Dragon Riders of Etrea 2—Chapter 16

The next two days were probably the happiest days of Henrik’s entire life.

He woke each morning feeling completely refreshed, usually with Anslie’s head on his burly shoulder. He was not used to sleeping next to someone on a regular basis, but he found he enjoyed it. 

Anslie made him breakfast, usually something from her garden. She was decently skilled in her kitchen, which was nice.

After that, Henrik would go to the cave to see his dragon. While being intimate with Anslie filled his life with joy, it was the dragon that had to be a priority.

Calduin was always excited to see him. In the two weeks Henrik was gone, the dragon had grown a substantial amount; he was now the size of a large dog, with a long tail. Henrik found two skins on the side of the cave. Anslie explained that he would shed his skin quite often, as he grew so rapidly. She saved the skins, saying they were important.

Calduin always flooded Henrik’s mind when the two met. He was still like a toddler, excitement bubbling over every time Henrik came near. Through all that, Henrik sensed a strong thread of trust, which gave him hope for the future, and that massive presence of mind that always lurked in the shadows.

Henrik always wore his sword when he spent time with Calduin. Keeping his hand on the hilt bolstered his mind and made it much easier to handle the dragon’s thoughts. It even made it easier to talk with Tossyth, which was an added bonus. She was glad to see Henrik treat her baby with so much kindness.

That was something new to Henrik as well; kindness and compassion. He had grown up in a hard world where only the strongest survived. His strength and skill with a blade were the main reasons he had done so well in life. There was no room for kindness in a life like that. Compassion would have gotten him killed.

So he learned with the dragon. Not knowing what else to do, he treated the beast the way he would a dog, with lots of head pats and back rubs. Calduin loved both, and flooded Henrik’s mind with affection each time.

He took the dragon for walks, both to spend time with him and to encourage him to fly. Calduin’s wings were still too weak to hold him up, but he flapped as hard as he could and bounced around, trying his hardest.

On occasion, Henrik had to deal with the darker side of the dragon. Just like toddlers had to be taught that punching someone in the face wasn’t nice, Calduin had to be taught that biting and hurting people was wrong. Thoughts would float between them, Calduin’s desire to fly around and burn everything with his flaming breath. Henrik had to rebuke him sharply and insist that their mission was to protect people, not harm them.

A few times, Henrik bent down and picked the baby dragon up. Calduin initially balked and scrambled away, but finally let him. Henrik carried him like a baby, belly-up in his arms. When Anslie saw them, she burst out laughing.

And then, there was the strength of Calduin’s mind. Sometimes when they communicated, Henrik could feel it, like a massive hand reaching out to completely smother him. With his grip on the sword his mind overpowered Calduin’s, but the baby dragon kept trying. Henrik was able to tell that it wasn’t malicious; it was just how the dragon was. It was natural for him to try to overpower people’s minds.

“When will he start breathing fire?” he asked Anslie on the second day as they cuddled naked on the bed.

“Soon,” she said, gently tracing her fingers along the hair on Henrik’s chest. “I spoke with Tossyth about this the other day. Snow dragons grow very quickly, because they often have to fight other snow dragons. In another two weeks he’ll be the size of a small pony. Shortly after that, he’ll be flying.”

“Wow,” Henrik said.

“Yes, Tossyth goes hunting for the both of them daily. Calduin eats nearly as much as she does. I imagine two months from now you’ll be able to ride him. Well, you’re quite heavy, so maybe not. But soon.”

Henrik blinked at that. The thought of riding a dragon still amazed him. He’d have to make a saddle, but at least he had Anslie to help him. And, he supposed, soon he would have Isobel as well.

“When will I get my powers from him?” Henrik asked.

Anslie took a deep breath. “When Calduin begins breathing fire, you should gain a similar power. You’ll be able to summon fire in your hands. You’ll have to be very strict with him and teach him not to burn everything down.”

“You sound frightened.”

“Because I am,” Anslie said. “A snow dragon, breathing fire in my home? Yes, I am scared and unashamed of my fear.”

Henrik looked over at his black-bladed sword, leaning against the corner. The only weapon in the world capable of harming a snow dragon. He just hoped he would never have to use it. He was beginning to grow fond of Calduin.

“Don’t worry, honey,” he said, wrapping his arms around Anslie. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“It does help when you say that,” she said. She stretched up and kissed him softly.

Since she was lying on his arm, Henrik used that to pull her on top of him. Anslie giggled and straddled Henrik. She worked her hips back and forth as they kissed, covering his cock with her juices as she became more aroused.

With a smile, she reached between her thighs and took hold of Henrik’s member, then sank down on it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“I will never tire of how you feel inside me,” she said, sounding as happy as could be.

Henrik remained on his back for a bit, letting Anslie do the work. She brought her hips up until only the tip remained inside her, then sat back down on his lap, taking all of him. She then gyrated, moving her hips in a circle with him fully buried inside her. The sensation was mind-blowing.

After that, Henrik bent his knees. She leaned forward, placing her hands on his chest for support. Henrik grabbed onto her hips and the two quickly fell into rhythm together, her bouncing up and down while he thrust up into her. Her breasts shook with each impact, and the look of bliss on her face deepened.

“Suck on my nipples,” she said, straightening her back and leaning forward. 

She took one of her large breasts in her hand and Henrik readily met it with his lips. Both of his hands came up and grabbed onto her breasts, squeezing them while he licked, sucked, and nibbled on her pale pink nipples.

Anslie closed her eyes and let out breathy moans as they made love. After a moment, one of her hands moved between her legs and she began rubbing her clitoris side to side. Henrik focused on her breasts, moving his mouth from one to the other. He gently nibbled on one nipple, bringing it hard and erect, then gave it a sharp bite.

“Oh gods, yes!” Anslie said. Her finger moved even faster on her love button, and she rode him hard and fast. “Yes, Henrik. Oh—Oh Henrik!”

She suddenly took a deep breath and practically melted in his hands. Her entire body shook bucked and Henrik pushed himself deep inside her. Anslie put her other hand behind Henrik’s head, holding his face tightly to her breast while she climaxed. 

While some women could go multiple times, Anslie was not one of them. After a hard orgasm like that, she collapsed against his chest, breathing hard. Henrik’s hands went to her hips and he continued his relentless pounding of her pussy. Only seconds later his fingers dug into her skin as he blasted his seed deep inside her.

They remained in bed for a while after that, just a sweaty mess in tangled sheets. Anslie loved to feel him inside her, and sighed when she finally got up.

They went to the waterfall to wash themselves off. The water was cold enough to make Henrik shiver, but it quickly sharpened his mind. He felt incredibly focused after a dip in the cold water, whereas a hot bath would have relaxed him.

“I feel the same way,” Anslie said, smiling at him as they walked back to her cottage.

Henrik just looked at her, confused.

“We can communicate with each other the same way as with the dragons,” she said. “Although it’s not quite as powerful.” She smiled up at him and Henrik felt waves of love radiate into his mind.

He reached out and put an arm around her shoulders. “You know, I’ve always said that I could never settle down with someone. Not this young. I’d grow stir-crazy after a few days and leave, seeking adventure.”

“So, how are you taking it, then?” she asked.

Henrik kissed the side of her head. “I don’t think there’s any place I’d rather be.”

He took his bow and went hunting later. Plenty of small deer called the mountains home, and he was able to get one of them. He almost bled and gutted the animal right there, but then thought better of it. Instead, he tossed the small deer over his shoulder and walked back to Anslie’s cottage.

Calduin smelled the blood before he even arrived.

The baby dragon raced to the front of the flat area in front of the cave, looking down the hill toward Henrik. He practically leaped with anticipation.

“Well, someone’s excited,” Henrik said as Calduin leaped up, his jaws snapping at the deer carcass. “Uh uh. No, don’t you dare bite me. I’m going to eat some myself, then you can have the rest.”

Waves of irritation practically radiated off of Calduin as he sulked back to the cave.

Henrik took the carcass to Anslie’s cottage, where he carefully butchered the animal. He saved the best cuts for them, then took the rest back to the dragon cave. Calduin was waiting for him, his tail practically vibrating.

“Alright, boy,” Henrik said as he approached the dragon with the carcass held in both hands. “Here you go.” He tossed it onto the ground.

Calduin leaped onto the remains of the deer carcass, tearing at skin and biting chunks off. He didn’t even bother chewing, he just tore a piece off and shook his head until it slid down his throat.

Tossyth approached and watched the two of them. Henrik felt strong approval from her, since he was feeding her baby.

He heard a crunch and looked down. Calduin had bitten through several ribs. He did chew those a few times, but then they went down his throat in the same manner. The only thing he didn’t eat were the hooves.

“Well, feeding you is certainly going to be interesting,” Henrik said. When the dragon was done, he reached down and patted him on the head. Calduin let out that faint purring noise again, although now that he was larger it was deeper in pitch. It sounded similar to a raspy growl.

“Just don’t eat people, okay?” Henrik said.