Dragon and Unicorn

There was movement in the taller grass. Unicorn snapped out of her stupor and turned to face the possible threat, leveling her horn in case she had to charge. It was a young man, barely into his teens, wearing an over-large breastplate as his only piece of armor. The breastplate had a hole in it, just the same size as a unicorn's horn. Unicorn gasped in recognition, this must be the Knight's Squire. She tried to turn away, but something held her rooted to the spot, some mysterious force wouldn't allow her to escape. She found herself moving towards the youth, mesmerized.

"I've always heard that a Unicorn can only be captured by a virgin. I didn't think it was true, but now I'm glad you can't escape me, I'm still a virgin." The Squire slipped a rope around Unicorn's neck as he spoke, his voice was harsh for such a youth. "Where's the dragon?"

Unicorn was unable to pull away or even speak, all she could do was make a loud, inarticulate whinny. Somehow Dragon heard her and stirred, forcing himself alert when he realized that Unicorn was in trouble. He reared up, ready to attack, but held off when he saw that the Squire was holding a sharp dagger to Unicorn's neck.

"Don't come any closer, Dragon." The Squire warned. "You killed my Knight, now I want retribution. I've heard that dragons have plenty of gold. Bring me your gold, now!"

Dragon tried to think fast, still a bit groggy from his nap. The only thing he could think to do was to toss the bag of oats towards the Squire, making sure it landed several feet away from him.

"There's your gold, now let the unicorn go." Dragon called in human speech.

"That bag doesn't look heavy enough to be full of gold." The Squire sneered. "Besides, a dragon should have a larger hoard than that. You'll have to do better."

"There's some gold in the bag, it's just hidden under the grain." Dragon tried to move closer but was waved back by the Squire. He stepped one pace back. "Go ahead and look in the bag if you don't believe me."

"Oh no, the second I move away from the unicorn, you'll try to kill me with dragon fire. Move back!"

Dragon moved back farther away from the lake, up the slope of the rise where he had been napping earlier. A backward glance let him see that another bay of the lake was behind him. He moved back even farther, finally thinking of a plan.

"Listen here, lad. A dragon doesn't carry his hoard around with him. I'll have to go back to my lair and get the rest of the gold. You wait here and I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon." Dragon kept backing slowly away, moving towards the rest of the lake as he spoke.

"Make it quick, or the unicorn dies in two days." The Squire waved the dragon away. Once Dragon was out of earshot, he turned to Unicorn and whispered softly, almost gently in contrast to the anger and greed of his words. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. A live unicorn is worth more than its weight in gold. I can show you at fairs and markets all over. Kings and rich folk will pay well just to see you. I'll be famous."

Dragon slipped noiselessly into the lake without the Squire seeing him. Staying underwater, he propelled himself along with gentle strokes of his long tail. He eased quietly into a position where he could see both Unicorn and the Squire through the lake's surface, but remained concealed under its dark waters. A water dragon can hold his breath for a very long time if necessary. He waited patiently, motionless until the Squire moved away from the tethered Unicorn and started to examine the bag of grain. As silently as he could, Dragon emerged from the lake and eased just a little closer to the Squire. Unable to find any treasure hidden in the oats, the Squire straightened up and turned to go back to Unicorn. He caught sight of Dragon as he turned but only had time for one anguished scream as Dragon's flame hit him full force. The magical breastplate alone wasn't enough to protect the Squire's entire body and the flame consumed him immediately.

Dragon rushed over to Unicorn and severed the rope, flinging it off of her neck. She felt something wet fall against her side and realized that Dragon was weeping large tears.

"What's wrong, Dragon? You saved me from the Squire." There was a tremor in her voice.

"But I nearly lost you because of my carelessness. I couldn't bear that. I can't even think of losing you."

"It's all right, Dragon. You saved me and we're still together and we have the magical staff." Unicorn nuzzled Dragon's ear. "Let's get out of this place. I want to get back to Wizard soon."

They left the remains of the Squire where he fell, next to the scorched bag of grain and traveled well into the night, letting the moon light their way. They stopped about midnight for a rest, only a few days travel from the mouth of Uncle's canyon.

Dragon woke first from the throbbing of his injured wing. Unicorn was up soon after and they set off before the morning mists cleared. They put as many miles as possible behind them before evening, stopping only when they were completely exhausted. Two more days of grueling travel brought them back to Wizard's cave.

Wizard looked at the two approaching his cave. The unlikely couple were dirty, sore and worn out from their journey and battles.

"Well, well, aren't you two the sorry sight." He sounded so cheery that Dragon wanted to swat him, but lacked the strength.

"Wizard, we brought you the staff. Now can you help us?" Dragon pulled it from his pack and handed it over. Wizard hefted the staff, nodded gravely and then set it aside.

"Let me take a look at both of you, first. You've both been hurt." Wizard carefully checked over his charges, applying a salve here or there, making them drink foul-tasting potions that seemed to ease their aches and pains, and finally setting Dragon's wing joint with one mighty tug while Dragon squawked loudly. Wizard tisked when he noticed the missing chunk of Unicorn's horn and used a special, lightly abrasive cloth to polish off the jagged edges. Dragon handed the small piece of horn to Wizard who accepted it with a slight bow. When the treatments were done to the Wizard's satisfaction, he finally retrieved the staff and disappeared into his cave, letting them sleep where they were.

In the middle of the night Dragon woke up startled, but unable to find the cause of his interrupted slumber. He looked around, confused for a moment before recognizing Wizard's meadow in the dark. There were strange lights shining from the Wizard's cave, along with occasional strange sounds. Dragon watched for a few moments. When nothing else happened, he set his head back down on the grass and squirmed a bit to get more comfortable.

"Dragon? Are you awake?" Unicorn lifted her head from where she lay in the meadow.

"Yes, my love, go back to sleep. We're safe, it's just Wizard's magic."

They slept until late next afternoon, made drowsy by Wizard's healing potions, but both jumping up when Wizard appeared at the mouth of his cave. Wizard himself looked terrible, as if he hadn't slept all night. Actually he had only a short nap while waiting for the magical jewels to cool off. The lovers rushed over to him, eager for news, and hoping for success. Wizard calmed them with a gesture and produced two small velvet bags on long cords, which he proceeded to drape over each one's neck.

"The magic has worked, and better than I hoped." Wizard's voice was strained from fatigue. "These are your magic gems, set into pendants which you will need to wear at the proper time. Gold for Unicorn and dark bronze for Dragon. Listen to me carefully! This is strong magic and won't work if it's misused."

Wizard stabbed his finger at them for emphasis. Both Dragon and Unicorn jumped a bit at his words and gestures. A magician's pointing finger can be dangerous; they had found that out from their encounter with the Sorcerer. Wizard took a deep breath before continuing.

"The bags are magically made and are to keep your gems safe when not using them. There are important instructions for the very first time you use them. Remember this: don't take them out in sunlight until you've used them for the first time. Don't even touch them until the time is right. The magic needs to be activated by the light of the full moon. On the night of the next full moon, wait until the moon is almost directly overhead and then take the gems out. Don't let the gems touch your skin until the moon is at its highest point. Only handle them by the chains until then.

"Is there any importance to the colors?" Dragon was curious.

"No that's just what I happened to have handy, but that's not important. There's more that you need to remember. Don't ever wear the pendants during the dark of the moon. It can weaken their power. Once the gems are activated, you can wear them almost all the time except for the time of the new moon. Keep them in the bags when you're not wearing them, the bags will keep them magically protected. You must wear them during the full moon for the magic to work. Missing a full moon can weaken the magic. Do you understand this? Don't forget now."

Dragon nodded his head solemnly and Unicorn gave a sort of curtsey, bowing her head.

"There may be some discomfort, especially the first time you use the pendants, but it will pass quickly. Remember, don't take them out of the bags until the night of the full moon."

"That's almost a week away. We've waited so long, why do we have to wait any longer?"

"That will give us time get back to our lake, your meadow and my dragon hoard. We've waited so long, we can stand to wait just a few more days."

"Let's leave first thing in the morning."

The next morning, they said goodbye to Wizard and headed down the mountain, avoiding Uncle's cave. They didn't wish to disturb the irascible old fellow and were eager to get back to their own territory before the full moon. The days on the road passed quickly in eager anticipation. At last the magic couple arrived at their lake and meadow with a full day and night to spare before the evening of the full moon.

"Dragon?" Unicorn sounded confused. "Just what is it that these magic gems are supposed to do? I don't think Wizard explained that part to us."

"Now that you mention it, he didn't say exactly what these gems will do to us." Dragon scratched his head. "I wonder what happens?"

"You're not having doubts too, are you? Can we really trust Wizard's magic?"

"Well he did heal us really quickly."

"Yes, but is he an expert in magic that... that does whatever it is that we need it to do?"

"We just have to have trust in his ability, and in our love. Love can overcome many obstacles, and I do love you my dearest Unicorn."

Unicorn wasn't quite satisfied, but realized that she only had to wait one more sunset until her dreams were realized or her nightmares confirmed. On the evening of the full moon, the two took the Wizard's bags to the top of the hill in Unicorn's meadow. They anxiously watched the sunset, almost squirming with impatience until the stars appeared and the moon rose into the night. They watched it slowly climb higher into the sky.

"The Wizard said to wait until just before the full moon is directly overhead before putting on the jewels for the first time." He took the gems out of the bags. Both contained a polished moonstone, about an inch in diameter. The golden setting was carved like a unicorn's head, the mane circling the stone. The bronze pendant was shaped like a serpentine dragon coiled around the stone. He looped the gold chain over Unicorn's horn so she could drop it into place with a flick of her head. Dragon reared up and held his chain in both foreclaws. He craned his head up and squinted at the full moon, high in the sky.

"It's nearly there, almost... almost... ah, now."

"Ready? Together, then."

They both draped the chains over their necks at the same time. Just as the moon reached its apex, they both felt strange sensations, coursing out from the magic jewels and running all along their bodies. As if struck down by mighty weapons, they both fell to the ground and writhed as their muscles, bones and skin changed size and shape. It wasn't quite painful, but these strange sensations were hardly pleasant. Just at the point where neither could stand any more, they both blacked out.

Dragon came to and slowly sat up, blinking and trying to make sense of the new feelings and sensations. The grass under his bottom, the air against his skin without the benefit of scales, the difference in size and shape were all confusing him. He raised a foreclaw and looked at its new form, flexing it several times. It was a human hand, definitely a normal olive-skinned human hand in place of his large, webbed dragon claw. He turned his hand over and looked at the back. Well, maybe not quite normal, he thought to himself. Each fingernail was a miniature green dragon scale instead of a normal pink human nail. He slowly got to his feet and stood there, somewhat shaky. He ran his hands over the rest of his new human body exploring the new sensations as well as trying to figure out what he looked like. He discovered that his altered body was as well muscled and slender as his dragon's body without being muscle-bound. It was just as hairless as his dragon body had been, beardless with a completely smooth scalp and no pubic or body hair at all. He now possessed a straight nose and prominent ears and he figured that he stood at a respectable six feet even. He found one more reminder of his dragon self, his tongue was still forked.

He turned around and saw Unicorn, also shaky on her feet, making the same exploration of her body. She was completely beautiful. He could tell even though her back was to him. Her human body was the same pale cream that her unicorn's body had been. Her long flowing hair was the first thing that caught his attention. It hung down to the middle of her round, shapely bottom and was the same pale shade of midsummer's moonlight as her mane. She tossed her head, just as she had when a unicorn and Dragon saw that, unlike a human, her hair growth extended down her neck and between her shoulder blades, just as a unicorn's mane would have. She sensed him watching somehow, in that magical way that unicorns have and turned to face him, an awed expression on her face. Her long hair swirled around her as she turned, first concealing, then revealing the rest of her new body to Dragon's sight.

"Oh Dragon," There was awe in her voice as she spoke, "look at us, we've turned human."

"Yes we have, and you are more beautiful than words can say."

He looked her up and down. Her skin was flawless, from her perfect feet to the edge of her hairline it was all the same color. The color of new cream that strawberries had been soaking in for just a few minutes. Her full lips and high nipples were a slightly darker shade of pink, as if the strawberries had stayed for several hours instead of just minutes, or if a drop of red wine had accidentally dropped into the cream. Her eyes were the same deep golden color as before, now slightly almond shaped but very large and moist in the moonlight. They were set in a heart-shaped face that Helen of Troy would have envied. All that was left of her horn was a half-inch wide, ivory-colored birthmark in the center of her forehead that didn't detract from her beauty at all. Her figure was gently rounded and female, but not overly voluptuous. Her firm breasts were the perfect size to fit into a wine goblet, her aureoles perfectly proportioned to her breasts, the nipples perfect little projections from the textured surface of her aureoles. Her hips were gently rounded, but not overly wide to the point of being matronly. She retained enough of her unicorn's muscles to give her an athletic grace and had the appearance of a woman in her mid twenties. Her height was now about five feet six.

Her beauty moved Dragon to the point of tears. He reached out to her, feeling something wet drip from his cheek onto his arm. Unicorn's eyes were also very moist and shining in the moonlight. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him to hug her tightly. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling its scent reminiscent of the wildflowers in their lakeside meadow.

"Dragon, not so tightly." Unicorn protested, giggling. She pulled away for a moment and looked into his eyes. "You still have the same green eyes, dragon eyes, so lovely."

Unicorn leaned forward and caught his mouth with hers, the same way she had seen the human lovers do so many days ago. Dragon responded enthusiastically, opening his mouth and chasing her wide mare's tongue around with his forked appendage. Dragon felt another appendage of his begin to stir. He broke the kiss and stared into her eyes.

"Unicorn, I've waited so long, I want you." There was hunger in his dragon eyes. "I want you now."

"Oh yes," Unicorn sighed in reply. "But if you were as gallant as that human male, at least you'd spread a blanket for me against the cold ground."

"I don't have a blanket or a even cloak. We both transformed without clothes." A worried expression briefly crossed his face.

"I was only teasing." Unicorn giggled as she pulled him down onto the soft grass. "Love me, love me gently like the human man did with his woman."

Dragon knelt before the vision of loveliness reclining before him. He brought his mouth down on hers gently at first, but with increasing urgency. Unicorn ran her hands along his muscular back, caressing his neck and moving her hands down to trace along his cheeks. Dragon moved his mouth down to one of those perfect breasts, making Unicorn gasp in delight as he sucked her nipple fully into his mouth before applying his forked tongue to its sensitive surface. Unicorn arched her back, swiveling her hips and rubbing herself against Dragon's growing hardness.

"Please..." she whispered, making her intentions known by the gentle pressure of her hand on the top of his smooth scalp. "Please..." She breathed again. Dragon eagerly followed her urgings, running his mouth down from her breasts, across her flat belly and into the tangle of her pale muff. He dipped his forked tongue into her, savoring the rich nectar he found there. She pulled him around closer so she could reach his sex. Sliding her hands easily along his hairless body, she caressed every inch that she could reach.

Dragon could hear her breath quickening as he slid a finger into the depths of her wetness. His tongue found her clitoris and brought soft moans from her throat. A few more moments of stimulation with his tongue and fingers dragged a loud, musical squeal from her lips, her body shuddering with her orgasm.

She opened her eyes slowly, still dazed by the power of her first human orgasm, yet wanting another. She grabbed Dragon by his hardness and guided him to the opening of her desire. He willingly complied with her unspoken directions, eager to sheath his hardness in her wet depths.

"Oh Unicorn," he breathed as he entered her. "It's so wonderful, finally filling you."

"Don't speak, kiss me, love me." She pressed her mouth against his lips.

He thrust gently, slowly, wanting the magic of their first coupling to last as long as possible. The firm pressure of her inner walls against his shaft soon had him moving faster and faster; building his excitement towards his climax and bringing her to orgasm a second time as his seed pumped into her.

Spent, he collapsed against her, pinning her down with the weight of his human body. She held him close, feeling him soften within her, reluctant to let go. He could sense her slight discomfort with his weight, but was unable to move, still lost in the haze of the afterglow. Finally after several minutes had passed, he tried to roll off of her onto his back. However, she didn't let go. With her arms still firmly around him, she allowed herself to be carried along with his motion, winding up on top of him as he lay back. Dragon smiled up at his love as she propped her head up, elbow against his muscular chest. Her moonlight hair spilled across them both. Neither of them noticed the moon approaching the horizon.