The guilty pleasure coursing through my veins was enough taboo energy to send me into a second orgasam at the mere thought. It was the idea of power that I had over it-... him. The power I had over him, Oxle, was what got me off. Knowing I could’ve killed him at any moment, knowing he was completely at my mercy and my control. Of course, I wouldn’t actually kill him, but I could’ve at the drop of a har. It was a rush I was still coming down from as Oxle rested in my hand while forcing out the occasional cough that I ignored to bask in the bliss of being satisfied. 

“Hey,” Oxle started, but I didn’t acknowledge him. 

A few seconds of silence passed. 

“We should get going,” he continued and I reluctantly nodded.

The glowing lake dimmed to a low sparkle as I stood and walked free of the rocky pool. An unspoken tension was present between me and Oxle, but I quickly shook the weird superiority I was feeling out of my head to dissolve the silence. 

“Sorry,” I said and raised Oxle to eye level, “I’m being weird.”
“Hey, weird is natural after…” he trailed off, but I knew what he meant. 

Still, I found myself wanting to come clean about the thoughts I was having. The thoughts of a dragon… Thoughts like mother… Maybe I’d tell him later, but I wanted to know what was happening myself before I had anyone else making theories. A cool breeze drifted through the redwoods and cooled my body that was still hot with both lingering arousal and embarrassment, but the sight of a grass giant with that familiar flame in her chest at the entrance of my cave quickly took my mind off those devilish thoughts. My walk shifted to a jog as I lightly cupped Oxle in my hand to keep him steady while I hurried to meet the girl I hadn’t seen in nearly ten years. 

“Goliyoung!” I exclaimed as I picked up the much shorter giant in a hug that brought her about twenty five feet off the ground.
“Lull,” she greeted, monotone as usual with exaggerated breaths, “Goliyoung has… a warning…”
I looked at her with a disapproving glare before saying “Why are you big? You know it’s bad for your body. Especially your lungs.”
“Goliyoung must be… prepared to fight…” she explained between deep breaths that broke up her sentences.
“Fight?” I asked as I pulled her back into the hug, “Fight wh-,” I stopped. 

I dropped her suddenly and quickly pulled the hand I had pressed against her back up to my face with three worried words running through my head; “Did I just…?” Oxle laid in the palm of my hand with nothing more than an annoyed half frown. 

“I-I’m sorry!” I said as I put him down with Kiri and James who were talking amongst themselves.
“Don’t worry about it,” Oxle assured, “I didn’t need that many ribs anyway.” 

A grassy hand gently tugged on my shoulder as an impatient Goliyoung pointed to the moon above. To anyone who didn’t know what to look for, it wouldn’t have made sense, but to me I knew what she meant. It was our secret code. It meant mom was mad. That signal got my attention. 

“Let’s talk in private,” I insisted as Goliyoung nodded.
“Humans,” she said as she turned to the little ones, “Stay.” 

With that she grabbed my hand that was about head level with her and escorted me into the cave. 

“Mother is coming…” she stated.
“What?” I asked, quickly and sceptically, “She’s… Wasn’t she?”
“Goliyoung… thought so…”
“Did she follow you here?” I asked as I glanced to the night sky outside the cave.
“Goliyoung…” she stopped for longer than usual, “isn’t sure…” 

I could hear it in her voice. Monotone to most, but I grew up with her and I knew when she was scared and she was terrified. I got down on my knees to match her height and hugged her again as the heat from her fiery core got a little hotter as her comfort returned to her. 

“It’s okay, Golly,” I assured, “It’ll be just like old times. Remember? We used to pretend it was a game. You’d hide and I’d play the role of a mighty knight that protected you. Am I still your knight?” 

Her arms slowly wrapped back around me to return the hug. 

“Always.”
“Good,” I said, false confidence in my voice behind my smile, “I’ll handle mom if she shows up. You need to rest. Get out of that body and let your body reform.”
“Okay…” she said simply. 

The grass shell fell to a pile of slightly charred plants as a much more bustier version of Goliyoung appeared from the fire that used to be so at home in the grass. In her actual form, she was only ten feet tall, but what she looked like beyond that was her choice. I didn’t know who it was that corrupted her into thinking she needed a big bust, but I would have to have a talk with the three humans about that eventually. 

“Oh!” I quickly exclaimed as I shot to my feet with Goliyoung in my hand, “The humans!” 

I quickly took the few steps it took to exit the cave and kneeled next to the group of fragile people whose attention was immediately diverted towards me. I was about to fill them in when Goliyoung spoke up. 

“Does Goliyoung need a better ass to be attractive?” she asked and caused Oxle to nearly die in a fit of laughter.
“Uh, well, it’s not a bad thing-,” James started, but was cut off by a slap to the back of the head that I would have to thank Kiri for.
Kiri cleared her throat to draw attention to herself before she simply said “No. You’re very pretty as you are, Goliyoung.”
“Maybe a little off the chest…” I muttered before changing topics. “Anyway, do you three have a plan? I mean, you can’t live here forever.”
Goliyoung nodded, “Especially now that mother’s coming.”
“Mother?” James asked.
“Yeah,” Oxle tacked on after finishing his laughing fit, “Is this some ‘Idipous’ thing?”
“Oedipus,” Kiri corrected.
“Eat a what?” he shot back. 

I took two fingers and bopped them both on the head to shut them up. 

“This is serious,” I insisted.
“Yeah,” Oxle started, “And I’m not. More updates as they develop.” 

I bopped him again for good measure. After the rambling, I didn’t have time to explain the danger that was fast approaching. I could hear her wings and see her silhouette high above in the night sky. Liy was home. I put Goliyoung down and dropped on all fours to whisper to the much smaller fighters. 

“Golly, it’s time to play,” I said and lightly nudged her towards the cave. “Take the humans and hide in the cave,” I ordered before standing back up and facing the starry sky. 

It didn’t take long for her to land. She was a dragon. A real dragon. She stood to an intimidating and even one hundred feet before bending forward slightly to match my height and meet my eyes that held nothing but hate for that woman. 

A long, snakelike tongue slid between her lips and ran over her snout before she asked, “I smell men. Is my nose wrong or is my darling daughter hiding a meal from me?”
“Go away,” I demanded which made her stand back up.
“Is that anyway to talk to your mother? God’s sake, I give you life and this is how you repay me?” she asked, that devilish grin ever present and more infuriating than I’d even seen. 

She suddenly stepped forward and I stepped back on instinct. I kicked myself for showing fear, but that didn’t change the fact that she knew I was scared now. She laughed before slowly putting a hand on my shoulder and bending back over with her grin slightly bigger than before. 

“I smell men,” she repeated, but continued, “I also smell burning sulfur. Now, who do we know that regularly burns sulfur?” 

I didn’t reply. 

“That’s right!” she exclaimed, “That little creature your poor old dad was stupid enough to die for.”
“Don’t talk about dad that way,” I weakly muttered as I clenched my fist to put the fear into an act that wasn’t crying. 

I was caught off guard by a heavy slap that knocked me to my hands and knees. 

“I’m talking!” she scolded before grabbing my arm and yanking me back up to my feet.
“I’m sorry…” I said quickly and fearfully.
“That’s better.” 

I suddenly didn’t feel so big anymore. 

“If your father was still alive,” she started and pulled my wrist up above her head which put strain on my shoulder, “He’d want her dead just as much as I do. Where is that little flaming runt? I’m going to put her out like she should’ve been years ago.” 

I was paralized with fear. Absolutely stuck with a crippling and overpowering terror, but when she threatened Goliyoung, I swallowed that, if only for a second. I grit my teeth, closed a fist, and swung with everything I had to give in the awkward position Liy was forcing me into. My knuckles landed square on her jaw and made her head turn, but when she looked back I wished I hadn’t done that. With a quick movement, she wrapped an arm around my left arm and grabbed the base of my right wing. My eyes widened in shock as she wrenched the poor bone out of its cartilage and spun me around. I fell to my knees and an intense pain shot through my body like a wave of energy and Liy put a foot in the center of my back. 

I couldn’t even find the strength to cry as she ripped my wing off my back and stomped me into the ground. I couldn’t think. It felt like there was a block in my brain that didn’t even let me feel scared anymore. I was locked in a state of shock. I was left staring up at my cave and the dim light of Goliyoung cowering away from the monster behind me. 

“Always…” I muttered.
“What?” Liy asked with a laugh, “You’re still talking?”
“Always your knight…” I repeated as I forced myself to stand back up and turn back to Liy. 

Blood leaked from my back like a faucet and my lip was already swelling from her slap, but I stood between her and the cave as I became the girl I swore I wouldn’t be anymore. I was a dragon. 

“Goliyoung isn’t here,” I stated.
“Then what do I smell?” she countered, “You can’t fool me. I know that stink.”
“You’re right,” I muttered, “You must smell that a lot considering it’s your bullshit.” 

She gave me a heavy shove that knocked me on my ass, but I got back up. 

Liy scoffed as she folded her arms, “You never learn.”
“No!” I yelled suddenly, “You never learn! I don’t know what dad saw in you! He must’ve known, as a human, you were going to kill him, but I guess dad was always one to help before he thought.”
“Shut up!” Liy demanded as she pushed me, but I didn’t fall this time.
“No!” I repeated, “You can’t stand the fact that he saved Goliyoung from you. Saved… most of her.”
“What?” she asked, “You expect me to care for that harlot that was trying to steal your dad from me?”
Rage built in my throat, “I expect you to care about your goddamn daughters!” tears built in my eyes, “I expect you to care that you killed dad! I expect you to be a fucking mother! Do you know what it was like to be hunted by dragons and humans alike? Me and Goliyoung were alone, completely alone, and it was your fault! If you think, even for a second, that I wouldn’t die right here and now for the only person who stuck by me as I grew up then you’re not just a bad mother… you’re an idiot too!” 

Tears streamed down my face as I screamed at her, but it felt good to finally let it all out. I’d held onto that grudge in silence for too long. Goliyoung used to be human. More than that. She was dad’s wife, but once Liy was put to execution, dad had to step in. She kidnapped him and… well, he never told me much about it, but once Goliyoung, Rose was her human name, tried to save dad… I wasn’t sure of the spell he used, but it worked at the cost of his life. I guess Liy never let that go. She didn’t keep us around long after that. She was a horrible mother, a horrible person, but she was also stronger than me and I was reminded of that by a punch that knocked me on my back. 

The nub of my wing exploded in a fresh wave of pain, but something about the stars above me were so calming. The pinpricks in the black sea of the sky darkened as I got dizzy and my head got light. I couldn’t tell if I was dying or just passing out, but… either way… I was ready for it…