with a serpentine tail and torso, topped by a human head, hands, and yes, breasts. Not all naga sported more than their heads on serpentine bodies, but each crossbreed was a rule unto itself.
“Uh, hello, Nya,” Hapless answered, his eyes striving valiantly and not completely successfully to remain cool while confronted by that bare bosom. “We—we have come to enlist you as a Companion. If you’re—you’re interested.”
“Of course I’m interested,” Nya Naga said. “All my life I have struggled to discover my purpose in life, and now at last I have the chance to accomplish it. I was thrilled to see the enchanted path come my way.”
“Uh, yes.” Feline nudged him, and he realized that he was drifting, mentally or emotionally. “So we should—should get to know each other, because there will be challenges and we can’t be sure we’ll survive.”
“That’s why you need a dragon in your company.” She shifted, becoming a winged dragon. It breathed out just enough fire to incinerate a buzzing fly that had come in too close, then shifted back to naga form.
“Uh, yes, I guess. This is my friend Feline, a human/cat crossbreed.”
Nya eyed Feline. “Friend or girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend,” Feline said before Hapless could deny it.
“That explains the cuttingly sharp glances,” Nya said. “What is your concern, Feline?”
“Your bare boobs. You could use a halter.”
“I can’t use a halter, or a bra, because when I change forms, they could remain around my body, entangling it. Anyway there is no social need.” Nya glanced at Zed. “Is there, centaur?”
“None,” Zed agreed. Obviously the naga knew that centaur fillies regarded clothing as superfluous, and wore it only when tutoring human children, if then. She had trumped Feline at the outset.
“I’m glad that’s decided,” Nya said graciously.
Hapless didn’t dare look at Feline, who was surely steaming. “And this is Zed Centaur.”
“I’m sure we’ll get along,” Nya said. “You are concerned about your coloration?”
“Yes. My father was a zebra. But what I really want is to find true love regardless of my colors.”
“And I want to find someone who will love me for something other than my curves,” Feline said.
“And I want to find a musical instrument I can play,” Hapless said.
“But you look half smitten with Feline.”
It was that obvious? “It’s complicated. It seems that I am fated to have two or three girlfriends, one of whom will be bad. While the prospect is intriguing, it does make things awkward with Feline.”
“Well, I will put your concern about me at rest, Feline,” Nya said. “I would love to have a suitable boyfriend, but I think he needs to be dragon or naga, not human. Human men are too partial to panties, which I will never have. At any rate, my primary concern is to find my purpose, as I mentioned. So an eyeful is all either male of your party will ever have of me. I don’t begrudge them that, but that’s the limit.”
“Fair enough,” Feline said, though Hapless wasn’t sure that was her complete sentiment.
“This nest,” Zed said, looking over the edge. “Is there a reason for it to be so isolated?”
“Yes. It is safe from everything except flying predators, and as a dragon I have little reason to fear those. Closer to the ground it could be overrun by assorted ground predators, which could get messy. I prefer to sleep in peace.”
“Are you able to converse in your dragon form?”
“Only with other dragons,” Nya said. “I can understand human dialogue, but lack the mouth to speak it. So if you want conversation, it will have to be in this form.” She glanced at Feline as if mildly amused.
“This form is fine,” Zed agreed.
Feline kept silent, and Hapless saw fit not to comment on forms. “We would like to get to know you better, as Feline said. In an emergency, we need to know each other’s capacities well enough to make quick decisions. We will
“Uh, hello, Nya,” Hapless answered, his eyes striving valiantly and not completely successfully to remain cool while confronted by that bare bosom. “We—we have come to enlist you as a Companion. If you’re—you’re interested.”
“Of course I’m interested,” Nya Naga said. “All my life I have struggled to discover my purpose in life, and now at last I have the chance to accomplish it. I was thrilled to see the enchanted path come my way.”
“Uh, yes.” Feline nudged him, and he realized that he was drifting, mentally or emotionally. “So we should—should get to know each other, because there will be challenges and we can’t be sure we’ll survive.”
“That’s why you need a dragon in your company.” She shifted, becoming a winged dragon. It breathed out just enough fire to incinerate a buzzing fly that had come in too close, then shifted back to naga form.
“Uh, yes, I guess. This is my friend Feline, a human/cat crossbreed.”
Nya eyed Feline. “Friend or girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend,” Feline said before Hapless could deny it.
“That explains the cuttingly sharp glances,” Nya said. “What is your concern, Feline?”
“Your bare boobs. You could use a halter.”
“I can’t use a halter, or a bra, because when I change forms, they could remain around my body, entangling it. Anyway there is no social need.” Nya glanced at Zed. “Is there, centaur?”
“None,” Zed agreed. Obviously the naga knew that centaur fillies regarded clothing as superfluous, and wore it only when tutoring human children, if then. She had trumped Feline at the outset.
“I’m glad that’s decided,” Nya said graciously.
Hapless didn’t dare look at Feline, who was surely steaming. “And this is Zed Centaur.”
“I’m sure we’ll get along,” Nya said. “You are concerned about your coloration?”
“Yes. My father was a zebra. But what I really want is to find true love regardless of my colors.”
“And I want to find someone who will love me for something other than my curves,” Feline said.
“And I want to find a musical instrument I can play,” Hapless said.
“But you look half smitten with Feline.”
It was that obvious? “It’s complicated. It seems that I am fated to have two or three girlfriends, one of whom will be bad. While the prospect is intriguing, it does make things awkward with Feline.”
“Well, I will put your concern about me at rest, Feline,” Nya said. “I would love to have a suitable boyfriend, but I think he needs to be dragon or naga, not human. Human men are too partial to panties, which I will never have. At any rate, my primary concern is to find my purpose, as I mentioned. So an eyeful is all either male of your party will ever have of me. I don’t begrudge them that, but that’s the limit.”
“Fair enough,” Feline said, though Hapless wasn’t sure that was her complete sentiment.
“This nest,” Zed said, looking over the edge. “Is there a reason for it to be so isolated?”
“Yes. It is safe from everything except flying predators, and as a dragon I have little reason to fear those. Closer to the ground it could be overrun by assorted ground predators, which could get messy. I prefer to sleep in peace.”
“Are you able to converse in your dragon form?”
“Only with other dragons,” Nya said. “I can understand human dialogue, but lack the mouth to speak it. So if you want conversation, it will have to be in this form.” She glanced at Feline as if mildly amused.
“This form is fine,” Zed agreed.
Feline kept silent, and Hapless saw fit not to comment on forms. “We would like to get to know you better, as Feline said. In an emergency, we need to know each other’s capacities well enough to make quick decisions. We will
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