The Pearl

By Thistlethorn ©

Edited by PennLady

This is a copyrighted work of fiction. All rights reserved.

"Did you miss me?" Dakota asked as I came up to her at our usual meeting place on the bank.

"Oh, were you gone?" I teased as I lowered my head and nudged her in greeting. Instead of replying she ran her fingers through my mane. I started purring almost autonomously.

"Miss me yet?" She worked her fingers in deeper.

"Oh, that is so unfair."

I pressed my snout close to her waist and began to work my way in past the waistband of her jeans. It was a tight fit, but I got a little way in. Immediately, I plunged my tongue down. With a startled little laugh, Dakota jumped back and pushed my head away.

"What?" I feigned innocence. "Nobody's going to see anything. And yeah, maybe I missed you."

Dakota came close and wrapped her arms around my head, burying her face where the mane began between my antlers. She turned her face sideways and laid her head in the same spot.

"I missed you, too," she said softly.

I stood there, just drinking her in. I felt the river slowly intensify it's presence. I ignored it at first, but it grew insistent. Then it grew down-right rude when the river began to stoke me up.

I pulled away from Dakota. "Would you excuse me? Stay right there, this will only take a second."

I dropped down from the embankment to the river. "What?" I snarled.

take her

"Come again?" I asked, though I understood what the river wanted. I could feel the desire starting to course through me, causing a tingling from inside to the edges of my scales and tips of my fur.

dakota conjoin with dakota

The river didn't use her name. It was more a feeling that I understood meant Dakota. A reflection of what I felt for her, but refracted through the river's lens. The river instilled the impression of us merging very deeply and the pearl started to simmer erotically within me. My tail did a slow roll in the water. The river was bent on getting this, and certainly knew how to go about it.

"Problem," I whispered. "There's this size difference, you see. And my human form is kind of unreliable at the best of times. I think this combination might cause the experience to be unpleasant for Dakota. To say the least."

done it before do it here

I realized the physical act wasn't the most important aspect to the river. I glanced up at Dakota. She watched me with a bit of confusion. She smiled at me. I felt another push from the river. Fine, I could ask. Considering what the river had going on inside me, I was amazed I could walk to her with as much control as I did. With the drop to the river, my head was level with hers. I looked into her eyes and felt that I could drown there happily.

"Uh, Dakota," I fumbled, uncertain how to begin. "You know, I'm bonded to this river, and it makes some really strange requests sometimes...." I trailed off, struggling to find the words.

"Like what?" She genuinely wanted to help. "You know I'll do what I can to help. Anything."

The swell of the river came across as a jubilant

YES

. "Easy there," I muttered, looking back at the river.

"Sebastian, what is it?"

"The river wants us to do it right here," I blurted out. "You know, where you can get leaves and dirt and crayfish up your snatch," I added, looking crossly at the river.

there will be no crayfish or any other water borne creature save yourself

Oh, well, that made it all better. I looked uncertainly at Dakota. "I don't get it, I mean the why, but I can tell you the river wants it

really

badly and is making

me

want it

really

badly." I sighed. "It's got to be the weirdest fucking threesome I've ever heard of."

Dakota examined the area around her. It consisted of hard packed dirt, assorted pieces of broken litter, no small amount of glass. The train tracks were maybe twenty feet away. Though rarely in use, the occasional train did pass by.

"Well, this spot won't be

my

first choice." She walked to the edge and looked down. The embankment wasn't a sheer drop, but was steep. From the bottom there was maybe two feet to the water. "That doesn't look promising either. But I imagine you have to know of some better options."

"You're really considering this?" I was amazed.

She looked apprehensive, but replied, "Well, I'll admit the back-to-nature thing has never been a kink of mine. But I suppose I can't always expect to do it at my place, now can I? It's a nice day, and if we are going to do something like this, it had better be soon. The weather isn't going to permit this sort of thing for very long."

She was right. It was a warm, sunny day, easily in the mid-70's. But it was the middle of September, and the weather would turn cool soon. The evenings were already starting to drop. I snuggled my head against her, in gratitude. She stroked my mane.

"Besides," she continued, with the impish look from before. Just that look got me going even more. "I probably shouldn't rule out doing it at your place without at least trying it first. And nobody's going to see anything, right?"

I returned her smile and presented my back to her. She climbed on and the feeling of completion returned. I wondered if it would always be like that, or if it would fade in time. I knew what I wanted the answer to be, but wondered if it was what I should want the answer to be. I felt Dakota settle in and took off. I knew exactly where I wanted to go and made a bee-line there. I took her to the spot on the river where I has spoken with Chang that first night. The grass was a little overgrown, but wonderfully soft. I climbed part way up to let Dakota off. My lower body was still submerged in the river and I had the distinct impression the river was going to fight me to keep it there. But I had enough above surface to do what I wanted.

"How's this?" I asked

She slid off my back and settled into the grass. I could feel the river moving deeper into me as she ran her hands along grass and smiled up at me.

"Oh, this is very nice." She laid back and stretched, arching her back and stiffening her legs. Then she languidly pushed herself up into a sitting position and began to oh-so-slowly pull off her shirt and bra. She laid them to the side, making sure to place them well above the water line. She laid back again and ran her hands along her breasts then down her stomach and into her pants. I moved my head over and ran my snout over her stomach, following the course of her hands. I had just the tip of my tongue out and it was largely the soft hairs around my snout that brushed against her. I could feel a tingle on her skin. She squirmed and giggled.

"That tickles," she said, "but inside." She ran her hands back up and stroked the edge of my snout.

It took me a second to realize it was the part of me she carried.

Do you like that?

I asked mentally. I wanted to make sure she did before continuing, but didn't want to move my snout, in case she did.

"Oh yes," she said breathlessly, closing her eyes.

I'm glad.

I continued nuzzling her stomach.

The energy was on the edge of my perception, like a sound you can't quite hear, or a shiver for which you can't place the reason. I had a sense of how to influence it; it wasn't all that different from pushing the panic in Chad at the restaurant. It was easier, too; the energy gave me an in and Dakota was a willing participant. The river began to quicken within, seeming to enjoy what I was doing as much as Dakota

Dakota continued to move in sync to what I was doing, as did the river. She stroked my fur a little more, then ran one of her hands back down her pants. It didn't take me long to figure out what she was doing.

You know, if you would undo your pants I would happily see to that.

She half opened her eyes, and eased her pants down. The scent of her sex enveloped me. I helped her remove her pants and tossed them over to where the rest of her clothes were. She was still wearing her shoes, but I didn't see the need to bother with them.

I started at the very edge of her pussy and ran my tongue just along the surface of her outer lips. I worked my way up her lovely patch of hair and traced the surface of her stomach up to the gentle slope of her breasts. I ran my tongue around both of her pert breasts in turn, taking time to bring the nipples to attention. She gasped.

I ran my tongue between her breasts and up her delicate throat, sensing as much as feeling her pulse beneath my tongue. Then I rubbed my snout up the side of her face and tickled her behind the ear. Qiang's admonition came back to me, but I dismissed it. I was already hers, and there was no backing away now. Words issued forth from somewhere within me. I drew my tongue across her eyes while repeating them to her.

I belong neither to you nor you to me. We belong to each other and ever-so will be so long as each of us wishes it.

It felt like a proclamation, like I was claiming her somehow. Or maybe announcing a claim that already existed.

She looked up at me through her eyelashes. "That was nice. Where did it come from?"

I stared into her eyes.

I don't know. It just sort of occurred to me. Sounds like you're stuck with me.

She reached up and touched my face. "I could think of worse things."

Yeah, so could I.

I drifted back down to her pussy, again with just the tips of my tongue and my fur touching her skin. When I reached my destination, I gave her the attention she deserved. I pushed the edge of my snout right up against her and blew gently. I could feel the shudder run through her. I worked my tongue inside of her, undulating as I went. Dakota pulled up her legs so they were bent at the knee and arched her back, presenting more of herself to me.

As I worked more of Dakota's vagina, the river again found those places in me that were male. I remembered how that felt at the first bonding with the river. That was clearly were the river was headed again. This time there was no lesson going on and I did nothing to stop it. The coolness of the river ran through me, tickling my stomach and pearl. I could feel my shaft pushing against my underscales, but it wasn't sliding out just yet.

I slid my tongue back out and worked it back in. Given this different position, I was able to move my lips and the surrounding fur around her pussy. Dakota spread her legs as far apart as they would go and I had her entire pussy in my mouth. The fur on my upper lip was just brushing the bottom of her stomach and her buttocks rested on the edge in my lower jaw. I angled her to lay between my lower canines. I pulled my lower lip over the teeth between my canines so she was laying on the lip as opposed to the teeth. I could feel her breathing quicken. She was close.

So was I, for that matter. I continued working Dakota's insides, and reveled in the knife's edge we were both on. I pulled my tongue out for a moment, working her up while trying to keep the orgasm from coming. Our tension built. The river ran through my stomach, groin, and pearl, working me from the inside. Then I snaked my tongue up to her clit and wrapped my tongue around. I had just started the massage when Dakota's body stiffened then shuddered with her orgasm. There was no place for it to go but down my throat. God, I loved that. Dakota's flavor was irresistible and as it ran down my throat, my orgasm blew through me.

The river somehow kept my shaft from sliding out, caging the energy of the orgasm within me. The river absorbed it, but I could still feel the lingering effects. I resisted the urge to roar, but did inhale sharply, sucking more of her juices down my throat. That only added to the energy gathering within me. But instead of it raging through me it flowed gently, the river softened the effect. The flow was much like the river itself. I relaxed onto the bank and purred, as I finished cleaning Dakota with my tongue.

Are you all right?

This had been a markedly different experience from our previous love making, at least for me, and I wasn't sure what she might make of it. The river ebbed from me, contented.

"Better than all right." Her voice was husky with pleasure. "I'm going to get spoiled."

I smiled at her.

I aim to please.

"Was it good for the river?" She sat up.

Oh, yeah.

I answered looking back. I felt her hand against my face and I let her guide my head back to facing her. She kissed me on the top of my head.

"Do you mind going back to just talking?" she asked.

"Not at all. I'm sorry, does the other way bother you?" I asked, concerned.

"No, it's just that I also like the sound of your voice." Dakota got up and gathered her clothing.

"Is it safe to get dressed again?"

"Yeah, I think I can keep from ravishing you for at least the rest of the afternoon."

"Oh, well that's good to know." Dakota put her clothes on and settled against me. "Do you mind my asking what the river wanted?"

I shook my head. "No, but I don't really have a good answer. I can tell you what it felt like, though." I paused, gathering my thoughts. "It was like I was heading for orgasm, but when it hit the river just kind of took it. I still felt it, but instead of major high, it was kind of like a pleasant buzz." I looked at the river with a mock-scowl. "Killjoy," I said.

A wave of contentment came from the river.

"So, I'm afraid that's all I got for an explanation. What've you been up to?"

"Work, study, eat, pass out. That's about it," she said. "But I think I might be on Qiang's shit list."

"Oh really?" I was curious. "I understand there's really good company there, I can see why you would want to join up. Did you do something, or is it a 'just cause' thing?"

"After work earlier this week, a bunch of us went to the buffet for dinner. Afterward, Mingzhu wanted to talk to me. She's Qiang's favorite. So we sat and had a really nice conversation. We've talked a couple of times since then on the phone. She's really sweet."

"That's cool to hear. You think he's pissed about that?"

"I don't know for sure, it's just this kind of feeling I have. Traditionally in Chinese culture, women didn't really have much contact with outsiders. And I'm a foreigner on top of it. Dealing with someone who doesn't seem overly fond of foreigners."

"I can see that. So, what do you talk about? Girl stuff?"

Dakota flashed me a "you did not just say that" expression before she opened her eyes wide and gave me the most saccharine smile I think I'd ever seen. "Why yes, we debate who the bestest Disney princess is. My favorite is Belle, but Mingzhu really likes Mulan."

I rolled my eyes. "OK, maybe 'girl' wasn't the most progressive thing I could have said."

"You think? I'm two years older than you are, and I think Mingzhu is at least in her mid-twenties."

"Sorry." I rolled my eyes again. "So what do you ladies talk about?"

"Humph." She crossed her arms and turned her head. "And you'd better treat me like a lady if you expect to stay around."

"OK, OK." I gave small laugh and held my front leg up in surrender.

Dakota smiled back at me. "Just stuff, really. I don't think she has anybody to just BS with. And she really doesn't have anybody who can even begin to relate to her relationship situation."

"Except you," I pointed out.

"Not entirely. You're way different from Qiang. That's obvious just from the surface. But listening to her talk about him, the differences become even more obvious. Though there are some shared experiences between our situations, certainly."

"You two can start a girlfriends of dragons support group," I said with a laugh.

Dakota returned my laugh. "That would have to be the smallest support group around. Right now, it would be just me and Mingzhu."

I nuzzled my head against her. "Think of it as exclusive," I suggested. "I know for me there's not another woman I would even consider half as good as you."

Dakota leaned into me and ran her hand along my jaw. "That's very sweet of you to say."

"Well," I replied, "after the 'girl' screw up, I had to do something."

She pushed my head away. "Oh, you...."

I slid my head down from her hand and curled it around in front of her so that she was between my neck and my shoulder.

"Kidding," I said as I turned my head to face her from the other direction.

"You better be. So what have you been up to?"

"Coincidently, talking Qiang out of deforesting the country side." I laid my neck down in front of her. "He was on some kind of tear and was taking it out on the trees."

"What was he pissed about?" She settled back against me.

"I'm not really sure. We talked about the whole favorite thing and he went on his way. But he didn't try to kill me, so that was good."

"Maybe he's coming around," Dakota suggested.

"That would be nice," I agreed. "And then there's this thing with the moon...."

"The moon?"

"Yeah. The closer it's been getting to full, the more I've just been fascinated with it. For the last few nights, I've just watched it for hours. It's been getting fuller the past week, but I've only noticed it for a few days."

"Waxing." I heard Chang say.

I raised my head and looked in the direction of his voice. He was standing just up bank, in human form.

"Oh, hey Chang." I nodded a greeting. "What was that?"

He dipped his head to me and Dakota saying, "Greeting Sebastian, Dakota. It is very nice to see you again, Dakota."

Dakota brought her hands together and bowed her head over them. "Hello, Chang. It is nice to see you also."

He returned the gesture. Then turned to me. "Waxing. When the moon is getting full it is waxing," he explained. "When it is decreasing it is waning. It will be full tonight, which is what you have been sensing."

"Oh," I said, for lack of anything more articulate. "I assume you'll be telling me why that's important."

"Of course." He smiled and turned to Dakota. "Will you be joining us?"

"I wish I could. I'm sure it's more interesting than the coursework I've got to do tonight, but I'm way behind as it is. I'm sorry."

"I understand," he replied. "Scholarly work is always worth the effort, even when it takes away from things we'd rather be doing. When do you have to be going?"

Dakota consulted her watch. "Right now, actually." She gave an apologetic sigh. "I'm really sorry to have to bail the minute you get here."

"Not at all, there will be other times."

I rolled upright into a standing position, offering Dakota my back. She smiled and climbed on.

"Would you like to walk back with us?" she asked Chang as she arranged herself.

"I would be delighted," he responded with an elegant nod of his head. As I climbed fully into the river, Chang shifted to dragon. He fell into step next to me.

I noticed, for the first time, how it felt when Dakota rode on my back. The subtle shifting of her weight as she adjusted for my body's movements as I walked, the minute movements of her body against mine were transmitted through me and the puzzle piece feeling was intensified. I smiled as a contented purr ran through me. As Dakota first patted then ran her hand along the side of my back I could tell she sensed it too.

"Your river is doing well," Chang commented. "It is good to see how well your energy is integrating with the river."

"Yeah, there was this weird thing with the river earlier...." As I spoke I looked over at Chang. I trailed off, realizing from his pleased expression that he was probably more aware of what happened then I was.

"You can tell what happened?" I asked.

"The specifics elude me, though I think I could make an educated guess," he said, with a sideways glance and canny smile. "But what is clear to me is that before there was more of the river in you than you in the river. Now that is beginning to balance out, and that is a good thing."