“But… I don’t think I have the skills for that…” Snuk said, puzzled, in response to his friend’s request.
“Come on! It’s not like it takes any deep study! You just have to stand there and watch everything from a tower!”

The cat in front of Snuk was one of the guards who normally patrolled the castle’s perimeter. Unlike the kobold, the cat was much taller and more solidly built; this was precisely why he was assigned to guard duty, while Snuk was in charge of potion-making and the study of magic.

“I already told you,” the cat repeated, “it’s just for this shift, and you’ll be up on the castle tower! I’ve been there a thousand times, and nothing has ever happened, not in years. Come on, Snuk, do me this favor!” he said, making puppy eyes to soften the kobold. “I really can’t today… I’ve got something important, and if I don’t find someone to cover for me, the boss will never let me go!”

Snuk looked at his friend with one eyebrow raised, but in the end, he gave in. “Alright! But only this once! I still have no idea how I’m supposed to walk around in that armor…” he said, looking the cat up and down.

“Don’t be stupid! You don’t have to wear mine! Down in the locker room we’ve got all sizes. Here,” he said, handing a couple of sheets to the kobold, “this is the written permission saying you’ll be replacing me today, and this is the schedule. It’ll be a walk in the park, don’t worry. I’ve gotta go now,” he added, already walking away. “Thanks again, shorty!” he shouted over his shoulder as he ran off.

“DON’T CALL ME SHORTY!” Snuk yelled after him, as the tip of the cat’s tail disappeared around the corner.

Left alone, the kobold made his way to the guards’ locker room, handed over the permit, and started looking for armor in his size.
Once he found one, it took him a while to figure out how to put it on properly: it was quite a comical sight, him wearing this armor that made him almost wider than he was tall, barely able to move.

Slowly, he reached the post at the top of the tower, where his long shift began.

It wasn’t so bad, all things considered: he was up there, alone, with a magnificent view over the city and a light breeze that kept him fairly cool, even under the sun and inside the heavy armor.

The morning passed slowly; a bit bored, Snuk ate his meal and then prepared to continue his duty into the afternoon.

The hours dragged on. On the horizon, the sky began to turn orange as the sun started to slip behind the distant mountains, when suddenly a powerful gust of wind struck the small kobold.

Snuk tried to look around, but a tremendous crash rang in his ears, while beneath him the castle trembled. In the distance, he saw panic spreading through the castle gardens and the city.

Before he could even begin to understand what had happened, an enormous tail, thick as one of the castle’s towers, swept past him just a few meters away.

With eyes wide in terror, Snuk slowly followed the movement of the tail; turning, he saw it was attached to the massive body of the largest creature he had ever seen in his life.
Immense, gigantic, and infinitely majestic, a dragon had landed on the castle.
Its enormous wings cast a shadow over the entire park below. One of its paws, likely as large as a merchant ship, had crashed down onto the stairs that served as the kobold’s only escape route.

Snuk immediately understood that he was trapped, and even more so, that he was in danger, as the dragon, at least a hundred meters above the small kobold, had turned its head, fixing its gaze upon him. Its eyes, yellow and bright as the sun, locked onto him, while a wide grin spread open the immense jaws of Aetherios.

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Amazing YCH done by  Schl4fy with the looming presence of  Aetherios