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God I've been neglecting this series a bit. Sorry to the few people who actually enjoy this series.

Draconis Combinus part four

Jyrtan leapt into the air, spinning as he went, using a long staff-like branch as a mock-weapon as he trained.

Ilytheria was still sleeping, and the day was warm enough for him not to have to keep her warm anymore.

He was glad he didn't have to keep her warm, because the feel of her scaled body against his was awakening strange feelings in him.

He landed inaudibly, spinning on the spot, lashing out with the staff at imagined enemies, spinning again, and throwing the staff into the air where it spun, high above him. He leapt forwards, performing the distinctive butterfly kicks as he went, landing lightly, only to leap back into the air, catching the staff behind him at the zenith of his jump, landing just as lightly and spinning the staff again, twirling and smashing the knees of another imagined enemy.

Suddenly the clearing was filled with very solid people, all holding weapons of one sort or another.

Jyrtan could only stare as they rushed him.

The first man who struck was holding a half-sword in one hand, and a small shield in his other. He stuck with the shield first, sending Jyrtan sprawling. He reversed the sword and leapt forwards, intending to impale him.

Jyrtan rolled to the side, coming up and tripping the man with the end of his staff, bringing the other end hard down onto his windpipe, crushing it and killing the man.

Another came at him from the right; wielding a morning star [a ball and chain with spikes] Jyrtan ducked the swing, and then stabbed him through the stomach with the sword he picked up off the fallen enemy.

Just then the whole battlefield froze.

Jyrtan stared around in amazement at all the frozen figures. In midair, at head-height, was a single arrow, which would have taken him in the head if the battle hadn't frozen.

"You lose." Ilytheria said, amused. "You lived for thirteen seconds. Impressive. Most only last three." She said casually.

With a wave of her taloned paw, all the soldiers evaporated.

"Milady." He stated, dropping to one knee, noticing that the sword was also gone.

"One thing we had to get straight," She said, walking over to him, towering over his form. She picked him up with a single paw, using his shirt to gain the necessary grip. The way she lifted him forced him to look into her eyes. "Is that if you can me milady' one more time, I will tear the better part of your face off." She stated, holding an unsheathed claw close to his eye.

"Yes mierr..." He gasped out, trailing off, as he had no idea what to call her now.

"My name is Ilytheria." She stated.

"Do you wish me to call you that? Master?" He asked, as she let go off him, and he immediately dropped back to his knee in deference.

"You just don't get it do you?" She half-roared, lashing out with a taloned foot, catching him right in the stomach, lifting him off his feet and rolling him for several metres. She pursued him angrily, lashing out; each time her foot connected she gave another little lesson.

Wham! "I do not care what you call me." She said, her voice calm and even, despite the fact that she was thoroughly whipping the human's ass.

Wham! "You may call me Ilytheria, bitch, slut, my beauty, whore, darling, whatever you want. But if you use an honorific while addressing me again, I will hurt you even more." She said as she pursued his limp form.

Wham! An even harder hit, making him gasp and clutch at his bruised stomach. "You have the right to protect yourself."

Wham! "You have the right to self-defence."

Wham! "You have the right to be your own person."

Wham! "You have the right to stop me from hurting you."

Wham! "You just don't have the will. You are a weak minded human who is fit for nothing more than licking my feet!" She roared.

This time she aimed a good kick at his ribs, which would have broken them if it connected.

Jyrtan rolled to the side, and her foot sailed past, momentarily causing her to lose her balance.

He then got to his knees, and swept outwards with his foot, cocking his leg as it moved, so that his ankle caught her at knee height, and dropped her like a sack of stones.

She hit the ground, and Jyrtan was upon her instantly, pinning her to the ground easily, his hands holding her wrists above her head, immobile, his knees on her thighs, effectively stopping her from moving them.

"Bitch!" He spat at her, his face bare inches from her muzzle; teeth bared as if it were him who was the dragon and not the other way around.

"That's more like it." Ilytheria stated, looking up at him.

Jyrtan made a sound that Ilytheria interpreted as angriness as he got off her.

She stood up, and then stared at his back for a second.

All his muscles were tensed as he tried to hold in his anger, and succeeded.

He turned around, and stared at the ground. "I am sorry for losing my temper Ilytheria." He said.

"Look at me." She ordered. Jyrtan disobeyed. Ilytheria stepped forwards, and took his face gently in a single paw, raising it up until he was looking her in the eye, and then she slashed him across the face.

Jyrtan gave a roar of pain and spun away from her, holding his face, where three shallow cuts arced their way across his cheek.

"You will not stare at the ground when you address me." She stated, staring at him as if daring him to do it again. "You will look me in the eye, as if you were addressing a fellow human." She stated.

"Why?" Jyrtan asked coldly.

"Because I want you to, and I am your master. So either do it, or spend the rest of your life blind, deaf, and unable to speak." She replied, turning away from him as if he was of no importance.

Jyrtan immediately doubled over and vomited a large amount of blood over the ground.

He fell to his knees, and then all fours, and then onto his stomach, falling into a small puddle of his own blood.

* * *

Jyrtan moaned as he awoke, his stomach cramping painfully, every little touch to the skin feeling as if it were a red-hot poker.

He rolled to the side and vomited.

"Good." Ilytheria commented.

"What's good?" Jyrtan managed to get out with difficulty.

"Well, you've stopped spewing blood." She said dryly.

"No thanks to you." He said bitterly, and immediately winced, expecting a strong rebuke.

To his surprise, Ilytheria didn't seem angry, in fact, she looked impressed.

"See. Now, was that so hard to do?" She asked sweetly.

"What wasn't so hard?" He growled in anger as he tried to move and his stomach cramped painfully.

"Defying me." She replied, still in that sweet voice. Jyrtan stared at her, wondering how she could have been kicking the shit out of him before, and then turning into the creature who now stood before him.

"Why do you want me to defy you?" Jyrtan asked, genuinely curious.

"Because I do. It is not for a slave to question my motives." She said haughtily. But there was something in her voice that hinted at something Jyrtan couldn't identify.

"I want to know." Jyrtan said quietly, staring at her.

"It is none of your business." Ilytheria replied.

"You want me to be defiant. I'm being defiant." Jyrtan said.

"Sit down then." Ilytheria said coldly. Jyrtan knew he was about to find out something about her that he was sure not many people knew.