much," she said slowly. If anyone was able to tame a dragon, it would have been her. She had always had an exceptionally gentle demeanor. Still, it didn't alleviate any of her concerns. It had been a year since they had seen Sadie, and there was no obvious sign of her in the cave.

Seasoning. That was the word. When she spoke about dragons food he chuckled a bit.
"There have been dragons who have done that but for the most part, we like to be left alone. The humans we attack, are humans who have stolen from us or humans who have attacked us first. As for burning villages, I've only heard of one dragon doing that and she'd done that because humans had killed her young and stolen quite a bit of her gems."

When she mentioned Sadie he looked down for a moment.
"She was a very kind female. Probably the only thing I've had that was close to a friend. She was out picking herbs and she liked seeing the village from the peak. The one time I didn't go with her, she'd slipped. When I found her she was already dead. I mourned for her for a week. I can take you to where she is buried if you would like to pay respects?"
He asked as he looked up at her, a pair of canary yellow eyes looked sad.

Despite being a very different race, his eyes told a lot. He was young compared to other dragons but he'd been alive for over a century and he'd seen a lot through his eyes. However, Sadie's passing seemed to hit him pretty hard.
"I still have more of her things in that chest...but they pain me to see them and smell her scent...so I keep them out of sight."
He said as he pointed to a chest that was just a few feet behind her. The chest also held her journal where she talked about how much she'd learned from Koda and how kind he was. A little awkward and confused easily with human customs but still very kind and very protective of her.

She found herself entranced by the dragon's gaze, if only for a moment. There was something so familiar about looking into those gold eyes, and, at least in that moment, she had no doubts that he spoke the truth. At least about what had happened to Sadie.

"She was always kind; she'd find a rat in the food stores and would take it out to the woods rather than kill it," she said softly. "I'm...sorry for your loss. We all mourned for her when she was chosen to be given to you. We've thought her dead for a year now."

She glanced over to the chest, and shook her head. It was best to leave those things alone, at least for now. Perhaps when the dragon was away next, she'd sate her curiosity, but now...it would run the risk of upsetting him, and she wasn't about to find out what an emotional dragon was capable of.

"You seem to have been quite fond of her." she said as she pulled the fur he had given her a bit tighter around her shoulders. "She must have felt the same, for her to have stayed here."

Koda looked at the chest for a long while as the tip of his tail twitched before looking back to Tessa.
"Sadie didn't pass until about four months ago. I told her she could go home...but she seemed to think that I would be angry if she wanted to stay."

He said as he shrugged and tore his eyes away from Tessa then looked out to the back of his cave for a moment.
"I just wanted her to be happy..."

Laying down on his furs he curled himself up so that his cheek was resting on the thicker part of his tail, his eyes focused on the doorway for a long moment before they flicked to her. Moving so that he was on the floor, resting on the bear fur rug he hooked his tail around her waist and lifted her up like she was little more than a child.

Placing her on the soft furs he used the spade like tip of his tail to pull the larger furs over her like a blanket.
"You can sleep there. It's more comfortable. The fish is in the back, behind the fire."
He said as his eyes shut. Since it was dark and it was fairly cold outside, being a cold blooded reptile, he got sleeping fairly easily.

Any ease she had found left immediately as she found herself moved from where she had been standing. She had needed no reminder how strong the dragon was, even if he seemed gentle enough. There was still so much to wrap her mind around. She hadn't expected to survive the night, let alone be given a relatively comfortable place to sleep.

So many questions yet to be answered, but before she could even form them on her tongue, she heard the dragon's breathing slow. She watched his chest rise and fall in that low, steady rhythm, and had no doubts that he had already fallen asleep. The fire began to burn low, leaving a pleasantly warm radiance in the room, even as the rest of the candles began to flicker out.

She could run. She might even make it back to the village. A distant howl from somewhere out in the woods reminded her why that wasn't the wisest decision.

Even if she could manage to make it back to town, would they want her back? They expected her to act as a sacrifice, and while Koda seemed to be earnest in his desire to do no harm, she still didn't exactly trust him.

She crawled out from under the blankets, padding along the smooth stone floor. The pang in her stomach reminded her that she had not participated in the feasting earlier in the day. The temptation of the food offered to her drew her in, and soon, she had a pair of the smaller fish roasting over the embers of the fire.

The cave went deeper than she had initially thought, a passage winding away from the warmth of the fire and deeper into the rocks. She thought she heard water echoing somewhere beyond the darkness. What else might be lurking down there, though, she didn't want to imagine. Perhaps when the sun had risen again she would explore further.

The fish could have done with a bit more meat on them, and a lot less bone. She found herself picking through tough scales and needle-like bones as she devoured the meal she had prepared for herself. Koda had a point; unseasoned, there wasn't much taste to the flesh, not much more than the char of the heat and that distinctly fishy taste. On an empty stomach, however, it was one of the most welcome meals she had encountered.

What was there to do now? She prodded at the dying embers with a long stick, feeding the flames with a few more pieces of dry wood. She felt her eyes slide closed against her will, and more than once, she had to shake herself alert. The pile of furs invited her in from across the room, but it would mean sharing the sleeping space with the dragon. Was it preferable to sleeping on the cold ground?

The fur he had given her before still hung around her shoulders, and she pulled it tighter around herself. In her contemplation, Tess managed to settle against one of the walls of the cavern, and allowed herself to doze. Just for a few minutes, she told herself, though those minutes passed, and it wasn't long until she was out completely, huddled up against the wall, remaining there until the first rays of sun began to filter into the cavern.

When morning came the following day Koda looked around the bedding and didn't see her but when he looked to the fire pit he found her sleeping against the wall. Cocking his head a bit he gingerly lifted her up, as he'd done to Sadie many a times, and set her on the furs so that she could sleep more comfortably.

Looking to the fish he remembered Sadie saying something about the fish never having enough meat. He never really paid attention since he'd just eaten them whole and usually ate quite a few of them. So seeing the remains of the fish she'd eaten he went out into the woods and followed his nose, as well as tasting the air. Finding a deer not too far away his tail shot out and wrapped around its neck, snapping the neck bone quickly.

Carrying the deer back to his home he used his claw to gut and skin the deer, leaving the fur outside to dry so he could make more furs. Once gutted he cleaned the body and then began expertly cutting large slabs of meat off. Setting those meats on a piece of leather he cut enough to feed four grown men for a few days, then carried the meat back into the cave.

While she was sleeping he cooked one of the slabs, using the only seasoning that Sadie was able to teach him. A little bit of salt and some basil leaves that Sadie had been growing. Once the meat was cooked to a lovely soft pink, medium cook, he put it onto a wooden plate that Sadie had made and some utensils that he'd found and cleaned up. Setting the plate and a cup of water near the furs he didn't bother waking her, just letting the smell wake her.

He was sitting off in the corner sewing more furs together to make another blanket for his bed as well as setting some wood to the side to carve.

She managed to sleep through him moving her, and though she shifted on the bed of furs as he settled her in, she didn't wake.

Normally, she was quiet the heavy sleeper, and it took more than the smell of cooking food to rouse her. She was still hungry, though, the previous night's meal satiating her for the time, but not enough to keep her full past morning. She stirred, and licked her lips at the smell. With a groan, she sat up, jolting awake when she realized she had been moved. She looked around the small room, to Koda where he worked, then town to the food. She was about to ask, but it was pretty clear that he had set the meat out for her to find.

She pulled the plate onto her lap after downing the entire glass of water. The first few bites were savored, the flavor matching that of the finer cooks in town.

"This is very good," she said after swallowing a mouthful. "Thank you."

After spending a night unharmed, she felt slightly more at ease around Koda. If he had meant to harm her, he would have done so already.

As she watched him, she broke the silence that fell between them for a few moments. "What's down the pathway there? The one that goes further into the cave?" she asked. "I thought I heard water last night."

Koda remembered that for the first few days that Sadie was there she was rather jumpy around him and it wasn't until she'd slept three or four nights without him touching her that she began to open up.

So as she slept he didn't move and he simply minded his own business. Seeing her wake he let her eat in peace and only smiled a bit when she complimented the meat. When she asked about the water he looked to the back of the cave and stood up, setting his things down he offered her his hand.

"I'll show you. You did hear water."
Walking with her to the back of the cave he lit some torches and showed her a natural hot spring that was in his home. Walking over to the water he cupped it into his hand and let some of the water drip onto her hand. It was hot, but not hot enough to hurt.

"Sadie had asked me to clean this up and she showed me that this is a good place to bathe with hot water. If you like, I can show you around more?"

She hesitated for a moment, but nodded as she followed him.

As they reached the spring, she let the water run over her fingers. The air here was warm and humid, almost enough to be choking. She knelt down, and let her hand dip into the hot pool. Perhaps that's what she needed to help her sort her thoughts.

She looked up to him again as he spoke. She bit her lip as she stood, drying her hands off on her skirt as she thought.

"I'd like that," she said after a short pause. "I don't know exactly what to expect, or what's going to happen or what I'm going to do. But...I'd like to see more of your home. I have to say, it's really not what I expected."

Koda shrugged a bit.
"You expected to die, or be eaten...or whatever your village thinks of me. So it's not surprising."
There was a little annoyance in his tone at how her village saw him even though he hadn't done anything to deserve that but he dealt with it since he didn't go down there.

Walking her out of the mouth of the cave he walked to the left where there was a small path. He kept an eye on her when they were near areas that were a little steep, nothing she couldn't handle but after Sadie's incident he was paranoid.

Moving through the thick vegetation they came to a massive pool of water with a beautiful waterfall in the back. The area was lit up by the sun and filled with lush green trees and grass. The stones were smooth from the water and off in the middle, right in front of the waterfall were two tombstones.

Walking over he'd carved their names in his own language which looked like Celtic language. Putting his hand softly on the newest looking stone he stroked it fondly.
"This one is Sadie...just for future reference if you would like to come back."
He said as he continued on their walk and as they got to the back of his cave, she'd be able to see where he'd etched out more of the rock to make the path a lot wider so there was no chance of slipping.

Pointing to the path he looked serious now.
"That's the path to the peak. I want you to ask me before going there so that I can go with you. Do not go there without me."
It was pretty obvious that with Sadie falling he was very paranoid about another death on his hands.

Moving a bit more they came to another beautiful area of forest where no predators were. There were deer and all of the grazing animals.

"We dragons have a sort of connection with the animals around us. We hunt for food and nothing more. So we preserve the area around us for our hunting grounds. I've marked this area for my hunting so no predators dare come here. Sadie said this was her favorite place to read, nap or just sew."

Again, she followed him as he lead her around his small domain. The longer she spent with Koda, the more at ease she felt. He had every opportunity to turn on her in the time they spent together, and yet he remained calm and gentle throughout. Perhaps they really were all wrong about him, as he insisted. She really couldn't recall any actual proof that the dragon had caused any trouble since moving into the area, and he'd already been there for several years.

She remained quiet through the walk they took together, until they reached the open glen. It really was peaceful, a calming air about the clearing as they stood there. Even with Tess present, the deer continued to graze, a few lazily flicking their ears in their direction as they spoke. None made any attempt to flee, though, as Koda had already hunted once that day. They seemed to sense that he had no need to make another kill.

"This is all...strange," she had to admit as they stood together. "You're right, I had every expectation to be made into a meal when I was brought out here. You've been nothing but kind to me, though." she started.

"I...I would love to return home, it's only been a day and I miss my family greatly, but...I suspect they will not be as easily convinced that you don't require some sort of offering. In a crowd, I know how quick people are to react. I'm afraid they'd just send me back, perhaps somehow ensure I wouldn't run from you a second time." she said with a sigh.

She sat down in the grass, watching the sway of the grass as she collected her thoughts.

As Koda listened to her he looked at the ground for a moment. Standing up he motioned for her to follow him. Walking through a hidden path he took her down through the mountain to a path that would seem familiar to her as it was right outside of her village.

Koda stayed hidden in the thick vegetation as he was very low to the ground and used his tail to gently usher her toward the village.
"Go home Tessa. Try and tell your village I don't want offerings...I just want to be left alone."

Giving her a small attempt at a smile he only followed her till he wasn't comfortable then as someone spotted her he moved back towards his home. Sitting in his home, about an hour after he let her return, Koda sighed a bit as he stared at Sadie's chest for a moment then shook his head.

Part of him was tempted to leave his home and just find a place away from the village so they'd stop sending offerings. It was a little painful on his end. Dragon's were naturally solitary creatures but they did appreciate a kind face. It was painful when that kind face wanted nothing more than to leave or in Sadie's case, when they passed on.

Spending most of the day by the waterfall Koda looked at Sadie's tomb and sighed.
"I miss you."

Over the sound of the rushing water, again just before sundown, a muffled commotion reached his ears, sounding from somewhere near his den.

At first, he could only hear voices, far away and distorted by the constant drone of water nearby. However, they soon drew closer, and the words became clearer, a deep, booming voice filled with anger cut above the rest.

"Tessa! Your cowardice has nearly condemned our town and our well being!" a man commanded, his voice carrying the tone of a judge sentencing a criminal to death.

This time, the pair of guards that had brought Tess to the cave the first time were accompanied by one of the town elders, who seemed deaf to her pleas for him to let her explain. He had no interest in hearing her, though, and the two soldiers held her arms tightly as she twisted and struggled against them, forced down to her knees as the village elder drew a hunting knife. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head as he laid a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"A sacrifice must be made," he said, his voice shaking with rage and fear as he raised the blade. "You've forced us to ensure that blood will be shed here tonight!"

Koda came flying out of the cave, running on all fours as his clawed hand palmed one of the male soldiers and he lifted the man, throwing him clear down the mountain. He wouldn't die due to the soft landing in the bushes but he'd certainly be feeling it later. Koda's tail slapped the blade from the man's hand as he lifted him up by his tunic and roared a loud, piercing sound, right in his face.

As the man literally wet himself Koda growled.
"Leave."
Was all he said as he dropped the old man and he ran as fast as he could. Koda then looked down at Tessa and slipped his arm around her. Taking her into the safety of his cave he sat her on the furs and went to the mouth of the cave for a few minutes.

He was watching the humans to make sure no one came back. When he was sure no one would be dumb enough to try he moved back into the cave and looked at Tessa.
"Why did they try to harm you? You're one of their own."

The tone in his voice showed he was absolutely baffled by their display of violence towards her.

Even before she was fully inside, she felt her knees buckle from under her, thankfully collapsing down into the soft bed of furs Koda had made. She trembled, her eyes wide even as the townsfolk had fled. She turned to watch Koda as he stood guard at the entrance of the cave.

As he returned to her side, she was still staring up at him. It took her a few moments to compose herself before she was able to speak again, and even then, her words were slow, confused, as she herself pieced together what had happened.

"They...they called me a traitor," she said slowly, her words faltering as they left her mouth. "They...they insist, that a sacrifice has to be made, to ensure the safety of the village." she said.

She took a deep breath, and sighed, looking up to meet the dragon's eye. "We have...stories. That go back. I grew up hearing them, as did my father and my grandfather and his father, of dragons being terrible beasts, who find joy in causing misery where they go, and that the only way to keep one at bay is to slay it, or offer it a human sacrifice," she said.

"When I returned to the village...they did not welcome me. I was treated like a prisoner. Even my parents refused to see me." she whispered, her voice cracking. "The town isn't my home anymore. I won't be welcomed back. They'll see it as turning my back on the duty I was chosen for."

Koda listened to her as she spoke of things that he'd never heard of. He'd never heard of a Dragon going out of its way to cause grief for humans. Thinking back a bit more he tried to remember some of the stories from older Dragons but they simply ignored humans as well.

"I've never heard of this...still, I'm from across the sea. I only came here because of the weather. The winter's are cold but the rest of the year is very comfortable. Still, I haven't caught scent of a dragon anywhere near here."

As she told him how she was treated he actually wanted to go and kill a few of those humans but he knew that wouldn't help anything. He was glad that Sadie had decided to stay, so she didn't have to go through that. Still, he could see that Tessa was pretty shaken by it.

Thinking for a moment he did something that Sadie had been very fond of. She'd said that he was like a giant pillow. Walking over he stepped into the furs and curled himself around her like he'd done the first night when he slept. Giving her plenty of room to lie down. His scales, while hard as steel against weapons, were surprisingly soft to the touch.

The gentle rise and fall of his breathing and the deep rumble in his chest was very warming and he was like a giant pillow.
"Just rest. You need to sleep a bit and let your mind relax. No one will come near you, you have my word."
He said as he would stay awake and make sure no one was stupid enough to come after her.

She listened to him, but only managed to shake her head, his insistence on no such stories being true only adding to her confusion.

She let her mind wander, replaying everything that had happened in the village that day, how she no longer had a home to return to. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to make sense of it all.

As she felt the movement near her, she jumped a bit, her eyes opening to watch Koda as he settled down around her. He was right; she needed to sleep, she needed rest, and she needed to try and forget everything that had happened that day. As she laid down, she found a comfortable position to settle near him, finding his presence a strange comfort as she settled into the bed of furs.

Sleep came easier than she thought it would.

The next few days were spent by Tess settling into her new home. She became quite fond of the spring that bubbled up into the cave, indulging in plenty of long, hot baths to try and relax herself. And though the first few nights were spent with her sleeping on the edge of his bed, his patience quickly earned her trust, and in the morning, he'd often wake to find Tess settled against his side, the warmth of his body a small comfort to her throughout the nights.

Koda had been gone most of the morning; something about him had seemed off to her as he went out for his hunt, but she couldn't quite place it. Not that she knew him all that well, but spending as many days as she had with someone, with hardly any time spent apart, one easily became familiar with another's mannerisms.

She shrugged it off, and went about her day, waiting for his return. She had only begun to admit to herself that she was enjoying his company. With him out of the cave, she took the opportunity to give her one set of clothes a much-needed wash. They had picked up dirt, soot, and who knew what else in the days she'd spent in the cave with the dragon. She knelt next to the spring as she dutifully scrubbed a stain from her shirt, the warm air that hung over the pools making it unnecessary for her to find even a temporary change of clothes, as she intended to bathe herself anyway after her clothes had been washed. There was no point in dressing just to take it all off again in a few minutes.

One of the few things that was nice about being a Dragon was that he still had a mental connection to his mother. Dragon females let their offspring out of the nest after the first five years. However, the connection between mother and offspring was there for centuries if questions arose. Like now.

Over the last few days of him getting familiar with Tessa and spending time with her he'd been feeling some serious heat in his body. More so then usual. He hadn't felt it around Sadie which was unusual so this was something he was concerned about. He often times found himself staring at Tessa's backside when she was doing something and it was unnerving. So he contacted his mother and asked what was going on.

Even through a mental link he could feel his mother's soft tone and gentle voice as she informed him it was the mating season for Dragon's. His body was finally mature enough for him to be a candidate for mating and he was feeling the affects of this. Oh great. Spending some time away from the cave his need to protect her brought him back.

Entering the cave his nose picked up her scent and while he had every intention of lying down and forcing himself to sleep, his legs carried him to the hot spring and that was a mistake. Seeing her bent over completely nude made his pupils thin as his body heat increased again.

Dropping to all fours he moved over to her and his hands gripped her thighs. Before she had a chance to even register what was going on, a slick and very nimble forked tongue began stroking the smooth lips of her woman hood. The twin forks teasing the steadily hardening clit while the length of his tongue rolled between the soft lips and teased the nerves there.

His muzzle was buried between her legs from behind as his hands gripped her thighs to keep her in place, but he wasn't being rough with her. He was trying to cause as little discomfort as he could. Though it was clear from the way he was acting that this wasn't something he normally did.

She heard movement behind her, thinking little of Koda returning from wherever he had been off to. He was a dragon, after all, and she felt no need to hurriedly cover herself in front of him.

However, his approach was...unusual, at least for him. Before she could even turn around, she felt his rough hands on her thighs, and her breath caught in her throat. This was...she knew what this was. She had grown up around farm animals, after all, so she was no stranger to the nature of things. However, she never expected Koda to approach her like this.

She froze for a moment, her eyes falling closed at the dance of his tongue between her legs. She swallowed hard and her legs shifted, a tiny shiver running down her spine as she felt a pleasant heat begin to surge through her, her lower lips soon swollen and wet from his attention. She should tell him to stop, this wasn't proper, after all, but she couldn't deny that the strange sensations were pleasant.

His breath was warm against her sex, her body quivered with his movements as he gripped her. She made no attempt to break away from him. After all...no one was around to judge, and she couldn't deny how wonderful this was starting to feel as she rocked her hips back against him. After some time, she finally spoke, long after her thighs had become slick with the arousal dripping from her body, something about how eagerly the dragon was going at her spurring her on.

"Koda?" she finally whispered, her voice heavy as she swallowed air in deep, shuddering breaths. "What...what are you doing?"

The fact that she was getting aroused by his ministrations was not helping him to stop, in fact it was urging him on as his tongue began to really work along her clit now as he noticed that seemed to be a very high pleasure point. A few growls left him as he tasted her arousal and it was very addicting.

The sweet scent of her arousal and the sounds of her breath and her pants were really making it hard for him to focus. When she finally spoke he was running his tongue back and forth between her slick lips and even teasing her inner walls with the forks of his tongue. He was in no mood to talk as it would remove his mouth from her so he used another method.

Linking his mind to hers she'd feel a small pinch, then his voice entered her head.
'I apologize Tessa. It is Dragon mating season...we look for a worthy female and well...we mate. I do not want to force this on you but I can't control it any longer.'

She was a worthy female. She was smart, strong in her own way, and she had a lot of will power. Anyone who could take the fact that their own abandoned them and not slip into a deep depression was strong in his mind. With this link, she'd be able to see his thoughts about her in that aspect. Nothing was hidden.

Pushing his tongue further within her tight walls he began flicking it back and forth to really start causing the fire in her loins to grow.

Though the intrusion to her mind immediately made her feel vulnerable, her body and now her very self now at Koda's mercy, when the initial shock left, at the sound of his voice-more like the sensation of his voice, really-echoed in her mind, she felt her shoulders relax, and her racing pulse was entirely from the way her arousal surged through her.

Though their link, he also, in a way, lay himself bare for her. He had no way to hide his intentions, as primal as they might be in that moment, he had no ill will towards her.

And through that link, he could feel her acceptance of his actions, as she relaxed and allowed him to work, leaving her most intimate areas available to him to explore and touch. His tongue, already, was working wonders on her, the strong, lithe bit of muscle finding every inch inside of her. She reeled and shifted, shuddering and shivering as he found various sensitive bits inside of her to tease. Her walls twitched around his tongue, her own lubrication flowing around him as her body prepared itself.

There was no more needs for words between them, though she let out tiny, whining moans each time that forked tongue flicked over her skin, as it teased her clit and stroked inside of her. Her body ached for more, more pleasure, more everything. Her cries grew more fervent as she practically begged for the release she now desperately craved.