Sacrifice

DO YOU STILL ENVY ME?

"Yes," she answered with hoarse voice. It regarded her from on high. It roared fire and a sudden song filled the air. Except, not a song exactly. The air become warm and soft and bright and there was a noise unlike anything she heard. And then, slowly, the dragon reached one of its five clawed fingers towards her. She stood, transfixed. With surprising grace, she felt the tip of its black claw touch her forehead. Her heart raced as she wondered if it changed its mind and would eat her. The claw looked as big as her head.

I NAME YOU MAIDEIRA. WILD HEART. BE FREE OF YOUR CAGE, MAIDEIRA.

The dragon took its claw back and then rested again on its belly. Maida touched her forehead and felt a trickle of blood. A warmth radiated from where the dragon touched her and she shivered slightly. "What-" Maida looked at her arms. Sweat. She was breaking out in sweat. The warmth from her forehead radiated down her body and she gasped as it suddenly roared through her belly and down to her feet. Maida clutched her stomach and fell to her knees, panting like a dog against the sudden fire raging through her. Sweat soaked her dress and dripped from her forehead to the ground. "What did you- Ungh!"

The top back of Maida's dress tore and she grunted. Something cracked deep within her back and she gasped in pain. Blood dripped from her mouth. She looked up at the dragon and tried to ask the question again but the pain inside of her was tremendous. Maida's spine bulged as muscles broke and regrew at a fantastic rate. The tear at the top of her dress split further and she gasped for breath as the dress tightened against her. No, as she grew against the fabric of the dress. Her heart burned with a pain she never knew before. Maida gripped the front of her dress and pulled, shamelessly exposing herself to the creature before her. Her breasts were soaked in sweat and she could feel her nipples aching as they grew erect. Her upper body was completely exposed and she didn't even notice or care. As she watched, the bones of her knuckles swelled. The skin at the tip of her fingers split, exposing raw flesh and bone. Through the redness came a deep black and she felt the way it cut through muscle and flesh. Claws grew from the tips of her fingers as her hands grew to accommodate them. The claws grew until the tips of her fingers were bonded to the hard material.

Maida fell to her hands and gagged. She could feel the vomit coming and her body shook from it. Pain from her belly made her want to cry. Her stomach heaved and she felt her nose burn. With a fierce heave, she vomited, only instead of a stream of liquid and her breakfast, globs of liquid fire flew from her mouth. She screamed as her teeth instantly melted. Her awkward clawed hands reached for a mouth she'd sure no longer existed but the claws touched flesh. Maida heaved again and a stream of fire issued from her mouth while her nose burned in pain. She closed her mouth in panic and felt smooth gums touching. Her tongue was still there and she explored her mouth with it. Everything was dry. There was no spit or saliva in her entire mouth. As she explored, she felt a peculiar sensation at the tip of her tongue and then, it split. She felt the skin pull apart and then her tongue was touching different parts of her mouth. She screamed and another jet of pure white flame issued forth.

Hair fell in clumps around Maida and she felt the wind on her suddenly bare scalp. She had barely enough time to relish the cool feeling before a sharp pain crashed into her face. She felt and heard bones crack in her jaw and face and her eyes watered as her mouth pushed forward. She ground her jaws together and felt her gums itch as new teeth cut through her gums, leaving her mouth suddenly full of blood. Maida spat and the blood was consumed in the sudden red and yellow flame jetting from her throat. Sharp teeth clacked against sharp teeth as her jaw expanded even further. When the pain reached a point she didn't think she could handle, it stopped. Her long, split tongue flicked out and she watched it touch her flattened nose and then curl around her expanded jaw.

The world flared bright and Maida closed her eyes against the sudden light. When she opened them again, the world was awash with colors and details she never knew existed. Everything was more vibrant and bright. She focused in the distance and watched a hawk far away catch a sparrow in flight. Her body pushed and lengthened, skin stretching as her breasts flattened, pulling against her chest. Her spin lengthened to little 'pop' sounds again and again and she lay against the ground, grinding her fangs against each other. New ribs grew in a row down her body, stabbing against her flesh as her body pushed out. From the base of her spine a mass of flesh snaked out and she could feel it sliding and pushing against her bottom. Flesh against flesh. Her bare feet broke and the same tearing sensation at the tips of her expanding toes. Claws tore into the earth and Maida twisted, clawing at the bottom of her dress, nearly bent in half with the help of the extra muscles along her lengthened spine. Her claws tore ribbons into the simple dress and her legs were freed.

Maida rolled to her back. Her growing tail thrashed at the ground as she roared in pain. Gouts of flame shot from her mouth. Her claws explored her expanding body. Smooth flesh. She could no longer reach her lower belly without bending. Her breasts lay flat and, unseen to her, her nipples pulled to her chest and then untwisted, turning into pure white skin. Slowly, the flesh along her belly darkened. Pure white skin turned darker until the flesh took on the hue of onyx. Maida felt a million small tugs against her body as the skin hardened into scales. Black scales lining her chest and growing faster and faster until it reached her sex. Almost gently, the scales grew smaller around her moist, engorged vagina. The lips of her womanhood darkened to black as scales grew to cover her wetness. She felt new muscles connect to the scales and then those muscles tensed, pulling the scales open to reveal her still human sex.

Flesh tore and speckled around Maida's thighs and they expanded greatly. Golden scales grew in patches over the rest of her body. Maida rolled to her stomach and stretched, bones and joints cracking, thick tail crashing into the ground. She roared again in pain and a pure streak of white and blue flame melted everything in front of her. And then Maida howled as skin split in her back, tearing the newly formed scales. Wet black flesh pushed through the tears. Further and further until the leathery skin lay against the ground. Maida trembled and her new wings fluttered weakly. Golden scales covered her back and legs and she felt skin puckering and moving along her arms as the scales crept down to her fingers. Muscles bulged in her back and her wings lifted up from the ground.

For one brief moment, Maida was completely off of the ground, born into the air by her wings. Skin pushed from the back of her skull as it expanded, bone pushing out into the dragon's crown. In place of the antler-like horns the other dragon had, two long, black curved horns grew from other side of her skin. Maida could feel her tail moving - could feel the flesh of it against the ground. And, suddenly, could feel the now-familiar growth of new scales down the length of it. Jet black scales that matched her smooth belly grew from the base of her spine and down and around her tail in a spiral until the very tip was covered.

Maida looked around and the world was different. She was half the size of the other dragon and hadn't even noticed. With each breath, the furnace roared inside of her. She could feel the new muscles controlling her wings. She could feel the thick muscles of her tail undulating behind her. She could even feel the small and delicate muscles that controlled the scales covering her sex. The pain of her change lessened while she continued to grow. Maida went to her knees and looked down upon herself. Ribbed black scales covered her belly and chest. Her completely flat chest. She watched her tail whip left and right. Her dense claw-tipped fingers touched against her giant thighs and the screech of sound made her shiver. The sound... Maida touched the side of her head. Like the other dragon, her ears were gone. In their place was a bony growth around large holes.

The world made beautiful music around her. The wind sang, the grass hummed and the trees raised their voice in a harmony beyond anything she could imagine. Everything was just... more. She felt her heart swell deep within the armored cage of her chest.

Finally, she looked at the other dragon. He was no longer a beats. He? Yes, she could see it somehow now. Some subtle differences that told her it was a male dragon. The shape of the face. The cut of the jaw. The way the bones covered his eyes and ears. He was beautiful. Like a fancy smith's puzzle that suddenly came together, her mind suddenly saw him for who he was. Fast. Beautiful. Slender. Strong. His green eyes were the color of the most perfect gem. The red scales lining his body caught the light in a way that almost made them shine with all of the colors.

She didn't notice when she stopped growing. So caught up in her examination of the male dragon was she that she didn't notice her continual growth. The pain had become nothing. And now it stopped. Her tongue flicked at as her nostrils flared. She looked down and watched as the slit she'd noticed earlier between the male's legs parted. A giant, smooth bulbous penis bulged through the exposed flesh. She felt something inside of her expand and burn. Deep within her lower belly. A liquid fire poured through her bowels and, before she realized what was happening, the muscles over her sex relaxed, exposing herself.

I AM RAIDA. WINGED GLORY. Raida reached a clawed hand out to touch Maida's jaw. Her tongue flicked out and touched his fingers. YOU ARE IMMENSELY BEAUTIFUL. He told her. SPREAD YOUR WINGS FOR ME, MAIDEIRA. SHOW THE WORLD YOUR MIGHT. SHOW THE WORLD HOW FREE YOU ARE. ROAR, MAIDEIRA.

And, she did. Maida moved the muscles of her back and her wings cracked open. She felt her power. She felt the world around her. She roared and showers of flame filled the afternoon sky. She luxuriated in the heat of her breath and the gaze of the sun above her. The wind howled its greeting to her and she roared again.

When she spoke, the words formed for her. I AM MAI... MAI-DEER... MAI-DEER-UH.

MAIDEIRA. Raida said. I WILL TEACH YOU THE WORDS. AND WHAT SHALL YOU DO NOW, MAIDEIRA?

She turned to look at the male. Everything was possible. But, where should she begin? WHAT SHOULD I DO, RAI-DUH?

The male laughed. I AM NOT YOUR LORD, MAIDEIRA. YOU ARE FREE. YOU ARE ONE OF US, NOW.

Maida thought. WILL YOU WAIT FOR ME, RAI-DUH?

YES. I WILL WAIT.

The captain lay his sword on the floor in front his lord. On bent knee he spoke. "My wife died while I was at war. My sons died fighting that same war. And now I have watched a young girl be sacrificed against her will. I am in exile. I will leave the kingdom. You have my sword and my honor. Do I have your leave?"

Lord Forun's face turned bright red. "My... my... my! You don't-"

The captain lifted his eyes. "Or, shall I take my leave?"

"Go!" screamed Lord Forun. "If I see you again, I'll have you torn apart! Piece by piece! I'll-"

The captain walked away as the insults streamed from the lord's mouth. A few of the men threw their swords and joined their captain. No-one stopped them.

The captain made a stop at a small farm outside of the village. There, he handed a tearful woman a bag of coins. Gold glinted within. "There is a village three miles south of her that would welcome a widow of such wealth," he told her.

The woman looked confused. "But... But... I'm not a-"

The captain drew his long hunting knife. "Where is your husband?"

An hour later, the captain was cleaning blood from his knife when a shadow slid across the earth. He shielded his eyes and looked up. A golden dragon flew overhead. Golden like the young woman's hair, the captain thought. I'm becoming poetic in my old age. "Men, follow me. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Maida barely felt the arrows as they clacked off of her scales. She ignored the guards on the wall and angled herself for the keep. The wind streamed over her body and her body instinctively closed a second set of eyelids to keep her eyes from drying out. She twisted slightly and then lost track of the wind, suddenly crashing into the ground among a panicked crowd of nobles. When she stood, her body was covered in blood and entrails. She sniffed and he tongue flicked out. The hot copper smell made her belly rumble but she was not yet ready to try eating raw flesh. Maida awkwardly crashed her way towards the keep. Some brave soldiers swarmed her, striking at her body with their swords but she ignored them. She felt nothing but the faint pressure of their blows.

The keep lay in front of her and a platoon of soldiers guarded it. Faced with spears, Maida hesitated. She spread her wings and roared but the soldiers still stood their ground.

YOU STUPID MEN. She told them. Their lives ended in a roaring torrent of blue flame. The front of the keep erupted into fire around a large, newly melted hole. Maida walked into the keep, cracking the building open with her claws. The top of the building came to the middle of her stomach and she waded through the wreckage she caused. The great hall was easy to find and the lord cowered in the corner.

"I'll... I'll... please don't kill me! I have more women to send as tribute! More food! Gold! Gems! Whatever you want!" The man's crotch was stained with piss and Maida flared her nose in disgust.

YOU ALREADY GAVE ME EVERYTHING, LITTLE MAN. Maida's jet black claws closed around the lord. She felt spears bouncing from the scales and spikes in her back as she slowly crushed the life out of the man. Blood and flesh and guts dripped to the floor. Maida shook her hand, spraying the remains across the room. The rough skin on the palm of her hand was covered in blood. Feeling curious and still ignoring the swords and spears clanging against her, Maida's forked tongue flicked against her palm. Rather than recoil in disgust, she relished the deep and nuanced flavor of the blood. It tasted like nothing she'd had before and she wondered what it'd taste like when burned.

Ignoring her hunger, Maida bent low and tore at the floor. Sparks filled the air as her claws tore against tile and wood until she broke through. As gently as possible, Maida destroyed everything below her until she reached the cells two floors down. As carefully as possibly, she broke the bars holding the cowering women.

YOU'RE FREE. TAKE MY ADVICE. DON'T GO BACK TO YOUR FAMILY. MAKE A NEW FAMILY AND BE FREE.

Still ignoring the few remaining fearless soldiers, Maida walked out of the keep. Once clear, she beat her wings once, twice and then took flight. Raida circled in the distance and she cried out a greeting to him. He looped around and folded his wings, screaming towards her before braking to swing beside her.

ARE YOU FREE, MAIDEIRA?

YES. She told him. NOW I AM FREE.