Alis sat heavily onto the bench by the cave entrance, looking out over what would normally be a wonderful view. She had already explored as much as she could of the cave system. They were high in the mountains, only accessible through flight: no one could rescue her. It was definitely a dragon’s lair - the main chamber contained a huge pile of treasure and gold coins, and it wasn’t a giant magpie that had snatched her up that morning. It was strange, though. It seemed as if another person had lived here recently. She’d found a privy carved into the rock, a bed with furs, and a fire pit with human-sized cooking tools. Could the legends be true? A shape-shifter... On the other hand, next to the fire was a half-eaten sheep, not butchered or cooked in any sensible way. Perhaps she would be eaten. She hoped she would find out when the wyrm returned, so she could begin planning her next move.

It was late afternoon when the dragon reappeared, crashing into the cavern, clutching something between its feet. For the first time, Alis took a good look at it. It was huge, with a body maybe the size of two cows. The eyes were blue, surprising against the rest of its coppery colours. The skin was smooth in places, ridged and bumped in others, but all covered in beautiful gold and bronze scales. Its back and tail were darker, but the underside was a delicate pale gold, and - whoa. Alis raised her eyebrows as she noted that this was definitely a male dragon. Between his hind legs, close to his body, hung a gigantic bronze-coloured cock.