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Elvayn was a prosperous little kingdom, isolated on a somewhat smallish island just off the coast of the mainland. For the most part, the people were happy, going about their daily lives without fear of attack or invasion from enemy forces. Aside from their everyday concerns, there was a single common thought that weighed heavily on many, the empty throne. The people had lost both king and queen some time ago, taken by old age. It was a heavy blow, but the kingdom endured, waiting patiently for their beloved rulers' only child to come of age and take his rightful place. Prince Ash himself was a shining example for his subjects to follow, save one rather glaring habit that developed as he entered adolescence.

"I honestly don't see what the problem is, it was just a harmless kiss!"

A pair of hard, stern, piercingly yellow eyes glared at the young prince, their owner straining to hold back his intense anger.

"The kiss itself is not what concerns me! It is what invariably follows! I will not allow the only apprentice I've had to show such promise be swooned, distracted, and ultimately end up heartbroken by a rogue, even if he happens to be the prince!" The old gryphon crossed his arms, towering over the somewhat diminutive wingless dragon, his imposing figure doing little to intimidate the boy.

"How do you know that's how it would turn out?" He paused, recalling his reputation, seeing the ancient wizard raise an eyebrow as he no doubt recalled it as well, "Right, silly question, but still, there lies the potential for it to be different."

Jasik began to tap one of his talons on the smooth stone floor, his agitation mounting swiftly.

"My boy, after three hundred and fifty years, one tends to pick out patterns of behavior. You have established yourself as a man of the people, specifically, the young girls of consenting age. Even your subjects know of many of your exploits. If you do not curtail this sexual conquest of yours, I will be forced to take action!"

The volume of the old bird's voice stung Ash's ears, knowing that while Master Jasik would not harm him, he had... 'creative' ways of enacting discipline.

"I promise... I will try to tone it down. And if or when something does happen, I'll use those potions you made. I still remember the lecture you gave me about illegitimate children. I still have the bruises too."

It was not the promise Jasik hoped for, but it would have to do.

"See that you do. I am in no mood to suffer your promiscuity again."

The prince nodded with a solemn look of determination.

"I promise, I will be nothing but a gentlemen tonight. Clair will have not but the utmost respect from me."

As those words reached the old gryphon's ears, his anger flared once more, his eyes burning in their sockets.

"What!? Exactly what is it you plan to do tonight that involves her!?"

Ash, now thoroughly stirred into a mild cower before the bird, swallowed and stuttered as he answered.

"I... I promised her that I would... join her for dinner tonight. I can't break my promise to her! She's so looking forward to it!"

Dinner. That was how it always started. The wizard knew there would be no stopping him unless he intervened. Action needed to be taken, now.

"You force me to do this, boy! Your libido has embarrassed this kingdom for the last time!" Master Jasik flung his hands towards the youthful prince, bolts of light connecting the two as the gryphon weaved his spell. If this didn't stop the boy from fornicating, it would at least make him feel awkward, and it would surely keep Clair's 'purity' intact. Ash twitched and writhed, convulsing as his mentor's spell took effect, changing him... dramatically.

Light flickered about, casting odd shadows across the stone walls as howls of dismay echoed throughout the mage's laboratory. Sparks danced about along the floor. The old bird's hard gaze remained fixed upon the drake, holding him in place. His brow furrowed softly as the spell he crafted saturated the prince's body. Just as suddenly as it all began, the transfer of energy screeched to a stop. The gryphon turned about swiftly, wishing to adjourn to his private chambers, seemingly disgusted.

"I suggest you return to your bedroom and lock the doors before your appearance is so far into the transformation that the guards do not recognize you." There was something odd about his posture and the timbre of his voice, something that seemed to suggest that he was disturbed by something. The old bird strolled briskly to the door and closed it roughly behind him. The sound of a heavy bolt crossing the other side of the portal followed; he had locked himself in. Whatever had gotten to him, it must have hit a nerve.

The prince watched that scene unfold before his eyes, resting atop his knees, his hands clutching the front of his tunic, his arms caged protectively over his chest. Deep, rapid gasps for air stung his lungs, still mildly uneasy about what was going on inside him. If he knew, he would likely have assaulted the master's door to beg his forgiveness. Once he had caught his breath, Ash jumped to his feet and darted out into the hallway, desperate to get to his bedroom. There he could look in his mirror and see exactly what it was the crabby old wizard had done to him.

---

The sun cast its golden rays across the land, bathing the ivory castle, tall and proud, in a gilded hue. The sky was alight in a fiery orange, signifying the coming of the day's end. Many prepared for evening while one lone lady strolled casually through the grand, royal halls she had come to know. Her studies complete, Clair returned to her master's laboratory in search of Ash. She had not seen him all day in Jasik's library and that concerned her. The spotted feline frowned upon finding the chamber devoid of both drake and gryphon. Did the master decide to take his other student out on another impromptu field trip? No, there wasn't a note explaining such. There was however a residual charge in the air. A powerful spell had been cast. Again Clair worried, concerned on a different level now, more disappointed and aggravated than anything else. As she examined the room, she noticed the old gryphon's door was closed. He valued his privacy but she needed to speak to him. She rapped her knuckles on the heavy wooden door and spoke up, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything.

"Master Jasik? Are you in there?" Her ears twitched as she heard some low rustling inside. Perhaps she had interrupted some sort of research he was in the middle of.

"Yes, and I do not wish to be disturbed." There was something odd about his voice. It wasn't quite as deep as it usually was.

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering if you knew where Ash was. He wasn't in the library all day."

Mention of the prince and that she was looking for him aggravated the old bird. A growl rose from behind the door, soothed only by the knowledge of the day's events.

"I would greatly prefer it if you did not associate with the prince. His reputation-"

"I'm very well aware of his reputation, thank you very much. I am a grown woman and I am perfectly able to choose who I spend my time with. I appreciate that you want to protect me, but how do you know I'm not just interested in seeing what the fuss is all about?" The spotted feline crossed her arms, waiting for Jasik to respond.

The gryphon had been taken by surprise. Never had she spoken in such a manner before.

"See what the fuss is all about? He's a heart breaker!"

"You're assuming I've fallen in love with him."

Again the gryphon paused. This was unexpected. Had he overestimated the prince's charms or underestimated her immunity to them?

"So, you're only interested in what he does in the bedroom?"

Clair rolled her eyes, letting her arms fall until her hands rest on her hips.

"Well when you put it like that, it makes me sound like a harlot, but yes, that's all. Can you please come out so we can talk face to face?"

"No."

The feline blinked softly, beginning to sense that there was something more going on than her master would admit to, and the change in his voice was no doubt tied to it. She frowned and turned stern.

"Jasik... what have you done this time?"

"It is nothing to concern you, now go away." His denial only further angered the girl.

"Jasik! Open this door right now or so help me I'll tell everyone about how a con-man tricked you out of all your money two years ago!"

That seemed to get the gryphon's attention. A loud rustling came from the other side of the door, followed quickly by clicks of the lock disengaging. The wooden barrier was thrown open, and Jasik glared forth at the defiant young woman.

"You wish to see? Fine! Have a look for yourself! But you will tell no one of that day!" What was once an elderly male gryphon was now much more feminine. The sudden reveal brought Clair to clap a hand over her mouth, shocked but fighting back laughter.

"What on earth did you do to yourself?"

Jasik frowned indignantly. She was by far not amused to say the least.

"I was attempting to reprimand Ash but it seems I made a miscalculation. Let that be a lesson to you! You are never too old or too experienced to make a mistake! You've had your look, now be gone! I must find a way to undo this!" The door slammed shut, sealing the rather grumpy gryphon away in her private chambers.

Clair was left only to wonder what had happened to the prince. Of course, she was not about to miss out on another potential source of amusement. Off the cheetah scampered down the hall, headed directly for Ash's chambers. The door was rapped upon politely and a similar bustle followed.

"Just a moment!"

Now the feline was exceptionally curious. Before the prince had time enough to properly react, she was twisting the knob and shoving the heavy wooden portal open. What awaited her was an embarrassed blue dragon, having been trying to cloth her nude form with a robe.

"I said just a mo- Clair!" The feminine figure quickly clasped her arms about herself in a desperate attempt to cover her shame. The spotted feline stared blankly for a brief few moments, drinking in the sight before her as the 'prince' blushed furiously, "This isn't what it looks like!"

"How do you know what this looks like to me?" Clair's eyes fluttered in disbelief, finally discerning exactly what it was the old sorcerer had done. As she stared on in shock, the suddenly shy Ash snatched up the robe at her feet and darted into the next room, desperate to remain unseen. A light shake of the head shook the cat from her daze, allowing her a chance to pursue the princess. Unfortunately, the new door dividing them was heavily bolted.

"Go away! I don't want you to see me like this!" Ash sounded almost in tears.

"Why not? It's not like you don't have anything I haven't seen before."

"This isn't what I'm supposed to be! I'm a prince!" Ironic considering how very effeminate her sobs had grown.

"And you're worried that seeing you like this will make me think you're less of a man?"

"Yes!"

"I hate to break it to you, but you're not a man... not anymore at least." Perhaps it was her natural feline curiosity, or perhaps Jasik's teachings had given her a much more open mind, but the timbre of her voice sounded reassuring, even accepting. Maybe being exposed to the old gryphon for so long had made it more difficult to truly shock her anymore. The thick iron bolt began to slide out of its housing and the old oak door creaked open, giving Clair only a partial view of Ash's face, her cheeks soaked with tears.

"You're not... disgusted by my appearance?"

The cheetah's hands found their way to her hips, slightly perturbed by the princess' rather ridiculous question.

"Do you think I disgust myself?"

Ash opened her mouth as if to speak, but quickly stopped herself, realizing how foolish such a statement was. The door swung open and there she stood wrapped in her robe, keeping it pulled tight to conceal herself. Her cheeks were a deep red and her gaze was locked firmly with the floor.

"You must think I'm unconscionable, to have pushed Master Jasik to such an end."

Clair crossed her arms and sighed, not having expected so pitiful a reaction.

"I know very well why he did this, you're a womanizer. I knew that before I showed any interest in you. I wanted to see what fuss was all about. Jasik thought you would break my heart so he did what he thought would stop us. Because of that reasoning, it was stupid for him to do this. Now if he had instead tried to make you see it from my perspective, then he would have been on to something. I'm almost tempted to set you up with someone just to see how you react to it after it's over." The cat was very matter-of-fact in her reasoning. At no time did she sound revolted. If anything, she sounded amused, perhaps even finding the transformation to be something of an improvement.

"You're not upset at all?" The princess was quite confused on the matter, not understanding why Clair was so casual with the sudden change.

"Not in the slightest," The cheetah shook her head, sending her lovely locks waving against her shoulders, "A little stunned but not upset. Now, let's have a good look at you. Take off the robe."

Ash blinked as her cheeks flushed all the brighter.

"Take off my robe!? Why!?"

Clair snickered, appreciating the irony.

"You're rather quick to get other girls out of their clothes but when it's your turn, you aren't quite so eager. I should expect I'll be seeing you naked at some point. Why not see the new you?" She maintained her posture, seeming more dominant than Ash recalled her being in the past. The azure lady's cheeks remained quite flushed as she gave in, oh so slowly sliding her robe from her shoulders under the watchful gaze of the feline apprentice before her. Blue scale was gradually revealed, wrapped about a seductively curvaceous form. The princess had been crafted into the perfect specimen of womanhood. Whether this was a function of her own being or purely the work of Jasik remained to be seen.

The spotted cat gazed over the royal drake before her, drinking in Ash's luscious curves; from her supple legs, so long and graceful, up past her thighs and wide hips across the dragon's waist, so narrow by comparison. Ash's trim tummy was the perfect mix of lithe and muscular, able to perform the job of carrying the rest of her effortlessly while retaining a purely feminine shape. Just above, that lovely shape continued, featuring the princess' most noticeable attributes. The spell that had curved so perfect a lower half did not fail above. She sported a bosom that would catch the eye of any man, and even many women.

Instinctively, the princess lifted her arms to try and cover herself out of shame. Her cheeks carried a deep blush, puzzled by why she was so embarrassed to show herself. Clair regarded Ash's new form and offered a quiet whistle of appreciation. Even she had to admit the last remaining son of the royal family made a good princess.

"I'll say this, Jasik does good work. I know a dozen ladies who would give anything to look as good as you."

The compliment only flustered Ash further. She quickly scooped up her robe and covered herself once more.

"Okay, you've had your look, now go tell Master Jasik I've learned my lesson and he can turn me back now."

The feline shook he head, staying right where she stood in spite of the princess' protests.

"I don't think the master will be getting around to that anytime soon. Besides, one hour as the fairer sex isn't time enough to learn anything really. I think you'll have to spend at least... I would think three days like this before you can begin to grasp what it is Jasik wants you to learn. Only then will the spell fade... which is why he's been having such a devil of a time trying to reverse it on himself."

Ash balked at the idea, suddenly feeling weak in the knees as she let the notion wash over her.

"Three days!? I... I can't spend three days like this! I'll be hounded by every man in the kingdom who sees me!" Only moments ago she had thought the idea of being a woman to be disgusting and unsettling. Now, she seemed to think she was a vision that would turn heads.

"My how quickly we change our tune. First you're too embarrassed for words, now you think every man in the kingdom will be tripping over themselves just to get a glimpse of you. That tears it, I'm taking you out tonight so we can properly horrify you. Tie up your robe, we're going to my quarters to get you something to wear." The feline snapped her fingers to command the dragon to step into action. All the princess could do was stare and tremble, mortified at the thought of being seen in public.

"Have you gone mad!? I can't leave the castle! Especially like this! It'll cause a sensation!" Her fingers held fast to her robe, refusing to comply. As Ash stood in defiance, a wry grin spread across Clair's muzzle.

"Prince Ash? No, 'he' can't, but Miss Ashe Bellos, new addition to the castle's mage apprentices, most certainly can. Besides, the more you embrace this side of yourself, the sooner you'll change back, I bet."

That was the last thing that need be said. Ash tied a firm knot in her robe and pushed past the still grinning cheetah.

---

Night fell across the city. Street lanterns were lit, casting their dancing light across the cobblestone streets. As the daily life of the town faded, the creatures of the night emerged, basking in the cool evening air under the starry sky. Taverns were alive with activity, laborers finally able to take what time they had and rest their tired feet. Of course, some were more tired than others, leading to the noisy crowded carousing such establishments were known for. It was a particularly boisterous pub that a pair of feminine figures disappeared into, one all but dragging the other along.

"Clair, I really don't know about this. What if something happens?" It was all too clear that Lady Ashe was beginning to waffle. She felt exposed without her usual guards, especially in clothing that revealed far more than she was comfortable with. The feline simply ignored the dragon's protests, pulling her along through the crowd.

"Oh just loosen up a bit. This is how normal people live," The sound of drunken laughter and metal mugs being slung made it difficult to be heard. Fortunately, the spotted lady knew how to handle such a place. She approached the bar and yanked the blue princess along with her. A tall, stoic raven stood across the counter from them, recognizing the cat immediately, "Two pints if you please Xander!" Her shout came though clear as crystal, cutting through the noise without trouble. The dark bird gave her a nod as he slid two hefty tins her direction.

"Who's your friend?" He did notice a striking similarity to the prince, though he did not voice it. Clair's association with the castle afforded her the right to be spared intense questioning. Her affiliation with the bar and its patrons also afforded her an immunity to being the subject of gossip.

"She's a new student. Thought she could use some loosening up," Clair took her stein, shoving the other into Ashe's hands, "Here, drink this."

The azure lady bit her lower lip as she eyed the frothy mug before her. She new what ale was but she had never tried it, instead opting for wine.

"I... I don't know. I really don't feel comfortable with all this." Ashe's fingers drummed nervously against the side of the tall metal cup. She looked up to see the cheetah draining the last of her drink past her lips. The few men who had caught sight of her in progress cheered her on. Once the mug was empty, she wiped her mouth clean with the back of her wrist, receiving a great deal of uncivilized praise. The cat gave Ashe a soft punch in the shoulder, jostling her lightly.

"That's why you should drink up. It'll loosen you up a bit. Now hurry up. You're already one behind!" Clair hoisted the empty stein as though it were a chalice, again rousing the crowd to a new round of revelry. Down came the mug with a 'thunk' atop the counter as Xander supplied a new, full pint. Not liking the feeling of being outdone, the princess' competitive side began to emerge. With a soft breath to steel her nerves, Ashe hoisted the tankard to her lips and began to down the swill. Clair grinned as she watched the brew vanish rather swiftly.

In a matter of seconds, the cup was empty and the crowd was cheering anew, this time for the shy blue lady blushing deep enough to turn a shade of violet. Her feline companion pushed a new serving of ale into her hands and the contest began again. Down went the second stein as the crowd offered another uproarious celebration, seeming to never run out of good cheer, even when things grew a bit rowdy at the edges of the mob. As soon as the second pair of drinks was consumed, a third arrived and promptly followed the first two. With three pints now in both ladies, Clair seemed satisfied. Ashe would be just tipsy enough to permit the next phase of the cat's plan and still be able to remember what happened the next morning; at least as soon as the alcohol took effect.

"C'mon Ashe, there's someone I want to introduce to you." The spotted lady gripped the drake's wrist and began to tug her away from the bar. All the scaled beauty could do was tag along for the ride, her protests completely ignored. There were a few lewd glances and even a couple of derisive whistles at the pair, lending to the princess' blush as she hissed in Clair's ear.

"Can we please go? I'm starting to get the idea of what Jasik was talking about."

"Oh 'just starting to' isn't when we're stopping tonight. We've a bit further to go yet," The pair crossed through the crowd to a table in the corner occupied by a small group. They were much quieter than the rest of the room but seemed to be in just as high of spirits. At the corner seat, facing the rest of the tavern, sat a tall, dark creature that shared the wizard's lineage. His sharp eyes caught sight of the two ladies drawing near, recognizing the feline. He stood with a brilliant smile and scooped Clair up off her feet, twirling about with her held fast in his thick, muscular arms.

"Clair, m'love! Long time no see! How's m'favorite puss? All that castle life and magic study hasn't turned you soft has it?"

Clair cackled as she was spun, making her just a little dizzy.

"Only in a few places where you like it soft. You've not been lookin' at other girls while I've been gone have you?" She grinned to the large gryphon, sinking her fingers into his plumage.

"Oh you you're the only lass fer me!" His accent was thick and his voice powerful, making it seem as though he could give Ashe some serious competition. Clair must have made that connection too.

"You haven't!? Why not!? I expect you to learn some new tricks and you can't do that bein' tied to me! I better see you with at least five ladies tonight!"

All this back and forth seemed to confuse Ashe to a certain extent. She was known as a womanizer, yes. But before she ever engaged in any sort of intimacy, she made certain adultery was not an issue. She was not a home wrecker. And yet these two seemed to think nothing of it.

"Are you two... together?"

The princess' question triggered a rash of rather noisy laughter from the couple as well as the whole table. Quickly, Ashe dipped her nose towards the floor for fear of having said something foolish. Clair eventually took pity on her azure companion, wiping tears from her eyes as she grinned.

"No, we're not an item. We're... friends with benefits. This is the fellow I wanted you to meet. Ashe, this is Benjamin. He's a trapper and trader. He spends the summers further north and comes down here in the winter. Benjamin, this is Ashe, another apprentice learning with me under Master Jasik."

The darkly handsome avian grinned down at the blue lady, noticing how awkward she appeared to feel.

"Another apprentice eh? That old buzzard's got a regular harem of his own it seems! But this lass, she looks like she's got a pickle up'er arse!" He sat down once again, the feline occupying one of his thighs as he gave the free one a pat, "Come have a seat on Ole Benny's lap and relax!" He was so nonchalant about having a second lady within such close proximity. Ashe could learn a thing or two from him. Hesitantly, the scaled beauty took a seat where she was directed, right in the lap of the charismatic male. Oh tonight would not end well for her, she just knew it.

"I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with this." As she settled on the bird's thigh, a strong, toned arm curled around her, cutting off any possible escape. She was squeezed tightly, as was Clair, though she seemed to relish it. The gryphon holding them both focused his attention thoroughly on the newcomer.

"Oh don't you worry about a thing lass! We'll have you good and comfortable soon enough! Isn't that right, kitty?"

Clair nodded vigorously, eager to move things along as she pressed tight into Benjamin's side.

"You can count on it! In fact, why don't we go get 'more comfortable' right now? I don't feel like waiting all night to get what I need from you!"

Such promiscuous behavior! Ashe had never seen the spotted feline act like this before! The avian just cackled and gave his long time friend a somewhat forceful kiss, amused by her zealousness. Up the two girls were lifted, held aloft as Benjamin stood. His strength made it seem so effortless. The ease with which he moved the two ladies left Ashe squirming in his grasp ever so gently. Was she actually turned on by this? Would she have to look into working on such an ability to sweep ladies off their feet literally when she managed to change back?

"They keep an open room for me, and they usually reinforce the bed just in case things get crowded in there." The crowd parted around the trio as the feathered fellow guided his ladies along, heading upstairs. Ashe swallowed noisily in apprehension as she quickly determined what was expected to come. Nervous could not begin to describe her fidgeting state.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea. I've never been with another man before." The door slammed shut behind the princess, sounding more like prison bars clanging home to lock her in, at least in her mind. Benjamin furrowed his brow curiously at the azure lady, puzzled by the slip of her tongue.

"Another man? Has that old buzzard actually started sleeping with his students? I was only joking about the harem."

Ashe clapped her hands over the end of her muzzle as her eyes stretched wide open. Quickly Clair stepped in to salvage the blunder.

"No, he hasn't. Ashe here is just a little nervous. It's her first time like she said. Maybe you should go easy on her to start off and then you can get as rough as you like with me." Her quick thinking paid off and Benjamin yielded his questioning. Ashe however was still quite apprehensive, beginning to tremble where she stood. Both gryphon and feline sensed this and opted for a more tender approach. Clair slipped the frightened princess' hands into hers, tugging her gently towards the bed. All the dragoness could do was protest weakly. When had her willpower shrunk so far away? The ale! That was why she was so insistent about drinking! Suddenly the azure woman began to better understand Jasik's scoldings. All this time she thought it was to make 'yes' so much easier when it was actually to make 'no' that much harder, or at least that was what she was experiencing.

"Clair... please... don't..." Her feet refused to cooperate, failing to hold their ground as the cat pulled her onto the bed where the waiting gryphon sat, perched on his knees.

"Oh don't be such a prude, Ashe. Learn to experiment a little!" The cheetah slipped around behind her friend, pushing her into Benjamin's waiting arms. He smiled as she fell lightly into his chest, whispering sweetly to the timid lady.

"Shh, easy there lass. Ole Ben'll take good care of you. I'll make it a night you'll never forget." That rich voice and the cadence of his words sent a chill up the scaled woman's spine. It sounded all too familiar to her, realizing how often something similar escaped her lips when she had a damsel as uncertain as she in her arms. Clair's arms reached around the distressed girl to begin unfastening her handsome friend's trousers. No such action was performed on Ashe, and quickly she remembered why. Clair had dressed her and opted to leave her without undergarments. She thought it was to further embarrass her but no. She had planned on this from the start!

Deep down inside, Ashe knew she deserved this.

Benjamin's arms squeezed tightly about the slender blue woman, letting their forms mash together. Warmth was the first thing the lady noticed; comforting, intoxicating warmth. A second heat welled up behind her, sealing her between two amorous figures. Clair's fingers began to roam across the dragon's curves, slipping beneath her already rather revealing clothing. A caress of her bosom, a stroke of her thigh, a brush across her slender neck; it all suddenly became so much more than a collection of simple contacts. Together they accumulated into a growing tenderness, a sensation for which Ashe had no words, either to praise or protest. The gryphon offered a few tantalizing bits of nonsensical romanticism, those nothings falling away quickly as a kiss startled the princess. Her head grew light, her heart began to pound, and the whole room seemed to spin. The only anchor she had about her she could focus on was the soft purr of the cat behind her.

That anchor would soon be lost.

Without warning, the azure woman lost her ability to breathe. She gasped sharply as an alien rush flooded her thoughts. All other concerns were shattered by the jolt that originated from the deep. It was as if she had been struck by lightning. As that great shock wore off, the gravity of the moment weighed in on her now fragile, confused mind. He was inside her. All these times she had taken the flowers of so many other women; it was an unmistakable reaction. And now, she too had been relieved of her virginity. There was no turning back now.

A low hiss sounded in the exasperated woman's ears. It was Clair trying to comfort her.

"Just relax, dear. Let him take you away. The pain will be gone soon."

It was such a strange thing to say. She made it sound as though Benjamin was to end her life. In an odd way, he was. There would be no going back from this, no possible chance she could ever be Prince Ash again. She could turn male again and take a wife, be crowned king and live a long, prosperous life, but it would not be her. It would be someone else, another person in her place. The old Ash would fade away and a new would rise, like a phoenix.

The existential ponderings of her life were swept away swiftly as movement drew a moan from her. He was delicate in his efforts, leaving only the most subtle of motions to rend the princess' mind to nothing. He twisted his hips, sending a new bolt through the dragon, leaving her to writhe in his grasp. Each time she twitched, she jostled about, it disturbed the setting and forced her to spasm further. Even so light a touch was maddening to her. Clair's actions only compounded the problem. A silky palm cupped across her supple figure, holding Ashe in place while teasing the already aggravated flesh. All that existed did not go beyond that room. The lady's world was now only as big as the bed she knelt on. There was nothing but her, Clair, and Benjamin.

The fire inside her grew more powerful, spreading as though it would consume her. Feathers and fur met her trembling hands, reminding her of the strength that could be used on her. Gryphons had a certain reputation after all. Mere thought of that reputation set her aquiver anew. Again he moved, tensing his rippling arms to squeeze the helpless woman again. Each flex seemed to coax the breath from her lungs, as though this whole act would strangle the air from her. And yet there was no malevolence. Benjamin harbored no ill will towards her. It returned her thoughts to dying once again.

Would she live through this? Would she be taken from this mortal world and lost forever in a sea of ambivalent quasi-delight? The electricity flowed rapidly through her as she struggled to comprehend what was happening. Did every girl go through this? A new cry rose from her as her body ached, screaming for more and for it all to stop, both at once. The burning swelled inside her, threatening to demolish her spirit. The fire grew fierce, tormenting the poor girl until at last it was extinguished. The blaze ceased and yet the heat remained, expanding in waves as Ashe's heart stopped. All time stopped. The world froze. There she perched, falling headlong into a vast abyss of unearthly clarity. That lucidity lasted all too briefly as it quickly ebbed out of a crystalline state to the murky depths of her soul.

Her eyes could not see, and yet they looked to the heavens. Her ears could not hear, and yet her shrill cry echoed perfectly in them. Her skin could not feel, and yet there was the gentle touch of her captor. It was over. Gone was the old self while Benjamin and Clair witnessed the birth of the new Ashe. She was weak, feeble; the last of her strength spent starting her heart anew. No one would ever know of the prince's death, how his heart gave out. It would appear as though it never stopped. Only in that fraction of an instant when all became as glass and shattered was there any sign of what had happened. The gryphon eased the thrown woman into a cradled embrace, holding her as though she were a newborn. Only a few delirious words were uttered as the world shimmered and spun.

"I'm dizzy... I think I need to lie down."

---

Ashe spent the next hour going back and forth between sprawled out on the bed recovering, and in Benjamin's arms for another 'near death experience' as she had come to think of it. While she was curled up on her side or stretched out on her back, Clair took her place. The sounds the cat made were unlike anything the princess had heard before, and the techniques the couple used were alien to her. Clearly she would have bored the cheetah quickly. Each time she was returned to her resting place off to the side, having been sent to the other world by the mighty gryphon, she found herself wearing a goofy little smile. Could it be she was beginning to like this or was it merely the ale creating euphoria?

Whatever the case, she was going to ache in the morning.

When Clair and Benjamin had finally been sated, the feline sighed blissfully as she nestled down into her lover's plumage. She adored the warm embrace. Silently, she went over her plans, knowing precisely how she would spend her life once Jasik released her from apprenticeship. She would drag Benjamin with her everywhere she went. For now though, there were other pressing matters.

I should probably get this little lady home before someone realizes she's not there." Clair was out of breath but decidedly still able-bodied. Her time with the gryphon had not taken her strength completely.

"Is it really so up tight there? You make it sound as though they treat her like royalty." If only hew knew how right he was.

"You could say they do. Now then, how on earth am I going to sneak her back in? Look at her, she can barely keep her eyes open let alone stand and walk." The feline rest a hand on the princess' shoulder. Indeed the lady was exhausted. Ashe had been through a lot in the last hour and it had taken its toll. Benjamin's beak curved into a wry grin as a solution bubbled up in his mind.

"You remember the time we were in that little coastal village and that hunter was looking for me? The one that said I had been poaching on his land?" Rather quickly, the gryphon's mischievous look spread to the cheetah. She rather liked that memory.

"I do. That could work here too. I might need a little help with her though."

The plan in question was a mystery to the half-conscious dragon. She had hardly been able to discern much of the conversation anyway. Benjamin's hands moved to gather the blue lady and rest her gently against his chest. It was so comforting there. Ashe began to thrum softly as she was turned to lean back against the gryphon. Clair meanwhile straddled the scaled woman's abdomen. Her skirt was lifted, offering the drowsy princess a view of the cat's womanly valley. A rather close look at that. More incoherent words came from the couple before Ashe's vision darkened, fabric masking her sight completely. The heat trapped there seemed to have an intoxicating effect. The dragon closed her eyes, accepting whatever was to come, regardless of the possible dangers.

Moist fur and flesh touched the end of her nose, then gripped it. Clair had managed to stretch herself around the princess' muzzle and continued forward. Soon the pleasantly firm grasp of the mage's inner world had claimed the tired lady's head. A long, low moan filled her ears as the feline pushed onward down Ashe's lovely form. Progress was swift as both cheetah and gryphon sent their exhausted lover deeper. Two pairs of hands fawned over the growing cream-colored swell in the young witch's middle. She had only performed such a trick a handful of times, hoping to increase that number after completing her training.

Half of the slender dragon's body had vanished. When had her clothes been removed? Flashes of memories told the story. She had been stripped during their brief conversation that had planned her return to the castle. She had missed it as she drifted in and out of sleep. It didn't really matter too much. She wouldn't need clothes where she was going. Nor would she need to be awake. To that end, Ashe gave up the fight against her fatigue and nodded off. The trembling walls cradled her as she was consumed, further exaggerating the cat's stomach.

Clair hissed and mewled as she writhed against her avian lover, closing in on the end of her task. Benjamin offered his aid in the form of a strong grip of the feline's thighs. There was little more he could do for the cat as a pair of blue legs were drawn in under her skirt. She fought to remain calm until at last she could feel nothing more sliding into her. Immediately she relaxed, straining to catch her breath.

It was over. She had done it.

"Lucky girl. Wish I could get a turn in there." That soothing voice brought a chuckle to the mage's lips. A hand moved to her oddly distended middle as the curious shapes under her fur smoothed out into a spherical dome, shrinking to a more manageable size. Clair still appeared quite heavily pregnant and still felt the whole of Ashe's weight pressing on her hips but the glamour spell would prevent any serious suspicions.

"Just be patient, love. You'll get to crawl back into bed soon enough... and for a good, long time. For now, I should be going. Promise me you'll take care of the other ladies while I'm gone. I'd hate for you to get bored."

The strong gryphon nuzzled the lady's cheek and tenderly caressed her motherly curve, finding her in such a state to stir a deep sensation of attraction. It wasn't just lust, though it was present.

"I will, and promise me you'll take care of this precious little girl. I would like for you to bring her back with you next time," He leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on the cheetah's belly and ran his cheek against it, "You hear that in there? You better come visit Ole Ben again real soon, lassie. I'll miss you and your big sister something powerful."

Clair blushed gently and stroked along the back of her lover's head. The attention to her tender middle stirred similar feelings in her.

"Big sister?"

"You might as well be. There's a bond there, I can sense it."

"I like that," She smiled as she regrettably pulled away from the arms of the gryphon, "Come on little sister. We need to go home." The feline gathered Ashe's clothing and adjusted her own before departing. It wouldn't be much longer she told herself. There wasn't too much more Jasik could possibly teach her was there? Such thoughts were pushed away as her passenger stirred. Oh how marvelous it felt! The princess likely would have no memory of it so she was free to relish keeping the spent girl prisoner for a while.

A few silly shouts followed her out of the tavern, praising Benjamin's virility. It made the mage smile as she left the life and lights of that world behind her. The town had begun to quiet down, swaddled in night's embrace. Only a few people wandered the streets, giving Clair a comfortable berth. It still felt odd that no one stared, assuming the cat's state was genuine rather than the result of a deviant act. To her, it was a delicious secret, one that she had kept before.

The castle's looming presence eventually filled her vision and discrete entry was gained. The halls were quiet and dimly lit as much of the inhabitants had retired for the evening. The apprentice rather casually strolled to her chambers, locking the door behind her. Clothes were shed before entering the bathing room. With the wave of her hand, Clair saw the tub filled with warm, bubbling water. After so vigorous a time with Benjamin, a bath was required and enjoyed. The motherly feline took her time gently scrubbing every part of herself, including the round tummy she housed Ashe within.

A robe hung loosely about the cheetah, left open lazily in the front. She was alone and gave the notion little thought. Her bed welled up before her, beckoning her with its comfort. The soft mattress cradled her heavy body as she settled atop it, adjusting this way and that. Once an ideal posture was found, the glamour spell dissolved, leaving Clair to grow about the waist once more. Her fingers traced over the shape of Ashe's curled form coated perfectly in golden, spotted fur. It was perfect.

"Good night, sister. Sleep well. We'll play tomorrow." The cat was tired. She would let the princess out in the morning.

Perhaps.

---

Life returned to the castle as the sun's light did. Clair was reluctant to wake but rose despite herself. She yawned and pulled her arms and legs inward in a lazy feline expression of comfort. Her belly was still heavy, but something felt off. While it had been something of a challenge to move about last night, now it was a good deal more difficult. Had Ashe grown somehow? With a grunt, the cheetah sat up and explored her distended tummy. She had gotten noticeably bigger, but why? The concealed dragon offered up a quiet groan as she began to stir, roused by Clair's movements.

"My head feels funny. So does my stomach. What happened last night?"

The feline chuckled softly, awaiting the princess' sober reaction to the previous night's events.

"How much do you recall?"

"Well," The groggy lady struggled to filter her memories, "We went to the tavern, and we had some drinks. Then you introduced me to your boyfriend. It gets hazy after that. I had the strangest dream though. I was intimate with your friend and you were with us. Then, I think you were pushing me in... in your..."

"Special place?" Clair interjected.

"Yes, you could call it that," Ashe was mystified by the cat's ability to deduce her meaning, "It all felt so real, as if it really happened." The still semi-lucid dragon had not even begun to guess where she was.

"Well, this may come as a shock to you but it wasn't a dream. You really did sleep with Ben, and you really are curled up in my womb. It was the best way to sneak you back into the castle." Clair's words came with a purr as she stroked over her passenger. She braced herself for whatever sort of jostling was to come from below. Surprisingly, very little came.

"I'm... inside you? And... I lost my virginity on my first night as a girl?"

"That about sums it up. How do you feel?"

Ashe sounded oddly calm, as if accepting a justified punishment. It almost took the fun out of it all.

"I feel... different. Relaxed. I almost want to say... satisfied. Is that normal?" Her current location had no impact at all, or at least it had not quite sunk in just yet.

"Ben has that effect. He's rather well endowed and knows how to use it. He's very popular with us ladies. Now, is there anything else you feel that's different?" Clair already had a theory behind this curious growth, and it amused her.

"Well, I do feel rather full. Not like I've just eaten, I'm actually rather hungry, but I just feel full. And what's more, I'm having trouble moving. It's almost as though there's something big and round attached to me keeping me from moving my arms and legs easily." Sleep had taken its toll on her. She couldn't even tell what was attached to her. Clair knew, and it made her giggle.

"Congratulations Ashe! You're pregnant! How's it feel to be a mother-to-be?" The cat gave her swollen self a firm patting, still waiting for a spirited reaction.

"Pregnant!? After just one night!? That's impossible! There is no way that can be!" It was more Jasik's reaction she feared than actual parenthood. It would only tell the old bird she had no self control as a man or woman.

"Relax honey. I slipped you some of Master's herbs last night. You're probably just heavy with eggs, and I doubt any of them will hatch." Now she was curious. She wanted to see what the princess looked like as an expectant mother. Still, she was hesitant to bring her own deliciously gravid state to an end. A naughty thought came to her mind and she let it dictate her actions. Carefully, and with ample effort, the cat rose from her bed, moving to dress herself as though she were going into public. The swaying of her engorged belly caught Ashe's attention.

"What are you doing? Where are you going? Are you going to let me out? Why didn't you let me out last night?" She sounded worried, worried that someone might find them like this. It would make for a salacious bit of gossip. They would be the talk of the town.

"I'm getting ready to go see Jasik. I have lessons today." The feline spoke so matter-of-factly as she only lightly covered herself. Of course, this did not sit well with the princess. She took to squirming against her captor fervently.

"You can't go see Jasik like this! He'll put another curse on me! Or worse, he'll leave me like this forever!" As soon as the words left her mouth, they left a sour taste. She wasn't sure why she said it, "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be all bad. I mean, we could still enjoy one another's company and," The dragon paused, her blush audible through the cat's fur, "Well... I suppose... I wouldn't mind... seeing your friend again. But I'm a prince! Not a princess! I'm supposed to take a queen and rule as king! I can't take a wife if I'm a woman myself! How would we produce an heir?" It was shaky logic but it held. Not to be forced to give up so stimulating an experience just yet, Clair responded as she gazed down at her swirling tummy.

"Alright. I'll let you out. Everyone will see you pregnant. Rumors will spread. Jasik will assume the worst and do something drastic like remove your gender entirely to finally kill your sex drive. He might decide you're not fit to rule and seal you away in a crystal until he feels you're ready. He may cast a spell on you that would lock all those eggs inside you so you would be forever pregnant. Or you could stay put for now and no one would be the wiser to your... delicate state." She neglected to mention the odd link between dragon and gryphon that had turned their Master into a woman as well. Those little details weren't necessary. The cat's argument rang true in Ashe's thoughts, giving her reason to suddenly recant.

"I could stay a bit longer..." Her struggles ceased as well, leaving her sizable stomach and supple bust pressing out visibly under the cheetah's pelt. The young mage ran both hands over the tender distensions. It was so pleasant. Oh if only they could stay like this.

"That's a good girl. Now, behave yourself for your big sister and you just might get to come out to play tonight." No answer came, leaving Clair to finish dressing. Were she able to, she would have seen an intense blush in the drake's cheeks. The 'sister' comment struck a chord with her. It had a feel to it that carried a welcoming sensibility. With no further objections, the cat finished dressing. There was nothing she could do to cover such an enormous abdomen, so she didn't try to, showing it off proudly as if a swollen belly were a badge of honor.

The illusion was raised again for the sake of mobility, but it failed to shrink as far as it had last night. With more of Ashe to hide, the same spell was spread further. Now Clair looked well beyond the norm, and she adored it. Her hands roamed over the smooth sphere, able to feel her princess change positions softly. Each shift sent lightning up the feline's spine, leaving her in a state of perpetual arousal.

"Oh I could so get used to this!"

The halls came and went as the mage in training approached the gryphon's chambers in little time. Jasik was there, her back to the door as she worked on something concealed by her presence. Quietly and casually, the round cat took her usual seat, forced to sit a bit further from her desk for obvious reasons. There she waited patiently for the gryphon to notice her, wondering how the old bird might react.

"So you took Ashe out for a night on the town did you?" Jasik sounded distracted, neither amused nor annoyed. It stunned the feline mildly.

"Yes, I did. You wanted him to learn a valuable lesson. I would say she did. And unless I've missed my guess, I think she enjoyed it." Her gaze drifted down to her stomach, smiling softly as she stroked across the round shape. That same sense of detachment from earlier seemed to continue as the grand wizard spoke to her student.

"Of course she did. It's in her nature."

"You're not mad at all? Even though it's going against the lesson you wanted her to learn?" This was not at all like the bird Clair knew and it worried her. Would there be punishment for her as well?

"Strangely, no. I'm not. I suspect by the end of the day, she'll have learned to respect the female form in ways beyond the carnal realm." The avian continued to work on whatever it was she was busy with, nearing completion.

"How do you know?" The spotted cat sounded as though she believed without understanding why, even though it was something of an act. Telling her Master the princess was heavy with eggs didn't seem like a good idea. Jasik sat aside the quill she had been writing with and paused her actions, still facing away.

"Let's just call it a hunch." With that, the feathered woman turned about, revealing a significant bulge in her abdomen. How had this happened? She was heavily pregnant just as Ashe was.

"I... I don't understand. You locked yourself into your chambers. Did you... invite someone in? Or summon a familiar to keep you company last night?"

"No, I didn't," The swollen bird waved a hand casually between them, dispelling her student's illusion. As soon as Clair stretched back out, Mistress Jasik nodded at the shape she saw, "But you two did, several times. I take it she was too tired to walk last night and too big to push out this morning?" Again, the detachment prevailed. It bothered the feline more as it continued on.

"Yes and no. I didn't let her out because I've been enjoying myself. It's a rather oddly pleasurable experience I first discovered with Benjamin." For some reason, Clair suddenly felt embarrassed for having trapped a pregnant dragon in her womb. She was sure ridicule and judgment would come but it never did.

"I see. You relish being an expectant mother. Interesting," The gravid gryphon strolled forward and handed the dumbfound cat a piece of parchment, "This is your final test. If you can solve this problem, then your training will be complete. My laboratory is at your disposal. You have three days," As she turned to leave, she passed on the final rule of the challenge, "And Ashe may not assist you. I am the only one you may consult with, though if you do, the test will be over."

Clair stood in stunned silence. The parchment in her hand outlined the challenge in no uncertain terms. Three simple words were carefully written, reading 'Remove Ash's Curse' followed by a detailed explanation of how it had been cast. She had her work cut out for her.

The silence that prevailed concerned the princess, finally finding her voice again.

"What? What is it? What does Jasik want you to do?"

"Something very difficult. Come on, sister. We've got work to do," The glamour spell was cast once more and the feline approached her Mistress' work table. Ashe frowned to in her confusion, having heard the whole conversation.

"I thought she said I couldn't help. I'm already in enough trouble as it is. I don't want to make things worse."

Clair settled atop a stool, looking over all the gathered materials before her as she began thinking her way through the problem.

"A few things to keep in mind: first, she seems in a far less grumpy mood than usual; second, if I'm going to finish in time, I'll have to just keep you where you are for now, no time to try and let you out; and third, I'm going to need you to test my progress, I have to change you back."

Ashe fell silent as she learned of what the diligent mage was trying to do. Three days to undo the spell; that was a long time to wait, especially when she could hardly move inside the determined cat.

"You're going to try and figure out how to turn me back into my old self and you won't let me out until you do?"

"That's the plan. Now quiet. I need to concentrate. And please, don't move so much. It's... distracting." Another word she might have used was 'arousing' but she didn't need the princess getting any ideas. If she succeeded, she would be free to do as she pleased. The drake she carried offered one last comment before falling silent again.

"Clair... thank you for trying to change me back."

The distended cat let the comment trail off as she got to work. It was a little awkward having to reach so far to accommodate her passenger's presence but she coped beautifully. Books were gathered and searched through for wisdom. Scrolls and spells were researched carefully, breaking down incantations and mystical phrases to understand their nature. It was slow, frustrating work but Clair refused to quit. The hours passed slowly. The spotted cat left the lab only once while the sun shined to take a meal, but even then she never stopped working. A thick tome came with her to the castle's grand kitchen and returned with her to Jasik's lab. The old bird remained nowhere to be seen, leaving the student to her work.

Eventually, well after the sun had set and the moon had risen, the apprentice leaned back from the table rubbing her eyes in frustration. Some progress had been made in unraveling the curse's magic, but there was still much to do. So much of it the girl didn't understand. Jasik had never even touched on the ideas and concepts surrounding this curse. How was she expected to dispel it?

"This is maddeningly complex! Why on earth would she have used so intricate a spell for so simple a problem? This level of magic is something I would expect to see used to seal away some great evil, not curb a boy's sexual appetite," She sighed and looked to her belly, caressing it tenderly, "I think it's time for a break and a good night's sleep. Come along sister, I'm no good to you if I'm too tired to read."

Ashe had been very well behaved all day. Every once in a while Clair could feel her move, sensing hands exploring the great dome that had grown over the previous night. She was getting curious. Perhaps together they could work out a bit of stress.

"Does that mean you don't think you'll be able to remove the curse?" She sounded concerned, but not heavily so. Perhaps it was more trepidation of speaking out of turn than worrying about the spell's presence.

"I don't know if I can yet." As she stood and walked, the drake's world swayed and bounced ever so softly. It was rather soothing.

"Last night, you thought it might wear off in time as I 'learned my lesson' about how I am with other ladies. Is it possible that I could just... turn back on my own? If so, you said three days. That's tomorrow night. We could just wait it out, couldn't we?"

The cat sighed and smiled at her rotund stomach. She openly admitted to having been inappropriate. She could in fact learn. It was a shame it came too late to prevent this whole mess in the first place. Clair cradled her belly, shaking her head as she imparted the bad news.

"I'm afraid it isn't that simple, sweetheart," Sweetheart... she was growing more motherly quite rapidly, and she liked it, "What I have managed to learn about this curse is that there is no trigger to remove it. Even if you were to swear to a life of chastity and never shared an intimate moment ever again, it would not remove the curse. It remains until someone can dispel it." She waited for the retaliation of anger or panic. But it never came. Instead, Ashe remained quite calm, confidence resonating in her voice.

"I have faith in you."

It stunned Clair into silence. The door to her bedchamber closed behind her and she settled atop her bed, staring at the great swell she tended to so loyally. It had touched her greatly to hear those words. After everything she had put Ashe through, knowing she should be upset greatly, the princess' grace shined through brighter than ever.

"You really have changed. The old you would probably have kicked and fought all day long for me to let you out, not to mention how much you would have yelled finding out you could be stuck like this all your life."

The drake blushed and deflected the comment in the same skilled manner she had always possessed.

"I'm not going to be. You'll figure it out and change me back. You'll pass Jasik's test and have completed your training under her. You are destined to be great. I know it."

It was Clair's turn to be rosy-cheeked. A heart-fluttering smile tugged at her lips as she gave her belly a firm pat, letting the princess' shape become visible in her abdomen once more.

"Silver-tongued devil," She paused there for a moment, considering a thought as she studied the drake-bulge in her luxurious pelt. There was something she had considered trying before but dismissed. Now though it seemed like the perfect opportunity, "Ashe...would you like to come out? I've got something I want to show you." Her voice had a strange calm timbre, as if she were pleased, content. Something between them had changed.

"How do I go about that exactly? Don't you just push me out?"

"It takes effort on both our parts. I've already begun to relax. You have to turn around and start pushing your way out. I will help where I can." She shuddered and shivered feeling the princess turning about inside her, silently wishing she could keep the dragon right where she was forever. But she knew such things were not feasible. Gently she reclined atop her mattress and parted her silky thighs. More movement came from within as Ashe struggled to escape. Clair was left breathless, one hand gripping the sheets, the other held against her swaying belly.

Fingers explored the cat's innards, searching for the exit until it was found. The sudden stretching of that tender passage drew a sharp gasp from the spotted lady's lips. Down slipped the drake, flexing and twisting to squeeze out. Just as it seemed the feline's body might not permit its passenger the chance to disembark, Ashe's world compressed tightly around her, forcing her forward. Hands and arms emerged into the relatively cool air of the outside world. Another contraction followed as the cheetah in labor breathed a husky moan. It had been so long since last she had done this, she had almost forgotten how it felt.

The first breath of the outside world in a whole day filled the princess' nostrils and lungs, giving her hope that she could make it. Light filled her vision as the whole of her head emerged. The process was simpler than she would have guessed. Another firm squeeze of Clair's womb pushed the azure woman even further, feeling her chest hugged by the very womanhood she had been punished for desiring.

Now would come the challenge, Ashe's round stomach.

Already it had begun to force its way into the tense passage so much of the drake had slipped through. The undulating walls tugged against the escapee, clinging to her to try and drag her back in. The contractions from above were too much for the weak grip. Clair's lungs screamed for air even as her chest rose and fell quickly. Getting that belly out of her would be tough. The hips blocking that great swell's path shifted, bowing outward to try and grant it passage. Ashe clawed weakly at the bed trying her best to drag herself free.

Progress was slow, but it was made.

Gradually, the efforts of the two girls saw the princess' tightly packed abdomen freed of the feline's grasp. As it came free, the rest of its owner came spilling free as well, as if under pressure. There both of them lay to catch their breath, exhausted from such an event.

"Clair... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." The drake had assumed her moans and cries were of pain. A puzzling smile crossed the cat's lips as she recovered.

"You didn't. Gods above I didn't know I could stretch that far! It was wonderful!"

Ashe's eyes fluttered in shock. That wasn't the reaction she expected. As she sat up on the bed, the weight and bulk of her load truly hit her.

"How on earth did I get so big so quickly!?" It was impressive indeed how her body had changed. What had been a trim, fit tummy was now a motherly bulge that filled her lap almost completely. She had learned earlier how tender it was and found it to be even more so in the open air. Clair knew this all too well and drew up close to the exasperated woman, doting on the princess' belly.

"I'm not really sure, but it's a good look for you." The feline's fingers traced circles across the smooth, blue sphere, a little jealous of her. Ashe simply closed her eyes to drown out everything but Clair's affection. In spite of all the drake had done to earn her reputation, the cheetah was still showing tenderness, and it had nothing to do with her charms.

"You really think so? Or... are you just saying that to make me feel awkward? Because I already do."

The cat simply purred as she nestled against the princess, still massaging her belly.

"A little of both. Now, for what I wanted to show you. Before I get to it, we need to make one, small change. It works best for a first timer if both involved are not quite this round. More like," Clair brushed her hand across the dragon's tummy, making use of the glamour spell she had hidden her own tummy with before, or at least much of its size. Ashe's stomach quickly shrank away as though the previous night had never happened, making her gasp in sudden surprise, "...this. Yes, this will make things easier."

"It's gone! The clutch is gone! I'm not pregnant anymore! Aren't I? I still feel... full."

The mage nodded as she felt over the nude scales of her friend, purring quietly to her.

"I bet you feel full. They're still there... just hidden. Why do you sound so upset? You're not actually starting to like it are you?" A mischievous grin crossed the lips that uttered those words. A deep blush filled Ashe's cheeks as the idea hit her and began to sink in. Perhaps there was more to this than just a nagging thought.

"N-no. I just... you surprised me, that's all. I didn't know you could do that. Now what did you want to show me?" The princess intended to deflect by changing the subject. Had she any idea what was to come, she might have attempted another topic. Her answer didn't come in words but as a warm, gentle kiss. It silenced the azure woman and stirred something inside her. Her stomach tightened and her chest heaved. A kiss from Benjamin had left her dizzy. One from Clair on the other hand set the room spinning so fast it became a blur. Before she knew it, Ashe was on her back with the very feline who had been carrying her on top of her.

"I'm getting to it sister. You've been involved in love making between a man and a woman several times. But never between two women. For all his skill, Ben still doesn't fully understand the female body. I do, and I am going to show you just what it is I know." An unbearable heat had developed between the drake's legs, not such that it required cooling, but oddly enough it screamed for more. Ashe was as but a helpless baby in Clair's arms. It was so alien yet at the same time strangely familiar. So many times had the princess felt the touch of a woman, but not quite like this. As that fire smoldered away, the feline threw more kindling onto the stack. The drake knew exactly what had happened, what had made contact. Never in her life had such a mighty rush flowed through her, not even the night before with Benjamin. What had felt as though she had died and come back now felt as though she had flown to the heavens.

The flames ate away at Ashe's very being as Clair moved, brushing against the dragon's form. Her unearthly warmth spilled over into the princess, forcing the gravid woman to bubble over. Every subtle twitch or shift stoked the growing fire, drawing the inexperienced lady towards oblivion. She was powerless to stop it, to stop the coming tide. Nothing else mattered. There was only Ashe and Clair. Their union was not some errant lust-driven exercise but something else entirely. A deep sense of longing welled up inside the princess, for what, she could not say. Her body refused to respond to her, failing to accept her commands to release the sheets and offer any delicate appreciation to the cat atop her.

This meeting of the petals had left Ashe paralyzed.

Had she known it was this powerful, this complex, this awesome, Lady Ashe might have thought differently of what she did. There she lay, lost in the new glory of Clair's abilities, unaware of the approaching threshold closing in on her. Before it had been a sudden burst. Now it felt as a tremendous blaze spreading across her body. Her expectations were shattered as her toes began to curl. There was no sudden crash of lightning and thunder. There was only the heat, all-consuming and comforting. It felt as though Ashe had been swaddled in it.

A satisfied purr came from the feline as she relished her own triggering and shivered as it spread across her. What had struck the princess unable to move now took control of her and made her writhe incessantly. The roaring blaze covered her entirely, dulling away to a delicious tingle. So very different was this. Ashe wasn't sure when it began or ended, or even that it had ended. All she knew was she was breathless.

"Oh Clair..."

The cat continued to purr, pulling away from the dragon. She had done the impossible, she had reined the stallion. The spell was dropped, returning Ashe's belly.

"I know dear sister. I know. Just enjoy it. For me though, I believe it is time I retired finally. If you would grant me a single favor."

Ashe's eyes were closed, still bathing in their intimacy's lingering effects. The words came without warning or hesitation.

"For you sister, anything."

It felt good saying it. It felt right.

The slender lady moved out of sight, hidden by the princess' pregnant tummy. She saw no cause for concern. Clair would never do anything to harm her in any way. The rumbling purr remained ever-present until its tremble passed to Ashe through her fiery chasm. Her breath was stolen away once again. The sensation of one's presence filled her like the night before, only there was a distinct difference this time. The intruder was much larger and it moved against her. There was only one possible explanation; Clair was attempting to crawl inside her.

Further the insistent cat pressed in, keeping her progress slow. Too fast and the experience might be unpleasant for a first timer. Ashe's entire body tensed as hard as stone around the cheetah, making her voice heard in an impassioned tone. Before was a gentle wave. Now was as an unforgiving storm. Every sensuous curve of the spotted lady brought with it untold pleasures the dragon had never known before. Clair's many times of such an act gave her all she needed to know to overcome Ashe's inability to assist, resolving to teach her someday... should it prove impossible to turn her back.

The great blue dome swelled larger with the drake's every moan. There was room within though the space was occupied by her eggs, and quite a few of them there were. The feline's form began to taper to a more narrow width as she drew herself inward. The deed was almost done. Each inch felt as a yard, each one sending the princess hurtling into a new corner of the typhoon raging across her. Every gentle wiggle brought with it a renewed strength of grasp about the cat's body, until there was nothing left. The entry closed behind Ashe's guest and all began to grow still once more.

It was done.

Clair sighed happily unseen by the outside world, curled up beneath her lover's scales. The dragoness lifted a hand to explore the new girth, claimed by a deep, powerful sense of satisfaction. Clair said nothing else, finding no reason to utter any words that might cheapen the moment. Ashe fought to remain conscious, losing the fight slowly. Before sleep could claim her, she wrapped both arms about her great belly, squeezing the cat inside her. Again the words flowed from her, feeling more appropriate each time they were spoken.

"Good night, sister. I love you."

---

With morning came a change of location for both girls. Clair was let back out only to feel the princess slip back in. With Jasik locked away doing whatever it was she was doing, Ashe had no studies to attend to, and with no true authority to rule yet, she was free to spend her time as she saw fit. The feline's suggestion was meant to keep the drake out of trouble and close at hand for experimentation. The hidden woman couldn't deny that it was quite comfortable being carried everywhere, and risk of scandal didn't frighten her anymore.

All of this could not shift Ashe's thoughts away from the logical conclusion of her friend's efforts.

"Clair?"

The cat paused her work briefly to turn her attention to the dragon having spent several hours in her belly thus far.

"Yes honey?" She had taken to lavishing her occupied stomach with affection whenever she could.

"You're working on changing me back. If you succeed, then Jasik will release you from your training, right?"

The diligent mage had an idea of where this topic was leading.

"Yes, that's right."

"When she does, when you're finished here... what do you plan on doing?" The princess sounded hesitant to ask, not wanting to think about that day ever coming. Even Clair could sense uneasiness in her own voice.

"Well, I thought Ben and I would do some traveling together, see what the world had to offer us. He and I joke about not being in a relationship but, we are drawn to one another."

Ashe had thought as much. There was no way she could ever be happy in that musty old castle with a prince known for never settling for a single woman. She had learned all she likely wanted to know about the princess, and likely what she learned didn't impress her.

"Ah, well I hope you two are very happy together." She fell silent after that, letting Clair focus on the matter at hand. Quietly she hid her grief, uncertain why she was so distraught. She could have any lady she wanted, as many as she wanted. Why was this cheetah so special? Why had she grown so attached? Why had she fallen in love?

The rest of the day was spent with virtually no conversation between the two girls. Ashe spent much of the time asleep while her sister worked, growing more frustrated with every passing moment. Night fell once more and the drake was released once again. Another series of intimate moments relaxed both ladies until they fell asleep in one another's arms. At least they would enjoy what time they had together.

The morning came and saw the princess alone in bed. Clair had slipped off shortly after sunrise to continue her work. Blessedly, Ashe did not wake. The laboratory was quiet and still. All that moved was the cheetah as she confirmed what she had come to assume. So engrossed was she that she didn't notice the old gryphon approach from behind.

"It is the third day. I see you still haven't found the answer. Sundown is your deadline." Just as before, the old bird was calm and of soothed soul. The cat sighed and turned to gaze at the now trim wizard.

"I do not need any longer. I have my conclusion now." She was clearly not pleased, and it strangely enough made Jasik sound hopeful.

"Is that so? May I ask what you have found?"

"I have determined that," The feline sighed tasting the bittersweet words as they crossed her tongue, "...that it is impossible for me to remove Ashe's curse without your guidance. I have failed your test. I am not ready to be released."

Jasik watched as her student admitted defeat, a strange smile crossing her beak.

"Failed you say? Now you have only failed if you missed the point of my test. You are correct when you say you cannot dispel the curse without my help. This whole challenge was to teach you that no matter how much you learn, you should never be afraid to ask for help. You have swallowed your pride and come to me even though you believed you would fail the test. Lady Clair, your training is complete. I release you from your apprenticeship under me."

The cat was completely shocked. This was not the result she had expected. She was speechless, stuttering and batting her eyes in disbelief. All she could muster was a single simple phrase.

"Th-thank you... Master."

"Oh I am not your master anymore. You are free to do as you please, but before you go running off with that Benjamin fellow, I thought perhaps you might like to help me return your 'sister' back to what she once was." The old gryphon turned to disappear back into her private chambers, beckoning for Clair to follow.

"I don't know how I'll be able to help you. All my research suggests that it is not possible."

"Only because I left out one key detail. Ashe and I have been linked by the curse. To dispel it on either of us, that link must be severed." Jasik led the mystified feline into the one room she had not been permitted in since first meeting the gryphon. It was a grand chamber, larger than it appeared the castle had room for in that little corner. Clair drank in the sight of it all, amazed by the decor and the odd sense of strength running through her as she crossed the smooth stone floor.

"So how do we go about breaking this link? And why do I suddenly feel like I could take on an army?"

"I have that in hand. It is something I wished to discuss with you. What you are feeling is a transfer of power. My abilities will soon be yours. I have not been training you just as a student but as a successor. I have grown weary of this world. If I am to continue to live in it, I will require looking upon it with new eyes. To that end, I need your assistance."

The slender feline trembled as she listened to such talk, worried that Jasik might be referring to the end of her life. It was a thought that disturbed her greatly.

"I will not help you kill yourself! There must be another way to break the curse!"

The older lady simply laughed and shook her head.

"Your concern is touching but I do not intend anything so morbid. I mean to be reborn my dear, and I would hope that you would be my mother in my next life."

Clair froze in place, taken aback by such a request. Their relationship had been strained on many occasions, and complex to say the least. Now however the old bird suggested that relationship be fundamentally altered irrevocably. Such a thing was not done lightly.

"Your mother!? I... I don't know what to say!"

"I would hope you would say yes. You are the only one I trust to put my life in the hands of. At least here, as the royal family's mystic council, you'll not want for anything. I know you were eager to explore the world, but Ashe needs you. These last few days have been good for her. She has experienced what it means to love physically and to love with the heart. Yes, if you leave it would teach her a vital lesson, but it could do more harm than good."

The gryphon moved fast, hoping her former student would not read too far into those comments. She did.

"Hold on... You say you're both linked. Just how much do you know about what happened since she was turned into a girl?"

Jasik blushed deeply, clearing her throat as she attempted to deflect only to find there was no hiding. Not with what little time remained.

"Everything. I have felt everything she felt. Her thoughts have consumed a good deal of my attention. Those thoughts dwell on you rather intensely. In fact, those experiences you have given her have taught me that this aging body of mine isn't able to keep up with either of you. It has been exhilarating."

"So that's why you looked pregnant the other day. It was because we were fooling around." The idea that Jasik had been quietly listening in, and feeling, on her intimate moments with Ashe made her blush brightly. Why wasn't the old bird judging her? Why was she so much more open?

"Yes, that's right. I laid my eggs and began preparing for this. I've not much longer. Soon the spell I've woven will take me and seal me inside an egg; an egg I would hope that you will carry and hatch. The choice is yours to make, but... I would be honored to have you for a mother, to be raised, taught, and trained by you."

"Taught and trained!?" Clair became mildly frantic at the notion, uncertain of her abilities as a true parent, "You won't remember anything!?"

"Initially no. Over the years, my memories will return. My eggs are a gift to you. Each one contains a portion of my knowledge which will pass to you if you so choose to consume them. Once it is yours, you may pass it on to whomever you see fit. Guard them closely," The elderly lady shivered as her form began to glow, her extremities fading into a cloud of golden specks of light, "Take care of Ashe. She needs you. I'm very proud of you Clair. I know you will excel in whatever you choose to do."

The cheetah watched as her master dissolved before her eyes, still reeling with questions.

"But how do I break the link!?"

"Once I am gone, the link will be broken and you will be able to restore Ashe. Please choose wisely when selecting my father. I don't wish to be royalty," The gryphon faded away uttering on final farewell, "I'll always be with you my dear Clair. Find your happiness and hold fast to it!" And with that, the last of Jasik turned to gold light, swirling overhead and around the feline before coalescing into a great, brilliant orb hovering just above the floor. The light faded and what was left was a smooth egg. It was quite large, such that the mage almost could not reach her arms all the way around it. She sighed as she gazed at the round object floating before her. There was a lot for her to think about.

Ashe rose from her bed and yawned, giving her swollen tummy an appreciative caress as she searched for Clair. The investigation led her to the laboratory where she found Jasik's door open and the cat seated on the cold stone floor gazing at a rather large egg in her lap.

"Wow, she let you into her private chambers. What's the special occasion?"

"They're my chambers now," With the wave of a single hand and a somewhat frightening display of power, the lady shattered the curse. The feminine dragon suddenly found herself returned to a masculine state. Even her eggs seemed to vanish," And your curse is now broken. Watch the egg for me please, I need to go talk to someone about our future." Clair rose to her feet and handed the unborn gryphon to the prince and quickly turned to leave.

Ash blinked slowly as he was taken by surprise by the sudden change, as well as having a great egg shoved into his arms. Just before the cheetah left, she paused and pressed against the blue fellow tightly, offering him a firm kiss to ensure he would not mistake this for running away. Several minutes passed after the mage had gone before the prince spoke again.

"Aww, I was just getting used to being a girl."

---

The last of the streetlights were being put out as Clair made her way to a familiar tavern in search of a certain gryphon. He came strolling out of one of the many rooms upstairs with an exhausted, satisfied lady in each arm. He was making good on his promise indeed.

"Don't worry ladies, the tenderness goes away in a few days," He offered them each a kiss and sent them stumbling on their way just as he spotted his one and only favorite girl standing before him with her arms crossed, "Well, well, well! This is unexpected! I didn't think I'd get to see you again so soon!" The handsome bird scooped his beloved cat up into his arms and spun her. She closed her eyes and let herself go for a brief moment. He wouldn't like being tied down, she just knew he wouldn't.

"Ben, stop for a minute... please... We need to talk."

Breakfast was had as the situation was explained. Benjamin listened intently as the details unraveled, remaining quiet even as Clair suggested the idea of fatherhood. It was an awful lot to take in, and he easily picked up on the cat's apprehension.

"So now you're trying to decide if you should stay and help Prince Ash, or life the life you've always wanted with me. I must say lass, I'm flattered by your conundrum. But I have to ask, what is keeping you from just running away with me?"

By now, the spotted feline could hardly bring herself to look at the proud figure before her. There were so many things she could say, things that were completely true and would likely satisfy Benjamin's curiosity. But there was only one right answer. She had made it a point to be honest with him and while she might hold back key details now and again, she had yet to outright lie to him. She wasn't going to start now.

"I think... I think I love him."

"You think? Clair m'love, if you're going to make this decision based on that, you'd best be damn sure! I'll not have m'favorite kitten regret a choice like this because she wasn't sure! Now you think hard and look me in the eye, what is it you feel for this boy?" His pragmatism was comforting. He knew the last thing she needed was for him to beg her to choose him over the prince, no matter how badly he wanted her to pick him.

"That's just it. I didn't start to feel anything for him until after he was turned into a girl. I don't know if we'd connect now that he's back to normal. He's not my 'sister' anymore." This was the first time she had ever had such an outpouring to the gryphon. His ability to get inside her defenses was strangely therapeutic.

"Well, don't you think you owe it to him to at least find out?"

"What about us?"

"I'll still be here, even if it comes to a point where we can't see one another anymore. In fact, if you like, I can look after the wee one, maybe teach him a new trade after he's old enough."

Clair blinked at the sudden shift. She had not even considered the other half of the problem yet and it had already been answered.

"You don't mind being Jasik's father?"

The handsome bird nodded with a bright smile.

"I think I'd rather enjoy it. Might just get him to loosen up a bit. And seeing you carry Ash off the other night... I must say m'dear, you wear the look very well."

For the first time since they met, Clair blushed at his words. As she considered everything that had been said carefully, a new thought occurred to her.

"You know Ben, you're quite good at selling someone on a course of action."

He chuckled a little, dipping his head in gratitude as he sensed more behind her words.

"Thank ya, love. I do try to offer the best advice I can give, but what else have ya got on yer sweet, little mind?"

The cheetah offered him a broad grin.

"Think you'd like giving advice on a more official and regular basis?"

The gryphon raised an eyebrow, sensing that perhaps his days of trapping might be at an end.

"Do I really have a choice?" Was he upset? Did he not want the position? Clair's grin fell, afraid she had offended him.

"Well of course you do... Would you rather not?"

Benjamin chuckled softly, taking one of the cat's hands in his.

"Let me rephrase. Wherever you go, I will happily follow." He squeezed his fingers gently about the lady's paw, comforting her with the smile she had grown to know so well. At least her new station would make it easy to get back into the castle with him in tow. The tavern was left behind as the two navigated their way through the city. Only little effort was needed to convince the guards to let the tall bird pass. From there the feline took her companion on a tour of the great keep. Eventually, they arrived back in the mage's new chambers and they were greeted by sights and sounds neither had expected to find.

"Ashe!?" It was all Clair could say as she stared with wide eyes at the prince, once more clad in the form of a lady. She lay on her back, moaning wantonly as her hands groped her belly, stretched anew by some mysterious presence under her scales. As the shocked feline's voice reached her ears, she looked up from where she sprawled on the floor, her eyes full of need.

"Clair! Ben! I... I can't s-stop it! It feels... so good but I c-can't stop it! It's gone so deep!"

The cat's fur began to stand up on the back of her neck, a powerful knot forming in the pit of her stomach. Surely the princess hadn't done the unthinkable.

"Ashe, just breathe. What is going so deep?" She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping she was wrong.

"The egg you t-told me to w-watch! I th-thought... oh gods above... I thought it would... be safe if I... if I did this!" The dragon moaned again, her voice dying away to a heavy pant as the egg finally settled in her womb. Clair sighed and rubbed her eyes as a migraine began to form. Hopefully there was still time to correct all of this.

"Ben, help me move her to the bed. I've got to get right on this if I'm going to stop it before Jasik hatches in there."

The gravid woman blinked in utter shock, finding her voice quickly.

"You never said it was Jasik! I can't be her mother! She'll be furious if she remembers anything!"

"Which is why we need to get her out of you as quickly as we can," The mage helped hoist the dragoness to her feet, and with Benjamin's assistance guided her to what had been the wizard's bed, "Once she hatches, you'll be stuck with her until you give her a father and carry her to term."

Benjamin chuckled quietly as he helped the princess, weak in the knees, onto her back.

"So in theory, she could refrain from intimate contact and just keep the old feather duster in there forever?" He found the idea terribly amusing. Clair did not.

"In theory, yes. But I'd rather not find out. We've no idea how long we have so, Ashe honey, I'm going to need you to push it back out." It was a tall order but the cheetah knew it had to be done. Unfortunately, it seemed that the potentially pregnant woman was not up to the task.

"I... I don't think... think I can. I'm so t-tired. Please Clair, I... I need your help."

The feline sighed. She expected as much. With the princess so spent, there was really on one option left to them. Maybe if she was quick enough it would work.

"Brace yourself sister. I'm going in after it!" Without missing a single beat, Clair fell back into the habit of calling Ashe her sister. Oddly enough she found it comforting. Both ladies did. The princess caught herself about to protest but found it impossible to do so as Benjamin sat her up in his lap. Instinctively, she spread her legs, awaiting the coming assault on her senses. But it left her waiting.

"Ashe... just what sort of spell did you use?" The feline sounded puzzled and closing in on a scolding. The dragon's tummy ha concealed it until Clair moved into position. She wasn't so much of a she anymore. The azure woman blushed as the 'secret' had been discovered.

"I was... experimenting. Is this a bad thing?"

The cheetah just sighed and set the notion aside for the moment. She had a job to do.

"We'll talk about it later." Not another word came as Clair ignored the very features she had originally wanted to familiarize herself with and instead pressed forward, aggressively entering the princess. Before she had gone slow to let the drake savor her touch. Such delicacy was replaced with haste. Ashe cried out while the gryphon holding hir tried to keep hir steady. This sudden presence overwhelmed hir, sending tremors through hir entire form. Outward did hir tummy stretch, amazingly able to cope with the stress, strain, and load rather well.

Inside, the cat began to surround the smooth orb, concerned with how quickly the shell had begun to soften. Another change in plans was needed now.

"I'm not going to be able to push it back out in time. I'm going to have to stay a while." Those words drifted up from Ashe's churning belly as the last of hir sister disappeared into hir. Strange shapes appeared along the surface of the dragon's abdomen, making hir squirm and shudder with every subtle twitch inside hir. Benjamin did his best to try and sooth the lady in his arms. With Clair being so active, there was little that could calm hir. The aroma of stimulation was in the air, thick and growing thicker. Already the bulging blue woman had felt numerous waves wash over hir. Surely shi would go mad long before hir sister would come close to finishing.

"I... I can't take it! It... it's just too much! Don't... stop!" It was a puzzling sentiment indeed. Even Ashe hirself couldn't fully understand it. Shi was torn in two; one side almost in agony wanting it to end, the other side lost in pure euphoria desperate to hold onto it as long as possible. Hir sounds of pained pleasure were joined by a cat's moans of ecstasy, rising from the active scale covered belly. To the pair of girls, what seemed to be an eternity passed, draining both of their strength the longer it lasted. Higher and higher the princess' peak soared, never seeming to plateau.

Then, quite suddenly, everything went dark.

---

Ashe woke to a dark room and a heavy belly. Night had fallen outside. Shi had passed out and slept through the whole day. A familiar presence made itself known as the lady stirred, finding more than just hir stomach making it a challenge to move about. It was Benjamin. He had stayed with hir the entire time shi had been unconscious, and that comforted hir. But there was more than just the kind gryphon pressed into hir back and his arms wrapped around hir. The sensation that had left hir speechless the night they met clawed at the edge of hir thoughts, growing stronger as shi sobered from hir day-long nap. He was inside hir! A part of hir was horrified, feeling as though she had been taken advantage of. A very small part of hir. The rest of hir reveled in it.

One thing was undeniable. Shi was comfortable. Clair sleeping sounding under hir scales and Benjamin holding hir close; it felt good. If only it could last. Both would wake up soon and hir passenger would want out. All shi could do was lie still and focus on the moment shi had.

"Good morning my dear princess." The gryphon's voice sent a shiver up the drake's spine as he whispered in hir ear.

"But... it isn't morning is it?"

The feathered fellow chuckled softly as he nuzzled affectionately into the lady's neck. He had referred to hir as royalty. He knew.

"And you're not really a princess even though you look the part. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." And it was, for however long such debauchery remained a secret in this castle. Ashe sighed quietly in relief, more because Benjamin wasn't upset with hir.

"So, Clair told you everything did she?"

"She did indeed. You're a very lucky girl. She doesn't attach easily to others. I should know. She had the chance to run away with me today and instead brought me here so that she could be near you. Your bit of experimentation has definitely been a relief to her."

That puzzled the blue lady as shi caressed hir distended middle. There was no enchantment in place to conceal its size. Shi was extended out to hir full girth, or as fur as a full grown woman and a single large egg could fill hir out. The egg! What had happened in the time shi was unconscious?

"Did she manage to keep Jasik from hatching?"

Benjamin shook his head.

"No she didn't, but she managed to get the egg inside herself before it did. You dodged a bullet by the narrowest of margins. As I said earlier, your experiments paid off. It left you able to stretch far enough to give her the room she needed. I think it calmed her anger a bit. The fact that you turned yourself back into a girl alone made her feel better too. She was worried how things would be between the two of you once you turned back."

Ashe paused at the thought. Had Clair really grown that fond of hir? She seemed to have approached these last few days with something of an amused detachment. It could be that if had been a mere facade. They had shared a rather intimate experience, one that the princess did not know was possible.

"She... was worried?"

Again the gryphon nodded, offering his draconic lover a tender kiss.

"She was. She didn't like the idea of having to choose between you and me, so she didn't," The strong bird chuckled and ran his fingers across Ashe's oddly shaped belly, "She's a greedy kitty. And personally, I love that about her." As he felt over the feline's outline covered in stretched dragon hide, his hips shifted, pushing against the princess just a bit more firmly. The adjustment drew a sharp yet soft inhale from the gravid lady. Shi was suddenly reminded of the extent of his presence and shuddered at his touch.

"Maybe you could fill me in on what you two did while I was asleep. I have a feeling it was rather... intense." Ashe's eyes drifted shut once more as Benjamin began the tale, imagining it in all its vivid detail.

---

The unhinged moans and screams of the overwhelmed dragon fell quiet as hir mind retreated to protect itself. The woman within continued to wriggle about in her attempts to seat Jasik's egg in herself. Progress was slow and arduous, largely because of her location and the power of the sensations rushing through her.

"Ben honey, I need a little help. Can you squeeze Ashe's stomach for me? I could use the leverage." All her movement stopped as she rested, resolving to review the spell Ashe used. Perhaps augmenting her own capacity might be a worthwhile investment. Hands began to grope across the lumpy mass of the drake's abdomen in an attempt to aid the feline. When Benjamin felt certain that he had determined what bulges were what, he pressed both palms against what he assumed was the bottom of the egg. Clair began to press down once more, moaning and writhing as the softening orb edged its way into her.

"If I push too much harder, I might hurt one of you." Even the gryphon, insulated by layers of flesh and scale, could sense the egg losing its rigidity. He began to worry that the cat may have made a mistake going in after it. But just as he prepared to voice his concerns, a firm 'POP' ran through his hands and arms, coming from deep within the dragon. Ashe's tummy shifted sharply in time with the odd sensation, accompanied by the mage's voice as it hit a crescendo. It would seem they had succeeded, but what was Clair's condition? She quickly made it known.

"Ooo, there we go. That's better," her words came mixed with a purr of unbridled satisfaction. She stroked her filled tummy and sighed quietly, feeling the last of the protective shell thinning and dissolving away until all that remained was the unborn child. She had hoped to wait longer to start down this path, but the deed had been done, and she certainly was not going to go wanting, "Since Jasik's in, I suppose we should go ahead and make it official."

"And just how do you propose we do that m'love? I'm not sure if I'd fit in there with you, and with our little princess very much gone from the waking world, it'd be nigh impossible to get you out."

The drake's belly squirmed and undulated as the feline inside repositioned herself. The movement brought a gentle moan to the sleeping lady's lips. Even while lost to the world of dreams shi seemed to enjoy hir passenger's throes.

"To get to me, you're going to have to go through hir. You said you enjoyed your fun with hir the other night. Now's as good a time as any to please hir again." There was a playful tone to her voice, a tone the gryphon was all too familiar with.

"Well I suppose so. Do you think shi'll mind? I may be a notorious fellow, but not for taking advantage of a helpless lass like our sweet little Ashe."

Clair chuckled.

"Shi willingly turned hirself into this. I think you made a good enough first impression that you could do anything to hir and shi would adore you for it."

The bird nodded and shrugged. Why not? If shi didn't like it, then surely he could make it up to the sleeping lady somehow. His clothes were shed and he returned to the blue lady's side. He took the heavy dragon into his arms and squeezed. The reaction he got was a thrum of approval. So far so good. Carefully he positioned himself in such a way so that should Ashe awaken, shi wouldn't feel trapped. The swollen woman was shifted to hir side as the avian gently hoisted one of hir legs. From there, all he had to do was make his entry, and so he did. His usual confidence was tempered by a sudden uncertainty. It felt wrong of him to do this, even with Clair's blessing. Tentatively, the gryphon felt the dragon's warm grasp about his invading limb, settling comfortably in place.

As he came to a halt, the princess offered forth a quiet purr as hir lips curved into a warm smile. Shi approved, even in hir sleep. Benjamin's heart lightened and he wrapped his arms about the drake, kissing hir cheek fondly. Inside, the feline was quite eager to get underway. She felt along the walls of her 'prison' and located the spire protruding into her world. Unceremoniously she seated herself on it, moaning quietly. The bird shivered as he felt a second embrace claim his probing length. This could actually work! Encouraged by all of this, he began.

With such an odd task at hand, it would be less about distance traveled and more about strategic use of technique. It would not do to pull too far free and risk losing contact with Clair. No, this needed something special. A gentle twist of the feathered fellow's hips brought forth a gasp from both ladies, a good sign that he was on the right track. Without drawing back more than a paltry inch or so, Benjamin began to hit his stride. Side to side he moved, swirling and stirring against the flesh that held him. Moans flowed around the room as both girls partook of the gryphon's loving touch. Ashe trembled and squirmed in his arms as she dreamed. The cheetah in hir belly twitched and stretched, giving the azure dome holding her a strange appearance of undulation. The dragoness was quickly taken by the first of many waves of pleasure, crying out softly to both man and woman alike.

Clair, not to be outdone, pressed downward against the sleek form she felt moving within her, calling out to her beloved avian for relief.

"Oh Ben! Don't stop! I'm so close! Please! More! I need more!"

He wasn't the sort to disappoint. With his 'kitty' in such need, there was but one option, a redoubling of efforts. Benjamin's hips squeezed in tight against the sleeping lady's form, aching softly from the relatively unused technique. Speed and force grew. The gryphon's hands groped over the princess' stomach, pressing in against the cheetah to hold her as close to him as he could. Clair did all she could to fight the desire to squirm. Both she and her captor moaned loudly, signaling how close they were to their respective climaxes. Their lover would not need to work too much longer.

The heat of the moment overwhelmed them all, pushing two of them on while the one who slept through it all would have virtually no memory. Moisture and sweat slicked their bodies as they reveled in carnal bliss. Just as it felt as though no more could be accepted, the dragoness breathed a long, sultry moan as hir tummy trembled from the shriek of orgasm coming from within. Benjamin, as if synchronized with both ladies, clenched his whole form, unleashing the very essence the feline sought.

Just as slow and powerful as it had all begun, it faded as the dying rays of the setting sun. All fought for breath, but Ashe's gasps were especially strong. No words were shared for what felt like eternity. The gryphon simply held his two ladies close, nuzzling into the blue drake's cheek as shi slept. Hopefully shi wouldn't be angry with him when shi woke. The feline within found her voice again and purred deep in her throat.

"You're wonderful. And I'll bet you'll make a terrific father," She yawned loudly, not having realized just how strenuous the day had been for her, "I'm exhausted honey. Wake me when shi comes around would you?"

Benjamin chuckled quietly and let his own eyes drift shut, similarly spent. He had only just recently come from a rather lengthy session with two insatiable denizens of the city's underbelly.

"Sleep well, lass. I'll be here when you wake." He had said that so many times, but only to her. It held a deeper meaning than the obvious. It was as though he were saying 'I won't ever leave you'. Within mere moments, all three were fast asleep, locked in so intimate a union.

---

"So that's what you two were doing. Now I'm sorry I missed it." Ashe purred through hir words, shivering every now and again at Clair's twitches and the mental images of Benjamin's story.

"I'm sure she'd be happy to give you an encore now that you're awake, lassie." His hands grazed across hir swollen stomach, so tender from being stretched so far. The princess shook hir head with a grin.

"Not so fast, dear. There's one thing your story has me curious about now."

The gryphon let his confusion be known through a furrowed brow.

"Oh, and what's that, your highness?" There was no sarcasm in his words. He had only meant the most fervent respect. That tickled the dragon.

"I want to see if I actually can fit you both inside me."

Benjamin laughed and offered the lady in his arms a tender kiss, his hips adjusting against hir and stealing hir breath away.

"Clair has created a monster... alright, alright, we'll give it a go. But if anything goes wrong... if it starts to hurt, we stop. I'll not have my beloved princess injured." His concern was touching, and it left the dragon wondering if that same affection would be present if shi were to change back. Still, that was for later exploration.

"Alright, I promise. If anything bad starts to happen, I'll stop. Now, let's hurry before Clair wakes up!"

The feathered fellow nodded and cooed in hir ear, hesitantly retreating from hir warm embrace below. He had his reservations about the idea, but so far, no ill effects had come of these two and their scheming. Down he slipped along the princess' form, placing kiss after delicate kiss to her lovely shape. At last, he reached hir swollen lips, moist and already fairly well used. Forward the gryphon pushed, his beak parting the pink flesh without a single concern. Ashe let flow another moan as shi lay there on hir side, leg lifted, tail cast back. The gryphon's progress was slow, punctuated by sudden 'gulps' from the lady around him. With hir so eager, he wouldn't be able to keep such a gradual pace. A gentle pop and a deep purr saw his entire head vanish.

And so it began.

The blue dragon lost hir tongue as shi felt hir second passenger ease his way into hir, every inch of his rugged, wild-hardened frame etching itself into hir memory, never to be forgotten. Howls of unfettered lust carried beyond the door and into the hall beyond, catching the attention of those within earshot. Hir secret would not stay a secret for long. By now shi hardly cared. All that mattered was the woman inside hir and the gryphon joining her. Oh how wonderful it felt, even when pleasure slowly gave way to hints of pain. By the time Benjamin had reached his waist, the princess had begun to feel the first few pangs of discomfort. Shi had managed to stretch quite far, but no body was meant to reach this extent and beyond.

Shi was not to be undone. Even as hir plumed lover halted his journey to hir center, the drake would not yield.

"Ashe love, are you alright? You sound like you're suffering. Maybe I should come back out."

"No!" Shi barked, "We're not stopping! Not when we're so close!" Never before had shi felt such authority flow through hir. It felt good. It felt right. Still, while shi asserted hir dominance, tensing with all hir might until the gryphon's thighs were inside, a part of hir longed to be dominated, to feel submissive and obedient to a master. Perhaps Clair would not mind switching roles with hir on occasion. It would be discussed. For now shi fought through the pain as it grew, aching to finish. Benjamin's talons wiggled as they hung from the obscenely gravid dragoness, all that remained to complete hir task. The gryphon began to settle with his feline lover, curling around her as the steady waves below dragged the last of him in.

With on last wet squelch, Ashe's petals closed. Shi had done it! Shi could hardly move but shi had done it! A white stain across the lower curve of hir ridiculously stretched abdomen told the tale of how powerful, how intense the experience was. Shi rolled onto hir back, watching the great dome follow and stand above the rest of hir. Breath escaped hir as the weight pressed down atop hir, and yet shi adored it. Within, hir two lovers embraced, the avian speaking while Clair remained fast asleep.

"Congratulations Ashe! You've done it! Question is, where do we go from here?"

"Nowhere really," Shi smiled and stroked hir belly possessively, "I plan on keeping you both in there for a while, at least while I get some more sleep." Before the gryphon could respond to the princess, his 'roommate' stirred and yawned, finally returning to the waking world of hir sister's womb. She attempted to stretch within the close confines of the warm chamber, lending volume to the massively distended woman's thrums of pleasure. The presence of pelt and plumage behind her puzzled the cat.

"Good morning you two. How are you both?"

Benjamin chuckled quietly in one of her ears, making it twitch softly.

"We are both quite well, lass. But it would seem your sister has gotten greedy. I think shi means to keep us imprisoned for quite some time." He offered no hint in the timbre of his voice that he was displeased. If anything, he sounded heartily amused but it all. Clair's eye fluttered in the darkness, stunned by this turn of events, that it was even possible.

"Sister? Is this true?"

Ashe chortled, never once yielding in the attention to hir belly.

"Quite right, sister. I want to keep you both at least until sunrise, maybe longer. You've no idea how outrageously marvelous this feels! To be so large, so heavy. It's indescribable!"

The spotted feline sighed with a silly grin. It was just like Ashe. Shi found something new and threw hirself into it, even into the realm of the extreme.

"I can think of something that would push it even further, dear sister," Her grin quickly turned to a smile of mischief. With surprisingly little effort, she spun about to face her beloved gryphon. He was taken by surprise by the sudden and powerful kiss she forced upon him and the dragoness by her movement. The princess gasped as hir stomach turned about above hir. Clair pulled her lips from Benjamin's and began kneading her fingers into his chest, "Let's make sure our efforts earlier took." It was possible they already had and her hormones were driving her to such a state.

Her lover didn't complain. He simply explored the cat's own smoothly rounded middle, appreciating its lovely, generous curve. If this was how it was to be for him living in the castle, he might just find reason enough to give up trapping and tracking. No words followed as Ashe was forced to gasp again, hir belly beginning to swirl with the sounds and motions of hir passengers' robust rompings. If what had come before was a storm, then this was a hurricane. The drake gripped the sides of hir animated stomach, crying out desperately for the strength to withstand it. In a matter of moments, the gravid lady was rocked by a series of lightning strikes, rushing through hir and threatening to tear hir conscious mind to shreds.

Deep within the princess' raging womb, Clair and Benjamin were taken by lust. The vigorous, urgent invasions the feline had grown to know and love left her breathless, while at the same time teaching her sister of the gryphon's strength. He angled himself around the swell of their unborn child, finding it to be a welcome obstacle. Seeing, or at least feeling and picturing her as the mother-to-be she was gave him a depth to his desire for her had never before experienced. Whatever it was about this gravid state of hers, he made a mental note to let her know later.

The two drove one another to the brink and beyond once, twice, more times than their captor could tell. Shi was adrift on the heaving sea of carnal delight, rocking and pitching as hir voice carried across the waves. Hir strained body could take very little more punishment before it would threaten to render hir unconscious once more. But just as quickly as it all began, Ashe's passengers suddenly fell still, save for a subtle rise and fall of their attempts to catch their breath. Surely they had spent one another over the countless times the princess had come to the peak repeatedly. As the lady of blue began to calm, shi wondered just how long they had kept hir in such a state of drooling, screaming lust.

It didn't really matter in the end. Shi could hardly keep hir eyes open.

"Oh yes, you two will be staying for quite some time. Consider this your honeymoon," All shi received was a series of low moans and groans that trailed off as the two within fell victim to their fatigue. The swollen woman, in a motherly act, looked to hir middle and caressed it lovingly, "I hope you two last longer after you're rested. Until then sleep well my darlings."

As soon as Ashe closed hir eyes, shi was gone. Hir smile never left hir lips through the night.

---

As the morning came and went, Ashe made good on hir promise, refusing to release either of hir lovers. Rather than fight and complain to be let out, the happy couple was quite content to remain comfortably in place. After some convincing, Clair taught her captor the very glamour spell she used while carrying the princess. Before long, the drake was up on hir feet, still quite large about the middle. It was a manageable load, but only just barely. As shi explored Jasik's old room, shi came across the very eggs the gryphon laid prior to her regression. The question was raised and quickly answered. As the lady attempted to pass one of the little orbs to hir resident mage, shi shuddered feeling it not simply disappear inside hir but vanish into hir, as though it had melted into hir flesh. A burst of knowledge filled hir mind as shi began to integrate fragments of hir old master's memories, detailing much of the world of magic to hir.

It was but a piece of the old bird's wisdom, and there were still so many eggs left.

Little did Ashe know what shi had gained was quickly shared with both Clair and Benjamin, puzzling and surprising them. Eagerly the azure woman began to collect the other eggs and do with them exactly what shi had with the first. After the sixth or seventh one, the princess began to notice something. Each egg seemed to offer hir varying amounts of knowledge. Shi thought little of this until the next seemed to be blank. Was shi doing something wrong? Clair was alerted to the oddity but responded with the confusing fact that thus far, each 'nugget of wisdom' had worked just as the first for her.

It seemed only certain pieces of Jasik's memories would 'stick' with hir while the feline, who it was all originally meant for, collected it all. Even Benjamin seemed to have similar censorship placed upon him. It didn't seem to bother him too much but the pace did. All three had begun to complain of a headache and it was decided that the remaining eggs would wait, perhaps taking only one a day.

As the days wore on, news of Ashe's change spread quickly through the castle and began to leak into the city. The longer shi remained as shi was, still carrying the two within, the faster such rumors spread. By now, shi was well beyond caring, sitting on hir throne in such a gravid condition. Hir advisors, guards, and other heads of state whispered, concerned with hir interest in taking up the responsibilities of hir title. They found it was unwise and soon it became clear shi would have to prove hirself to them all before they would accept hir rule. Still shi refused to release Clair and Benjamin, and they found themselves unable to argue against staying, even as days turned to weeks, then stretched on into months.

They were happy together.

Eventually, it had to come to an end as Jasik's arrival grew closer. Both parents-to-be re-emerged into the outside world and only shortly after did they expectant mother go into labor. The young gryphon was brought back into the world and a more 'normal' Prince Ash was introduced as his uncle, the lack of true blood relation notwithstanding. As life began to return to a state the people of the kingdom were more accustomed to, the young drake sought the advice of his new counselor. He needed to somehow prove his worth and he had no doubt that Benjamin could think of something. When a plan was formulated, the prince prepared for his coming trials. The knowledge from the eggs came in quite handy.

Clair remained behind to tend to her newborn while the boys departed for the forest south of the city. They had heard stories about a ruthless dragon living in the foothills of the mountains who used the passage south from town as his hunting grounds. Many had tried to put an end to his attacks. Few were ever heard from again, and those who survived had such tales to tell. Against his better judgment, Benjamin agreed to show Ash how to track the beast down. There were several unknowns to the whole of the scenario but the prince insisted, and the gryphon in turn insisted it be only the two of them to set out. It would be far easier to hide and protect just one rather than an entire armed escort.

"I just want to say one more time, lad... I dun like this plan one wee little bit. I wish you'd reconsider." The bird moved slowly through the dense trees, his voice barely above a whisper. The drake just smiled and followed without complaint.

"It'll work, I promise. Just don't mess it up by trying to be a hero." The plan in question wasn't without its risks, and that was what drew Ash to it in the first place. The more daring the deed, the stronger the favorable reaction from his subjects should he succeed. Their 'hunt' had led them deep into the beast's territory, far from any sign of help. If they confronted this dragon, they would do it alone. As they crept through the wilds, the gryphon came to an immediate halt, stopping the prince behind him. He was close. Down Benjamin crouched, pulling the blue scaled fellow with him. Just as they settled into place, a tall, imposing figure emerged before them, still a good distance away. He was quite massive, at least one, maybe two feet taller than the feathered trapper staring unseen at him. His rippling, primal form bulged with sinew and muscle. He would have no trouble defending himself from two lightly armed attackers.

"Perhaps we should rethink this, brother. He's bigger than we expected."

Ash shook his head and licked his lips in anticipation. The brute's size only made his coming victory all the more glorious.

"We've come too far to back out now. We go forward. You only join in when you hear me give the signal." They had both calculated the best way to get the massive mountain of jade to attack only one of them was to make him think there was only one. To that end, it meant there was really just one course of action that offered the greatest chance of success.

Without warning, a terrible battle cry split the relative silence of the forest. A blur of blue streaked forth from the foliage that had concealed him, sword in hand, ready to fight to the bitter end. The prince's assault was short-lived as the great green dragon he targeted lashed out with minimal effort. A mighty swing of one of the beast's thick, powerful arms sent the drake tumbling to the ground, sputtering as he lifted his face from the dirt. Before he could properly gather himself, Ash felt a sharp pain claim his stomach as the earth was torn away from him. It returned quickly as he landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him from such a stern kick. Again he could not respond quickly enough as a heavy, taloned foot pressed down atop his chest, pinning him.

"And what do we have here? Another fool from the city come to try and make a name for himself by killing me? And here I thought such a 'civilized' place had run out of that brand of stupidity." He was surprisingly well spoken for a supposed monster of the wilds, and he even wore a long cloth. Still his foot pressed down, making it difficult for his opponent to speak.

"Not... quite yet... I'm afraid. Now, let me go... or face the wrath... of the entire... royal army!" It was a hollow threat, Ash knew that, but it would help gauge this dragon's personality and sense of personal strength.

"Oh so you are the young prince I've heard so much about! Well let your precious soldiers come. I've found they can be quite tasty. As for you, I do believe such an occasion merits a bit of a celebration. You're coming with me." The great, heavy, breath-crushing foot was immediately removed and replaced with a large hand, its fingers clutching the front of the prince's tunic. The drake was then effortlessly hoisted from the ground and slung over the green giant's shoulder like so much burlap sack. Upon such close inspection, the uncouth dragon wasn't as enormous as the stories had made him out to be. At best he was perhaps three heads taller than Ash. That was still a considerable difference but not so vast to merit claiming the monster to stand above the trees. Fear did tend to affect one's perception.

Benjamin sat helplessly as he watched the noble he had come to call brother be carried off. He intended to follow, but he could not ignore the knots in his stomach, twisting tighter with every step. The prince meanwhile attempted to wriggle free, unable to escape the powerful arm squeezing him into his captor's shoulder. The jade figure was quite toned, likely from many years of living in the wild. Had circumstances been different, the smaller blue might have let his feminine side slip free and marvel at such a physique. The prince instead attempted to unleash what remained of his primal side, lashing out with fang and claw. Unfortunately, so many generations of civilized society left him unable to bring any real harm to such a strong hide. This was a fine, unspoiled specimen of dragon indeed.

A cave welled up before the emerald hunter, and was promptly entered. The interior was illuminated by dozens of candles and littered with crates, barrels, and sacks of all manner of goods. Likely it had all been absconded from the many and various caravans and travelers the beast had attacked. Ash was tossed stop a pile of cloth smelling heavily of his captor. No doubt it was his bed.

"Welcome to my lair, little prince. Don't get too comfortable, you won't be staying long. My name is Largo and you are mine to do with as I please. For starters, let's find out if these rumors are true," The green beast didn't even give his prisoner a chance to ask which rumors he spoke of. A swift tug on the prince's trousers saw them yanked almost completely off, tugging undergarments with them. In a flash, Ash was exposed from the waist down, making him blush. The sudden pink in his cheeks deepened as Largo reached forward and gave him a rather thorough 'search' between his thighs. The great winged captor's smile stretched wider as he discovered the drake's secret, "So, it seems there's some truth to the rumors after all! How delightful!" He hoisted the prince's legs for a better look.

"Are you going to rape me?" The smaller fellow squirmed softly in such a commanding grasp, unable to help but find such domination at least a little enticing.

"Oh that's going to be quite difficult. If your reputation is as accurate as I think it is, I'm afraid it will be quite impossible."

That puzzled Ash, especially as he watched Largo remove his loin cloth, the only garment he chose to wear. Holding both of the prince's ankles with one hand was quite the impressive feat, though even if it did frame the lad's womanly flower and feminine rump perfectly, concealing his masculine region on the other side of his thighs. "You can't rape the willing, and from what I hear of you, you never turn down another's company. Especially in bed." He chortled deep in his throat as he reached forward, running a single finger along the 'lady's petals. A soft shove saw a good portion of the sizable digit vanish into the mysterious beyond. It forced a muted cry from the prince as he was 'searched' again. Once again he found himself reveling in the control the great winged beast exercised over him. Perhaps he would be willing after all.

The finger continued to twist around inside the pink chasm, doing a fine job of preparing the way for a larger intruder. As the unyielding appendage wriggled away, it was quickly slickened by Ash's honey, sticky and powerful on the nose. With so strong a reaction, it was clear that little more would be needed to push the little regal creature into climax. Largo would not allow it, at least not just yet. He withdrew his hand, ending his prisoner's moans, and tugged the drake closer, legs still hoisted high. The single finger was replaced by a much larger presence, one that the prince had learned the shape of quite well.

The moans from before resumed with greater volume. Such noise only made Largo grin. He didn't care what sort of mood his partners were in when he slaked his lust. He did however love knowing he could take their breath away with a single thrust. His hips powered forward as he sank deep into his little prince's royal passageway, no regard for technique or pace. He was a greedy monster. The grip holding Ash's legs aloft remained firm, keeping the smaller scaled figure from attempting escape, but then he wasn't about to. He arched his back and screamed in inadequacy, unable to withstand such an assault. Blessedly, he would not need to take such stimulating abuse for long, even if he wanted to be used until he could hardly breathe.

A roar split the relative stillness as a profound heat spread through the drake's belly. Largo squeezed himself between those silky folds to flood yet another womb with his essence. He had lost count of how many. He withdrew from the prince and dropped the blue legs from his grasp. He had taken what he needed, and left Ash a drooling sticky mess. During all the excitement, the smaller dragon had not only splashed his feminine nectar across their scales but he had also splattered his own chest and tummy with coatings of white. Thankfully, the lad had thought to unbutton his tunic once he realized where he was 'aiming' thanks to his captor.

The green dragon chuckled as he stood over his latest conquest, giving the lightly bulging royal belly a firm pat as it sloshed with his copious batch of seed. He was proud of how much he had given.

"Mmm, see what I mean? Admit that you enjoyed it."

Ash found himself unable to answer, the power of speech stolen from him by so vigorous a lover. It was nothing like the countless sessions he had shared with Benjamin. There was no tenderness, no gentle caressings or sweet nothings whispered; it was a blunt, forceful rutting. He thought to compare it to a smith's hammer upon a blade; each pound, each strike heavy and stout though precise in its target. The prince blushed once more as he discovered an appeal for such brutality. Largo however took his silence as an opening to feign umbrage.

"Didn't like it eh? Well that's a shame. I thought about keeping you around to entertain me, maybe find out if that belly of yours can produce a few eggs for me to snack on. But it's too late now, you've hurt my feelings, and you know what I do with people who hurt my feelings don't you?" It was obvious his taking offense was false, meant purely to amuse himself and to lead them to his next selfish act. His stomach growled noisily and he licked his lips as he gazed over the tender morsel before him. He'd never eaten royalty before. This would be a rare treat for him!

Just as Ash was beginning to catch his breath, darkness took him. The heat of the green dragon's breath spilled across his face, making him grimace lightly. There was a staleness to the air that urged him briefly to cough. That was the least of his concerns. Two powerful hands held his shoulders fast, now free of the garment that had covered them. I noisy slurp sound around the prince's form as Largo's lips sealed around his neck. Drool quickly coated his scales as the tongue below swirled about, sampling the regal dish. The dark throat beyond opened and rushed forward to consume the lad. His sudden progress into his captor was accompanied by a wet, greedy gulp that echoed in his ears. There was no turning back now, not while the blue drake was trapped in the beast's neck.

That slick, curious organ quickly glided its way across Ash's chest, taking with it a sampling of the musky leavings still found there. A quiet moan rose out of the jade figure's throat, a moan that made him question the sanity of this particular snack. Was the prince actually enjoying this? Largo shrugged and continued on. Down he pushed the azure creature, filling his chest with those strangely pleased sounds. In slipped his prisoner's chest, passing the great dragon's jaw line as he lifted those girlish hips upward. Gravity would aid him. A loud gurgle came from below as Ash reached the very stomach threatening to claim him. New moans came forth as the eager tongue wrapped about the prince's slick, sleek shaft, the forked end pressing beyond to sample the hidden flower of the royal family. Such exploration was not unwelcome, and with half of himself now lost to the world, the blue dragon had little choice.

The oral attention was painfully short-lived, leaving the moaning fellow wanting. Down he plunged, shoved further into the dark by the ravenous beast. A pair of thighs passed out of sight, sinking so easily into Largo's jaws. He gulped noisily and claimed the prince's knees. There wasn't much left and the jade male was not about to deny himself a bloated, full, writhing stomach. He never missed an opportunity in fact. With one good shove, the azure feet protruding from his lips were crammed into his throat and swallowed gleefully. His first royal dinner, and he enjoyed it quiet a bit. Largo's gut bulged a great distance, settling a bit as its occupant landed with a light bounce. His cheeks swelled as a stout belch rose in his throat.

"It's a shame this is a one way trip for you, highness. I think you would have made a fine slave. But such is the way of things." The crass fellow burped again and reclined, appreciating the grand swell of his stomach, almost as though he worshiped its ability to stretch without any sign of failing. Quickly, the jade creature slipped into an after-dinner slumber.

Inside, the fidgety prince was busy trying to frantically recall his spells. He didn't intend to die today. Once Ash was satisfied with the use of his incantation, he calmed and stroked along the fleshy sac holding him. Already he could feel pressure building in his abdomen, eager to see how many eggs he had been given.

He could only hope Benjamin would be able to stick to the plan.

---

Snores echoed softly through the cavern as Largo slept. Every now and again there came a gurgle or groan from the dragon's stomach. Such large meals generally resulted in his current unwillingness to rouse. The green bulge had yet to shrink in the slightest. In fact, if anything, it had grown! More than that, it moved! There could be seen faint impressions of the prince's form in the slumbering beast's scales, slowly writhing and turning about. Were he awake, the large, heavy fellow would have been mystified, perhaps even concerned. Usually after so many hours, his gut would be soft and delightfully squishy. This wasn't right, and his oblivious would soon be changed.

As the prince's form continued to shift away, considerable pressure began to build below, resulting in two distinct sensations. One brought a quiet moan from the fat reptile, his prostate receiving a strange sort of massage. The other came in the form of an urge that grew stronger with each passing second. It was this urge that brought him out of sleep. Largo shifted on his back as he stretched and yawned, bringing his legs to a close out of instinct.

"Nng... already? Usually takes a couple of days after a meal that b-" he paused as his eyes, open at last, fell on his undulating stomach. His inability to deduce what was going on inside begged that he sit up, and so he did, letting his bulbous abdomen spill into his lap. The sudden turn of gravity gave him a hint of relief in his chest but only empowered both the urge and assault on his prostate. It also did something else. It woke his passenger.

"Is it morning already?" Ash was alive! But how was this possible? No one survived the green dragon's stomach!

"What in the name of the gods!? What sort of trickery is this!?" Largo was understandably shocked.

"I figured you would try to eat me so I came prepared. Judging from things, I do believe I've slipped into your colon. Would you mind letting me out?" The hidden blue seemed so casual about his current state, further confusing his captor.

"No! If someone goes in my stomach, they don't come back out alive! You're not leaving until you're mush!" he shuddered and suddenly squeezed his gut as the urge hit him full force, able to feel Ash's nose pressing against the inside of his anus, "Oh gods!"

The prince simply shrugged and kept still.

"I don't think you have much of a choice."

Indeed he did not. The payload in his bowels was demanding release, adamantly. He didn't even have time enough to make his way outside. Upset that he would ruin his bed, Largo assumed the position, legs bent, balancing on the balls of his feet, tail lifted. He grit his teeth and growled as he surrendered in the fight with his innards. The pucker below tensed and pulsed, slowly stretching to reveal the drake he had eaten hours ago. A deep groan rose out of the green's chest, mixed between the unfamiliar nature of the act, uncertain of his ability to finish, and a strange sort of morbid delight. As it all began, the jade beast tensed in the false sensation of relief it gave him, squeezing his cheeks together. The prince's head vanished back into the dark cavern he was lodged in; all but the end of his snout. Largo didn't want to give up his meal.

Another forced contraction sent Ash back out into the open air, panting softly as he wriggled to free himself of the 'warden's rump. Each outward push was followed by an ever so slightly weaker tug back inside. This was going to take a while, more so than Largo could possibly know. Miraculously, the blue fellow was bereft of any foul odor or matter. It was as he had gone in, virtually clean. He knew how it was possible, and was certain the moaning green dragon did not. Each brief slip into the outside world brought the prince that much closer to freedom, until an obstacle made itself known. It felt to Largo as though there was a vast knot inside him, wrapped around his former prisoner's middle. It was large and round, requiring more force than his body's involuntary actions could overcome. He would have to push, even as Ash braced his hands against the emerald cheeks he was attempting to escape.

"Did you put on weight while you were in there!?" The exasperated beast shifted atop his make-shift bed, unable to find relief in any posture.

"Actually, yes I did, thanks to you in fact. I'd be happy to explain but first I'd like out!"

Largo was in agony, no so much pain as the bizarrely intense experience continued to steal his breath away. As of yet, he wasn't sure if he was enjoying it. He just needed it to end before he passed out. However big the drake had gotten, he needed him out. A stern push squeezed the prince's lower half as he fought to drag himself from so powerful a grip. Wider the green dragon's anus was forced to stretch, bringing forth a roar each time an inch of ground was covered. Ash twisted himself this way and that, recalling how he and Clair managed. Though, she was a bit more experienced than Largo. It only he would just try to relax! Louder their noises grew, no doubt heard well beyond the cave. They were so close to the end! Only a little more and the hard part would be over.

A few more loud, wet squelches came and out popped the prince's gravid tummy. His would-be captor collapsed in much needed relief while the drake pulled his legs and tail free. Once he was removed completely, Ash took up a similarly expended pose, watching Largo's gaping anus pulse as it slowly closed back up. To think he had survived a full trip like that. Quietly, he imagined doing it again... and again... and again. He was quickly pulled from the fantasy by the larger dragon demanding answers.

"Alright, you're out. Now tell me how you survived, why you're so fat, and why it is I don't have to go bury my nest in the woods." The jade fellow was recovering fast, gripping one of his former meal's ankles as he sat up.

"The short answer: magic. I used a spell to change my gender, which you so vigorously took advantage of. Because of that, I've got a clutch of eggs to deal with. Not that I'm upset by it. I had a very strong suspicion that I'd be eaten, so I used a specially prepared incantation to render myself indigestible. Your suddenly clean innards just happened to be part of it. I didn't feel like coming out covered in filth."

Magic. That was one thing that was beyond the green scaled creature, and it fascinated him.

"So you know the ways of sorcery. Perhaps you're worth keeping around after all. And now that I know you can survive my stomach, I can dine on you whenever I please. I wish to learn about magic. You will teach me. If you refuse, I'll find a way to hold you in my belly so you can never escape!" He was a demanding fellow, one that anyone might cower in fear of, but not Ash. For some reason beyond Largo's ability to understand or discern, this plump, egg-laden little prince refused to view him as a threat or a master. It was in a strange way oddly refreshing.

"I know a few things, and I might be willing to teach you some of them. But first, I need to do something about these," He gave his round, taut belly a firm pat, "They're awful distracting and I'd prefer to empty them out before doing anything too strenuous. Would you care to help me?" Such a strange request to make, but his light explanation seemed to make sense.

"And how might I do that exactly? Reach in and grab them?"

"Oh goodness no, just 'catch' them and do something with them so that they're not in the way."

The green fellow raised a single eyebrow at the notion that had only just come to him. He chose not to voice it right away but instead gauge how the prince's mind might work.

"Do I need to build you a nest?" It would indirectly answer a few questions lingering in his mind. Ash shook his head and dismissed the idea, allaying Largo's unspoken fears.

"No, they won't hatch. There's no life to them. Just do something with them so they're out of the way. You could even eat them if you wanted. You did mention that earlier."

Quietly, deep in the back of his mind, the large male sighed in relief, not exactly interested in becoming a father all because he couldn't digest this little oddity before him.

"Very well, then get on with it already. I'm growing impatient!"

The azure drake frowned and leaned back, spreading his legs as he prepared to begin. He was more than just a little annoyed by his jailor's demanding attitude. A shiver passed up his spine as the first of several eggs slid from its warm, secure home in Ash's tummy to the canal leading out. His breath caught in his throat as his folds began to stretch. Out slipped the round, white orb, and the prince relaxed visibly, sighing as a glaze passed over his eyes and his lips pulled into a lazy, dreamy grin.

"Ah, I'll never get tired of that. One down, several more to go."

Largo collected the egg and eyes it carefully. He was told they were never going to hatch, and he could even eat them if he wished. With the prince not being as gastronomically cooperative as his usual victims, he was feeling peckish. Unceremoniously, he lifted the egg to his lips and tossed it in, swallowing without bothering to chew. His tongue snaked out and ran along the crease of his mouth. The thin layer of lightly sticky moisture the orb was coated with struck the dragon as particularly tasty. True to his desire to be given immediate gratification, he sunk his muzzle between his prisoner's thighs, mercilessly slurping at the source. More eggs would come, of that he was sure. In the mean time, he would rink this flower dry.

Ash gasped as the gluttonous beast so swiftly set to spelunking his womanly cavern. Under such wanton lust and aggression, he found himself unable to hold back his clutch. One by one the dropped from his womb into Largo's waiting mouth. There they were quickly gulped down, going to fill the hungry dragon's belly. Each on came with a warm, sticky splash of honey. This too was greedily consumed, all while the prince fought to try to maintain a degree of lucidity. Practice with Clair and Benjamin helped with that. His teeth clenched as he felt the large male's tongue push so very deep into his chasm, drawing out yet another egg. The crude beast had not bothered to keep count as he swallowed away. The smooth lumps each addition made in his throat pleased him, as did the fact that his stomach was stretching back out, filling quickly as the drake's middle shrank away. The sounds Ash made were quite loud and carried wall past the mouth of the cave.

After half an hour's grueling work and innumerable climaxes, the prince was trim. The swell he had carried was now owned by the emerald creature sitting up and licking his lips in satisfaction. Largo grinned and suppressed a burp, suddenly thinking there might a new angle to this arrangement he could take advantage of.

"Ah, probably the best breakfast I've had in quite some time. There might be something about you that's worth keeping around after all, highness."

Ash panted softly as he attempted to recover.

"I'm glad you feel that way. I'd hate for one of us to die on behalf." He managed to sit up and gaze at the dragon whose stomach he had spent the night in. All his eggs were in that greedy gut. Good. Before the prince could react, a hand gripped his shoulder, preventing him from escaping.

"I hope you're not planning on going anywhere. You've still got a magic lesson to give me. Such pressing was beginning to grate.

"Alright, alright. There are many aspects of magic to consider when beginning to learn. One must ask 'what is it I plan to use magic to accomplish?' before one can start down any one path. Considering how new you are to the art, I think we'll start very basically. For instance, me. I've used an incantation that makes me impervious to digestion. It is a complex spell with many different components all acting in concert to create the desired effect. One such effect is breath. Even if I could make myself immune to acid, I could smother while trapped inside, so I had to fashion part of the enchantment to allow me to go without air for a great length of time. That is just one spell among many that I've used to modify myself." He was sure this was a poor place to start to actually teach another how to use magic but it wasn't his intention to fully train Largo. He had many possible results he could achieve. One such result he waited to see take hold.

"So magic is more focused on the caster altering himself."

Ash shook his head, sensing a change in the large green dragon's presence. It had begun.

"Oh no, not at all. The target could be anyone or anything you choose. And there are many ways to target something or someone. For instance, I could enchant one or a whole clutch of eggs I might lay to have some sort of incantation place on whoever touches, holds, or consumes it. A good example might be me trying to shrink you." As the prince spoke, he watched his captor ever so gradually lose several inches in height. Largo seemed not to notice immediately, but the example his recent meal spoke of snapped his attention to it.

"What are you doing!? You tricked me!" He lunged forward and gripped Ash about the throat, growling deeply. His strength had already begun to wane as the spell carried on. He could only guess how far it might go as he approached the blue fellow's size, "Undo this at once or I will make your end quite unpleasant!"

The prince patiently waited for Largo to reach the point where he could no longer pose a serious threat, showing no outward sign of amusement... yet.

"Be still, calm yourself. The effect is temporary. I used it to illustrate how easily someone could use magic to gain the upper hand. May I continue with the lesson?"

The green beast growled again as he released the prince, the both of them now the same height and build, save for the round swell in Largo's middle. It had seemed to grow as he shrank, now as rotund as Ash had been moments earlier. He greatly disliked being so small.

"For your sake, it had better be brief. Finish making your point and turn me back."

The drake nodded softly and reached forward, giving the jade belly a gentle rub, something its owner found to enjoy.

"Each egg you swallowed has a single spell attached to it, and they will all run their course in due time. You'll need to be patient. Magic can be very unforgiving to those who don't take the time to learn to respect it. It and those who use it," As if on cue, Largo shuddered as though struck by a sudden gust of icy wind, telling the young mage the second egg had dissolved away. The green fellow gasped in surprise as his chest began to balloon outward, larger and larger until two perfectly formed breasts had taken shape. Slowly his hands moved towards them, terrified to actually touch them as if something horrible might occur. Ash merely encouraged him onward, "Go ahead. They are very real. I thought it might prove an entertaining distraction for you. I was hesitant at first myself."

"I... I'm a woman now!? I can't be a woman! I'm a male! Strong and proud!"

The prince snickered, recalling his own initial reaction close to a year ago.

"You sound much like I did. You'll learn to enjoy it as you get used to it, and actually all that's grown are your breasts. You're still very much a male below. That is... until right about..." He smirked as Largo shivered again, a powerful new rush of sensations warming his groin as another egg disappeared, "...now."

A quiet moan escaped the green dragon as he took on the prince's gender, quite at a loss for what to think. This was all so very unnatural in his mind. He could not possibly begin to imagine getting used to this.

"Stop... please, change me back... I'm supposed to be big, and powerful! I feel so weak..."

Ash pulled his companion close, still holding much of the masculine shape that had been their prior to the additions to his body. The prince cradled him and stroked his still filled stomach, soothing him.

"Shh... just relax. You're going to be so beautiful when this is all over. It's a much less cruel punishment than many think you deserve." He thrummed quietly in Largo's ear, having planned this all along. That fact struck the green fellow as he gazed at his belly. There were so many eggs left... and each one had a spell to cast on him. How quickly his air of confidence melted away when he found himself on the other side of dominance. Quietly, deep in the primal side of his subconscious, he reveled in such mastery over him. Still, mention of punishment caught his attention.

"I don't understand."

"Well, if the whole kingdom knew I could put you in such a situation, they would call for your head. I would prefer to avoid that. Of course, to keep that from happening, a change..." As he spoke, another spell was triggered, a complex one. Largo's stomach shrank considerably as his appearance softened. Any remaining masculinity melted away, save for what rest neatly between the dragon's thighs. The beast that had tormented the southern pass was now a ravishing beauty, but the changes did not stop there. Those perfectly proportioned breasts swelled out to the realm of ridiculous. The only remaining sign of Largo's manhood also bulged forth. It all took the jade creature's breath away, all while Ash tried to sooth, "...is needed."

No words were adequate to describe the mixture of emotions flowing through the green dragon's mind.

"What... what am I? What have you turned me into?" The once strong male voice had been replaced by a soft, sultry tone, indicative and evocative of the goddess of worldly delights.

"You are now my new personal escort and mistress. A good cover for someone so hated by the state. You've a new life waiting for you back at the castle. All you need do is accept it. There has already been too much death. Don't let this end with another. Please." He was heartfelt in his desire for the bloodshed to come to an end. Still so rapid a change did not sit well with the Lady Largo. Shi squirmed in frustrated ambivalence. Shi was being robbed of who shi was. It both sickened and excited hir.

"I don't think I'd like being an escort. I'm too used to doing as I please." Hir voice was little more than a whisper, as though speaking too loudly might set further changes into place. It carried with it a soft tremble that betrayed hir internal conflict, a battle Ash was determined to put to an end as he began to caress hir luscious form.

"Then perhaps you'd like to be a princess. Respected, pampered, living in luxury. Of course, you wouldn't have any claim to the throne, just access to whoever sits in it."

Now that caught hir attention. To be treated as royalty would be quite lovely indeed. Perhaps with time, shi could grow to appreciate this new body, the image of lust that it was.

"What must I do?"

The prince smiled hearing hir start to fold. He cupped a hand under one of hir new breasts, too large to fit in one palm. The other hand dipped lower to appreciate the additional girth shi had gained. The twin orbs just beneath had grown considerably as well. Perhaps he intended to use hir to satisfy his own desires.

"I'll take care of the rest... dear sister. You've nothing to do but relax, and perhaps explore your new body." He neglected to mention the three remaining eggs shi carried, knowing they would be used soon enough. The first wasted no time at all, continuing the shrinking process that had begun earlier. Why it waited until now to trigger baffled Ash. The soon-to-be princess gasped and moaned as she was reduced, gradually falling in height until shi could stand face to face with hir 'brother' and his navel would be just at hir nose. Hir proportions had been preserved, keeping hir from appearing too child-like.

But then that wasn't far from Ash's train of thought.

He collected the small lady and began guiding hir to his groin, already familiar territory. Instead of demanding shi stimulate those smooth lips hidden away there, he simply pushed onward. Such small stature allowed for easy passage of the jade woman's head, slipping in without resistance, conscious or otherwise. Perhaps shi was acclimating to what shi assumed hir new role would be, or merely accepted this to be part of hir punishment. Either way, the lady gradually vanished into the thrumming prince's folds. The two remaining eggs, left there original size, gave hir a considerable bulge, one that only seemed to further stimulate and delight hir captor. The tables were now turned, as though justice were being delivered by a poet.

In an all too brief display of dominance, Ash sealed the child-sized woman away in his womb, caressing the swell of his belly teasingly, as though that alone could give him some form of release.

"There now, safe and sound in your new home. You'll be back to your usual size soon enough... once I'm back in my own bed where I don't have to worry about being pinned down by you. For now though, I think I'd like to borrow your wings. They'll give me a much grander presence when I'm addressing my subjects." He placed a single palm against his round stomach as one of the last two eggs vanished. In seconds, the emerald woman felt those two powerful appendages of hirs slip away, absorbed directly into the fleshy walls holding hir prisoner. Ash himself moaned as he felt his back shift and change, bones growing and moving about until at last the new limbs emerged. He leaned forward, crouching and holding his swollen abdomen protectively as he cried out in surprise. So very sudden it was. Ashe slowly flapped his new regal wings before frowning from the soft whimper in his belly. His 'sister' was distraught.

"Highness... will I ever get my wings back? Will I ever return to my true form again?"

The prince sighed softly and caressed his tummy feeling the lady trembling within.

"Of course you'll have your wings again. I'll see to it you're given a new pair as soon as I'm able. As for turning back... who knows? You may come to where you don't want to. Now rest. You've a great deal ahead of you. You'll be safe where you are." He cooed to his occupant until shi was asleep. Once certain shi had drifted off, he redressed. His tunic was given two quick holes to accommodate the new features on his back and his leave was taken.

Outside, Benjamin waited patiently, if at least concerned. Once he saw his prince emerge, he sighed in relief.

"You had me worried, brother. You never gave the signal."

Ash chuckled and embraced the gryphon eagerly, all too pleased to see him again.

"It turned out I didn't need to. Largo's lust for power took care of it. Speaking of which, shi's going to need a new name. And a pair of wings, though you can help me with the latter once we make camp." He offered the bird a coy wink as Benjamin gazed over the new appendages.

"They certainly have a princely look to them. Of course you'll have to learn how to use them properly. By the way, what is the lady's role to be at the castle?"

The blue dragon grinned as he squeezed the motherly bulge he had already grown rather fond of.

"Shi is to be a princess, and treated as he treated me, when not involved in official matters that is."

The russet avian snickered quietly, already picturing the girl tied to hir bed to be ravished again and again.

"I take it you plan to cultivate hir mind to eagerly accept this?"

"Oh yes, with the help of one last egg and Clair's guidance, our new sister should be quite happy being the royal family courtesan." A steady purr rolled away in Ash's throat as the two walked through the trees. His companion grinned and scooped him up, giving the blue dome, concealed mostly by his tunic, a loving kiss.

"I suppose shi'll need a full term to properly adjust in there. That might cause a problem with Miss Clair's plans, then again, perhaps not."

"Plans? What sort of plans?" The prince tilted his head as he wrapped his arms around his lover's neck, nuzzling into his cheek.

"Oh she says she's found a proper princess she wants us all to travel and meet. She's eager to marry you off and have you crowned king. Though if the rumors about this 'Alexandra' and her sister 'Shayna' are true, we just might have quite a bit in common."

Ash grinned and chuckled, rolling his eyes softly.

"She wants me to be king already, does she? Alright. Once we return to the castle, we'll prepare for the journey. I suppose I won't be able to let our new sister return all the way to full size, but a bit larger would be fine," He paused as the names caught in his mind, "Princess Alexandra and Princess Shayna. They both sound absolutely charming!"