Galvistor, the main Dragon in my fantasy duology The Dragons' Veil and The Dragons' Vision, is all for doing things in the most appropriate manner. Since transporting a human via Dragon gullet is an occasional requirement of his position as Dragon of the Kingdom of Ambistron, he felt it was important to give guidance to his fellow Dragons as to how they should proceed in this...endeavor. He added the definitions in case humans happened upon his writings. So this article is for the edification of both Dragons and humans. You can follow his personal blog at: http://thewritingdragon.blogspot.com
Definition of Gullet Transport: The internal conveyance of humans in the upper gullet.
Definition of upper gullet: The smaller of two gullets inherent to Dragonis Articulous Extremis. The upper gullet is the first gorge/stomach/craw encountered in the swallowing process of the Dragonis. Not to be mistaken as part of the throat, the upper gullet can be, but is not always, used to begin the digestion of denser objects prior to their submission into the lower/larger/proper digestive gullet. The upper gullet can be stretched to accommodate 'passengers' for transport, and the Dragonis can consciously adjust acid flow and muscle tension to prevent digestion of said 'passengers'.
Dragonis Law: One does not digest species of equitable intellect.
I do not engage in this mode/form/style/manner of human transport except in the most dire/calamitous/awful of circumstances, or when no other means of transport is available. Such as not having a 'riding harness' to use because one of your dragonettes/young/disobedient offspring has chewed up all of your extra harnesses! In truth, most humans do not favor this method of travel due to the unavoidable presence of stomach slime/goo/gunk/internal juices, which tends to cling to them when they are regurgitated. However, when faced with engaging in this mode of travel, it is incumbent upon a Dragon to do the following:
1. Carefully calculate/ compute/estimate the quantity of air available to their passenger/ commuter/traveler to avoid unintentional suffocation. Lack of air. Deprivation of oxygen. Not a good end to any journey, I will agree. Calculations should include passenger size and weight in comparison to said Dragon's size and weight (no disparagement intended, but some gullets are more capable than others), as well as the passenger's emotional state. Arousal. Mental condition. After all, an angry and/or excited human uses up a good deal more oxygen than one who is calm, cool, collected at the time of ingestion. Which makes it important to swallow your fellow traveler as quickly as possible. Fast. With haste. Rapidly. Before they have time to contemplate what you are about.
2. Just as important, a Dragon must keep the upper gullet muscles as relaxed/loose/light/ without tension as possible to avoid engaging digestive juices. Unintended digestion/absorption has an even more disturbing result than simple suffocation.
3. I would suggest (and I speak from personal experience) that a Dragon avoid swallowing a human clothed in anything other than general daily human clothing. Armor/chain mail/shields/protective clothing tends to clog ones throat and makes regurgitation very difficult. If weapons are involved, spit them out or avoid grabbing them up altogether.
4. When regurgitating your passenger, do so in an isolated situation. Location. Place. Gagging up a slime-covered human and plopping said transport onto the cobbled expanse of a courtyard or into some other heavily populated area lacks decorum and is imprudent. Unwise. Thoughtless. Humans are, unfortunately, squeamish.
Good luck. And if you have a choice, carry your human in your claws. Caged, that is, between your fore-claws. Avoid piercing at all costs.
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