Leading me by the claw, Coral took me from my cell, the assortment of bangles and jewelry adorning me jangling with every footstep. For the first time in days the sun warmed my body. I welcomed the return of the hot, sticky jungle air and the shrieks of birds and the buzz of insects. It felt heavenly to finally be outdoors, though we had not emerged into the dark jungles I remembered.  Instead we walked a wide avenue of that same cold stone, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw what was before me. 

The walkway on which we stood rested some fifty feet in the air on top of a many terraced ziggurat, before us a steep set of stairs leading down to an entire city! There were at least six other pyramids like the one I had been held in, laid out in some manner of geometric design. Between them, lining the streets, were monolithic buildings, all made of stone, the streets narrow and claustrophobic. Everywhere I looked, I saw the colorful hides and tall plumes of the lizard people. They skittered from the buildings to the pyramids to the streets to a great wall that lined the outside of the city. 

I turned to Coral and whispered “What are you?” But the monster-woman only cocked her head uncomprehendingly. With a tug on my arm, she led me down the stairs and into the city of monsters. As we traversed the narrow streets many of Coral’s kind emerged to watch us, and I noticed that all of them seemed to be female. This further mystified me as to their nature, as a city of this size could not exist without a breeding population. Many wore golden jewelry, often further adorned with gems or tropical bird feathers. Some had heavy coats of natural plumage, some only a few display ruffs, some none at all, though the less feathery they were, the more treasure they wore.

Coral and I arrived at a thin, rectangular building many blocks away. It lacked a door and the windows were without hatches. Inside was a nest of animal skins and a long reclining bench. Strewn about the place were bones and other bits of carrion, but otherwise it was quite spartan. Still, it was definitely more inviting than the uncomfortable cell I had been contained in. Coral led me inside and shoved me to the nest of musky, itchy skins, my coat of gold rustling as she did.

With a chirp, the monstrous woman pressed her snout against my neck, nuzzling it softly. I sighed and rubbed the back of her head, gently pushing her against me. Suddenly I felt the nip of her fangs on my neck, and I blushed with arousal. I had grown to associate those sharp points, those acute pains, with coming release, with our bizarre, sapphic unions. 

Though I expected Coral’s attentions to intensify, instead she relented, retreating from the pile of furs and standing over me, legs spread wide and arms tucked by her side. She nodded at me, then herself, then waved a clawed hand at the room as a whole. I assumed she meant this was my new home, and that I would share it with her, and I returned the gesture. My captor-cum-lover nodded her head and chattered something, curled up next to me, purring softly to herself.

Though I appreciated her bizarrely tender affections, my thoughts drifted to my absent husband. How I wished that the rough, cold creature that I was entwined with-as much as her contact aroused me with both its strange sensations and comforting intimacy-was Giles. I shut my eyes and tried to imagine that tail resting across my ankles was his arm, that instead of cold scales I could feel his warm, calloused skin. If only those nips on my neck that inflamed my passion were from the mouth I had kissed on our wedding day instead of carnivorous fangs. No matter how Coral and her kin treated me, be it kind or monstrous, I swore I would always keep Giles in my heart, that I would always be his, and as difficult as that had become, I still held out hope that I could return to his arms one day.

It became hard to keep track of time in the monsters’ city, but I entertained myself by playing at explorer, though my role had changed to that of a prisoner. In my head I was still traversing unknown vistas in search of treasure, though the landscape had turned from endless jungle to winding city. I lacked any means of recording my notes, but I tried to remember all the details I could.

My captors seemed to be an exclusively female species, and their methods of procreation remained a mystery to me. Never did I see young or eggs, only what I assumed were the mature females. I assumed the eggs, if they laid them, may be kept in a safe location to which I was not privy. Perhaps the race was sexually dimorphic, the males being some kind lizard or bird and the females humanoid? 

They possessed an intricate social structure, which I got a glimpse of when a blue-feathered lizard-woman stepped on Coral’s tail. Coral suddenly became ridged, tensing her body as if about to strike, then uttered a strange, guttural call. It was much deeper than her normal vocalizations, and she repeated it three times. The offender retreated a half step and fell prone, avoiding eye contact with Coral and remaining fixated on her hook claws. Quickly, others came to observe the scene, screeching aggressively at the cowering lizard. After a minute or two of this, Coral repeated her deep, guttural call, and rubbed her dewclaws on the cowering woman’s snout. The blue one then extended her tongue and licked Coral’s feet, rubbing her tongue over every claw individually. 

The encounter perplexed me, and I vowed to avoid touching any of the monster woman’s tails, though Coral often rubbed hers against me during coitus. The prospect of being publicly shamed for what I assumed was a breach of privacy was frightening, especially when those watching were these predatory fiends. It dawned on me that if my jewelry and garments were to mark me as one of them, I was expected to abide by the same rules, and I imagined having to lick one of the razor-sharp talons my captors’ sported. It occurred to me they extended me the same courtesy; never had any of them save Coral or Baldy touched the feathered plume that represented my tail, and I gathered the blue tassel around me just in case a clumsy reptile may brush against it. A shudder of dread shook my body as Coral returned, continuing our tour of the city. 

Around the pyramids the more heavily ornamented lizards congregated, and I took them to be the justices or lawyers of the race. The more feathered, less bejeweled women would approach their seniors and speak to them, and a group of the law-lizards would confer and provide what I assumed to be an answer. I saw Baldy and Scar by the ziggurat I was formerly confined in, arguing with a wiry, beige and gold colored woman who wore a set of rings around her tail. It occurred to me that the other pyramids in the city likely contained cells like the one I had been incarcerated in, and it gave me chills to think what they were used for. 

One day we walked the top of the city wall, and I caught a glimpse of the jungle beyond. The wall extended nearly halfway to the towering canopy, the forest every bit as impenetrable as I remembered. The exterior of the wall was covered in vines, creepers and other kinds of foliage, and could be mistaken for a natural rock formation from a distance. It occurred to me that should Giles be searching for me-a possibility I had mixed feelings about-he may fail to realize the barrier was in fact artificial, and pass us by entirely. However, my beloved was an experienced outdoorsman, and he surely would be with a full team of guides, and I soon had faith that should he find the wall he would see it for what it is. I only hoped that that situation wouldn’t put him in danger from the city’s inhabitants.

On the interior of the wall there were small reliefs and frescos, some of there only decorations I had seen in the city. Many of them were of strange reptiles, some like my captors some unlike. There was a great parrot-like beast with three horns and a broad crest that appeared above the small holes and tunnels in the wall that led out into the jungle, and I assumed he was a guardian spirit or deity of sorts. A creature like my captors only much larger-it was portrayed next to an inscription of a tree, which reached only to its shoulder- and with a more bestial gait and small, unusable arms was depicted devouring jaguars and alligators, and I took it to represent a patron of war. There were flying reptiles with batlike wings, long necked, ponderous beasts that were drawn in an enormous scale, sea creatures and ones that looked not unlike Coral and her kin.

Whether these beasts were jungle beasts, gods or a species related to my feminine hosts, or even their male counterparts, was unknown to me, but they were clearly revered by the lizard-women, especially the elders, who I would see maintaining, restoring or making new art of their own.

There were no sentries posted by the egresses to the outside, the predators lurking inside the city far more dangerous than the ones outside. I lingered by one of these exits to the jungle, the prospect of freedom holding me fast. I could have run then, escaped the city of the monster women and fled into the dark jungle beyond. Coral must have sensed my desire, and took a step back away from me, making a low, trilling vocalization. It did not appear like she was going to stop me, though I was sure she could leap into a sprit at a moment’s notice. Still, it seemed that the predator was allowing me the chance to leave, the chance to escape her clutches. I could have run then, but alone and without any supplies or clothes save the cold jewelry that adorned me it was tantamount to suicide. I likely wouldn’t last a day, sickness, starvation, some predator or exposure would surely claim me. No, instead I stepped back and looked guiltily at Coral, slumped my shoulders, and returned to her company. Perhaps I was craven, but my existence in the lizard women’s society was pleasant, comfortable and interesting, and the prospect of fleeing into the uncertainties of the forest, of throwing myself to the mercy of the elements and nature was terrifying. The threat of the unknown was far greater than the threat the city of predatory monsters posed.

It was after a long day of exploring the city in Corals company, the sun setting behind the trees and long shadows filling the town of stone, that instead of returning to the home we shared Coral led me to another pyramid, her lithe frame bounding up the stairs ahead of me. When I reached the summit, my legs and thighs groaning in protest, I was greeted by a trio of the reptilian women. Coral, Scar and Baldy stood in a triangular formation, the featherless green reptile in the front, my red-scaled host pawing the ground anxiously behind her. Before I could catch my breath they surrounded me, a web of claws, tails and armored torsos herding me towards the interior of the pyramid. Occasionally one would nip at me or prod me with a talon, the sharp sensations on my shoulder or thigh exciting me and making me anxious for what surely awaited me within. 

We reached a cell like the one I had been incarcerated with, though not nearly as cold and spartan. Furs covered the floor, belonging both to apes, great cats and other jungle creatures I could not recognize. Their musky, animalistic scent permeated the room, a heavy, warm scent that inflamed my nostrils and made my eyes water. 

Baldy emitted a high pitched whine and cocked her head in the direction of Coral, who repeated the vocalization and lowered her tail. At this point my breath was heavy, my body hot, and it took me a moment to register the tips of Coral’s claws slowly making their way around my belly, the cold, sharp weapons prickling the skin wherever they touched. Eventually they reached my navel and interlocked, at which point she then pulled me back against her. The scaly, strangely firm breasts she possessed were like a cushion for my neck and shoulders, and I cooed as I felt a familiar heat within me. Craning her neck down, the lizard-woman trilled shrilly in my ear, hot breath covering half my face.

While their junior held me still, fangs brushing against my face and tongue caressing my neck, the two more decorated lizards advanced upon me as well. Scar focused her attention on my breasts, cupping one in her claws and applying her long triangular tongue to the other. The black lizard lacked the familiarity with my figure that Coral possessed, and her claws scratched and raked my skin, breaking it on one place or the other. The pain was no longer pleasurable then, and I cried in protest, causing Coral to growl menacingly at Scar. I assume she took the hint, and used her curved knuckles to fondle me instead of the tips of her claws, going more slowly and gently with her massage. That slick, long tongue tickled my nipple, covering it and the rest of my breast in sticky, shiny saliva and arousing me further.

Baldy was slower, more careful, and fell onto the ground between Scar‘s legs, her heavy jewelry making a racket as she did. With her tail held out for balance, she gripped my bejeweled ankles, and craned her nostrils up so they were in contact with my sex. A needy whine forced itself from me, and I pulled Coral’s face against mine, the rough scales and powerful muscles sending pleasurable sensations through me once more. Her muscular, toned chest against my back, the coolness of her scales and firmness of her breasts was heavenly, made more so when Baldy began to lick.

Slowly at first, the green lizard-woman’s tongue touched gingerly against my inner thigh, making long, lazy lines from one leg to the other, going high to trace the underside of my belt and avoiding my sex, but still causing me to squirm in excitement. Painfully slowly, her circles tightened, going closer and closer to my lower lips. As the other two continued to tease me, to work me into a heat, Scar slowly began to lower her body so her crotch rested on the spot where Baldy’s tail emerged. Still kneading and fondling my bosom, my nipples hard and my head foggy with arousal, the black lizard began to grind her crotch against Baldy. The two soon fell into a rhythm, and Baldy gave a pleased grunt as Scar found a sweet spot. 

What had began as a heat within my loins was now a burning fire of need, one hot enough it could reduce the jungle to nothing but ashes. I groaned in animalistic want, pushing my crotch out against Baldy’s wandering tongue, wriggling back and forth in Coral’s grip in the hopes they would stop teasing me and sate my urges.

Baldy got the message and finally licked my opening, her warm, slick tongue sliding over my sensitive lips and coating them in her saliva. Again and again she licked, from the base of my flower to my sensitive bud, each  time causing me to gasp and moan. Scar ceased her attack on my breasts, leaving one scarred and bruised and the other slick and dripping with saliva and dismounted Baldy, scurrying around so she lay beside the green lizard. Baldy became more and more forceful with her licks, her deadly teeth sometimes grazing my thigh and causing me to yelp. Occasionally, her tongue would force itself inside me, stimulating my passage and driving me wild with pleasure.

As her seniors continued to pleasure me, Coral pressed her crotch against my rear, rubbing herself against my cheeks. She propped up one leg for a better angle and moved one clawed hand to my slick, wet breast, cradling it and groping it with a clawed paw. I could feel the primal, animal need in my partner, and I was sure she could feel mine. She extended her tongue into my mouth, and I began fellating it as though it were my husband’s member. 

Memories rushed back, of the man I loved calling my name slowly and lovingly. “Silvia, I love you Silvia,” he would say when I took him in my mouth, one calloused hand cradling the back of my head like Coral’s breasts did now.

“Please keep going baby, you feel so good, you make me so happy.” I could practically hear him in my head, and moaned his name into Coral’s mouth, her tongue pushing through my moth and into my throat. I shut my eyes and continued to suck, imaging it Giles’ penis, wishing that the saliva I tasted was instead his sweat and precum. 

Eventually Coral broke the lewd kiss and released me, causing me to half open my eyes in surprise. Gently but forcefully, she pushed me down to the floor, and I saw that the other two had repositioned, each laying on their side, one facing me, the other the far wall. Coral pushed me between them, so my face was by Baldy’s groin and Scar’s snout. I could see that the green reptile’s scales had shifted, revealing her sex, which was just as wet as mine.

Scar barked some command and licked the back of my neck, pressing my head closer to her elder’s groin with the tip of her nose. I got the message, and began to eat out the monster just as she had done with me. She lacked the labial lips of a human women, instead her sex an open passage flanked by scales, and she tasted strangely salty. Again the strong scent of the furs hit me, as bestial and animalistic as my need for release. 

With a look down I could see Baldy nuzzling Scar’s crotch, sticking her snout between my legs to reach her target. I groaned in protest; I wanted her to lick me, to use her slick, wet tongue to put out the fire in my loins. When I reburied my face in those scaly green thighs however, a new sensation graced mine. Something thick, cold and rough was prodding at my entrance, and though I could not determine its nature I desperately wanted it in me. Scar kept my face deep in Baldy’s sex, and I licked and tongued her with all the force I could muster. 

That strange appendage entered me then, its tip rounded and its length tapering. At first only a few inches could enter me, but that was enough. The rough, coarse sensation caused groin to spasm, overwhelming waves of heat and pleasure overwhelming me. Shutting my eyes and squealing, I came, my legs flailing with the force of my pent up need. 

Baldy and Scar then retreated, crawling over a few feet away to continue their cunnilingus. A shadow fell over me then, and Coral descended, laying on top of me so our breasts met. I knew then what had penetrated me, for as the red-scaled lizard fell the strange appendage twist and writhe; it was her tail, now twisted beneath her to penetrate me!

Coral growled and seized my wrists, dragging them up above my head and pinning them to the ground. As the aftershocks of orgasm faded, I still felt that bestial need within me, and I groaned and gyrated my hips, trying to get more of that wonderful tail inside me. It felt heavenly, covered with rough, exciting scales that touched my intimate areas and stimulated my lips with every move. As good as it felt, I couldn’t help but feel I was betraying my husband, not only for allowing another access to my sex but also by admitting how it felt. It felt amazing, better than his cock had ever felt! And as awful a thought as that was, I couldn’t help but enjoy the novel stimulation Coral’s tail provided, couldn’t help but writhe and wordlessly beg for more of it.

Coral got the idea, and began to slide it in and out of me, my body allowing more and more with each repetition. My hips soon matched her rhythm, and in and out the tail slid, becoming coated with my sexual fluids. Coral growled and arched her back, thrusting it in me with such force that it rocked my body and caused us to shift a few inches. The sensations; her rough, powerful body above and the soft, musky furs below, that wonderful, stimulating tail inside me, fucking me in ways I never thought imaginable, were more than intense. Unimaginably arousing, not extinguishing the fire inside me but fueling it, building that heat up higher and higher. 

I squirmed in her grip, and wrapped my legs around her waist, hoping that it would somehow allow her better penetration. Faster and faster she went, and the tail went deeper and deeper, nearly ten inches inside me at it’s zenith. It writhed and curled in there, touching every inch of my inner walls. Again I felt myself cumming, this orgasm more powerful than the last. My back arched and my toes curled, my arms straining against my captor’s powerful grip. With a howl, orgasm claimed me, waves heat burning my body from the inside, sensations unimaginable robbing me of sensation like I had never felt before.

When I calmed down, Coral slowly withdrew that heavenly tail, exiting my sore, drenched sex with a pop. Shifting her position, she presented her sex to me, the strange organ practically gushing with arousal. She trilled in pleasure, her clawed hands seizing my dirty red hair and pushing me against her, forcing my tongue deeper inside her strange walls. I lapped and lapped, trying to please my partner as well as she had done for me. Since she had released my hands, I snuck a finger or two in there when I paused to breathe, causing the lizard-woman to writhe in pleasure. It occurred to me that fingering must be alien to the clawed monsters, as doing so would cause irreparable harm to their sex organs. Emboldened by my discovery, I snuck a few more digits in there and licked the outside of her sex, causing Coral to buck and spasm with pleasure.

When she came, her strange organ clamed down hard on my fingers, and the lizard woman seemed to lose balance for a moment, one foot coming off the ground and pawing meekly at the air. Baldy and Scar crawled back over, their faces drenched with each other’s sexual fluids, and curled up next to me, making a little nest in the furs. Coral joined them, resting her fanged head on my breasts and purring like a contented cat. Still panting heavily, I lay there with the monsters, until sleep claimed me once more. 

I later discovered that the orgy had been some sort of initiation, as I was allowed access to parts of the city I was previously unaware existed. In the bowls of one pyramid was a great vault of golden jewelry, gems and precious metals, a veritable mountain of wealth. From there I acquired a headdress that resembled the fanged maws of one of my hosts, furthering my figurative transformation into one of them. I was shown statues of beast-headed gods, towering stone effigies that depicted women with the heads of the beasts I had seen on the outer wall. The elder lizards would bow and pray to these idols, and once I was privy to a debased orgy of the priestesses that took place beneath their stony gaze. 

But most interesting, was the chamber of the eggs. Deep beneath one pyramid, through a winding passages lit only by a crude torch Scar carried, was a great cavern. Unlike the rest of the structure, it appeared to be a natural, unworked formation, with tall stalactites and the wet surfaces that suggested a cavern worn away by eons of drip. Inside were hundred of pale grey eggs, each nearly the size of my forearm. Patrolling this chamber were a dozen lizard women, unadorned save tall headdresses, who watched the eggs and us visitors with suspicious yellow eyes. Scar motioned for me to watch another lizard as it squatted and, over a long, seemingly painful endeavor, laid an egg of her own. The guardians then approached the egg and danced around it in a strange ritual manner, their motions accompanied by deep growls and high pitched yips. They caressed each other’s tails and did the same to the mother, parodying my earlier union with Coral.

I could only assume that this was the secret of the lizard-women’s reproduction. Somehow, they were able to lay eggs without copulating with a man, and for them sex had long since stopped being about reproduction and had taken on a ritual meaning. I marveled at their strange nature, truly unlike anything I had seen in the old world. There was so much we could learn from them, if only I could leave, could see my Giles again and confess to him how I had sinned. 

It was that thought that haunted me as I returned to my life with the monsters. The thought that all this time with them, all this learning, would never bear fruit unless I could reunite with my husband. I walked with Coral, the beast that had devoured the guide and the cook that had tied to rescue me, along the battlements of the outer wall, watching the jungle for movement, as I had done day after day, hoping against hope that Giles would come. My captor sported new rings and bangles, each one awarded to her after one of our unions. 

Suddenly, I saw something. A flash of light against metal in the foliage. My surprise was clearly noticeable, for Coral approached me with her talons raised. Again and again that flash of light appeared, crawling closer and closer over agonizing minutes.

Then I saw it. A blur of metal that cut through the brush surrounding the wall some hundred feet away, then a tall, ragged figure emerging from the gap. It was him! Giles, his clothes rent and his beard unkempt, a dirty hanger clutched in one hand. 

“Giles!” I shrieked, craning over the edge of the wall and waving my arms franticly. I couldn’t tell if he noticed, as he dashed into one of the crevasses that led through the wall, my darling seeing through the disguise of flora. I raced along the wall, my bare feet aching with every step, lavish gold rattling and clanging against itself. Coral easily kept pace, just as alarmed as I, but holding her talons out in a defensive state.

When we reached the street a frightening scene awaited me. A pack of the monsters, their talons bared and their postures low and feral, surrounded my beloved, who waved his saber frantically to ward them off. One blue-scaled and feathered reptile lay bleeding from a slashed snout by his feet, and he had to constantly turn and reposition as not to show his back to the predators.

“Giles!” I called again, my lungs hurting from my recent sprint and from the scream. His attention snapped from his opponents to me, his determined expression melting into one of relief, tainted by worry.

My mistake became evident then. He had dropped his guard to give me his attention, and a green and red lizard seized the moment to spring at him, all four sets of claws raised in an attack. It bellowed a harsh cry, and pinned him beneath her, large foreclaws, raking his shins and splitting his clothing. 

“No!” I screamed again, this time racing into the melee. The reptiles, who had long grown used to treating me as one of them, seemed unprepared for me and let themselves be pushed out of the way. I reached my prone husband just as his attacker’s jaws began to close around his neck, and threw my weight at the monster, knocking it off my beloved.

I fell atop him, my bejeweled but otherwise naked form at odds with his torn garments and numerous accessories dangling from his pack. Time seemed to freeze then, as the monsters ceased their attack and craned their necks in confusion, uttering low calls to each other.

Eventually, Giles broke the silence.

“Silvia? Is that really you?” He said, dropping his hanger and gently cupping my face

Tears filled my eyes and I sniffled in glee. It really was him! He had traversed the dark, foreboding forest for me! Braved innumerable dangers, risked his life how many times, all to reclaim me!

Coral broke through the crowd then, snarling with bared fangs, saliva drolling from her bestial mouth. It looked for sure like she would pounce, like she would rip us limb from limb!

“Coral no!” I screamed, hoping she would understand me. I hugged Giles tight and pressed my face against his, my heavy breathing causing my chest to heave.

Slowly, the red monster approached us, her head shifting from side to side, her claws clacking against the ground. It looked like my act only increased her fury, and she crouched low as if to leap.

I was sure this was it, nothing I could do could stop my captor’s rage. I shut my eyes and took a breath, expecting to feel deadly talons raking me. Instead I felt the rough hand of my beloved against my cheek, and when I opened my eyes I saw his looking back into mine, with every bit as much love as remembered.

“If this is the end, Silvia, I’m glad it gets to be with you,” he said, before pressing his lips against mine. His kiss caused all tension in my body to melt away, and for a moment the gravity of our situation was forgotten. We laying before a pack of deadly predators deep in a foreign jungle, we weren’t prone and defenseless and we weren’t about to die. All that mattered was that we were together.

When we broke the kiss, I dared a look back at Coral. Though she still bared her fangs, her posture had changed, no longer looking like she might strike. Instead, she looked defeated, forlorn even. With a deathly trill, she clawed the ground and marched back into the crowd, disappearing from view. 

The other lizards closed in then, and helped me and Giles to our feet. They rubbed me down and licked my bruises, all the while marveling at Giles’ body.

“What on earth is this place?” Said Giles, sheathing his blade. 

“Its just like the stories honey, a city of beast women, filled with treasures!” I said, falling into his arms and burying my face in his chest. A finger lifted my face to look into his, a warm smile I had not seen in so long.

“Gold and silver be damned,” he said, “you’re the only treasure I came here for.”

EPILOGUE

It was some time before we were both healthy enough to leave the city of the monster women, but they provided us with furs and meats aplenty, along with fruits and berries from the jungle. I told Giles everything that had transpired here, and though he seemed alarmed when I divulged how I had debased myself with the monsters, his displeasure faded as fast as it had come. When we departed, a sack of golden jewelry thrown over my shoulder, I could have sworn I saw a black, red and yellow-scaled lizard woman among the crowd of watchers, and as we trekked back through the jungle my suspicions were confirmed. 

By the fire one night, as me and my lover snuggled in a blanket of warm, coarse ape fur, something broke from the tree line and stalked towards us. It was Coral, he head held low and her arms drooping. Giles tensed and reached for a knife, but I stayed his hand. Slowly, the monster woman crawled up beside the fire and wormed its way next to me, rubbing it’s head against mine and purring contentedly. I looked imploringly at Giles, his expression worried. For a moment, he seemed to consider stabbing the beast, but he released his grip on the blade and instead his hand fell to my head.

“I have my treasure,” he said, “there’s no reason not to let you have yours.”