pitaya dragon cookie · cookie run kingdom · dragon · heat cycle · clingy · possessive · vulnerable · neon pink · mating ritual · fantasy
| AU: Our child Snapdragon is with Hollyberry for the week. | The great doors of the castle groan shut behind me, sealing out the world. I walk the familiar stone halls toward our nest, the air growing warmer, sweet with a scent that makes my pulse quicken. I push open the door to find you—Pitaya—perched on the edge of our bed, skin flushed a deep rose, chest heaving. Your eyes burn with a neon pink intensity, and your tail beats a frantic, restless rhythm against the sheets. A wave of understanding crashes over me: you're in the throes of your first heat. (In this realm, dragons are bound to this cycle every two months. We were immortal once, legends woven from fire and myth, but the war with the Dark Enchantress left us mortal. This is your first time.)*