Newly Laid Plans

Perhaps it was an effect of Izagor's smell and those sex pheromones which were clouding Mason's mind, or perhaps it was simply the knowledge that he was fulfilling a fundamental biological goal, but he could hardly believe just how good it felt. Mason couldn't think, but it felt so wonderfully right to be hold Izagor close, emptying himself into her and fulfilling the most primal of desires.

Finally, after an eternity which had just been a brief fraction of a minute, that pleasurable high slowly faded away and left behind a blanketing sensation of satisfaction and affection. Mason panted softly as he gradually recovered.

* * * * *

Izagor was making a pleased rumbling noise from her chest. "Hmmmrrrr... That was good," she said.

"So good. So very good." Mason spent another few seconds atop his mate, then he slowly shifted his weight off her and fully onto his own hindlegs. His penis slid out of her slit, and a strand of bodily fluid briefly connected their reproductive organs. Slowly his mind was reengaging, his intellect spinning back into action to figure out what needed to happen next. "So we're going to be parents then... Lots of preparations to be made."

"Mm hmm." Izagor casually stretched herself, and Mason heard several pops as she twisted her back from side to side. She spun herself around in a circle, then lay down on her side and patted the area right behind her. Mason got the hint, and he walked over and lay down right next to her, just on the floor.

Snuggling back against him, Izagor nodded happily and entwined their tails together. "I feel fatter already, almost as if the egg (or eggs) have already begun growing inside me. Ooh, that's going to be so weird having to lay. Scary."

Even as he gently spooned against his mate, Mason was already starting to make plans. "Let's assume that our child is just going to be a normal dragon hatchling, because we were both in dragon form when conception occurred. So it doesn't really make sense for us to stay here anymore, does it?"

"Hmm. I suppose we could both go live with my clanmates down in the southeast? Some of them have been nagging at me for years to stop roaming about and settle down," Izagor replied.

"If it was just you and me, I would be entirely alright with us roaming and exploring the world all away from society, but I don't think that's a good way to raise a child. Both dragons and humans are social species, after all. It takes a community," Mason said. He rolled to his feet and went back over to his table. He stared at the transformation crystal there, which could return him to his normal form with just a touch.

Still sprawled out on the floor, Izagor turned her head to keep looking at Mason. "Alright, so we could raise our offspring amongst my clan's home territory? It's a nice big mountain range—lots of open space, fresh air, plenty of other dragons of all ages. I'm alright with this, but that would mean you would have to live there properly, Mason. You wouldn't be just visiting for a few days, but fully committing to living amongst my clan as a dragon."

"I could do it! You're living as a human right now, so surely I could learn to live as a dragon amongst your people," Mason countered. He snatched up the transformation crystal from the table, and once again magical power began to alter his form. Inversely to what had happened just a while before, his body started to lose draconic traits in favour of human ones.

Izagor watched her mate change. "Haha, this is going to be such an adventure!" She grinned at him, remembering the one time he had visited her clan before. "To be honest with you, love... I think some of my clanmates thought you were so very weird last time you visited. And that's without them even having the faintest idea that you're a human. We can't tell them, of course."

As his transformation wound down, Mason stood fully upright and went over to pull on his clothes again. "Even if we don't tell them about me actually being a human, would they... accept us?" he asked. "If we go to your clan's territory, and just... show up out of nowhere with you all gravid, would they accept us and help us?"

Izagor nodded. "Definitely! Dragons change clans all the time, and joining a clan because you're taking a mate is an entirely normal thing to do. We'll need to come up with some exciting history for you—maybe you're from some mysterious, far-off clan, but by my great wiles and my mastery of seduction, I have enticed you to join our clan!" The dragoness rolled onto her back and giggled, kicking her legs up into the air. "Heheh! This is going to be great. I hope. Hopefully we don't mess this up. I hope we're good parents."

"Eh. What's the worst that can happen?" Mason laced up his boots, then he walked over to the door and snatched up his coat, which completed the process of donning his clothing. "Shall we head back to the academy hostel? I'll cast an illusion spell over you so that you'll be hard to see through the snowfall unless someone else gets close. The arch wizard said that the alarms will be stood down, so for tonight at least there won't be a concern about your presence being detected."

Izagor got to her feet and trotted over towards Mason. "Let's go home." She gently nuzzled his side with her snout, then she dropped to her belly. "Climb onto my back and cast your illusion spell over us both. I'll fly us over to the hostel."

Mason looked out the closed window—the snowstorm was coming down heavily, and visibility was very low. "Are you sure you want to fly in this weather?"

"It'll be faster than walking. We'll be less cold this way."

"Alright." Mason shut off his office's lights and grabbed his satchel, then he carefully swung his leg up to mount Izagor's back, riding right between her shoulder blades with his legs going just in front of her wings. "I suppose this sort of thing will become impossible for you once you're pregnant, because of the egg weighing you down."

"I didn't even think about that, but you're right! I've heard from my older clanmates that carrying an egg inside you is very inconvenient. Makes flying pretty much impossible, supposedly." Izagor pushed herself upright. She took a moment to get used to Mason's weight, then she curled her tail around and tried to unlock the window's latch. "Good thing I'll only have to worry about that for a week or two. Grah... Can you help me get that latch?"

"Sure. I'll conceal us too. Viga!" Mason muttered, using a simple illusion spell to shroud them both and make them partially invisible from a distance. Such spellwork would hardly stand up to any close scrutiny, but at night in a snowstorm, it was unlikely they would come across anyone else wandering around the academy grounds. Mason reached over to unlock the window latch, but then something Izagor had said stuck in his mind. "Uh, what do you mean by a week or two?" he asked.

"Just, you know—being gravid. I'm glad I won't have to carry our egg inside me for too long, and I can lay it out next week or so," Izagor replied casually.

"Wait, what?" Mason had been pushing open the window, letting in a cold gust of snowy wind, but he stopped and hurriedly pulled the window shut again. Clearly there were some information here which had not been adequately communicated. "Hold on now, hold on. A week? Seriously?"

Izagor slowly nodded. "Yes? Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because... humans have to pregnant for nine months, but you're saying that you... you're going to lay an egg next week?" Mason asked.

"Nine months? That seems like an awfully long time to have something growing inside you." Izagor lazily patted a paw against her underbelly. "Female dragons can produce their eggs one week after being bred. Which is hardly surprising because being in heat is my body already doing a lot of the hard work in preparation for making an egg, and the one week afterwards is just when the proper process starts after conception. Once the egg is laid, it'll take anywhere from three-quarters to... five quarters of a year for the hatchling to develop, depending on how big the egg is."

"Still, one week is really fast!"

"Chickens can lay eggs in a day. Not that I'm comparing myself to a chicken, but the point stands," Izagor replied.

Still sitting atop the dragoness, Mason ran his hand through his hair. He had been mentally coming up with a list of things that would need to be done, but this sudden revelation changed the time frame. "Ok, I don't question biology, but we don't have anything prepared yet! In one week's time we'll need to be ready to handle an egg?"

"We'll have to prepare a nice little nest for the egg. Nothing fancy, just someplace to keep it safe and warm. Taking care of an egg isn't that hard," Izagor replied. "I hope," she added after a moment.

Mason was torn between an excited grin and a nervous frown. "Ok, right. No problem. We've always figured things out in the end, so this time won't be any different." He unlatched the window and pushed it partially ajar.

Izagor used her snout to push the window the rest of the way open, and then she carefully hopped through and onto the thin ledge just outside. A freezing wind blew all around them, and snowflakes spun down from the sky in spiralling patterns. Carefully she used her tail to push the window shut again, then she leaned back and prepared to spring from the ledge. "I'll fly us back to the hostel real fast! Ready?"

Mason clutched onto her back, his hands going around her neck. "I'm holding on. Take us home."

Izagor took a deep breath of the winter air, then she leapt into the air.

* * * * *

EPILOGUE

After about half a minute of repeated knocking, a librarian came to open the locked front doors. "Professor? You're very early. The library normally doesn't open for another hour."

Mason glanced around—admittedly it was rather early in the morning, with the sun barely even risen. "Ah, yes. Hello. Sorry to bother you, but I'm in a bit of a rush. I just need to borrow some books. It's urgent."

"Um... Normally we're strict on opening times, but you are a professor, and if it's urgent I guess I could make an exception." The librarian stepped back and let Mason into the library. "We're still sweeping the floors and getting the archive in order, but you can go ahead and borrow your books if you want."

"Fantastic! Fantastic. Thank you!" Mason hurried into the library, then he paused and turned back to the librarian. "Sorry to bother you again, but where is the archive for the Department of Zoology?"

"Zoology is in this wing, right over that side there." The librarian pointed to the far side of the library's large open space, filled with innumerable bookshelves. "Anything topic in particular?"

"Dragons. I need books on dragons, especially on their society and biology," Mason said. "Just for a little research project," he added after a few seconds.

"Of course. Dragons would be shelves 36 and 37, I believe," said the librarian. "Just come find me a gain once you have the books you want. Good luck with your project, professor."

Mason smiled and nodded at the librarian. "Thank you. This project will be... quite something different from usual."

* * * * *

THE END