This is a stand alone piece with some influences from Dungeons and Dragons. Be warned, it is a bit long. Maybe I'll write a sequel at some point. Enjoy!

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Today is a big day for you, and it could be your last. Out of your tribe, you, Snagclaw, have been chosen to attend to the Mistress. For as long as any of you can remember, the tribe has served Her Majesty faithfully while she has watched over these forested lands.
You’ve never so much as said a word to her, and you’ve been too fearful to even fully look upon her when she graces the tribe with a visit. Your tribe couldn’t be happier serving her. She’s everything a kobold like you could ever want in a dragon Mistress. There are tales of her glory, both beautiful and fearsome that your brothers and sisters share around the cooking fires.
You look down at your claws, trembling with terror as you muster all of your courage outside of her sanctum. You’re good with your claws, that’s how you got your name, and hopefully they will serve you well today. Her last attendant did not do so well. What he did, none of you know, other than he did not perform to her liking, and she slew him on the spot. You’d best not take any longer.
Shakily, you slip through the kobold-sized door at the mouth of the hallway to her private chambers. Coming down here without permission was enough to get you killed, so you pray to Kurtulmak that she’s expecting you. The door closes behind you with a soft rattle as it fits into place inside of a much larger door, fit for a dragon. The lightless hallway winds down beyond your range of sight as it twists and bends for a few hundred feet.
The walls are smooth, polished by her frequent passage on the way to do patrols. She took great pride in her domain, and every creature inside was certain to know it, or to know death. Eventually, you smell running water and plant growth, just as you enter into the large chamber. Your eyes go wide as you see her sanctum for the first time. The first thing that surprises you is the sheer size of the place. You could fit a small human village inside of here! Most of the hill in the forest must have been hollowed out to allow for such an area.
The lighting is soft. Trickling down from small holes in the ceiling are tiny waterfalls that collect into an intricate stream system on the cavern floor. The combination of light and water creates a mesmerizing display of dappling and waving patterns on every surface. Near the edge of where the water collects, small herb and flower gardens grow in the faint light, which fills the cavern with a fragrant scent that reminds you of when you have to go above ground for scavenging.
Various alcoves have been gouged into the walls, and most are filled with stunning displays of treasures, which stir your reptilian heart. Shinnies such as these belong to be in possession of such a wonderful creature, so you have no desire to take them. Towards the back of the room is a massive boulder, green with a blanket of moss. Speckled around it are more gold coins than you’ve ever seen in your life.
You must have been gawking in wonder for at least a few minutes before you realize that the boulder at the other end of the room has been staring at you with gleaming golden eyes. You look more carefully at the massive rock to see that in reality it is your Mistress. In a panic, you scurry across the room and throw yourself face down in front of her, already groveling.
“P-p-p-please forgive me, great and powerful M-m-mistress. I was in awe of Your Majesty.” Unblinkingly, she raises her head, which is easily twice the size of your body. For the first time in your life, you get a clear view of her face. Each one of her scales has a dull shine like a well-polished moss agate. Her large ivory teeth gleam in the faint light, protruding from her closed maw, giving her a ferocious and yet mischievous expression. Moss and lichen encrust the hornlets that adorn her brow and fanned crest running down her neck. She stares down at you, and speaks in a clear, but deep, rumbling hiss.
“You are the one who has been chosen to be my attendant, is that correct?” Your knees knock together as you feel her words reverberate through you.
“Y-y-y-yes, Your Majesty, I, Snagclaw, was chosen to serve you personally, by the tribe leader.”
“I trust my Chieftain. Let’s hope you don’t change that,” she hisses, reminding you that the tribe might have to answer for any of your shortcomings. She turns her head to the right and points her snout towards one of the pools, affording you a closer look at her awe-inspiring jaw. “Go and wash yourself. I’ll not have my beautiful scales sullied by unclean claws.”
“Y-yes, Mistress!” You scamper over to the pool she referred to and begin to wash yourself thoroughly, paying extra attention to your claws, making sure to pick out the dirt and other bits trapped underneath. You want nothing more than to please your Mistress, and would be ashamed if you were to do anything to dirty her glory. When you finish, you dart back in front of her, hoping that your attempt will be adequate in her eyes. She leans forward slightly, causing you to cower in fear. Your small bits of jewelry and leather kilt flutter as she takes a few sniffs of you.
“I suppose that will do. I guess that’s just how you all naturally smell. At least you smell better than the last one,” she says with a wry chuckle. You hear the soft sifting sound of scales being moved across each other as she uncoils her body into a sitting position. She towers above you, as it becomes apparent that a single misplaced paw on her account would be more than enough to snuff you out.
“Hrumfph. I forget how tiny you creatures are.” She lowers her snout nearly to the floor again just to be on eye level with you. “Let’s remedy that, shall we?” She sits back up, and raises a claw to her neck where a very small looking pendant sits on an oversized golden chain. Gingerly, she presses the center of the circle, and right before your very eyes, she halves in size. “Hmm. One more time I think,” and with that she presses it a second time, reducing herself to roughly twice your size.
“I think that will do, so now for your first task.” She lies down again on her stomach, watching you with sharp, predatory eyes. “I require a message. Start with my neck.” Even though she’s only a mere fourth her size, she still bares all of the intimidating power and command that she did before. You nervously edge around her head, giving her daunting maw as much breadth as you can before approaching her neck, all the while you can feel her eyes watching. Looped through a small hole in one of the frills is the necklace that you saw, which seems to have changed in proportion with her. Your Mistress never ceases to amaze you with her power and wealth.
You were about to touch your Mistress for the first time. You reach your claws out towards the leathery plates lining the side of her neck and find it almost hot to the touch. You recoil in shock for a moment. She wasn’t cold blooded like you, but hot blooded like a fire. When she gives a small, annoyed sounding sigh, you quickly place your claw back on her neck. She moves her jaw along the smooth stone floor, ever so slightly encircling around you.
“Now don’t be afraid to put some muscle into it. There’s no way you could possibly hurt me, and I’d like to actually feel what you’re doing.” You see her close her eyes, and you’re unable to read her seemingly placid expression. Steeling your nerves, you place both of your clawed hands onto her neck and begin to rub into the muscles. You immediately notice how thick her skin is, and how impressive it was to be born with such amazing living armor. As you keep working you can hear her slow breathing and what occasionally sounds like small sighs of pleasure as you work your way slowly down her long, slender neck.
Eventually, you work over and around the frills trailing down her neck and to her shoulders, thoroughly rubbing the entire serpentine length. As you approach the shoulders and the wings she speaks up without bothering to open her eyes, sensing your hesitation before you even show it.
“Keeps rubbing down, and make sure you pay extra attention to the area between the shoulders and the wings.”
“Y-y-yes Mistress. As you wish.” Her leathery wings are impressive, even at this smaller size. Your tribe told tales of some kobolds being gifted with wings at birth, and how you wish you had been lucky enough for such a blessing. You’re about to ask her a question, but before the words can escape your mouth, she cuts you off and answers you.
“Yes, you may climb onto my back. I know it can be hard to reach from where you are.” You want to object, you feel unworthy, but you dare not question her. As you clamber on top of her, she relaxes some of her neck muscles, laying her frills down so that they do not jab into you while you work. The moment your claws touch the area, you can feel the muscles between the wings tied in knots.
After quite a bit of effort and time, you work out the bunched muscles to the best of your abilities. Your Mistress lets out a soft, hissing croon, and her forked tongue flickers out of her mouth. You made her smile! Your tiny, reptilian heart swells with pride. Having done all you can there, you shift further back and continue along her spine. Meticulously, you work on each muscle until you get down to her hips, where you respectfully slide off to the side before moving down to finish rubbing her thick tail.
“Yes, that will do quite nicely.” She lazily sits up and curls her tail just enough to force you to move, making to realize that her posture is effectively surrounding you. She cranes her neck and stares down at you with her intense, glowing eyes. “Come back again tomorrow.” And with that, she leaps into the air, blowing you over with powerful strokes of her wings before she shoots through one of the holes in the ceiling, able to only because of her greatly diminished size.
You lie on your back, eyes wide with wonder. She was amazing! The stories did her no justice; she was far more beautiful and terrifying than you would have ever believed. Deciding that it would be foolish to linger, less she comes back and finds you, you roll up onto your feet and retreat from the room hastily. An eager spring in your step brings you down the hall in a fraction of the time, and you practically rush out of the door, back to the tribe.
Once you return home you’re greeted with a variety of responses. A few of mild surprise, some of admiration, and others of blatant jealousy, at least in your mind. You receive a hearty claw of congratulations on the back from the chieftain, pleased to see that he chose correctly. As the day draws to a close, a few of your clanmates approach and offer you baubles and portions of their best food, for only a mention of their name to the Mistress. Seeing how kobolds are like tiny, unglorified dragons, you gladly accept the payments with eager nods.
As you lie down on your humble bedding, your thoughts drift back to your Mistress. Everything about her leaves you with a sense of wonder. She was so powerful! No wonder no one dared attack the tribe or the lair, not even adventurers. Her claws and teeth were so sharp and strong looking, they made yours look like dull rocks. You’d gotten peeks of her legs and tail as she’s strolled through the village, but you’d never really had the chance to admire how impervious and shiny her scales were. You toss a bone you had been chewing on absentmindedly in the air, thinking about her. One last time, you catch it and curl up with it like a human child might with a doll, a smile still tickling your teeth.
The next morning, you wake up bright and early, earlier than most of the others. You’re still nervous about your work, but all the same, it’s exciting. You scarf down your share of the rations and trot back over towards her section of the lair. With a clear improvement in your confidence, you still slink down the long, dark hall, anxious to arrive before she deems you late. On the far end of the cavern, you see her, still resembling a large boulder from this distance. You scamper before her, but do so in the most respectful and subservient manner you can manage.
Her eyes are closed and her breathing is slower than normal. She must still be sleeping. You freeze. Sure, you had proven your promptness by arriving so early, but what if you woke her? Your breathing catches in your throat as the sound seems like the rolling of stones in the quiet of the sanctum. She gave you no directions yesterday as to what you would be doing today.
How did she like her minions? Brainless and subservient, or proactive and clever? You silently gulp. You could sit a respectful distance away and simply wait for her to wake up. After all, she never told you to wake her, and that’s not a command you’d be comfortable assuming. On the other claw, you could get started doing something useful, as long as you were quiet about it. You were sure that your sprint across the room must have made some noise, so as long as you were quieter than that, everything should be fine.
A wash seems like a good idea. She had you do so yesterday, and if any of today’s work required you to touch her or her things, she’d likely make you take another. Tip-clawing your way to the pool, you slip in. You do your best to not make more than a ripple in the water as your scrub your scaly paws. As you turn around to exit the pool and to dry off, you slip on an algae covered rock and flop down into the shallows, sending water splashing loudly everywhere.
She does not stir.
Your heart nearly stops and you hold your breath as you watch her, transfixed on her sleeping form, waiting for her to strike you down. A minute passes and she doesn’t so much as move. You thank your ancestors that your dragon Mistress must be a heavy sleeper. You creep as quietly as you can back to in front of her. You’d hate to appear as if you’re slinking around in her lair while she’s sleeping. You softly take a seat on the ground on a small rock about twice your body length from her.
“Go tell my cooks that I want a whole cow prepared before the sun reaches its peak,” she hisses towards you, startling you immensely. She was awake! You spring up and salute her, even though her eyes are still closed.
“Y-yes Mistress! It shall be as you command it!” Without a moment’s more delay, you dash out of the room, towards the camp to alert the others of their work. Madly, you sprint down the hall, all of the way back to the tribe, panting by the time you get there.
“M-m-mistress... Mistress said to cook a cow. Before mid-day! Better be quick-fast!” You hunch over, bracing yourself on your knees, trying to catch your breath as well as your narrow chest will allow. By the time you look up, half a dozen kobolds have sprung into action, already gathering their things for their new assignment. It was always good news if the Mistress requested a cow because it meant that the tribe was allowed one from the stock as well. Cheering and happy dancing spread as word gets around camp. There would be large meat for food tonight!
You smile before jogging as quickly as you can back to her lair. This job was great. Maybe the best one in the whole tribe! She is already sitting up, watching you as you run up to her. Taking as little time as you can, you squeak up your report to her.
“So your will shall be, Mistress! The cow will be ready soon!” You bow deeply, the way you had seen the chieftain do so after speaking to her.
“You’re fast. That’s good. Now tell me, little Snagclaw,” she puts extra emphasis on your name, “What were you doing this morning before I got up.” She stares down at you imperiously, waiting for your response.
“I-I-I was washing up, in case you were to have me do anything like yesterday’s work, M-mistress.” She continues to watch you unwaveringly, to the point where your mind starts to race at what she might be thinking.
“That was a smart thing to do. Consider it standard to do so at the start of each day. It’s a good habit for a creature like you to get into.” Without further ado, she reaches up and presses the button on the pendant twice, resuming the form she had the previous day. “Today you will be polishing my scales.” She strolls over to the side of her bed of treasure and grabs a large cloth in her right forepaw. “You’ll be using this.” She tosses it to you, which you scramble to catch. Going back to the same spot, she pulls out a large blanket, and with a deft flick of the wrists, has it spread out on the floor for her to lie on.
You eagerly begin to polish her gorgeous scales with the cloth. Abruptly, she sits up and grasps at the pendant around her neck twice, quickly quadrupling in size, knocking you over in a sprawl in the process. Less than a minute later, about a dozen other kobolds rush in bearing the weight of the freshly prepared cow. You shake your head and look up at your fully sized Mistress, dazzled by the sudden transformation. She must have sensed them coming. That’s why no one in your tribe seemed to know she could do this.
The cook squeakily presents the food, shaking where he stood. With a simple nod she dismisses the others. Greedily, she sinks her massive teeth and claws into the carcass. Your brothers and sisters run away with fright back to the camp, the distant echo of the door barely being heard over the rending of flesh and snapping of bones. In just a few minute’s work, most of what remains are the larger bones, the meat clinging to them still pink from the hasty preparation, the rest being pulverized by her astounding jaws.
“You may help yourself to my scraps. When you are finished, you can get back to work.” You hungrily dive onto the poorly cleaned bones and start stripping them of their scraps and enjoying the marrow. Meanwhile, your Mistress takes a few flaps into the air before dive-bombing into the largest pool with a mighty splash. She breaches the surface with a grin, her serpentine neck and head being the only features above the surface. A couple of flaps more and she fully emerges from the water, drops glistening from her well pampered scales. After a couple of laps around the lair, she lands in a gust back on the large blanket after shrinking in size first.
You hastily scarf down one more bite before you too go to the water to clean the blood and meat off. She nods in approval before setting her head back down and waiting on you to continue working. The rest of the day slips by without incident, but still wondrous in your eyes.
The next day you return to her chambers, she has you polish her horns and claws, a terrifying, but exciting task. The day after that, she has you oil her leathery wings. Each day you faithfully and eagerly serve her, falling into a blissful routine of servitude. Why your predecessor ever chose to be so incompetent to get killed is beyond your understanding.
And so your work continues for quite some time in this fashion; pampering your Mistress, delivering her messages to the tribe, and soaking up all the benefits that come with. Your new elevated position is even paying off outside of the work. Several of the kobolds you mentioned by name were picked for missions, which granted you their respect and more attention. Your life was perfect… except one little thing.
Your Mistress was so glorious, and beautiful, and awe-inspiring, and… you loved her. Not in the same way you did before you started your work. You got to see everything about her in person, and she seemed too good to actually exist. You had just been a humble trap-digger before the chieftain chose you for this job. It hurt a little when you thought about how a love like this would never be reciprocated. Maybe that was what happened to your precursor. The thought sent shivers down your tail to think of how she would react if you ever admitted anything of that nature to her. It would have to be something you would hold onto silently, like a treasure too good to boast about, for fear of losing it.
Another day starts, and like usual, you’re up early to go attend Her Majesty. You enter into the chamber, as usual, but do not see your Mistress. It wouldn’t be the first time that she was late to come home from one of her scouting missions, but this time your heart quakes a bit. What if she had been hurt? Or attacked? Or killed?! Doubts of her power had never slipped into your mind before, but the idea of anything happening to her, or losing her grip your heart with an icy grasp.
Before you start panicking, you see her in one of her smaller forms dive into the chamber through one of the waterfall openings. The joy of seeing her return is quickly replaced again with worry as you see her flight falter. She has an arrow jutting out of her shoulder, painted with the red of her blood. Wearily, she lands nearby at the edge of one of the pools before easing herself in.
“Mistress!” you cry loudly as you rush to her side. “Mistress, you’re hurt! What can I do?” Calmly, she turns her neck and pulls the arrow out as if it were an oversized splinter, giving only the smallest wince as she does so.
“Fetch me the wand in the third alcove. Be gentle with it.” You see upon closer inspection that there are a few gashes on her beautiful face and chest. You nod as hard as you can before quickly doing her bidding. You return with the wand she mentioned, treating it more delicately than an infant in your nervous claws. She reaches down and plucks it from your grasp, wielding it deftly and tapping it against the wounded areas. Before your very eyes, the cuts seal up as if they had never been there. You can’t help but give a relieved sigh. With a satisfied smile, she hands the wand back to you. Understanding, you return it to its rightful place and return to her feet, awaiting her command.
She simply looks down at you, but not in her usual derisive manner. Her head is cocked to the side, and it appears more curious, or perplexed, though emotions are hard to read on a scaled face. You simply keep looking up at her expectantly, awaiting orders. She gives a large sigh and turns away from you without a word. Your heart sinks. You failed her. You don’t know how, but you failed her. You would have rather been slain on the spot than see the look on her face that you just did. Wings drooped, she lumbers over to her sleeping pile and flops onto it, head turned away from you.
You walk towards her, but maintain a respectful distance. You had a duty, and you were going to stay until you were dismissed. Moments drag into minutes, until you don’t know how long exactly you have been standing there.
“You’re still here, aren’t you?” she asks half-heartedly.
“Yes, of course Mistress! I am at your command. Your beck and call.” She huffs and curls up a little tighter.
“Well go away.” Your already broken heart sinks, your tail falls to a droop and you hang your head. You start to turn to leave.
“Anything you want, Your Majesty.” Before you take two steps, she interrupts.
“No, wait…Stay.” She half turns to face you, but avoids eye contact.
“As you wish, my Mistress.” You stop and turn to face her. Her eyes hold more sadness than you thought possible, which only makes the pain in your chest all the worse. After a long pause, she finally looks straight at you, silent for a moment more, as if pondering, and then asks you a question.
“Why do you serve me so diligently?” Without hesitation, you begin to answer.
“Because you are a mighty dragon, worthy of the best treatment and all your heart desires.” Your chest swells with some pride, but you mean every word sincerely.
“And what if I weren’t? What if I were just some kobold like you? Would you serve me then?” You’re taken aback by her tone, which for the first time ever sounds vulnerable.
“You lead our tribe fairly, and to great prosperity. I would gladly serve you as a chieftain.” She stares at you, thinking on this for quite some time.
“Would you swear yourself to me, above your tribe?” She watches you unblinkingly from her spot.
“Yes. Without hesitation.” The only thing dearer to a kobold than their tribe is their dragon. Some kobolds have been known to be driven to madness or suicide at the loss of their dragon. Surly the tribe would understand such a thing, and do the same in your place.
She sits up from her bed and looks down at you sternly.
“Then swear to me that you will divulge my secrets to no creature, living or otherwise for all eternity.”
“I swear upon the scales of my throat, the spirits of my ancestors, and my devotion to you that no secret of yours will ever cross my teeth.” She nods at you with an approving and happy smile.
“Good. Now come close. I have things I wish to share with you.” The thought that you might become a snack any moment crosses your mind, but it doesn’t matter. If she wanted to eat you or kill you, there would be nothing you could do about it. You approach her, and come closer still as she beckons you with a large claw. Slowly, she coils around you, but you find it oddly comforting.
“Snagclaw, you have been the best servant that a dragon could ask for. You are always eager and good at your work. You’re devoted, and faithful. That’s why I’m choosing you for this. I have a gift for you.” You can barely believe your ears. She actually appreciates you. Your heart beats faster as you gulp.
“Y-yes Mistress?” Like a bolt of lightning, she wraps her tail around your torso, immobilizing you. You yelp in fright. You can feel the power of her muscles, and how they could crush you with little effort, but they apply very little pressure around you. She half hoists you up, and lowers her head so that you’re both snout to snout. She presses the tip of her muzzle to yours and you feel the rush of warmth from her breath. Tilting her head slightly to the side she applies a little force, wrapping her scaled lips lightly over yours. Frozen in shock, your jaw dangles open slightly. With one quick flick of her forked tongue, she tickles yours a single time before slowly lowering you with a small smile and chuckle.
She just gave you a kiss! Your head starts spinning as you’re barely able to comprehend what just happened. The dizziness gets worse and you fall hard onto your tail. Through the swirling, you see your Mistress take a couple of steps back, eyes intently watching you. You clutch at your head, the blur making it impossible to focus.
You feel warmth fill your whole body, starting at your lips, but it persists and grows stronger. As it swells inside of you, you feel like you’re growing to accommodate it. At first, it just seems like your imagination, but the longer it goes on, the more overcome you feel. Your neck wavers as it seems to grow significantly longer. Your arms and legs pulse as the once scrawny frame seems to thicken with healthy muscle. You try to stand up, but fall forward onto all fours. Through your blurry vision, you can see the rusty color of the scales on your claws darken and change into a deep verdant color. Your jaw and brow tingle and you can feel the bones that once gave your face defined ridges sprout small horns.
You start to realize what is going on when you feel a pressure right near your shoulder blades. Two tiny buds, one on each side, begin to grow. You look over at your Mistress in a mixture of confusion, discomfort, and most of all, love. She smiles at you reassuringly and nods. You could have never dreamed of an honor like this. You wobble as your thighs grow unevenly, one thickening up before the other follows shorty after. Your hind-paws elongate into elegant feet like you had seen on your Mistress. You stretch your toes, finding them surprisingly still articulate, as the claws on your hands grow into the mighty, yet fine-tuned instruments you had admired about her.
All the while, you had been continuing to increase in size, and before you realize the issue, the small necklaces and bangles that you wore before snap off, unable to continue the change with you. Your leather kilt splits just above your tail, falling down near your back paws. You feel like you’re being pulled from both ends as both your snout extends to accommodate your new, additional teeth, and your tail elongates into a long, thick rope of muscle and scales. At long last the buds that had started near your shoulder blades begin to fully emerge. The growth of new bones and muscles sends shivers down your spine, but in a beautifully pleasant way. As they develop, you stretch them out as much as you can, each time giving you the feeling of uncurling an arm or leg that you never knew that you had tucked away. As the membranes meet the kiss of fresh air for the first time, you feel a tugging at the back of your neck, as small spines emerge, growing their own skin like frills.
Eventually, everything seems to stop moving on its own accord. Your Mistress saunters up to you, to your shock, at eye level. Somehow, her features seem more expressive, or at least you can understand them better from here. She rubs the top of her head under your chin in a gentle way, like a large cat.
“What do you think of your gift?” She raises her head again to gage your reaction.
“It’s… It’s more than I could have ever dreamed of.” Instinctively falling to the ground, you grovel at her feet. “Thank you so very much, Mistress! Your generosity is that of legends!” She tucks a gentle claw under your chin and lifts you back up.
“You’re a dragon now. Act with a little dignity, my dear.” Your heart and wings flutter at her voice. It was so much sweeter and fuller now. Your new senses seem to pick up on so much more than they did before; it feels like you were comparatively blind. You nod restrainedly.
“This entire thing has been a test, and you passed flawlessly. You will be my companion. I still expect you to serve and respect me just as before, but you have received a gift merited by your performance.” She shoots a quick, devious grin at you. “And if you disappoint me, I can take it back just as easily as I gave it. Is that understood?” You nod again, this time a bit more vigorously. “Good.”