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Scales and Honor: Swirling Storm

Chapter 18

Five months passed fairly quickly for the blue dragon as he eagerly awaited the arrival of Jandar's offspring. It tickled his wings as Fremra mused that he was going to be what the mortals called a grandfather. He had loved the idea, it even had the word grand in it. The dragon knew If he was was anything, he was certainly grand. So it was with an excitement that threatened to boil over that he set out with the sea foam dragoness towards the village of Holbeck, several days before the nine months mark, just in case their little bundle of joy decided to pop out of Imzel early.

This was however not their only trip they had made to the village in the past few months, to see the newly wed couple. They had done it at least once a month since the wedding. Each time they visited they would bring assorted gifts, trinkets, and other things to the expectant mortals. The Ramakox's favorite gift was to offer the unborn child his first ever piece of treasure, a solitary old gold coin that had been given to him by his mother when he was just a small hatchling. The dragon had smiled and handed the cherished item to Jandar, certain the mortal's baby would cherish it just as much as he did. The others had chuckled and thanked the old dragon to his rumbling approval, and stashed it away with other various gems, art, and assorted other things he had brought them.

So it was with that that Ramakox entered a glide in the Autumn air, the countryside passing beneath his wings ever so quickly as he started to descend towards the assortment of wooden and thatch buildings that was the village he sought. Fremra flew by his sides as she usually did, the sun shining off her scales as her wing tips practically touched his own. She blinked her eyes, no doubt scanning the countryside of multicolored hues. Something he had been doing until being captivated by her beauty.

"I can see you staring at me over there." She said with a rumbling purr. "Probably should watch were you are flying Rammy, lest you crash into some poor bird or something." She tossed him a smile before angling her wings and flipping over him with a trill of happiness, that made a smile spread to his own snout.

"Like I'd hit some bird."he shot back, adjusting his sight from the smiling dragoness to the village growing closer with each eager intake of the crisp air. "Would be their fault anyway...To clearly not hear the dragon approaching from behind them."

"Oh yes, I forgot how loud your wing beats were." she laughed, easily catching up to him in hardly a moment. "I believe they have been described as like a hurricane? Or was it like a monsoon? Regardless...You need to fly more gracefully." She smiled, unleashing another roar of joy. "Like me!" Once more the gleeful dragoness flipped over him, letting out another trill as her frills fluttered in the wind.

"I think you might even be happier than I, my Sea Lilly." he purred, glad to see her like this. For each passing day she had fidgeted more and more, her happiness and good cheer infectious to even himself. The blue dragon found himself humming with her each morning as she cleaned herself from neck to tail. His own tail tapping in time with her own, pressing up beside her and filling his heart with a comforting warmth.

"Of course I am!" she shouted in a warm voice, spreading her wings, entering the current to glide gracefully beside him with a smile from ear to ear. "Today I get to see that little bundle of joy that everyone has been snout over claw for these passed few months."

"I think that was you dearest." he laughed back, briefly touching her wing with one of his own. "You would think it was you having the little one."

"I am aware of that." she flashed him a toothy grin, "Still doesn't make it any less exciting." She sighed, looking down to the village, her smile still not fading from her snout as they extended their limbs in unison and prepared to land.

There was no need for them to land outside the village, for the pair of dragons had been here so often that all the mortals had grown used to their appearance, just like the ones and East Cliff had done. Thankfully there was also enough distance in between buildings to land, so they would have no problem as their mighty wings back-winged to soften their landing. Ramakox's eyes found the one building among the collection of others that was slightly taller and made from the finest wood around. The dragon had made sure that his mortal had the best carpenters come to fix up the house they were going to build their nest in. He remembered chastising Jandar the first time the man had showed it to him, and he was forced to press the issue.

"No son of mine is living in...in this ...shack." he had said, wrinkling his snout and snorting his disapproval at the chipping, rotten wood, the cobwebs that clung to every corner, and practically inches of dust that had covered every surface at the time. Thankfully however the blue scaled mortal had listened to reason, and in no time at all the place had been fixed up to the point that Ramakox himself might have considered getting a dragon sized house made for himself. Although he figured it would need some things more fitting for a dragon, like a extra sized door, or an opening in the roof to fly out from.

Ramakox landed before the well kept structure, his paws softly touching the worn dirt path beneath him. He refolded his wings against his back as he gave a pleased snort to Fremra who had done the exact same thing as him. Several peasants walked by wearing assorted colors, not even giving the dragon's a second glance over with their eyes. The blue glared at the man for a moment, wanting to tell them just who they had not paid attention to. The Great Swirling Storm that's who..

He turned back towards the house as Fremra padded over to the dark wooden door of the house. His snout wrinkled when he remembered it was not made for dragons of his size, the dragoness easily dwarfing the entrance. Ramakox wrinkled his snout once more, wishing that he could change his size with a spell.

"I suppose they could be out back." Fremra pulled her inquisitive snout from the fine wood and closed her eyes softly, flaring her nostrils as she took in a deep breath.

Ramakox fidgeted in place impatiently as the dragoness he loved turned in several directions with her snout.

"Well...I'll be." she smiled, "They are out back!" Fremra trotted around the structure with a grin from ear to ear with a strut. She even swayed her tail behind her, almost grazing the blue's nose with it's tip. If he didn't know better he would think she was teasing him.

_ I will have to pay her back for the teasing later._ He lustfully growled in the back of his throat, picturing for a brief moment of biting her neck as he tied her with his maleness. He almost snapped at the swaying appendage as they made their way around back. When they emerged around the building it seemed as though there was a small party going on outside with a bunch of differently dressed mortals. They seemed to have gathered around and were waiting outside a large wooden barn, with expectant, eager faces.

"What's going on?" Ramakox asked as they came to a stop before a younger looking man who must have been a few years younger than Jandar.

"Having the baby...The barn." the man thumbed at the structure with a shrug. "They said on account of ya dragons, they wanted a place that you'd fit into.

Ramakox rumbled his approval in the back of his throat and giving the man a snort. He trained his eyes onto the dark red barn door. That was awfully considerate of them to do this...Of course...it's to be expected now. "And why are all of you out here?" he quickly added, snapping his attention back to the man as Fremra just laughed loudly to herself. "Yes?" he turned to her with a small snarl. "What's so funny?"

"Clearly you have not seen a mortal give birth." he laughter turned into chuckling as she settled down onto her hinds, and started to lick her forepaws. "I have heard it is quite painful for them to birth their young...I pity them in a way." The dragoness shrugged as her frills fluttered on either side of her head. "Because while full of pressure, egg laying was not that bad. One might even call it pleasurable for me." she tossed Ramakox a wink.

"Is this true?" The blue dragon turned to the younger male. "She is hurting in there?"

The man shrugged with a nervous chuckle. "But that is not the reason most people are here."

"Well spit it out, why are you all out here, and not providing her with aid? Or words of encouragement in her time of pain?" He narrowed his eyes at the increasingly red faced man. It brought warmth to his heart that among the sea of faces he could not count Jandar among them. He pictured his mortal in there right now, aiding his mate that he loved dearly. Just like he is supposed to do..

"Clearly you have not been to a birth before." the worn voice of an older, wrinkled man filled the air. He bore a smile on his aged face, while he leaned on a gnarled cane of worn, scratched wood. "Couldn't pay me enough to go in there."

"Is there something I don't know, that you all do?" Ramakox tiled his head to the side, his tail flicking behind him. "

"Well...she started spittin fire she did. I could almost see the steam comin out of her ears." the old man chuckled, rubbing one of his hands on his brown leather vest.

Ramakox turned to Frema with a confused look on his snout. The sea foam dragoness just shrugged her shoulder at him, clearly just as lost as he was. "Have you lost your mind?" he asked, turning back to the old man with a raised brow. "Last I heard, human's could not be spitting fire. Unless of course she drank a potion of something."

"Do ya not know metaphors?" another pock marked face man chimed in from behind them.

"I of course know what a metaphor.." the blue dragon smacked his tail on the grass as he realized what they meant. He gave a long sigh at his foolishness, hating himself for not catching it instantly. "She has a temper does she?" he pictured the red faced woman, hollering at everyone gathered around her. Her eyes filled with a fury as they burned red. So she could scare them all away...but not my son. The dragon grinned at the thought as he nodded to the man and began padding his way to the barn that contained the family he loved. Might as well go give Jandar some help...With this mortal that could spit fire.

"I'd be careful!" the old man chuckled loudly as Ramakox placed his claw on the door. "She might be even too much for a dragon to handle!"

"Please." Ramakox snorted, "She is just one mortal, why would I be scared of that?" he chuckled in the back of his throat as he slid the door open with a loud thwack.

"Don't worry, we will be ever so careful." Fremra called back to the man as she followed the blue dragon inside. She tossed Ramakox a smile as she closed the door behind her with her tail. "Sounds like one of the mortal tales." she chuckled. "Although it is the dragon's off to go face the fire spitting mortal."

"That would certainly be one to spread the tale of." he grinned as he took his first few steps forward on the dirt laden floor. His head perked up as he heard the sound of pained gasps and cries coming from further down the barn, and from one of the numerous enclosures within. He looked quickly to his left and right, figuring he could at least spread his wings wide inside of the place, if he really needed to. He smiled at the thought as the loud gasps, the pained screams, and shouts of Imzel filled his mind and made his scales shiver. His next breath filled with the smell of stress, anger, fear, all intermixed with the smell of his mortal.

"They feel huge!" Imzel screamed so loudly that Ramakox almost jumped at the sound that might have been more fitting to have come from a dragon rather than a human mouth.

"That sounds....painful." Fremra muttered with her frills drooping. "Poor girl...We will have to help or something...Maybe get her some fluids for after." The dragoness flicked her tail as they continued towards the mortals cries. "I always needed some of those after egg-laying. Exhausting it was..Each time."

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!" the woman screamed like a banshee as the pair of dragons rounded the last wooden beam to see Imzel spread out on a pile of hay with her legs held up. There was a collection of mortals dressed in various colors with amulets dangling around their necks by small metal chains. The blue dragon instantly recognized them as symbols of various deities of the realm. He spied Loki the trickster god , Heldema the god of protection, and even Tyrandaar, the god of magic. He even to his surprise spied one of the dwarven god Thor.

"AND YOU!" The red faced woman shouted again, thrusting a finger violently towards the blue dragon.

"Me?" Ramakox placed a claw to his chest as the woman's eyes glared at him with the fury of a hurricane.

"YOU RAISED HIM! YOUR SON PUT THIS INTO MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! AAHHHH" Imzel closed her eyes as she let out another scream into the air. The clerics went to her and offered her healing and other things for the pain. "NO YOU TRIED THAT ALREADY!!! AN IT DIDN"T WORK!" The woman gasped with her next few breath, and continued to glare at the dragons. "GET OUT OF HERE JANDAR! AND TAKE THE BLOODY DRAGONS WITH YOU!" she screamed again, as she raised a trembling hand and pointed towards the entrance to the barn. "TAKE THE DRAGONS AND GO, THEY DON"T NEED TO SEE ME LIKE THIS!"

Ramakox looked to his human, another thing occurring to him as he gazed at Jandar. There was not a trace of skin left on his face. In fact, his face had elongated into that of a snout. It truly looked like he was an anthropomorphic dragon at this point, he was just missing the wings.

"But...But." Jandar sputtered, gesturing to the dragons with outstretched claws.

"I said...get the focken dragons out of here.....aahhhhh!"

Ramakox pulled his neck back, part of him feeling pity for the poor girl, while the other half was irritated at her for the casual yelling and rude manners to the dragons before her. I will have to chat to her about proper manners when you have dragons for guests. He grumbled internally, wrinkling his snout as then reminded himself she should get a pass just this one time. She is in a lot of pain after all. He looked to Jandar as the man nodded and quickly bolted over to Ramakox and Fremra with a look of worry and stress plastered on his snout.

"Come on you two....Lets give her some privacy..I think shes earned that at least." Jandar gestured with the dragons with quick shooing waves of his claws.

"I would have liked to stay and help." Fremra replied softly as Jandar led them back towards the sliding door that they had entered. "She sounds like she is in so much pain." the dragoness' frills drooped as she let out a long drawn out sigh into the air.

"I know, I know." Jandar patted her scales softly with the palm of his claw. "But shes the one giving birth, if it helps her cope with the pain, then I say let her vent...I'm sure she'll apologize when this is all said and done...She loves you two!"

"Yea, yea." Ramakox snorted, pulling open the sliding door once more and letting the sun's rays suddenly stream in, and threaten to blind the dragon. He squinted his eyes and held up a claw, quickly shielding his spheres from the brilliant light.

"Looks like she kicked ya out then." the old man from before slapped his knee with a loud laugh. "I warned ya she was a feisty one!"

"Mind your tongue." Ramakox snapped at him. "She is in a lot of pain." He held up his head with a grin. "No doubt from the strong child that my son seeded in her." The blue dragon swelled his chest at this, and not understanding why he heard Jandar groan behind him.

"Can we not talk about how the child was made? We all know how it was done." the once human sighed, shaking his snout from side to side.

"I guess so...if you insist on being shy." Ramakox snorted, padding his way to a table with a smorgasbord of tasty treats. His eyes gazed out to the tabletop lined with dishes filled to the brim with samplings from all over Drenedar. He took a seat on his hinds, his tail curling around Fremra when she settled down next to him with a purr of her own filling the air, and making him feel all tingly at her happiness.

"Mmmm." she sighed, pressing into the blue dragon for a moment. "Despite her pain...I am excited for when we can meet the little mortal." she smiled, tapping her tail against his own as he looked to the collection of tasty dishes.

With the alluring scent wafting though his nostrils his mind wandered from the woman in pain. He briefly pondered if that was why the food was here in the first place, looking around to all of the other mortals that were mingling with one another. The dragon twitched his tail as he smelled roasted pork, sauteed in some sort of fruity smelling sauce. His maw watered as his eyes went to each creation that the mortals had laid out. He took a breath and fought the urge to simply gobble it all down. He instead grabbed two roast geese that were tantalizingly sitting on off white plates, and just daring him snatch them up. He ripped into the steaming meat like he had not eaten for days. It made his tail twitch as the bones crunched and the meat practically melted in his mouth. "Mmmmmm." he rumbled in approval as he turned back to catch Fremra laying down with Jandar leaning up on her chest with her forepaw wrapped around his waist.

"Is it always this stressful?" he asked the dragoness as she played with his head with a snort.

"Sometimes." she said soothingly, licking affectionately across his head like he was some sort of hatchling. "It's a strange mixture of fright and delight each time." she cooed, tapping her tail gently behind her as Ramakox brought himself over to the pair.

The blue dragon quickly offered them any of the food he had snatched from the table, smirking to himself when they refused. More for me after all. He popped the second goose into his maw, and crunched away at it happily.

"Tell me how you're feeling." Fremra asked softly, pulling the half-dragon close to her orange belly scales. "I wish to know."

"Happy..Scared...Worried." Jandar replied calmly, raising a claw to tenderly caress the motherly dragon's face as she continued to try and sooth him with her gently licks. "You can stop your fussing..I am not a hatchling you know."

"Ah but you practically are. Just look at how you tremble and shiver." she chuckled as she continued to lick him. "Sit back and relax...There is nothing you can do but wait for the arrival....Trust me." Her frills fluttered as she purred in delight. The blue half-dragon in her grip stopped resisting and let her work with a sigh.

"Fine...you win," he chuckled, leaning back into her scales.

"As you should." she laughed. "I'm only trying to look out for you little one...You're practically family at this point to me as well." she snickered. "And that was before you decided to loose all your human like qualities."

"Hmmph." Jandar crossed his arms, a smile coming to his snout.

Ramakox sat munching away at the goose still in his maw, savoring the flavor as the two had their tender moment. It warmed his heart to see Fremra taking such care of his mortal, and proud that Jandar was opening up to her so much. It was as she had just said...They were family. The blue dragon could not help but picture a little hatchling slithering where Jandar was now, purring away as the seam-foam dragoness licked at their scales.

"So how was it for you each time?" the once human asked, looking up to the affectionate dragonesss after quite some time. They had been sitting in relative silence, the only sound of her purrs to keep them company.

"Do you mean my hatchlings?" she asked, raising a brow.

Ramakox caught his breath for a moment, considering the dragoness' past with her little ones. He prepared himself to open a wing and curl it and be the warmth to sooth her troubled soul. However the dragoness didn't shy away from the question or look sad in the slightest. She only gave a smile as she spoke fondly to the inquisitive mortal.

"I watched it three different times...Each one having the same mixture of feelings." Fremra looked out as if she were watching her eggs hatch before her eyes. "There would be a slight crack, followed another more firm one." She chuckled, tapping the air with a claw. "Then the shell would would move ever so slightly...I would be watching intently, with bated breath and offering sweet words of encouragement." Fremra's frills then suddenly drooped as her eyes started to mist up. "Then the egg would break...and pop...out comes their little teal snouts and bright eyes." the dragoness sniffed as tears rolled down her cheeks, but the smile did not fade from her. "It was one of my favorite days of my entire life." She pulled Jandar tighter against her scales as she shivered from the memory. She lowered her snout and pressed it firmly to the mortal's chest, causing Jandar to stroke her tenderly.

"I will remember this days always then." the once human smiled, petting her pebbly cheeks as Ramakox tossed a wing around her and snuggled up to her scales.

The blue dragon lowered his snout towards the dragoness he loved, and offered her a gentle, affectionate lick across her snout. Hoping that would be enough to at least help.

"You will." Fremra rose her snout with a sniff, still smiling. She pressed up against Ramakox and made him rumble his approval. "Thank you my radiant sapphire." she smiled, licking the blue dragon's snout in return.

"It's what I do." he smiled, wiggling against her scales and making her blush. "Comfort my favorite dragoness, and make sure my son is holding his head high." He looked to the barn, his own heart beating faster as he kneaded the ground with his claws. "So have you picked out names yet? The day is here you know." He turned his attention to the Jandar once more, giving him a quick wink.

"Nope!" the half-dragon replied with a smile. "Wanted to have it be a surprise to us when they popped out she said." The man folded his arms once again, his tail flicking gently against Fremra's scales. "We figured to come up with them when they were born. That way we were not attached to a single name over the other."

"Makes sense." Ramakox grumbled. He had remembered thinking it was for the best when he was told the news months ago, but he figured the man would have at least picked out some names now that the day was actually here. The blue dragon flicked his tail as they sat in silence. Fremra was nuzzling Jandar ever few minutes bringing out a slight laugh from the expectant father. This continued on until from the barn came one of the half-elf clerics. The man's face was almost white as he strode over towards the two dragon's and Jandar.

"Jandar." the man spoke with a voice filled with urgency and concern. "You should come quick...and bring the dragons." He looked up with his amber eyes towards Fremra and then to Ramakox, they were filled with confusion. There is something that you should...just come this way." the worried looking man turned around on one foot, and waved for the group to follow him back the way he had come. "Follow me please."

Ramakox shivered as they entered the barn right after the troubled half-elf. Something wasn't right, the dragon could feel it in his bones the moment the sun overhead was shut out by the closing of the door behind them. He took a deep breath and snorted as the feeling tingled to his limbs and made them itch. Like little insects scrambling around underneath his scales. He looked once more to their guide, his color had let to return and his pace did not slow down in the slightest. Now Ramakox had never been to a birthing or mortals of course, but he doubted they involved this much dread and unease.

"It's fine...It's fine." he head Jandar whisper to himself as they inched closer and closer with each worried step.

The blue dragon nosed him in the back with a quick snort of air. The brief gesture he hoped would at least calm his troubled son, and put his mind at ease.

"Thanks." the half-dragon quickly replied in a whisper, reaching back to pat the blue dragon's nose.

Ramakox rose his head once more, the smell of fear growing stronger with each step with the half-elf cleric. He steeled his nerves as they reached the final corner, trying to prepare himself for some form of bad news. He shook his head trying to rid it of all the myriad of problems that could be happening. She is fine. He said to himself, starting to sound like the son that he had nosed. Was it possible she died in childbirth? No,No, no....She had so many clerics around her...there is no way that happened. He turned his head to look nervously at Fremra, who all things considered looked calm and and example of peace. The blue wished for a moment to have her serenity as his heard pounded in fear at what they would find. He was not prepared for what they found around the corner, with the cleric stuttering and holding out his arms.

"Y-Your daughter...I think."

Ramakox's eyes widened and his jaw dropped almost in unison with Fremra and Jandar's. His mind rebelled at what he saw, desperately trying to comprehend what was before them. For Imzel was lying down, her face less red than it had been before and covered in sweat. Within her arms was a blue scaled hatchling female all wrapped up in a tan blanket. The hatchling looked to be pressing itself against her for warmth, her sunflower yellow eyes briefly going to Ramakox before returning to her mother.

"I know...A shock." Imzel spoke first, smiling at the little bundle of joy that she was holding. "Expected to have a proper baby, not a bloody dragon pop out of me!" she laughed, stroking the wyrmling's scales causing the little one to let out a cute sounding purr. "Course what did I expect? When I'm married to a man who is a half-dragon? Of course I was going to have a dragon for a baby!"

"That's....That's.." Jandar smiled, rushing over with tears in his silver eyes. "Ours?" he continued with a hint of confusion as his snout conformed into a large smile.

"Mmmmhmm." Imzel gestured to the hatchling with a quick nod. "Beautiful isn't she?"

"Fascinating." Ramakox whispered to himself, finally finding his voice after several minutes of stunned silence. He could feel the dread that had gripped his heart slowly melting away with each moment that Jandar looked to his offspring and offered her praise after praise. Ramakox tilted his head to the side as he watched the joy wash over the mortal's snout. More questions rising to the fore front of his mind with each second.

"It certainly is interesting." Fremra replied softly as she brushed up against his scales with a gentle croon. "Always nice to see new parents...and a dragon? That is certainly a nice surprise." She rumbled, nuzzling his neck.

So what happened? He pressed back to the teal's touch, giving her a rumble in return from his throat. He wrinkled his snout as he observed the delighted parents, his eyes wandering to the little dragoness caught between them. Shouldn't they have had a baby with scales at the most? He involuntarily tilted his head to the side as he lied down onto all fours. What could have happened to make him have a real live dragon birthed from the mortal female? Ramakox drummed his talons against the ground one by one until he realized with widened eyes what happened. The ritual. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered the risks the Emerald Lady had warned about all those years ago...The risks that he disregarded and lied to the boy about. But look at them. His mind whispered to him, trying to soothe his racing heart. Everything turned out fine...He can even put dragons into mortals!

"So congratulations are in order then." Fremra spoke for Ramakox, who once more could not find his voice as he lost himself in his thoughts. "So what are we going to name the little dragoness?" The dragoness nestled up beside the blue dragon, curling her tail around him as she spoke with her sing-song voice.

"Hmmm...Let me think." Jandar smiled to his daughter, holding his arms out wide. "Can I?" he gestured to the little one, whose eyes were locked onto him.

"Of course you can stupid." Imzel rolled her eyes with a smile. "Stop being so daft, shes your little drake is she not?" the woman placed the little dragon into Jandar's arms with a sigh. "There we are...Now hold her tight, she was squirming something awful."

"Hi little one." the half-dragon spoke softly, his eyes starting to mist as the hatchling rose her snout to sniff the man's own. "Welcome to the world."

Ramakox wiped his eyes with a wing talon as he felt his own spheres start to moisten in pride for his mortal. His sight lingered onto the hatchling who had started to nuzzle the mortal he loved. And my grand daughter....The dragon born to two mortal parents...Ramakox grinned as he swelled up his chest. Yes....Grand indeed.

"Hi daddy." the hatchling giggled, licking the half-dragon across his snout. "I recognized your voice from beyond the egg."

"S-she talks." Jandar laughed, bursting into tears while he held his daughter tighter. "Oh my gods...She talks!" the man cried out, the joy spreading from him like a wave. "Wait a moment...Egg?" he looked to Imzel with a raised brow and a smile. "That wasn't an egg little one."

"Ya huh." the hatchling nuzzled him again with a soft purr. "You can't twick me..We come from eggs...I know that."

"Guess I'm an egg now." Imzel laughed, joined by Fremra who had lowered her snout to the little one with her frills fluttering slightly.

"Who are you?" the little dragoness squeaked, looking to the dragon pair as she seemed to clutch onto Jandar tighter through the cloth.

"I'm Fremra little one." the teal dragoness cooed, her voice practically breaking as she spoke. "And this other blue dragon is Ramakox...We are..." Fremra pressed her snout to the hatchling's head gently, and nuzzling her with a small rumble. "Our family."

"YAY!" the hatchling smiled with a tiny cheer, closing her eyes in joy. "I has family!" she pressed her snout into Jandar once more, nuzzling the laughing man once more as her tail swished below her.

"Yes...yes you do." Jandar hugged her, and pressing his snout against the wiggling dragoness' own. Tears were once more flowing down his cheeks as the hatchling continued to nuzzle him. "Yes you do."

*

The night was interesting to say the least. It started when the little not to be named yet dragoness declared that she was hungry. The mortals had exchanged worried glances as they were not entirely sure what to feed the little hungry snout. They made mention that normal babies usually drank milk straight from their mother's breast. Something that Ramakox had wrinkled his snout at the idea. However one look to the little dragon's teeth was all it took to sour Imzel from the idea. For she was terrified the damage her little one could do to her tender boobs..

Thankfully Fremra was there to quickly aid the two. She suggested that they find some food outside, and chew it up for her, and at least make it easier for her to digest. The dragoness had trotted out with a flick of her tail, and returning quickly with several mortals carrying various trays of the food that had been outside.

"It's not perfect." the dragoness had wrinkled her snout. "But it will have to do for now."

They each took turns offering the little scaled offspring pieces of goose, ham, lamb, and even some beef that had been brought over. The little one of course tried them all, smacking up the offerings with a big smile and lightly swaying her tail beneath her. She even started to purr midway through her feasting, that made everyones collective hearts melt from the cuteness. They spent the rest of the evening alongside the new parents, keeping them company and offering to hold the little wiggling dragoness.

Ramakox smiled larger than he thought possible when she pressed a paw gently to his snout.

"You have a big head." she had giggled, and wiggled in his grip to no avail.

"Oh yes..Very big." he had chuckled, licking her across her face and making her purr once again in approval. He sighed, thinking about little hatchlings of his own, scampering around his cave. He internally trilled at the image of three or four playing about in his lair, gnawing away at each other as he scolded them for not paying attention. He shifted his tail across the barn floor as he imagined telling them story after story of his other son's accomplishments, and kissing the dragoness he loved when she would ever get close enough.

Things however cannot last forever, their little visit to the hatchling was over when she could barely keep her head up, and gave a long and tired yawn. Fremra had nosed the blue dragon to leave, and gesturing to the pleased couple with a smile. "Let's give them some privacy...It's been a long day after all." She pulled Ramakox away with her wing wrapped around him, and dragged him back to the entrance. He offered a quick good bye, and pressed into the dragoness' scales with a pleased rumble.

"You're thinking something naughty arn't you my Sea Lilly?" he growled lustfully in his throat as he imagined his body thrusting up against her own.

"Maybe." she giggled, her frills fluttering before his eyes. "Thought we may want to be quiet about it." she added, nuzzling his neck with her own. She pulled back slightly and licked his snout tenderly. "We don't want to wake ALL the mortals of the village up."

"Oh...I will try." he licked her snout back, flicking his tail with a pleased grin. "No promises however, I recall you have forced me to roar out my pleasure several times." he went in for a kiss, locking his snout with hers as they pushed their way out through the barn's sliding door. The air filled with pleased snorts, soft groans, and gasps of pleasure.

They mated passionately in the darkness that night, giggling as they tried to keep their sounds of orgasmic bliss muffled. Ramakox had nibbled along her neck, producing soft sounds of delight before breeding her with gentle thrusts. It was satisfying to end such a delightful day like this, knotted to the female that he loved. He finished her off with a deep passionate kiss as he filled her nethers to the brim with pulses of his thick dragon seed. He had groaned in delight as her pussy had fluttered and sucked every ounce that he was willing to give her. They flopped down onto their sides after they were done, his maleness still tying them together when they nuzzled each other and together they eventually drifted off to a pleasure induced sleep.

*

Ramakox blinked groggily as he pulled his head up from the warm scales of his lovely dragoness. It was still night out, as the stars had not yet faded away with the sun's warm glow. He gave a long tongue curling yawn, as he shifted casually in place, finding that he had retracted into his slit as he was no longer tied to Fremra. He ran a claw briefly along her scales, admiring the slow rise and fall of her chest. What woke me? He asked himself as the dragon scanned the grassy area behind the house for anything that could have done the deed. He pictured at first some sort of bird, chirping away noisily that might have done it, or one of the many times that Jandar had managed to wake him up far too earlier than he would have liked. He wrinkled his snout as he pictured the accidental explosions that had rocked his home with a thunderous crack, and filling the cave with the smell stinging smoke. It had filled him with dread as he worried the mortal would actually set something valuable on fire.

_ Thank the gods those days are over._ He chuckled to himself, flopping his tail gently as he laid his head back down onto the grass. He pressed himself up against Fremra, the sound of her breath soothing him, and making his eye lids start to grow heavy once more. He let out a pleased rumble as he closed them and readied himself to be caught in sleeps embrace.

That is when it happened, from the barn came an ear splitting screech that radiated through the night. Ramakox's eyes bolted open as a shiver went through his spine and all the way to the tip of his tail. Oh no. he bolted up to all fours, his stomach already feeling queezy as the familiar feeling of dread built up once more within him.

"W-whats going on?" Fremra mumbled sleepily, lazily opening one eye as Ramakox sprinted past her on his way to the barn.

The blue dragon grabbed the sliding door, throwing it open violently with a loud crash. Please be ok...Please be okay. The mental repetition doing little to soothe him, or melt the ice that had gripped his heart with it's freezing grasp. With each paw that he put onto the soft ground he felt pieces of his heart already begin to chip away. His mind started to once more picture horrible things as he neared the ever increasing sound of sobbing. He almost slipped on his way over to them, struggling to keep his balance when he came to a stop before the two mortals.

Imzel was hunched over the tan cloth that had been used to wrap the dragoness in. Her face a deep shade of crimson, and her eyes filled with tears. Jandar was right along side of her, his arm tossed around her quivering shoulders, his own silvered eyes misted over and wet. In Imzel arms was the dragoness from before, however something was wrong. The little bundle of energy that had been excitable for the last few hours was silent, un-moving, and it looked almost like she was...

_ No._

The quivering couple let out another pained sob as they looked to the little un-moving dragoness. Trembling and shaking as the tears continued to stream down their faces, and made it look like tiny rivers had sprung from their tear ducts.

"What...what happened." Ramakox struggled to say as he swallowed down the lump in his throat. He clutched at his chest, his heart feeling like though someone had stabbed it repeatedly with a spear. His paws trembled as he took his next few steps, the sounds of the mortals cries drowning out any sound that he was making. His eyes misted as he looked to his mortal, shivering and trembling like a cat soaked in water. The dragon hung his head, as Imzel's cries were even worse. If there was ever a sound that could accurately describe pure despair, the sound of her wails would be close enough.

"How.." Ramakox lost his words as he snaked his snout closer to the little scaled thing that had made his heart feel so warm earlier in the day. It was hard to make out by how tightly Imzel was clutching at her, but it looked like there were little black lines that crawled up over her blue scales, and spread out like little obsidian crack along the tapestry of her hide. He felt numb when the first tear tolled down his pebbly cheek, his own sob starting to work its way from his throat as the blue dragon felt himself tremble. She didn't even have a name yet. His mind reminded him as the second tear came right behind the first. It was then that he unleashed his own sob with twitching wings. How...could this happen?

"What's going on?" came Fremra's voice from behind them, only to be followed by a pained scream as the dragoness' voice cracked. "No,no,no,no." she cried, rushing over towards the couple with tears already in her purple eyes. "Not again." she started to shutter as her claws extended and shook. She stopped for a moment before rushing to Ramakox, and wrapping her limbs and wings around him tightly. She twitched in his grip, wrapping her neck around him and let out her own pained sounds that made her sound like a wounded animal. "Why..Why..why.?" she repeated, as Ramakox draped his own head over her.

The dragon clutched his teal mate tighter than before when he felt her tears splatter against his blue armor like little droplets of rain. He closed his eyes as he felt the hopelessness that once drove him to despair because of Infinity's capture. They all stayed like that for quite some time, no other sound coming but the mournful sobs of parents and dragon. The only words that escaped any of their mouths expressed the disbelief that this was happening at all. Like this was some horrid nightmare, and that all of them would be waking up at any moment to find the dragoness alive and well. This however did not happen.

With a heavy heart Ramakox rose his head to look at the wed couple through still blurry eyes, It _ was even harder to look at the little dragoness dead between them, but when he did his eyes widened. He knew deep down within himself what this was all from. Just like it had always been, and what he suspected. Just like the spells, the scales, the tail, and the dragoness birthed to a mortal mother. This tragedy was caused by the ritual that started it all. The blue dragon twitched his tail as he felt the familiar feeling of guilt strike at his very soul. With a shaking wing talon, he wiped the warm tears from his eyes, silently making a vow to himself to set everything right. _I need to know...I need to know if it was ACTUALLY the ritual. He felt anger rise in his chest as he pictured that spell all those years ago, and the lie he told the mortal for his plan. He gave you so much....and this is his reward? The one I call son? He should not have to suffer like he is.

Ramakox tore himself away from the cries and sobs of the mortals he loved to sit outside and stare up at the stars above. With blurry eyes he gazed out to the shining balls of light, drumming his claws nervously on the dirt. It was not long before Fremra sheepishly sat beside him, and curled her tail around him. She let out a whine as she pressed herself up against him, sniffing as she wiped away her own tears. He spread a wing wide, and quickly wrapped it around the compromised dragoness, pulling her against him without another thought. He gave a soft sigh as her warmth wasn't able to fully cast away the darkness they had just witnessed, but it certainly helped stay off more. The numbness he had felt over the whole thing had started to recede with each beating of her heart. He looked to her, worry nagging at his mind. What would she think of me?

"I know..." He spoke softly, struggling to produce the words from his mouth. "What happened." He took a deep breath as his whole body trembled and shame gripped his mind. So Ramakox told her everything that he had done. He told of her of his aspirations at the time involving the boy, and the lie that he thought was bringing about such misfortune now. With each sentence he felt even worse then before, picturing Jandar in his mind crying his eyes out in that barn. When he finished with his tale he was out of breath, the guilt still feeling like it was weight wrapped around his body, and he was tossed into the sea to drown. His heart beat ever faster when he saw Fremra wrinkle her snout and shoot him a look of disgust.

"You...Did...what?" she snarled, flaring her head back. "After all this time you used him as a pawn in your little scheme?" she continued with a taught voice, snapping her jaw at the end of it. She took a forceful step towards him, ripping up some earth with her claws and tossing it violently behind her.

"At first it was like that." he took a defensive step back as the dragoness snarled once more. "For a time yes." the blue dragon hung his head as his mind swirled around a black void. "That's all I had wanted from him, some tool to help increase my own fame and renown. "

"That makes me sick." Fremra shot back with a wicked hiss and with a fire that burned hotter than the sun. "And I bet you never told him that did you?" she snapped her jaws inches from his own, but he did not respond.

_ If anything she should be clawing me right now...Biting away at my hide until I can't truly feel anything._ "But after a time he grew on me....and now I ...well you know....Hes....my son." He looked up to the angry dragoness, feeling ever worse as she stared at him. "I would never do anything to hurt him."

"Except for that one time that is!" she thrust a wing talon towards the barn. "You could very well be the death of him!"

Her words struck to his core, sending a wave of cold once more to wrap around him like a cloak. "I know." he replied sheepishly, not able to look her in the eyes. "I regret that decision every day...Sometimes telling myself it turned out for the better....and nothing bad happened...It got easier and easier to not tell him." Ramakox sighed. "Why even possibly ruin what we had if nothing bad was coming of it?"

"Because all you had built with the mortal had been on a lie." the dragoness hissed, thrashing her tail against the ground with a loud smack.

" I just didn't...." Ramakox felt his heart sink, although he did not know how...As he thought he was already at his lowest point. "Want to loose him....You know how it is."

"Don't compare out situations!" the dragoness gasped, then growling from her throat. "I never did anything to hurt or risk my offspring!"

"I wouldn't now!" he replied with a raised voice. "I love him Fremra! Please!"

The dragoness backed away, shaking her head softly. She then glared at him for a moment, her tail flicking behind her. "You have to make this right...Starting tonight." She snorted, twitching her frills angrily, the membranes starting to slightly glow a faint orange that lit up the surrounding grass. "You have to tell him what you have done." She gestured to the barn with a snarl. "He deserves to know why he lost a daughter this evening. He should know why he has experienced the worst pain a parent can...The pain they should never have to experience."

"Please." Ramakox hung his head lower, agreeing with everything that she had said. Each sentence another stab to his already wounded soul. "L-let me have a plan to help him before we tell him..I don't want..." The blue dragon flicked his tail, the words struggling to come from him as he knew Fremra was staring at him. He was surprised when she did not let him answer and instead cupped his head with a claw and made him kiss her on the snout.

"Deal...Now let's work on how to solve this, and you can go back to being the dragon I know I love."

The blue dragon nodded weakly, plunging his snout into her chest as coating her scales with another thin layer of crystalline tears. He let out another sob, as he was thankful for having such an understanding dragon in his life.

"So what is the plan?" she asked softly, gently running her claws along his back. "How are you going to fix this? For I will not let you wait long to tell him."

"I know." he quivered in her grip, trying to not think about how vulnerable he looked right this moment, pressed tightly within her limbs. "Emerald Lady." he said softly, picturing the green dragoness in his mind. He imagined her glowing eyes glaring at him and Fremra from within her throne room. "She is the one who cast the ritual in the first place...Perhaps she has a way to remove it?"

"Perhaps." Fremra caressed the back his neck causing him to lean into her pleasing touch. "Then you tell that mortal whats what...Agreed?"

The blue dragon nodded without a thought. His mortal deserved to know what was done with his life all these years ago. He wiped away his tears with a single digit, flicking the liquid to the grass below with a small sniff. Enough weeping. He told himself, gently nuzzling the dragoness that brought such warmth into his bones. The Lady will make everything right....I know it.