The World of the Dragons

Book 3 - The Prince

Chapter 7 - The Choosing

The stale air of the cave was quiet. Eve had not visited for some time, happy to leave her unhatched children to the warmth and safety of the cave, and the eggs lay undisturbed on the ground.

A slight vibration came from one, and then an almost inaudible sound, a faint chirping, muted by the shell. A split appeared on the surface, a claw poked through, and then slowly tore the leathery shell.

Another stirring came from the clutch of eggs, and one almost tipped over as a claw started to split the shell. Within minutes, all the shells were being opened from the inside, and young dragons started to climb from them, struggling to find their feet.

The fastest started to move around, stumbling at first, but quickly gaining confidence. One of the first to hatch sniffed around, its eyes not yet fully open. It stopped at another egg, the shell torn but the dragon within still not free from its leathery confines.

The dragon raised a claw, using its tail for balance, and then brought it down onto the head of the unhatched dragon. It repeated the process, and this time split the soft skull, piercing the brain, and leaving the lifeless body slumped in the shell.

The dragon searched for another of the unhatched young, quickly locating one, its shell barely broken. One quick hit with its bloody claw revealed the contents, and another dispatched the dragon.

All around other dragons were doing the same, destroying eggs and the unhatched dragons. Conflicts started to break out between the hatched young, fighting mainly with their claws and the occasional use of tiny, but needle-sharp teeth. Chirps of aggression filled the cave, mixed with cries of pain.

Soon only a few dragons were left standing. A couple of the eggs were unbroken, their shells having never held live young. About half of the remainder still had the lifeless forms of dead dragons inside, many with blood still flowing from their injuries. More bodies covered the floor, and the remaining dragons stepped over them to face each other off.

A few brief scuffles, and only two remained, both heavily bloodstained, pieces of other dragon's entrails hanging from their claws and teeth. They were both marked with their own injuries, all relatively superficial, gained from previous fights.

One suddenly leapt at the other, propelling himself forwards with a few weak beats of his wings. He landed with both claws where the other had stood seconds before, just raking his tail. The counter attack came quickly, the lithe body of the young dragon turning to catch the outstretched wings of the other with his teeth.

The dragon tried to pull his wing free, ripping slashes through the thin skin up to the bone. He twisted slightly, and the exposed bone slid through the teeth, freeing him. He immediately lunged forwards to bite the other dragon, but was blocked by an outstretched foot, just missing the deadly claws. He fell, briefly knocked off balance, then pulled himself up with the help of his remaining good wing.

The other dragon started to advance towards him, trying to judge the distance needed before he could leap. As he suddenly took off, teeth bared and claws forward, the dragon moved to the side, then twisted, catching the tail of the aggressor in his teeth as the attack missed.

Within seconds he turned, dug his claws between the scales on the other's back, and pulled his tail free. His opponent quickly responded, twisting his head to try and get the vulnerable neck between his teeth. The dragon on top jumped off his back, just escaping the jaws as they closed where his neck had been. He retreated to the side, then leapt back at his enemy.

The other dragon dodged, and jumped at his side while he was still in the air, knocking him to the ground. One foot went onto the neck, and the other, claw first, up through the throat. As the stricken dragon tried to free himself, the claw rose again, and smashed down through the same spot. A whole-body twitch as the claw passed through his brain, then no more movement from the dragon on the ground, blood running from his mouth and nostrils.

The victor moved away from the dead body, and slowly dragged himself away from the bloody scene. He headed towards where he could smell the fresher air, to where the cave was getting brighter. A trail of smudged blood appeared from the torn wing as it dragged along the ground.

As the mouth of the cave came into his view, the light was suddenly cut out as Eve landed in the entrance. She immediately saw the male, and walked over to him. She began to lick the blood from him, and without needing to see anything more, the dragon memories she had inherited told her of the bloody battle which had occurred deeper in the cave.

Her curiosity drove her on, deeper in the cave towards the egg chamber. The male half-ran after her, trying to keep up with her longer strides. She soon reached the blood soaked cave, reptilian bodies smashed and twisted amongst leathery fragments.

Eve walked through the carnage, trying to avoid standing on the broken bodies of her young, but still feeling the occasional snap of fragile bones beneath her. She searched for any signs of life, but knew that there would be nothing.

Eventually she returned to the entrance, the male still following her. She gently lifted him onto her back, feeling him wince as she touched his torn wing, and took flight, towards her cave, leaving the bloody remains of all but one of her children behind her.

Even as she was flying away, she saw the first of the old males head towards the cave, attracted by the smell of fresh blood. Her instincts told her that he would soon be joined by more, all partaking in the cannibalistic feast, combining it with a blood-soaked orgy. She landed in her own cave, and resumed cleaning her one remaining child, trying to push thoughts of her others from her mind.

Chapter 8 - Changes

Two years since his birth, the young male was still dwarfed by his mother, his body barely fifteen feet long, the scars of his first hours almost faded. Maturity was starting to creep onto him, the squatness of youth replaced with the slender grace of adulthood.

As well as the external changes, there was a desire growing within him. Eve was still just a mother to him, but forces inside were telling him that she would be more than that. He felt a need, and he was ready to satisfy it.

Eve had watched his growth with interest. It had been almost three years since her mass mating, and the desire to mate had grown strong within her. She had considered another mating with the older males, knowing they would take any opportunity, but she held herself back. She would have only one mate now.

She could see that her son was ready to become that one. In the back of her mind, what humanity remained expressed disgust at the idea, but its protests were feeble, and passed unnoticed. Confronted with the beauty of her son, his scales shining brightly in the early morning light, gently rippling with the movements of the muscles below, his body almost perfect, just waiting to loose the last vestiges of his childhood, humanity held nothing for her any more.

In three days, when the moon turned full, she would make him an adult, and he would be her son no longer, but her life mate. Until then, he was just her child, but as she licked clean his already immaculate body, she was aware that they were so nearly past that stage.

His response was still childlike, squirming as the roughness of her tongue slid across his neck and behind his ears. Eve felt slight shudders of pain from him as she gently touched his old injuries, scars just detectable on the otherwise smooth skin.

His body was as familiar to her as her own, memories imprinted on her from two years of caring for him, cleaning him the same way each day since his birth. She knew every scar on him, every missing scale, every tender spot. She knew where it would still pain him, and where the hurt of his first day would not be forgotten.

She followed the injuries with her tongue. The familiar ridges on his left wing, almost undetectable without knowing what to look for, the relics of the injury which still twisted his flight, making it slightly lopsided, practically imperceptible, but visible to a mother.

On his back, three groups of four tiny scars arranged in a half circle, remnants of claws dug under scales. One lay on one side of the ridge of his spine, two on the other. Now it was the thickest skin on his body, but two years ago it offered almost no protection, and had one claw landed just half an inch to the right, it would have pierced the spine, and it would be a different son beneath her.

One long line crossing his chest, two scales missing. Again, the injury had been close to being fatal, only his luck had saved his stomach from being ripped open, prevented him from a slow and agonising death. No others had been so lucky, but thoughts of them barely crossed her mind any more, only one of her children mattered to her now.

There were more injuries, some so small that they could only be felt, not seen, others faded away so that they existed only in her mind, even though she could pinpoint where they had once stood out perfectly. She traced the line across his chest as he lay on his side, curled within her, then stopped, distracted, something out of the ordinary catching her eye.

Underneath his tail, a crimson red. At first, she thought it was blood, and licked at it, but there was not the salty-sweet taste of dragon blood. Her sensitive tongue recognised the texture and faint taste, and she recoiled as the realisation hit her.

She knew that they were no longer a mother and her child. Not yet a queen and her mate, nor would they be for three days, but he was no longer just her son.

He shifted his body towards hers, closing the gap she had made between them, back into the warmth of her body. She started to lick him again, but the love of a mother was now joined with lust, the need to satisfy both of their desires.

He rolled onto his back, wings splayed out underneath him as she licked his chest. A few inches of deep red were apparent at the base of his tale, but she ignored it, concentrating on the sensitive scales on his chest.

The almost-white scales began to take on a pink hue, quickly darkening to a blood red. Slowly, Eve worked down his body, long strokes of her tongue starting almost at his neck, gradually getting closer to his tail. As she reached the base of the penis, she licked up its length, wrapping her tongue around its thickness.

Its full length quickly emerged, nearly two foot of the vivid redness. She could taste her saliva starting to mix with his precum, the familiarity of the muskiness common to all dragons, the subtle flavours, individual to each dragon, varied by mood, by diet, by age.

He started to thrust into her tongue, its strong muscle gripping his penis, wrapped tightly around. Eve slid her tongue around it, rippling along its length. The tip of her tongue searched down, delving for the base of the penis while the length was held firm. She moved her head towards him, taking the tip of his penis into her mouth.

He started to give out cries of arousal, quiet at first, then getting louder as she manipulated him. His thrusts into her tongue grew urgent, and he suddenly arched from the ground, filling Eve's mouth with the sweetness of dragon semen with a great scream, echoing through the caves.

She took her tongue from around his penis, licking it clean, then licked at his mouth, sharing with him his sperm. The arousing effect from the semen had no effect on his body, resistant to its own aphrodisiacs, and little effect on her, its full potency not yet reached.

He stood up and spread his wings, preparing to take flight. Eve held him down with the weight of her body, stopping him from taking to the air from where she knew he would climb onto her. The time was still not yet right for them to mate. She was no longer just a mother to him, but it would be three more days until she would be ready to be a lover.

Chapter 9 - A Moonlight Hunt

The sun set slowly into the west as the full moon began to rise above the western horizon. Tonight was to be the night when she would at last become a proper queen, when she would complete herself through the body of another, and when her second clutch of eggs would be fertilised.

She had not pleasured him again since the first time, despite his demands. He had only left her side to hunt, returning to crawl over her body with his erect penis brushing against her scales, leaving no doubts as to his desires. She felt them almost as strongly as he, but resisted the temptation, saving herself for this coming night.

First, though, she needed to be alone. Her soon-to-be mate was away, hunting with the other dragons, their calls to each other echoing through the air. There had been something in the way he flew as he left, almost arrogant, professing that he would soon be mated, and the other males were sure to recognise it. There were few secrets between dragons.

What was the value of secrets anyway? The males had already mated with her already, she had nothing left to hide from them. Only her chosen mate, her son, kept his virginity, waiting for tonight. But only he would ever mate with her again, the other males living much less time than she would, and he with her.

Eve watched the sun sink, the first stars appearing from the dimming sky. The air was still warm, but as night fell the males' body temperatures would drop, and they would be forced to return to the ground, to end their bloody hunt.

She had no such problems, the remnants of her former life kept her body temperature high enough through the night. She unfurled her wings, bent her powerful legs, and leapt into the sky. A few flaps, and she was onto a thermal, the warm air keeping her aloft with only minimal effort.

The moon was fully above the horizon now, and she turned towards it, flying slowly. She had not explored far in that direction, preferring to keep to the hunting grounds of her group which lay to the north and the west. For a distance there was dense forest, gradually thinning out to become scrub land.

There was a following wind, and she made quick progress, the vegetation seeming to die out as she travelled further, a few tiny trees twisted from lack of water, yellowed tufts of grass living in cracks in the ground. Vast river beds swept through the land, yet all without water. Occasionally she would pass a pool still wet, with lush vegetation growing around them, groups of small animals drinking from them fleeing as she flew overhead, but they were a rare sight.

She went onwards, towards where cliffs started to rise from the desert. The wind had been swinging slowly around as she flew, and it now blew slightly towards her, carrying with it the familiar scent of dragons. Her senses told her immediately they were not from her group. Judging by the number of different smells it must be another group of males.

She followed the wind to where it blew from between the rocks, closing in silently and low, below the level at which the occasional dragon she saw approached. The rocks narrowed, and then opened out above a wide basin. She stopped at the entrance, taking in the smells, a mixture of different dragons, and of fresh blood. There must have been a hunting party just returning, and as she watched more flew over the rim, and descended into the depths.

As the moon rose further over the far edge, it illuminated the floor of the basin. She had never seen where males of her own tribe slept, and had never imagined the scene below her. Dragons covered the floor, apparently preferring to be piled on top of one another than to lay on the ground.

At first she thought this was to retain their body heat together, but it quickly became apparent that there was more to it. A dragon flew in almost directly above her and she saw its penis hanging erect beneath its body. It flew above the group, as if to mate with a dragon below, and then thrust into the mass of bodies. It curled up its body on top, and quickly became indistinguishable among the reptilian forms.

As she watched more carefully, she realised that the dragons were not still, but constantly moving, seething masses of scales shining in the moonlight. Though some must surely be sleeping, others were flying about, rubbing their bodies against each other and those on the ground. Occasionally fights would break out, brief but violent, the loser falling to the dragons below, often spurring more fights over the body, sometimes their blood serving to lubricate the pleasures beneath, usually both.

Watching the squabbles over eating their dead brothers, observing the last of the hunters returning in the cooling night, she realised how much less healthy these looked than her own tribe. Though endowed with the same great muscles, in these dragons the skin was wrapped tight against them and the bones, without the slight roundness of flesh present in those of her own family.

Considering the desert she had passed over on the way here, she was not surprised. Though there was food, the land was nothing like the plentiful grasslands of her own territory, where great herds of animals roamed to be easy pickings. Instead the dragons she saw below had to survive on the meagre offerings of the scorched soil.

Yet just as with the males of her own group, food seemed a secondary concern to sex, perhaps all that prevented them from breaking into unbounded cannibalism. Unable to satiate their appetite for food, they seemed frantic to satisfy their sexual appetites, and she watched them doing so, tasting the scent of sex on the wind.

As she watched, a huge shadow passed in front of the moon, and she looked up to see a large dragon, his maleness announced strongly in the air. He plunged down into the basin, landing claws first on the pile of dragons. Quickly he flew back up again, the limp body of a dragon hanging from his talons.

He ate on the wing, curling his neck beneath him to rip great chunks of flesh from the dragon held beneath him. Having consumed the choice of meat, leaving most uneaten, he dropped the carcass, and dived down once again to take a new victim. This time he flew back up with the body still moving beneath him, held only by a single wing. Ignoring the smaller dragon's attempts to free itself, he bit deep into its belly, the screams of pain carrying above the general noise.

"Sister!" The voice speaking into her head shocked Eve, and she tried to spin round to find the source of the voice, only to find herself pinned down by a great weight. "Beautiful, isn't he? So powerful. I only wish all my children could be as well fed as he, so that they could all be as beautiful. And no doubt they all wish they could be as well sexed as he, but sadly I have to deny them that too."

He was beautiful in his violence, in the diving and moving of his body and his scent, strong even from such a distance, all speaking to something within her. "Sister?" Eve asked.

"Yes, sister. Don't be so vain as to think you are the only spawn of our mother. And just because you were the last does not mean I am willing to let you hold her lands." The weight shifted from her neck, allowing her to look at her attacker, a female, much larger than she was. "So then, you are what leads our brothers now. You are what stands between me and the lands to the north. And you come here, young and alone. A more generous gift I could not ask for."

"Even if you kill me, our brothers will not let you have the land. I have seen what they do to your children, seen how they rip your underfed and weak offspring to shreds."

"But they will die, sister. Without you to provide fresh blood, all I have to do is wait. Ten years, and there will be only half the number, and I will take what I want. Without you, they are nothing. And you, here alone, are nothing without them."

"So you would kill your own sister?"

"Nothing would please me more. But one must think of her children, don't you agree? What would they think if they knew I had stolen such a play thing as you from them? No, sister, I will not kill you. Maybe my children will kill you as soon as I give you to them, ravenous for such a satisfying meal. More likely they will rape you first, until they have had all they can from you. It would be wrong of me to deny them a fuck and a feed."

She gave a great call, echoing below them. As the sound rolled across the canyon the dragons rose in a wave, taking to the air as one. They climbed up the cliffs, circling in the air above. Through them flew the huge male, and they parted to let him pass, his most recent victim released from his claws, still half-living.

He swooped up in front of Eve and her sister, both held captive by the sight of his body, scales sliding over powerful muscles pulling him up almost vertically. Letting gravity pull him to a halt in the air a few hundred feet above them, he corkscrewed his body with his remaining momentum.

Entranced by his grace, Eve failed to register the weight of her sister moving off her back, instead watching the male as he grew nearer, wings almost folded over his back, legs outstretched. Too late she realised what was coming, barely moving before he slammed down onto her, claws forced deep between her scales as they took the full force of his drop.

Though no longer the tiny hatchling she once was, under his body she felt small once more. The entire length of her body and tail was crushed underneath his powerful chest, his claws holding just behind her wings. Something seemed to be slithering around the end of her tail, and she let her tail intertwine with it, investigating its nature, before realising she was playing with his prehensile penis.

He stretched out his wings, and with a single downward beat lifted them both from the ground, Eve taking the opportunity to untwist her tail from him. He carried her above the swarm of dragons, and dove into them. She tried to unfurl her wings, to arrest their descent, but found them trapped against his body.

Almost at the ground, he released her, opening his wings at the same time as his claws. Immediately he seemed to Eve to rocket upwards, an illusion shattered as she crashed into what initially felt like the ground, but was revealed to be another dragon which screamed in pain at her impact.

The breath knocked from her, all she could do was lie there, waiting for the inevitable.

It was not long coming. A weight on her back, claws digging in her back, the violating probing beneath her tail. She fought as best she could, curling her tail beneath her, protecting herself from his intrusions. For a few seconds it worked, before a claw pierced her tail, ripping straight through the straining muscles, just scraping against the edge of the bone. She jerked against the pain, into the body above her, and found a pair of claws grabbing her side.

They pulled upwards, initially sliding through her skin, before becoming deep enough to catch, and forced her over, all the way until she was lying on her back. Disengaging his claws from her body, the dragon who had turned her now held the perfect position to penetrate her. Whether it was the same dragon who had been trying to rape her she did not know, nor did it matter. She could do nothing to protect herself from him.

His penis snaked into her, forced into her dry vagina as she tried to close herself to him, to hold him out, paining herself as muscles strained inside her. But she was no match for him in her current state, and she relented, letting him thrust into her, burying his cock inside her, the act of submission easier than to continue the battle.

The only relief was that it did not take long for his body to tense, for the swelling inside her to release its load into her. He collapsed onto her, so that his head rested upon hers, and she could see his eyes glazed over, could taste the rotting flesh of his last meal on his panting breaths, could feel the twitches of his orgasm running through his neck.

Eve lay still beneath him, enduring, looking up at the sky. A drop of rain landed on her, from clouds gathering high above.

He spread his wings and rose from her. She found herself gasping for breath, her chest suddenly able to expand with his weight removed from her. A few snatched breaths, before another landed upon her. For a fraction of a second she saw a weakness, saw an opportunity, but already she had missed her chance to exploit it.

She let him into her, preferring to have this over as quickly as possible rather than prolong the act. Let him fuck her, let him treat her as nothing more than a warm body in which to sheath his erection. She tried to separate mind from body, leaving the empty shell of a dragon to suffer him while her mind retreated into the last vestiges of her humanity.

There was no comfort to be found there. Even detached from the physical reality, the emotional response of her human mind to the ongoing violation was far greater than the muted feelings of her reptile side. As claws curled into her side, her rapist coming with her, her mind became overcome, trying to call forth tears from a body which knew not how.

She shook uncontrollably, her breath coming in painful jerks. The dragons paid no heed, another flying in to rape her convulsing body, seeming to ride the spasms which swept through her, almost as though she were fucking him back.

The cool reptilian mind rose to the surface unbidden, trying to restore control to her body, wrestling it away from the shock of her human mind. Slowly she found herself able to think once more, her wild breathing slowing, becoming regular again.

And she waited.

Another came inside her; she barely noticed. Focused now on a single moment, waiting for the opportunity to fight back.

The weight upon her lifted, the dragon's erection already retreating back inside its body. She took a deep breath, controlled and careful, and tensed her muscles, ready for what she saw as her one chance.

As the next male came down onto her, one claw shot upwards, sinking into his blood-engorged penis. He let out a cry of pain, twisting and falling to her right side. She let his weight turn her, struggling to find something solid enough to hold with her other claw so that she could right herself properly.

She found the head of the dragon beneath her, hooking talons through its jaw and one eye, ignoring the shocked scream, cut short as she pierced its brain. Releasing her hold on the other dragon's penis, she found the ground with the other claw, and bent her legs, ready to launch herself skyward. Before she could straighten them, she was knocked to the ground from her left side. Though blood spurted from the holes her claw had left with every beat of his heart, the dragon she had attacked stood over her, holding her down.

Seemingly undeterred by his injuries, he lowered his body to hers, finding the opening beneath her tail. She felt him wince as the wounds passed into her, and he hissed in a mixture of pain and anger, then sank his teeth into the back of his neck just behind her head, passing his pain on to her. With every thrust he relaxed his jaw, then bit once more, just inches from piercing her spine.

He came, screaming in both agony and ecstasy, his blood pumping freely into her, oozing out around his penis. His head whipped backwards, pulling a chunk of flesh from Eve's neck, and she screamed too, in agony alone. Freed from his hold, she turned her head to watch him withdraw from her, to see his damaged cock struggling to maintain its hardness.

Once clear, another moved in to take his place, a seemingly endless supply still waiting their turn around her. But for all their size and strength, they were slow learners, and he again placed himself within reach of her claw. This time she only caught his penis with a single talon, ripping a groove through one side, leaving the main force of her kick to drive the claw into his body. He collapsed onto her, his legs giving way beneath him, and spewed the meagre contents of his stomach beside her.

For a few seconds he lay on top of her, before slowly rising, his feet planted either side of her. His erection had shrunk, withdrawing back into his body. The increasing rain washed blood from between his scales, down his right leg, on the underneath of his tail.

Clearly in immense pain, he turned and started to stalk away from Eve. Before the end of his tail slithered off her body, he stopped, paused briefly, then leapt at her, slashing at her exposed stomach. His claws raked over her, opening three grooves across her body before she could react.

With one foot on top of her, he looked into her eyes, his own burning with anger. His leg on her lifted, and came down again, one sharp talon now placed so that its tip just reached into her vagina. Very slowly, he started to pull his leg back up her body, initially just stretching the skin, testing the limits until it would tear.

Before it could reach that point, he was knocked away, another dragon leaping over her, crashing into his body to save her. A sudden hope filled her, that they would not kill her after all, that she would survive this ordeal.

As quickly as his actions had given her hope, they now snatched it away again as he crouched down over her. He had no interest in saving her. All he was rescuing was the opportunity to lose his virginity, to feel his cock inside a female for what would be the first and the last time in his life.

How many of them were there? If they all wanted a go, perhaps they would never get round to killing her for food. But only a few dragons in, she was already injured. No matter the exact number, she knew there were far more than her body could endure. She could not afford to wait; needed to act now.

There was no way that she could fight them off, nor could she sneak away when she was the centre of attention like this. Yet the glimmer of hope she had earlier felt was strong in her mind. A brief moment of conflict between her captors hinted at freedom, a tiny crack in their absolute hold over her to be exploited.

She felt the heat of her rapist's orgasm, the shiver through his body, and knew how she could exploit him. She lay almost still as his come flowed into her, but as he withdrew from her, she lifted her head to lick the back of his neck. At the touch, he paused for a second, looking back at her before being knocked away as the next dragon clamoured to take his place.

Still keeping her head pressed against the body of the departing male, she swiped a claw at the newcomer. Seemingly expecting it, he leapt back, crashing over the body of the other, knocking him off his feet. The two hit the ground together, and rose as a snarling, hissing scuffle.

A couple more dragons approached her, hungry with desire, each with one eye on her, and the other on their rival for the use of her. She feigned interest in them both, shying towards one then the other, feeding their lust, then presented herself to be penetrated, issuing the challenge to whichever would take her.

Almost in unison they jumped forward, hoping to catch the other off guard and claim the prize. Their bodies clashed in mid-air, landing on top of her. Before she had chance to recover, they were fighting, almost immediately one opening a wound which sprayed blood over her.

Without a dragon already upon her, others came forward. Some she let through to her, suffering one more indignity to further her plan; others she ignored or attacked, encouraging them to fight over her. Little encouragement was needed, and soon a huge number had joined into the fracas.

Quickly the scene turned from a wild orgy of sex to one of violence, dragons fighting, screaming at each other in pain and anger, biting and slashing. But still there was no opportunity for her to escape, the action always centred on her, even in the midst of all the violence males were finding her, catching her and raping her.

She could do little but suffer them, never finding the moment to flee, never quite managing to turn every dragon on each other. The torrential rain beat down on her, turning the ground to mud and slick rock, preventing her even getting a foothold.

A great crash and rumble echoed through the basin, louder and longer than thunder, shaking the earth beneath her. The dragons paid it no heed, focusing only on her, or on each other, minds only for sex or for violence.

Eve could no longer even tell when one dragon withdrew from her and another penetrated, every torture indistinguishable from the previous. She knew that she was slipping away towards oblivion, that she had to force herself to stay aware, ready to take every chance which presented itself to her, but her body was weakening too fast.

A flash of lightning illuminated the ground beneath her, a dirty brown created as the red of her blood and the yellow of the sand was stirred into mud by the torrent of water falling from the sky. There was too much blood there, not all her own, but enough to sap her strength.

The thunder cracked, the after-vision of the lightning still smeared across her vision. But where the sound should have died away, it persisted, even growing stronger so that she could feel it through the earth.

This time the dragons listened. The rumble was joined with frantic alarm calls, and the sound of thousands of wings beating as dragons took to the air. Yet even as they did so, others flew down into where they had been, ignoring what dangers existed for the chance of carnal satisfaction.

The dragon upon her came, immediately leaping into the air even as semen still spurted from him. Eve twisted, looking into the direction from which the sound had come.

Water. Almost as soon as she had seen it, it was upon her, a wall of water, dragging along with it giant boulders and dragons, some still alive, others bent in impossible angles. There was just time for a single breath before it took her too, lifting her as though she weighed nothing, tossing and twisting her along the ground.

Time and direction became meaningless as the water took her; all she could do was struggle to hold the air within her, to avoid the bigger obstacles in front of her, to dodge that which fell onto her from above.

Eventually she stopped, the rocky terrain opening into a huge plain, now transformed into a lake. She stood, wincing in pain from her leg, twisted and bruised, but not broken.

The water swirled around her legs, a thick soup of sand and debris. She looked up the river, where it emerged from a canyon, lightning occasionally revealing the dark shape of another dragon caught in the flow.

Watching upstream, she did not see the attacker until he was upon her. Eve's right leg buckled, knocking her to the side, sending the dragon sliding onto her wing. She followed him round, biting into the darkness, feeling her teeth crunch through bone and into the softness of brain matter.

Once more she stood up, the leg still holding. The dragon rolled from her back, smaller than she was, skull split almost in two through the strength of her jaw. She licked her teeth, cleaning splinters of bone from between them.

Two beats of her wings, and she was airborne, climbing upwards to the relative safety of the sky, heading back into the north.