Just Desert
This is an unfinished work, and if time allows likely my first adult work of its kind. Since there is nothing of sexual note at this moment, I will deem it clean for now. I am not experienced in adult works, and am still in that "nerves" phase of doing so. Otherwise, enjoy the two-and-a-quarter pages I have made and that three college writing assignments keep me from finishing at this moment.
The sun was high in the blue sky, its rays beating down on the yellow sands of the Western Desert. Nobody of the region could say how far it extended, as most travelers stopped at the towns along its eastern river banks separating it from the greener plains or on the opposite side of the mountains to the north. Those that had gone into the desert have either disappeared, or came back out of water and nothing gained in the process. It is rumored, though, that if you rode into the center of the desert, and could carry on for an entire day after your water would run out, there awaits an oasis covered with gold on its borders and sapphires in the water...
"Yeah, like any man should believe such a tale." Ramah laughed to nobody in particular. He was far beyond what the humans called their own point of no return and was only smiling more because of it. He didn't have to wear any magical items to keep his draconic features hidden anymore, and the sun's glare was nothing more than the usual for his species of drake. He felt more at home here than when he was at home. The desert sand blown passed him and up the sand dune he was currently climbing with ease, a large pack between his wings keeping him from sprinting up like he normally would.
At the top, the lone dragon paused as he took in the sight of this "legendary oasis." Its form, untouched by man, held true to the description that the water did seem to have sapphires in its blue waters and gold lacing its banks. Come to think of it, if the dragoness he came to visit was as successful recently as he heard, then it might be correct to assume she kept some of her treasure to flaunt in such a way. Ramah patted himself down, making sure he didn't lose anything important in his climb up... Then stepped off over the edge into a downward slide to the base of the dune.
Merely another half hour of travel had him reach the slightly greener edges of the oasis, trees gathered on the opposite side of the pool of water, covering the entrance to the only solid rock cave nearby while purple flowers were dispersed around the area. Ramah knew better than to travel any closer without first finding its owner. With a huff, he dropped his pack gently as he examined his surroundings more thoroughly from where he stood, taking extra care to look at the purple flowers.
The deep purple color matched the same shade of the fur at the top of his wings, another trait he cared for in this desert, as the vegetation was food for the larger wildlife that went from oasis to oasis looking for their next meal. It was the perfect way to keep fed in an environment that left little mercy to those relying on luck... and also a good way to find her, if he could remember the dragoness' size last time they had met. He sat in wait, letting his wings spread to take in more of the sunlight before its setting in a few hours. After that, he would need to find shelter from the extreme cold it would bring.
As he kept still, watching the water lap up against what could only be a few pieces of royal stamped gold embedded in the sands, a small puff of loose dirt only a few meters away grabbed his attention. Two flowers stood equal distances from where the sand was disturbed, causing Ramah to smile in delight. He stood up, opening his pack to reveal a variety of different items, of which half was taken up with food and canteens. Lifting what looked to be a good leg of cured meat, he aimed and thrown its hefty weight to land between the flowers.
The near perfect toss was rewarded with an eruption of sand in all directions as the dragoness sprung from her hiding place under the surface to claw at...Nothing? Still buried from her rear legs back, she glanced from side to side without evidence of what she thought was prey only realizing her mistake when she looked down to see the piece of meat now spiced with the local gritty seasoning. She huffed, lifting her gaze upward to find Ramah still smiling but reaching into his pack again. Knowing that her unexpected guest wasn't threatening, she pulled herself out of her trap and shook the loose sand from her scaled body.
"I know you are used to fresher, but it beats waiting for your next meal to walk by. Don't you agree, Remedy?" Ramah stated as he pulled out a similar piece of cured meat, walking towards the dragoness. His anthro height of sixty-seven inches being dwarfed by the ten feet of feral Remedy as he approached.
"You cannot be picky in the desert, Ramah." The dragoness replied, grabbing the sandy cured meat for a sniff. She had been laying in wait for hours and it didn't seem to be paying this time around. She bit into the dried flesh in mock distaste of its texture and rolled her tongue around it before swallowing. A hint of sweetness peeked through the sand's flavor. "Mmm, you remembered the honey this time around."
"I am not one to forget a friendly request." Ramah smiled at the comment, raising the second piece in hand toward her. "You can have this one too. I found a camel to eat on my way here. Their meat is more stringy than the last time I came through." It didn't take long for both pieces of meat to disappear into the hungry dragoness' stomach, but it gave Ramah enough time to admire her form.
Remedy's agile frame didn't betray much of the strength hidden under her own yellow scale color, time matched to fit her current environment. Her twin horns were natural, rather than his own metallic horn, likely from her mother's side. Purple fur-scales like his own punctuated her body at the top of her wings and the tip of her tail, the latter was something he didn't have. He was happy to see no scars or misaligned scales in her hide, meaning she spent little time fighting for what treasure she possessed...His sight kept traveling farther from her head and closer to her hindquarters, noting every little detail he could in his mind until one claw rose, making a gesture upwards, snapping him up from his thoughts. "I am sorry, did you need something, Remedy?"
The dragoness smiled for the first time in his presence. "Just reminding you that wandering eyes does little for your own appearance." She stood up and stretched, walking for the welcoming shade of the trees outside her cave. "So what brings you so far away from your town, Ramah? Your punishment leaves little room to do so."
"Oh, yes!... Ah, well I remember trading letters with you since we first met about three years ago." Ramah ran to grab his pack up before following his host into the shade. "Since then I had been able to ask around about the different females of the nearby territories. I've been able to take a mate for some time now-"
"But with you serving a familial punishment, no high-blood female is willing to be your companion? Not surprising." Remedy finished the drake's thought. She laid down in the shade, looking back just in time to see Ramah's head droop for a moment with the mention of his admonishment. "How many have you asked so far this year?"
"Three, not including you. Each one had passed me over for another drake of better standing." Ramah admitted. If he didn't say now, he knew Remedy would find out in other ways. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It is disheartening to say it bluntly." He set his pack down next to Remedy before rubbing noses with her in a test of personal space.
"So I am the fourth? There are still a few more you could have courted before me." Remedy replied, rubbing back with some affection. "Not that I mind. Punished or not, you are an immediate descendant of the Storm Clan's brood father. Blood that strong is hard to come by."
"If that is your way to letting me continue..." Ramah lost any sense of anxiety when he wasn't immediately rejected by the dragoness. He reached into the pack, pulling out a small potted flower. Its aqua petals matched the water of the oasis nearly perfectly, fading to a yellow shade in the center. "I know you like the color blue, so I found one of the rarer plants around my region. It took half my water to make sure it survived this long." He explained as she tilted her head, looking over the flower in its soil. It was certainly a unique courting gift, if a bit more on the daily upkeep than jewelry or gold.