Rogue Dragon by Gren Remoz (gren@bk.ru / http://www.outfoxed.net/~gren) Copyright (C) 2000-2 Gren Remoz. ---- ---- The air was fresh and clear; the waves of the ocean crashed upon the shore. The skies were free of the perpetual rain that plaqued the large island. In all, it was a good day to be out for a walk. Such a good day, in fact, that Jessica lost track of time. She only realized how long she'd been walking along the beach when the skies began to darken with twilight. Her boss would be upset when she got back; there had been a mid-afternoon meeting that she had now missed by several hours. If only she'd kept track of time, she could have been back in plenty of time for that meeting. Now she would be forced to walk back to the Trade Center during the night. It would be a long and dark journey, lasting well into the night. To make matters worse, the weather forcast had called for rain this evening. It was only supposed to be a light shower, but being caught out in it she would surely be drenched. She started her journey back to the Trade Center at a brisk pace. She wanted to be home, or at least under shelter, as fast as possible. Perhaps if she was fast enough she could avoid being totally soaked. It didn't take long for her to slow down, especially as it got darker. Since she had set out just before noon she didn't bring a flashlight. Now she regretted that as she tripped over roots and hit her feet on the rocks. When the darkness seemed as though it was about to take over, reducing visibility to a minimum, she found herself a large rock and sat down on it. It seemed hopeless; she'd never make it back to the Trade Center. Jessica tensed when she saw a large form moving in the darkness, only to relax a moment later. It was only one of the local dragons. Although unnerving to be around, the dragons had never shown any harm to anyone. Curious, she watched the dragon as it moved from place to place in the dark. As it got closer she could make out what it was doing better. The dragon was moving on all fours, snout pointed at the ground. Most of the dragons she'd seen walked on four legs, but they held up their snout so as to see where they were going better. This one was not; perhaps it was tracking something? As it got closer, Jessica realized that it could very well be tracking HER. It did seem to be following where she had gone. What interest did a dragon have in a lone, lost human woman? That question was answered when the dragon noticed her. "You look lost," it said, "what are you doing out here so late?" "I was taking a walk and lost track of time. Now I can't get back to the Trade Center before it starts to rain." "The Trade Center's here? Amazing. Tell you what--I'll give you a ride back there. I'll go in a straight line so we'll get there faster, okay?" "You're a saviour," Jessica said. The dragon smirked. "Climb onto my back." Jessica climbed up the dragon's tail and crawled along its back--the dragon seemed to get some secret amusement out of this--and braced herself between its wings, expecting it to take off. She nearly lost her grip when it started running, heading straight into the forest. Jessica adjusted her grip so that she wouldn't fall off and watched as the trees wizzed by. She had actually looked forward to riding the dragon in flight, at least to a degree. She didn't know why it was running instead; perhaps its wings weren't strong enough? After passing countless trees and crossing a great distance (certainly enough that she'd never find her way out of the forest without the dragon's help) the dragon made a sharp turn and they arrived, not at the Trade Center, but at some ancient-looking stone ruins. Try as she might she could not remember any such thing being marked on any map of the island she'd seen. "Get down," the dragon said, its voice demanding obedience. Jessica slid down its shoulder. "Where are we?" "An ancient place. Built by humans last time you encroached on our lands." "Why is it abandoned?" "Everyone was killed; we had no weaklings then--we defended our land. Strip." The sudden change from explanation to order caught Jessica by surprise. Still, she was reluctant to take her clothes of in the midst of a forest at the suggestion of a dragon she'd just met. "Why?" "I haven't seen a female's body in so many years; they always seem busy when I'm around. Now strip." "I don't really have time-" Jessica tried to protest, but the dragon cut her short and simply grabbed her clothing, tearing it off her body. "Its been so long," it said softly. The dragon ran the back of a claw down her body, touching her breasts, her stomach, and finally ending at her panties. "Stop that!" "Make me," the dragon said and it leer made her shiver. "Cold? Come stand by me. That'll warm you up nicely." It reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her close to its body. She could feel the warmth radiating outward from its body. It was a nice contrast from the ever cooling night, although at the moment she'd have preferred to have been freezing. The dragon's advances were stopped as another dragon landed in the clearing. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" the new dragon, this one smaller with blue hide as opposed to the original's red hide. "I'm having a bit of fun," the red dragon replied, holding Jessica tightly to its stomach. The blue dragon reared, roaring so loudly that Jessica's ears felt like they were being pummeled. The red dragon apparently didn't like it either as it released her, clawing at its head. Despite the pain, Jessica took the opportunity to flee. She ran into the forest, but stopped just out of the forest. Without the help of one of the dragons, she wouldn't be able to find her way out of the forest. Back in the clearing the blue dragon finished his roar, landing once again on its feet. "Happy?" The red dragon asked. "Now you've chased away what I went to so much work to catch. Haven't you ever heard of sharing?" "I will not be a part of your lecherous desires," the blue dragon retorted. The red dragon wasn't fazed. He advanced on the blue dragon which started backing up. "I wasn't going to hurt her; just entertain myself a bit before putting her back. I would've been willing to let you in on the fun, but now you've gone too far." The blue dragon backed into a wall and stopped. There didn't seem to be anywhere else to go, but he realized that he was seriously outmatched by the aggressive red dragon. "You know what happens to human women who are 'entertained' by your sort," the blue said, as he looked around for a place to escape to. "You make the mistake of thinking I care," the red dragon spoke, then darted forward, grabbing the blue dragon's wing and neck. The red dragon's claws tore through the wing membrane, leaving long jagged tears. The blue dragon tried to sink his teeth into the red's arms, but was restrained by the red who transferred both hands to the blue's neck. Carefully the red maneuvered the blue's head into his armpit where he was able to clamp his arm down to keep the blue from moving his head. Not being able to see what was happening, the blue was unable to effectively strike out. With the blue suitably restrained, at least for the moment, the red reached back and grabbed the blue's tail, pulling its pelvis away from the wall. When the red forced the blue to roll over, twisting the blue's neck most unpleasantly it begin to get an idea what the red dragon was after. That idea made him struggle more, almost managing to flip upright again before the red put his body weight onto the blue's belly. Then he repositioned the blue's head so it wasn't at such an awkward angle. "If you hadn't fought me I might have just been satisfied with a bit of fun; perhaps if you're really good and beg me, I'll still let you go when I'm done." By this point, the blue had a pretty good idea what was going to happen. Still, no matter what happened he wouldn't submit to such a monster as was oppressing him. There was no telling what the red would do if the blue submitted. "Never," the blue said. The red shook his head. "Such determination not to have a little fun." The red looked around briefly then pulled a box from somewhere out of sight. He opened it, pulling out a length of rope. This he used to tie the blue's forelimbs together and back against his chest. Another length tied the blue's muzzle shut and his head to his chest. The box was set to the side, out of reach of the blue, even if he had had the use of his arms. Looking at the restrained blue dragon, the red dragon laughed, the sound echoing off the trees and the old stones of the ruins. Then he stood fully on his hind legs, stepping backwards so as to be in a better position. The blue watched helplessly as he ran its hands down his thighs. Seeing a chance to strike out at the red and perhaps avoid what was coming, the blue pulled back his massively muscled thighs, then thrusted them forward towards the red dragon. Although he missed his target, the red dragon's chest, he felt his clawed hind feet crash through something and thanks to having his head tied to his chest he saw his feet crashed through the red dragon's wings, shattering the bones and tearing the membrane away from the red's body. The red dragon screamed, collapsing onto the blue's body. Taking advantage of the moment the blue pulled his legs back once more and this time hit what he intended. His feet crashed into the side of the red's chest with a sickening cracking noise. Blood the color of the red's hide was flowing across the blue's hide and the blue became violently ill. Modern dragons had little cause for that kind of carnage. After being ill, the blue nearly choked on his own vomit, not being able to move his head. They both remained like that for several minutes. The blue was unable to break his restraints and the red was bleeding freely, wheezing and gasping for breath. Unless he got emergency care fairly quickly he wouldn't recover enough to run quickly, let alone fly. It was possible that the red's injuries where enough to be fatal; the blue would have made sure of it, but that he couldn't stand the thought of further violence. That turned out to be his mistake. The red slowly pulled himself up and crawled off of the blue. In doing so he revealed the extent of his injuries, however, as one wing remained on the blue even when the red had moved a considerable distance to the side and was rapidly procuring bandages from the box and wrapping himself up thoroughly. Apparently the blue's strength had been multiplied by desperation for he had kicked the red's wing completely off. The other would be totally ruined, even if still attached. Worse, he would never fit with any crowd with only a single wing. Even among those unfortunates born without the gene for wings he wouldn't fit. Bandaging complete the red got up on all fours and slowly started back towards the blue. The blue's mind began to quake from terror; what could the red possibly dream up to do to the blue in retaliation for this. "I'd return the favor, but I'm afraid I haven't the strength." The red had a wry grin, "This has given me a certain grudging respect for you; no one else has ever stood up to me this long." For a moment the blue felt hope rise in his chest, "but I can never forgive what you have done. I'd leave you like this to starve, but some fool would find and untie you." The red almost collapsed, but caught himself. He moved towards the blue's legs and, although the blue had no doubt that the original plan was no more, he was still afraid of what the red might do. Once the red reached the blue's leg (and the red was moving agonisingly slowly) he grabbed the thigh and gave it a sharp twist. There was a crack and the blue felt a massive wave of pain as his thigh bone was broken. This was followed by a second wave of pain as the red collapsed onto the broken leg. The blue, not wanting to experience this again pulled his other leg back as the red regained his feet. Then, as the red stepped over the blue's body to the other leg, the blue let loose, his foot crashing through the red's thighs. The red screamed again, collapsing once more onto the blue's body. This caused another wave of pain as the red hit the blue's broken leg, but the pain was mitigated by the blue's amazement. He had actually put his foot right through the red's leg. He'd had no idea that dragon legs (his legs in particular) were capable of such strength. The red slowly pulled away from the blue, pushing the blue's foot from his leg. Both dragon's gaze was, for a moment, locked on the limb that, once blue, had become bright red. The red moved first. He started to stand, but immediately fell once more. "You bloody bastard! I'll kill you, I'll eat you, I'll devour you! Nothing to horrible for you!" From the way the red's leg bent it was clear that the thigh was broken. Thigh for a thigh, the blue thought, although he didn't say it out loud. Once the red recovered he crawled along the blue's body, pausing for a moment to sink his teeth into the blue's tail, biting the tip off. Then he reached his box and pulled out something more. This latest was an iron collar of a sort the blue had never seen. As the blue watched helplessly, the red drug the collar over and snapped it around the blue's neck. The instant the latch clicked the blue felt the world receded until it seemed as though he looked at the world through a pinhole. At least the pain was gone, though, even if nothing else was any good. The blue watched as the red released his bonds. The instant the ropes where off the blue tried to move, either to attack or flee, but found himself unable to control his own body. When the red told him to stand, his body stood, distributing its weight over its three good legs. When the red told the blue to carry him, the blue's body didn't even hesitate. The blue could only watch as his body carried the red on a systematic search. Although the blue didn't know what the red was searching for, he quickly found out. The woman the red had kidnapped had barely run out of the clearing. She was crouched in a bunch of bushes in her underclothing. The red ordered the blue's body to put him down. Jessica watched as the two dragon's approached. The one, the red, was badly injured. She didn't feel sorry for it; it had tried to rape her. The other, the blue dragon, had a large iron collar around its neck--obviously the loser of their conflict. "Woman! Come here," the red said. Jessica slowly approached; if the red had totally subdued the blue then she was no match at all. As she approached she watched the blue dragon's face for any expression, but it looked totally dead. No emotion showed at all. She wondered what the red had done to so subdue the blue dragon. "Don't worry about him; I've put a collar of restraint on him. He listens only to the one who latched it--me. If I don't say it, he don't do it." Jessica hesitated. She didn't want to end up like that. If only she'd known what the red was like before allowing him to take her for a ride. At least the red dragon looked to be in too bad of shape to have much left of its prior desire. "You," the red addressed the blue dragon. The blue dragon looked at the red blankly. "Have sex with her." Jessica gasped; there red, unable to perform the act himself, was satisfied to use a surrogate. As the blue dragon approached, she dodge back. Each time the blue dragon got close she dodged out of the way. She quickly realized that she was faster than the blue, but that this chase would continue indefinitely. At least, it would have if she hadn't dodged the wrong way, into the grasp of the red dragon. The red held her tightly across her stomach, keeping her from dodging the blue dragon's advances. When the blue dragon was almost upon her she reached out, grappling the clasp of the collar. She got it undone before the red grabbed her arm back. The small metal clasp neatly latched itself again. As she was restrained, the blue approached. It moved its arms onto the reds shoulders (bringing a grimace from the red) and Jessica stared at the massive chest only inches from her face. "No! Stop! No!" She screamed, panicking blindly. To her surprise, and to the red's, the blue did stop. It froze totally. "Well?" the red asked. The blue didn't reply. As dragon and human stared at the frozen blue dragon Jessica realized just what had happened; when she had grabbed the clasp and pulled it, she had opened it. When the red dragon pulled her arm back it had closed. Apparently now it considered her to have latched the collar. The red dragon apparently reached this conclusion at the same time and reached out towards the latch. Taking advantage of his distraction, Jessica kicked him in the groin and, although much less powerful that the blue dragon's kicks, it landed perfectly in a rather sensitive place. The red dragon made a really strange noise and fell straight down, trapping Jessica underneath him. One look revealed that he was in something of a state of shock, though, as his eyes were completely glazed over. Jessica looked at the blue dragon. "Bite him! Kill him before he recovers!" The blue dragon obediently bite deeply into the red dragon's neck, tearing out a large piece of flesh. Jessica could feel the red's heart tremble then weaken until it finally stopped. Of course, Jessica was now trapped beneath a dead dragon, but perhaps the blue dragon could rescue her. "Roll this dragon over," Jessica told the blue. Again, the blue was totally obedient, and immediately pushed the red dragon over, freeing her. Jessica looked at the dead dragon then the live, blue one. Although the blue had tried to rescue her from the red, perhaps it was just for his own amusement? For all she knew the blue and red had been going at each other for years and this had simply been the end. If she removed the collar would the blue act like the red? She didn't know enough about dragons to know what was normal, especially when out in the middle of nowhere. Then, slowly, she approached the blue dragon who was currently balanced on three legs. She was lost and naked in the forest; alone she would certainty die. At least the dragon might help her. She slowly reached out and undid the clasp, removing the collar. The minute the collar was off from around the dragon's neck he moved swiftly, grabbing the collar and crushing it. "You alright?" He asked when he finished with it. "I think so." "For a moment I thought you weren't going to do it." "I wasn't sure--I had no way to know if you would be like the other dragon." "What decided you?" "I'm lost and naked in a forest; I don't have much hope on my own." "You made the right choice." Jessica sat on one of the stones in the ruins, a fire neatly contained within a small pit. The blue dragon was stretched out beside her, only recently having woken back up from sleeping most of a night and day. He looked much better now that she had washed the blood off him as much as she could--using the remains of her clothing to mop up the blood. The red dragon's body was spread out on the other side of the fire, still resting where the blue dragon had drug it. Jessica could see the trail of blood leading to where the massive dragon had died. "He was probably a rogue," the blue said, looking at the red, "it happens sometimes. Someone had a hard enough life and they finally break, retreating from society. The longer they stay that way the worse they get. If they're caught quickly they can sometimes be healed, but most are exiled far from any lands normal dragons would inhabit." Jessica stared at the large body for a few minutes, "why not just kill them? Seems they'd be a problem no matter where they go." "I'm part of a group that's been advocating that for decades, but the council dislikes sentancing even the most hardened murderers to death," the blue shook its head, "at least this should help our case." "At least something good came out of this then." The blue nodded. "You need help getting home?" The blue asked. "Yes, please. And some new clothes if you can find some." "Simple enough," the blue stood and limped over to the dragon corpse and tore a large piece of hide off, throwing it to Jessica. "Yech." "It's warm, it'll cover you and its available. You sure don't think he needs it anymore, do you?" Jessica used the remains of her old clothing once more to wipe as much blood as she could off before wrapping the piece of hide around herself. The blue dragon was right. It was warm. "Guess he finally got to be close to you after all,"