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Here's Chapter 3 of Dragon Tribe. Been working on this one a while, meant to have it posted last weekend, but it just got longer and longer. So I have divided it up until 2 chapters. But look on the bright side, instead of the really long wait between DT1 and DT2, there will only be a few days to wait between DT3 and DT4.

In this chapter, Garnoth and Kaythos chase down the gryphon they caught spying on them, and things do not turn out as planned. This is the most action packed peice I've yet to write for SoFurry. It's also the peice with the heaviest character development and plot progression, so if you've been following the story from the beginning I really hope you enjoy!

If you haven't read Chapters 1 and 2, you'd be better off reading those first, as this chapter picks up exactly where the last two left off. And if you're just looking for some hot M/M dragon sex...well, chapters 1 and 2 are full of it! ( And so will be chapter 4. ) And if you like these characters or you enjoy story, plot, action, combat, character development and more to go with the sexy dragon action, I present to you Dragon Tribe Chapter 3, the Spoils of War.

If you enjoy, please leave comments!

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Garnoth charged through the forest, heedless of the danger he might be putting himself into. The young black dragon had never been one to over think things; he preferred action to deep thought. As far as he was concerned this gryphon was a spy. If Garnoth were to avoid endangering himself by letting the bird go, it might put his entire tribe in danger. The moment Kaythos put words to the suspicions they both shared Garnoth's protective instincts took over.

Garnoth had never run so fast. Sprinting was never his strong suit, but in truth was it the strength of any dragon? A dragon's strength was in his power and in his naturally protective suit of armored scales and plates. A dragon's strength was also in his claws, his teeth, and for some dragons his flames. Speed and agility upon the ground were not exactly a weakness for the average dragon, but compared to a gryphon, dragons certainly lagged behind in those attributes. For while dragons were often larger and stronger then the feather-wings from the neighboring clan, the gryphons were far more fleet of foot. And as many dragons from Garnoth's tribe had discovered in the past, the claws and beaks of gryphons were more than sharp enough to rend through all but the hardest dragon scale.

Yet Garnoth was not about to let that dissuade him from pursing this gryphon. The gryphon had a good head start and was considerably faster then Garnoth, but the black dragon hoped where the gryphon was a sprinter the dragon would be a marathoner. Garnoth also hoped the untamed nature of the thick forest they ran through would slow the gryphon down at least a little.

It did, but not by much. The gryphon darted and wove between the trunks of massive trees shrouded in emerald mosses or veiled in the star-shaped leaves of coiling vines. Here and there he bounded over the top of tree stumps, glancing up at the dense, nigh impenetrable canopy every few moments. The forest was too thick for the gryphon to take to the skies here, but as soon as he saw an opening it was clear the gryphon was going to ascend. Garnoth would have to try and catch him before that as he was fairly certain the agile gryphon could out maneuver the dragon in the open skies. Worse, once on the wing the swift flying creature would be able to bolt straight for his home territory, and it would not be long after that when a legion of gryphons would swiftly ascend to help their comrade in feathers.

Garnoth did everything in his power to catch up. He forced his body to run faster, and harder. The young dragon's large heart pounded heavily in his chest, threatening to rattle the black scales right off his body. His lungs heaved and pumped like powerful bellows, and all four of his legs ached as if begging him to give up the pursuit. With his attention on the golden brown beast sprinting ahead of him, the rest of the forest rushed past him in little more then green and brown streaks and smears at the edge of his vision. The heavy, earthen scent of the forest was smothered for the moment by the faintly avian, faintly feline and completely predatory scent of the gryphon. There was also a hint of fear in that scent, but just a hint.

Garnoth began to worry when he realized exactly where they were. Up ahead where the remains of two trees Garnoth had once dubbed the Dead Twins. A rather morbid name, but given that he'd first discovered them as a youth, the name seemed fitting at the time. The two trees had grown up next to each other, their limbs entangled as they each fought for dominance an inch at a time. A lightning strike had set them both to flame, and as they lived together so had they died together. The remains of one tree still stood tall and upright, while the other had long ago rotted from the inside and collapsed against it's twin. Now it formed a sort of blackened, rotting arch, each trunk covered with several shelf-like layers of gray and blue fungus. And not far past the Dead Twins the forest opened up a great deal in a place where another storm had once knocked down entire swaths of trees with devastating winds. If the gryphon made it that far he'd have plenty of space to leap into the skies and unveil his wings.

Till he was able to take to the skies, there was only a faint trail for the gryphon to follow if he wished to maintain his superior speed. Garnoth himself along with Kaythos and a few other young dragons had walked this area enough times to forge something resembling a trail here. Though in this case that simply meant there was a little less underbrush and a few more paw prints imprinted in the layers of layers of pale green mosses, and dead brown leaves, along with a few torn and trampled ferns remaining from the last time someone had taken this trail. Come to think of it, perhaps that damn gryphon himself had come this way. Garnoth hoped the gryphon would have to expand valuable seconds going around the dead trees as he wouldn't be able to fit beneath the arch, and the leaving the faint trail to skirt around the Dead Twins would take even longer due to the thickness of all the underbrush.

Garnoth's hopes were dashed when rather then pause to pick his way around the large, dead trees the gryphon simply hurdled right over them. He leapt, caught himself atop the leaning tree, and leapt again. At least Garnoth had a good look at the bird for a moment. For the most part the fur along his backside and haunches looked to be of a golden brown color. The feathers of his wings were a little darker brown tone, speckled with some gray and black. The under feathers along the base and back edge of his wings were a bright crimson hue, as were some of the tail feathers sprouting from around the base of his somewhat leonine tail. Garnoth also caught a glimpse between the creature's hind legs, definitely a male gryphon. Two rather plump gryphon testicles hung there inside a pale, sandy brown furred sac. Garnoth couldn't help but think he'd have fun knocking those around to teach the bird a lesson about spying on dragons.

Still, if he didn't find a way to catch up to the damn bird, he wouldn't be knocking anything around. Much as he hated to destroy the Dead Twins landmark, Garnoth knew he'd never be able to hurtle it the same way the gryphon had. So instead he simply barreled right through it. The trees had been dead long enough the wood was soft and rotted in many places, dry and brittle in others. The dragon lifted his horned head to make sure he wouldn't injure his neck, and let his broad chest and strong shoulders take the brunt of the impact.

Smashing into the dead trees hurt a little, but not too badly. It didn't even knock the wind from the dragon, just left his chest aching. The leaning Twin, however, took far more damage. The rotten log simply exploded outwards from the impact, and the tree's destruction was violent enough so send wooden shrapnel and brown debris in fanning out in all directions. It even showered the fleeing gryphon's back with chips of soft rotten wood and scores of angry termites and other furious insects. Garnoth hoped they were the sort of insects that liked to bite things when they were angry. His own scales would protect him from the wrath of any ants and centipedes that might have clung to him in a futile attempt to avenge the destruction of their home. But if they could get down through the gryphon's fur, they would find nice soft skin to sink their mandibles into. Maybe they were even venomous. That'd serve the damn bird right.

The gryphon shook himself as he ran, squawking in alarm. Much as Garnoth hated to admit it, that squawk was sorta cute. The gryphon fluffed up his fur and feathers in an effort to dislodge the myriad crawly things now infesting him. Maybe he'd get a few ticks, too. Good! Garnoth smiled at the mental image of the poor gryphon sitting around back in his clan, trying to locate and pull all the buried ticks from beneath his fur. Dirty gryphon. All that fur and those feathers, probably got infested with ticks often. And fleas, too. Yes, he was sure of it. Then again, the gryphons probably thought all dragons were infested by scale mites.

Just as Garnoth felt he was finally sure he was gaining on the damn gryphon, the creature spread his wings. As Garnoth saw the gryphon was about to take off, he realized it was now or never. "Now" was the obvious choice, as Garnoth had never been one to hesitate on following his feelings and urges. He was sure Kaythos would back him up on that.

Before the gryphon had a chance to take to the skies, Garnoth beat him to it. The moment he finally had room to spread his wings, he leapt into the air. Propelled by his powerful hind legs Garnoth jumped and opened his ebony wings at the same time. Rather then angle them for ascent, Garnoth pushed them in a slightly different direction. His black membranes instantly caught the air and propelled the dragon forward. As Garnoth beat his wings, he soared parallel to the ground instead of ascending further and further away from it.

No sooner had the gryphon himself leapt into the air then the black dragon crashed into him from behind. Scale met fur and feather in a colossal impact that sent both creatures plunging right back towards the ground. The drop was a short one, however. Despite the fact that the gryphon was the first to collide with the forest floor, trapped between dragon and earth, it seemed to do little more then anger the beast.

In an instant the gryphon became a twisting, writhing mass of fury. He squirmed and wriggled beneath the dragon, preventing Garnoth from getting any kind of hold on him. Garnoth tried to pin the gryphon down with a hind paw against his back but before he'd really even positioned himself, the gryphon pushed up with the strength of all four legs, pressing his furred back to Garnoth's scaled belly. He lifted the startled dragon up away from the ground, and then used the space he'd created to twist and roll over onto his back.

Even as he was rolling over, the gryphon went on the attack. He lashed out with a front paw for Garnoth's face, and caught the dragon across the side of his muzzle. The impact jerked Garnoth's head to the side, and Garnoth felt hot fire ignite all along the side of his muzzle. It was in that moment, when Garnoth realized the gryphon just sliced his face open with completely unsheathed claws, that Garnoth realized he might be in over his head. He'd been in plenty of fights with other dragons and they'd clawed each other now and then, but he'd never in his life had someone hit him, full force, with their claws completely extended. It was a dangerous thing to do, and the dragons knew instinctively that completely unsheathed claws should not be used in play with other dragons.

The feeling of sharp pain pulsing all along his muzzle, the grating sound of a pained cry he only belatedly realized was his own, and the sensation of his own hot blood running down his muzzle were all new sensations to Garnoth. They told him that perhaps once in his life, he should have thought about what he was doing before he simply plunged into it. This gryphon was not playing. This gryphon was fighting for it's life, and if that meant taking the life of a dragon, so be it.

It took less then a heartbeat for the gryphon to roll over and slice open Garnoth's face, but in that span it all clicked into Garnoth's head as if in slow motion. The gryphon had fled when they first spotted it. It had not tried to attack or engage them, it simply fled. And as it fled it found itself pursued by two aggressive dragons. Dragons who had not called out to him, not asked him what he was doing here, they'd simply chased him down. And attacked him. Without intending too, Garnoth had made himself the aggressor in this gryphon's mind, and now Garnoth was fighting for his life.

Even as the gryphon tore open the side of Garnoth's face, he kept attacking as well, lashing out with a hind paw to try and kick the dragon in the testicles. Garnoth's saving grace was that he'd instinctively tucked his tail to protect the tender organs already. He'd been in enough play fights with other dragons to know that if you didn't guard your balls, you were gonna get sacked. He only hoped to whatever Gods were listening that if this gryphon did manage to connect with that blow at some point, he'd have enough male sympathy even for an enemy that he'd keep his hind claws sheathed.

The gryphon's foot still connected solidly with the dragon's tail, and the sheer force of the blow startled the dragon. It drove Garnoth's tail up against his black sheath and balls, jostling them painfully. Though his tail offered enough protection to keep the dragon from feeling the full pain of such a blow, the power of it lifted Garnoth by his tail and underbelly up to the toes of his hind paws. The gryphon was incredibly strong, and nearly as big as Garnoth himself was. As his tail and his balls both began to throb and ache, something else clicked into Garnoth's mind.

Garnoth had just picked a fight with a fully adult gryphon. A fully adult gryphon who'd probably done this before. Garnoth wouldn't pick a fight with an experienced adult dragon back in the tribe, and he certainly wouldn't have picked a fight with an adult gryphon had he realized it at the time! Damn him and his impulsiveness, why the hell hadn't he listened to Kaythos?

Another heartbeat, and Garnoth's instincts were continuing to kick in. He tried to go on the offensive, he couldn't just stand there and let this bird kick his ass. Hell, this gryphon might kill him. Such an act might ignite a new war between the tribes but in a life or death situation there was rarely time to contemplate the consequences of doing whatever it took to stay alive. For all he knew the gryphons might be planning to invade the dragons' lands anyway.

Garnoth hoisted up a front paw, lashing out with his claws at the gryphon's face. Yet the gryphon was far faster. He met the dragon's strike with one of his own, slicing his claws all along the underside of the dragon's front leg. Garnoth cried out in pain as more of his blood rained down on the gryphon beneath him, though Garnoth refused to give in and stop his attack.

Again Garnoth tried to press his attack to gain some sort of advantage. Garnoth dropped his head down with every intention to sink teeth into the gryphon's throat and force the creature to either surrender or yield his life. Instead, once more the gryphon's superior speed and combat experience gave him the upper hand. As soon as Garnoth's muzzle neared the gryphon's face, the creature shifted and curled instantly in such a way that Garnoth's jaws only snatched air. Then it was the gryphon's turn to attack his enemy's throat. Garnoth gagged in pain and terror as the gryphon sank his beak into the area just beneath where the dragon's jaws met his throat, where the scales were thin and soft.

The hand of terror clenched Garnoth's chest, it's five fingers like icy spears digging deeply into the dragon's heart. The gryphon had only but to bite down, to sink his beak deep enough into the dragon's throat, and he would end Garnoth's life. If the gryphon bite down, Garnoth would die there, in the forest, his lifeblood spilling out on the forest floor while the bird watched. Either poor Kaythos would find Garnoth's body, or the gryphon would ambush his blue friend, too.

The gryphon twisted his head, pressed a paw to Garnoth's head, pushing it to the side. Garnoth followed the motion, twisting himself around until he slowly began to roll over onto his back. As long as Garnoth kept following the pressure from the gryphon's beak and paw, it seemed the gryphon would not bite any deeper. Garnoth swiftly realized the gryphon meant to reverse their positions, to hold the dragon upon his back. Maybe the bird wasn't going to kill him after all.

Garnoth smoothly rolled over at the pace the gryphon indicated, until he was laid upon his back beneath him. The gryphon pressed himself to the dragon's belly to ensure that Garnoth had no easy shot with claws or hind paws at the gryphon's genitals, belly, or throat. The bird was definitely a smarter combatant then Garnoth, much as the dragon hated to admit it.

Then the gryphon bit down a little harder, and Garnoth whined in pain and terror. He was not ashamed to admit that a few tears had leaked from pale blue eyes, this was the first time the young dragon had truly feared for his life. Perhaps that was what had given the gryphon pause when he had at chance to kill Garnoth. Maybe he'd realized how terrified the dragon was once he realized what he'd gotten himself into. Or maybe the gryphon realized the dragon was younger then he'd first imagined.

The gryphon grabbed the dragon's long neck with a paw, pressing his claws against his throat, and slowly removed his beak. Garnoth knew well enough that the gryphon's claws could cut deeply into his throat and drain the life from the just as easily as the gryphon's beak could. Panting almost as heavily as Garnoth was, the gryphon slowly lifted his head, and sat up just a little bit, glaring down at the dragon.

Gods, what a day. It was not that long ago Garnoth had grabbed his friend Kaythos by the balls, and ended up sucking the other dragon off. Who could have imagined that a day in which he'd snuck away from the boring history lessons of stuffy old elders and alpha warriors to talk his best friend into exploring each other would end up with him pinned on his back, hoping and praying for the mercy of a gryphon?

He shifted a little, and the gryphon hissed at him, cocking his birdlike head. The gryphon himself had gold eyes flecked with green, his eyes and pupils both narrowed. Under other circumstances, Garnoth might be quite curious about the creature atop him. He'd never really seen a gryphon up close before, and though he'd heard them described disparagingly by other dragons as something the gods had stitched together from spare parts, the creature atop him looked nothing of the sort. Sure, it seemed to share qualities of wildly varying creatures such as birds, great feline predators, and others. Garnoth even saw a bit of large predatory canine here and there. There was also a bit of dragon in the way it's front paws clearly functioned just as well as hands. And from what he could feel along the gryphon's underbelly pressing against him, this particular gryphon seemed to posses a sheath and testicles not unlike those Garnoth himself possessed. That is, they were slung more along the underbelly like a great canine rather then pressed out behind him like a larger feline.

Garnoth laughed at that. It was almost ludicrous. Here he was, pinned at the mercy of some gryphon, possibly about to draw his last breath before the creature's claws cut his throat. And what was he thinking about? The design of the gryphon's genitals. After what he'd done earlier that day with Kaythos, somehow that made sense to him.

"What are you laughing at-"

The gryphon never even finished his question before a blue blur blindsided him with so much force it completely dislodged the gryphon from Garnoth's body. The gryphon gave a loud cry that was half startled squawk and half pained cry. The noise would have been comical if the situation had not been so dire. The creature's claws scraped Garnoth's throat, drawing a few minor lines of blood. Thankfully the cuts were not too deep, not even as deep as those upon his muzzle or on his foreleg.

Thankful for Kaythos' sudden arrival yet fearful for his friend's safety in a fight against the superior warrior, Garnoth swiftly rolled to his feet. He turned to see Kaythos and the gryphon tumbling across the ground, claws lashing back and forth, teeth and beak snapping. Kaythos even managed to pin the gryphon down effectively for a few moments, leaving the beast unable to mount an effective defense or counterattack at first. Kaythos' initial impact had not only taken the gryphon completely by surprise, but it had also knocked all the breath from his lungs. As a result for a few moments the gryphon was not at first able to muster the same speed and intensity of defensively assault he had against Garnoth. While he had the gryphon stunned, Kaythos lashed out again and again, drawing blood from the creature's head, neck and shoulders.

Yet before Garnoth had a chance to join the fray, the gryphon had gathered his senses and finally saw an opening. In the single moment Kaythos left himself open, the gryphon lashed out with another blow. This time his aim was spot on. Rather then use his claws, he slammed a fisted paw directly into the side of Kaythos' head. The blow smashed into the very sensitive area around the dragon's earhole, at the base of his frilled ear. The suddenly agony and powerful impact rocked the slender young dragon nearly off his feet and sent him staggering to the side.

The gryphon pressed his advantage, rolling smoothly back to all four paws. He seemed completely heedless of the blood that was matting fur of his face, and staining the soft brown of his cheeks and cream of his throat a dirty crimson. As Kaythos stumbled away from him, trying to get his balance back, the gryphon rushed up alongside him. The gryphon threw his full weight up against the smaller dragon, smashing him sideways against the thick trunk of a nearby tree. Kaythos ended up crushed between the weight and muscle of a full grown gryphon, and the unyielding trunk of an ancient tree. Bark and scale alike cracked and fell to the earth, speckling the forest floor with spots of grayish-brown and sky blue. Kaythos cried out at the impact, then groaned as he slumped to the earth, struggling for breath.

No sooner had the gryphon started to turn away from Kaythos then Garnoth was upon him once more. This time Garnoth had a better plan. That was to say, he had an idea of what to do as opposed to no plan at all. Instead of simply trying to leap onto the bird's back or crash into him from the side, he came at the gryphon head-on the moment the gryphon was turning away from Kaythos.

Garnoth cut his charge short. When he came to a sudden halt just in front of the gryphon Garnoth smashed both his front paws down atop the gryphon's feet. That prevented the gryphon from using his fore claws for at least a few moments, and with his shorter neck the gryphon would have trouble getting his beak in range of any part of the dragon aside from his front paws. Not that Garnoth intended to let the gryphon try even that. No sooner had he stepped on the gryphon's feet then Garnoth's head shot forward. Propelled by his powerful neck the dragon's wedge shaped head smashed straight into the top of the gryphon's skull. The impact rang out with a startling crack as Garnoth head-butted the bird with the hardest part of his skull, just between his ridged black horns.

The move worked even better then Garnoth hoped. It took the gryphon by surprise; his ears rang and white motes of light danced in his vision. But it also caused him stumble back with enough off-kilter force that he pulled his paws out from Garnoth's grasp without even trying. As the gryphon stumbled backwards, wobbling a little, Garnoth saw Kaythos struggling to rise in the corner of his vision. He wanted to go help his friend, but he didn't dare take his attention off the very dangerous creature that up until this moment had been kicking their scaly asses up and down the forest.

The young black dragon did what he could to press his advantage. If Kaythos truly needed help he'd get to him as soon as he could, but helping him up wasn't going to do them any good if the gryphon got the jump on them while their backs were turned. As Garnoth advanced on the faltering gryphon, he saw that Kaythos had succeeded in opening up several bloody gashes on either side of the gryphon's face, as well as along one of his shoulders. That made Garnoth feel a little better about his own bloodied wounds, but he knew Kaythos was bleeding from at least a few areas, as well.

And he still wanted revenge. While the gryphon looked a little too glassy eyed to properly counter the dragon, Garnoth lashed out with a front paw, and swiped his claws up the side of the gryphon's neck to the back of his head, sending more blood to run over his golden brown and gray speckled fur. The gryphon cried out in pain, stumbling to the side. The blow seemed to have brought him back to his senses, though, and he quickly shook off whatever sluggishness remained.

The advantage Garnoth was trying to press quickly dissipated as the gryphon advanced upon the dragon, and Garnoth was reduced to backing away. Then he tried to side step the gryphon's movements, and the gryphon followed him. Soon, they were simply circling each other. Garnoth bared his fangs and snarled, and the gryphon hissed right back at him. Each of them dripped stark red blood upon the forest floor. Black scales were slick with the stuff, golden brown fur matted and sticky.

If this had not been such a life or death circumstance it would have seemed quite epic to the young dragon. Imagine, he was now living one of the tales of glory and battle with their feather-winged neighbors he'd been told as a hatchling. He used to love those stories. When he was little more then a wide-eyed youngling, he'd always begged his parents to tell him more tales of the days of war, when the dragons and gryphons openly warred for territory and hunting grounds. They'd seemed glorious then. Now, he himself was in just such a battle and he found it felt far less glorious and far more frightening then he'd imagined.

A little ways away, Kaythos shook himself after rising to his feet. He groaned in pain and pressed a paw to his belly. Garnoth glanced over towards his friend, concerned. Taking his eyes off the gryphon was a mistake and he realized it one moment too late. Just as he turned his pale blue eyes back towards his foe, the gryphon lashed out at him once again. Only a frantic, last minute back-pedaling kept Garnoth from getting his very sensitive nose ripped completely open.

Garnoth kept backing up as fast as he could because the gryphon kept advancing and kept swiping claws at him. The gryphon's claws seemed sharp enough to cut through the very air itself, whistling ominously each time they barely missed his face. Garnoth's heart pounded in his chest as though it were some fleshy hammer and his sternum some human's anvil. His lungs burned now, he was starting to suck liquid fire. The flow of adrenaline that he now realized had been giving him strength was starting to ebb. He had to try and end this fight soon or he was going to lose.

For a split second he considered his fire. His breed was not the most gifted with dragon-flame, though they did possess the ability to create it. There was nothing magical about it, they were flesh and blood like all other living things. It was simply that where some creatures possessed the ability to spit venom, the dragons of his clan possessed the ability to create fire. Much like the creation of a snake's venom, the dragons in his clan created their fire through a natural chemical reaction powered in part by their digestion. He held fire glands on either side of his jaws, though they were limited to not only what they could create, but what they could store. Though chemicals not used were simply reabsorbed by a dragon's body, even at full capacity Garnoth had perhaps, three gouts of flame worthy of combat. In truth Garnoth rarely ever used his fire. He'd certainly never used it in a fight, and while he might have done so earlier, he never really got a chance. Now, perhaps, if he spat fire straight into the gryphon's face...

...He would send the bird to the most agonizing, excruciating death he could imagine. Burning a gryphon to death would almost certainly send the gryphon's own tribe to come avenge his death when they found his body. It was unlikely they would listen to reason then, and when it came down to it, Garnoth had attacked first. To say nothing of the fact that this gryphon seemed to have fought dragons before and was probably anticipating an attack of fire throughout the battle. It was something that could be hard to avoid telegraphing after all, and Garnoth didn't want to try spraying flame across the gryphon's face only to realize too that that the gryphon had just darted to the side, ready to sink his claws into the dragon's exposed throat.

Garnoth felt rough bark brush his tail as the gryphon backed him up against a tree. He tensed up, no more room to back away. All he had left now was to risk his flames or to try and use the gryphon's tactics against him. Garnoth made a snap decision. The gryphon quickly lashed out at the dragon with his front paw again, and this time Garnoth was ready.

Garnoth was not as swift as the gryphon but anticipation of the gryphon's attack made it easier for him to act. Following his instincts he lashed out just in time to clamp his paw around the gryphon's wrist, bloody gryphon claws stopped inches from the dragon's already rent snout. The gryphon reacted by rearing up onto his hind legs to free up his other fore paw so that he could cut open the dragon's foreleg to force Garnoth to release his furry appendage. Yet for once Garnoth remained a step ahead of the gryphon instead of the other way around. Just as the gryphon had reared back, so too did Garnoth, shifting his weight onto his hind legs for a few moments. An uncomfortable position for a dragon but not one he'd never used before. As he'd anticipated the gryphon's next move he was able to catch his other wrist as well.

For just a moment the two were locked nearly in stalemate. Surprise flickered in the gryphon's gold and green flecked eyes. The dragon was a quick learner. Neither of them was likely to be able to stay on their hind legs for long, but that was alright. Garnoth had no intention of ending the battle in a stalemate. He surged forward, pushing off on his hind legs as hard as he could. He was finally able to use his own size to his advantage, forcing the gryphon off balance. The gryphon took an awkward step backwards, and Garnoth surged forward again. This time the gryphon simply toppled over onto his back, barely able to spread his wings out in time to avoid crushing them beneath the combined weight of the two creatures.

Garnoth came down atop the gryphon and the two of them went right back to struggling. Garnoth tried to lay against the gryphon to keep his underbelly protected, but it was difficult with the way the gryphon was thrashing. He kept trying to get his hind paws between them, his claws scraped along Garnoth's sides. For the most part the gryphon lacked the leverage to dig his claws in but he drew a few lines of scarlet blood here and there. Garnoth tried to keep his grip on the gryphon's wrists as well, but the slightly smaller and much more agile creature yanked and twisted them back and forth. By now both Garnoth's paws and the gryphon's front legs had blood on them. Though the liquid would grow sticky as it dried, for now it was slick and made it even harder for the dragon to maintain his grasp.

Garnoth tried to use his jaws to get a grip on the gryphon's throat, but couldn't quite manage that either. The gryphon had a shorter neck then the dragon, and by simply dropping his beak down towards his chest he was able to guard his throat fairly effectively. The position made his throat hard to access and also put his beak in perfect position to snap deeply into dragon flesh should the dragon's snout get to close.

Kaythos now had limped back over, wheezing a little but looking more angry and concerned for Garnoth then truly injured. That was good, Garnoth thought his friend might have cracked a rib but hopefully nothing more severe then that. Not that he had time to ask his friend how he was feeling. Kaythos paced around them in a circle, looking for an opening to attack the gryphon.

Garnoth glanced at him, and the gryphon snapped his beak at Garnoth's throat. The black dragon was forced to yank his head back up, his body rising a little as a result. The gryphon quickly forced both hind paws in under Garnoth's belly, and started to try and push the dragon up off of him again. Garnoth was forced to rise up a little onto his own hind paws to prevent the gryphon from getting too much leverage or digging his claws into Garnoth's belly. The black dragon tucked his tail to protect his privates, but with the way the gryphon was thrashing and trying to kick him he could do little more.

Kaythos rushed in, and grabbed one of the gryphon's hind legs, yanking it out to the side as hard as he could. He'd hoped to pull the gryphon's leg out and press claws to the creature's hamstring, hoping the threat of being permanently crippled would convince him to surrender.

But the gryphon turned out to be even stronger then he'd anticipated, and it took all the strength of both of his front legs just to keep a grip on the gryphon's hind leg. Kaythos had to drop down onto his haunches, struggling to hold onto the thrashing gryphon's leg. The gryphon for his part saw Kaythos flop onto his haunches, and began to try a different tactic to free his leg. Rather then try to yank it free, he started trying to break free of the dragon's grasp by shooting his paw straight at the young dragon. He tried to kick him in the snout, and then tried to kick the younger dragon in the balls, barely missing each time.

Garnoth kept fighting with the gryphon, and kept gaining no ground. So far Garnoth had managed to do little more then speckle the gryphon's paler beige furred belly with his own crimson dragon blood while they struggled. He couldn't release the gryphon's wrists for fear of freeing up the beast's claws, and any time he tried to bite at his throat the gryphon just pulled his head down and snapped at Garnoth's face with his beak.

While Kaythos struggled to keep hold of that leg, Garnoth decided to try another course of action. Maybe if he could aid Kaythos a little, they could get the gryphon to submit. Perhaps the gryphon did not realize just how prehensile the tails of Garnoth's clan could be. Garnoth worked his tail down towards the gryphon's leg, hoping to twine it around the limb to assist in immobilizing it.

The plan backfired. The damn gryphon was just too quick to react to each new situation. No sooner had Garnoth tried to use his tail to help Kaythos then the gryphon realized the dragon above him was now wide open. Rather then resist Kaythos, he suddenly rolled halfway towards him just as Kaythos yanked on his leg. The sudden shift in balance and momentum just as Kaythos put his weight into yanking on the gryphon's leg sent the young dragon toppling backwards. It also caused the gryphon's hind end to shift and roll slightly, putting him in perfect position to take advantage of the black dragon's vulnerability.

Hard as he could, the gryphon kicked the young black dragon in the balls. Garnoth screamed, shrill and loud, as the gryphon's hind paw smashed straight into both the young dragon's testicles, flattening them out against his pelvis with enough force to nearly lift Garnoth all the way off his back feet. Garnoth's pale blue eyes bugged out of their sockets so far they very nearly rolled down his snout and onto the ground. Come to think of it, he'd just gotten kicked so hard the pain left him disconnected from his body for a few seconds. In those few moments he half expected to cough up his own male eggs, and it would be those rolling away along the ground rather then his eyes.

Then the disconnect ended. The rest of the shocking pain hit home, and the young dragon crumpled in an instant. He flopped down against the gryphon, then rolled off the creature him to curl up on the ground clutching his balls. Garnoth had never in his life been kicked in the testicles quite that hard. He gasped, and then screamed as he held his fiercely aching orbs in both paws. The black jewels throbbed and ached like never before, and soon he was thrashing in the dirt, crying out.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Garnoth screamed. Fresh tears quickly rinsed some of the blood from his rent cheeks. "My balls! Oh, Gods, my baaaaaallls!"

"Serves you right!" The gryphon snarled. "Count yourself lucky I didn't use my claws, you oversized whelp!"

Garnoth was in far too much pain to realize that the gryphon had in fact been merciful. He easily could have gelded the young dragon if he wanted too. But just as before when he hesitated to take the dragon's life while he had the chance, so too had he hesitated to maim his enemy's most precious possessions. Though, at the moment it didn't feel much like mercy. Until now, Garnoth thought Kaythos' sister hit him hard when he'd swatted her on the haunches and playfully asked what time she was free for a mounting. But that was a love tap compared to the near-egg-scrambling kick the gryphon had just given him. At least dragons were durable. Garnoth knew in the back of his mind, as long as the gryphon didn't finish him off now, his balls and his future hatchlings would be just fine.

Though when the gryphon quickly rolled back to his own paws, and darted around to press his claws to Garnoth's throat, that suddenly seemed like a very big "if". Garnoth found himself muzzle to beak with the gryphon. The gryphon's face looked upside down as he loomed over the crying dragon, clutching Garnoth's throat, claws pressed against scales. Angry golden eyes glared down at the dragon. Blood ran down the gryphon's cheeks, and a single droplet slowly inched it's way along the creature's beak. It hovered for a moment, wobbling at the tip of the gryphon's beak before it dropped down and splattered against Garnoth's face. For a moment, Garnoth couldn't smell anything but the mingling blood of dragons and gryphons, and his own acidic fear.

"You stupid, stubborn little whelp," growled the gryphon, his voice rough with anger and pain. The gryphon's tone was a little higher, a little less brassy then the voice of a dragon. "You just don't know when to give up, do you. You just don't - AWWCCK!"

For a moment, Garnoth had no idea what caused the gryphon to squawk so loudly and so comically. He also had no idea why the gryphons furious golden and green flecked eyes suddenly got so large, or so wide. Or why the gryphon sucked in such a sharp breath. Until he realized that Kaythos was no longer on the ground next to him. Garnoth craned his neck back till his horns were against the earth, peering along the gryphon's underbelly. The fur there was a soft, sandy beige color, the creature had a thick, furry sheath slung between his hind legs. And while Garnoth also knew the gryphon had two rather plump testicles just beyond that sheath, they were currently hidden inside a tightly clenched blue paw.

"Oh, thank the Gods," Garnoth muttered, curling up a little more tightly to rub his still terribly aching balls. Surely, not even the gryphon would find a way...wait, he'd better not finish that thought. Just in case.

"I wonder, Bird," Kaythos said, his voice filled with a dangerous, threatening edge that Garnoth had never heard from his friend before. Somehow he knew it was not a tone Kaythos was affecting falsely, either. Right now, he didn't think anyone would want to press their luck with Kaythos. Not even that gryphon. "I wonder if *you* know when to give up?"

The gryphon gave a low, menacing growl, tensing up. But he didn't even have time to try and twist away before he felt the dragon's claw tips pricking at the highly sensitive skin of that furry sack. He tensed up further, this time more from fear then anticipation of action.

"That's right, Bird." Kaythos snarled. "I have you by the balls now. You even think about hurting my friend again, or about trying to turn on me, or even getting out of my grasp? And my claws come out. Completely. And I think we both know if my claws come all the way out of their sheaths, your cock never comes out of it's sheath again. Right?"

The bird slowly nodded, gulping audibly.

Kaythos tightened his grip. "Say it out loud."

"Got it," the gryphon quickly replied.

"Good. And I've got a gryphon by the balls. Say it. Say I have you by the balls."

The gryphon fluffed up his feathers a little bit, but did not hesitate for long. "You have a gryphon by the balls. You have me by the balls."

"That's right," Kaythos replied, his voice twisting into a wicked purr. "Garnoth, as soon as you can, get away from him. I don't want him to have a chance to go all suicidal and try to take you out with him."

Garnoth rather doubted the gryphon would be that foolish. But it wasn't a risk he was willing to take, either. Though the last thing he wanted to do right now was move, he forced himself roll to his paws, and crawl out of range of the gryphon's claws. Once he was at a safe distance, he curled right back up with a pitiful moan, soon holding both his eggs in his paws again.

"Oooooh, my orbs," he moaned softly, then glanced over at Kaythos, his pale blue eyes reddened by pain and tears. "Are you alright?"

Kaythos gave his friend a reassuring smile. "I think so. Think I cracked a rib, or something. Heh, better to have cracked ribs then cracked nuts."

Garnoth managed a soft, coughing laugh at that little call back to the conversation that started their day's events. "Right now I agree. Feels like he cracked them both, too."

"Maybe I should crack both of his, then," Kaythos growled as much to the gryphon as to his friend. Then he watched Garnoth a moment. "You sure you're alright?"

"No." He laughed a little. "Gods, I must look like a mess. He didn't use his claws on my balls, thankfully."

"You can count yourself lucky for that," the gryphon snarled. Then he squealed as Kaythos gave the gryphon's own furry balls a long, hard squeeze, till the gryphon's front legs buckled and he hunched down towards the ground. "Enough, enough! I yield!"

"You yield?" Kaythos snarled. "You say it like that's not your only option. That's what's preventing me from using my claws on your balls!" He hissed at the gryphon, then snapped his jaws, and smirked, relaxing his grip just a little as he repeated the gryphon's own words in a sneering tone. "You can count yourself lucky for that."

Despite his situation, the gryphon turned his head to glare at Kaythos. "Very funny. None of this would have happened to any of us if you two scaly idiots hadn't decided to attack me."

"You attacked us!" Kaythos blurted out before he realized how foolish that sounded.

"Like hell I did," the gryphon snarled. "Your fat-ass friend over there thought it would be a good idea to chase me down for no reason, and tackle me!"

"I'm not fat!" Garnoth snarled, before quickly realizing that was hardly the most pressing issue here. "And you drew blood first, I just protected myself after that."

"The hell do you think I was doing, Black Balls?" The gryphon lifted one of his paws, gesturing in the air. Kaythos tightened his grip, just in case, but the gryphon didn't make any move to try and escape his grasp. "I didn't know who the hell you two were when you took off after me. I didn't exactly think you wanted to suck my cock!"

Garnoth and Kaythos exchanged a quick glance, wondering just how much the gryphon had seen them doing.

The gryphon went on. "When you were lumbering after me, I thought you were a full adult, a warrior from your clan. Then when your big, scaly ass dragged me down out of the air, I honestly thought you were trying to kill me for violating your territory. The only reason I didn't kill you then and there is because when I rolled over, I realized you weren't as old as I thought you were. I could see it in your eyes, you'd never fought anyone for real before. Besides, the only scars you had before I gave you a few new ones were play scars."

Garnoth suddenly wasn't sure what to think. Granted, the continuing ache in his balls made it a little hard to think objectively, but at least they weren't throbbing as intensely as they were a few moments earlier. He half expected Kaythos to jump into the conversation, but then he realized Kaythos hadn't pounced on the gryphon until a little later in the fight. Kaythos probably didn't even know how the fight began.

"That wasn't when you nearly killed me," Garnoth muttered, forcing himself to sit up. He could hardly try to conduct a respectable conversation curled on the ground, holding his balls. For a moment, he hoped that once he sat up, he'd look just a little more tough, and dangerous with all the dried blood on his body. Then he realized that even though he'd sat up, he was still holding his testicles in his paws. Oh well. He leaned back onto his tail a little, groaning before he went on. "You sliced my cheek open then, but you didn't have your chance at my throat until a little later."

The gryphon clacked his beak dismissively. "Battle-virgin whelps. I sliced your cheek open, dragon, because I decided I didn't want to have to kill you unless you left me no choice. Trust me, Hatchling. If I'd wanted to kill you, my claws would have cut open your throat the moment I first struck you. Your throat was as wide open as your face was, I just decided to leave you with a memory and a scar to be proud of rather then take your life."

Garnoth was silent a moment. He wasn't really sure what to think. If the gryphon was telling the truth, he...well, he actually felt a little guilty for attacking the gryphon. He couldn't blame the creature for thinking his life was in danger. But if that was the case, why had the gryphon kept fighting?

"Why didn't you say something?" Garnoth asked.

"Because I didn't get a chance. I was already attacking you as I rolled over, and you and I fought until I got ahold of your throat, and made you submit. Then, as you probably recall..." He glanced back at Kaythos. "Little Miss Cock-Tease back here decided that would be a good time to come to your aide." He chuckled to himself as Kaythos' cloudy grey eyes suddenly went wide as two full moons. "Not that I can fault you for coming to your friend's aid. Awful noble of you, actually. Just bad timing for all three of us."

"You...You saw all that?!" Was all Kaythos managed to stammer.

The gryphon smirked. For the first time, the two dragons actually had a chance to see that the gryphon's beak and face beyond it had a strange sort of mobility allowing for deep expressions. No doubt it was the same thing a human might think when first viewing a dragon's face. Upon first glance, it bore some similarities to that of a lizard. But on closer inspection, it was clear that a dragon's face was far more mobile, expressive and in it's own way, softer then that of any lizard. So too was a gryphon's face and beak far more mobile and expressive then any simple bird.

"Yes, I saw all that." The gryphon's smirk widened, and he even flicked his tufted tail against Kaytho's shocked muzzle in a nearly playful swat. "Looked like you were having an awful lot of fun teasing your friend's big dragon cock before you finally got around to sucking it for him."

"B...But...but..." Was all Kaythos could stammer.

"Is that really the direction you want this conversation to go while you've got me by the balls, as you so excitedly put it?" The gryphon laughed, shaking his head, rustling his dark feathered wings a little bit. "Careful boys, I think your tips are showing. Really, though..." He glanced between the two of them. "You think you two are the first two male creatures to sneak off into the forest? Ah, the naivety of youth."

"You mean..." Garnoth stared at the gryphon. "You and another male...wait, my tip is showing?" Garnoth glanced down at his sheath, lifting a hind leg a little. Much to his humiliation, he found that a little bit of red was peeking out. "Ah, damn it."

"Told you," the gryphon said with entirely too much purr in his voice.

"So you and another male..." Kaythos began, returning to the line of thinking Garnoth had started.

The gryphon clacked his beak again. "Not what I said. Only that you two whelps are hardly the first to do it. You're not the only creatures to be curious about the same sex, you know. You don't have to act so embarrassed. Though, it is sort of cute. Yes, I watched you the entire time, or very nearly so. I could have just slipped away when you went for a swim, but Black Balls over there had one hell of a hard-on, so I decided I'd stick around and see what happened."

Kaythos struggled to keep his resolve from melting away, but his bloodied snout was quickly flushing nearly purple with humiliation and embarrassment. "But...we were just...umm..."

"You were what, washing his cock with your tongue?" The gryphon chuckled. "Whatever you say, Miss."

Kaythos growled. "Stop calling me Miss!"

The gryphon just grunted. "Or what, Runt?"

"Or...Or...I'll sink my claws into your balls!" Kaythos growled, letting his claw tips prick the gryphon's sack again.

The gryphon hissed in pain, then turned his head to glare at Kaythos over his feathery, red marked wings. "No you won't. Look, Miss. The fight's over. I have yielded. I will not fight you again today, so unless you are entirely without honor, mercy, or decency you won't deprive me of what makes me male. Which means if you're not going crush my balls or fondle me for a while, let go of my stones, alright?"

"Stop calling me MISS!" Kaythos snarled at the gryphon. The Bird was right, he wasn't going to neuter the creature if they could trust him. Though, Kaythos wasn't entirely sure they could do that yet. And why did he have the feeling that somehow, this gryphon still seemed to think he was in charge? "Call me that one more time, and I'll squeeze you flat!"

"So do it then." The gryphon chuckled, clacking his beak. "In my experience, it's often quite clear that those who continue to use words rather then actions must be goaded into doing that which they threaten."

Kaythos blinked, his grip faltering. "Are you saying...wait. Are you trying to get me to squeeze your balls?"

"Perhaps I am." The gryphon shrugged his wings. "For all you know, I'm into that. It's rather obvious that you're into it, at any rate. You're peeking out of your sheath just like your friend."

Kaythos slowly ducked his head a little to peer under himself. No sooner had he realized that the pointed red tip of his own dragon penis was sticking from his sheath did the gryphon take advantage of Kaythos' relaxed grip. The gryphon made no effort to pull away, instead he swiftly stepped back towards Kaythos, and pressed a hind paw to the dragon's throat as his head was lowered. Sharp claws pricked at Kaythos' throat just below where his jaw line met his neck.

"Just to be clear, Miss," The dragon hissed at him, pressing his claws into the dragon's neck just a little. "You were never as completely in charge as you thought you were. If you meant to geld me, you should have done it immediately, and if you meant to use my balls to subdue me, you should have squeezed and squeezed and not stopped until your big black friend was able to come over here and help you pin me down while I was overwhelmed with pain."

Kaythos whined, and tried to turn it into a growl, he let his claw tips slide free again. "I could still ruin your-"

The gryphon cut him off, pressing his own hind claws harder against the dragon's throat. "You could, yes. But my claws would open your throat and end your life nonetheless. Whether by conscious action or simply in reaction to the agony, I'd open your throat. I might survive, if I didn't bleed out. You, however, would not."

Kaythos glared at him, icy tendrils of fear were coiling along his spine, slowly leeching the adrenaline-soaked courage from his body. "Alright. Then, remove your claws, and I'll remove mine."

The gryphon's beak twisted into a smile, and he slowly sheathed the claws of his hind paw, still balancing on three legs. But he did not remove his paw, he kept it pressed against the dragon's throat. Kaythos lifted his head a little, and the gryphon stretched his leg out a little more to keep his paw in place.

"You didn't move your paw." Kaythos said.

"Neither did you," the gryphon replied, his smooth voice oozing confidence that dug it's way under Kaythos' scales like an army of irritating ants. Damn gryphon just thought he had all the answers, didn't he. "You release my balls, I'll move my hind paw. Tell you what. Be a good boy and let me go, and if you want my balls back in your paw again, just say so."

"W...what?" Kaythos stammered, his tail tip twitching.

"Are your ears filled with your friend's seed? Must I repeat everything I say? I yielded to you, you accepted thereby entering into a truce with me. Therefore, if you wish my balls back in your paw before we part ways, I shall place them there." He flared his wings out a little bit, showing off the rich crimson under-feathers. "Now. Either squeeze me, fondle my balls, or let me go."

Kaythos, now totally flustered, released the gryphon's balls. The beige furred orbs dropped back into place between the gryphon's powerful hind legs. The creature ruffled himself, and gave a strange, churring noise that sounded distinctly disappointed to Kaythos. But true to his word, he pulled his paw back from Kaythos neck, and set it back down on the forest floor. Then he quickly took a few steps away and turned around to face the blue dragon before Kaythos could change his mind.

"Rather expected you to squeeze me," the gryphon murmured, smirking again.

"Almost sounds like you want me too," Kaythos snapped back at him, trying to sound as confident and insulting as he could.

"No more so then your black scaled friend wants you to squeeze his again." He gestured at Garnoth with an outstretched wing, then very casually sat back upon his haunches, and curled his wing around to start preening it with his beak.

Garnoth gasped, his spiky frills flaring up in anger. "You saw that, too?! I thought you only saw us when we came down to the water."

The gryphon gave him a bemused glance. "Do you always take everything at face value when talking to someone held by the balls? I think you will find the truth to be stretched far more often when someone's testicles are in danger then you naïve whelps seem to realize. Besides, I told you I saw nearly everything. It is your fault for assuming that meant I only began watching you from the spot you yourself first saw me."

"Just how long have you been watching us, then?" Kaythos padded towards the gryphon, sniffing at him a little.

The gryphon flicked his tufted tail towards Garnoth. "Since Black Balls over there first grabbed you by your set."

Garnoth forced himself to his feet, growling. He bared his fangs, limping towards the gryphon. "You liar!"

"Then how did I know that's how your encounter began?"

"I...I don't know, but...how..."

"How did I watch all that without your knowledge? Simple." The gryphon gave a slightly chittering, bird-like laugh. "I'm a scout. It is what I do. Besides, you two were so focused on each others pleasures and pains I could have easily been stroking myself off while I watched you two indulge your hidden desires." He clicked his beak, folding one wing back before he began to preen the other. "And in fact I was."

"You were...WHAT?!" This time it was Garnoth's turn to sound incredulous.

The gryphon gave a long, weary hiss, pointing a finger back and forth between the two of them. "I said I was masturbating while I watched you two suck each other off. Clear enough?" He snapped his beak. "The next dragon to ask me to repeat myself is getting punched in the balls."

Kaythos stared at the gryphon. Only when his tongue began to grow dry did he realize his mouth was hanging open. He quickly shut it, and when his tongue had moistened again, he tried to question the gryphon without sounding as though he wanted the creature to repeat himself. "But how did you watch us that long, let alone while...touching yourself...without us hearing you? Or picking up your scent?"

"It is what I do, my Little Blue Miss." The gryphon canted his head sideways, watching Kaythos through one golden eye, and seemingly watching Garnoth with the other. "I am a scout, and a very good scout." He waved a paw. "Do not let that term deceive you. While your tribe may send out only the smaller, swifter members of your clan to watch your territory, mine does not. In my clan, clearly the superior clan, our scouts are among our best warriors. I have spent much of my life learning to pad silently through the forest, to watch without being seen, to listen without being heard. I have leaned to walk with the winds, to ensure I am always downwind of my quarry, so that while I can follow their scents, they cannot even pick up upon mine. And should they catch a trace of me, I am already gone."

The gryphon paused. He spent a few moments pulling bits of dried leaves from his wing with his beak. Just as Kaythos and Garnoth thought he had finished speaking, he started up again. The gryphon timed it so that just as the two dragons opened their muzzles to ask another question he cut them off. "Furthermore, I am the equal of nearly any warrior in my clan, as are all our scouts. So that when we are occasionally spotted, or if we should have to act as the first line of defense to protect our clan, we are more then a match for anyone who should have the misfortune of crossing us. Such as yourselves. As you may have noticed, I had little trouble kicking the hell out of two dragons at once."

"And so modest, too," Kaythos muttered.

"Modesty is a virtue for those with little to brag about." The gryphon spat a leaf, and then began working out a feather that had come halfway out during the brawl.

"And yet you ended up nearly as bloody as us," Garnoth said. "And, we won."

"He won, actually," the gryphon said, gesturing to Kaythos. "You lost, Black Balls."

"We both won, because Kaythos and I were a team!"

"If that's the way you choose to look at it. Whatever makes you feel better about having your ass handed to you."

Garnoth lowered himself down into an defensive yet aggressive crouch. "I oughta-"

"Get kicked in the balls again?" The gryphon finished for him, smirking. "Or would you rather a full fledged beating this time?"

"Hey!" Kaythos snapped. "I thought you said you yielded."

"I did. To you, not to him. Though I have no intention of fighting either of you for the rest of the day. However, if either of you attack me once more, then our truce is nullified, and I shall defend myself again."

The two dragons glanced at each other as if considering pouncing him at the same time. The gryphon simply folded his wing back, and glared at each of them in turn. "If you decide to fight me again, I shall be forced to subdue you this time. The reason the Little Miss was able to get such a compromising grip upon my testicles was because I decided against rendering him unable to continue fighting while you were both down on the ground at the same time. However, if you should go back on a truce with me, I assure you neither of you will make it home without a great deal of pain, and also a great deal of assistance. I shall not take the lives of youths, but for a time you may wish I had. Is that understood?"

Neither dragon knew what to say to that. Somehow, they didn't really think the gryphon was bluffing. They also didn't think they'd get another chance to make the gryphon yield either. In truth, the beast's confidence bordered on arrogance, but at the same time both Garnoth and Kaythos knew it was not in the least bit misplaced. The odds were even if they both attacked him at once he'd probably do just as he threatened, and beat them even worse then before.

"...Yeah. Understood." Garnoth snorted. "Come on, Kaythos...let's just go. We should get these wounds washed up before we go home."

"Use your tongues, then," the gryphon said with a derisive snort. "Besides, who said anything about leaving? Why would you wish to go so soon? I have a far better idea."

Kaythos glanced at his black scaled friend, tilting his head. "What sort of idea?"

"I suppose you could call it a game, of a sort." The gryphon tilted his own head, imitating Kaythos for a moment. "You defeated me in battle, did you not?"

"I thought you said..."

"The answer is yes, Miss."

"Yes!" Kaythos snapped, then turned around to the gryphon again, lashing his tail. "Stop calling me that!"

"Why should I? You barely even seem willing to admit that you bested me in battle. If you claim to be a male, you should act more like one. You can have a pair of testicles and still be a bitch, after all."

Kaythos slowly strode towards the gryphon, baring his fangs. "You're starting to piss me off."

"Good. Much as I am loathe to admit the manner of my defeat, you did in fact, defeat me. At least, I am willing to consider it a defeat to the extent that it will benefit us playing a game. It will also help me teach you two a few lessons."

Garnoth opened his mouth, very nearly repeating the word "Lessons?" But when he saw the gryphon ball up a fist, he quickly thought better of repeating the gryphon's words. "What's the game?"

"Good boy," the gryphon murmured, relaxing his paw. "The game is called Spoils of War. Our fight was the war, you two were the victors, therefore, I am the spoils."

Garnoth pulled his head back. The young black dragon curled his neck into an S. "What the hell does that mean? I don't get it. How do we play?"

"Ah, now that is the first intelligent question you've asked." The gryphon grinned smugly. "If I but had a few hatchling treats I would give you one. The game is played however you wish it to be played. As I am the spoils, I am yours to do with as you please. Obviously, there are caveats. You are not allowed to main me, or injure me, or anything of that nature. Now, normally, as the victor, you would be in charge." The gryphon pointed to Kaythos. "But seeing as you are still so inexperienced and embarrassed by your own desires that the mere thought of this game is causing your snout blush the color of spring lilacs, I think I shall take charge."

For a moment, the two dragons were struck dumb as it slowly dawned on them just what sort of game the gryphon was talking about. He unfurled his wings a little bit, smiling. "I shall take your awestruck silence as acceptance. Good. Then I am in charge. The first order of business, then, is to help me finish what I started."

Kaythos licked his nose, his spiky frills fully flared up in nervous excitement. "What do you mean?"

"I was masturbating earlier, as I said. Unfortunately, just as I was about to finish, you two started chasing me." For the first time, the gryphon showed a moment of embarrassment. He glanced away, the pinfeathers around his neck stuck up a moment. "Honestly, the only reason you two spotted me is because I was stroking so swiftly I lost my balance, and fell into a bush."

Garnoth burst out laughing at that. He laughed till his wings shook, and soon Kaythos was laughing as well, his words coming in spurts. "You mean...you got caught...because you were...jerking off so hard...you fell over?"

The gryphon nodded once. "Essentially, yes."

Soon it was Garnoth who'd fallen over. The young black dragon was laughing so hard he was writhing in the dirt. Kaythos nearly did the same. The blue dragon ended up seated on his haunches, leaning forward on one paw while clutching his sore ribs with the other as he laughed and laughed. Even the gryphon laughed a little bit, his tufted tail shifting back and forth, sweeping the forest floor, bits of dried leaves and moss sticking to the tuft.

"Yes, yes, get it all out of your systems," the gryphon finally said. "The point remains the same. I want to get off, and you two are going to help me spill my seed."

When the gryphon finally put into words what the two dragons had already assumed, it settled in a little more heavily on their minds. Pleasuring each other while they'd assumed no one was watching was one thing. But pleasuring a male they didn't even know, of another species entirely? Let alone a male they'd just been fighting with for what they assumed were their lives. Now he was sitting here, acting as though they were old friends.

Kaythos straightened up, rubbing his ribs. He didn't think he'd actually broken one, but it sure hurt like hell. He had dried blood marking his body, but so did the other two. Still, the gryphon barely even seemed to have noticed. "Weren't we practically trying to kill each other, a little while ago?"

The gryphon lifted a front paw to preen it. "Your point being?"

"That's an awfully quick turn around. From fighting to mating."

"If you say so. In our people's ancestries, fighting and mating were often linked. Even this game, Spoils of War, comes from an old tradition of raiding other clans. Enemy warriors captured in battle were used for sex. Now, we are temporarily blessed to live in a more peaceful time. When we battle and draw each other's blood now, we can enjoy the spoils in a..." He paused, searching for a word. "Friendlier setting."

Kaythos wasn't sure if he was being ironic or not. "I suppose this is friendlier, when compared to trying to kill each other."

"My point exactly. Why else bother with such a truce, if not to enjoy each other's touch? I could have just as easily taken to the skies the moment you released me, and yet I remained."

Garnoth scrunched his muzzle, the pebbly black scales around his nostrils wrinkled up. It seemed like almost everything they'd done and said had somehow been manipulated and pre-planned by the damn gryphon. "What if we don't want to get you off? What if we don't wanna touch a male gryphon at all, and just go home?"

"Then I shall be profoundly disappointed." The gryphon pushed himself back up to all fours, his tufted tail lashing behind him. A bit of dried leaf fluttered from it to the ground. "And I think we both know you would come to regret such a decision. Not just because I have every intention of assuring you two both spill your seed again, but because I cannot imagine you will get many chances to openly touch, explore, and play with a male gryphon."

"Nor you a male dragon, right?" Kaythos took a guess.

"The thought had occurred to me that it was a perfectly good chance to touch what I had viewed from a distance, yes."

"So..." Kaythos licked his nose, glancing between Garnoth and the gryphon. "You don't think it's strange we...pleasured...each other?"

"No stranger then two females pleasuring each other."

Kaythos blinked, and Garnoth gave a throaty purr. That wasn't exactly the answer they had sought, so the gryphon went on. "Life is very short, Dragon. And often harsh. I see nothing wrong with taking pleasure wherever, and from whoever, you find desirable and willing. If your partners happen to share the same genitals as you, so be it."

"So..." Kaythos shifted his weight from one set of paws, to the other, dead leaves crackling beneath him. "You don't like females, then?"

That made the gryphon laugh. "You silly whelp, still so naïve. I adore females, and I desire every day to climb upon their backs and thrust inside them."

"But, I thought you wanted to be touched by males."

"I do. You would let your friend give you pleasure with his muzzle again, would you not?"

Kaythos nodded, sheepishly smiling at Garnoth.

"And yet you would also love to thrust yourself inside a female's hot, wet sex." The gryphon let the last few words drip from his beak like honey.

"Oh yes," Kaythos purred.

"Then you are no different from I. Aside from the fact that you find such mixed desires confusing, embarrassing, and hard to understand. Where as I find them quite simple and nothing to be ashamed of." He flexed his brown and red feathered wings in a gryphon shrug. "It is quite simple. I like sex."

"So..." Garnoth began, trying to get things straight in a way that had the gryphon groaning in annoyance. "You like males. And females."

"As I said, I like sex," the gryphon replied curtly.

"...You like dragons, too?"

"What part of I like sex don't you understand?" The gryphon stared at Garnoth when the dragon muttered under his breath. "Are you not also curious about gryphons? I suspect that if you were not, you would have already left. And am I mistaken, or were you peering at my sheath when I was sitting on my haunches?"

Garnoth flicked his ears back. "Maybe I was just thinking about hitting you in the balls."

"Don't sulk just because you got kicked in the stones. It was a fight, if you'd kept your tail in the right spot you wouldn't have ended up on the ground in tears."

"Wouldn't have done my face much good, though." Garnoth gingerly touched the side of his snout where the gryphon's claws had left long gashes. At least it had stopped bleeding. Then he turned his foreleg over to examine the wounds there as well. "Or my leg."

"Are all dragons as whiny and full of complaints as you two?" The gryphon chittered in amused distaste, fluffing up his wings a little.

"You say that like you're not gonna have scars too," Kaythos said, a little smugness creeping into his voice. "But those wounds I gave your cheek, your neck, and your shoulder say otherwise."

"Yes, they do," the gryphon said, his tone far too pleased for Kaythos' liking. "I thank you for them."

"You...thank me for wounding you?"

The gryphon snapped his beak and swiftly strode towards Kaythos. That was close enough to repeating the bird's words that Kaythos flopped down onto his haunches and covered his balls with his paws. "I wasn't trying to repeat you, I was just confused."

The gryphon rapped Kaythos' paws sharply with a hiss. "If I had not deemed you the winner of our battle, I would pry your paws away and turn those blue eggs purple." The gryphon peered back and forth between the two dragons. "I do not like having to repeat myself for foolish little whelps like you. Much as I am trying to convince myself to like you, you continue to make it difficult. You need not believe every word I say, but desist in repeating them. You're embarrassing yourselves with your naivety."

"Sorry," Kaythos murmured.

"Yes," the gryphon said. "You are. But as you're young, I suppose that is to be expected. Now move your paws. I will not strike you, but you should be embarrassed to cower so."

Kaythos slowly moved his paws away. The blue dragon's testicles dangled freely once more, lightly resting against the forest floor. "What's embarrassing about wanting to avoid pain?"

"The fact that you let your fear rule your actions. If you were half of a warrior, you would only do one of two things. You would either use physical action of your own to try and stop me from striking you, or you would accept that I already told you what would happen, and take your punishment with a measure of pride. Instead you simply cover yourself like some hatchling without the first inkling of how to defend himself."

"Oh..." Kaythos glanced at Garnoth, who merely shrugged his ebon wings. He wasn't sure what to make of this gryphon either.

"I am weary of your mewling questions." The gryphon snapped his beak loudly enough to ensure he had their attentions. "As neither of you have yet fled to the safety of your clan and hidden beneath your elder's wings, I assume you are indeed curious about me. And that you do indeed wish to touch, and be touched, by a gryphon. Is this correct? Answer me out loud, both of you."

After a moment's hesitation, both dragons said yes.

"Good." He gestured Garnoth to come closer. "Sit next to your friend."

Garnoth slowly did so, settling back on his haunches. Garnoth placed his paws in front of himself, and the action caused his front legs to naturally frame his thick black sheath and heavy ebony testicles, both resting heavily on the ground. Just a little swollen from the gryphon's kick, though thankfully for the dragon the worst of the pain had bled away.

"First, a lesson," the gryphon said, reached out to carefully take Garnoth's chin in his paw. Garnoth had to fight the urge to pull away, his muzzle and cheek throbbed steadily where the fresh wounds were now lined with sticky, drying blood. The gryphon's paw pad was very warm, and softer then Garnoth expected. The gryphon pushed against Garnoth's chin, turning the dragon's head slightly to examine the wound. "You have no damage here, only gashes. You shall heal just fine, Dragon, and you shall have a lovely set of scars."

Garnoth very nearly repeated the phrase "lovely scars." Instead, he caught himself in time to ensure his disbelieving question was in no way repeating the gryphon's words. "What's so lovely about scars on my snout?"

"They mark you as a warrior. They are signs of a battle fought, and survived. Any scars earned in combat are something every warrior is proud of. And scars earned in your first real fight are worth double the measure of pride, as are any scars earned from a battle you are victorious in." The gryphon released Garnoth's muzzle, and gestured for him to lift his front leg. When the dragon did so, the gryphon took it in a paw, looking over the wounds here. "You see? There is no lasting damage to muscles, nor tendons, and I have missed any major arteries. It shall hurt you a few days to walk around, but you shall heal fine, and the scars will be quite impressive. Judging by the soft gray of your paw pads, I should think your scars will heal up as lovely gray lines as well."

"What about mine?" Kaythos asked. If the gryphon was so convinced that battle scars were something to be proud of, perhaps he was onto something.

The gryphon released Garnoth's leg, and turned his attention to the smaller of the two dragons. He took Kaythos' muzzle in a paw, turned it, and examined the wounds along the dragon's upper neck, as well as some along his shoulder. "Yours shall heal just fine, as well. I should think your scars will begin pinker then his shall, yet yours shall likely end up a slightly darker blue then the surrounding scales. Though in truth I am not familiar enough with the dragon healing process to say for certain. But you shall both have scars very worthy of praise. I assure you, that if female dragons place any value whatsoever on the strength of a warrior these days, as you grow they shall find these scars highly attractive."

The gryphon released the dragon's muzzle, and took a step away from them. "What are your names?"

"I'm Garnoth," the black dragon said, then gestured to his friend before he returned to peering at the wounds along his leg. "That's Kaythos."

"Very well," the gryphon replied. "My name Kra'thiss. You may refer to me as Warrior Kra'thiss, if you which to be formal. Or, just Kra, I suppose, if that better suits your bulky dragon tongues,"

"I can say Kra'thiss just fine," Kaythos said, hissing at the subtle insult. "I thought you said you were a scout, not a warrior?"

The dragon fluffed himself up, grinning. "Scouts are warriors, Miss."

Kaythos merely scowled that time. "Whatever you say, Bird."

That made the gryphon smile. Though it seemed the dragons were not swift enough to catch on right away, he enjoyed getting a rise out of them. He also enjoyed getting them to stand up for themselves a little more. Though he'd hardly come out and tell them, the two whelps had impressed him at least a little bit. Not just any dragon could chase down a gryphon and tackle him out of the sky. And not just any dragon would be brave enough to attack the gryphon who'd just handily defeated his larger friend. Perhaps he could teach these whelplings a little self respect and some understanding of the gryphon warrior ways after all. It was something their kind had once shared with the gryphons, even if the dragons had gotten soft lately.

"To complete the first lesson, thank me for your scars."

"I thought we were going to play a game," Garnoth said, growling a little.

"It's good to see you getting eager, Dragon. But thank me for the scars. And use my title."

"Thank you for my new scars, Warrior Kra'thiss," Kaythos said before Garnoth had a chance. Then he smirked at his friend as though he'd earned a little victory there.

He had. Kra'thiss waved a paw at him. "You see? He catches on faster then you, Black Balls. This is why he is the one I consider the victor. Now, it is your turn. Thank me."

Garnoth heaved a heavy sigh. This all seemed pointless to the black dragon. But then again, so did a lot of things that others seemed to find important. Perhaps that was part of the lesson? Ugh. He'd come out here to skip lessons, and now he found himself in the middle of one anyway. After a moment, he relented.

"Thank you for the scars, Warrior Kra'thiss."

"You are welcome, Dragons," Kra'thiss replied. "And thank you two for my own new scars. I shall wear them back to my tribe with pride, and tell them that I earned them battling dragons. If you two impress me for the rest of the afternoon, I shall even stretch the truth a little bit, and claim that you were Scouts for your own tribe who caught me, and wished to test your mettle against mine. Should you encounter any other gryphon's, such a tale would surely benefit you in the long run."

Kaythos grinned at that. He liked the idea of another gryphon happening upon them, and thinking that he was some up and coming young warrior from his tribe who'd bested a gryphon. Oh, and what a story that would make to tell all the females they knew. He nudged Garnoth, who grunted, looking a little confused. Kaythos just laughed and shook his gray-horned head. Garnoth never seemed to catch on fast enough. And Kaythos was also a little surprised that he himself seemed more open and receptive to this gryphon's offer then his black scaled friend did. Which made Kaythos feel just a bit proud of himself.

Just to make Garnoth a little jealous, Kaythos decided to move things forward. "Alright, so we've all got lovely new scars to show off back home," he said, using the gryphon's own term. Then he smirked at Garnoth before looking back at the gryphon. "Can we get started on this game? Do I get to hold your balls in my paw, again?"

The gryphon gave a pleased churring sound, flaring up the longer red crown feathers around his neck and the back of his head. "I have been waiting on one of you to ask that. I was beginning to fear I was going to have to initiate everything today."

Garnoth remained silent, staring at Kaythos through wide, blue eyes. He was starting to think he really had awakened some kind of sexual monster. Just that morning, Kaythos had been embarrassed as hell just to have his friend rubbing his sheath, let alone sucking him into ecstasy. Yet just a matter of hours later, and the young blue dragon was literally asking some strange gryphon if he could hold his balls. Garnoth was starting to think he was going to have to up his game or Kaythos was going to have the upper hand all the time now.

"I wanna hold your balls too!" Garnoth blurted out.

Kaythos started laughing at him, and Garnoth pinned his ears back in embarrassment, bloodied muzzle flushing beneath the black scales. The gryphon nearly clicked his beak, and smirked. "Wait your turn, Dragon. You may examine the rest of me in the meantime."

Kaythos grinned at the gryphon. "On your feet. Turn around. I want to hold your balls from behind."

"As you wish, Dragon" The gryphon smiled as he positioned himself for Kaythos. "My balls are yours, my new Alpha."

New Alpha. Kaythos liked the sound of that. He liked it a lot.

---

And that's it for Chapter 3! Chapter 4 will be up within a matter of days, and will feature some of the most in depth sex scenes yet seen in this story, plus even more plot turns and character developments, so stay tuned! In the mean time, please let me know what you think of Chapter 3!