Chapter 2

Delinsilversworth

Oh, was it hard to let her go; even for as long as it would take to get her things and place her on my back. Des didn't seem to have much and she quickly bundled it up and placed it on her back.

"Now have you thought of how we're to do this? I don't want to be upsetting you but you aren't very big."

"You could never upset me with the truth. My sire has told me to have you ride on my back just in front of my wings. I seem to remember something about that in one of the histories but I can't remember it completely. Do you have everything?"

"Yes, father made sure I had all that I would need for a few days. Shall we be off then?"

"Yes, lets."

I lowered my head and shoulders for her to get into place. I hardly felt her once she was there. I told her to hang on and we were off. I didn't run that fast and I kept my wings tucked in so that they wouldn't get caught on anything.

I wanted to laugh several times at the sounds she was making. They were similar to ones of a youngling on their first flight in their parent's arms. I wandered what sounds she would make then. I was very tempted to open my wings and see if I could get off the ground but as I could already see my sire, I told my temptation to wait for a few days.

It had been just a little before mid afternoon when we had left the camp and now it was early evening. My father had to clear out the caves of several things but since none were big enough to do much with he probable just ate them. He had also dug out the main cavern a little and some of the small side caves that were closest to the main opening.

"Father Ralyss, thank you for taking care of that for us. It would have taken us much longer to do it." Des began.

"You are welcome Daughter Des. My son is of the mind that you would know how to skin animals and to prepare the skins for other uses. Is this true?" replied Ralyss.

"I know how to stretch and treat the skins but I have never skinned anything. The men are the ones that usually did that. I did have several opportunities to watch. Why?" questioned Des.

"Del has asked me to see if there was a large older bear near by. I have looked and there are none here in this forest but I do know of one, some ways from here. I was thinking if you knew how to take care of it I would get it for you."

"You would? Del said nothing to me of this." She looked at me with that accusing look. I pretended to look at other things. "A bear would be good. I can smoke the meat to make it keep longer and even use it to trade for other things from my old village."

Ralyss let out a loud laugh. "She will have you well trained in no time son. Just like I am with your mother. I will go and get the bear and be back hopefully before the sun goes down."

He turned and moved away from us then leapt into the air and was off with a clap of thunder.

Des

I don't know why but I felt much better when Ralyss had gone. He was just so big and I think it made me realize just how small I was. Del and I decided to make a good-sized fire near the opening of the cave before we went exploring. The main cavern was big enough to fit six or seven Del's with room to spare. There were several small alcoves just to one side of the main entrance. I thought that these would be good as animal pens when we had some of course. At the back of the main cavern was a small pool of water from a spring. This was a very good thing; I wouldn't have to leave the cave to get water for any animals or for myself when the weather was bad. There was also a tunnel that had several alcoves branching off of it; two of which had Airing mushrooms in it. Del told me that his people liked them but there was never really enough. I told him that that was the same for my people, but for my people it could be used in several different ways. Del was fascinated by this and couldn't wait for me to show him. I picked a few, planning to cook them with the meat that Ralyss would be brining back.

We were both back outside waiting by the fire. We were still stripping branches from dead trees that Del had brought to the cave from just inside the forest; When Del heard a distant call and bugled his greeting. Ralyss landed some time later. He had found what he was looking for and had brought back one of the biggest bears I had ever seen. Thankfully, he had taken the head off and gutted it. There was very little blood left when I had asked Del to help me hang the thing and begin the process of skinning it.

By the time the sun was completely down, I had the skin nicely stretched and a large amount of meat hanging over a second very smokey fire, as well as a very large piece on a spit over the original fire. Ralyss left then and said he would return in a few days, most likely with Del's mother. Neither Del nor I were looking forward to that, but again what could we do.

That night I made an interesting nest of my father's fur blanket and the others that I had brought. Del had dug out a couple of shelves from the rock near where we were to sleep, one of which now held the candle. I had also started a small smokeless fire inside the cave. When all was ready, we brought all of the meat into the cave and placed it in on of the alcoves just in case. The closest alcove now sporting a nice small smoke hole so that we could continue to smoke and cure the meat; it would be finished by the time the sun came up. Del and I were probably the happiest that either of us had been in our entire lives. He even like the meat cooked as long as he could taste the Airing mushrooms.

We lay down together, me on the fur with Del wrapped around me. It was strange that I was happy to snuggle into him. This time though I couldn't resist and reached over and very softly stroked his stomach. I knew he could move fast but he was on his feet and away from me in a blink. For a moment, I wasn't sure if I had just surprised him or had hurt him.

"Del, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, you just startled me, that's all. Why did you do that?"

"The other day..."

"It was today dear." Del interpreted.

"It feels like it was several days ago. Any way when you covered me to keep Ren from seeing me, I had to really concentrate on not reaching up and touching your stomach. It looked so soft and smooth I just wanted to feel if it really was."

"You should have said something, my stomach is very sensitive, so much so that sometimes I can't control it."

"You mean to say that you're ticklish. Now I really want to run my hand along there." I wiggled my fingers at him.

"Well I just might let you but only if I can do the same." His tail came around me and stroked down my arm.

I took hold of the tail when it had gotten close to my hand then brought it up to my mouth and gave it a little kiss, just to see what would happen of course. To my surprise, Del shivered all over, and took me up in his arms. After a few moments of spinning around he put me back on my blanket, curled up around me, and then did something I would not have guessed he would do. He but his head near to the side of mine and slowly slid his tongue down the side of my neck; this time I shivered all over.

We spent some time caressing each other just to have an attempt at being together on a level of a married or mated couple. He did find several areas on me that were ticklish and I found that if I got him closer to the side he couldn't control himself any more than I could. But all too soon I could not keep my eyes open and so I wrapped myself around his tail and he covered me with his wing and I fell fast asleep.

Delinsilversworth

I wrapped myself around her not even wanting to breathe for fear it would wake her. I realized that I had forgotten to ask how long she would sleep. Then I remembered that she said something about when the sun came up. My people and I didn't need as much sleep but that was fine. As she slept, I watched her face; at times, there was an elegance to it that only made her look lovelier. Then, there were other expressions that showed her to be the youngling that she truly was. There was another question; how old was she? How long would we be together? The logical side of my brain kept coming up with question after endless question that I had no answer for.

I wanted to know why and how this was going to work and why the gods were doing this. Then the other half of me, the side ruled by my heart didn't care as long as I held true and loved this female with all that I possessed. I also knew that time would show clarity; I only hoped that she would have the same time as I would to get that clarity. At some point during the night I fell asleep and didn't wake until the sun came up and shown into the cave mouth.

I woke and stretched the next morning like I always did and froze in mid stretch and looked around. Des wasn't under me, which I was very thankful for but then she wasn't in the cave either, when I looked around I heard the sound of something striking wood and went out to see what it could be. I found Des using a smaller blade than the one she killed the male with on one of the trees. She was removing good-sized branches with one stroke; I was mesmerized. It wasn't until she had a good pile of branches that she noticed I was watching.

"Oh, good morning my darling, I hope I didn't wake you by chopping wood." She gave me a smile that lit up the entire area.

"No, I am actually surprised I slept. If I may ask, what are you doing?"

"I needed some smaller piece of wood for the fire and I wanted to get some more of the straight piece for fencing. I want to place a fence in front of two of the outer alcoves. That way when we have animals, I can bring them into the cave when the weather is bad. I also want to have a good-sized corral outside too. Animals need to have space to run."

"What animals were you thinking of getting and how?" I came over to where she was and sat near still watching.

"A goat or two might be good. I can make goat cheese and butter from the milk. I was thinking maybe some sheep. Wool is a good thing to use for trade and I can make some yarn, even though it won't be very good yarn, and make some new clothing from it. I was thinking of cattle but I don't know that much about them plus its more work to take care of them." As she talked, she continued to work.

"How will we get them, do we have anything to trade?"

"The bear skin is drying nicely and should be ready in a day or two. But I think it may come down to the mushrooms. I remember when a trader came with a small bag and he was able to leave the village with several bottles of good wine and some other things but I can't quite remember what. There is always the fruit, know matter how much we picked in our short stay, there is always more and more can always be used."

"How old were you when the mushroom trader went to your village? And how old are you now?"

"Well I think I was 8 when the trader came and I turned 15 just this last spring. I know that sounds young but there are some girls that have been married off by my age, all their idea too and well into womanhood of course."

"What does that mean?" I tilted my head to the side to emphasize the question.

"It means that the girls had become women, and were now of an age to be getting pregnant. That is able to have children."

"And this has happened to you, has it not?"

"Yes, at the beginning of the harvest trip it would seem, or at least just after we set up camp." Her face had a slowly rising level of red to it.

"Is that why you came back to your camp that first day? I could smell that there was something different about you but I wasn't sure what it was. What is the meaning of your face going all red like that, cute as it is, it doesn't match with the marking you have on your face now though those are fading too."

"It's called a blush. I usually only blush when I have to talk about thing that embarrass me, body things mostly."

"Are you embarrassed to talk to me about body things?" I tilted my head again just a little.

"Yes," she paused and took a deep breath. "And I know I shouldn't and don't have to be. You need to know these things now. That way you won't get concerned when once a moon I get very emotional and start bleeding." By her body language I could tell that she was letting go of the embarrassment.

"The females of my race go through something like that but only when they are in season."

"My people are always in season. The females or women can conceive after just one coupling with the man. Sometimes it takes more but since I have never been with a man and thanks to you, was saved from a very nasty one. I do not expect that I will ever have a child."

"The woman that took to her dwelling when you came back to camp, I think, was with child. There is a scent that all female creatures get when in the family way. Does this not make you sad? I do not want you to regret that you have bonded with me. I..."

Des stopped what she was doing and walked over to me and took my head in both of her hands. "I would not have chosen to bond with anyone but you. I loved you from the first rock you threw at Ren saving me from something I didn't want. I can live without having children. If the time comes that you just can't live without them, you and I can find a female of your people and see if she would be willing to have one for you."

I was very much moved and pulled her to me and nuzzled her. "If you can live without, so can I, I doubt we would find any females that would have me. Most of my people think of me as a brainy runt. And I will admit that I am rather a know-it-all." I looked at her face as slowly a smile crawled across it and the fact that she was trying not to let it made it even cuter. So to save her from laughing for no reason I ran my tale tip up her back, then asked, "Are there any questions that you have of me or do you just want to talk about you?" letting my words show my joy.

"Well, since you gave me permission, how old are you?" she asked with a little silly sarcasm.

"I just turned 195 years old."

"What would that be if you were human?"

"Let me think. By the time we are 45-55 and we have learned to fly, we go on to meet with others of our age for more learning. Being small, I spent a lot of time studying. I would say that I am near your age set maybe a few years older."

"If you are small, what size should you be? And by the way, I don't care what size you are, you're perfect to me."

Her words touched me and made me love her even more. Des then let go of me and went back to work. "My siblings are all taller and bigger in the body than I am by quite a bit. I come only up to my sisters' shoulder. Do you have siblings?"

"I do; one older brother, one younger and a younger sister. My brother is near to the size of my father and taller than my mother by almost a head. My mother is taller than me by more than half a head but I haven't finished growing yet. Have you always had the steel grey coloring that you have now?"

"Yes, it does get a bit lighter when I shed but that shouldn't happen for some time. Have your eyes always been the same color?"

"Yes. The midwife was a little scared of that when I was born. That's a woman who helps with birthing babies."

I was amazed that Des could work and talk so easily. But the more she worked the more questions both of us had for each other. When she finished with the branches she started up a good fire and made a strange three-legged thing and placed it over the fire, she hung a small pot with water on it. I did ask question about this but I had seen the others of her group do this in order to make food. When the water was starting to steam, she took some of the meat and broke it up and put it into the pot with some root things. Then she went into the cave and brought out a big, at least to her was big, piece of the bear. I took it and ate it in two bites. I knew I would need to hunt for more food later but I really wasn't all that hungry. I was too fascinated just watching and asking questions as well as answering them.

Des

I continued to work as I was cooking my breakfast. I knew what I pulled out for Del would not keep him for long but we were having too much fun asking questions. We asked about the things that happened to us as children, he told me about when he sheds and how much it itches. And by the time the food was ready, as well as a blissful memory, we had come back to some of the more personal questions and I blushed again. But an idea came to me, "Del the next time you need to shed let me help you. If the pieces are big enough, we could use it to make clothing out of it. That is if it stays soft, pliable and capable of being sewn; we would have something that even the highest leaders of my people will buy."

"Really, I have some back in my parent's caves. When the scales have settled I'll go and get some."

"Del, when do you think your father is going to tell your mother?"

"Ralyss would not have gotten home until this morning. If she's in a good mood, he might tell her as soon as he gets there. If not he might wait; either way he'll take time to calm her down. I would guess tomorrow morning at the earliest. It might be a good idea to stay in the cave until I can talk to her."

"I think we should do it together, you stood with me to face my family, I would like to stand with you to face yours."

"That is very brave but my mother is the kind to swipe first then ask who it was later."

"I'll still stand with you. She's not going to do anything to me because your father would have told her how closely bonded we are. Look, you need to hunt, so go and get yourself a nice deer or elk. If you bring it back I can skin it before you eat and that way I'll have another skin to use for trade or to make something for myself."

He brought his head down and nuzzled me then walked away into the open so that he could take off. That was when I realized that I hadn't seen him fly. He hunched his legs up under himself and with a great leap into the air opened his wings with a snap and off he went.

I decided I had enough wood for fencing and the fire for now and went to get the basket. After emptying it of its contents, I went out and started cutting grass with my father's short sword and filling the basket so that I could take it into one of the alcoves. I had filled the basket several times and had most of the alcove floor covered when Del came back with a good-sized deer; the head of course was gone and most of the blood with it. I stopped what I was doing so that I could skin the deer. When I turned around to tell Del that he could take the carcass, I found him trying to cut grass with his talons and he was doing a good job of it too.

When I had finished stretching the skin over a frame, Del had filled the basket and had a nice pile next to it. I couldn't help it, the sight was just too much and I laughed. Del turned and just looked at me. After a moment he looked at what he was doing and had to join me, I walked over to him and but my arms around him and together we let go and laughed some more. Del was able to get himself under control before I did and so sat waiting for me, finally I did. "Del what ever possessed you to start cutting the grass when I stopped?"

"I knew you were going to go tend the deer and I didn't just want to sit and do nothing while my mate worked. I had seen you using the blade to cut the grass and I thought I could do the same with my talons, so I tried and it worked." He sounded proud of himself.

"You great silly thing, go get your lunch before I take more of it for the smoker and I'll just take what you cut for me into the alcove."

By the time I finished Del had polished off his deer and was cleaning his talons, looking quite satisfied. I decided there was time for one more question or two before I had to go back to work but I came up with something else. "Del, would you do something for me."

"Anything darling, whatever your heart desires." He was trying to be romantic and it was working.

"Would you fly for me? You looked so magnificent earlier but I lost sight of you as you went over the trees. So, would you do it again for me, please? I want to lay here for a moment and just watch you." For an answer he leapt backwards then sprang into the air. I laid down right there and watched as he flew straight up then did some beautiful aerial acrobatics and finally came spiraling down to the ground landing almost on top of me, which I think he meant to do and moving so that he was.

"Del that was beautiful. Would that you could take me with you but I can't see how you would, even though I weigh less than a deer."

"I will think of a way. For surely you were meant for the sky, for that is where my heart goes every time I see you."

I was so moved by his words that I blushed despite myself and wished that one day I would wake and be one of the Wyrms. I wanted to love him, the same way that my mother loved my father, I wanted to give all of myself to him and I wanted to take all of him in return. It was total silliness really but as I laid there with him over me I reached up and took hold of his face and brought it close to mine and kissed him right on the mouth. I could feel his surprise and when his lips started to respond to mine, I was taken aback by that same surprise and stopped.

"Des, why did you stop? What ever that was, I liked it." He stated with a confused looked on his face.

"It's call a kiss, though I didn't think Wyrms knew how to. Is this something you do among your people, too?" I replied just as confused if not more.

"No, we touch, and caress each other, wrap our necks around one another, even nuzzle each other like I do some times with you now, but our mouths rarely touch. Was this wrong? If it was, you started it." he was trying to sound sarcastic.

"I don't know what is right or wrong when it comes to us. My people kiss to show affection to one another. There are several kinds of kisses too; the one we just gave each other is the type usually given between two people that are in love, another kind is more like a press of lips, like this." I showed him by pressing my lips to his fast. "This kind is given when there is no time for something more stimulating or as a fast hello or good bye. Mothers and fathers will give this kind to their children too, either on the mouth, fore head, or check. Some times this kind of kiss is shared between good friends as part of saying hello or good bye."

"All those things can be said with a kiss. What an interesting language your people must have."

"There's more to it but I don't know it all. My mother had only just started talking to me about the ways of man and woman and I knew there would have been many more talks on the subject, as I grew older. I'm not sure what to do know."

"Can we go back to kissing? My lips feel strange and seem to miss yours against them." He made a slow move to try to start again. I moved his head and kissed him on the nose. He seemed to pout when I did this.

"I think we can do that later but for know I have a hide to tend to and grass to cut. So if you would, please get up."

"What if I don't want to? What if I'm comfortable right were I am?" he said mischievously as he wiggled a little to settle himself more.

"If it were later in the day I would be happy to stay where we are, but we also need more wood and you're better at getting dead trees out of the forest than I am."

"Ah, so I am. Then you go work on the skin and I'll be back with another dead tree." He got up slowly and before I could get up, he came back down and gave me a fast kiss on the mouth and then ran off into the woods. I got up, touched my lips with my hand and went back to work.

Delinsilversworth

I ran into the forest going further than I had intended but I needed to think. Des had done more than just teach me to kiss. She had aroused me near to the point of mating; I couldn't believe it. I found a creek and after taking a drink, I sat looking at my reflection in the water. I found myself moving my lips in the same movements that I had done when Des kissed me. 'Oh this is insane.' I thought to myself then and promptly dunked my head in the creek. The water was cold and felt good on my scales. I finally finished and decided that I had spent too much time on myself and went to find one or two downed trees.