Anija had never been truly sexual with her Rider before. At the end of bathing and, after growing feathers, grooming sessions, he had masturbated her to orgasm, but this had been very clinical, done with all of the passion of processing a piece of meat. It had always been done with Vaestro's fingers instantly going to the pressure points and quickly getting a release, which helped manipulate Anija's hormones to insure that she would bond to Vaestro as an obedient mount.
Karyu and Luka had an unorthodox relationship. It was widely thought that their more loving relationship was only possible because they were generally exceptional. "Don't make love to your mount, or you will get role-confusion," a more orthodox Rider would say.
"Luka and Karyu are special: would you do half the things that an athlete would do? You'd break your back!"
"Dragons must not be allowed to think they are people."
"Let a dragon get too confident, and he'll turn on you."
"It's perverted."
It was unusual that Karyu's name was known to the public. It was considered to be silly and unnecessary to mention the name of a Rider's dragon. To most Riders, the names of their dragons were pet names, given in the same spirit that one would name a favorite weapon. Calling a dragon a hero was like calling a sword a hero for a victory in battle: not only was it preposterous, but it was disrespectful toward its wielder, even though the battle could never have been won without the sword. The Rider was to blame if the battle was lost, and the Rider was to be credited if it was won. The mount was just a tool, no matter how incredibly powerful it might be. The mount was just a thing, even though the Rider would not be a Rider without the mount. Karyu was an exception, but to most, he was “the exception that proved the rule.”
"Luka," Anija whispered. The Rider was leaning over the balcony of the third-floor suite in which they were staying, looking over the foreign kingdom and taking in the sights, presently dressed in only her lacy bedtime lingerie. The first thing the Crew had done, upon entering the outskirts of the Kingdom of Valarius, was to purchase Luka some more traditional clothing, since a warrior's tunic, while it would be conservative for a 21st Century cheerleader's uniform, was risque by the standards of the more conservative Kingdom of Valarius. Since it was nighttime, though, Luka was dressed in only her lacy, black teddy and likewise vanishingly thin slippers, which had her tanned, feminine, muscular body looking more tiger-like and animalistic than ever. Luka was virtually as much of an animal as Karyu, just as Karyu was virtually as human as Luka.
“So you went hen again, huh?” Luka observed.
Anija ducked her head embarrassedly.
Luka smiled at that. “You make a beautiful hen,” she assured Anija.
Anija only flushed more, although this time with pleasure. “Thank you,” she said.
“You are such a pretty dragon,” Luka continued, “that I can hardly imagine why you should want to be a drake. Even as a drake, you were more feminine than most hens. Are you afraid to conceive?”
Anija shook her head. “Not anymore. I would not have delivered offspring willingly into what I had expected to be a harsh life as pirate scum, but the Crew has made me feel so safe. Even going into danger, I feel safer with us working together than I ever have in my life. With Vrackie pregnant with our offspring, I was willing enough to be a father to them, but I have also fallen in love with my Rider. He is such a noble man, Luka. He is considerate and thoughtful. Whenever public opinion has turned against us, he always won over just the right people. He thinks several moves ahead, all the time. He is everything that attracts me, in a male. Except...” Anija paused anxiously.
Luka caressed the hen’s neck reassuringly. “Take your time,” she whispered.
“Luka,” Anija started again, “I just wonder, does Karyu’s size and strength ever make you feel he ought to be dominant?” Anija asked nervously.
Luka laughed at that, although in a kind voice. “For one thing, Karyu is slightly more partial to drakes than he is to hens, and he likes being bred like a hen, which I assure you is fun to watch. I think that every like-inclined drake for miles has had a piece of him. For another thing, though, let me tell you what Karyu is under all of that muscle: he’s a big baby. It’s not my size or strength that makes me the one in charge. It is the fact that I take responsibility and provide him with guidance and reassurance. I make him feel safe and rightly guided.”
"Us dragons need a lot of guidance," Anija admitted.
At this, Luka smiled once more. "You dragons are so much more intelligent than humans, it is truly amazing that you can be so impulsive. That is why humans are in charge, and dragons are not."
"And Vaestro is the opposite of impulsive, Luka. That is why I love him. Nothing he does is an accident. He makes me feel so safe. I just wonder if he would feel more confident with me if I were more...like a human. An anthro. Or is he like you, a person who is attracted to an...animal?"
"You can be one if you choose to be, Anija," Luka counseled her firmly. "I accept that, as a dragon, you seek guidance, but some decisions must be your own. The only thing I can do for you, there, is offer to lend you my spare teddy for you to wear. That one is a little small for me."