This is set in a real place in Wales (Ceredigion to be specific) The dunes are a magical place where I spent lots of time in years past.
This does involve inter species-Dragon and Human breeding.
Here be Dragons
When Bronwen moved to the small, admittedly tired looking little seaside town she was charmed. The next town over had a cliff railway, coastal walks, beaches and plentiful shops and entertainment.
This little town itself had a few corner shops, and a couple of unreliable fast-food places that opened in the summer months. The two pubs were open year-round, but not for the faint of heart, as they were local gossip centers.
Bronwen hadn't been here for years, since she was 12, when her older local friend had been swept away by the sea, never to be seen again. Though local legend had it that she had been charmed into the embrace of a selkie, who had taken her human form and left her as a seal, never able to be human again. Either way it had scared and scarred Bronwen, and even now she avoided that sandy little inlet where people went to swim.
She much preferred the wild, wind tossed and mostly rocky stretch of beach that eventually led to a long stretch of dunes, and the flat sandy beach in front of them that had a rich array of bird life.
She would walk from the huge rocky stones on the beach by the town, past the long golf course on the other side of the sea wall. To her favorite part, the flat sandy expanse of beach that led eventually to the river. The sea here was smoother, the sand gentle on her feet, fewer people and dogs.
The dunes were an anomaly, there was a boardwalk style path built through the middle, but it often flooded, so the way was slippery and not always certain. This thankfully put off most dog walkers and tourists.
Especially now, in late winter, when winds were still biting and sharp, tossing the sand in the air. The oncoming spring meant the beach had signs warning people to tread carefully and not allow dogs because of breeding birds that would multiply soon.
Bronwen walked the length of the town and beach, eventually paddling, enjoying the cool winds before she retreated to the dunes for her lunch. There was a sheltered area with benches where she always sat, it was on a slight rise, but still fairly sheltered.
She paddled a bit more, flinching when a flash of beautiful bright colors flew past her legs, a sharp sting hurting her ankle.
She had to blink several times; whatever the colorful bird had been it had been long like a serpent too. She rubbed her eyes, blaming the blinding low winter sun for seeing things, and something in the water for stinging her ankle that now throbbed, a small line of blood falling from it.
She sat on a nearby rock and poured a little drinking water over the sore tiny slash on her ankle and wrapped her small cotton scarf around it to stem the small amount of bleeding. For such a minuscule injury it stung and throbbed.
She walked through the dunes, and was relieved when she reached the benches, there had been a notice saying the car park was closed, so it was even more likely it would be quiet here. She put her ankle up on another bench, and opened her cold toast. She enjoyed it along with a warm tea from her flask, her walking comfort foods.
She was watching the clouds when she thought she saw something shifting in her peripheral vision. She turned to see nothing but sand moving in the winds, she swore she had seen something big shift. As she ate her toast, she kept her eyes open, her ankle still throbbed and she felt hot, which she thought odd. As the winds were still bitingly winter like. She bit her lip a moment, hoping what had bit her hadn't been some sort of venomous snake, she knew snakes did exist around here.
She drank an entire bottle of water, going to the starkly empty visitors center and the vending machine outside it to buy three more.
As hot and tired as she felt, she went back into the dunes, knowing she could not make the long walk back to town like this. She was safe in the dunes, and had even napped there on the bench in the past. Her friend who was lost to the sea used to make stories of the dunes being nesting places for dragons.
She smiled to herself, they would have to be small or very clever big dragons. As although they were pretty huge, and stretched a good couple of miles, once atop them it was easy enough to see all around you.
She lay on the bench, sighing as she watched the clouds and pulled her coat tight around her.
When she woke it was sunset, and the colors were awe inspiring, she thought she heard a loud sound like a huge animal breathing, but nothing was around, so she attributed it to the odd sounds the winds made in the dunes. She watched the sun set over the sea and dunes, again flinching and standing as she saw something fast move.
She was knocked or tripped, and suddenly she covered her head as she slid down the huge sand dunes, hitting patches of sea grass until she was at the base, in a dip or valley amongst the dunes. She was lucky this one was soft with sand, some held loads of sharp rocks.
She rubbed her sore ankle, a flash of molten heat running through her.
Then she turned, shuffling on her butt, and in the pink and purple lights of sunset she saw a creature her mind just could not fathom. It was not there, just an outline camouflaged against the sand, then it shifted and suddenly she could see it, many shades of spring and forest green.
It stood on four legs, each tipped with long claw like talons, size wise she put it at the size of a large pony, and as she stood and it watched her warily, she stared, if she had to guess she would put it at about 14 hh or 4ft 8". It was long, and had a serpent like prehensile tail that ended in softened point.