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(Part 6 of ?????)

Warning- This story contains vore themes so if you don't like it then I don't know how you even got this far in my stories... Like really? How did you get though the first one? If you just skipped it then what are you doing here? Are you reading these out of order? If so you're skipped major plot development! Go back and think about what you've done!

              Markus finished relieving himself and nervously started his trek back to the trickling stream Granite had designated for their meeting-up. Markus arrived first and knelt before the stream, plunging his hands into the water. He washed his hands and splashed the liquid into his face, welcoming the refreshing coolness upon his unnaturally warm face, curtesy of his recent rise in stress. He slapped some water onto his neck and shuddered as most of it followed the spinal indent in his sweat soaked back.
               How many humans will be able to experience what you are about to see? Basically, none! The dragon’s words still echoed in his mind and he gave another shudder at the implication. He looked at his reflection and raked his fingers through his tangled hair. “What have you gotten yourself into?” he asked the flickering image.

               “You should probably get a little drink; it will be a while before we stop,” a voice suggested behind him.

               Markus jumped and nearly tumbled into the stream as he turned around to see Granite exiting the tree line.

               Markus nodded slightly in agreement. “Did you have a nice… um…”

               Granite laughed. “We don’t have to talk about our business! Although, it’s nice to see you more chipper.”

               “Mostly nerves,” Markus mumbled.

               “I can understand that,” Granite nodded, sounding quite sympathetic to his plight. “I’ve noticed that some people can get quite chatty when they’re scared.”

               Markus turned back to the stream and scooped a bit of the clear water up to his face with two hands, taking a little sip from the makeshift cup. Granite stepped forward and took a few dregs of her own.

               Markus watched as she unfolded her wings and gave them a few flaps before retracting them and stretching like a giant cat, her tail lashing behind her. She shook herself and shot a small gout of flame into the center of the stream. The fiery blast turning a good portion of the water to steam and singed the grass at the riverbank.

               “Okay, ready to go?” she asked, turning her attention to Markus and extending a paw. “I’ll have to keep you in my claws. It won’t be very comfy, but I don’t dare let you ride on my back, you’d just slip right off!”

               “The way you got me to your cave wasn’t that bad,” Markus said optimistically.

               “Well, it wasn’t very comfortable for me,” Granite admitted. “My paws weren’t really built to be curled into a ball for an extended amount of time, it really cramped it up!” She shook out her paw for emphasis. “I know you won’t like it in my mouth, no matter how much I would, so I’ll just have to pin you between my paws during flight. If you get cold just tap my paw twice, three times means you’re slipping and need help. Got it?”

               Markus nodded. “By the way, how is your paw?” He stared at her feet trying to remember which one had been broken.

               Granite smirked. “Better, thanks for asking. To be honest, I kinda exaggerated how bad that injury was for me a few days ago… You see, dragon bones are hollow so we can fly easier. While it’s more weight efficient it makes them much more brittle so it’s quite common that we can break a few here and there. For that reason, we tend to keep out of range in fights with larger creatures and use our fire to turn the tides rather than strength. Fortunately, fate has shined upon dragons and given our bodies the means to heal such injuries rather quickly so the little incident with my paw was really no big deal.”

               Markus blinked in confusion. “So… When you were snarling at me and telling me that you were going to make me apologize for breaking your paw you were just… Acting?”

               “Oh no, I was pissed!” Granite assured him. “Just because it’s easier to heal our injuries doesn’t mean they don’t still hurt!”

               Markus gulped. “S-so you really would have swallowed me alive and digested me!”

               Granite stared at her companion and tapped her paw thoughtfully. “I might have remembered that I should spare you… But enough talk, get on!”

               Markus paused as he contemplated his luck before clamoring into her outstretched paw. She sprung into the air on three paws and nearly dropped Markus as she shifted his position from one paw to sandwiched between two.

               “Sorry!” she called over the rushing air.

               Markus squirmed into a semi-comfortable position and settled, once again jealous of his carrier’s ability to fly. Unfortunately, unlike Granite, his hide wasn’t built to withstand the colder atmospheric temperatures and within a few minutes he was shivering, despite the warm sun beating down overhead. He tapped Granite’s paw twice and she gently tucked him against her warm chest. While it was plenty warm, and comfortable, he couldn’t get a good view, and thus began a pattern of tapping that after a while began to exhaust himself; he could only imagine how much he was annoying his ride!

               Soon the sun reached its zenith and then began slowly falling. Before the sun could kiss the horizon and light it in a brilliant shade of colors, Granite descended. The earth approached again in a slow spiral and Granite switched Markus to one paw again in preparation for landing. She touched down awkwardly and settled Markus on a bed of moss.

               “I’m going to get us something to eat, don’t die while I’m gone.” With that she took to the darkening sky again and disappeared.

               Markus sighed and stretched his cramped muscles, happy to be done with flying for the day even if he did love it. He looked around the clearing and immediately began gathering some dead branches for a fire. He’d amassed a sizeable pile of firewood by the time Granite returned with a pair of dead deer.

               “What are you doing?” she asked, eyeing the pile of wood.

               “Getting wood for a fire,” Markus explained, dragging a large dry branch into the clearing.

               “We don’t need a fire,” Granite replied.

               “Yeah, we do,” Markus insisted. “How will we cook my food?”

               Granite rolled her eyes and bathed one of her deer with her fiery breath. “There, cooked!”

               Markus looked at the charred smoking flesh in distaste. “It’s burnt...”

               “It’s lightly toasted, eat up!” She tossed the smoking carcass at Markus before turning to the other deer. She pinned half of it with her left paw then seizing the other half in her jaws and tore it apart! She didn’t even bother chewing before tilting her head back and swallowing, a large lump traveling quickly down her throat before vanishing into her chest. Markus watched in horrified awe as the rest of the deer vanished in another gulp leaving just a small splash of blood on the grass. She passed her tongue over her teeth and turn back to Markus. “Well? Are you going to eat or what?”

               “You… You just ate that deer in two bites,” Markus muttered, staring at her in shock.

               “Yeah, so? How many would it take you?”

               “Shouldn’t you be chewing your food first?” Markus asked, not sure if he should be disgusted or amazed.

               “What’s chewing?” Granite asked stretching like a cat again.

               “What do you mean what’s chewing? Chewing is chewing!” Markus cried.

               “Fine, don’t tell me,” Granite rolled her eyes. “I can use made-up words too!”

               “It’s not a made-up word! It’s a real thing and you know it; you’re just making fun of me!” Markus snapped, folding his arms.

               Granite looked at him suspiciously. “Okay, fine. I’m sorry… What’s chewing?”

               Markus glared at her, but his gaze slowly softened as he looked upon her bewildered expression. “You really don’t know?”

               “Yeah, what is it?”

               “Okay, um… Open your mouth.”

               Granite opened her jaws and pointed the opening towards Markus. “Ike iis?” she mumbled, her tongue lolling out of her maw like a panting dog, a bit of drool mixed with deer blood slipped from her jaws and splatted onto the grass.

               “Yeah, now close it.”

               Granite’s tongue rolled back into her maw and she closed her teeth. “Okay, what now?”

               “Open and close your mouth again,” Markus instructed.

               “Okay, now you’re just messing with me!” Granite protested.

               “No, really, that’s what chewing is! You bite down again and again with food in your mouth!”

               “Really?”

               “Yeah!”

               “That sounds exhausting,” Granite observed frowning.

               “Well, it can get tiring sometimes,” Markus admitted. “Especially if whatever you’re eating is really tough!”

               “That’s weird,” Granite said wrinkling her nose. “Why don’t you guys just swallow instead?”

               “We weren’t made that way, I guess,” Markus shrugged.

               “Anyway, eat up before it cools off,” she said gesturing to the charred deer again.

               “Umm, can we try something else?” Markus asked looking back at the dragon.

               Granite’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not getting another deer for you, if you’re that picky you can starve!” she snarled and snatched up the carcass.

               “No, wait, that’s not what I meant!” Markus cried desperately. “I’ll eat the deer I just want to cook it first!”

               “You have 30 seconds to explain before you go to bed hungry!” Granite growled.

               Markus pointed towards a large flat stone by the pile of firewood. “I found that in the woods and washing it off in a stream over the hill. If you breathe fire on it and heat it up I can put the meat on it and cook it the way I want!”

               Granite looked at the stone and then back to Markus. “Fine, but I don’t want to hear any more complaining!”

               Markus nodded eagerly and rushed to the deer as Granite began heating the stone. Fortunately, the non-charred side had fallen face-up so Markus could easily take a chunk of meat out of its thigh without burning himself. He skinned the slab and skewered the meat with his knife before carried it over to the now superheated stone. Markus plopped the meat onto the stone and watched it sizzle for a few minutes before using his dagger, and a clean stick, to flip it over. After a few more minutes, he moved the meat to another, smaller, flat stone and cut open his prize. The hot meat was perfectly cooked all the way through! Using his knife as a utensil Markus sliced off a piece of the delicious venison, stuck it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. He let out a sigh of contentment as he tasted the first real food he’d had all day. The juice from the venison still filled his mouth and he closed his eyes to savor it. He opened his eyes to see Granite staring at him.

               “You humans are so weird. You bite your food to a pulp and can’t eat meat unless it’s been warmed!” she gave a snort of derision. “Seriously, it’s a wonder you creatures have survived at all!”

               “That’s not true, we could eat raw meat if we wanted to!” Markus protested.

               “Oh yeah,” Granite challenged, nudging the deer carcass towards him. “Take a big bite and swallow it without vomiting and I’ll take it all back!”

               Markus looked at the half-burnt carcass and then back at his meal. “I think I’ll just stick with this…”

               “That’s what I thought, you spoiled little brat!” Granite muttered, pinning the carcass and ripping it in two with a flick of her head spraying blood everywhere!

               “Can you not eat so messily?” the freshly blood-splattered human complained.

               Granite finished swallowing the chunk and looked down at her companion. “Can you eat faster? I’m almost done and you’ve only taken a measly bite.”

               Markus looked down at his meal and his hunger flared with a vengeance. He nearly cut himself in his starving fervor as he sawed at the meat impatiently. Within a minute the, rather large, chunk of venison was completely gone.

               “Twelve.”

               Markus looked up in confusion. “What?”

               “Twelve,” Granite repeated. “I could have eaten twelve deer in the time it took you to consume that scrap of burnt meat that you chewed to bits.”

               “If you’re looking for burnt look no further than that deer you charred!” Markus retaliated bitterly.

               “I toasted that deer for you!” the dragon snorted. “It’s not my fault you were too picky to eat it, much less thank me for it!”

               “Hey! Let’s not forget that the only reason I’m here is because you kidnapped me.” Markus pointed out.

               Granite’s eyes narrowed and for a second he thought she might lunge at him but she simply grunted and rose to her feet.

               “Where are you going?”

               “To sleep, which means you are too. Get up, or do you need me to carry you? I can guarantee you won’t like the method of transport,” she added licking her lips.

               “But, I’m not tired,” Markus whined. “The sun hasn’t even set yet!”

               “Suit yourself, I was looking for something salty.” Granite opened her maw and lowered it towards him.

               “Okay, okay, I’m up, I’m up!” Markus cried scrambled to his feet.

               Granite snapped her jaws closed with a sharp click and snorted. “Fine, we’re going to higher ground, I don’t like sleeping in a basin, it’s annoying to wake up in a puddle when it rains.”

               “This isn’t a basin,” Markus muttered looking around at the flat ground and forest surrounding them.

               “Higher ground, now!” Granite ordered, presenting a paw to her companion.

               “Who’s picky now,” Markus mumbled, wiping his knife on the grass before sheathing it and climbing into her paw.

               “I’m in charge of your sleeping arrangements in case you’d like to repeat that!” Granite growled shooting him a dirty look.

               Granite took off, sealing her, suddenly quite quiet, passenger in a scaly cage again. The trip was short as she touched down only a few minutes walking distance from where they’d been before.

               “Why didn’t we just land here first?” Markus asked, tumbling onto the grass.

               “Don’t sleep where you eat,” Granite said simply walking in a circle a few times and then settling down like a dog. “You’ll sleep between my paws, it’s the least likely place you’ll get squished if I move in the middle of the night.”

               “Can’t I at least stay up until the sun fully sets?” Markus begged looking at the half-gone sun as it valiantly continued to light the horizon with all its elegant beauty.

               “Fine,” Granite sighed “but not a second more! I’ve been flying all day so I’m very tired and I am not fond of babysitting!”

               Markus groaned. “It’s so early; I won’t be able to get to sleep.”

               Granite sighed, before perking up suddenly. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you. The day we met there was this weird spot on your back, is it a birthmark?”

               “A weird spot?” Markus asked. “Where?”

               “You don’t know? I’ll point to it, turn around,” Granite instructed, making a twirling motion with a claw.

               Markus obediently presented his back to the dragon. “Need me to take off my shirt?”

               “Don’t worry, I’ll just use my superior eyesight to look through your clothes.”

               “You can do that?” Markus asked, suddenly quite self-conscious.

               “Of course not! Take off your shirt, you idiot!” Granite snorted, Markus could almost feel her eyes rolling behind him.

               “S-sorry,” Markus mumbled in embarrassment, pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the ground. “How about now?” He gave a sheepish little grin that it took him a moment to realize Granite couldn’t even see it.

               “Yes, that’s much better,” Granite purred. “It’s right… HERE!” Her claw hooked his shorts and undergarments and yanked off both in one swift movement!

               “Hey! What are yo-” He didn’t even have a chance to squeal as Granite’s maw shot down and engulfed him! Before he could even fully evaluate his situation, Granite had already slurped him in, head first, and was closing her jaws. He instinctively tucked in his feet to avoid having them bit off but it turned out to be unnecessary as Granite displayed an inordinate amount of control in sealing him safely behind the keratin wall.

               Markus thrashed in his sweltering fleshy coffin, the fit was tight but still allowed enough room for the dragon’s tongue to comfortably slid over its new roommate, at least comfortably for Granite. The maw stank of venison and blood, but, other than the horrible smell, the mouth was relatively clean with only a few small scraps of deer between her teeth making Markus strangely grateful that Granite swallowed her food whole rather than chewing it. The tongue pressed him gently against the roof of its owner’s mouth and it gently sucked at its treat removing the salty taste from his skin and replacing it with a layer of disgusting viscous fluid. He opened his mouth to scream and then immediately choked as a wave of fresh saliva flooded the chamber to greet its new denizen. Granite’s tongue wasting no opportunity to explore more of his tasty form. He flailed and punched at the tormenting muscle as it harassed him continuously, but the tongue absorbed each one of his dampened blows in stride and continued unabated. His helplessness was magnified by the purrs of pleasure that vibrated his whole world as he fought for his life!

               For what seemed like hours the tongue lapped and tasted its salty snack, taking particular delight in the almost continuous supply of salty flavor that emanated from its meal. Every once and awhile the torture would end for a few seconds as the dreaded maw opened to allow fresh air to the suffocating morsel trapped within. Each time Markus would thrash on the slick muscle in an attempt to escape but each time the tongue would expertly fold around him causing him to remained trapped! Finally, the maw opened, allowing Markus to return to the night air and tumble out onto the grass, where his drenched form collapsed in utter exhaustion.

               “We’ll have to do that more often!” Granite purred happily behind him.

               “Y-you’re a monster!” Markus whimpered, crawling weakly away.

               “From your prospective, maybe. From mine, I’m being generous.” Granite grunted.

               “Generous?! How was that in any way generous?” Markus cried.

               “I helped tire you out so you can fall asleep. You’re welcome. Besides, if I really wanted to eat you I could have swallowed you,” Granite pointed out, forgoing any attempt to soften the fact. “It’s the laws of nature, I’m bigger, I’m stronger, I can do what I want with you.” Granite paused as if considering more details. “That’s it.”

               “That’s not fair!” Markus squeaked.

               The great dragon snorted. “Life was never meant to be ‘Fair’, life was meant to be ‘Balanced’. It’s a common misconception.”

               “How are those two things different?”

               “Oh, it’s quite simple, really, ‘Fair’ means that everything is equal, ‘Balanced’ means that… hmmm… let’s see…” Granite looked off into the night thoughtfully. “Ah, yes! Cats eat a lot of mice, so mice were made to reproduce faster so the cats can’t eat all of them, that’s balanced. The mice are never equal to the cats but the laws of nature remain stable and thus all is well.”

               “Yeah, well… Humans have magic!” Markus said, desperate to disprove the point.

               “Umm, hello? My sister has been a sorcerer for years! Also, dragons live faaar longer than humans so, besides being physically dominant, dragon sorcerers have a huge advantage over human sorcerers when it comes to magical knowledge. Soooo, cat,” she gestured to herself and then pointed at Markus “mouse. That’s just the way things are, little guy, but it must be balanced so dragons are born, and mature, at a much slower rate than your guys.” She yawned sleepily, “Well, time to sleep!” She opened a space between her paws.

               Markus whimpered and moved farther away.

               Granite growled. “Oh come on! You’ve been vexing enough as it is! I’ve tried to be very patient with you but you just keep trying my patience! I tell you I have no choice but to bring you to my family and explain why I can’t bring you home and you just sit there and mope and complain! I figure I’m just being a tad unreasonable so I try to be nice and give you an enjoyable ride, but you just can’t. Stop. Tapping! Make up your mind already! Up or Down. IT’S NOT THAT HARD! Then I hunt you some dinner and even try to cook it for you because I know humans are picky…” Her eyes narrowed. “I guess I underestimated just how picky! Then you have the audacity to not even thank me for it, and what’s your excuse? More MOPING! Then after flying you all the way here and hunting you some supper I just want to get some sleep but, no, you can’t because you’re not tired, because you haven’t had enough exercise today? Well, how’s fighting for your life? THAT ENOUGH EXERCISE FOR YOU!” her form shook with fury. “Just get over here or I’ll taste you again!”

               “At least let me wash off first!” Markus squealed, desperate to get away. “I-if I go to bed now, I’ll be so itchy tomorrow I-I might scratch my skin off! T-th-then I’ll go straight to bed! I promise!”

               “Fine!” Granite growled in exasperation. “Just wash off quickly or I’m coming to get you!”

               Markus wasted no time in snatching up his clothes, trying to avoid getting too much slobber on them, and hurried off to the stream at the base of the hill. Had it been a cloudy night he would have undoubtedly stumbled and hurt himself in the dark, but the nearly full moon ensured that that wasn’t the case. His wet footing held all the way down the slope, as he silently cursed Granite every step of the way.

               When Markus reached the small brook, he tossed his clothes to the ground and slide into the refreshing water, scrubbing at his body vigorously to rid himself of the invisible creatures that seemed to be crawling across his skin. After several dunks and a series of quick vicious scrubs he decided to hurry to avoid further angering the enraged creature atop the hill. He stole a glance at his hands and found them more wrinkled as he’d ever seen them before. He shivered, still able to feel the ghostly tongue sliding across his helpless form. The snap of a twig brought his attention away from his nightmares and back into reality. He flinched and quickly scanned the shore, expecting to see Granite’s glowing green eyes glaring down at him, but he didn’t. Instead he saw a rather large cat sniffing his clothes. The cat was around the size of a large hound with a sleek black coat that shimmered in the moonlight causing Markus to assume it had recently been swimming. The creature stared at him with curious yellow eyes and Markus’s heart started to pound. He suddenly found himself wishing that Granite was here, and she could be! All he had to do was call! But should he? How would Granite react to needing to rescue him after he’d been such a bother for her all day? Did he have a choice anyway? Before he could come to a decision the cat padded up to the water, bent and took a drink before slipping off into the night.

               After that Markus decided that he’d rather be with Granite than out here, naked and exposed.

               At least Granite needs me for something before she’ll eat me, Markus thought and then froze. Oh gods, what if she eats me after we’re done with the visit!

               Markus’s mind was sent into a spiral of confusion which ended in him getting out of the stream, shaking himself as dry as he could, putting on his clothes, and meekly slinking back up the hill to his abusive guardian.

               “I see you don’t like cats,” Granite observed upon seeing him.

               “H-how did yo-”

               “I’m an apex predator; while I couldn’t see you I could still smell and hear everything that you did,” Granite explained.

               Markus eyes widened and a new wave of fear crashed over him. “E-everything?”

               “Everything,” the dragon assured him. “For someone so young you have quite the colorful language set. Also, ‘Abusive Parent’ is a quite new term for me…”

               “I-I-I” Markus stammered, horrified.

               “As your mother, I’ll let it slide,” she said with a smirk and a yawn. “Now it’s far past your bedtime so go to sleep.”

               “It’s not my bedtime,” Markus muttered, giving a sleepy yawn himself. Granite gave him a smug look. “That proves nothing…” he added, with another giant yawn.

               She rolled her eyes. “Just get between my paws and go to sleep. And no more disturbances; I’m about ready to swallow you and find another human tomorrow!”

               Markus hurried between her paws and she sealed him in with her head and neck.

               “Good night,” Markus said meekly, quickly recognizing his mistake and cowering.

               Granite’s head shifted and Markus closed his eyes, waiting for the teeth to pierce his flesh. But instead a warm jet of air struck him, drying his wet form. After drying him, the head returned to its original position.

               “Good night, Markus.”

Description

(Part 6 of ?????)

Warning- This story contains vore themes so if you don't like it then I don't know how you even got this far in my stories... Like really? How did you get though the first one? If you just skipped it then what are you doing here? Are you reading these out of order? If so you're skipped major plot development! Go back and think about what you've done!

              Markus finished relieving himself and nervously started his trek back to the trickling stream Granite had designated for their meeting-up. Markus arrived first and knelt before the stream, plunging his hands into the water. He washed his hands and splashed the liquid into his face, welcoming the refreshing coolness upon his unnaturally warm face, curtesy of his recent rise in stress. He slapped some water onto his neck and shuddered as most of it followed the spinal indent in his sweat soaked back.
               How many humans will be able to experience what you are about to see? Basically, none! The dragon’s words still echoed in his mind and he gave another shudder at the implication. He looked at his reflection and raked his fingers through his tangled hair. “What have you gotten yourself into?” he asked the flickering image.

               “You should probably get a little drink; it will be a while before we stop,” a voice suggested behind him.

               Markus jumped and nearly tumbled into the stream as he turned around to see Granite exiting the tree line.

               Markus nodded slightly in agreement. “Did you have a nice… um…”

               Granite laughed. “We don’t have to talk about our business! Although, it’s nice to see you more chipper.”

               “Mostly nerves,” Markus mumbled.

               “I can understand that,” Granite nodded, sounding quite sympathetic to his plight. “I’ve noticed that some people can get quite chatty when they’re scared.”

               Markus turned back to the stream and scooped a bit of the clear water up to his face with two hands, taking a little sip from the makeshift cup. Granite stepped forward and took a few dregs of her own.

               Markus watched as she unfolded her wings and gave them a few flaps before retracting them and stretching like a giant cat, her tail lashing behind her. She shook herself and shot a small gout of flame into the center of the stream. The fiery blast turning a good portion of the water to steam and singed the grass at the riverbank.

               “Okay, ready to go?” she asked, turning her attention to Markus and extending a paw. “I’ll have to keep you in my claws. It won’t be very comfy, but I don’t dare let you ride on my back, you’d just slip right off!”

               “The way you got me to your cave wasn’t that bad,” Markus said optimistically.

               “Well, it wasn’t very comfortable for me,” Granite admitted. “My paws weren’t really built to be curled into a ball for an extended amount of time, it really cramped it up!” She shook out her paw for emphasis. “I know you won’t like it in my mouth, no matter how much I would, so I’ll just have to pin you between my paws during flight. If you get cold just tap my paw twice, three times means you’re slipping and need help. Got it?”

               Markus nodded. “By the way, how is your paw?” He stared at her feet trying to remember which one had been broken.

               Granite smirked. “Better, thanks for asking. To be honest, I kinda exaggerated how bad that injury was for me a few days ago… You see, dragon bones are hollow so we can fly easier. While it’s more weight efficient it makes them much more brittle so it’s quite common that we can break a few here and there. For that reason, we tend to keep out of range in fights with larger creatures and use our fire to turn the tides rather than strength. Fortunately, fate has shined upon dragons and given our bodies the means to heal such injuries rather quickly so the little incident with my paw was really no big deal.”

               Markus blinked in confusion. “So… When you were snarling at me and telling me that you were going to make me apologize for breaking your paw you were just… Acting?”

               “Oh no, I was pissed!” Granite assured him. “Just because it’s easier to heal our injuries doesn’t mean they don’t still hurt!”

               Markus gulped. “S-so you really would have swallowed me alive and digested me!”

               Granite stared at her companion and tapped her paw thoughtfully. “I might have remembered that I should spare you… But enough talk, get on!”

               Markus paused as he contemplated his luck before clamoring into her outstretched paw. She sprung into the air on three paws and nearly dropped Markus as she shifted his position from one paw to sandwiched between two.

               “Sorry!” she called over the rushing air.

               Markus squirmed into a semi-comfortable position and settled, once again jealous of his carrier’s ability to fly. Unfortunately, unlike Granite, his hide wasn’t built to withstand the colder atmospheric temperatures and within a few minutes he was shivering, despite the warm sun beating down overhead. He tapped Granite’s paw twice and she gently tucked him against her warm chest. While it was plenty warm, and comfortable, he couldn’t get a good view, and thus began a pattern of tapping that after a while began to exhaust himself; he could only imagine how much he was annoying his ride!

               Soon the sun reached its zenith and then began slowly falling. Before the sun could kiss the horizon and light it in a brilliant shade of colors, Granite descended. The earth approached again in a slow spiral and Granite switched Markus to one paw again in preparation for landing. She touched down awkwardly and settled Markus on a bed of moss.

               “I’m going to get us something to eat, don’t die while I’m gone.” With that she took to the darkening sky again and disappeared.

               Markus sighed and stretched his cramped muscles, happy to be done with flying for the day even if he did love it. He looked around the clearing and immediately began gathering some dead branches for a fire. He’d amassed a sizeable pile of firewood by the time Granite returned with a pair of dead deer.

               “What are you doing?” she asked, eyeing the pile of wood.

               “Getting wood for a fire,” Markus explained, dragging a large dry branch into the clearing.

               “We don’t need a fire,” Granite replied.

               “Yeah, we do,” Markus insisted. “How will we cook my food?”

               Granite rolled her eyes and bathed one of her deer with her fiery breath. “There, cooked!”

               Markus looked at the charred smoking flesh in distaste. “It’s burnt...”

               “It’s lightly toasted, eat up!” She tossed the smoking carcass at Markus before turning to the other deer. She pinned half of it with her left paw then seizing the other half in her jaws and tore it apart! She didn’t even bother chewing before tilting her head back and swallowing, a large lump traveling quickly down her throat before vanishing into her chest. Markus watched in horrified awe as the rest of the deer vanished in another gulp leaving just a small splash of blood on the grass. She passed her tongue over her teeth and turn back to Markus. “Well? Are you going to eat or what?”

               “You… You just ate that deer in two bites,” Markus muttered, staring at her in shock.

               “Yeah, so? How many would it take you?”

               “Shouldn’t you be chewing your food first?” Markus asked, not sure if he should be disgusted or amazed.

               “What’s chewing?” Granite asked stretching like a cat again.

               “What do you mean what’s chewing? Chewing is chewing!” Markus cried.

               “Fine, don’t tell me,” Granite rolled her eyes. “I can use made-up words too!”

               “It’s not a made-up word! It’s a real thing and you know it; you’re just making fun of me!” Markus snapped, folding his arms.

               Granite looked at him suspiciously. “Okay, fine. I’m sorry… What’s chewing?”

               Markus glared at her, but his gaze slowly softened as he looked upon her bewildered expression. “You really don’t know?”

               “Yeah, what is it?”

               “Okay, um… Open your mouth.”

               Granite opened her jaws and pointed the opening towards Markus. “Ike iis?” she mumbled, her tongue lolling out of her maw like a panting dog, a bit of drool mixed with deer blood slipped from her jaws and splatted onto the grass.

               “Yeah, now close it.”

               Granite’s tongue rolled back into her maw and she closed her teeth. “Okay, what now?”

               “Open and close your mouth again,” Markus instructed.

               “Okay, now you’re just messing with me!” Granite protested.

               “No, really, that’s what chewing is! You bite down again and again with food in your mouth!”

               “Really?”

               “Yeah!”

               “That sounds exhausting,” Granite observed frowning.

               “Well, it can get tiring sometimes,” Markus admitted. “Especially if whatever you’re eating is really tough!”

               “That’s weird,” Granite said wrinkling her nose. “Why don’t you guys just swallow instead?”

               “We weren’t made that way, I guess,” Markus shrugged.

               “Anyway, eat up before it cools off,” she said gesturing to the charred deer again.

               “Umm, can we try something else?” Markus asked looking back at the dragon.

               Granite’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not getting another deer for you, if you’re that picky you can starve!” she snarled and snatched up the carcass.

               “No, wait, that’s not what I meant!” Markus cried desperately. “I’ll eat the deer I just want to cook it first!”

               “You have 30 seconds to explain before you go to bed hungry!” Granite growled.

               Markus pointed towards a large flat stone by the pile of firewood. “I found that in the woods and washing it off in a stream over the hill. If you breathe fire on it and heat it up I can put the meat on it and cook it the way I want!”

               Granite looked at the stone and then back to Markus. “Fine, but I don’t want to hear any more complaining!”

               Markus nodded eagerly and rushed to the deer as Granite began heating the stone. Fortunately, the non-charred side had fallen face-up so Markus could easily take a chunk of meat out of its thigh without burning himself. He skinned the slab and skewered the meat with his knife before carried it over to the now superheated stone. Markus plopped the meat onto the stone and watched it sizzle for a few minutes before using his dagger, and a clean stick, to flip it over. After a few more minutes, he moved the meat to another, smaller, flat stone and cut open his prize. The hot meat was perfectly cooked all the way through! Using his knife as a utensil Markus sliced off a piece of the delicious venison, stuck it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. He let out a sigh of contentment as he tasted the first real food he’d had all day. The juice from the venison still filled his mouth and he closed his eyes to savor it. He opened his eyes to see Granite staring at him.

               “You humans are so weird. You bite your food to a pulp and can’t eat meat unless it’s been warmed!” she gave a snort of derision. “Seriously, it’s a wonder you creatures have survived at all!”

               “That’s not true, we could eat raw meat if we wanted to!” Markus protested.

               “Oh yeah,” Granite challenged, nudging the deer carcass towards him. “Take a big bite and swallow it without vomiting and I’ll take it all back!”

               Markus looked at the half-burnt carcass and then back at his meal. “I think I’ll just stick with this…”

               “That’s what I thought, you spoiled little brat!” Granite muttered, pinning the carcass and ripping it in two with a flick of her head spraying blood everywhere!

               “Can you not eat so messily?” the freshly blood-splattered human complained.

               Granite finished swallowing the chunk and looked down at her companion. “Can you eat faster? I’m almost done and you’ve only taken a measly bite.”

               Markus looked down at his meal and his hunger flared with a vengeance. He nearly cut himself in his starving fervor as he sawed at the meat impatiently. Within a minute the, rather large, chunk of venison was completely gone.

               “Twelve.”

               Markus looked up in confusion. “What?”

               “Twelve,” Granite repeated. “I could have eaten twelve deer in the time it took you to consume that scrap of burnt meat that you chewed to bits.”

               “If you’re looking for burnt look no further than that deer you charred!” Markus retaliated bitterly.

               “I toasted that deer for you!” the dragon snorted. “It’s not my fault you were too picky to eat it, much less thank me for it!”

               “Hey! Let’s not forget that the only reason I’m here is because you kidnapped me.” Markus pointed out.

               Granite’s eyes narrowed and for a second he thought she might lunge at him but she simply grunted and rose to her feet.

               “Where are you going?”

               “To sleep, which means you are too. Get up, or do you need me to carry you? I can guarantee you won’t like the method of transport,” she added licking her lips.

               “But, I’m not tired,” Markus whined. “The sun hasn’t even set yet!”

               “Suit yourself, I was looking for something salty.” Granite opened her maw and lowered it towards him.

               “Okay, okay, I’m up, I’m up!” Markus cried scrambled to his feet.

               Granite snapped her jaws closed with a sharp click and snorted. “Fine, we’re going to higher ground, I don’t like sleeping in a basin, it’s annoying to wake up in a puddle when it rains.”

               “This isn’t a basin,” Markus muttered looking around at the flat ground and forest surrounding them.

               “Higher ground, now!” Granite ordered, presenting a paw to her companion.

               “Who’s picky now,” Markus mumbled, wiping his knife on the grass before sheathing it and climbing into her paw.

               “I’m in charge of your sleeping arrangements in case you’d like to repeat that!” Granite growled shooting him a dirty look.

               Granite took off, sealing her, suddenly quite quiet, passenger in a scaly cage again. The trip was short as she touched down only a few minutes walking distance from where they’d been before.

               “Why didn’t we just land here first?” Markus asked, tumbling onto the grass.

               “Don’t sleep where you eat,” Granite said simply walking in a circle a few times and then settling down like a dog. “You’ll sleep between my paws, it’s the least likely place you’ll get squished if I move in the middle of the night.”

               “Can’t I at least stay up until the sun fully sets?” Markus begged looking at the half-gone sun as it valiantly continued to light the horizon with all its elegant beauty.

               “Fine,” Granite sighed “but not a second more! I’ve been flying all day so I’m very tired and I am not fond of babysitting!”

               Markus groaned. “It’s so early; I won’t be able to get to sleep.”

               Granite sighed, before perking up suddenly. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you. The day we met there was this weird spot on your back, is it a birthmark?”

               “A weird spot?” Markus asked. “Where?”

               “You don’t know? I’ll point to it, turn around,” Granite instructed, making a twirling motion with a claw.

               Markus obediently presented his back to the dragon. “Need me to take off my shirt?”

               “Don’t worry, I’ll just use my superior eyesight to look through your clothes.”

               “You can do that?” Markus asked, suddenly quite self-conscious.

               “Of course not! Take off your shirt, you idiot!” Granite snorted, Markus could almost feel her eyes rolling behind him.

               “S-sorry,” Markus mumbled in embarrassment, pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the ground. “How about now?” He gave a sheepish little grin that it took him a moment to realize Granite couldn’t even see it.

               “Yes, that’s much better,” Granite purred. “It’s right… HERE!” Her claw hooked his shorts and undergarments and yanked off both in one swift movement!

               “Hey! What are yo-” He didn’t even have a chance to squeal as Granite’s maw shot down and engulfed him! Before he could even fully evaluate his situation, Granite had already slurped him in, head first, and was closing her jaws. He instinctively tucked in his feet to avoid having them bit off but it turned out to be unnecessary as Granite displayed an inordinate amount of control in sealing him safely behind the keratin wall.

               Markus thrashed in his sweltering fleshy coffin, the fit was tight but still allowed enough room for the dragon’s tongue to comfortably slid over its new roommate, at least comfortably for Granite. The maw stank of venison and blood, but, other than the horrible smell, the mouth was relatively clean with only a few small scraps of deer between her teeth making Markus strangely grateful that Granite swallowed her food whole rather than chewing it. The tongue pressed him gently against the roof of its owner’s mouth and it gently sucked at its treat removing the salty taste from his skin and replacing it with a layer of disgusting viscous fluid. He opened his mouth to scream and then immediately choked as a wave of fresh saliva flooded the chamber to greet its new denizen. Granite’s tongue wasting no opportunity to explore more of his tasty form. He flailed and punched at the tormenting muscle as it harassed him continuously, but the tongue absorbed each one of his dampened blows in stride and continued unabated. His helplessness was magnified by the purrs of pleasure that vibrated his whole world as he fought for his life!

               For what seemed like hours the tongue lapped and tasted its salty snack, taking particular delight in the almost continuous supply of salty flavor that emanated from its meal. Every once and awhile the torture would end for a few seconds as the dreaded maw opened to allow fresh air to the suffocating morsel trapped within. Each time Markus would thrash on the slick muscle in an attempt to escape but each time the tongue would expertly fold around him causing him to remained trapped! Finally, the maw opened, allowing Markus to return to the night air and tumble out onto the grass, where his drenched form collapsed in utter exhaustion.

               “We’ll have to do that more often!” Granite purred happily behind him.

               “Y-you’re a monster!” Markus whimpered, crawling weakly away.

               “From your prospective, maybe. From mine, I’m being generous.” Granite grunted.

               “Generous?! How was that in any way generous?” Markus cried.

               “I helped tire you out so you can fall asleep. You’re welcome. Besides, if I really wanted to eat you I could have swallowed you,” Granite pointed out, forgoing any attempt to soften the fact. “It’s the laws of nature, I’m bigger, I’m stronger, I can do what I want with you.” Granite paused as if considering more details. “That’s it.”

               “That’s not fair!” Markus squeaked.

               The great dragon snorted. “Life was never meant to be ‘Fair’, life was meant to be ‘Balanced’. It’s a common misconception.”

               “How are those two things different?”

               “Oh, it’s quite simple, really, ‘Fair’ means that everything is equal, ‘Balanced’ means that… hmmm… let’s see…” Granite looked off into the night thoughtfully. “Ah, yes! Cats eat a lot of mice, so mice were made to reproduce faster so the cats can’t eat all of them, that’s balanced. The mice are never equal to the cats but the laws of nature remain stable and thus all is well.”

               “Yeah, well… Humans have magic!” Markus said, desperate to disprove the point.

               “Umm, hello? My sister has been a sorcerer for years! Also, dragons live faaar longer than humans so, besides being physically dominant, dragon sorcerers have a huge advantage over human sorcerers when it comes to magical knowledge. Soooo, cat,” she gestured to herself and then pointed at Markus “mouse. That’s just the way things are, little guy, but it must be balanced so dragons are born, and mature, at a much slower rate than your guys.” She yawned sleepily, “Well, time to sleep!” She opened a space between her paws.

               Markus whimpered and moved farther away.

               Granite growled. “Oh come on! You’ve been vexing enough as it is! I’ve tried to be very patient with you but you just keep trying my patience! I tell you I have no choice but to bring you to my family and explain why I can’t bring you home and you just sit there and mope and complain! I figure I’m just being a tad unreasonable so I try to be nice and give you an enjoyable ride, but you just can’t. Stop. Tapping! Make up your mind already! Up or Down. IT’S NOT THAT HARD! Then I hunt you some dinner and even try to cook it for you because I know humans are picky…” Her eyes narrowed. “I guess I underestimated just how picky! Then you have the audacity to not even thank me for it, and what’s your excuse? More MOPING! Then after flying you all the way here and hunting you some supper I just want to get some sleep but, no, you can’t because you’re not tired, because you haven’t had enough exercise today? Well, how’s fighting for your life? THAT ENOUGH EXERCISE FOR YOU!” her form shook with fury. “Just get over here or I’ll taste you again!”

               “At least let me wash off first!” Markus squealed, desperate to get away. “I-if I go to bed now, I’ll be so itchy tomorrow I-I might scratch my skin off! T-th-then I’ll go straight to bed! I promise!”

               “Fine!” Granite growled in exasperation. “Just wash off quickly or I’m coming to get you!”

               Markus wasted no time in snatching up his clothes, trying to avoid getting too much slobber on them, and hurried off to the stream at the base of the hill. Had it been a cloudy night he would have undoubtedly stumbled and hurt himself in the dark, but the nearly full moon ensured that that wasn’t the case. His wet footing held all the way down the slope, as he silently cursed Granite every step of the way.

               When Markus reached the small brook, he tossed his clothes to the ground and slide into the refreshing water, scrubbing at his body vigorously to rid himself of the invisible creatures that seemed to be crawling across his skin. After several dunks and a series of quick vicious scrubs he decided to hurry to avoid further angering the enraged creature atop the hill. He stole a glance at his hands and found them more wrinkled as he’d ever seen them before. He shivered, still able to feel the ghostly tongue sliding across his helpless form. The snap of a twig brought his attention away from his nightmares and back into reality. He flinched and quickly scanned the shore, expecting to see Granite’s glowing green eyes glaring down at him, but he didn’t. Instead he saw a rather large cat sniffing his clothes. The cat was around the size of a large hound with a sleek black coat that shimmered in the moonlight causing Markus to assume it had recently been swimming. The creature stared at him with curious yellow eyes and Markus’s heart started to pound. He suddenly found himself wishing that Granite was here, and she could be! All he had to do was call! But should he? How would Granite react to needing to rescue him after he’d been such a bother for her all day? Did he have a choice anyway? Before he could come to a decision the cat padded up to the water, bent and took a drink before slipping off into the night.

               After that Markus decided that he’d rather be with Granite than out here, naked and exposed.

               At least Granite needs me for something before she’ll eat me, Markus thought and then froze. Oh gods, what if she eats me after we’re done with the visit!

               Markus’s mind was sent into a spiral of confusion which ended in him getting out of the stream, shaking himself as dry as he could, putting on his clothes, and meekly slinking back up the hill to his abusive guardian.

               “I see you don’t like cats,” Granite observed upon seeing him.

               “H-how did yo-”

               “I’m an apex predator; while I couldn’t see you I could still smell and hear everything that you did,” Granite explained.

               Markus eyes widened and a new wave of fear crashed over him. “E-everything?”

               “Everything,” the dragon assured him. “For someone so young you have quite the colorful language set. Also, ‘Abusive Parent’ is a quite new term for me…”

               “I-I-I” Markus stammered, horrified.

               “As your mother, I’ll let it slide,” she said with a smirk and a yawn. “Now it’s far past your bedtime so go to sleep.”

               “It’s not my bedtime,” Markus muttered, giving a sleepy yawn himself. Granite gave him a smug look. “That proves nothing…” he added, with another giant yawn.

               She rolled her eyes. “Just get between my paws and go to sleep. And no more disturbances; I’m about ready to swallow you and find another human tomorrow!”

               Markus hurried between her paws and she sealed him in with her head and neck.

               “Good night,” Markus said meekly, quickly recognizing his mistake and cowering.

               Granite’s head shifted and Markus closed his eyes, waiting for the teeth to pierce his flesh. But instead a warm jet of air struck him, drying his wet form. After drying him, the head returned to its original position.

               “Good night, Markus.”