There were many legends of dragons in the UK, most of them ending with the dragon being slain by a brave knight. Though not all dragons were the winged, fire-breathing kind that are so common in modern fantasy. Indeed, many dragons in English, Scottish, and Welsh folklore were described as wyrms, huge snakelike beasts that lacked wings and sometimes legs. Their breath was not always fiery, sometimes it was their venom that made them so deadly. These wyrms were known to be plagues on the countrysides, devouring any man or beast it could find until they were stopped.
Such imagery was brought to mind when one saw Iphis, Ianthe, Typhoon, and Waterlily at the Renaissance Fair. Their pregnant bellies were getting increasingly swollen, which is saying something considering they looked full term when they were in their second month. Their delivery was still was still at least two months away and that wasn't making things even easier. And considering each of them were eating for seven (technically eight in Iphis and Ianthe's case), their appetites were quite tremendous. And there were not many who were wanting to come between a 6-to-8 anaconda and something it wanted to eat.
"You know, it's a little weird," said Lily, as she was holding a turkey leg shi was eating, "Before I changed, I didn't really care much for meat. I mean, I knew about the balance of nature, but meat never held much of an interest to me. And this turkey, brine-soaked, fat-dripping, and full of tendons as it is should make me feel disgusted. But I can't stop myself from eating it."
"So why are you stopping?" asked Iphis before swallowing a turkey leg whole.
"That doesn't seem particularly healthy," said Lily.
"Before we uplifted, we ate entire animals whole," said Ianthe as Iphis was still swallowing. One of the advantages of being two-headed was that one head could keep talking while the other ate and when both heads were eating, it didn't take too long for them to get full. "I don't think just swallowing one bone is going to kill us," said Ianthe.
"But don't forget the babies," said Lily.
Iphis finished swallowing and said, "They'll need more calcium. And nothing has more calcium than actual bone."
"Guys, where did Ty go off to?" asked Ianthe, looking around.
"Oh no, don't tell me shi's gone on another feeding frenzy," said Lily. Of the four of them, Ty was the most susceptible to the mood swings and weird cravings than the others. They guessed it was because Ty was originally just male and was unused to the female hormones in hir hermaphrodite body.
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"Gangway! Coming through! Crazy serpent lady coming!" yelled a tourist who was running while holding a bag to his chest. Ty was slithering after the guy as fast as shi could, considering she was loaded with offspring. It seemed like the guy would be getting away from the ravenous reptile.
But then he bumped into somebody quite large. "Whoa there, laddie," said Nessa Lochhead, peering down at the tourist, "What's all the rush about?" The tourist stared up, a bit gobsmacked at the sight of what looked like an anthro busty version of the Loch Ness monster wearing a white blouse and a tartan skirt.
Then a hungry hiss not far behind made him remember why he was running. "You gotta help me, lady," said the tourist, "I was getting some lunch when that big pregnant snake lady started coming after me. I barely fended her off and got away with my haggis."
"Aye, I don't blame ye for givin' battle," said Nessa, "The stomach, liver, and lungs of a sheep mixed with suet and seasonings is well worth fightin' for."
The tourist looked at his bag of haggis before saying, "Yuck, you mean to tell me I was about to eat a disgusting sack of animal parts?"
"Oh, stop. Yer makin' me mouth water," said Nessa. Then Ty came slithering over to them, still hissing with hunger. However, Nessa held out a hand and stopped Ty from getting closer. "Now, is that any way ta behave? Ye can't just go rushin' after a man just because ye have the munchies," scolded Nessa.
"Uh, that's ok. She can have it," said the tourist, handing the haggis over to Ty.
Ty didn't waste any time emptying the bag's contents down hir throat. "Sorry," shi said, "It just smelled so good."
"Aye, it does. I might have some of that meself," said Nessa, "But still, ye need ta control yerself. Yer gonna be a mother and a father soon. Ye gotta be actin' more respectable."
"Did you say mother and father?" asked the tourist.
"Well-" started Ty.
"On second thought, I don't wanna know," said the tourist, "I need to salvage as much of my appetite as I can." With that, he walked off.
"Well, that wasn't vera polite," said Nessa before stretching her long neck upwards, "Oh, I see yer kin comin'."
Lily, Iphis, and Ianthe slithered over. "Ty, you can't go charging off like that," said Lily, "You can't lose control of yourself in public."
"I'm sorry..." sniffled Ty, suddenly close to tears.
"Mood swings?" asked Nessa.
"Mood swings," said the other anacondas.
"Well, as long as shi's not lashin' out in anger at people," said Nessa.
"You mean besides that time shi threw someone who bumped into hir?" asked Ianthe.
"He was a bird. He was able to fly away," said Ty defensively.
"Oh boy. Sounds like a real handful," said Nessa.
"You have no idea," said Iphis, "Say, is there someplace to eat at nearby?"