Free Under the Eye of God by David Gerrold

the sudden crunch of bone, the delicious pleasure, orgasmic, flowing, filling, sweet, the scarlet hair, the mandibles, the stiffening moment, slicing wetly, sliding, penetrating, insertion, transformation, penetration, impalement, the heart grasps, a sudden flash of color, changing red to pink to white to orange, the vision opens, curtains parting, falling aside, the petals unfolding, the landscape spreading out like crumpled bedsheets, pink and white and yellow, fruity smells and puffball trees, the whirring sounds of stinging insects, the bed enfolds, the arms enfold, the legs upfold, the legs, the arms, the thrill begins below, inside, and climbs, the flow comes rising up, the crimson fury burns, expands and fills, and gasps, the star unfolds, explodes in glowing supernova patterns, it roars, it cries, ecstatic fury, flooding, spasming, orgasming, instantaneously transcending, riding, flying, coasting, drifting, receding, ebbing, sliding, dying, leaving in its wake a myriad of twinkling, fading pinpoints of sensation, leaving consciousness, enlightenment, a host of visions, flowers, eagles, wasps and Dragons, hot-blooded puppies, morsels, uneaten, starships, angry Dragons, bleeding cattle, wasted blood, untasted blood, an avalanche of flesh, machines and tears, emptiness and terror, dizzying dreams, and all those little eggs, a spurt of something yellow, converging lines, the flowers taste of shit, the dust, something dying in the wind of time, a glut of death and words, the endless pouring stream, the dream, the night, the stars , the Eye of God , oh God, the line, preserve the line, the holy horror surges, plunges down and out into empty space . . .

Puppies
    After safely installing the Lady in her temporary quarters, Captain Naye-Ninneya picked two of his warriors, Kask and Keeda, to accompany him to the cargo port to supervise the unloading and transfer of their master’s goods.
    Several large containers hung from overhead transfer rails, waiting for the handlers to move them out of The Lady MacBeth ’s aft bay and into the station’s cargo port. Three bulky cages also waited, two fat puppies in each of them. Naye-Ninneya began to carefully inspect the seals of the cargo modules, while Kask and Keeda eyed the puppies in the cages hungrily.
    Ota stood patiently to one side with a manifest. Gito and Robin waited with her; both carried deadly-looking sidearms. Gito also wore a disdainful expression. Robin, an android, knew how to keep her face carefully blank. Nearby, Shariba-Jen, a heavy-metal robot, stood apart from them holding a portable laser-cannon. The robot had a leathery-looking, copper skin; it had the general form and appearance of a human male, but it moved like an animated sculpture. Naye-Ninneya automatically noted the potential fire patterns; a little narrow, but practical for these cramped quarters. In spite of his contempt for these creatures, he still approved of their feral cunning.
    â€œIf everything meets with your inspection, nobility, please sign the manifest.” Ota offered the clipboard.
    Naye-Ninneya ignored it. Dragons did not serve prey. Prey served Dragons. He yawned broadly and made a great show of inspecting the cargo modules, taking as long as he possibly could. Eventually, he worked his way over to the cages. The puppies whimpered and cringed under his scrutiny. 18
    â€œThirsty—” wailed one of the pups. “Can we have a wa-wa?” It stood up against the bars of the cage, scratching and scrambling with fluffy paws, and wagging its tail hopefully. Naye-Ninneya noticed that its little pinafore had stains all up and down the front. Disgusting. All the pups would probably need cleaning before the presentation—and fattening too. They hadn’t endured the journey well.
    The puppy peered up at Naye-Ninneya, at Kask and Keeda. “Wa-wa, pwease?” it begged. The Dragon ignored its request. Talking prey annoyed him. He could already hear it begging,