Now during his transformation Rick had been well aware that his intelligence was
thinning as his muscles were bulging.
Finally the change had been complete,and Rick's mind was but a pinhole of light
compared to what it had been earlier.
But even as a brainless beast,the dragon had sensed it had lost something in exchange
for its powerful huge reptillian body.
So it was that the beast had instinctively not killed its prey,but stored the prey items
unharmed,though thoroughly slimed,in Ricks crop.
Rick had flown off to the mountains and rested in a cave,and slowly
had become aware that though he was still a huge muscled flamebreather,the pinhole
was growing in size.
Rick was regaining her intelligence by some mysterious process.
Aa night came Rick was gained sufficient intelligence to realize
that though her mind appeared to be the equivalent of a female student humans,the body was
"he"
The dragon could sense the comatose female humans stored in its crop and realized the living
female human minds within were acting as a intelligence enhancer,be it with side effects.
By the start of the next day Rick was more or less sentient again,and "she' realized that state
would only last if 'her' human symbionts in 'her' crop remained alive.
If the human female minds within died,so would 'she'