The Lost of the Marshes – Chapter 4: Change
by Bad Manners

===

... Unlike the desert extending west of the Two Rivers, this territory is a pocket of life that led to a thriving civilization. The abundance of water has allowed advancements to culture and society unlike any before. [...] But thanks to the land given by the gods, Kaati managed to make agriculture not only possible, but the majority of its economy. Trading grains, cattle, wool, and more with neighboring city-states, in exchange for their ores and stones, it manages to thrive and grow, while keeping an uneasy truce with its potential competitors for supremacy. ...

... A great advancement for commerce and culture was the invention of its writing system, etching symbols on a clay tablet to store text and documents, just like this one that you're currently reading. This allows reports, knowledge, poems, laws, and so much more to be kept outside of our minds, and outlast even our bodies. Hopefully, the knowledge and mistakes that we've learned will live on through them [...] ...

===

Quince ran on all fours, as fast as their small cat legs could. Fear was all they felt.

They could hear shouts of shady men just behind them, blood lust in their chanting, chasing them with weapons.

Ahead of Quince, they spotted the margin of the Second River, and without a second thought, they had already jumped in, trying to cross the river.

The heavy current tosses them around, nearly drowning them. Cold and dark. Wet and painful.

The water no longer pushes them. Quince has reached the other bank of the river, and they caught their breath. Looking back on the way they came, the shadowy figures were somehow following them across the river. No time. No time.

Quince ran and ran. Fear. An empty plain desert. Run. For how long? Hours? Days?

A burning house. How did they get in? All of the village was burning as well. But their body was frozen from fear, and they couldn't leave. Flames.

There was someone here. An extended arm. A friendly light-brown face behind it. A comforting smile. Flames. "It's fine now, give me your hand so we can get out of here", the face said. Safe. Quince raises their arm to the figure.

Fear. The face contorted itself and changed into a twisted smile. Claws grip their arm. Fear. A black and white head, with a malicious row of fangs. Fear. Fear. A growl, and it jumped towards them.

Death...?

***

Quince woke up in a jump. They looked around in the dark room and the cat sighed in relief. It was just a nightmare, but unfortunately a familiar one. It was a faded memory that Quince was well accustomed to for the last few years, from when Nikili rescued them while he was still an armyman. Quince knew that the friendly, light-brown face in the dream was his, in fact, and the memory was of the first time that the two had met; but that's all the cat could really remember. Still, considering everything else in the dream, it wasn't something they particularly wanted to remember, so they never asked him for any details.

The real mongoose was still lying asleep next to them, on the other side of the reed-filled mattress of their shared bed, in the windowless home that they lived in, in Logas. It was somewhat dark in the bedroom, but there was some sunlight already creeping through the passageway, so it must have been the early morning.

Lying down still, Quince felt some shuffling between their front paws. It was a black- and blue-feathered archaeopteryx – or rather, a dragon who had transformed into one –, who they had met in the marshes and brought home last night. Apparently, the cat had been tightly hugging their visitor throughout their sleep. Quince hoped that they hadn't hurt the now-diminutive reptile during their nightmare, and so they released their grip to give the struggling guest some space.

As soon as they did, however, the proto-bird flew out of the room with great speed. This caught Quince by surprise, and they jumped out of the bed to follow him into the hearth. In the next room, Quince only caught a glimpse as he flew outside of the house through the bright hole on the ceiling. Quince simply ran out the main doorway, trying to catch up on foot. He was too fast on the air, but not giving up, the cat tried to tail him.

But all they managed to see was the black blur flying south towards the marshes, with no chance of catching up. Quince let out a soft groan to no-one in particular, and sat on the ground, watching their friend disappear from view in the horizon. Did he run away because he had been hurt? They decided to wait for his return – surely he wasn't gone for good, right?

As they watched the horizon, looking for any far signs of their friend, Quince failed to notice the white duck headed toward their house. The woman, Ruunk, saw the distracted yellow cat outside, but they weren't who she was after, so she simply walked through the doorway. Inside the house, the smell of their roasted fish still permeated the hearth – no doubt, Nikili had cooked the ones that she had sold to him yesterday.

She had never been in here – Nikili would never have let her in –, so she examined the sunlit interior. Its two residents were known for always getting into some sort of trouble, but for their reputation, the house was definitely more organized than she'd expected. In fact, everything seemed in better shape than her own place, admittedly. Even so, now she had to focus on searching for Nikili, but she easily found her way by following the soft snoring. Entering a nearby room, she'd found the sleeping mongoose lying stomach down on the bed – still wearing his skirt, she noticed, as much as she wished otherwise.

Ruunk didn't know the nature of his and Quince's relation since the two were so reserved, but it didn't seem anything romantic or sexual. Which made her hopeful that she could win over the heart of the mongoose she'd fallen in love with – even if he had rejected her every previous attempt.

But that was neither here nor there. She didn't come for her relationship with Nikili, or for their encounter last night. She simply shouted, "Wake up. Nurta wants to see you." The mongoose remained asleep, moaning something in his slumber. The duck approached her ear to the taller person and made out some words: "... do you like me too...?"

A bit more impatient, she yelled "Hey!" and shook his exposed back, and he jolted awake. "Ugh... What was that for, Quinc–", he groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, turning to the woman standing at the feet of his bed. "Ruunk...? Get out of my house..."

She crossed her arms. "The boss is asking you to see her, now", the duck repeated.

He stretched and let out a yawn. He felt more tired than usual, and not just because his sleep was interrupted by the loud woman. "Why?"

"I don't know. She just asked me to call you." That wasn't entirely true; Ruunk had a pretty good guess as to why. Last night, she thought that she'd seen a giant dragon materialize outside of Nikili's and Quince's home, and then just as suddenly disappear, and she told as much to Nurta this morning. She thought the boss would have told her to stop making up stories, but instead she seemed to have taken it seriously, and immediately told her to summon Nikili.

Nikili looked around the empty bedroom, somewhat concerned. "Where's Quince?"

"I saw him outside."

He got up from the bed. "You saw -them- outside", he corrected her. The events of last night were still fresh in his head, and he was worried for Quince's well-being, but they seemed fine after swallowing and then failing to puke a certain flying reptile. In fact, the genderless cat seemed more apologetic than hurt or sick afterwards, and even managed to keep their actual food down. He was worried about the flying reptile's whereabouts, but it wouldn't be wise to ask Ruunk about him. After all, the dragon would most likely be with Quince right now, and his identity would have to be kept as a secret.

"You better not leave Nurta waiting", she said again, impatient.

He waved his hand. "Yeah yeah, I heard you already. Now leave my house... please."

***

Quince had started to feel a bit disheartened after a while. They sat with their chin on their paws, waiting and waiting. Maybe the dragon had gone back to his home, in that ruined temple in Zugul? Maybe after what had happened, he decided to leave for good. If so, Quince would have liked to follow them, just to apologize. They'd have to convince Nikili to go back there, or sneak out. Would that work?

At that time, Nikili approached them, tailed from a distance by Ruunk. "Morning, Quince.", he said, noticing that the archaeopteryx wasn't nearby, and how the cat looked disappointed. They'd been together for several years now, so Nikili could usually read the body language of the cat with ease, even if they couldn't speak any words. He squatted to match the yellow feline's height, and smiled comfortingly. "I have to speak with Nurta now, and then we can go looking for your 'bird', alright?" Quince eyes lit up, and they gave him two soft, happy trills in response. Nikili gently pat their head, and stood back up.

He looked back at Ruunk and called, "Let's go." They walked away, towards the center of Logas.

There was some silence for some time, but the duck had some questions that she wanted to be answered. "I didn't know you had a pet bird for the cat... Quince, was it? He– They can't speak?"

The mongoose nodded. "Yep. But even if they did, I don't think they'd really want to. At least to people other than me."

"So they don't really interact with anyone else?"

"Basically." With the exception of a certain dragon, he thought. "But we both get along fine." He reminisced for a bit, and continued. "I've met them during my time in the Kaati army, and they were alone and scared. So I took them in, and later we decided to move to Logas after talking it over with Nurta." Nikili let out a weak smile to himself. "And I think they're pretty happy with the way things are going now..."

"You know," the duck mused out loud, "you're certainly more mature and organized, and less of a hard-head, than what I've heard."

His smile vanished. "Heard? From whom?"

"Well... from Nurta, mostly. And also Liara. And–"

He interrupted her. "Okay, never mind. I don't wanna know anymore. And also, don't think that your little attempt at a compliment is gonna work on me."

"That's not it!", Ruunk blurted out to the slightly-taller mongoose, lying. "So dense... And what's it with you every time I mention Liara? Did you–"

"It's been a long time already with me and him, give it a rest. And I don't wanna discuss it with you of all people.", he interrupted again, hoping to shut her down. And it did, but solely because she had learned enough. She'd ask Liara more about it later.

In the center of the village, they made their way into the clay brick building that was slightly larger than the neighboring homes. This wasn't just a house, but the main office of the Logas farmlands. The activity was, after all, the main production in the village, and it was all coordinated from this place. The second floor was mostly a regular, albeit larger home – Nikili had been invited there on a few occasions –, and the ground floor was the work area. It was mostly clean and organized, as the products like grains and cattle were stored in different buildings. Instead, there were chairs, and a counter, and bulky clay tablets along the shelves. And behind the counter...

"Thank you, Ruunk. Now please leave us, so we may speak in private", said the assertive, feminine voice.

The duck assented with a nod, and left back the way she came. Nikili stared at the woman in front of him, Nurta. She was a lizard, almost as tall as him at 5'7"/170cm, with dull-red scales on her whole body, except for light-orange ones under her chin and then down the front of her neck, and perhaps over the front of her torso as well – but the full dresses she'd always wear covered her entire body down to the knees, so Nikili could only assume.

One might confuse her head alone for a snake's, which gave her a scary appearance to some, compounded by the yellow slitted eyes. Even the intrinsic authority and perfection in her speaking tone could make some feel unease. But the mongoose was accustomed to her, and he considered her a reliable friend of sorts. There wasn't much he'd learned about her, though. At least, he knew that in the past, she had made a sizable fortune by making and selling weapons to Kaatian soldiers from the city during the war, and later came to own the farmlands in Logas. This was all unheard of, since women were normally not allowed to run official businesses in Kaati.

She, however, was known to Kaati officials in equal measures by her name and title: Nurta the Widow. It was either this position – or maybe she also had some elite members wrapped around her claws – which allowed her to run both of her businesses without consequences. Still, there were plenty of rumors going around, such as who she was once married to, or how did he die. And Nikili once heard how she was there to help rebuild the entirety of Logas, many years ago, after the previous village was razed by Kaati. Just how old was she? He couldn't tell it one way or another just by looking at her. When asked about these things, Nurta never answered, but that did not matter to the people of Logas. Here, she was not only the head of the farmlands, but an upstanding and trustworthy leader, who they could rely on.

And Nikili looked up to her with respect. But right now, he was a little concerned, otherwise she wouldn't call on him out of the blue without a good reason. He raised a hand in a greeting, quietly waiting for her to speak.

Nurta smiled sweetly and said, "I'm sorry I've had to send Ruunk to fetch you, Nikili. I hope she hasn't bothered you too much..."

***

Meanwhile, Quince still waited for their feathered friend to come back, taking the time to lick their arm clean. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to wait any longer, as a black blur appeared on the horizon coming from the marshes. It approached the cat with great aerial speed, and then the archaeopteryx landed in front of them. Quince was elated to see him again, vocalizing their happiness with a meow and a smile.

But they noticed that there was something different with him. There was a big bulge below his chest and under his feathers, but not for long, as the Urvogel lurched his head forward to quickly cough out a fish. It was about as wide as his neck, and he'd let most of its upper body hang outside of his mouth, holding it in his maw to make sure it wouldn't escape. Similarly, the bulge in his chest had disappeared, so Quince reasoned that the transformed dragon must have been carrying the prey in his crop after capturing it in the marshes.

The fish still seemed alive, squirming a bit in the reptile's mouth trying to get free. After holding the fish out like this just long enough for Quince could take a good look, he tossed his head back, swallowing it back down. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the big bulge in his throat vanished completely, and the crop no longer bulged after the fish was ingested. So it must have gone somewhere else in the proto-bird's body – the stomach, most likely.

It was definitely a weird and quick scene to experience, but why did the archaeopteryx go through so much trouble to do this? Why not eat it right after catching it in the first place? Maybe he wanted Quince to observe him eating breakfast? Thinking back to yesterday, Quince remembered how he didn't seem interested in eating the fish that Nikili had offered him then, so he must catch and feed himself with fish in the morning, like he had just demonstrated.

With a short chirp and a flap of his wings, the reptile flew off again into the marshes. Weird experience aside, at least now the cat knew that he could find his way to the marshes and then back to Logas, so they simply decided to wait some more.

***

Inside of the office, Nurta was asking Nikili how the last few days had been. "Ruunk told me that you two found more artifacts in Zugul yesterday, and that you were carrying an urn back home... I take it that you found a big haul?" The woman definitely seemed curious.

Nikili scratched the side of his head. "Y-yeah... After we sell them in Kuir, we should be good with coin for a month... or even two."

"That's wonderful!", the lizard smiled. "I'm glad that your and Quince's hard work has paid off."

"That's... That's not the reaction I was expecting. You always tell us to help you with farm work for coin."

Nurta brought a hand to her chin. "Well, I've always supported the scavenging forays from everyone in Logas. It's just that it has gotten more dangerous lately, with the recent disappearances in the Hamora Marshes. And now, only you two still do it..." She paused for a bit. "I know that they are just rumors, but I want you to be safe as well. You had to venture deep into the marshes to find them this time, didn't you?"

He nodded to the woman behind the counter.

"As I thought..." The lizard lifted a finger and continued. "And besides, it's not just 'farm work' that I'm offering you. I've tried your homemade beer a few times, and I've already told you countless times that it is simply splendid. You could really turn it into a business if you wanted to, and you'd never have to worry about scavenging for a living."

"I don't know..." Nikili looked around at the walls, with clay tablets containing written documents with transactions, accounts, and what-not. "I can't read, and I don't think I'm capable of running a business on my own."

"You wouldn't have to. I would be more than glad to offer my assistance if you want. It could be a great opportunity for you."

"Still... It's much more of a passion project of mine, y'know? A hobby. I enjoy it because I make it for myself. I wouldn't like to make beer I'm not happy with just because I'd have to sell it." He sighed. "I'm not sure you'd understand."

Nurta shrugged. "I understand perfectly. Well, my offer still stands. Most importantly, I think that you not getting in danger out there is well worth more than any gold or pride."

He was slightly disconcerted. Nurta wasn't someone who'd outright say what she was thinking, so Nikili wondered if maybe she knew about the actual dangers of the marshes – or maybe she was bluffing about the rumors being true.

Still, this little exchange reminded him of something. "Ah, right, I need to ask you, if you could make a new axe for me. The head from mine got wrecked some time ago." He knew that she was not only a businesswoman, but a great blacksmith as well.

She leaned forward. "Is that so...? Well, I can make you a new one, in exchange for some gold of course." He feared that she would ask how it broke, but the lizard wouldn't be so direct. Nurta continued, "If you can give me the old axe head, I can reforge its bronze to make the new one."

"O-oh, crap... I left it in that ruin..." This seemed to make the Widow even more intrigued, and she stepped out from behind the counter to move closer to Nikili. Did he say something he shouldn't have? The woman really had a way with words, and Nikili was starting to realize that hiding stuff from her would be very difficult. He tried to save face by changing subjects. "Anyway, w-w-why did you ask me t-to come here? Did a neighbor complain or something–"

"Why?", the lizard asked sharply. "Was there something that someone would complain about?"

Her face was stern, but her gaze was piercing and intense. Nikili gulped.

***

Not long after the archaeopteryx had flown away, he returned to Quince yet again and landed in front of them, sporting a new bulge in his crop. No doubt it was another fish he had caught in the marshes. But this time, instead of expelling the prey to swallow it back down, the black and blue feathered reptile simply chirped and approached Quince.

The cat was confused, and didn't understand what the transformed dragon wanted. But he approached one of the feline's front paws, and nudged his head against the palm. Maybe he wanted to climb on it? So Quince extended the arm and opened their fingers, lowering them near the Urvogel's feet.

But instead, he chose this moment to lurch his head forward. The fish inside was pushed out of his crop, up his throat, out of his mouth, and landed on Quince's palm in an instant. The river creature started flopping at its newly-earned freedom, but before it could jump out of the cat's hand and onto the floor, Quince brought another to hold it tightly. Its silver scales still felt wet from just being snatched out of the water, but somewhat warm from being inside of the humid chamber of the archaeopteryx's organ.

Quince was confused by the sudden gift, but looking at the proto-bird, it appeared that it wasn't one. Instead, their small friend had brought its maw forward and opened it, exposing his gullet. Maybe he wanted Quince to feed him the fish themself? And considering the dragon's behavior up to this point, being very forward about satisfying the cat's desires involving swallowing, this wasn't so far-fetched.

But the cat watched the live fish in their hands. Quince themself could never hurt a small critter on purpose, even to satisfy their desires. Wouldn't this be the same, in a way? But just like the roasted fish that they ate yesterday, it had also been caught and served as food for them, even if it didn't die by the cat's paws. They had never really thought of it like that before, either. Was this okay, even though the dragon seemed to intend for this to be fun for them as well? After all, in some way he could understand Quince's desires, so maybe he knew that a part of them wanted this too? A part that the cat didn't even knew that existed?

They sat there conflicted, and the archaeopteryx turned his head as he let out a questioning chirp. Quince shook off their doubts, and decided to commit to it. After all, it was more important to not leave their friend starving, they reasoned.

They held onto the still squirming fish and approached it to the reptile, who reopened his maw. Quince tried to angle it in their two hands so the face was pointing at the center of his mouth, and moved it forward. With no difficulty at all, the flesh parted, from his surprisingly wide and flat tongue to the welcoming throat, to receive the prey's head. In a matter of seconds, the river creature had already started slipping down the throat it had just emerged from, its size not seeming to bother the predator in any way. The proto-bird made sure that his mouth was open so Quince could witness every little bit until the tail fins slid in with the rest of the body, and then the bulge in his throat vanished below the neck.

The two fish that Quince saw him eat barely showed in his belly from outside – and it seemed that it was enough to satisfy his hunger, as the Urvogel didn't fly off to the marshes again. Could the dragon, who normally was almost twenty times their size, simply be sated by eating a couple of fish? This must be some trick of turning into this smaller form, perhaps. The black archaeopteryx in front of them simply let out a happy trill, and the cat brought their hand to pet him, scratching the small reptile's chin.

***

Inside of her office, no longer behind the counter, the Widow stood in full view of the slightly taller mongoose, who was shaking a bit. He could now see Nurta's long reptilian red tail, or at least the tiny part sticking out from under her dress. Meanwhile, the mongoose's own dark-brown tail, whose base stuck out just above his skirt's waistband, was tucked between his legs in apprehension. The scaled woman could tell he was uneasy from his body language, so she took a step back and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like this, Nikili. But I am not angry at you. I'm just concerned for the safety of the people in Logas, yours included. And Quince's.", she explained. "Whatever it is you're keeping from me, I want to help you. Let's just talk."

Nikili was still unsure. "Well... I-I don't–"

Before he could say anything, Ruunk barged in. "Did you ask him about the dragon yet?", she yelled, and Nikili was taken aback.

"R-Ruunk?!", he shouted in shock.

Nurta motioned with her hands for both of them to calm down. "Ruunk my dear, I thought I had told you not to speak a word of this with anyone." Nikili's eyes darted between the two women. They both knew?!

"I'm sorry, ma'am.", the duck apologized.

The lizard casually grabbed a clay tablet from the shelf, and handed it to the duck. "Now if you wouldn't mind, we need to check that these quantities are in order."

Ruunk took it and nodded. She made her way out, but not before looking at Nikili and winking. The mongoose collapsed on a nearby chair, now turning to Nurta. "Wh–Who–Wha–How– You told her?!", he stuttered, and that was the only thing that he managed to ask.

"She had told me. Although I initially thought the 'dragon' part was an exaggeration on her end, but judging by your reaction, it was not." She calmly reached for a cup and drank from it, then extended another one to him. "Where are my Manners? Water...?" The mongoose was frozen in fear, but managed to slowly shake his head. "Don't worry, I'm not telling anyone about it. Like I said, I just want to talk." She put away the cup and leaned back against the counter. "Oh, and if you wouldn't mind calling Quince here as well... they might want to listen to what I have to say."

"Q-Quince? R-Right..." Still trembling quite a bit and his heart still racing, his confused mind simply obliged, and Nikili brought two fingers to his lips to whistle a signal, which he knew that Quince would recognize across the village.

Even though their house was near the edge of Logas, the cat managed to hear the sharp call with their sensitive ears. They remembered that Nikili had gone to speak with Nurta, and it wasn't the signal for a distress call, but Quince still recognized it. They looked at the archaeopteryx and, not wanting to leave their friend alone out here, the feline extended their arm for him to perch himself on, and made their way towards the other houses.

Finding Nurta's office was equally easy for Quince as it was for Nikili, and they made their way in, blissfully unaware of what they had been discussing. The cat nearly jumped, then, when as soon as they entered, the proto-bird quietly standing on their arm immediately let out a hiss, extending his wings above his head, and directing his gaze at the lizard lady. Quince was surprised by his reaction; Nikili was surprised that the dragon had returned on his own; and Nurta only had a suspicious grin on her face.

"How curious...", she said to herself, inspecting the territorial feathered lizard. Nurta walked closer to Nikili, but the Urvogel flew from Quince's arm to his shoulder, once again displaying a defensive stance. Deciding not to confront the small creature, she slowly took a few steps back, until the archaeopteryx's hissing had turned into a quiet growling for her to keep her distance. Nurta then spoke calmly. "So this is the dragon... He's very protective of both of you, it seems, which makes this harder..."

The pair of scavengers gasped together. "What?! H-how can you tell he's a dragon?", the mongoose asked for the both of them.

"There's something akin to a dragon's nature – 'gasham', in an ancient tongue –, that some can sense in proximity to one. But that doesn't matter right now." Nurta pinched the area between her eyes, thinking about how to approach this situation. "What I was going to ask of you is this: Is there any chance that you could bring him back to where you found him, away from Logas?"

Quince mewled angrily at the suggestion, and Nikili stood up. "N-No! You see, he's Quince's friend, and he even found his way back to them after leaving. And I don't wanna tell him to leave... not that he could understand me even if I did say it or wanted him to. H-He's staying with us." Hearing this, the cat smiled. It was the first time that Nikili actually said the dragon could live with them, even if he didn't realize it.

The lizard crossed her arms at his backhandedness. "I'll be the judge of that. I just won't allow any of you, or anyone else, to get in danger." She wanted to yell at the two of them for not thinking twice, and bringing in quite their share of trouble, but this recklessness was on another level. Still, other than the satisfaction of exploding, there was nothing to be gained from a momentary lapse, Nurta thought. She scoffed, and recomposed herself. "Very well, I'll ask you a few questions about him, but I really need you to be honest with me." The mongoose simply waited in silence, so she continued. "First, where have you found him?"

"Well, in the marshes, in a ruin. It–"

"Was it near Logas?"

"Uhh, kinda. It's about a half hour walk from our house."

She pondered this. "I see... So he's probably feral and can't speak..."

"What do you m–"

"Second question." Nurta interrupted the mongoose. "Did he ever harm you, Quince, or anyone else?"

"No...", he replied. The dragon did confront another one in the ruins, similar to how the archaeopteryx seemed to confront Nurta right now, but this appeared to be only in order to protect them. In fact, he was completely unbothered by Nikili striking him with an axe, and the most he had ever done to them was to carefully swallow both him and Quince and then let them out after a nap–

"Next, can he turn into this form and a dragon at will?"

"I... I think so?"

"And can he turn into anything else?"

"Hmmm... Quince?" Nikili looked at the cat, and they shook their head. Neither of them knew.

"Very well. And I assume no-one else knows about him."

"Only you... a-and Ruunk, I guess." Nikili noted out loud, and the duck's name prompted a turning of head from Quince.

"Finally," Nurta resumed, "can he communicate with you?"

The mongoose was confused. "Communicate? Like what? I think he can kinda understand Quince more than me–"

"Let me rephrase it. Does he understand words? Can he say anything?"

He denied it on both counts, and Nurta turned quiet. It seemed that this was all she had to ask of him, and she faced the ceiling as she thought.

"Hey... How do you know so much about dragons?", Nikili took the opportunity to ask. "Just some days ago, we didn't even know they were real!"

She hesitated to speak, then replied. "Very few people know about dragons, my husband being one of them. He used to study them, and he's taught me a lot of what I know."

"Oh." Nikili had never heard the Widow speaking of her husband at all before. Maybe she did it to try and keep the existence of dragons and such studies a secret?

"Anyway, if you are to be believed... I don't think your dragon friend is dangerous, but we still have to keep his identity hidden from other people for his safety. And if he can't communicate, this will be a big problem in the long run." She thought for a bit, staring at the still distrustful archaeopteryx on Nikili's shoulder, then snapped her fingers. "Actually, your question reminded me of something. I might have a way for him to be able to speak with us. Just wait here."

Nurta turned around to leave, but the mongoose called her. "Hang on! How do we trust you?"

The lizard turned around and shrugged. "I believed your answers, didn't I? You can believe my story as well.", she said before heading towards a room in the back.

At that moment, the proto-bird that had stayed relatively quiet for the last few minutes flew onto the counter, looking through the empty doorway to figure out where Nurta had run off to. He was still acting with territoriality, but at least he didn't seem intent on actually harming the woman, he just wanted to protect the scavenger duo. Quince turned to Nikili and let out a distrusting trill.

"Yeah," the taller of the pair replied, "I also don't trust Nurta. I don't think she's lying, but she's hiding something. But she knows about the little guy, so we don't have much of a choice here, we need to hear her out."

A moment later, she returned, carrying some sort of heavy stone tablet, very different from the ones around the office, filled with a large inscription. She noticed the archaeopteryx growling towards her on the corner of the counter, so the lizard went to the other side to avoid upsetting him, and called out to Nikili. "Please take this."

He went over and grabbed it. He took a look at it, then back at Nurta. "I can't read this."

"I can't, either. I'm not sure what language this is, or if it's even a text. But he might understand it. And if he does, it might even make him less distrustful of me."

While Nurta explained, he passed it over to Quince. The stone tablet was quite heavy, and instead of carrying it, the cat propped it onto the ground, not realizing that the inscription was now facing the archaeopteryx above. The feathered creature recognized the symbols, and began inspecting the tablet from the vantage point.

"What is it, then?", Nikili asked.

"It's supposedly a ritual. If he can turn into this lizard that looks like a bird, he probably saw one of these before. But this one is different, and instead of his current feathered form, or his original dragon form, it should let him change into a new form that can speak."

The mongoose raised his brow. "A ritual? A new form...? Like what, exactly? Can you guarantee that it works?"

"Unfortunately, no. He needs a strong will and emotional connection to this new form for it to succeed, so it depends a lot on him. It's related to the dragon nature I've mentioned earlier. But if it doesn't work, he'll most likely turn back into a full-sized dragon." She glanced over to the Urvogel, who had gone quiet and seemed to be entranced by something else. "Which is why you should make sure that he only reads and attempts the ritual in a safe place, with plenty of space around him and nobody else who can see– oh, no."

"... What?"

She pointed her finger at the other corner of the counter. "I... think he's going to try the ritual, right here, right now."

Nikili and Quince both turned their heads, and they saw the archaeopteryx majestically spread out both of his wings while looking up. If what she just said was true, then they were in danger. But she just froze there, wide-eyed, and the two of them didn't know if they should run or find cover. There was barely any time to react, however, as the small creature let out a gargle and jumped off the counter, over Quince's head, to the corner of the room away from the three of them.

And as his legs landed back on the ground, his feet pushed against it as he lost his balance. He brought his arms in front of himself to balance against the wall he was headed for, to avoid falling over. No longer did he have claws or wings, but feet and hands. In fact, in the blink of an eye, the room had become smaller, and while still adjusting to his newfound stance, he stumbled to turn around in this unusual bipedal body. His long dark blue scaled tail with black spines, which he managed to catch a glimpse of as he turned around, helped him retain equilibrium – even if it had to push against the floor. Luckily, he didn't knock over anything from the shelves on the wall, as he now lacked any wings sprawling from his back.

After the half-rotation, he locked eyes with the grinning lizard and the astonished mongoose, who were just below his height now. He raised his hands forward and noticed that it had a dark-blue scaled coloration as well, instead of the gray scute on the back of his paws that he was used to as a dragon. The claws were way shorter, instead with more prominent and dexterous fingers similar to those of Nikili and Quince.

He heard a meow coming from below, and he craned down his short neck. He noticed how the previously larger cat was not even half his height, and how his ocean-blue belly and dark-blue legs had also taken some adjustments from his draconic form to fit more with what the other people in the room looked like. He opened his maw to reply to the cat with a soft growl, but all that came from his throat was a tenor vowel, scaring him initially. He brought his two new hands to the snout, feeling it was somewhat flatter and lower from his eyes than he was used to as a dragon. His short pair of horns, however, still was on the top of his head.

Ever since the 6'3"/191cm dark-blue kobold materialized in front of them in the blink of an eye, occupying the place of the archaeopteryx, Nikili remained stunned. Quince seemed positively surprised by the new form of their friend, hugging his leg and purring. Nurta simply sighed in relief. "Thankfully, the ritual worked. He should be able to speak like this, but first he'll probably need to learn how to. I doubt that he can control the sounds that he makes or understand words, so it'll take some time until he actually can speak."

The words went over the mongoose's head, who simply stood dropped-jaw. It wasn't the strangest thing to happen in the last couple of days, but instead of a towering dragon or a tiny bird-like reptile, there was now a tall, and naked, lizard-like man. In fact, with his eyes darting down, Nikili noticed that he had a slit between his legs that wasn't there before, and gasped.

"Is something wrong?" Nurta reacted.

"Uhhhhhhhhh–!" His cheeks turned redder under his brown fur. "H-He's naked...! Q-Q-Quince, you should t-take him home. Before people s-s-see him in here."

The cat was confused, but they wouldn't mind the extra privacy with the dragon's new form, so they let out two affirming trills and obliged. They grabbed the kobold's hand with their yellow paws, who simply followed the yellow feline, and happily led him out of Nurta's office.

"I don't see the problem," Nurta replied after they had left, "Quince walks around naked all the time and nobody cares."

Nikili ignored her and asked, "So the ritual worked, right?"

"Yes, it's what I've said moments ago. And he should be able to turn into that form at will, if he needs to speak. But someone needs to teach him how." She had walked out from behind the counter, and crouched to grab the stone tablet back. "And out of the two people he trusts, you're the only one who can speak."

"Wait wait wait", he shook his arms. "You want -me- to teach him how to speak? But I can't– well, I'm not the teacher type! Can't it be someone else?"

"No.", she said emphatically. "And besides, isn't this what you wanted? For him to blend in, and stay with you two? This should let you communicate with him... and as long as you can tell him not to harm a soul in Logas, I can turn a blind eye."

Nikili scratched his head, and sighed. "... Fine. If it's to make Quince happy, and the dragon as well–"

"Where is this dragon, after all!", a loud voice once again accompanied the person entering the room.

Nurta addressed it. "Ruunk, have you been eavesdropping again?" The oblivious white duck carrying a clay tablet under her arm simply smiled. "Besides, as I've told you, do not speak any word of it out loud."

"Yes, ma'am. It won't happen again.", she replied, before turning to the mongoose and disrespecting her immediate order. "So anyway, where is it?"

Nikili did not like it one bit that the duck knew about the dragon. He could trust Nurta to be discreet, but Ruunk... Still, there wasn't any point in hiding. "Uhh, if you were outside, you just saw him."

"Wait... Nikili, are YOU the dragon?!"

"Wha– No! He's the–" He brought a hand to his forehead and grunted in frustration, and decided to ignore the duck, turning back to the lizard. "Anyway. Thanks, Nurta, for not getting Quince in trouble, and uh, for e-everything else... I owe you."

The Widow smiled. "Funny you should say that, as I was about to ask for payment."

"Oh...", the mongoose groaned, noticing he didn't bring any coin with him. "How much will it be?"

"I'm not asking for gold. I'm asking you and Quince to escort me to Kuir in a few days so we can deliver and sell our harvest. Without pay. Then you can consider your debt over." Before the mongoose could raise his objection, she turned to the duck. "Speaking of, Ruunk, is everything in order?"

"Uhh, yes, the grains are all accounted for. By the way, is there any chance I could also come with you and Nikili?"

"I'm sorry, dear, you'll need to stay here and make sure that everything is okay. It will take some time still until you can go to the city", Nurta apologized. Her status as the Widow gave her a pass to conduct business, but sadly she knew that it wasn't a right that Ruunk could claim, due to the antiquated laws of Kaati against women's autonomy. "But if you want to spend time with Nikili, there will be plenty after our job is done, from what he told me."

"I-I'm not gonna spend time with–!" The mongoose burst out at the composed lizard, who he swore had amusement coming from her gaze. His contempt for Ruunk almost made him forget about the 'unpaid job' part, but reasoning that he would have enough coin for a while, and that he'd have to go to the city anyway to sell his looted artifacts – plus, he got to spend time away from Ruunk –, the deal didn't seem so bad for him. "Very well, Nurta. I just have one thing to ask..."

"Hm?"

"Could– could you tell if he was a-actually male?"

"Yes... At least, I could sense as much from his 'gasham'–"

Ruunk butted in once more. "Why? Does that matter to you?" She gasped. "Don't tell me you–"

"By the gods, shut up", he cried, blood running to his face from anger and embarrassment. "I'm going now". The mongoose turned around, not wanting to spend any more time today with the two women.

"Please don't get in trouble, Nikili!", Nurta waved as he left her office. Once he was gone, she sighed. "But it's not like he'll actually listen, is it? You too, dear Ruunk. You two can be a bit much sometimes for a woman my age–"

While she complained, she temporarily lost her balance, leaning into the counter with one arm to avoid falling over, and another holding the side of her head as a migraine appeared. "Nurta! Are you alright?!", Ruunk ran over to help her. "Are you still unwell like yesterday? You need to rest!"

"I'm– I'm fine, dear. I've just tripped, that's all. But thank you for your concern." The lizard sat down on a chair, her face slightly paler. "I don't want to abuse your kindness by asking you to take over things any more than necessary."

"Nonsense, I'm glad to help you", the duck smiled. "After all you've done for me..."

"Thank you, Ruunk. I'll just be a moment to recover, and then I have a lot of catching up on work for today." She had gotten a bit exerted after the encounter with the scavenger duo and the dragon, but she was more worried if she had made the right decision by letting him stay...

***

Nikili walked back into his home, getting spooked by the presence inside. It would probably take a while until he was used to the taller kobold being inside of their house. The black and blue scaled 'man' stood there awkwardly, holding a purring yellow cat in his arms. It was dawning on Nikili that this would be their reality from now on, and the dragon would become a part of their 'family' – if you could call it that. There was no turning back now, and he'd have to dispel any doubts he still had.

"Enjoying yourselves, you two?", he said with a smile, startling the pair who hadn't seen him come in. Quince replied with a happy trill, jumping from the arms and expertly landing on all fours on the ground before standing up. The kobold was quiet, simply huffing to react to Nikili. Normally he'd make a bunch of sounds as an archaeopteryx or dragon, like chirps and trills and murrs, but he was too scared of not controlling his voice in this unusual new form.

The mongoose looked at the kobold's naked form, realizing he needed to address it. "Uhhh... Quince, I know that you don't mind walking around naked, but he... Maybe we want to avoid having him attract attention as much as possible if he goes outside." It wasn't a convincing argument to the cat, but there was little they could do to dispute such a trivial matter with -this- specific mongoose, so they simply shrugged. "I should have a skirt around here big enough to cover him, lemme go grab it."

He walked to a different room and returned a few minutes later, carrying one of his bigger woolen skirts over his shoulder. The light blue color wouldn't look great against the ultramarine scales on the lizard's body, but it would do for now. The kobold tilted his head as the mongoose approached him with the garment and squatted in front of him. Nikili tried his hardest to avoid staring at the slit between the legs, placing the skirt on the floor with the waistband up. "O-okay, big guy, I'm g-gonna need you to cooperate with me to put this on." Quince decided to simply watch, not wanting to get involved.

He brought his hands to the kobold's right ankle, noticing not only the smooth scaly texture, but how the legs were a bit flabby. In fact, his entire appearance was somewhat plump, reminiscent of his unique look as a dragon, in contrast to the slender shape that Nikili had in his imagination for these not-so-mythological creatures. It certainly made the lizard look cute and friendly, even if he still towered over the mongoose by 7 inches/19 centimeters at full height in this form. Nikili pulled his leg up, hoping that the transformed dragon would get the hint and unglue it from the ground.

Very carefully, the kobold lifted his foot, putting his long tail down to the ground to help him balance. That wasn't enough, however, and he brought a hand to push against Nikili's shoulder to better adjust. "Oof, you're heavy–!", the mongoose strained to say, almost losing his balance himself. Once he'd fit the foot through the skirt, Nikili put it back down on the floor, shuffling over to work on the other one.

Not long after, the kobold had the skirt around both of his ankles, and Nikili pulled it up to his waist until it was fully extended down to the knees. After tying the cloth band around his waist, he stood back to look at the lizard. "Alright, that should be good!" His hidden bits were no longer exposed, but he was still pretty eye-catching. Not only were his scales a colorful black and blue, but he was still taller than basically everyone Nikili had ever met, and his kobold head with horns sticking out was also somewhat unusual. And, thinking back to how Nurta could sense his dragon nature or whatever it was called – 'guy shun'? –, there was the risk of someone else perceiving his real form out of nowhere, wasn't there? He would have to ask her about it.

The transformed dragon looked down on his new piece of clothing, feeling the weaved strands rubbing his scales. As a dragon, his skin was a natural armor, but now it was much more sensitive, and he brought his clawed hands to scratch his legs through the itchy fabric. "You don't like it, do you?", Nikili commented. "I'm sorry, big guy... I guess you don't really need it, then. Maybe when we go to the city, I'll find a nice linen skirt for you. Speaking of, Quince, there's something Nurta asked..."

Without any trouble this time, the kobold got undressed as Nikili relayed what she had told him, but most importantly how they'd accompany her to the city in a few days. Quince made an inquisitive meow as they pointed to the blueish lizard.

"The big guy? Do you wanna know if he can go too?" The cat nodded. "Um, he might be overwhelmed in the middle of so many people, but I don't think we can convince him to stay here and wait for us to come back, can we... Well, I'll ask Nurta, and if she says it's fine, he can come with us." Nikili pondered for a bit. "But I guess she -does- have a point when she said that we need to communicate with him. I-I guess I'm the only one who will teach him... somehow?"

Nikili didn't seem that confident, and Quince crossed their arms and gave him an annoyed trill. "But I'll try my best still." He wondered, after all, to hear what the dragon had to say, but there was something else... If he could really understand Quince somehow, then maybe the kobold could also translate for them? That curiosity alone was motivation enough for Nikili to do this.

Since Quince wouldn't be much help anyway, they chose to walk away to the pantry to grab a quick lunch – with the mongoose being busy and not cooking anything, some bread would have to do for today. Nikili turned to the kobold and spoke. "Okay, big guy. For starters, I wanna know how much you already can speak. What if you... Let's see... Can you try saying my name? Nikili." He looked into his blue slit eyes, and the tall lizard stared back at him. "Nikili,"  he repeated, awaiting his response.

The transformed dragon was still weary, and slowly opened his mouth as he understood what the mongoose wanted. "Eeee..." was all that managed to come out.

"Nikili. Ni-ki-li."

The kobold tried again. "Oooo-eeeee?"

Nikili brought his hands to cover both sides of his face; this was going to be harder than he thought. All the lizard could make were unintelligible vowels, so he'd have to start from the fundamentals. "This is gonna take a while... we should go somewhere more comfortable for this." He took the kobold's hand and led him to the privacy room, so both of them could sit down on the reed mat during his 'lesson'.

Quince left the pantry after eating and saw both of them heading to the other room. They sighed, because they wanted to spend more time with the kobold – and his new anatomy –, but the cat did not envy the mongoose right now. Instead, they headed to the bedroom, and curled up on the bed to take a nap as they waited...

***

When the cat woke up again, it was much later in the day. Quince yawned as they got up from the mattress and headed towards the hearth. Watching the hole on the ceiling, the sky outside was turning orange from the sunset; had they really slept that long? Yesterday's confusion was really taxing, and they had woken up somewhat early from a nightmare; the feline must have been more exhausted than they realized. Either way, they decided to light up the oil lamps on the walls of the windowless house, in preparation for nighttime.

As they went over every other room, Quince could make out some indistinguishable talking from Nikili and someone's voice, apparently the kobold. Had they really been doing for several hours? Once every other room was lit up, they entered the one where the pair was. They were both sitting down in front of each other, and the black and blue lizard beamed as they looked to the cat. Nikili, who was facing away from the doorway, turned his neck around.

"Oh, hey Quince! I want to show you something.", he greeted, also grinning. Surprisingly, he had been enjoying spending time with the dragon and teaching him how to speak, and didn't look annoyed or tired at all. He turned back to the kobold. "Come on, do that thing we've practiced!"

The lizard pointed a finger at the cat, and stayed silent for a second. His lips moved, and the sound came out: "Kin." Then he moved his arm to point at the mongoose, and again he uttered. "Ikky."

"He's still struggling with some sounds, but he just said 'Quince' and 'Nikili'! He actually did!" He giggled in excitement. "Now go on! Keep going!"

Quince approached Nikili with curiousity. The kobold folded his arm, putting his hand over his chest, and feeling a little more confident with Nikili's cheering, announced: "Suu".

The cat raised a brow, and the mongoose explained. "That's how he chose to call himself. Suu. I wish he had chosen something longer, but it's a cute– a nice name. At least we don't have to call him 'dragon' or whatever... Well, not like -you- had that problem before." Nikili faced the kobold again, a devious smile in his face. "Alright, Suu... Why don't you introduce yourself?"

Suu was a bit more nervous about this part, and blurted out "Agweh". Quince couldn't make out what he tried to say; maybe it was 'dragon'?

"Slower... It's okay.", the mongoose comforted him. Nikili breathed in and out slowly to get the point across, and the kobold copied him in doing so.

Finally, Suu spoke each syllable carefully and deliberately. "I...gay...", and then he repeated it a little faster: "I gay."

Nikili, who was snickering up until now, burst out laughing, and the cat was outraged. Seriously? He spent this whole time just to prank their friend?! Quince growled and tackled him with a well-placed elbow strike to the stomach, and they both fell to the ground; the mongoose gasping for air as he still writhed from laughter, and the cat on top of his chest, giggling at the silliness. Simply sitting awkwardly and watching the pair, Suu smiled from cheek to cheek, happy that they could understand whatever he had just said.

Once the laughter had subdued, Nikili petted the cat. He noticed that they had lit up the wall lamp for the night. "Is it this late already? Gods, I must have lost track of time." He also felt his stomach complain about the lack of food, confirming that it had been a while. He gently grabbed Quince and placed them on the ground beside him before standing up. "I'm gonna eat something. Did you grab food already?" The cat trilled twice, so he left the two as he headed for the pantry.

Whenever Nikili couldn't cook for the day, the pair would simply eat some bread, so they kept plenty of it for these occasions. Nikili shoved a bunch in his mouth, not bothering to even chew it as he didn't particularly care for its taste. He intended to wash it down with some beer he'd made as well, which was way more flavorful than the bland food. However, as he went for the bottle where the drink was fermenting, he noticed that it was missing. The mongoose recalled that Quince had accidentally smashed it yesterday while trying to puke up the archaeopteryx, and he had cleaned it up later. It all felt like a long time ago, even if it was just yesterday... Instead of beer, then, he grabbed the next best thing – some water they'd stored in a pot – with a clay cup, and used it to soak the bread in his mouth as he downed the quick meal.

Not wanting to leave the wheat taste to linger on his tongue, he also decided to grab a bletted quince, which should be aged enough so that the bitterness and hardness of the raw fruit would be gone. He bit the yellow squishy fruit, skin and all, and could feel the slight sweetness of its juices. As he took in the flavor, he remembered that he hadn't seen the big guy – Suu, that is – eat anything today. If he had the appetite of a dragon from the legends, he should have been starving right now.

"Quince, does Suu need to eat anything?", he yelled from the pantry. There wasn't any response, so he went back to the room he had left the pair in, carrying the half-eaten fruit in his hand. He looked inside, but the chamber was completely empty. What he did hear midst the silence was a wet noise coming from the bedroom across the hall, and he approached the doorway, having a pretty good guess of what was going on in there.

Surely enough, he saw Suu already filling his mouth with something else. The kobold was sitting on the mattress, his back against the wall, grabbing Quince below their arms with both hands, while his maw enveloped the front of the cat's face. The source of the wet sound was confirmed when his large flat tongue lapped the feline's yellow fur, noisily lathering it with saliva.

Nikili stood outside of the room, watching quietly. He wasn't surprised by what was happening, but by how little it took since he left them alone until they got to this point. Quince must have taken Suu into the bedroom to get started on the action as soon as the opportunity arose. Perhaps the cat had this in mind ever since the first moment that they saw the kobold's new form, and had been impatiently waiting for their chance to go at it. Regardless, Nikili didn't want to interfere. He was admittedly curious about the cat's newfound realization of their unusual desires, and Suu's determination to partake in them, having both swallowed them or been swallowed by them. He still couldn't understand what was so pleasurable about it, but it was apparently safe too, as he could very well attest...

Another loud squelch brought his attention away from his thoughts. Quince's entire head was past the two rows of teeth, smothered by Suu's mouth. The cat purred loudly, willfully keeping their body limp as the kobold took complete control of the process. Normally the dragon could simply scoop up the entire feline's body with his tongue, but this would be a bit more involved. Granted, it was unlike when Quince struggled to swallow him as an archaeopteryx, as this wasn't any trouble at all for Suu, even if the relative size difference was about the same. The kobold knew that his jaws and throat would dislodge with ease to accommodate the prey, and he was confident that the cat would be fully inside in no time.

Quince's head traveled further in, beginning to bulge out the kobold's neck from inside, and Suu's lips stretched around their shoulders. From an outsider's perspective, the entire action was still somewhat unsettling. Nikili knew that this was an act of intimacy and care, but his instincts still told him that his friend was being devoured alive. Every soft bite that the kobold took, bringing the cat closer and closer, elicited a small meow that he could make out, even if it was dampened by layers of saliva and skin.

The lower part of the cat's body, hanging outside of Suu's maw, looked less like his companion and more like a wet mass of fur, drenched in oral juices. Nikili felt a mix of fear and excitement, that his friend was being taken away only to satisfy the voracious lizard. Maybe, he thought, there was a thrill to it for Quince, of viscerally being taken by someone else, and subjected to their digestive system, being reduced only to food, for a desire that felt forbidden. If it was anything like that, then Nikili could kind of understand it as a fantasy, albeit in Quince's unique, libidoless way.

Both arms of the feline were pinned to the sides by the cheeks, and the shoulders by the esophagus, as the tongue resumed to lap under Quince's tummy, freely flailing to savor the unique earthy flavor from the cat with a subtle salty aftertaste. Even with their head fully inside of his neck, when it felt that even gravity was fighting against the act itself, Suu still had no trouble slowly swallowing them up without resorting to tossing their maw up.

But his prey started squirming a bit, apparently annoyed at the slow pace that they were approaching their destination. Without hesitation, the kobold grabbed both of the legs outside of his mouth and pressed them in, bringing them almost entirely inside with a powerful slick sound. Removing his short hands from the thrashing furry legs, his fingers were still connected to the mouth by copious strands of saliva, before they were cut off when he closed his maw around the last of Quince's body, only their tail and back paws outside. The cat was lodged from the waist up inside of his throat, and as he continued to savor the meal's last moments of freedom, a combination of slurping and peristalsis alone would bring them fully inside.

Suu brought his still wet clawed hands to his distended throat, feeling the last bits of Quince slip past the initial section of his esophagus. It was the third time that he had swallowed the cat, but the sensation now was incomparable. As a dragon, he had to be careful not to overwhelm the feline with their gargantuan insides, but now, their size was perfect to make every touch, every taste, every sound more pronounced. The destination would be the same, however; Quince's wide head started to push through the sphincter to his crop, and it bulged noticeably again just below his chest. The tip of the cat's tail flicked one last time before passing through his teeth and through the back of the mouth, and finally into the darkness of Suu's throat, soon to join the rest of the cat being deposited into the muscly chamber.

He ran his hands over the ever-increasing bulge from the outside, some limbs slightly recognizable as the cat shuffled inside to adjust themself into a more comfortable balled-up position. Their back legs kicked against the walls of his gullet, rushing to enter as well. Then, the long tail scraped against the ring of the sphincter as it slipped, until the entrance finally sealed them away. The pressure in his crop was strong, but nothing Suu couldn't handle. It had been one thing earlier today when he filled his crop with fish, when he was an archaeopteryx carrying his catch; but now there was something else, as evidenced by the purrs inside of him. The cat was not only pleasurable but intoxicated in pleasure, and their emotions only strengthened Suu's own desire. And as he playfully pressed down his hands on the willing prey engorging him, it wasn't just Quince that stirred within.

Nikili still watched quietly out of morbid curiosity, trying to understand what was going on in Suu's (and in a way, Quince's) mind. But as it had completely slipped his mind that the kobold was naked, he was about to be made aware of that fact as overtly as possible.

Suu was sitting in a way so that the slit between his legs faced towards the doorway, and Nikili nearly coughed in surprise as red flesh emerged from it. He covered his mouth to not alert Suu, but he could not avert his gaze. He had been with enough men to know what was happening, but the shape of the penis was unlike what he'd ever expected. In fact, as it got more and more erect, the mongoose realized that it was not a single member emerging from the opening, but a pair of hemipenes. All he could do was ogle the ribbed genitals from afar. Nikili had heard of some lizard men having two penes, but had never seen it. In fact, he didn't expect his first experience to be from the dragon he had met yesterday, who was completely flat in the area between the legs in his original form. This sudden penile manifestation was likely a side effect from the ritual that turned into a kobold, he thought, noting how his own member started to harden underneath his skirt.

The transformed dragon himself felt the stiffness of his arousal, and raised his head to look at the genitals partially obscured by the large bulge in his crop. He had a flustered – or panicked? – look on his face when he saw it, and not knowing how to react, pushed his hands against the heads of the hemipenes. Maybe he was ashamed and tried to push them back inside of his body? However, it had the opposite effect; the pleasurable touch only made him more erect, the penes reaching their full size at 5.1"/13cm. This new sexual arousal was clouding their head unlike anything before, and Suu closed his eyes. "Uuuh... Aagh...", he groaned in his kobold voice, upset by being in this situation.

The mongoose could tell that something was making Suu miserable, and a strong urge kicked him into action. Without a second thought, he ran across the room and jumped on the empty side of the bed, grabbing the tall kobold in his arms and pulling him against his body into a hug. "Shh shh shh, it's okay, it's okay big guy...", he whispered, rubbing the back of his head to soothe him.

With Nikili's sudden appearance and comfort, Suu simply froze in the hug. Not knowing how to return the sensation of his furry arms covering his back, his upper limbs simply limped to the sides. The mongoose felt the scaled skin at his touch, not too rough but not too smooth, just a bit bumpy, especially so at the spine. He also felt some smooth mass pushing in a weird motion against his abdomen, and he assumed that it was the bulge from Quince squirming inside of the lizard. Paying attention, the mongoose could hear that the cat made some soft meows within.

Suu moved slowly as he raised his arms to meet Nikili's shoulders, lightly pushing him away from the hug. They were now face to face, sitting on the bed, very close to each other. Nikili couldn't help but give him a friendly smile in comfort, watching Suu's nostrils flare and retract rhythmically. The kobold's hands moved up to the sides of his neck and chin, and their eyes locked. And with a very loving tone, Suu simply said:

"Ikky..."

Nikili's heart sank deep into his body, as his nurturing instinct was replaced with something else. Something too powerful for him to deal with. As his heartbeat raced and his peripheral vision blurred, he held his shaky smile for Suu as the mongoose's arms unwrapped from the lizard's shoulders. Nikili brought his two hands to the kobold's wrists, pulling them away from his head and down. He continued to hold them as he turned to lie down on the bed on his side, and Suu followed suit, so the two still faced each other while lying in bed on their side.

There were no words coming out from Nikili's mouth, as much as he wished to yell or scream. What was it that got to him? The smile? The stare? The touch? The nickname? Something made him realize that he had feelings for– But it couldn't be. Could it? This wasn't like anything he had ever felt towards other men. He saw the kobold's now serene expression, his big eyes not moving an inch from his own, as if they took his entire field of vision.

His eyes darted below, seeing Suu's belly and legs up close. The arousal seemed to have passed – as did his –, and the hemipenes retracted to his slit. The belly still clearly evidenced Quince's presence, whose reality was completely different from theirs right now. He placed one hand on top of Suu's gut, simply to see if they could detect any stirring within. But it seemed that the cat wasn't moving much anymore, perhaps already sleeping. He imagined how it must have felt dark, damp, and tight... But the tightness in the kobold's crop could not compete with the one in the mongoose's heart, tugging at him with every beat.

Nikili looked back up to the slitted blue eyes of the kobold. He was... The mongoose couldn't really describe it. He felt words coming to the back of his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to say it now, it didn't feel appropriate... But one day, when Suu had learned their language, – he promised to himself, – when Suu finally understood him, he would tell him. He'd tell him what he really felt.

As he laid in bed, he realized that the wall lamps in this room and the rest of the house were still lit, and he would have to smother their flames for the night, since Quince was 'occupied' – and, most likely, already asleep. He stared into those deep blue eyes in front of him, not knowing what the mind behind them felt. Unsure of what he -himself- felt. He didn't want to get up and upset Suu, so as soon as the kobold went to sleep, he would turn off the lights. As... As soon as......
