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"Now why would an underground ruin that was inhabited include a ravine that drops hundreds of feet and put no guardrails around it?"

"Maybe it was to weed out the clumsy members of society? It's not like they had wings to catch them if they fell in."

"...I'm going to assume they used to have guardrails and they rotted away. Your explanation is too brutal. Also, there haven't been dragons with wings for nearly twenty generations, why would you bring that up?"

"Hey, it was the first thing I thought of, give me a break. Plus, there are no places to mount wooden rails, and no remains of stone ones, so I can't be that far off."

Levan and Matessie had been moving through these ruins for nearly three full days now. They had already come here once before (a longer 6-day expedition) and found nothing, but Matessie had insisted on coming back for a second try at finding her goal. Levan was apprehensive at coming back.

Sure their first trip had gone without too many problems, but there was still only Matessie's word that there was something to be found within the perilous ruins, though she had been up-front about her lack of real evidence at their first meeting...

---

A few days before the first trip to the ruins...

Levan had been staying in the town for a short time before Matessie arrived, and gotten to know some of the local dragons around. They had given him odd jobs, like someone needing help to repair a wall, him holding the stones up while they cemented it in. Another had wanted him to deliver water regularly, some mage who couldn't be away from his experiments for too long. When Matessie had walked into the tavern that night, burdened by a bulky traveling pack, he had immediately taken notice. The locals were mostly mountain dragons, like him, and covered in a variety of earth-tone hues. There were some fire dragons, and their red, yellow, and orange scales were a welcome change of pace to the eyes. None were blue like that unfamiliar dragoness, who had simply looked around, then headed straight for the barkeep, all business.

After inquiring about lodging for the night, reasonable, given the area's rates, Matessie asked about where she might find local help, preferably one who could walk long distances. She had balked when the barkeep pointed out the dark green drake as the potential help to aid her dungeon-diving. Surely such a burly-looking fellow who was content to lay on his belly in a tavern could not be trustworthy. The barkeep insisted, and more out of the interest of saving time than anything, she approached the cushions he happened to be lying on.

Levan's surprise, and suspicion, was heightened when the dragoness had turned to him, heading to where he lay alone against the wall, nursing a drink. What could an aquatic possibly be doing this far inland, let alone by herself? Even more, what would she need a hired hand for? She's not even that big, I'm probably half again her weight, and a foot taller at the shoulder. Regardless, he nodded politely to her as she approached, no need to be rude yet.

"You are Levan?" the blue-scaled one asked.

"In the flesh. What might I do for you, miss...?"

"Matessie. The barkeep informs me that you are a dragon-for-hire, and currently without long-term obligations."

Levan tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "An ominous way to put it miss Matessie, but yes, I am free to come and go as I please."

Matessie dipped her head for a moment. "My apologies, Levan. I only ask because I have a task that would require at least four days of your time. I wish to find and search a nearby ruin for an old book of great value to the arcane community. I would, of course, compensate you for your time and effort."

A aquatic mage interested in ancient ruins? More cause for alarm, the drake silently counseled himself. His interest was piqued, however. There were no dragons this- mysterious is probably the word for it- in the town. Even if she were a threat, it was unlikely she'd try something in the tavern itself, there were enough dragons lying around to subdue her, even if they were mostly drunk.

"Would you like to lie down, miss Matessie? You have my curiosity for the moment. I'd like to know some more about you as well, if I may ask. Would you care for a drink?" Levan gestured with a paw, first at the ground, then at the barkeep.

"You may ask, but I may not answer, or be able to answer." Matessie had been surprised at his willingness. I never expected the first one to be willing to even consider, these mountain folk tend to be a superstitious bunch, Matessie thought_. "_Something light and sweet, please!" the aquatic called out to the barkeep in a slightly raised voice. The brown nodded, and turned to the spirits. Matessie pulled over some cushions, and arranged them so she could both share Levan's table and face him.

"You say you are looking to go into a ruin? I've never met an aquatic with an interest in the ancients," Levan opened with as Matessie removed her pack and carefully lay along the small pile.

"It's not so much the ancients themselves as their knowledge. They understood some things we have forgotten, though most of it was passed on. I was reading a history of alchemy, the study of potions, and it mentioned a dragon Tragulus who had managed to imbue magic into his potions. This is something that we have lost. Potions these days only depend on the physical ingredients and methods used, there is no metaphysical component. Tragulus' death was recorded as being in this region, so I found maps of the area. Very few had the location of ancie- Ah, thank you", Matessie spoke to the brown barkeep as he set the blue concoction on the table. She rummaged in her pack a bit, and dropped a few silvers into his hand. "Any idea what this is?" she asked Levan, lifting the drink and sniffing it.

"Looks like a Sky Kiss, they're tasty enough. Not quite strong enough for me."

Matessie took a sip, noting the sweet berry followed by a light alcohol tang. "Ah, but we're doing business, best to keep your head out of the clouds."

Levan laughed, "Haha, quite the expression considering your drink. And so far we're not really doing business, just talking. But you were saying, about the maps?"

"Yes, it was tedious work finding a map both ancient enough to include ancient cities and modern enough to be accurate. I ended up matching an ancient map's topology with one of the recent maps. The recent included this city and its countryside, along with several ancient ruins that have been catalogued already. However, the ancient map had a ruin on it that I could not confirm to have been catalogued. That is my target." Matessie finished, beaming slightly. It had taken a bit of work to get such a precise location out of old tomes not intended as guides, and maps not intended to be used as more than a best guess.

"Do you know where it might be inside the ruin? Is it underground?"

"It is underground, yes, which is the only reason I think it might still be worth searching for. Controlled climates, and all that. As to where it is inside, the ruin, I can only suspect it would be in a large room or a laboratory. Tragulus was highly respected, so he would have nice rooms."

"Not much of a clue, but it's something. Have you ever been in a ruin before?"

Matessie hesitated, looking down. Levan raised an eye ridge. "Yes, but only once before. I snuck into one near my hometown on the coast. Unfortunately I got caught in a cage trap, designed to simply hold a dragon in one place until they were released. With no one around, I would have been stuck down there and starved. I was lucky though, my parents had known about my interest in the old world and put two and two together when I disappeared. They were extremely fearful of the ruins, but came and found me anyway. Their relief did not stop them being angry, though." She stopped, looking away at the rest of the tavern and remembering the only time her father had used his tail on her.

"Ah, I see." Levan said quietly. "Well, I have been tasked with going down into ruins as well, and have some knowledge of them."

"You do?" Matessie asked, her head turning back quickly in surprise. "I would've thought you would've been scared due to the legends of ghosts and such."

"I'm not actually from around here, my hometown didn't hold with religion or superstition much. They were rather brutally practical, actually. In any case, going down the first one taught me they had just left surprises like the one you found, except all over the place, and the occasional skeleton. Nothing but dust and darkness most of the time." Levan grabbed his mug with both paws and took another swig of his ale. "My parents prided themselves on being strong, they were so disappointed I only grew two horns." He reached up a paw and ran it along his eye ridge to the white horn it grew into. "My grandsire had four pair running down his jaw, and two sets above his eyes."

Matessie glanced up at his movement, they were nice horns, sleek, even if there were only two. "I rather know the feeling. According to my parents, I had 'a body perfect for swimming'. No horns, no spikes, smaller-than-average scales, and this", raising her tail and flexing it to show off the broad fin that ran along its length, "was apparently one of the largest and longest they'd ever seen. Shame I turned out to have a personality more in common with the local shaman."

"You had a shaman in your village?" Levan asked. Makes sense, he thought. Magic tends to breed magic, after all.

"Well, not in the village per se. She was a black sheep, I never knew about her until I was allowed to wander on my own and found her cave by chance. Treyvana, she was called. She didn't know much about the true arcane, but had managed to teach herself how to feel the flow of energy in things. She was eccentric, but friendly, and glad to teach me and have me around. She also had a very old book she had bought off a junk trader who didn't know its worth. It was a history, describing the building of an underground city called Zephyr Tunnels. I could probably tell you every detail about it, though I've never been there", Matessie sighed with this last part, the memory bittersweet.

"So where did you learn about this Tragulus figure?"

"When I came of age, I left the coast. Treyvana was the only one who embraced my fascination with the old world. The rest just wanted me to become a fisher, dragging a net around my entire life and racing when I got old enough. It was too much, and I took off the day I came of age. Treyvana said she had met a mage who visited from the north, and told her about his college, Doam."

"Doam? Odd name for a place", Levan commented.

"An acronym, it stands for 'Destination Of All Magic'. Yes it was pompous as soot itself, and no, it's not that at all, but it sounded grand when I was younger. I couldn't resist the chance and applied to join. They helped me refine and focus my magic, and taught me basic utility and defense spells. Their library is what brought me here, and I can only hope that this deed shows my devotion to the college."

Levan brought his paws up for another drink. Hmm, never been a great judge of character, but she seems alright. She seemed sincere about her story, in any case, and sincerity's a point in her favor. Setting down his cup, he said, "And so you find yourself here, telling me your story. I think I can help you, I know what is needed to go on such an expedition, I have a build that deters any bandits that might accost such a sleek and beautiful dragoness such as yourself, and I know the local area fairly well."

Matessie grinned wickedly. "Oh, I wouldn't need you to deter bandits. How do you think I got this far on my own?" As she spoke, her eyes glowed a faint purple, and ice began to form around her head. Levan stared as it formed itself up around her eyes and along her snout, finally forming serrated ridges that ran lengthwise along the newly-completed ice helmet.

"I, uh, I stand corrected, miss Matessie."

"And thank you for the compliment, but let's keep this to business, alright? Though you can drop the 'Miss', there's too many esses in my name as it is."

"Sure Matessie. Did you have any questions for me? It was probably rude of me to force you to go first at all."

"How did you come to this village? Do you drink often? Do you have anyone who can vouch for your trustworthiness? How much can you carry?" Matessie rattled off, smiling to herself. She had been waiting for an opportunity to throw this drake off guard.

"Uh, I came here on a previous delivery, one-way. A large package from another town with a letter attached, not my job to ask what it was. I tend to have a drink every night to settle myself after the day, but I rarely get drunk. And I have been here for a bit, if you ask around. I've done a job for nearly everybody by now...What was the last question again?" Levan nervously asked, her recent show still in his mind, though she had willed the ice helmet back to nothingness.

"How much can you carry? For how long? Where was your hometown? What skills do you have that make you an explorer?" she continued in a clear voice that hid how much fun this was.

"Oh, I'm pretty strong. The package I brought here was over 100 pounds, and the origin was over two miles away. I brought it to a dragoness called Cala, you can ask her. My hometown was in a mountain range to the west of here, I lived there with my parents even after I came of age until wanderlust took me. And...I forgot the last one a second time."

"Your skills as an explorer? Who taught you how to go into ruins and come out alive?", Matessie asked again. His fidgety paws were a little endearing as he pushed his mug back and forth.

"Well, as I said, I'm pretty strong. I've had experience underground before, and with a bunch of experience above ground, I can make sense of things I've never seen before. I didn't really learn so much from him, but the first ruins job I had was just to follow an old orange fire drake and carry his stuff while he dealt with the traps. I saw enough that I knew what to expect on the few other trips."

"Mmmm. Well, I'll be sure to ask after this dragoness Cala. As for payment, I'm offering 8 gold a day, with a bonus of up to 25 upon our safe return depending on how much other help you offer. I had planned the trip for a week, and will reimburse you for any supplies you think we need."

"8? I get better than that digging holes all day, or drawing a plow. Make it 12 and I'm yours."

"10, split the difference."

"Reasonable enough. I suppose I'll hear your decision tomorrow? If you tell me early, we can prepare for the rest of the day, and we can leave the day after that."

"I will talk with the town, and let you know as early as possible. I may be delayed if there are other candidates to interview", Matessie noted as she got to her feet after draining her Sky Kiss.

"I'll be around, just let me know. Well met, Matessie."

"Well met, Levan." Matessie donned her pack and turned, walking to the exit and the temporary housing. Levan couldn't help but notice the subtle sway of her hips and tail as she walked away, lean muscles just visible under the scales. Some you win, some you lose, he thought morosely. And some will tear you apart with ice if you try!

---

Back in the present...

The two quadruped dragons found themselves carefully threading along a ravine deeper within the dark ruins. They had been checking all the large rooms they had passed thus far, including ones that looked less likely, like banquet rooms with raised stone tables running their length, and what appeared to be a dancing hall, the floor left natural stone, but smoothed level and polished to an incredible sheen. They'd had no luck so far, but had found a few gold trinkets that Matessie carefully packed in cloth to give to an archaeologist associate of hers. There were much larger specimens that she couldn't grab, but said she could place a temporary ward over the entrance of the ruin to hide it now that it was accessible.

The path along the ravine they were following looked safe and sturdy enough, but it never hurt to be careful where potential death was involved. Matessie was in the lead, as she was the mage. She had attached magelights to her snout and tail, one for her to see where she was going, and one for Levan. They were a pretty simple magic, but incredibly useful for such situations. She had been keeping her tail pretty low, the better to light his path, especially since the ruins were otherwise completely dark. Levan had been uneasy about not bringing any torches for backup, but didn't really want to spend his own gold on them. He'd been unsuccessful convincing her to spend her own gold on them, her confidence in her magic had been resolute from their first meeting back in the tavern.

Plus, they had managed to do without for the first trip, so Matessie really didn't see the need. Indeed, she had expressed enthusiasm at having a second go, since "we have all the beginning passages mapped out, and should be able to go deeper." Not that mapping the beginning passages had been easy...

---

Two weeks ago...

"What did you say we were after again? It sounded pretty tame", Levan asked as the two dragons plodded along the road towards the mountain range that was their target.

Matessie looked over at him as she answered, "It is, in a way. It's a book, apparently large and leather-bound, a paperweight by itself and to anyone who can't read it. It supposedly contains recipes for wondrous substances with minor magical components."

"Such as?", the drake's eye ridge raising in surprise.

"Sort of what you'd hear in stories, I'd assume. Potions that can heal wounds, turn your skin harder to deflect blows, allow you to breath underwater, that sort of thing. That's just conjecture, though, we won't know until we get our paws on it and see if it's even in a language we know."

"So we might go through the trouble of finding and searching a ruin for a useless chemistry book?" Levan snuffled at the thought of so much wasted time.

"Even if we can't read it, having it would allow us to work on translating it. It will be interesting in either case, and useful in the long run. What do you care anyway, you get paid either way."

"Just don't be disappointed if we can't find the thing."

"It should be here, this was Tragulus' last known residence, and the map I found was to-date within the last thousand years."

Levan slowed, hind paw hanging in the air. "The last thousand years? Do you know how common rockslides are in the mountains?"

Matessie paused as well, head swiveling on neck to look at the green-scaled dragon. "Yes, I know. The location was quite clear, though, we will simply have to look for clues. Carved stone, pottery, bones, basic remnants of civilization."

To Levan, this translated as, 'Let's walk aimlessly over the mountains for a few days', but he decided to hold his tongue. Resuming his former pace, he caught up to the blue-scaled aquatic as he said, "Well, hopefully we can spend our time in the ruin rather than searching for it. I only got enough food for the week, and I think the vendor might have gypped me a little on the amount."

The pair continued walking, making small talk about the region. Matessie had questions about the history of the area, and Levan, not having lived there long, struggled to remember the stories he'd been told. A few hours later, the aquatic indicated they had arrived in the general area, and they began searching the next day.

"Remember, leftovers of society. Anything that looks like it was dragon-made", Matessie reiterated.

"I'll keep my eyes open," Levan called back. They were separated by about 5 yards, and had been clambering slowly over the area, heads down looking for the entrance to the ruin and their next foothold. The hills surrounding the ruins' supposed entrance were not steep per se, but they were steep enough to make traction important. A back-and-forth pattern along the slope kept their vertical climbing to a minimum, though it was still tiring to just hold oneself to the hill.

Matessie was canvassing the lower portion, a patchwork of gray stone and shrubs fighting for purchase in between them. It was the height of the sun, the aquatic's thin scales not providing much insulation against the heat. She had made sure to bring extra water on her own dime so she could splash her face with it now and then, but still couldn't do it as often as she liked. I'd really like to just take a swim, if only there were a pond nearby...But that would be more time lost. Levan said we only had enough food for four days of searching, and I'd rather trust him than assume anything. Had to pay extra gold for that, hah! Matessie chuckled to herself. Levan's price had been higher than some of the other guides, but he had come more highly recommended, the first out of the tavernkeep's lips. She decided she needed a breather, and plopped down her hinds where she had been standing, reaching for her water and glancing over at Levan to make sure he wasn't too far ahead. Matessie wondered if she'd gotten the right help, he seemed knowledgeable enough, and their first meeting had been straightforward...

Ah well. Always time for second-guessing later, Matessie thought, letting her scaled lids fall closed for a moment as she enjoyed the water flowing down her throat. She splashed a little on her face too, letting it drip down her snout as she lent her snout forward. Wait, is that... Matessie stood, peering at what looked like grooves in the stone just below her. A perfectly curving double line like that cannot be natural! Now we can get down to explor- She had been following the lines down, and they disappeared behind a large boulder. A glance around the edges confirmed that a boulder had indeed fallen over the entrance she had been looking for.

"Levan! I've found it!"

Levan looked up in surprise. "Really? I thought we'd be searching for much longer!" He stated happily as he walked over to her location.

"Well, it's a mixed bag. I found the thing, but we can't get inside yet, with this boulder blocking the path," Matessie said, glaring at the offending stone.

"Oh, is that all? It's situated perfectly for me to push over, I'll have this clear in no time!"

"Levan, that boulder looks to weigh as much as you do, you can't lift it." Levan, undeterred, shed his pack and stood atop the boulder, looked between it and the ancient doorway it was propped against.

"No getting inside just yet, but I can fit down there." Matessie shot Levan a confused look as he turned around so his tail would be going into the gap first. Watching his feet and bracing with his back, he wormed his way down between the wall and the boulder until he had his forepaws resting on the boulder. He took a deep breath, then, hissing out his breath in a sharp steady stream, flexed with all four legs and his back, trying to shift the boulder away from the wall. It was moving alright, but not how he expected. There was some catch point he could not see or control that was causing the stupid thing to just rotate in toward the ruin's doorway.

"Aaagh, soot." Levan said as he relaxed and let the boulder rest where it had been, himself staying wedged between the wall and boulder for the moment. "I can't get this thing to tip over, this was the best spot to have a shot at it."

"Yeah, I saw it spinning. What if I helped? I don't think we can both get in there to push but-"

Levan cut her off, saying "Nah, there's no way you'd be able to help that much, doesn't look like much muscle on your frame."

Matessie pulled her head back. "I beg your pardon? I may not look like much, but I swam for years in the ocean, I'm just lean."

"Oh, sure. Unfortunately swimming is not the same as lifting and pushing things, there's not a ton of strength involved."

"Did you also forget I am a mage? I was never going to suggest dirtying my paws, there's no need for my muscles, just my mind."

"...right, sorry. Uh, well, then, how best to do this?" Levan asked, letting her take charge and trying to look bashful about his insult.

"I don't need any special spot to do it, but having a paw on the object helps greatly. Did you bring any rope? The boulder doesn't cover all of the opening, if we pull it to the side, we might be able to squeeze through with less effort," Matessie said, walking up to the boulder and giving it a look.

"Of course I did, no proper adventurer is without rope!"

A few knots and a makeshift harness later, Levan set himself to pull, drawing in another deep breath. "Ready?", Matessie called, herself standing on three legs next to the rock, front left forepaw resting on its face. She had spent the time calming her mind, going through some basic exercises to let her feel the flow of the earth's energy more clearly.

"Let's go!" Levan shouted back, pulling the harness taught as he flexed his legs. Matessie concentrated, thinking about where she wanted the boulder to go and willing it to be so. A faint purple glow came from the connection of her paw to the boulder that intensified as she noticed the boulder not shifting, and redoubled her efforts. The green drake was tense, the muscles in his legs starting to burn, feeling the tiniest bit of forward movement. The mage, on the other hand, was rapidly testing different faces of the rock, trying to find the best angle to apply her effort. She could vaguely tell the shape of the rock through the connection , and could feel a portion that angled into the doorway, preventing them from pulling easily. She guided her force around the rock, and pushed from an angle otherwise impossible, inside the doorway.

The rock began sliding toward Matessie slightly, grinding against the doorway's edge with a little more speed and a large bass rumble every moment. Levan felt the give, leaning forward and finally lifting a paw to take a step, gaining ground. With the rock free of its snag, the aquatic dragon tensed a little herself, gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, now shoving the rock in the direction Levan was pulling. She could smell the sweat on herself, sure that the green was probably much worse, continuing to push. Levan had taken a few steps now, grunting as he pulled himself along. Matessie opened her eyes and looked back. "We're good Levan!" she shouted, dropping her paw from the rock.

Levan immediately sagged, lines going slack, as he breathed deeply, trying to quiet his body.

"Let's...ha...take a breather....before we...go in."

Matessie slowly walked over to the other dragon, nodding when she got close. "I'd call that a very good idea," she said, laughing quietly.

---

Back underground, in the present...

"Ah, I see a doorway set in the wall ahead," Matessie said, stretching her neck forward a little. "It also looks like our path ends with the wall adjoining it. Hopefully the tunnel takes us away from this chasm." Levan silently agreed. Its constant presence felt almost like a maw hanging open, waiting for a misstep to sate its hunger.

"Mind the nettles in the wall there, Matessie," Levan commented as they moved forward, looking over her shoulder. "Your scales might not be able to turn them easily. Any idea how plants still grow down here?"

"Lots of ruins are damp enough to provide water for life like moss and insects. Not sure what the plants are doing for light, these nettles look near death." Matessie reached the doorway and turned to move in it, tentatively poking her head around. They had encountered a few traps on their way to this point, and while they had managed to avoid or disarm them, it definitely paid to be cautious. The magelight slowly revealed the same cobbled walls they had everywhere else, as well as a cobbled floor.

Seeing nothing, the aquatic dragon took a few tentative steps forward, placing her paws carefully.

Cla-click. Not carefully enough it seemed! The shifting of the stones was her only warning and she jerked both paw and head back. Matessie yelped as she felt a waft of gas pass over her face, though she could only see a faint green sheen. The effect it had was unsubtle. She began coughing immediately, vision blurring as she squeezed them shut to minimize its effects. She also started walking backwards as well she could, stumbling from the noxious distraction.

Levan had started forward when he heard the yelp, trying to see if the aquatic needed help. His fears were confirmed when he saw her tail emerging from the passageway. "What happened?!", he asked worriedly, but she appeared not to notice, continuing to back up. "Matessie! Cliff!", he yelled, but his words were lost to her among the coughing and stinging eyes. She only has a few more steps before she goes over, damn, damn! Levan set his feet, springing forward and hitting her in the flank, grabbing her tail and around her stomach with his forepaws and carrying her into the wall. Matessie let out a cry separate from her coughing and suddenly tried to move forward instead. Levan lost his grip for a moment, not prepared, but she only got a step before he smothered her, now trying to stop her from going back into the gas trap. She kept squirming, coughing and crying from the combined gas and injury from the wall-tackle. Levan also noticed she kept trying to bring her tail up from underneath him for some reason, but he was too busy trying to keep her still to accommodate it.

"Get off me, Levan! Please!" Matessie said through half-sobs a few minutes later. Her coughing had died down enough to speak, but she still had tears in her eyes.

"As long as you don't try to move too much, there's danger in both directions!"

"Yes, fine, just let me get my tail up, please!"

Levan rose off her, and she threw her tail up as soon as he was clear, not bothering to get to her feet yet. She gasped as some of the pain subsided with the released pressure. "Are you alright, Matessie?" Levan asked, his worried look creasing his brow ridges.

"I'll live, but you could've tried to aim me for a different section of wall!"

"What? Why, the wall was the- Oh soot I tackled you into the nettles didn't I?!"

Matessie nodded hard, causing the light in the cave to flicker as the light moved. Her breathing was coming under control but her eyes still shut. "And I do appreciate you stopping me, by the way, I just could have gone without the nettles in the undertail." Levan's eyes widened and his lower jaw dropped several inches.

"Oh, Draco, Matessie, I am so sorry! I just did the first thing I thought of to stop you! You were headed for the ravine and I just...acted." His head and tail drooped near the floor, trying to emphasize how ashamed he was.

"It's not your fault, Levan, accidents happen. And I'd rather have a vent full of nettles than die, though it definitely does not feel good."

"Can we get them out somehow? I might be able to grab them with my claws without breaking them off...Do you know any healing magic? Or telekinesis?"

"Pulling them out would take forever, though it would help the stinging. And no, I only learned how to mend cuts, not remove poisons. Telekinesis is a different beast, it would take a huge degree of control to grab things that small. I can endure, though, it's painful but not unbearable." Matessie pulled a face and gritted her teeth as she got to her feet, the added movement in her legs causing the pain to flare. "Hopefully they'll work out on their own if we keep moving."

Levan was still downcast, but she made good points. "Well, at least wipe some disinfectant over them, it'll keep the risk of infection down and might help with the pain", he said as he reached into a pack on the side of his belly.

Matessie's eyes narrowed to slits as she was thrown on the defensive. "What. No. It's bad enough you got me stung down there, I'm not going to just let you touch me as well." Mmmf, I know it's the pain talking, but it still makes me feel better. There's still the possibility he did it on purpose, just so this might happen. Pervert.

His paws slowed as he rummaged in his bag, glancing aside at her and trying to look both pleading and bashful. "I didn't mean that I should do it, you should be able to sit on your tail and do it."

"You've got to be kidding. Moving at all hurts, sitting on my tail is completely is completely out of the question."

"Well, it should still be disinfected. We have now idea what bacteria or spores might be living down here. It- It'd probably be easier if I just did it."

Matessie reflexively curled her tail down over her vent, only to throw it off again when she was met with a fresh wave of pain. Draco that stings! Fine, soot it all, let him see, what do I care. "Fine, fine, just do it, but no funny business or you're getting an icicle in the paw!" Levan had reached forward when he saw her flinch, but drew back, face falling into a trepidatious frown.

"I'm sorry, just...trying to help." He started looking for the disinfectant again. "Did you want me to try and take the nettles out anyway?", he added in a quiet voice.

"No, I don't need you staring at my vent for hours while you try and get your clumsy claws onto tiny plant needles that will snap as soon as you get a good grip", she snapped, now just wanting this to be over with.

"Okay then, give me a minute."

"Oh, this'll feel good." Matessie groaned, sarcasm heavy on her words.

Levan grabbed a large bottle, made for dragon paws, and a clean piece of cloth. Twisting open the bottle, he poured enough to cover half of the cloth. He put the bottle back, holding the cloth off the ground as he hopped toward the aquatic's rear. She gathered her back legs under her and slowly raised her haunches, tail kept up high. The drake turned when he'd passed her hind legs, sitting and facing toward her upraised nethers. He'd caught glimpses of this area before as they walked, but it looked very different now with her basically on display. Her soft-looking vent lips were tightly closed, since she was both unaroused and in pain. They were also peppered with tiny, nearly invisible rods, noticeable from the small angry red welts they were causing. Her lips were slightly swollen, a result of her body trying to heal the area with heat. Levan would've loved the view under normal circumstances, but his potential arousal was tempered with a pang of guilt as he remembered the twin facts that she was in immense pain, and it was partially his fault. "Ready?" Levan asked, looking towards her head to see her eyes closed and teeth gritted. Another pang of guilt...

"As I'll ever be. Go ahead."

Levan started reaching forward, and was gripped with a sudden fear. "You're sure you're not going to ice me up for doing this?"

With a hint of a growl, she said, "Oh, for Draco's sake, I just gave you permission. As long as you do exactly what is necessary and nothing more. Don't tempt me to reconsider. "

"Right. Here we go." Levan again leaned forward, holding the cloth in a forepaw. He laid it over her undertail as slowly as possible, Matessie hissing out in pain as the stinging intensified. The drake just held the cloth there, waiting for her to adjust. After a minute, he warned her, "Going to start rubbing now, alright? To try and disinfect below the skin."

"Yeah, sure, just do it", Matessie snapped out, bracing herself again. She gave a short, pained cry when he first started moving the cloth, all of the nettles moving at once and stinging again in protest. Levan didn't stop though, knowing it wouldn't get better until he removed the cloth. He stroked her vent back and forth for just under 30 seconds before noticing tears forming in the aquatic's eyes. "Alright, that should do it", he said, lifting the cloth away. He knew he should have gone twice as long to be thorough, but it wasn't worth putting her through that.

The blue's hind legs sagged, have gone tense without her noticing and now a relief to relax. Her tail lowered a bit as well, coming down as she released a held breath, panting slightly. "Ah, ha, I didn't think that could, aaah, hurt more than the initial sting! Shows, aaah, what I know!"

"Sorry to have to put you through that, but it's for your own safety, as well as mine. If you go down, I won't be able to get us out of here in the dark."

"Oh, I know Levan, don't worry, ha. I get the necessity, I just- ah, didn't prepare myself enough. I'm just going to lay here for a bit, can you try and find a way through trap?"

Levan looked mournfully over the prone dragon. "Yeah, no problem Matessie." He stood, stowed his cloth, and moved towards the troublesome hallway. How to test this stupid hallway...Don't want to go in there myself...Ah, good old rope._He produced the rope from his pack, and grabbed a large stone that had fallen out of the cobbled wall. Making himself a crude one-side bola, he stepped on the end of the rope and tossed the rock into the hall, past where he thought the aquatic had stepped. He sat back on his hinds, pulling the rope back slowly in his two paws. The rock slid over the cobbles in a jerky fashion, but resting on most of the rocks at some point. No traps were triggered, though. Levan scooted over the width of a paw towards the wall and threw again. This time a stone triggered far back in the hall, releasing what he could only assume was the same coughing gas. _Multiple triggers, never good.

Over the course of ten or so minutes, Levan mapped where he believed the triggers were, always having the same effect, a burst of the greenish gas over where the trigger was. They seemed to be arranged in a rough checkerboard pattern, with very few gaps large enough for an adult dragon's paw. There would be no walking through the hall without hitting the trap at least once more. Levan reported his findings to Matessie, who was breathing normally by now.

"Well soot. You didn't happen to bring any extra-long planks and wood blocks did you?" Matessie jokingly asked, warming up a little now that the pain had faded to a sharp ache.

"Closest I've got is a single splint for a broken bone, I'm afraid. Too bad we can't just run through, we'd trigger so much."

"...We could just run, actually. I got it so bad because I jerked back and got a face full of it. Close your eyes and don't breathe in, you might just get through it."

"Seriously? After what almost happened to you?" Levan asked incredulously. "We're going to do it again? Let's just backtrack and find another way."

Matessie slowly shook her head. "All of the passages nearby were collapsed, and we have a straight shot deeper from here. We would just have to stop when we stop hearing hissing gas with every step."

"And we just hope that time is before we run out of breath, finding our way blind?"

"How far back was the farthest trap? Did you manage to get it to that wall back that ends the hallway?"

Levan looked, now that Matessie and her light had moved closer to the trap, he could see the far wall. "It was just within the range of my cord. Doesn't mean anything either way, they could end there or be a dozen feet beyond them."

"We'll just have to trust that it ends there. And if we get stuck...well, we'll go one at a time. I'll go first, you stay here and hold the rope. Tie it around my waist so I don't have to worry about it, I'm going to have one paw on the wall as a guide. If I get in trouble, the rope will either go slack and stop moving , or become taut because I fell somewhere." Matessie said, a somber note in her voice. "If I do get through, I'll tug on the rope twice, then keep it taut for you to follow. In either of the other cases, try to keep tension on the rope so I know where to go or can try to get a grip on whatever I fell off."

Levan could tell it was pointless to argue. He couldn't go first because she couldn't hold him if he fell, and she had been right about the other passages being blocked. Going back far enough to get around them would take at least a day, and they were not guaranteed success. "Hold still for me Matessie, I'll get you hooked up." He then watched and guided Matessie in doing the same just behind his shoulders so he could not lose his grip. "You wouldn't happen to know how to attach those lights to other people would you?" Levan asked, voice quiet with trepidation.

Matessie shook her head slowly. "Some mages can, but most of my magic is channeled through touch. I could put one on you, but it would go out as soon as I took my paw off you."

"Oh." Levan said. They did not have any wood for a fire, which would take time to build anyway. Both dragons realized this meant Levan would be sitting in the dark while he waited for Matessie to either succeed or fail. Neither commented on the fact, since it could not be helped.

"I'll head straight back to that visible wall, and into its side passages if it's no good", Matessie said, looking back to Levan, outside the trap's range. Levan just nodded, resigned and prepared. Matessie said, before taking a deep breath and reaching her left forepaw out to the wall. She tried to get up to a decent hopping speed while keeping her paw on the wall, but there was no feasible way to do so, and ended up in a fast walk. Eyes squeezed shut, she could hear the hissing of the gas traps all around her, though she tried to keep her head low to avoid the worst of it. Her eyes still watered, but her nose and mouth did a decent job of keeping the noxious stuff out.

She reached the end of her wall and hopped blindly forward, a significant portion of her air gone. The gas traps had not stopped, so she kept hopping, trying to feel the far wall with her outstretched paw. It made contact, but the gas was still going! Urgency growing, she pressed her paw to the wall and hopped as fast as she could. Gas traps were still triggering on all three paws, and she was running out of air! Panicking, she started exhaling her air, trying to extend her time a little more. She noticed that her head could no longer feel air pushing down on it, only her hind legs. Matessie threw herself forward, heedless of whether there would be something in her way. Luck was with her this time, though, as she flopped onto the same cobbled floor, but thankfully clear of traps. She opened her eyes, still watering and blinked, attempting to clear them, as she did the same with her lungs, refilling them with blessed air.

The aquatic suddenly remember her signals to Levan, and reached back to the rope to give them two firm tugs, but not pulling it taut quite yet. She gathered herself, wiping her eyes and facing the direction she had just come. It looked innocuous, a deadly deception to those who were unwary. She shouted back to Levan that she was okay, and pulled the rope taut. She reeled the rope in as fast as Levan moved, determined not to get him lost. He appeared in her light an incredibly long minute later, hopping along with his right forepaw outstretched, trying to avoid hitting his head. She realized it had probably been just as bad, worse even, for him, trapped in pitch darkness with only a rope to tell him the state of his only light source. "Almost there, Levan!" Matessie called, pulling a little too hard on the rope in her nerves. The pull caught him off guard on a forward hop, left forepaw catching on a cobblestone and his chest hitting the ground, knocking the breath out of him and forcing his eyes open. The aquatic gasped, "Don't breathe in, just get up! Come on!"

Levan had gotten a split-second glimpse of the hall before his eyes had teared up, and got to his feet just enough to manage a desperate crawl out of the trap. It wasn't fast enough to prevent him getting a irresistible lungful of the gas, though. He stopped dead, coughing and sputtering, with his hind legs still pressing down traps. Matessie breathed deep again, bounding forward to pull the dragon's legs out of the trap area. Her eyes teared up again, but the gas stopped as she dragged first one, then the other leg off the traps. Her task finished, she retreated to beyond the gas' range. There was nothing she could do for Levan, he just had to cough it out. She wiped her own eyes again, saying, "Just breathe, Levan! No more gas in the area! And don't try to move!"

The drake couldn't respond, but did as she said, coughing slowing over the course of a few minutes. With the gas dissipated, Matessie moved forward, looking at the prone dragon. Still not able to help, she placed a paw on his shoulder in sympathy. "I can see- why you weren't- why you couldn't stop! This is- nasty stuff!" Levan managed to say between coughs.

"And you were ready for it, sort of. And now I know how you felt when I was...in trouble. I am sorry about tripping you." Matessie said, rubbing his shoulder a little. It didn't help the stinging under her tail, but knowing that he had gone through the same made her feel better in a weird way. Levan smiled at her, forgiveness implied.

Having gotten through the gas trap, they pressed on deeper into the ruin. Progress was hampered by Matessie's injury, her trying to walk without moving her hips too much, but with her tail up it was a little awkward. However, she was still in the lead, since she had the light. They had tried to walk with Levan's tail in Matessie's mouth, her sustaining lights on his tail and snout so they could both see. Unfortunately, it meant she couldn't look down at the ever-bumpy cobbled floor. Many stubbed toes later, Matessie had retaken the lead, since it was just too much effort.

These facts together caused certain 'areas' to be revealed to Levan. He had seen them briefly before, during the disinfecting, but now he got a good sustained look. She had kept the light on the end of her tail for Levan to be able to see, allowing her vent and tailhole to be thrown into relief with the gentle sway of her tail. He tried to keep his eyes on the ground in front of him as much as he was able, but he had to look around for traps and passages, and his eyes would always flick to her vent before going back to the ground. They were only tiny glimpses, but as the hours passed he got a very good idea. It didn't help that her body was flooding the area's skin with blood, trying to heal the injury and causing her vent to swell slightly. His stares became longer, entranced by the effects her movement had on her vent.

The upper portion of her pussy just comes together so neatly. A tiny seam of scales joins the left and right lips, like the smallest bridge in the world. The bottom is glorious too, the lips so much thicker and squishier. I bet it would feel exquisite to be hilted against those, feeling them mashed against my own slit. And nestled down there is her clit, bet that would be fun to grind against. A step with her right foot pulls the lower end right, and the left foot just pulls it back to the left. And her tail keeps pulling the upper portion to and fro. He kept watching, perverse glee flooding him when the rhythm of her walking and tail would pull her vent in opposite directions just enough for a little bit of pink to show inside, pulling her inflamed lips taut and then some. Matessie's tailhole was being given the same treatment to a lesser degree, though it had avoided injury and was not as...noticeable.

The predictable result occurred as first the tip of his arousal peeked out of his slit, then more as he became increasingly fascinated. It wasn't long before he was at full mast, dragonhood jutting out under his belly. He was rather proud his dick, if he did say so himself. He had seen a few other drakes dropped when he was young, had even done it himself. 'A stage in a dragon's life you can't really control' his dad used to say. From what he had seen, he was as long as the best of them, reaching nearly to the middle of his torso. No shrimp in the width department, either, judging by the fact that almost every drakka he'd had being tight around him, even the ones who had been rather 'lax' with their standards. He could just touch his foreclaws around its base if he tried.

But he found the proudest feature to be its very gradual taper combined with regular ridges along the length. It made the initial penetration a little easier, but the ridges gave the females a taste of what was to come if he hilted them. And I've not yet had one protest about being hilted, heh. Of course, with their current predicament, he didn't dare say anything to Matessie, since there was nothing either of them could really do about it. Soon it was not only Matessie's injury slowing them down, but Levan's swaying length as well.

"Come on, Levan, keep up. If you get lost down here, there'd be no hope for you, black as it is." Matessie huffed as she turned around, her withers sore from holding her tail aloft. "You're not even inj-", her sentence falling off as she looked at him. He was clearly aroused, the skin under his facial scales darkened and causing his scales to look a little brown. She could also see the odd sway to Levan's hips as he tried to keep his member from swaying out too much and into view. And now that she noticed it, she could notice a faint smell of male above and beyond Levan's natural scent. She instinctively lowered her tail and moved her hinds out of his sight, wincing a bit at the compression.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "But you're in front me and with your tail up..."

"It's not like I can help it." Matessie snapped. "And it's your fault anyway."

"Oh yeah, because it was me that walked into the gas trap and was about to fall to my death."

"There were other places you could've hit me, my shoulders would've been fine and out of the nettles."

"Your hips are stronger than your shoulders, you might have pulled us both into the ravine!"

"You could've held us both with your bulk, you're strong!"

"Have you ever tried to hold down a struggling dragon you're not on top of? It generally takes two other dragons, I had to go for the most effective route!"

"You still could've not tilted my nethers into the nettles!" Matessie spat. "And now we're going slower because of you! Can't you take care of that- thing?"

"What, just paw off here in these ruins? You don't think that's disrespectful?"

"Levan, we're here to take an ancient tome of recipes that belonged to the most respected of their community, I think they would care more about the theft than a little seed coating the floor. I thought you didn't believe in the ghost legends anyway."

"I don't, fine, point made. Just...give me a few minutes. Don't come over to this corner, alright?"

"Like I would want to."

As Levan headed over to a dim corner of the vaguely squarish room they were in, Matessie stalked off in the other direction, her tail held as low as she could manage while her head was high. She just wanted to flop on her stomach and relax for a while, but she couldn't even do that. She managed to crouch on her front legs and sort of flop onto her side, wincing again as her hips hit the stone. Stupid dragon. If he hadn't tackled me this never would've happened. She took to musing while Levan busied himself in the corner

It had not been that long for the big green drake, he had met a nice little drakka in the tavern after his last adventure underground with Matessie. Still, he was not really in the mood for this sort of nonsense, still rather angry at the tiff they had just had. If only she had been more careful! Of all the clumsy...no, just let it go, accidents happen. And the sooner you go away, he thought, with a pointed look at his hardness, the sooner we get on the move and out of this stupid cave. Still a little angry, the drake sat on his haunches and leaned back a little, exposing his member to his sight and pointing it right at the ceiling. Levan brought his forepaws to the length and set to work, a business-like back-and-forth, not really in the mood for anything fancy.

It was slow going, he hadn't really been aroused enough to produce much pre, and had to result to sliding and tugging. It wasn't doing much for him. Damn it, I hate having to use spit, he thought as he drooled a little onto his paws. That was much better, though quite a bit noisier with the sound of wet flesh rubbing together. With a taste of pleasure, he started trying to at least enjoy himself. Putting a little rotation into his paws, he brought them over his head and length, bringing a few novel sensations into the mix. As he started to get into it, his scent of arousal got stronger, wafting through the room.

Matessie was doing her best to ignore both the sound and smells of the male's pawing. This was his problem, not hers, she didn't want anything to do with it. It became increasingly difficult as more of his scent washed over her, bringing some decidedly involuntary responses. Her nostrils flared to catch more of his scent though her eyes stayed tightly shut. Her vent felt warmer than usual, even the new 'usual' with nettles all around. The pain even seemed to sharpen a bit as she tried to focus her mind, thinking back to the reason she was here. Damned Mage Devolon. Him and all his stupid alchemy. Wouldn't be down here if he hadn't mentioned it to me. And I wouldn't be sitting here with damned nettles in my vent if it hadn't been for him! throwing an acidic look at the crouched dragon in the dim corner. All this time he's been acting, just wanting to mount me. He seemed so professional after I made it clear I wasn't interested. Capable and frugal enough with the supplies as well. Interesting to talk with as well, if a little...unenlightened on certain subjects. I had no reason to trust him but gave him a chance anyway, and he turns out like Narya back at the village, only interested in nailing my vent. At least Levan has the equipment for it. It might be worth it just to feel- She shook her head and curled back up, focusing on turning her thoughts on something other than that dumb coc- Dragon! She meant dragon! Forcing herself to relax, she lay there and tried to think of what recipes and techniques she might find within the book.

Levan was having his own problems. He was decidedly into his masturbation now, producing enough fluid to keep himself slick, but no matter how tight he pressed or how he twisted, he could not bring himself more pleasure. Screw you brain, I stopped being angry about this! Still determined to bring more sensation, he curled his tail up, wrapping the end of it around the bottom of his length while his paws worked the top, trying to trick his brain into feeling that he was hilted in a female. It helped, but not by much, Levan now stuck on a slightly higher plateau of pleasure. Damn it, come on! You're really gonna make me do it, aren't you? With a glance over at Matessie to make sure she wasn't looking, he lowered his neck, opening his maw and taking the sensitive length inside, his paws moving down to where his tail had occupied. He was content to just hold it for a minute, relishing the new sensation. He didn't do this very often, it put a lot of stress on his neck afterward, but it usually did the trick and he needed that right now.

Still Matessie was trying to calm herself, thinking of the darkness, the stone, how chilly it was underground. Well, not anymore, at least not in the same room as an aroused dragon exuding heat into the air around him. She hadn't managed to distract herself very well, with him constantly making noise. No, wait, speaking of the drake, she noticed the noise had mostly stopped. Ah, took him long enough. She flipped her head on her neck and looked at the green, immediately noticing his head was down. Is he examining himself? Why would he want to look at a long, hard, di- Ugh, he must have experience with it already, why is he down there? She also noticed that the noise had not stopped completely, but had muted into soft snuffles, as though he were taking deep breaths through his nose. Now what could that be? Is he scenting himself? Trying to clean himself quietly? Interesting...I wonder... Matessie none-too-gracefully got to her feet, still keeping her tail off her vent. As long as I'm quiet too, I might be able to get a look...Not like I can do anything with it.

Oh Draco damn it all! Why won't this work!? Levan thought furiously, fed up with his body. Even with the slick warmth of his mouth on his member, he couldn't finish. He had pushed his neck down as far as it would go, engulfing all but two inches. He had avoided sliding his lips up and down his shaft, trying not to attract Matessie's attention, but he had sucked all the air out of his mouth, creating a close-fitting slimy prison for himself. His member was hot on his tongue, eagerly coiling itself around his length with the top of his throat swallowing around his tip, but to no avail. It's basically as good as a vent, why does pleasure still elude me?! He noticed Matessie's scent getting stronger. Oh, a vent, of course. I was fantasizing about spreading her vent, not finishing myself off. Come on, this is basically the same thing, and we need to get her back in- wait, crap, she was getting closer!

Levan's eyes snapped open as he thought this, and pulled off himself, but the damage was done. Matessie had moved around him and was staring agape at the scene before her. Levan's member shone in the bright magelight, slick with saliva and hard as it could be. He avoided her eyes and looked to the side. "What, you've never seen a male use his mouth before? Feels a lot better than paws, I can tell you, but it gives you a damn crick in your neck."

She had expected to see him with his nose in his crotch, paws on member, and technically she had, just not in the way she expected! He certainly looked like he had been enjoying himself, even without moving his head. Hearing his words snapped her out of it a little, sputtering, "I- I just wanted to know what was taking so long. We should probably get going."

"I've been trying, as you might have seen. It just hasn't gone quite as I'd hoped. My body was expecting a vent to fu- ... to penetrate, and I can't fool it. We're just gonna have to go like this."

Matessie cocked her head, disbelieving and a little suspicious.

"What?" Levan asked.

"You can't get yourself off? I find that hard to believe. You just want to- to mount me!"

"You're welcome to sit and watch me try a second time if you think I'm lying!" Levan barked out. "I don't like this any more than you do. You think I like being worked up and not being able to finish? If we started walking now, I would hurt in a few minutes_._ And not just if I banged little Levan here on a rock." Matessie thought 'little Levan' was rather unfitting but she let it slide. "You ever had a male not finish you off after he came? Take that simple, unfulfilled feeling and make it actually painful. That's what I'm in for."

She cringed a bit hearing that. She was no virgin, and those types of nights were not fun in the least, but not in a painful way. She felt her smoldered anger cool a few more notches. So far she had not known Levan to lie to her, and he sounded sincere enough now. Sincere and more than a little angry.

"Well, we don't have to get on the move right now. This is as good a place as any to make camp, we could both use some sleep. And the problem might solve itself if you just slee-"

"Not quite what I meant. I meant that if I stop I get that feeling. If I continue, I won't be able to finish, and it will make it that much worse when I do stop." Levan clarified, in rather huffy tones. I guess she wouldn't have known, but it's frickin' embarassing to talk about.

"Oh." Matessie said, simply. "I- well, I'm sorry." What did he expect her to do? Even if she were willing to let Levan mount her, it simply wasn't possible with the stinging sensations still lingering in her vent. Her vent..."What if I- if I showed you my vent? That's what got you worked up, right? Do you think seeing it again would help?" She didn't quite believe those words had just passed her mouth, but there was no denying the tiny thrill she felt at offering.

Levan's mouth watered at the thought, his dragonhood giving a delighted hop hearing a female talk about presenting herself. "I, uh, I certainly wouldn't object, but it probably wouldn't help much. It would still be me doing the work."

Matessie was quiet. Did he just imply that only I can make him finish? Showing him was one thing, he'd probably already memorized her vent. Touching him in that way was...well...personal. She was not new to the concept either, but she had never done it with an, for lack of a better word, employee before. She knew Levan to be a decent dragon, but she had never hinted in conversation that she was interested, even shutting him down at the tavern to keep things professional. Maybe that was the way to keep it. This was a problem only a manager could solve, and since she was the only manager on call, it was her duty.

"Would you mind if I helped you?" Matessie said, suddenly business-like. "I'd like to cover some more ground before bed and we'd get more distance if you were not hard."

Levan stared. "Wait, what? What just happened to you? Where's the Matessie who was going to put an icicle in me for touching her?"

She ignored the questions. "You have a problem that is preventing me from furthering my goal, and you can't solve it yourself, right? Will you allow me to help?"

He had never seen the blue act this formal since they were introduced. Spending nearly a week underground had made them rather friendly, what had passed in her mind to cause such a swing? "Suuurrre, I suppose. Just be, gentle, yeah?" he said, scooting around on his flanks so that she would have room. With his dragonhood properly exposed, she stared a little longer, interest and, well, arousal at the situation still growing slowly. Still, Matessie tried to keep up the facade of disinterest.

"If I hurt you, you would no longer be able to help me carry food and water. Trust me, this is for purely mutual benefit." Matessie said calmly, redoing her little flop so she lay on her side in front of his groin. She wiped her paws together in preparation, and saw they were still dirty from days of travel. "Ah, and we can't waste good water just to clean my paws. Do you mind if we skip straight to my mouth?"

"Oh, jeez, do you have to say it like that?" Levan said, even as his member gave a little jump at her blunt language. "But yeah, go ahead, I suppose."

Levan's drool had long since dried on his member, losing its sheen. The embarrassment at being caught had made him slightly limp, but the prospect of having the aquatic's mouth working him was already having an effect, rising him to the occasion. Matessie stretched her head towards the male's member, but was only just able to reach the head. She gave it a lick, tasting his saliva and his own pre on him. "Would you mind scooting forward for me? I can't service you effectively like this, and it's such a pain to move." Matessie implored him.

Levan groaned at her formal language, but complied, bringing the base of his length close to where her head had been resting before. His scent flooded her nostrils, with the source right in her face, but she ignored its effects for now. "And one last thing, could you bend it down so I don't have to raise my head quite as high?" Again Levan did as she asked, using a paw to make his member basically level to the ground. Matessie moved her head back and stared for a moment, the situation rather unique. With the cock staring at her with its one eye, it looked daunting, as though it might fire off into her face simply for looking at it. She smiled, then opened her mouth just enough to get his tip in. He continued holding his member down, eyes fixed on the scene as though it would disappear if he blinked. He still couldn't quite believe this was not some intense dream, but the sensations coming from his cock told him otherwise.

Matessie slid forward, taking slow inch after slow inch into her mouth, opening her lips just enough to slide them along his widening girth. She made sure to catch his little ridges with her lips, since it would probably get him off faster. The feeling of him penetrating her mouth threatened her detached manner, though, it was simply too sensual. Mm, she thought to herself, I hope he doesn't want to just get this over with and move on. She loved the fact that she could feel him pulsing in her mouth, and the heat coming off of it.

For his part, Levan was in shock, too stunned to do more than watch. He was still in disbelief when her mouth met his slit, having hilted him in her mouth. No female had ever done that before, and it was erotic just knowing that she had been able to do it. As Matessie slowly started to tongue him, he closed his eyes for the first time, focusing on enjoying the feeling to the fullest and making it last. He could feel his tip brushing the back of her mouth as she pushed and caressed him, sliding the silky length of her tongue over and around him. Starting to bob her head a little, she used the thick rear portion of her tongue to grind the side of his member against the roof of her mouth, letting him feel the ridges there. Their unique position also put her cheek just under the head of his tip, and she kept him there, bulging her cheek out as she moved him in and out.

Oh, man, she knows what she's doing! Levan thought, tongue panting out of his mouth. I should...eengh...repay this somehow. He looked over her prone body, eyes falling on her tail, laying away from the rest of her body. Her withers must ache, she's had to keep her tail in the air for hours...Perfect. Careful to move slowly, he lowered himself towards her back, rotating his member in her mouth so the bottom was on her tongue. Luckily the dragons' torsos were roughly the same length, so her hips were in comfortable reach of his forepaws. Placing left paw on her belly just forward of her thighs, he pressed his right firmly into the base of her tail. Matessie gave an appreciative moan around his member, rather to Levan's liking, so he started massaging his paw from flank to flank, putting pressure on her tired muscles. He could appreciate a rear such as this, muscle definition evident under her thin scales. She squirmed a little bit, another dent in her business armor appearing from the reciprocated actions. Draco that feels good, those muscles are so sore just rubbing them on rocks would've felt good. Now I've got a willing drake putting his paws all over my rump. Matessie thought, her mouth still full of male. How considerate of him. So long as his paws stay high...Though it might be fun...nngh, should concentrate on getting him off.

She redoubled her efforts, letting more of his length pass her lips with the bobbing of her head. She made sure to keep up her moaning, Levan seemed to enjoy that, and she was happy to have an outlet for the relief he was providing to her rump. For his part, he had to switch paws, the position effective but tiring. He prodded his right paw where her belly met the ground, encouraging her to lift it for him. Matessie raised her flank a bit, feeling the male cradle her from the other side as he brought renewed strength from his left forepaw to his ministrations. The green was glad to help her out, but still felt he could do more, knowing that a simple massage was no match for the eager snout job he was receiving. She just doesn't stop with any part of it! The tongue, the bobbing, the moaning , oh the moaning! That was something the male had never tried with his own mouth, too concentrated on just sucking to his body's content.

His forelegs giving out slightly, Levan switched to using a single knuckle on his forepaw, trying to root out any particular sore spots or knots, concentrating on just to either side of the aquatic's spine.

These muscles controlled the sway of her tail, which she had been trying to keep stiff, and were just as sore as the lifting muscles below them. As he passed over the worst of them, Matessie rewarded him by burying her snout against his crotch and giving a powerful suckle. For her part, she was rather perversely enjoying having her lips against the male's slit. It just feels so naughty...like I'm exploring my first drake again, she thought, lips tightening around him with a small 'mmph' as the green pressed into a newfound knot on her rump. He switched forelegs again, drawing his right foreleg out from under her, but giving a quick squeeze to her side on the way out. Applying his knuckle technique with his right forepaw was just as effective as his left, and they continued their odd little reciprocation, both feeling a little more at ease with their situation.

Levan's shoulders could finally do no more, and he raised into a sort of crouch over her body, careful to twist his length in her mouth slowly. He resisted laying on her, unsure of her reaction, but now had a much closer view of her rear. Thinking back, I was fixated on her vent, but her tailhole seemed to not have nettles in it. Maybe she would enjoy what some females have done for me... Again using his paws to suggest new positions to her, he tried pulling her legs up so she would be on her back, at least from the belly down. She resisted, automatically curling her tail downwards, though she stopped when her vent twinged with pain.

"I just want to try something Matessie. I'll stop right away if you don't like it, but I think you will," Levan murmured to the prone dragon beneath him, pulling at her leg insistently. She drew off his length with deliberate slowness, trying to collect everything she might and making a show of slowly raising her neck and swallowing it. And just when I thought this couldn't get more weirdly erotic, Levan chuckled to himself.

"You're aware doing anything to my vent is out of the question, right? Relieving myself has been painful enough, stimulating it would probably make if bad enough that I would have to stop helping you." Matessie cautioned. Levan shuddered at the thought.

"Yeah, but have you ever had someone at your tailhole before? It's a different sort of pleasure."

"Thank you being considerate, but mounting me there? That would be nearly as painful as my vent itself. It would certainly stretch the skin in the-"

"Oh, nonono, I meant with paws and tongue."

"You're not kidding?" A firm nod from the green drake. "I suppose, if you think I'd like it."

"We'll just have to see!" Levan chirped happily. Matessie allowed herself to be rolled over on her back, extending her legs along her tail and to the floor so she wouldn't have to hold them up. Levan took a hopeful stance with his maleness dangling in front of her maw, his own snout pointed down at her upturned rump. Matessie moved first, nuzzling his shaft before slipping him back between her lips and giving a firm, slick, suckle. Levan shuddered, trying to keep his focus. He ogled down at Matessie's undertail, and her scaled pucker stared back, the scales becoming finer and a slightly lighter blue as they draw closer to her tailhole. He lowered his head, tongue snaking out to graze her hole. Her skin tasted of travel, a mixture of sweat and dirt but otherwise clean.

Matessie gave a surprised yelp around his length at the strange sensation. Not exactly good, but pleasurable in an unusual way. Levan had soon bathed it in saliva, trying to keep tongue on her as often as he could. He had lowered himself to his elbows, and was using his paws to massage the area around her tailhole, tail just above and the meat of her hips just to the side. He took a moment to pull the little pucker open and lick just inside the ring, giving Levan glimpses at the bright pink he wasn't able to have. Ah well, maybe when she heals up, he thought a little deviously, letting the skin close together.

He made sure to vary the directions his tongue attacked from, firm pulling the supple flesh to and fro.

The business-like facade Matessie had held onto was brushed away by this new pleasure. If she was receiving as well as giving? That's sex. It was definitely sex when she could feel his hot, pink muscle dipping within her backdoor as he pulled her open with his paws; when she could feel his tongue bathing her pucker and forcing it around any time it was not within her. His paws were kneading either side of her undertail, moving up and down the area, providing a nice base of sensation for the punctuations of being licked. She let herself go with the pleasure, her efforts on Levan's member going into a less focused, more passionate mode. Not that she could get more passion than suckling his member as though it contained the only water in a desert! She had nearly stopped bothering bobbing her head, content to keep all of him within the hot confines of her maw and apply suction all around, cheeks pulled in with the effort. Matessie rubbed the smooth inner flesh of her mouth on his dragonhood, tongue dancing over his length and squeezing around its ridges when it could, both transmitting the vibrations of her nonstop moaning to his sensitive flesh.

It was all too much for Levan. After a few hard twitches within the aquatic's mouth and a few extra-ferocious licks on her tailhole, his body stiffened up as he shut his eyes, thrusting lightly into her maw as she held him. Matessie drank down what he offered, jet after jet, mind rather blissfully blank from the arousal that was numbing the pain of her vent. She felt his member slowly go flaccid in her mouth, but didn't drop her suction until a soft whimper came from the male.

"Ah, Matessie- Ah! That was wonderf- ah, wonderful, but could you stop? Oh, thank you, just a bit oversensitive at the moment." Levan said as he looked back between his legs. His heart gave another flutter at the visual that greeted him. Instead of just letting his length dangle as it shrunk, Matessie had taken it on herself to support it with her head. His 'hood was currently draped between her eye ridges, the drooling tip resting on her snout as she gave him a sultry grin.

"Something the matter, drake?" Matessied drawled, putting as much sensual feeling into her words as she could muster.

"No, no, not at all", Levan mumbled, transfixed by the erotic sight before him. Of course he had noticed something odd, her behavior had swung again from the beginning of their activities, even just from a few minutes ago when he started servicing her. "Just feeling a little guilty that I got off and you didn't. And unfortunately, it's really hard to get someone to, uh, cum just from rimming."

"Is that the term? Rimming? I'll have to remember that one. In any case, don't worry about me, the massage and your 'rimming' were enough to perk me right up."

Levan lifted himself to his feet, turning out of their little 69 so he could look the bluescale in the face. "Oh, don't give me that, Matessie. I can smell as well as you that you were enjoying that. Is there something else I can do for you? I mean, I can sit and lick at your tailhole if that's what you'd like, but I'd like to be able to use my tongue at the end of this expedition."

"...no, not really. But tha-"

"That sounded like hesitation to me. Come on, anything. That was a fantastic mawjob, it would be ungentlemanly not to do something for you."

Matessie looked down, snorting at his pushy behavior. Though the idea that this male might do something...unusual for her added another bit of fuel to the fire in her loins. "Promise not to laugh?" The drake chuckled a little, but nodded his head in mockingly grave fashion and crossed his heart with a forepaw. "Well, I...could I...mate you?", she said, quietly. The aquatic's blue face was tinged purple around her eyes and snout from furious blushing.

Levan blinked, then just looked confused. "I thought your cun- your, uh, vent was too injured to, well, penetrate."

"It is, that wouldn't work. I...want to mate you. Specifically your tailhole."

It was Levan's turn to blush, his dark green scales now tinged with brown. He felt his tailhole clench in an instinctive reaction, nothing wider than a tongue having been up there before. Well, I did say I wanted to do something for her, and had said 'anything'. "Oh. Well, if that's what you want to do, we can, uh, we can try. I'm not sure how you're going to, I suppose your tail would be...", he trailed off as Matessie shook her head again.

"I learned a lot from Treyvana, visited her over the course of several years. And one time I visited her without warning her first. I could hear grunts and moans from her cave a little ways off. Fearing her captured, I sprinted into the cave, not noticing the smell of aroused dragoness. Treyvana had been using a spell she developed herself, you see. I walked in her cave to see the shaman on her back, stroking a, well, a...cock. Not a real one mind you, it was magic, I could see that much. It was a dull yellow for one, never seen one that color, and she was not a drake, obviously I knew that from visiting her before, not from staring at her vent, obviously, just her scent and the timbre of her voice and sort of the way she moved, not that I was-"

"Woah, woah, slow down", Levan said, stemming the flow of words. "You stopped making sense. Why was it strange that she was entertaining a drake?"

Matessie sighed. "You misunderstand me. There was only Treyvana, it was her- her cock. She had developed a spell to give her a temporary false phallus, and was using it to pleasure herself. Those were the grunts and moans I feared were from pain. The spell does not mold flesh into new shapes, it kind of, how to put it, redirects the female's sensations of from her, uh, cunt, into a kind of semi-solid energy dick. It can't physically cum, but if you hook up the lines of magic properly, the female can achieve orgasm through actual thrusting into or against another dragon. Or masturbate using it, which was what Treyvana was doing."

She looked up at Levan, she still lying on her back on the rock. His eyes were both wide and unfocused, like he was in a daze. "Levan?" she called. "You in there?"

"I'm just trying to imagine how that would work. It's rather bewildering that magic can have such effects on the body, I've only ever seen healing magic and more flashy stuff like your telekinesis or ice", he said dreamily, eyes slowing focusing back on her face.

"There's a lot of sublety to magic. It greatly depends on how you personally feel energy flowing. If you can feel it in yourself, you can change it. That's why touch- or self-based magic is so much more effective."

"I see...so the point of the story was that you have learned this spell?"

Matessie nodded slowly. "Treyvana heard me come in and dispelled her spell, but I was far too curious about how she had done it to care what she was doing with it. She kept trying to get me to leave and come back some other time, but I was adamant that she show me again. I lost because she was bigger than me and forced me out, but I kept pestering her about it for months. She finally relented to get me to stop, allowing me to see it again, and teaching me over the course of nearly a year how to first feel my energy, then alter it as she had done. The first part of her teaching came to be of great help in Doam."

Levan looked toward her belly nervously, no ethereal member visible there above the light blue belly scutes. Yet. "And you want to use that on my, uh, backdoor?" Oh Draco, what did I volunteer myself for?!

Matessie nodded again, even more slowly. "If you'd rather not, that would be fine. I know it must sound extremely weird. It's just that you offered anything, so I thought I should mention it." Her hopes were still tentatively raised. She had been planning on using her spell to get off anyway after they made camp and Levan was asleep. But she was excited at the opportunity to try her it on actual flesh, male or female. Treyvana had not shown an interest beyond teaching her how the spell worked, declaring her too young to mate. Which was odd, considering me how much she taught me about my body and how to make the spell feel truer to a real male's equipment.

Levan was torn. He didn't consider himself to be one of 'those' dragons, though he had enjoyed the rimming attentions of females in the past. And it would technically be a female doing him. He knew that the common word was that it felt strange in a good way, but baring his hinds to this female? Well, she did doing an amazing job getting me off, I would hate to leave her hanging after my little tantrum about it. "No, let's...let's go ahead and try it. I'm a dragon of my word, and I said I wanted to help you_._ If this is what helps, let's do it. Though I do have a question."

Matessie had silently crowed her joy in her mind when he heard Levan's assent. This is going to be so incredible! I only ever got to use my paws and maw, and now... She rolled on her side, preparing to get to her feet. "Of course, Levan, what is it?"

"Can you control the size of your, uh, energy cock? I've never had more than a tongue back there before, and I don't want to get injured helping you if I can avoid it." Levan asked with creased brow ridges, emphasizing with a short toss of his head toward his hinds.

"I've never tried to, actually, though I think I know the component I would have to change. Whenever I did it by myself, I just let it come at the size that felt most natural. That would definitely not work for us this time, since it was usually a little longer than yours so I could get my mouth on it easier. Not quite as wide, I think." she commented, rising to her feet and bringing to mind the words and concepts necessary to start.

Levan did what felt like the tenth double-take in this night of surprises. "You had done that as well? And if it was that long...", he gave a little shudder, "I would hate to think where that would end up inside me."

Matessie trundled over before giving his shoulder an affectionate nuzzle. "Do not worry Levan. I appreciate you even agreeing to try. One word and I stop. And yes, by the way. That was where a little of my shock came from. To know that real males did the same as what I did to my playtoy, for lack of a better word, was surprising, at least. I thought you were simply entranced by your own scent, and sniffing."

"I have known drakes like that", Levan said with a small laugh. "Though it mostly happens when there are no females around." He sat back on his haunches, noticing Matessie was not quite paying attention. It looked as though she were trying to hold as still as possible, eyes closed and mouth mumbling half-spoken words. She must have started her spell. It's interesting that she doesn't have to say the words perfectly, there must be a strong mental component. It would make sense, given how much focus is dedicated to the knowledge of self in magic. And is that more purple floating around her eyes?

Matessie was indeed in the midst of her spell, and had already attached her faux member, though Levan could not see it. It was of a size she hoped would be okay for him, about the width of two claws together. She was now concentrating on redirecting the nerves in her vent to where they would attach on her new equipment, taking special care with her clit, and attaching it just under the head of her dragonhood. The green drake's stomach was tight with nervousness, and a tiny bit of anticipation, so he got back to his feet and gave dipped his head to see if her spell had any effect yet.

The aquatic sighed a little as the sensations in her vent were steadily reduced, the lines of magic interrupting the normal paths of feeling, the area slowly going numb. She had considered doing this earlier just for some relief for the pain, but Treyvana had cautioned her against long-term reconnections. And when the nerves eventually felt her vent again, they always got a little shock. She definitely was not looking forward to getting a shock with the ache on top of it.

Levan, head now below Matessie, was rather surprised to see a replica of his own member in a smaller scale hanging from where the slit would be on a male. Levan's shaft was rather different, of course, in a few ways. His was not a translucent purple, and his did not disappear into scale with no transition in flesh. The way she seemed to have attached it, there was a neat mostly-circular connection where her slit would be if she was male. To Levan's mind, it still looked a little big to try for a first time, but didn't want to ask her to do her spell again.

"What do you think?", Matessie said, opening her eyes and seeing the drake peering underneath her.

"Why does it look like mine? It's pretty close, down the the spacing of the ridges."

"Really? I was focused more on keeping the size down than its shape. It must have come through in my subconscious. Is that...okay?" she asked rather sheepishly. Oh, that would be so hot if he was okay with it. Poetic in a most erotic way to be penetrated by his own member for his first time...

"It's as good as any other, I suppose. And it would be interesting, I think, to feel it from the other end for once. See what I've been giving the dragonesses I've had" Levan said, his blush coming back. Matessie was about to explode with joy, This has been going far too perfectly, I just cannot believe this, I have to check.

Matessie coughed, to bring his attention back to her face. "Could I ask a favor of you, now?" Levan looked a little anxious as he nodded. "Poke with a claw in the side, would you?" Levan actually laughed, hard, but complied. The little pinch of pain was enough to convince her.

"So, uh, how would we start this? I've never done this before." Levan asked, both to himself and Matessie.

"What, raise your tail to a dragoness who has created a false penis to use on you because you can't mate in the normal way due to an injury to her vent neither of you can heal? I wouldn't think that happens very often!" she joked, laughing in her excitement.

"You know what I mean...I have some oil that I planned to cook with, should we, uh, apply that to me?"

"That would probably help, yes. Some saliva might help too, but I can't really reach this small version..." Matessie said, trying to sound hopeful and seductive at the same time.

"Oh." Levan thought she just sounded eager. "I uh, I suppose. That'll dry pretty fast, though, can we do the oil first?"

Matessie grinned, saying, "Sure, as long as you lie on your back first. Don't want to waste any oil dripping down your legs." Though that would be a lovely visual.

Levan saw her point, dipped his head in agreement, and walked over to the packs. He fished out his little vial of cooking oil before sitting down on his haunches and leaning back. He surprised himself that he was a little stiffened out of his slit. Of course, there was still an aroused female in the room, so he could hardly be blamed, but he felt that at least of little of it came from a sort of sexual trepidation. He'd had a taste of anal from past experiences, but would this be better or worse? Matessie's shaft is definitely bigger than a tongue. I hope she knows what she's doing, worrying a little as he dribbled a decent amount of oil from his bottle. He had (and still) hoped to cook at least one meal with it.

He corked the little bottle and leaned back, closing his eyes and trying to relax. Levan heard Matessie approaching, and opened his eyes just in time to see her hind leg swinging over his head. She had straddled his head and crouched a little, putting him face-to-face with the miniature purple version of his own cock. "A little blunt there, Matessie." She didn't respond, only waggling her hips a little so the faux dick swayed in his face. He could appreciate a little turnabout though, with Matessie having been in a similar position not too long ago. With a sigh of acceptance, he reached up to the aquatic's hips, pulling her down with him as he lay fully on his back to be able to use his forepaws. The weight shift was little too much for Matessie, since she couldn't sit on his chest, and had to lay her own chest on the rock. Levan was about to reach up and stroke her augmented anatomy before he saw his paws. Right, traveling. And that should be clean if it's going in me. Guess I have to go straight on with my mouth too. Great, the first time I feel it is with my tongue...

Matessie lay in her little tripod stance with her fake maleness hanging over the drake's face, waiting for him to make a move. Hopefully he gets a move on, I've never tested this spell with lack of stimulation for long periods. I hate to have it go out sudden- Aaaah! she exclaimed in her head as she felt his pink wet appendage slide along her cock. It was like she was touching it for the first time all over again. There were no surprises when she stroked herself off with it, but Levan was diligently coating it in random directions. He started with the underside, easier to curl his tongue around and cause it to ride along the bottom, forming over ridges and the significant ridge of the simulated urethra. After giving a nice, even coating to that, he tried swiping his tongue over the upper side. Not so effective, but he could get it done, gradually licking his way back and forth over the purple shaft. Matessie didn't really make the job easy, her hips squirming and jerking as the once-again-new feelings danced up the connected lines of magic to her body.

Oh, but the bottom is dry now. I suppose I have to do it all at once...Here goes... Levan opened his maw and moved his head forward, noticing her giving a gasp of anticipation as she felt his breath wash over her shaft. Once he was deep enough, he slowly and carefully closed his maw around the shaft, not sure how sensitive it was. Given the sigh and the relaxation he could feel in her belly, it was just sensitive enough. He just held her there for a minute, breathing through his nose, absorbing the weird situation and sensations. Levan had not expected the construct to feel warm to the touch like a real one, and it was more pliable than it would appear. He started licking within his muzzle, feeling the shaft bend slightly under the pressure in an intensely realistic way.

The aquatic was in heaven, the warm, wet sensations flooding her brain just exquisite. But just then, he sucked, and then she was above heaven. I could never get my old one all the way in my maw, feeling that suction over the whole thing is something else. Like I'm hilted in something that wants me there, and wants me to shoot all over. I'll have to look into modifying the spell, some short-lived energy ectoplasm might do wonders for the visual effect. Her mouth opened as she started to lose it a little. Matessie began lightly thrusting her cock into its tight fleshy prison, forgetting there was a second serving to this dinner of pleasure.

Levan was just happy to have a way to get the female off. Even if the sensations from her vent were disconnected, the musk of arousal from her had gotten much stronger than before. Another, less subtle hint had been the thrusting. He was careful to open his mouth a little, didn't want to scrape her with his teeth and ruin the mood. He tried to match her pace for a short time, but eventually just held his head still, her member grinding itself along the bed of his tongue. He did try to keep up his suction though, causing some rather lewd sounds to escape his mouth when she thrusted in a new direction. The drake allowed the dragoness a few more thrusts before reaching up and tapping her flank.

Just like that, yes...oh yes, suck my dick...keep those cheeks in you- huh? Matessie felt the pokes as though from far away, like they were happening to another person. She slowly pieced together where she was, and controlled her hips. She gathered her front feet and stood, not drawing her spellwrought shaft out of Levan's mouth just yet. She wanted to see this. Leaning back as far as she could manage while holding her tail up and her crotch off him, she looked down to see the green's head at her belly, his lips meeting her belly scales where the cock was attached. She slowly extended her back legs, watching his lips purse outward a little as she drew inch from his maw. Small strands connected the two very briefly as Matessie realized she'd made a small mess around his muzzle as she thrust, his dedicated effort to keep her pleasured causing spit to gather around his lips. She took a mental picture, that was just too damn hot!

He smiled up at her once it had cleared his maw. "Sorry, I just didn't want you to miss your opportunity. I don't know if that spell's a one-use or something. How did you make it warm and soft, by the way? It was pretty much like my own shaft, I expected it to feel as hard as crystal and be as warm as the cave."

"It was like that at first," Matessie explained. "Once I found out, I asked Treyvana to teach me how to make it more, well, real. It helped me when I was pleasuring myself, and I had a distant hope that it would be useful if I ever got to use it on someone else." She went purple again, a trait and color Levan was beginning to find endearing about her.

"Better move before that dries", the drake pointed out. Matessie took the hint and backed up over his body so her shaft dangled above his undertail, and they were intimately face-to-face for the first time. Levan looked up at her, a nervous grin coming to his face. The aquatic met his eyes briefly, noticing small shard of blue among the green for the first time. Should I try to kiss him? Why is he smiling? Do I even like him that way? Is it possible to get this close without liking him? Does he like me back? I really don't want to mess up how delicious this whole thing has been... Mile-a-minute thoughts richoted around her mind, refusing to go away and locking her up. Levan decided for her, not going for a kiss, but a tender nuzzle, sliding his muzzle along hers until their snouts met each other's cheeks. That'll do for now, Matessie thought, breaking the tender moment to look down at where their bodies would soon be joining.

The drake joined her look, seeing his shaft had almost fully revealed itself, still rather limp and laying on his belly scales. Beyond that, Matessie's faux-shaft glistened in the shifting light. Not wanting to move, and realizing that it would save them both some pain and effort, Levan coiled his tail up, wrapping its tip near the head of her cock. Matessie shivered from the combination of renewed sensation, anticipation, and spike of arousal from knowing that he would go so far as to guide her in, showing his trust of her.

He made sure to collect some of the oil in the area, still a little nervous of how it might hurt, but eventually set her tip against the darker green and fine-scaled pucker of his undertail. Matessie looked back at the drake's face, only to see his eyes were closed. "You okay?" she asked, a genuine note of concern in her voice.

"Yeah, just focusing on relaxing. Go ahead." Matessie dropped her hips, slowly increasing the pressure. Levan didn't feel anything at first, and shifted the tip around with his tail a little, looking for the sweet spot. They grunted together as their combined efforts popped the head of the faux shaft inside the male's tail, both pausing to enjoy the sensation. The drake felt odd, not bad, but not exactly good either. In any case, his own member gave a strong, firming pulse at the penetration.

Matessie was back above heaven, but still conscious this time. Levan's back door had all the properties of his maw, amplified. It was missing the loving caresses of his tongue, but she could overlook that. Eager for more, she pushed firmly, sliding more of the semi-solid energy into the drake. Neither of them could see the pucker tenting inward with the pressure, a tiny funnel of pleasure as the hole was stretched into an 'O' around the intruder. The aquatic had been right to reduce the size so much, it was slow going even with the reduced stress.

Levan simply lay there, keeping his focus on staying as loose as possible. He could feel the tightness of his tailhole around the dick, and wished he'd 'wasted' a little more oil on this venture. It's going fine, but more lubrication could've helped. The sensation of being penetrated was entirely alien to him, but he found it at least bearable. The ridges that mirrored his own were the most interesting part. They often hung up, tailhole not ready to accept them when they came. A light tap from Matessie's hips were enough to pop them inside, but they didn't seem to do anything for him once there. They had an effect on his own cock, though. The erotic feeling of a shaft spreading him open, combined with the ridges, had pumped him up to full mast, brushing against the blue's lowered belly. He started feeling a little full however, and growled a little, trying to warn the mage above him.

"What's up, Levan?" Matessie asked immediately. Oh dear, I hope he's not hurt already, it was just the first thrust!

"Just, make sure to go slower near the end there. It feels like you're about to hit something."

"Part of my training was anatomy, Levan. To more accurately know how a drake's shaft worked, you see, Treyvana had me learn the differences between us. Turns out our rear ends are nearly the same, and I did study them." Her mouth opened in a laugh that quickly died when Levan didn't join in. "Do not worry, Levan. I know when to stop, but if you like we can go no deeper than this." It would be a shame, though. I had hoped to fill him, even if I couldn't hilt him...

"Well," he grunted through gritted teeth, "as long as you know what you're doing."

Matessie didn't say anything, but leaned down to nuzzle his snout again. "I do, but let me know if anything hurts, or even if you just want to stop." With that, she tried pushing again, Levan's growling dying out a little at her reassurances. Slowly but surely, inch after inch disappeared into the drake's tailhole. The blue's false shaft greatly enjoyed its new home, with greater heat and pressure on all sides that it's owner's muzzle had provided. It reported as much to Matessie, who groaned in response, pulling her muzzle from Levan's as she thrust her way into the back passage. The scent of both of their arousal was strong, the male leaking slightly and the aquatic's disconnected vent nearly pouring.

I don't know if I can take much more...oh, she's stopped. It's a little uncomfortable being filled with such hard shaft, even reduced in size. I've fantasized about taking dragonesses' tails before, but now? I don't know if I'd inflict that on them if they asked for it! Levan's train of thought was broken as Matessie began to pull out. If the insertion had been mediocre, the withdraw was practically amazing. His tight ring was grabbing every inch as it was removed, being pulled away from the flesh beneath and the small scales spread. The ridges, awkward going in, were the highlights coming out, punctuating the constant pressure with little spikes that made his dick throb. Oh Draco, should I even be enjoying this? Lying on my back, being mated like a female? She better not tell the tavern about this...

"Still okay down there?" Matessie asked. Best make sure it was okay before I put it back. She only got a firm nod in response, but it was clear enough. Thus encouraged, she began sliding back in, this second thrust a little easier with the lube spread out, and she tried to keep her speed up a little. She could feel through her magic the sensation of spreading the drake's walls apart, interior muscles resisting a little and making him feel all the tighter.

Levan wasn't about to object now, eager to see if the return trip did as much for him as the first despite his misgivings about being mated. Putting up with the forward thrust spreading him open seemed to be well worth the reverse, and so he bore with it. He could appreciate the increase in the blue's speed as well, wanting to feel that amazing retreat himself. It didn't disappoint either, the ridges having the same effect on his pleasure as Matessie reached her stopping point and withdrew. He knew she was not going the full length of her cock, never feeling scale against his undertail, and appreciated her holding back. This seemed to be working for both of them so far.

The aquatic was actually disliking the withdrawals herself. Feeling the cool cave air on her shaft after the deliciously hot tail of the drake was distasteful, to say the least, but the thrust forward was always worth it. The feeling of his tight tunnel of flesh being gently forced apart around her, the warmth crawling up her shaft as she neared his depth limit, and the grabbing, tugging feeling of his pucker as it tried to hold her in when she pulled out. It's so much better than I could have thought! All those years of being mated the normal way when I could have been offering to be the male. It would certainly make sex with other females more interesting.

Both dragons were eager for Matessie to increase her speed, their mixed musks heavy in the room. The lewd sounds of flesh opening and closing, subtle when they were slow and soft, gradually made themselves known. Especially noticeable and downright erotic in the most naughty way were the little pops when the cock's ridges withdrew. The tiny bit of air escaping over and over was music to the duo's ears. Added to the obscene chorus were the moans of the two dragons, Levan rumbling a deep bass in his chest when Matessie withdrew, providing a counter the aquatic's higher yelps on her in-thrusts and complimenting her lower moans when she withdrew. They worked into a delicious, raunchy rhythm, the bass rumble becoming more constant as the drake learned to anticipate the thrusts, and the blue's double-time barks becoming ever-faster, speeding them toward completion with her as the conductor.

Levan could feel his peak nearing, and could tell from Matessie's timing that she was not far away. For not, eeeugh, having a, aaaah, member for, eeenh, most of her, auuggh, life, she sure, ennnh, acts like a male! Levan pushed himself up on his forepaws, determined to finish with Matessie. He got his first look at the scene after she'd started, their bellies both covered in his pre-cum that was firing from his cock with almost every ridge she removed. There were long strands dripping from her belly to his that swayed and broke and reformed from fresh coatings. His tailbase was a mess, slick with oil and saliva and whatever contributions he had made to the slickness. He could actually see her flesh deforming his own now, attaching visuals to the wonderful feelings of both spreading insertion and tugging withdrawal. Levan could also see just inside his tailhole, bright pink being colored purple by the translucent shaft. It was all a little much to take in, so he just dumped it in the back of his mind and concentrated on the moment. Leaning forward, he opened his maw, trying to catch his cock in his mouth. The swaying and bobbing didn't make it easy and he missed once, twice, before clamping on it, mouth flooding with the taste of his own pre.

Matessie felt his head against her belly as she thrust furiously, trying not to knock his head around too much and keep her pace up. She was so close, less than dozen thrusts, even. The aquatic decided to trade depth for speed and stayed mostly within the hot confines of Levan's rear, jabbing into him at a speed she would not have believed before today. It just...wasn't...enough, though, keeping up her jackhammering thrusts, teetering on the edge. She heard Levan grunt and there was suddenly a paw on her lower back, forcing her inside him. Oh Draco, that is fucking hot! She had no will to resist the push, and thrust hard, hilting her scales against his, his head pressed close to her belly as he milked himself. The combination of his sudden action and the long teetering sent her over, body spasming hard, tail whipping in random directions as her face scrunched up in a snarl. Matessie's mouth opened on its own and she roared through it, shouting her satisfaction to the ancients as much as Levan.

Levan silently agreed and would've roared with her, had he not been feeding himself the biggest load of his life. Pulling Matessie in had rubbed some amazing spot within him, and he just kept shooting seed down his own throat, her thrashing causing the faux cock to graze the spot over and over, keeping him on a high of pleasure. Even after he was empty, the pleasure continued, his head coming off his member to fall back against the stone. Matessie dropped on top of him like a wet sack, trapping his own member between them and squishing the copious pre out to their sides, the aquatic's tail even falling, beyond caring about pain. The two just rested there, necks alongside each other and heads together, panting and sweating against one another and the now-warm room, reveling in the satisfying afterglow of their respective peaks.

Over a few minutes, Levan's member slowly softened and retreated, but Matessie's remained as stiff as ever. "F- Fascinating. Usually it just f- fades about thirty seconds after I cum...it must have something to do with the st- strength of the orgasm."

"Does the sen- sensation go right back to your cunt after that?"

"Usually, y- yeah."

"You should g- get your tail back up before that ha- happens."

"Oh, I suppose." Matessie sighed, not moving the rest of her body as her tail resume its upright position. Just in time, too, as the false phallus took the opportunity to expire. Levan gave a small grunt at the sudden empty feeling in his bowels, Matessie a sharp inward hiss as a fresh tinge of pain accompanied the return of feeling in her vent. She slowly dropped off the green drake so she wouldn't have to hold her tail up, his smeared fluids forming strands as their bellies pulled apart.

"I'm rather looking forward to a bath after this", the aquatic said, noticing dirt clinging to her scutes, still moist with his pre, and pulling up a paw to look at. "Especially with all the sweating we just did..."

Levan was now far too familiar with this dragoness to blush, but gave a little chuckle in response. "Well, it wasn't what I was expecting, but that certainly was interesting. And it sounded like you enjoyed it as well."

"Indeed. Thank you for agreeing to try that for me. Getting myself off using the spell is much less enjoyable than that was. We'll be down here for another few days, maybe we'll get the opportunity to do it again?", a light subtext of hope evident in the question.

"We'll see, Matessie. My hinds are probably going to be a bit sore after something novel like that", Levan cautioned the aquatic as he propped himself up on his forepaws to look at his pucker. "Oh, wow." The entire area was a mess, naturally. In addition to the clear saliva and translucent amber oil, there was a tinge of red smeared over his undertail, running down the cleft of his tail and leg a bit. I never felt any pain during that, I hope nothing's damaged, Levan thought worriedly, his falling scrunching into concern.

"What's up?" the female asked, also propping herself up, her eyes going wide when she saw the blood. "Oh Draco, Levan, I'm so sorry! I made it too big! It was as small as it could go, I swear!" I promised to be careful, and hurt him anyway!

Levan reached up with a forepaw and touched her shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about it, Matessie. There wasn't any pain, and there's not that much blood, so it can't be big. I'll just keep an eye on it for a bit. If it doesn't stop, then we worry about it. I was the one that forced you to hilt me at the end anyway, if anything it's my fault. Damned if it didn't feel good, though. There's something in there that feels awesome when stroked."

"Are you sure I haven't hurt you?" A nod from the drake. "Well, we probably shouldn't try it again in a hurry. Though...if you'd like...once we get out of these ruins, I could teach you a bit about sweet spots in tunnels after I heal up." Matessie finished in a sultry voice.

"I might just have to let you" the drake said, leaning over and bumping his snout into her shoulder. They were both running on arousal, he could tell. Still, she had been an enjoyable companion even before their mating, and wouldn't mind going on another expedition with her. He had nothing to lose, traveling on his own all the time. Maybe she needed a companion to escort her back to college of magic...