Some of my older watchers... or just those who have perused deep into my gallery, will remember "The Riskiest form of Travel" one of those... unexpectedly popular pieces I did as a standalone... if you haven't read it... I deeply recommend reading it first.

On that note, the sequel I know many of my viewers hoped I'd do, and which is finally brought to life thanks to one of my commissioning patrons on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9679574 I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations. Given I never intended to sequel that story, I think it turned out ok.


Riskiest form of Lifestyle

“Need any nails today, Gavin?”
Gavin glanced up from the smith’s wares, a light shake of the head “no, but thank you. My life up there is about as normal as he’ll allow… and honestly, I couldn’t afford it. I just need a new blade”
The smith shrugged, returning to his work, letting Gavin browse. He frowned, lifting a small blade into his hands, mindful of the blade. It wasn’t quite what he wanted… Something larger would handle his needs better, and the blade on this one was a little nicked. That said, a blade for small tasks wasn’t a bad thing, it would be nice to trim his chin of the wild, mountain-man beard he’d grown in the last couple of months. Unfortunately, this little blade, and only this blade was all he could afford…
Gavin sighed, tapping the table in front of him “going to have to be this one”
The smith shot him a look “you meant it then… things going rough?”
Gavin shrugged “didn’t get as much for the hides I brought as I was hoping, and Cyagnus hasn’t lost a scale I can snatch for a while. I count myself lucky there’s anything I have the time to forage which are useful down here”
He found the few small coins in his pocket, bringing them out “it’s fine, this blade will do me. Might stop with the hide for a while. I know there are some plants up there I could look out for, might be more lucrative now. Hunting is good, I’m hearing”
“It is” The smith crossed his arms “and their hides… don’t have, toothmarks”
“Yes” Gavin smiled sheepishly “Cyagnus will be happy to hear I won’t want to, skin his prey before he rips into it anymore…”
“You’re a brave man Gavin… living with that beast”
“Brave?” Gavin considered the word. It had been brave, he supposed, what felt so long ago to try and take the hidden route over the mountains, slung in the belly of an unknowing dragon. Skin oiled, stomach drugged… just typical his dragon had figured it out… of course, he couldn’t tell anyone about it… it had saved him after all. He owed it the secret. But in truth Cyagnus owned him… he had no choice in the matter “I, don’t see it that way” Gavin murmured “Cyagnus is good to me but I don’t really, have a choice. I serve him…”
The smith grunted, folding his arms to his chest “I heard you say that before, but… never really wanted to ask about it”
“It’s not a touchy subject” Gavin put on a slightly brighter smile than he felt “the dragon… saved my life, in a way… I can’t deny I’d have liked to go off and live normally but… I am grateful to him. I owe him”
“mmm” the smith grunted “You’ve been coming here long enough you feel like, part of the community Gavin, you know that. The way you persist in the wild hills, with a dragon no less… well, I dare say a few of us have warmed to you a mite faster than we would to the normal newcomer. If you ever need… rescued, or…”
“Oh no… it’ll never be like that” Gavin asserted, shocked by, the idea “No… I like Cyagnus… it’s complicated, but it’s a relationship, you know?
“Aren’t they always” the smith shook his head “look… pick out something a little nicer, Gavin, I’ll let you have it a little easy… don’t push your luck mind… but, a man surviving the hills and a dragon can’t be leaving my forge with that thing… I’d feel the weight of guilt if a belly found you”
Gavin smiled warmly, placing down the little blade, looking for… a slight upgrade on it. He’d only known these folk a while, but he was growing to like them. He’d learnt to never turn down their kindness, and never to push it.
He picked a new blade, showed it to the smith, who agreed with a silent nod. He handed over his coins and slipped the knife to his side. Felt good to have one again. He shot a look at the sky, shielding his eyes against the sun… Cyagnus would be back for him soon.
With quickening pace, he made his way to the edge of the little town, wandering into the foothills, trees falling away, leaving the world a little more open. Already, somewhere in the hills he could hear the familiar leathery clap of dragon wings.
Cyagnus rose from above a crag, swooping high, silvery blue belly on display before diving down. Regal and sleek, powerful, and graceful, the magnificent reptile glided down quickly, hammering his wings to halt his momentum, branches snapping in the trees and blown away on the wind. A thud ran up Gavin’s legs as the dragon landed finally. Cyagnus drew in a long breath, ruffling his wings, a large branch slipping from the folded leather before looking down to Gavin.
“Waiting long?”
“We timed it well today” Gavin moved to Cyagnus’s side, pressing a hand to the settled forelimb before hefting himself up, clambering to the dragon’s back. It wasn’t that difficult really, Cyagnus was young… the step atop the limb, and from limb to neck wasn’t much more difficult than a particularly steep staircase. The scales were firm to the touch, flexible enough he could sit comfortably… a pleasant warmth seeping from the beast. He never got used to the feeling of movement, when the dragon below stood, looking back around
“I keep waiting for the day you don’t come back”
“Would I run off now?” Gavin chuckled “or is the dragon worried about his pet?”
“Of course I worry” Cyagnus snorted “If something else eats you, I’ll never get to finish what we began when we met, now will I? Besides, don’t think I’m not a little suspicious of how well you’re behaving yourself”
Gavin clung to the scales, enduring the force as Cyagnus sprang to the skies. The power involved in getting the dragon airborne was always staggering… Inside, he had to admit he’d considered fleeing several times… and yet… he never could. He held tightly, riding out the flight of the dragon, taking him… home. His new life was a simple and strange one… but it was his… maybe he was mad but… maybe spending all day in Cyagnus’s stomach, and being spared even through the initial trickery had… made him feel a certain bond to the young male he now belonged to…

Cyagnus’s den showed the signs of human habitation now. A small cavern made where two grand boulders had found each other immovable and had collapsed together on a high ledge. While the depths of that cavern the dragon kept to himself, Gavin’s own home was clinging to the wall by the entrance. Gavin had never built a house… and it showed. He could never look at his wreck of a home without thinking of the… failures, the many failures. He tried not to look down, to one broken attempt, left where it fell at the bottom of the ridge. He had managed to hammer supports into cracks in the stone, put a firm roof in place to keep the rain off, and walls of planks to give himself an enclosed space… it was his home, although... whenever he looked at it he always felt it was a temporary thing… it wasn’t a real home. He couldn’t exactly bring a workforce up here… Cyagnus was still predatory… yet, for now, he hadn’t seen the dragon eat a human, but it was the answer the dragon always gave. Bring more humans to his den, and they would be eaten.
Cyagnus landed to the stone, gaze flicking to the human astride “you are flying better these days”
Gavin knew what that meant “yeah… it’s strange… I rode, right over the mountains hanging in your stomach, but it’s riding on your back that makes me queasy”
“We can always try the other way again” Cyagnus crooned as Gavin slid to the ground. Gavin opted to stay quiet, moving to his, home. Inside he had a little box, he slid his new knife into it.
“Do you need to rest, or can you begin?” Cyagnus probed
“I’m ready” Gavin looked back, as the dragon sprawled out in the sunlight. The setting sun made the scales gleam… the dragon was very nice to look at… Gavin approached, and put his hands to the flank of the dragon, just shy of the belly plates, to the thinner scales that coated the dragon’s body… and where the dragon could better feel him. He rubbed, pushing firmly, seeing the dragon’s flank shift under his hands… it took a lot of force to really see the effect, but it was like grooming a horse, a scaly horse. Cyagnus purred, the sound vibrating a bit with the pressure and rubbing.
Gavin sat to the dragon’s side, reaching up to the wing joints, and companionably tended to the dragon. He rolled his fingers delicately along the wings, squeezed and massaged the joints, put his shoulder into rubbing Cyagnus’s belly and took on the long haul of massaging the muscular tail. He kneaded into the padded paws, earning a distinct low cooing from his dragon, rubbed hard into powerful thighs, and delicately drew his fingers along the sensitive muzzle of the beast. The work was long… and fond, and he ever had to admit, the best part of the day, even though it tired him, made his shoulders ache. The purrs of the delighted dragon, the warm scaled flesh he tended to, the occasional fond lick with Cyagnus’s tongue tip. It was, tender, and close in a way he’d have never considered with any but a lover… and certainly not a male. But it didn’t feel that way to him, with Cyagnus, their bond was something different. Cyagnus provided food and protection, Gavin brought pleasure and relaxation, and they both shared companionship. Still, Gavin felt he might have gone mad if Cyagnus hadn’t eventually relented to allowing him to visit other people. It was framed as gathering tools he needed… and that wasn’t a lie, but it was also just, an innate need for other people, occasionally.
“mmm” Cyagnus sighed when Gavin finally finished, collapsing against the thick, muscular chest of the dragon “it always feels you do especially well, when I let you go out…”
“A reward perhaps” Gavin smiled a bit, petting under the dragon’s jaw
“You make me feel all warm and cosy” Cyagnus murred, yawning before resting his head on a paw, looking over Gavin “I’m glad you seem happy”
Gavin reached to stroke between the nostrils “I’ glad you care if I’m happy or not”
“Mm” Cyagnus looked over Gavin for a moment “I half expected I’d eat you quite quickly after deciding to keep you… mmm, maybe one dance again, but this time… I’d really digest you. Those, who fed and groomed me at that first… human place, it made me wonder what it would be like to keep you for a bit… but it has worked out better than I hoped”
“I’d agree there” Gavin looked off, the sky was dark now… the dragon was warmth for him… he’d barely noticed “I… thought I’d survived the ordeal just to be, dead a new way. And… serving your needs isn’t that bad” he hesitated “I won’t deny I miss the idea of living to my own whims… but I’m hopeful… I may get a chance, in time”
Cyagnus sighed “perhaps… I like this as we are though… but then, I will outlive you” he yawned “I had planned to eat you when I got bored of it also…”
Gavin winced “yeah… it’s still a stay of execution, I got used to that idea the six months of work at the temple, I’m content enough, all my time is borrowed anyway… but, we’re, friends… I’ll admit hoping for a little more”
“Friends…” Cyagnus seemed to muse the word “if I do get bored of this, I could, let you stay with the humans below… breed maybe, and eat you when you’d had some time…”
Gavin petted the muzzle lightly “I’ll take what I can get…”

Mornings were always the same. Gavin woke before the dragon… or at least, got up before the dragon. Cyagnus was not a morning creature. Gavin was as yet undecided whether that was an aspect of personality, or if the big lizard needed to warm up. Most of the time Gavin tried to sleep in his own little home, though resting against the dragon in the cavern was more comfortable. But… the beast occasionally proved that male dragons occasionally suffered from an all too familiar morning affliction… and that was something Gavin could have gone his whole life without seeing quite happily.
So, he left the young dragon alone in the mornings, he got up, took in the sunlight, and wandered down the rocky slope to bathe in a stream that burst from the rocks. The water was clean, tasted of the rocky tunnel it took. He drank and cleaned and ate either fruits that grew near the water, or meat he cooked and left to dry from the dragon’s hunts. He had always loved his meat… though admittedly living with a dragon had been a decided skew to his diet… it was a mercy when he could get something as delightful as bread from the village below the hills. Cyagnus’s den was right against the western edge of the Drachenpass, human civilisation but a flight away. The border between humanity and dragon was a tense one… a topic he avoided whenever possible.
With his needs tended, as always, he returned up to Cyagnus’s den, and by then the dragon invariably had dragged himself out into the day, wings out to either shield him from the sobering rain or to soak up the blazing sun. Today it was the latter. If it rained, Cyagnus could be there for hours, if it stormed he normally dragged himself back into his cave to shiver miserably… but when the skies were clear, the dragon quickly perked up. Such it was that morning, as Gavin clambered back up to the dragon’s perch. Cyagnus was sat to his haunches, wings out, shining a beautiful silver in the sun… it was like the moon had come down to land on the hillside, framing the regal body of Cyagnus. No matter how many times he saw it, Gavin swelled with awe…
The pointed muzzle glanced down to him, rumbling deeply “it’s a nice day”
“It is… good for flying, hmm?” Gavin eased up onto the crag and felt it… the wind was billowing against him… not a gale, but a good lift. He’d been learning the moods of the wind since he started living with a dragon… what was good, what was bad
“Easy flying today” Cyagnus rumbled “good and fast… maybe I’ll catch that big, meaty stag today” The dragon roared to the skies, wings flicking with his excitement. Gavin smiled… Cyagnus had had his eye on that one big deer since they met… he never caught it. It had lived long enough to get big for a reason. But the challenge kept the dragon interested
“Maybe” Gavin stroked a hand down the dragon’s closer thigh
Cyagnus was shifting from paw to paw, tail behind him lashing… Gavin didn’t know why the dragon didn’t leap… but the muzzle was angling, drifting… sensing something in the wind. Maybe the moment wasn’t right… maybe the wind’s angle was wrong, maybe leaping now would dash him to the rocks or twist his wing at an angle… such were senses for a dragon to know… and him to never know.
“Stand back” Cyagnus cautioned, the only warning Gavin ever got… he’d learnt to heed it well. He sprang away, giving the dragon room, for only moment later Cyagnus sprang, tail lashing to the stone below, wings spread flicking through the air Gavin could have been filling. Talons raked little flakes of stone into the air, but then Cyagnus was aloft, beating his wings, rising, and then banking into the wind, carried off. Quickly the dragon swept out of view and Gavin was alone again. Now he had his own work to do.
Over the last months Gavin had tried his hand at many things, carving wood, prospecting, baking… none had quite worked out. His attempts to cook looked like they had been baked with the fiery breath of a dragon of legend, his carvings had been hideous, poorly done and wore at his knife which frankly was too valuable to waste, and prospecting had barely gotten past the idea phase. When he had explained to Cyagnus that if he found evidence of useful metals in the local rocks, people would pay handsomely to come and dig it out, the dragon had raised a single eye ridge and fixed him with such a look of intense cold he had decided to take the idea no further.
What he had found himself competent at was gathering, and skinning, to a degree. Somewhat reluctantly Cyagnus had been sharing his kills, letting Gavin take from them first… and while he was cutting off a portion, taking what he could sell, and the dragon wouldn’t need. Still… that didn’t seem profitable though… and though Cyagnus hadn’t seemed to notice it yet, Gavin got the impression that the loss of the fur from his diet was getting the dragon a little constipated… but maybe he was imagining it.
Today, he was turning his gathering back down to the river. The herbalist had shown some interest in the hardy little plants that fruited up in the hills. Some hope of growing them he supposed or selling the seeds off for places where food was hard to grow. Either way, if someone was willing to buy it, Gavin was willing to gather it. There were also some particular flowers he was learning was used in, local medicine… some superstitious stuff about them being infused with the essence of a dragon… since they only grew in the mountains. He didn’t buy it… but, if someone wanted it, he’d gladly get it for them. So, he spent the day moving around the banks of the river, looking for things he could sell down at the village. He kept at it till once more he heard the leathery wingbeats of the dragon returning home.
Gavin never let Cyagnus wait long. The dragon was always, pleasant, even jovial… and, showed a soft side often as not… but if he didn’t get back, Cyagnus would come looking for him. The dragon was also possessive.
He made his way up to the ridge as Cyagnus was settling. A hefty deer sprawled at his forepaws. A doe.
“Didn’t get him, hmm?”
“So close” Cyagnus complained, resting his head onto his paws “do your thing… quickly, I’m hungry”
“I’m not skinning it today… it’s not worth it” Gavin sat himself, drawing his knife out “I’ll just cut my bit, then you can have at it”
He heard the dragon’s tail thudding “I won’t complain”
Gavin went about cutting off a large piece, enough for tonight, and some to dry for tomorrow. By the cavern he had a little spot where he always made his fire, there was a dip in the rock, it served as a bowl for the fire. He set it up, listening to the wet rips and heavy, dulled cracks as bones snapped and the dragon ate. He’d watched it a couple of times… it was the stuff of nightmares. Specifically knowing he fell into the prey category, alongside deer like that one. He didn’t doubt Cyagnus would treat a human with no more thought. Except that humans were small enough to swallow, alive… no spilled blood to mess the scales, or to be wasted. It made sense in its, brutal way. He had no wish to see the insides of the stomach again though.
Silently he went about cooking his meal, poking a stick into the embers with a low sigh. It would be that time soon, after he finished cooking, and ate his fill. Like the evening before, he would groom over every inch of Cyagnus’s grand body. He always approached it with mixed feeling. He knew he’d enjoy it once he got into it… but the workload was daunting.
But this life had found its routine, he ate, and rose, and approached the sprawled and eager dragon, eyes lingering on the tail that beat and eyes that gleamed. And he smiled. It was a slightly weary smile, but Cyagnus was so excited… the dragon loved this part, never got tired of it. It was enough to warm Gavin to the task. So once more he set his hands to Cyagnus’s warm, smooth scales, and began to stroke and rub.

“Good day for flying?” Gavin climbed back up onto the ridge, finding Cyagnus sat to his haunches, muzzle to the wind, wings flared and lightly adjusting to the billowing air. Sometimes Cyagnus answered quickly… sometimes he was lost in thought, contemplating the answer. It was a simple question… but Cyagnus treated the answer very seriously… as expected.
Gavin sat himself to wait. He always saw Cyagnus off on the hunt… or waited till the dragon decided he wouldn’t take off. His heart always raced, the moment tense. It was all important. If Cyagnus didn’t fly, they didn’t eat. He always kept a little from the day before… but it didn’t keep long. They’d both go hungry… and in the end, if it went long enough… he remembered a stretch, three days the dragon hadn’t flown. He’d caught Cyagnus eying him. He didn’t doubt the dragon would choose eating him over starving. Not that he held that against Cyagnus… he’d do the same if he was in the dragon’s scales.
Finally, Cyagnus hummed “the flying is good…” he sighed a breath, looking down to Gavin “you are coming with me today”
“I don’t need to visit the village so soon after the last” Gavin noted, puzzled… this was new
“Not there” Cyagnus hummed, licking his chops “don’t you know what today is?”
“No” Gavin shrugged “is it your hatchday or something?”
“We don’t hatch” Cyagnus snorted “but anyway… no, that’s next moon… today is the big human feast”
“the human…” Gavin froze up a little. That meant one of two things… either it was some hideous ritual where the people he’d been getting to know were feasted on… or knowing Cyagnus, it probably meant… “you mean the temple, don’t you?”
“Uh, huh” Cyagnus hummed “where we met… or, well… the opposite one to where we met, where I took you in my stomach… and where I retrieved you”
Gavin tried to wrap his head around the suggestion… “would we… even be welcome?”
“Why not?” Cyagnus’s voice hinted at a bit of concern “they always welcome dragons… and you’re one of them, so…”
“Cyagnus… you uncovered their secret” Gavin winced “they’re probably hoping you ate me and flew off never to return…”
Cyagnus huffed “but I’m hungry… and they serve such lovely food… I can keep my mouth shut… or rather, stuff it so full I can’t talk. I want to go”
“I guess that decides it then” Gavin noted. Dragon got what dragon wanted… still… he wondered what would happen. The place had a shadowy secret… but it wasn’t a violent one… the more he thought about it, there was a good chance they’d have no way of stopping Cyagnus… and would happily stuff his belly full and usher him out quickly, so long as he kept his mouth shut… and apart from their staff, nobody there would know who he was… he couldn’t deny, the thought of a human-made meal was charming… surely they’d be willing to buy his silence with a meal too, accompanied by Cyagnus… he didn’t want to feel he was extorting them though… they’d done him a service… but one meal surely…
Either way Cyagnus had decided, and was already crouched for Gavin, waiting. Obligingly he scaled the beast, clambering onto the wide shoulders and held on tight. He had any number of concerns about this plan… the worst that Cyagnus might want to eat him again or probe them about their secrets… but he could do nothing but cling on tight and hope for the best… there was no disagreeing with a dragon.

The temple was impressive to behold. Built of human hands to dragon sizes, the huge stone structure stood out clinging to the side of the Drachenpass as it was. Gavin had never seen it from this angle; the dragon-eye view. Vast outside platforms for dragons to land or doze on, a deep, open archway to the interior… and dragons. Dragons hovered around its pinnacle, dragons sprawled out on the warm stone… and yet more clamoured inside. He found a new respect for those who worked the front of house. Having to seem carefree and jovial all evening with huge hungry reptiles roaming around… each hoping they’d win the random draw, and enjoy a dancing, living human meal.
It certainly lived up to the official role. A safe bastion where humans could, placate and foster pleasant feelings from dragons. He’d lived there only a couple of months, but… from what he heard, the official reason it existed was likely why it was first built… the secret route it provided across the mountains was relatively new.
Cyagnus drifted down after the other approaching dragons, his eyes following each in turn… at first Gavin assumed they were watching out for each other, so not to collide… and likely that was an element… but there was something else too. A more casual hostility. They were getting territorial… none claimed this region, but, it was in their nature. Cyagnus eased back, letting other dragons land first… other, larger dragons. Some of them made Gavin’s skin crawl… one that passed over was soft under the scales, certainly beautiful…blue like Cyagnus, but a different shape, enough to make him assume female. She was a lot larger though…when she landed in front, her paw was larger than the small, easily missed human standing by the entrance.
“Welcome, head on in, we’ve just had a few leave, plenty of room for you now” the woman at the door glanced the dragoness up and down “you’re a big one… we have some servers on the floor… do try not to step on them, ok?”
“Temptations” the dragoness hissed, swaying in, tail arcing. Gavin noticed Cyagnus’s snout was following every weave of the heavy muscle…
Still, once the doorway was clear Cyagnus seemed to come back to himself, padding for the door. It was then that Gavin realised he recognised the woman minding the door… the person who ran the temple… and had been the last to see him when he was carried off. The widening of her eyes told him she remembered them.
“Gavin?!”
“Hi…” he murmured, smiling sheepishly “still alive…”
“I can see that…” she looked between them “and… that dragon, what are you doing here?”
Cyagnus cleared his throat, getting her attention “it is the day, isn’t it? The feeding day?”
“It… is” she deflated a little “and all dragons are welcome… of course… you just want some food then? We can do that…” she shot Gavin a sharp look, and he put a finger to his lips, nodding. She seemed to understand, and nodded back “Just please… you learnt something you weren’t supposed to, dragon… just, don’t say anything, and you can eat all you want”
“Oh, I won’t” Cyagnus confirmed casually, looking in “I’m looking forward to this… oh” he looked back down to her “is there any chance I can do it again?”
“it…?”
He grinned “what I did to Gavin, the secret thing. I really, really want to figure out how you did that”
“I’ll see what I can do” she murmured, looking aside “it’s a random draw though”
Cyagnus was already swaying past her though, scaly hips rocking as his tail swished. He seemed excited, Gavin noted. For his part he just clung to the dragon’s back, pressing himself low. There were many dragons around.
Inside was… a somewhat horrifying display. Vast, ornate carts styled like bowls were arranged for the dragons, filled with, large pieces of severed creatures… some were recognisable, others chopped too finely. Little flecks of green hinted at seasoning… although, could be in part the herbs that, helped alter the dragon’s internal environment. It would be a good cover… the dragons expecting interesting new flavours and bits of plant in their food… how would they know there was more to it.
The heaps of, what mostly looked like raw meat weren’t as unnerving as the, live food. An array of livestock were on a raised platform, blinkered and facing the wall, ears pressed down and muzzles buried in herbal bags. It seemed efforts had been made to make them utterly oblivious to the huge reptiles roaming around, waiting to eat them. Something of a mercy, he supposed. They’d only know the huge predator going for them for a few moments before their doom.
Cyagnus was humming pleasantly to himself, wandering closer to a cart, sniffing at it.
“That was rude, Cyagnus” Gavin scolded faintly “it’s already cheeky us coming back at all, but you can’t just ask to be in their draw… especially when you know what it’s really about. You’ll scare them the whole secret is lost”
“I wouldn’t do that” Cyagnus noted, glancing to his back “if I spoiled it, they might not do this anymore… a lot of dragons look forward to it. I just want to figure out the trick. And don’t tell me” he added the last words pointedly, looking back to the cart “it was this smell… I buried my muzzle in it last time and ate till I felt sick… then I waddled over to look at the live food… then went to a balcony because I… felt ill. I didn’t get sick, but I rested there till I felt better… a nice human brought me a bucket of bitter water, but it made me feel so much better” he lifted his head “and then… I was snacking from the entrails till I was told I’d won… I was so excited” he swished his tail “I need to do it the same way… figure out how you all did it”
“Not a good idea” Gavin noted, but he didn’t expect Cyagnus to consider it… and that was confirmed when the dragon stuck his muzzle into the heap of meaty chunks.

“I feel sick” Cyagnus complained. The blue dragon was slumped on his side, belly and muzzle facing an open balcony, considering the wide view out over the world. Loud groaning sounds were echoing from the swelled belly. Gavin gazed over with little sympathy
“You did this to yourself”
Cyagnus groaned, belching softly “ugh… I need to do it exactly the same… I felt this sick last time”
Gavin sighed “your scales look whiter around the muzzle” Cyagnus only groaned in answer. He shook his head “You stay here… try not to paint the side of the temple with… ugh… I’ll go find someone and see if they have any of that, stuff you said makes you feel better”
Cyagnus quietly nodded, before belching again, pawing miserably at his stomach. Gavin turned to wander off, considering the surroundings… there was a side door somewhere, he remembered. Maybe if he got inside the human regions he could find somebody. He didn’t want to see a dragon retching up its stomach any more than anyone.
The sense of scale was a little staggering… getting from one side of the dragon balcony to the other was a fair distance. Still, as he got to the wall he found the door and was just reaching for it when it burst open.
He had a few moments to sway back in shock before he recognised the same woman from before. He sighed a bit… he had pleasant memories of her being so friendly when he had arrived here. And putting up so little resistance when he was carried off. Now she was before him as a, confusing presence. He folded his arms.
“Ah, I found you” she smiled sheepishly, looking over to the sprawled dragon, then back to him, then to the floor.
He sighed “I don’t blame you for… you know… letting him sweep me up” Gavin said, wondering briefly if it was true… “you’ve got a bigger picture to protect… a big picture which did save me, and which I did accept could kill me. I agreed to risk my life on that very dragon… and I’m still alive, so…”
“mmm” she nodded slowly “it is true… you could have easily died in the process, but your hopes got raised, then he… came back” she sighed “but I’ve still got the bigger picture in mind. I need to ask… about what we do here…”
“He’s not said a thing, and I won’t” he noted “I owe you for getting me here, and he… his viewpoint is that if he spoiled the secret, you’d stop this feeding, so…”
She smiled a bit “figures… feed the dragon till he’s happy. If that’s how it is… we’ll just have to keep him sweet, won’t we”
“Speaking of… he gave himself a stomach ache”
“Ah…” she looked over to him “we’ll get him something… though this could work out…” she glanced back to Gavin “you see… he asked to… to do the carrying again. I find his obsession with the way we do it concerning… but as it happens one of the dragons we selected has… well, it won’t work” she shook her head “coughed up his whole meal and padded out, lost his appetite…” she shrugged “I did think keeping on his good side would be good, so, I came to offer the spot to him… if you think he’ll go through with it”
“I think so” Gavin mused “he’s obsessed with re-enacting the whole thing to try and figure it out”
She laughed softly, and he gave her a look. She shook her head a bit “nothing… just, it makes sense… if he acted like this last time, I see why he was chosen…” she looked over to Cyagnus “the system isn’t… completely random. We choose half, and random half, mostly. Some dragons we pick because we think they’ll cause a scene… too many appearances without getting a chance. And some…because they’re perfect” she gestured to Cyagnus “I see a young dragon, filled his belly, so lots of things for a passenger to cling onto, and has given himself a high dose of the… stomach sedaters, and his eager eating implies he’ll go to the next feeding too, over the other temple. The added kicker… he has heartburn… so we can give him something to deaden the acids. He’ll feel better and we get to unsuspiciously give a passenger an extra bit of time. He’s a perfect candidate… apart from his observant side… which I guess they didn’t notice. He’s apparently a little young… a little small, we’ll need to consider that in future”
Gavin nodded lightly, looking over Cyagnus “he’s quite nice really… I thought he’d be angry, put me back where I… belonged. But he’s just curious. I think he’ll eat me… one day, but he treats me nicely”
“I’m glad” she spoke sincerely, before sighing “anyway… I’ll get him something, tell him he gets his wish, so long as he promises to never tell, and… we’ll call him last, so he can have a moment to settle his stomach”
“Right” Gavin smiled a bit, but it was half hearted. He turned to wander back to Cyagnus, but inside his feelings were mixed… he was glad Cyagnus would be happy, but it also meant flying with him back to the other temple, presumably… and, more worrying to him… to his knowledge Cyagnus had never eaten a human, never killed one. He’d liked that. If this trip ended in failure… he’d have to live knowing someone had met the fate he so dreaded, deep in the slowed, acidic pit of Cyagnus’s belly.

“That stuff is miraculous” Cyagnus noted, his tail thudding as he looked over the horrific heap of entrails back in the eating hall… but that wasn’t what he was talking about. Gavin leaned to a hind leg, trying not to look at the raw meat… the smell was bad enough. Cyagnus was talking about the foaming bucket he’d been brought to drink… the groaning dragon was back to his bounding self after that.
“we come up with all sorts” Gavin agreed idly, eyes trailing around… there were still a lot of dragons, and now he was on ground level. Huge roaming beasts… some giving him looks he didn’t like one bit. Hungry… a little frenzied. He was glad for Cyagnus’s presence… his dragon looked small compared to some of these… but a dragon was a dragon.
The wet slurps of the dragon feeding came to his ears, and he sighed “be sure to leave room for your… dessert”
Cyagnus rumbled “I will. I’m eating as much as I did last time”
Gavin groaned to himself “I was happier before I knew what I shared a stomach with”
The dragon perked as a bell was rung somewhere, head raising. The leg Gavin leaned on started to move “oh, they’re waving for me… yum”
Gavin grimaced, but followed as Cyagnus bounded along “you can’t keep this one… please”
The dragon paused to look down to Gavin “oh… right, mmm” he flicked his tail “this time I know they’re not really giving it to me… with you, they told me they were”
Gavin nodded idly to that logic “whatever lets them go free once they get across”
“If they live” Cyagnus added casually, padding off again “I’ll treat them no different… and who knows how you survived”
Gavin shivered, but followed anyway… it was disheartening to know how little Cyagnus would care if his passenger was digested… likely only disappointed it was a loose end to his discovery of their secret…

The room where Cyagnus was bid was a lot like the one he’d been in before… there was one person, a woman coated in the same, slightly glistening layer of golden oils he’d once donned. Cyagnus had an eager sway as he was led in. He hummed “aww… I don’t get to choose?”
“We have one left” he was gestured to the remaining. Gavin sighed, he could see the same… terror in this one.
He kept his distance as Cyagnus approached, the dragon laying to his belly and spreading wide his jaws expectantly, his tail merrily thudding. Despite how it made him squirm, Gavin couldn’t help watching as the oiled dancer approached the fanged maw. A hand reached inside, then she crawled onto the tongue. The scales around the jaw swelled out visibly to her push and stroke. She eased deeper, and Gavin watched as the jaws slowly clicked shut, Cyagnus humming as he seemed to taste the human in mouth, chuckling with little huffs as the underside of his jaw bulged with movement. He wasn’t quite sinking into the calm stupor intended… but then, he knew what was going on. His head lifted all the same, snout to the sky, the shifting shapes under the scales moving into the neck, and down, little ripples from beneath as he swallowed. A wet slurp echoed in the quiet as he licked his chops “mmm… she tastes a lot like Gavin did… she didn’t move as nice… though… pleasant wriggle going down… very wriggly”
“Panicking” the woman overseeing observed idly, looking along Cyagnus “please try to… make it work… please?”
Cyagnus looked down as he stood, stretching “mmm, I’ll do what I did last time… it worked last time”
“Then… please follow my assistants, they’ll take you somewhere to rest”
Cyagnus nodded, swaying off, with low hanging belly. Gavin moved to follow, but found the woman moving into his way “do you really want to listen to… his insides, or would you rather enjoy a hot meal and a normal bed for the night…?”
Gavin blinked, but sighed “after months with a dragon… that sounds divine” He let himself be led off, but watched the disappearing rump of Cyagnus… he hoped that woman in there had oiled herself properly… or she wouldn’t survive the night inside the dragon… he knew that stomach more than he ever wanted to… this whole process was bringing it back… and he didn’t like that one bit

When Gavin woke, Cyagnus was still sleeping. The long blue dragon sprawled out on his side, belly looking perfectly plump, but while the feeding the day before had stretched the plates till flesh showed, now the bulge was smoother, and spread further down his body… much of the food had been processed…
Gavin wandered closer to the dragon’s body, resting a hand to the scales where the stomach would be… he rubbed, hearing light gurgling. There was still a tightness there, his stomach wasn’t empty. That meant little, the dragon had gorged, on food laced to slow his digestion of it. Some would remain regardless… but was there, in there, still a living human… sleeping, or staying very, very still… or was she already dead… of the ten he’d been with, only he had survived… but, it had been in that very stomach.
Strewn around were five other dragons, each had swallowed a human, alive. He found himself looking to the sleeping giants… how many were still alive… it was a clever scheme though. He’d have never known anyone could still have a chance, under those scaly hides. A part of him wanted to… try and wake them, make them get up faster and fly for the next temple, to give those inside the best chance, but… he had no power to do so… and their suspicion couldn’t be raised. If one, or more decided to just sleep here all day, while the human inside began to burn and stew… nothing could be done.
He sighed, rubbing his face, and moved up to Cyagnus’s snout, rubbing into the scales, in some ways wanting to rouse at least his own dragon. Slowly, the eyes opened, jaws spreading ominously in front of him as the dragon yawned, sniffing at the air, huffing “mmm… human… oh, Gavin” he blinked, easing a forepaw along the floor, resting his head on it, looking sleepily at Gavin “do you need something… I want to sleep”
Gavin glanced down the dragon “I’m just worried about… you know?”
“mmm?” Cyagnus followed Gavin’s gaze, ears suddenly perking “oh, oh yes, of course” he licked his chops “mmm… I don’t feel anything… but I didn’t last time either… we’ll find out. I never tasted you on my breath over the flight… we’ll see if I taste, this one” he sat, stretching with a huff “I do want to sleep a little more though… but, I’m awake now…”
Gavin stepped back slowly, looking around, a couple of other dragons were stirring… Cyagnus’s movements enough to rouse them… that was good.
“We can get an early start perhaps”
Cyagnus yawned a little, flicking his wings “I suppose…” he wandered for the edge of the platform they rested on, looking out to the skies, drifting his muzzle like he always did, judging the wind. Gavin for his part moved to the dragon’s side and started to climb. He suspected the dragon wouldn’t be content to stay put… that wouldn’t be, recreating his flight. The weather looked clear enough… Cyagnus seemed to agree for he yawned, nodding his muzzle “mmm… time to fly” he flared his wings, looking behind him to the others, before leaping up and to the skies, surging his wings hard to get into the skies.
Gavin just looked back and down, considering the rousing lizards… he dearly hoped they would all fly on to the next temple… the chances were good. Most were the dark scaled migrating breed… normally, they travelled to both temples… he had to hope they’d soon be following. He’d hate to imagine the fate of surviving the whole day… just to find the dragon had settled somewhere with no team to rescue them…

The difference in Cyagnus’s flight was pronounced. His wingbeats were laboured, his movements slow, even after the dragon landed not far from the temple to relieve himself. The remaining weight of the heavy meal keeping the dragon from his best.
He wasn’t sure whether it was because of this, or just because the dark breed was so bred for flight, but soon Gavin found himself getting an inspiring sight… from the temple direction came a vast flock of dragons, dark jewels making the day’s sky look like night… so many of them, it was no surprise they couldn’t stay in one place long. They weren’t the largest breed it seemed, but their numbers were notable… he couldn’t tell the ones which had eaten humans amid the group… but it was soothing to know they were heading the same way. They caught up to, and started to pass Cyagnus, but yet, soon they were descending… and the reason became clear. A beautiful gleaming lake was nestled in their route, and they flew down as one. After a moment, Gavin felt Cyagnus dipping to follow. He petted the dragon’s shoulder
“I’m thirsty” Cyagnus explained “really thirsty actually…”
“Salt” Gavin noted slowly “I bet they salt the food… it, enhances flavour”
“It was tasty” Cyagnus sighed “makes me want more… so much I simply had to fly to the next temple for it… and this lake is on the way anyway…”
“crafty” Gavin mused
“I’m thirstier than ever though” Cyagnus huffed
The dragon swept down, Gavin clinging tight, suddenly nervous. The bank of the land was swarmed with large dragons, muzzles down and drinking. Cyagnus landing and worming into a spot, lowering snout to drink. He took two deep swallows, licking his chops with a sigh “mmm… soothes” he looked to Gavin “I hope that’ll do me, I don’t want to get any heavier… I’m already carrying you…”
Gavin nodded, but they both looked sharply to their left, an odd sound as the dark dragon beside them snorted into the water, coughing as its muzzle drew out. Eyes flicked to its flank, before it dipped its muzzle again, swallowing a few more mouthfuls of water. Its head lifted again, a look to its flank, tail drifting, before with a snort, and something like a shrug, it turned to pad from the bank. Gavin’s heart sank.
“mmm” Cyagnus shook his head “that one had… you know…”
“Drowned…”
Cyagnus hummed, and leapt, rising from the flock of dragons “better we get a head start, do not want to fly in their wake if I can help it”
Gavin nodded, looking down “I really hope their cook didn’t miscalculate and over-salt the food… if they’re all that thirsty… every human who went down into one of that flock could be one extra mouthful of water from doom…”
The dragon below him nodded “mmm… true…” he looked back to his own flank “if it’s alive, it hasn’t moved… such an odd thought… I still haven’t figured out how anything lives long enough in there… I mean… the bucket, but not all had that… hmm…”
Gavin sighed, petting the neck, and clinging to the scales beneath him… he really hoped the one he just saw losing the fight hadn’t been like him…

It was a stark relief when the temple came into view… the one that had first taken him in, and fed him to Cyagnus. He couldn’t say he was happy to be on this side of the Drachenpass again… but at least he would be able to leave on Cyagnus’s back this time.
The dark flight had passed them, already he saw many of them dozing on the stone. It was getting late… He looked down to Cyagnus’s flank…
A waving torch drew the dragon’s eye, and Cyagnus banked for it, fluttering his heavy wings before landing to the stone. Gavin peered down to a familiar, humourless face.
The woman below peered up at him “Forgive the sentiment, but I wish you hadn’t come back”
Gavin frowned a touch “the feeling is mutual”
She shook her head, while gesturing to a pair of assistants, who guided Cyagnus deeper. She kept to the dragon’s side “I mean, your timing is awful… but for the moment, lets attend to the dragon…”
“Are you not even a little surprised by any of this?” Gavin asked bluntly… nobody could be so cold as to take all of this in their stride, he reasoned
“Our twin temple does communicate with us, you know” she sighed “we send a bird once all the… passengers are in their dragons, how many and which… we have the bands on their limbs, but it never hurts to have a confirmation… she mentioned you were coming… and, I already heard about this dragon being so very, clever…” she eyed Cyagnus “A miscalculation I intend to keep, contained… but back to the issue…” she looked to Cyagnus “you are tired, dragon?”
“Very” he huffed, flopping to his belly, before glancing to it with a wince “oops… uh, mmm… but yes…”
She eyed his flank “let us hope that little impact is… not fatal… if you don’t mind, since you know already… we’ll get our team down to extract without drugging you to sleep… from what I read, you’d prefer that anyway”
Cyagnus nodded “I’m very interested…”
She sighed “just don’t swallow if they start coming up… or we will need you sleeping… but given, other matters that is not ideal” she waved a few more over, the weighted rope in hands. She beckoned to Gavin “while they work… I need to talk to you”
Gavin obliged, sliding down while Cyagnus had his jaws pried open, and the rope fed down while he grunted. The woman in charge eyed him “you are going to cause me a problem”
“I don’t see how…” he crossed his arms “I leave with Cyagnus in the morning”
“That may be too late” she rubbed her hand to her forehead “your timing is… just awful…” she shook her head “on occasion, those we help escape are tracked here… normally there is no issue. You have, after all, been eaten by a dragon. They can search if they choose, make themselves content you are not here, and you were indeed eaten by a dragon… I have no issue letting them search, and while some are more annoyed to accept my word than others… they never find reason to doubt it or disprove it” she met his eye “therefore you are a problem for me. Those hunting you, are still here”
Gavin felt his stomach knot “are you serious?” he shook his head “stupid question… but damn it…”
“Yes…” she looked to the dragon, choking as his neck swelled “seems his passenger is alive… how nice… but yes, even if this beast has made claim of you… even if he takes you away, if you are even spotted by these people, there will be some very unpleasant questions… like how it is you were witnessed becoming dragon food… and are yet still alive”
Gavin nodded slowly “so… what do you propose?”
She shook her head “the dragon is tired and must rest… and it would take even longer to get you properly coated to go into his stomach… and it would be, unsafe to further drug his system”
Gavin scratched at his chin “then I stay here, I stay by his side… you keep us amid dragons, they won’t be that brave”
“mmm…” she nodded “my thought exactly… but you had best be very discrete… Stay out of sight…”
Gavin leaned to Cyagnus, watching the others leaving… the, soaked girl being carried, dazed, away.
Cyagnus hummed “I feel a bit sorry for it” Cyagnus mused “she looks very… sore and worn out. But I suppose my belly is not kind to prey… to be whole is a miracle”
“True…” Gavin petted his dragon’s side, sitting himself to the scales “it brings back bad memories…”
He felt the muzzle come to nudge him “makes me sad to think what was so bad you went into me to escape it…”
“It’s complicated…” Gavin sighed “a lot of those who choose this route are, not nice people… but, I think they choose who they let know about it… to those they think worth saving… or I hope so”
Cyagnus hummed “It feels a little nice to think, I help a human get away from something so scary… maybe I can do this again, for more of them”
Gavin smiled a bit, petting Cyagnus’s jaw “maybe… who knows… maybe you’d make things easier… a dragon who is, alright with the whole endeavour…”
Cyagnus’s ears perked, his eyes drifting to the entranceway “humans are coming… loud humans”
Gavin felt himself tense, pressing a hand to the dragon’s flank “can you hear what they’re saying?”
Cyagnus cocked his head “they are talking about… us, I think. Something… dragon that ate him…”
Gavin winced “they might know what… you look like, could they had seen you fly in? Could it be… they mean to… question you”
“I could eat them” Cyagnus offered
“That… won’t help” Gavin disagreed reluctantly
The blue muzzle drifted into his view “in that case… do you trust me?”
Gavin froze, the bright blue eyes, long scaly muzzle right before him. What was Cyagnus planning… he dreaded to think “I…” he could hear the voices himself now... not the words, just the angry volume. “ok… I trust you”
Cyagnus nodded, and spread wide his jaws, jabbing over Gavin in a lunge. Once more Gavin knew the fleshy abyss of dragon maw, spongy tongue moving and alive beneath him, hard fangs penning him in, a wet sound of suction from the very back… Cyagnus wasted no time, his head tipped back, his snout lunged up, and sent Gavin into freefall, till his stomach hit the tongue, and he slid right into the throat.

Cyagnus swallowed, firmly, sighing past his fangs, feeling his human sink down, away… like last time, he mused, eyes finding those humans who entered… there were three, pursued by the female human from before…
“If you insist… the dragon is there, but I warn you, they are not safe to approach when they are resting. We live in unity here only because we know their limits”
Her words only got a grunt, and Cyagnus examined the approaching humans, licking along his chops. He felt his human settle into his stomach. He flicked his tail… he didn’t have much time for dawdling. As the humans neared, he rolled to his paws, letting his height intimidate them. He spread his wings, enlarging himself to their eyes “I have sharp ears, and I hear you question the efficiency of my insides, little bite-sized ones? You may look along my magnificence if you desire… and I will not object if one of you wishes to see for yourselves how potent my stomach can be…” he lowered his snout, spreading wide his jaws “but you won’t come back out past the fangs…”
Gavin couldn’t help how he trembled… the strong walls rolled in towards him, the juices sloshed and soaked his clothes, the scent was terrible and familiar… he’d spent a whole day in this hellish place… this time, he had no protections. It brought back the crippling terror of the last hours before his rescue, when he had no idea if he would live or die and had felt the stomach reawakening and intent to stew his presence to sludge. He dared not push out at the walls lest he alert his pursuers, lest it ignite the belly’s activity even more. He could only sit and tremble, as muscular walls pressed in at all sides… Cyagnus’s body… just wanted to digest him away… The walls closed in, tighter than ever, clenching around his body till he felt sure this was it… but the pressure was uneven, stronger beneath him. It pushed him up, and he rose, into a tighter tube, which did the same, sounds echoed from outside… retching… he, would live he concluded, and finally relaxed.
Cyagnus coughed as he spat his human out between his paws, huffing as he licked his lips… looking to the soggy mammal. The female crouched near.
“still breathing… we’ll need to get him cleaned up… but he’ll live”
“That’s good” Cyagnus flicked his tail, settling himself with a little smile “make sure he’s ready… tomorrow I take him home with me again…”
She looked to him with a light nod “More and more I’m glad we chose you… with that lot… scared off, perhaps you will visit again”
Cyagnus rumbled, looking to Gavin as the panting human was led away to bathe “I may just do that… though I think I’ll need to ensure he never rides in there again…”