Wild Wastes: Extra Epilogue (Patreon)

Taylor wasn’t sure what to think about the situation. Her experience with humanoids and their customs had been limited to what happened when she attacked them.

Which usually resulted in a lot of begging as she ate her fill of them and released the rest when she couldn’t eat anymore.

Everything with and about Vince had thrown all her lazy plans and selfish desires out the window. Now her days were spent lazily waiting for something to happen, or for Vince to need her in some capacity.

Actually. It’s a lot like it used to be, isn’t it? My motivation changed, that’s all.

Leaning to one side, Taylor put her elbow on the arm rest of her chair and put her chin in her hand.

I can’t wait for the vault to be done so I can nest. I need to nest badly.

I want to.

Sitting in a chair in front of the vault as it was being built, Taylor could actually feel Vince’s gold behind, and beneath her. It was an impressive amount, too. More than her previous hoard by several fold.

Except being so close to it made her need to nest worse, even if it did help at first.

Growling at her predicament and feeling foolish, Taylor got up. The breezy fabric she’d taken to wearing since coming home flowed around her.

It made her feel like she was wearing nothing at all.

That and the gold clasps and chains that connected and bound the thin strips around her privates made her feel pretty.

Flexing her ringed fingers, she lifted her head up and sniffed the air.

“He’s with Alice and his brother. They’re in the grove behind the home,” said a diminutive red Dragon nearby. Taylor caught her the other day on a regular patrol and gave her the choice of joining the wing or having her soul pulled out by the warlock. “May I lead you there mistress?”

Taylor nodded at that, appreciative of the fact that the young Dragon maiden knew what Taylor wanted. She’d only started training her yesterday but the red but was already very attentive.

The red, as she hadn’t earned a name yet, then began leading Taylor away from the vault.

Realizing their mistress was leaving, a number of other Dragon maidens fell in behind her. They were her personal guard and there to make sure she had whatever she needed.

The rest of the wing was either guarding Yosemite, or their nest-mate.

Taylor glanced at the women, going through their colors, names, and rank in the wing quickly.

“The hostages have begun arriving. They’re being hosted in the vault and will be kept there. Safe and sound, untouched,” said Goldie, a golden Dragon.

She had joined Taylor three days previous and already proved herself by capturing a white Dragon since then. An ever-increasing number of Dragon maidens were heading this way to try and join Taylor’s wing.

Some were here to join, some to take a peek.

Taylor picked those she wanted, by force or finesse.

As more Dragon’s joined, more would want to join as well.

“Until they swear to the wing, willingly, they will remain prisoners for the duration of their time here. Fed, clothed, sheltered, and bored to tears. But very safe, and well cared for,” Goldie continued.

“Stupid girls,” Taylor snorted.

If they only knew the glory of our nest-mate, they would swear and beg to join.

Taylor left the vault and headed for her home. Where she spent a good amount of her time being with humanoid children of her nest-mate, her nest-mate himself, and his wives.

It was idyllic and peaceful. It made her scales itch at times with how happy it was.

But it wasn’t unpleasant.

Moving through the front gate, the guards only gave her a glance before returning to their duties.

Children from all around began calling to one another.

“Auntie Tay!” shouted one particularly loud child as she came scampering out of a bush nearby. She couldn’t have been older than four.

It was one of the Dryad children. They seemed to have a particular fondness for the Dragon maidens.

Taylor bent down as she went and scooped up the child.

“Auntie, auntie. Can you give me a ride?” said the child, pressing her hands to Taylor’s face.

Smiling, despite herself, Taylor nodded her head a fraction.

“Later. I need to talk with your father for a bit,” Taylor said.

“He’s with Uncle. I like Uncle,” said the child 

“You do?” Taylor asked.

She’d met Felix once or twice since he’d been trapped here. It was never for an extended period of time, but he’d seemed fairly normal.

Human.

“Yes! Ok, put me down. We’re playing seed and seek,” said the girl, squirming around.

Taylor put her down and watched her run off, before she entered the manse.

Did I overlook Felix?

A few seconds later Taylor stepped out into the grove. She immediately felt Alice not far off and headed in that direction.

Alice was her second and had held her position against everyone else so far. Even Goldie couldn’t defeat her, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Following the trail of her wing-mate, Taylor eventually saw Vince. He was standing not far from the graves of Green, Daphne, and Karya.

Taylor knew of them but had never met them.

Vince tended to loiter around their graves.

Taking a moment to re-inspect Felix, Taylor turned her Dragon senses to him. To feel him out.

And all she got back was human. He seemed completely, and utterly uninteresting.

As if sensing her eyes on him, Felix glanced her way. In that fleeting look, with her Dragon senses focused in on him, she felt odd.

It felt like he pulled her apart, inspected her from head to toe, and put her back together. Knowing her as if he himself had Dragon senses.

On top of that, she felt like she was staring into the eyes of a small venomous spider. One that could kill a Dragon with a single tiny bite.

Her Dragon senses warned her to flee immediately.

Then Felix looked away, and the feeling left.

I overlooked him. He’s just as dangerous as his brother, just in a different way.

Taylor felt her breath catch and turned her Dragon senses away from the man.

Now that she looked at the situation in a different way, she realized that even Vince looked to Felix with respect. Not just as his “older brother” but as a man who had earned respect.

Looking over her shoulder, Taylor saw a young black Dragon nearby. She looked a lot like Taylor did, and could have practically been a fuller bodied version of herself.

Though a bit younger as well.

Catching Taylor looking at her, the black hurried forward.

“Mistress?” asked the young woman.

“Name,” Taylor said shortly.

She didn’t bother to learn their names. Unless they mattered or shared her bed, they were just Dragons.

“Kris, mistress,” said the young black.

“Kris, you will assemble a group of ten Dragons. You may only choose from duplicate colors, and no hostages. Take anyone willing who is a maiden, and hasn’t been touched by Vince,” Taylor said, rapidly listing out her demands. “You will be forming a wing for Felix Campbell. Do you have any questions?”

“You… want me to form a… wing? Using any colors I want as long as they’re maidens, willing, untouched by Vince, and there’s more than one of their color?”

“Yes,” Taylor confirmed. “Do it immediately. Go now. Hurry back to the spot behind Felix.”

I will bring Felix into our fold. If we have a wing for both him, and Vince, the Dragon race will be secure.

Safe.

Kris started immediately talking to the women following Taylor.

Smart girl. They’re more likely to agree seeing me give her the order.

Coming to a stop next to Felix and Vince, Taylor moved in close to Vince. She leaned in pressed her forehead to his strong jaw.

“Taylor,” Vince said, resting an arm around her shoulder. “Good timing. Felix and I were just talking about a trip he’s going to be taking.

“He’s going west to talk to the Emperor on the behalf of Yosemite, while I travel east to take care of this refugee and warlord problem. I’ll have our borders safe one way or the other.”

“I’ve tasked one of mine to form a wing for Felix,” Taylor said, standing up straight and looking to the man. “It’ll be led by a black like me.”

“Interesting,” Felix said, his face betraying no emotion. He was extremely hard to read.

“Good, that’ll help. I was about to warn him that the emperor seems to be able to read minds as well,” Vince said.

“Not a concern,” said his brother, holding up his right hand. “Ring of the Legion prevents anyone from actually seeing anything inside my head.”

Vince frowned, his brows coming together. His eyes focused in on his brother and he went still.

He must be testing it. Though… even I cannot read Felix’s mind.

“I can’t get in,” Vince said after several seconds.

“Indeed. Anything else I should know?” Felix asked.

He’s so emotionally blank.

“No, nothing we haven’t discussed.” Vince said, looking to the graves.

“I’ll depart this afternoon then,” Felix said.

“Our mutual friend told me she was awake, but… no one agrees. The other Dryads have told me repeatedly that they sense no life from in there, and that digging them up to check would disrupt the regrowth,” Vince said.

Felix clicked his tongue and looked to the graves.

“Sell me the bodies, dig them up, bring me some gold, and I can get them up and moving today. Depending on the damage and decay, the cost would vary, but nothing terrible since I don’t have the enemy pantheon pressing on me,” Felix said. “Afterward I’ll sell them back to you on the cheap.”

“You can return them to life?” Taylor asked. “Why would you ask for payment though? And to sell you their bodies?”

“I have to own them to bring them back, and the gold is sacrificed. I turn it to dirt and bring them to life.

“If it’s that much of an issue about the gold, I can turn iron to gold later on if we sacrifice other things,” Felix said. “I’ll need time for it though.”

He can make gold. He can resurrect the dead and make gold.

“They’re yours brother, as the king of Yosemite I so decree.

“Taylor, dig them up, one of you others, go get me several bars of gold,” Vince commanded.

Taking a moment to unclasp her clothes, Taylor stepped out of them, then transformed into her natural self.

It felt good to be in her scales.

Reaching over to the graves, Taylor began digging, being as careful as she could. Felix had mentioned the condition of the body.

She didn’t want to disappoint Vince.

In no time at all, she had dug up the three corpses. During the process Kris and her company of Ten had showed up, standing behind Felix as Taylor did for Vince.

Goldie had joined Kris as well, which was surprising. They looked doubtful as a whole, but willing

Looking back to the corpses Taylor had dug up, two of them looked as if they had actually started to mend themselves. Flesh had knit together and started to rebind. But they were still clearly dead.

The third looked whole, complete.

Just not breathing, covered in blood, dirt, smeared in wet mud, and her hair looking tangled.

“This one will cost almost nothing. She’s intact,” Felix said pointing at the very curvy but young-looking Dryad. “The other two should cost about a gold bar in total. I can make gold later if we need it after I recover my points.”

“Bring her back. Please. Now,” Vince said, moving down to get in front of the one that would cost nothing.

“Done,” Felix said immediately, doing nothing.

“Karya?” Vince asked, leaning over the Dryad.

The Dryad suddenly coughed twice, turned her head, and started to throw up wet dirt.

“Oh, sorry,” Felix said.

Once again, he did nothing, but the Dryad suddenly stopped coughing. She was also clothed, cleaned, and looked as if she’d spent a day being groomed.

She was pristine.

Taylor was floored.

This is it. This is the future.

Vince and Felix together are unstoppable.

This isn’t over. This is the end of the beginning.

Taylor did her best to not let her breathing get out of control as her thoughts spiraled away. As a Dragon she knew what this meant.

There would be many worlds to conquer from this point on. To open portals, march through, and take over.

Taylor needed to make sure Kris understood how important it was to gain Felix as a nest-mate.

Looking to Kris and her newly minted wing behind Felix, Taylor didn’t have to worry. Kris and the ten Dragons with her looked enthused. Excited.

Hungry.

They were staring at Felix as if he were a choice sheep wandering around alone in an open field.

Taylor shifted into her human form, picked up her gauze like clothing, and settled back into it. She was excited.

Not far off, three dead Dryads were suddenly amongst the living once again. Two gold bars vanishing in exchange.

They looked as if they’d spent hours primping themselves. Their eyes open, and looking around.

Taylor shuddered in excitement.

This is where it starts.